Is the Force With Web Site in Australia?

By RICHARD NATALE

Oct. 31, 1998 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

It would be easy to understand a mad stampede for a sneak preview of the highly anticipated “Star Wars” prequel, “The Phantom Menace,” which debuts next May. But it’s virtually unprecedented for there to be hysteria about the upcoming two-minute trailer for the movie--except that it offers the first look at actual footage from the film.

Now a detailed shot-by-shot breakdown of that still-unfinished teaser trailer has appeared on an Australian-based Web site--https://www.darkhorizons.com--and those associated with the film say it’s the real thing.

Reached in Australia, the Web site’s creator, Garth Franklin, says his source for the trailer is based in the U.S. “and he was in the right place at the right time” to see the trailer. “I wouldn’t have printed the information if it hadn’t been so detailed,” says Franklin.

Even before the new trilogy was announced, “Star Wars” Internet Web sites were working overtime speculating on the plot and grasping any fragment of information, however specious; in the “Star Wars” universe there is no such thing as an insignificant factoid. Rumors and gossip have been ripe on the Web for months about everything from the film’s title to its finances.

The latest buzz in the “Star Wars” universe was about the first official theatrical trailer for “Phantom Menace”--when and where it will debut and what it will contain. There has been much speculation about the first sighting of the trailer, all of it inaccurate.

But the Sydney-based site scored a coup last week by printing a painstakingly detailed shot-by-shot description (70 shots in all) of the 2-minute, 5-second teaser, down to the camera angles used in each shot (though it was missing certain effects shots).

Sources at Lucasfilm do not dispute the accuracy of the darkhorizons information. Lynn Hale, the company spokeswoman, says she no longer confirms nor denies any “Star Wars” information that appears on the Web.

“It’s more fun for the fans to speculate,” she says, adding that only the official Web site is entirely accurate.

However, other sources close to the production say the description of the trailer on the site is pinpoint accurate down to the most minute detail.

When the trailer information broke last Sunday Franklin says visitors to his site doubled with generally favorable reaction to the teaser’s breakdown.

Speculation about the “Star Wars” prequel has only intensified as the release date of the movie approaches, particularly on the Internet. The title “The Phantom Menace” first broke on the official “Star Wars” Web site and other Internet locations, like Ain’t It Cool News, were the first to print certain correct (and incorrect) casting information. During production there was a virtual leakfest from the closely guarded set in England.

Also appearing on the Web are the contents of a purported deal memo between Fox and the film’s producer, Lucasfilm, claiming Fox is getting only a 10% straight profit participation in return for laying out the bulk (75%) of the film’s projected $35-million marketing campaign.

Fox and Lucasfilm say those figures are bogus. But studio head Bill Mechanic has said that the studio is basically receiving a distribution fee to handle the release of the movie, which is owned by producer-director George Lucas’ company.

Besides the content of the trailer, the other big question for “Star Wars” fans was when it would appear in movie theaters--and with which films. The rumor was that Fox would break “Star Wars” on Nov. 6, accompanying its only national holiday release, “The Siege”--and only with that film. In other words, if you don’t see “The Siege,” you don’t see the “Star Wars” trailer.

Only one problem says Fox senior studio executive Tom Sherak: “It’s not true.”

Logically it would be unlikely for a trailer to a family movie to be placed with an R-rated movie like “The Siege.” Another report had the trailer being slapped onto a Fox re-release of a PG-13 re-edited version of “There’s Something About Mary.” But the attempt to trim the R-rated comedy went nowhere, according to Fox insiders.

The latest Web theory is that the “Star Wars” trailer will be attached to Paramount’s “Star Trek: Insurrection” or DreamWorks’ “Prince of Egypt,” both of which will be released in December. Wrong again.

According to a source close to Fox, Lucas is eager to give fans an earlier peek, even before Thanksgiving. The first look at “Star Wars” will also be preceded by printed material on the film that will be appearing in theaters shortly.

Will the trailer appear before Disney’s “A Bug’s Life” or Universal’s “Babe: Pig in the City”? The answer to both is no. “Babe” will tout Universal’s Christmas release, “Patch Adams”; “Bug’s Life” will be previewing “Mighty Joe Young,” Disney’s big-budget, live-action family film for the holidays.

Where will the “Star Wars” trailer appear? Fox is mum. “We’re going to have fun with it,” is all Sherak will say. But intrepid fans are not going to take that kind of evasiveness lying down. So here’s a hint. Remember where the title was first announced? It makes sense that the teaser trailer information will show up there too.

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The Tale From the Trailer

Highlights of the trailer for the “Star Wars” prequel, Episode 1: “The Phantom Menace.” When played at theaters, the trailer will last a little more than 2 minutes and contain about 70 shots.

Shot 1: Swamp. Somebody slowly emerges from the mist. It’s not clear who it is, but it’s not human. Appears to be someone riding on something.

Shot 2: Title card: EVERY GENERATION HAS A LEGEND

Shot 3: Slowly panning across the desert to a small parked spaceship.

Shot 4: Title card: EVERY JOURNEY HAS A FIRST STEP

Shot 5: Majestic shot of a city with a palace in the background.

Shot 6: Interior of palace.

Shot 7: EVERY SAGA HAS A BEGINNING

Shots 8 through 68: We get glimpses of the prequel’s new central characters like Jar Jar, Anakin and Shmi Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jim, Mace Windu, Queen Padme--and, of course, holdover characters from the original trilogy like Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO. And most importantly, Obi Wan Kenobi as a child with his lightsaber. At one point Yoda says, “Fear is the path to the dark side.”

Shot 69: Something crashing into a huge space structure resulting in an enormous explosion.

Shot 70: Main title: “STAR WARS.”

For full trailer breakdown see https://www.darkhorizons.com