Informative Speech Working Outline

General Topic: Movies

Specific Topic: The movie production of Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope

General Purpose: To Inform

Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about the production and cultural impact of Star Wars

Episode 4

Thesis Statement: I will explain the production process of Star Wars Episode 4 and the effects

the movie has had in the world today.

Introduction:

Attention Getter: How does a young movie director, underground racer, and “nerd” go on

to make the one of the highest grossing films of all time? How does this film manage to release

after having severe shooting problems, a lack of special effects, and poor editing? This is the

story of the iconic film, “Star Wars”.

Reason to Listen: Star Wars is a very impactful and important film for not only the

history of filmography but also for story-telling in general. Star Wars has directly inspired such

works as Alien, Battlestar Galactica, and countless other science fiction films.

Thesis Statement: Today, I will explain the production process of Star Wars and its

effects on the entertainment industry as well as the world.

 Credibility Statement: As an avid movie fan and an extreme fan of Star Wars, this subject

is very near and dear to my heart. In the course of researching for this speech I watched multiple

documentaries about the making of Star Wars and read many articles about its development.

Main Point Preview: Today, I will be showing all of you the process of how “Star Wars”

was produced and the effects the movie has made on the world.

Main Point 1: Star Wars Production Process

Sub 1 (Conception/Writing): In August of 1973, George Lucas, a new younger

filmmaker, right off the success of his movie “American Graffiti” sought to produce the film he

had been dreaming of since the start of his career, a space opera. According to an interview with

George Lucas by the American Society of Cinematographers, he said that he wrote Star Wars

straight after American Graffiti “Eight hours a day, five days a week from then … until we began

shooting.” These drafts ranged from close to the film’s plot to completely different characters or

events appearing. After asking Disney about a film deal and getting rejected, they came to 20th

Century Fox, who accepted the deal.

Sub 2 (Shooting): With the deal in place, filming began. With a crew of C-Class actors

and much hesitation they began filming. They film in many places around the globe: From

Britain and America to Guatemala and Tunisia. But throughout filming, many problems arose.

According to the documentary “Empire of Dreams”, while filming in the Tunisian desert, the

actors became so hot that some fell ill to heat stroke. The actors in full costume who played

C3PO, R2D2, and the Tusken Raiders were also having problems with their costumes. Once

initial filming finished, George Lucas showed a early showing of the film to some of his movie

director friends. The only person in the screening who enjoyed the movie was Steven Spielberg.
According to an interview by Steven Spielberg in the documentary “Empire of Dreams”,

Spielberg says that, “I loved the movie. I was probably the only person in the audience who liked

the movie.”

Sub 3 (Post Production Editing & Effects): With filming finished, the only thing left to be

done was to edit the movie. This task was harder than expected. Some problems that were

evident were that many scenes were not coherent to the main plot of the movie, certain sound

effects like the Lightsaber noises or Darth Vader’s breathing were not included, and the music

was missing. Editors Paul Hirsh and Richard Chew were put in charge of fixing the editing as

George Lucas worked with composer John Williams for the score of the movie and sound

designer Ben Bert for the sound effects.

Transition Statement: With these problems being sorted out, the production of Star Wars

was finished and the release date of May 25, 1977 was on the horizon. Little did they know, they

had no idea how much this movie would change the world.

Main Point 2: Cultural Impact of Star Wars

Sub 1 (Film Impact & Records): Upon the release of Star Wars, it was a major success.

According to the-numbers.com, a movie business website, Star Wars received over $1.5 million

dollars on opening weekend, resulting in over $450 million dollars revenue in domestic theatres

alone. The film also broke numerous records for its time. It was not only top grossing film in

1977, if adjusting for inflation, Star Wars has the number one box office record in the United

States. That year, Star Wars was nominated for 11 Oscars at the Academy Awards, receiving 7

of them.
 Sub 2 (Further Franchise Success): With the absolutely stunning success of Star Wars,

George Lucas sought to finish the complete story he set out to tell. George Lucas then produced

the next two movies in the Original Trilogy, “The Empire Strikes Back” and ‘The Return of the

Jedi.” These films formed the bedrock of the future of the franchise. With the success of these

films, Lucas commissioned the production of many new projects and merchandise of the films.

In 2012, LucasFilms was acquired by Disney for the hefty price of $4.05 Billon dollars.

Sub 3 (Impact on Future Films): Star Wars has influenced many directors and films since

its release. One notable director that was influenced by Star Wars was Christopher Nolan.

According to etntertainmentweekly.com, Christopher Nolan in an interview was discussing

influences for his film Interstellar, to have said, “My dad took my brother and me to Leicester

Square, which is where you’d find the biggest theaters in London. I remember very clearly just

the experience of being transported to another world. I was a huge Star Wars fan at the time. But

this was a completely different way of experiencing science fiction.”

Conclusion:

Review Main Points: In conclusion, the production of Star Wars, filled with many

problems and hardships, ended up being a massive payoff with the amount of money and impact

the film created.

Restate Thesis: Now you know what the production process of Star Wars was like and

the effects that it had on the world at large.

Closing Statement: The story of the production and success of George Lucas & Star Wars

shows us that anyone who wants to impact the world can do it with enough willpower and

steadfastness. So if you want to make an impact to your friends, community, or even the world,
just remember the humble beginnings of Star Wars. In the words of the Jedi master Yoda, “Do or

do not; there is no try.”

Bibliography

1. https://web.archive.org/web/20161001221045/http://www.theasc.com/magazine/

starwars/articles/starwars/behind/pg1.htm

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-ux9jn1tRU

3. https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Star-Wars-Ep-IV-A-New-Hope#tab=summary

4. https://ew.com/article/2013/04/06/room-237-stanley-kubrick-shining-influence/