Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did you decide to make the film?
Director Carrie Coaplen has always loved documentaries, and is a non-fiction writer and academic. She wanted to make the film to understand her own obsession with the Galactic Starcruiser as someone who had first approached it as a casual fan of Star Wars. Lead researcher Carly Kocurek came to the project as a historian who specializes in the study and preservation of games and media with an investment in documenting the experience as a game. They actually connected about the project in a Facebook group where Carrie had posted asking if anyone was interested in making a documentary. Since those initial conversations, the team has expanded, including Executive Producer Ben Daughtrey; Director of Photography, Editor, and Sound Editor Kenzie Greer; and Writer and Associate Producer Jonathon Hawpe. Other team members include Jon Beachy, composer; Sarah Speights, marketing/public relations; Beth Fitzgibbons, swag genius. More detailed information about our production team is available here.
Q: Did Disney give you permission to film aboard the Halcyon?
Yes. We sought and received permission from Disney public relations to shoot for a feature-length documentary. They conveyed, and we followed, existing filming rules.
Q: Why are you fundraising?
Generally, documentary films cost between $2000 and $4000 per minute to produce. Many of the costs of documentary production – ranging from legal consultation fees, gear purchase and rental, software licensing, festival applications, marketing and promotion, and even accounting – are hidden.
To date, most expenses have been self-funded or covered by donations received through the fiscal sponsorship of The Louisville Film Society (LFS). Every donation has been absolutely vital, enabling us to pay our editor fair wages so that she can focus on the film full time. We have also submitted several grant applications and are actively seeking financing through multiple avenues.
Q: What is your production timeline?
We are currently on track to complete the film in 2025. Exactly when in 2025 depends on potential investors, funders, distributors, and partners. We are pursuing a number of opportunities to support completing the project as a professional, full-length documentary that can be viewed by as many people as possible.
To date, we have collected nearly 100 hours of footage, including events, interviews, and point of view attraction vidoe, all of which needs to be reviewed, organized, and edited. We were able to produce a teaser trailer with an original score and two full scenes cut within eight months of our first shoot. And, we were accepted into the Louisville Film Society Fiscal Sponsorship Program.
While continuing with production and editing work, we have completed multiple major grant applications, pursued fundraising through multiple avenues, and continued research and interviews.
Documentaries take about one month of editing for every ten minutes of finished content, which means a 90-minute documentary would represent 9 months of editing.
After editing, the team will still have coloring, sound, and graphics work as well as final scoring. Then, we would ramp up marketing, distribution and film festival applications over several months and then the documentary would be ready to release. And this timeline is in the best case scenario.
Q: Where will we be able to see the film?
We are submitting to film festivals and will announce any scheduled festival screenings. We are also pursuing both theatrical and streaming distribution opportunities, but this is an ongoing process.
Q: What and who have you been filming?
We have filmed on-board the Halcyon, at multiple public events, and in pre-arranged interviews with fans, experts, and industry insiders. In addition to following documentary best practices, we have and continue to consult with an entertainment lawyer and a lawyer with expertise in media rights. We will continue to rely on their expertise throughout the process.