The dialogue and acting aren't particularly memorable, but the scope of the visuals and the overall world-building elements are just splendid. The music's evocative (if a trifle loud for my tastes). And it packs a surprising emotional punch, as well.
In other words, it's pretty much a perfect homage to its source material, right?
KARA is a short fan film set in the Star Wars universe.
A Whitelist Production (www.whitelist.tv). KARA is a short fan film set in the Star Wars universe. Written and Directed by: Joe Sill Producer: Westin Ray Executive Producer: Jerad Anderson Head of Production: Nick Erickson STARRING: Andra Nechita Peter Arpesella Daniela Flynn Head of Accounting: Natasha Seubert 1st Assistant Director: Trevor Stevens 2ndAssistant Director: Daniel Burke Casting: Joe Sill & Westin Ray Cinematographer: Nico Aguilar Gaffer: Matt Blake 1st AC: Danilo Rodriguez & Daniel Demenezes 2nd AC: Brodin Plett Key Grip: Jordan Kleinman Still Photographer: Austin Ray Wire Rigging Team: Nick Goehner, Marvin Francis, Luke Couce Aerial Footage: Luc Delamare DJI Ronin Operators: Cire Hensman, Stefan Vleming Production Designer: Joe Weber Art Director: Alex Shumate Costume Designer: Robin Ray Costume Assistant: Fern Ray X-Wing Pilot Costume: Lisa Curtis Saunders Makeup & Hair: Devan Weitzman Costume Aging & Weathering: Devan Weitzman Sound Designer: Jackie! Zhou Production Sound: Kristian Hayden Composer: Austin Ray -- https://soundcloud.com/a-ray-5/sets/kara-original-soundtrack Visual Effects by: Joe Sill & Luc Delamare Colorist: Andrew Finch SANDTROOPERS: Dean Amstutz, Mark Kinsey, Victor Silva, Marcus Holt, Milton Hunt, Rob Csorba WRANGLERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS: Stuart Loui, Carrie Ann Caranci,Barry Chan, Mark Edwards SPECIAL THANKS: 501st Legion Imperial Sands Garrison Ian Cook Lesley Farquhar Felipe Irigoyen Merry & Jerry McIntyre Bill Engler Eric Elmore Robin Elmore Stuart Cram Alex Lubow Champ Robinson sat-fx Brian Tran U.S. Dept. of the Interior Bureau of Land Mgmt. James T Wulfgar Wulfgar Weapons El Centro Field Office Star Wars Original SFX by Benn Burtt Screen Actors Guild
Thanks to Short of the Week for bringing this one to my attention. And thanks for the in-depth interview they conducted with its director, Joe Sill, definitely a talent worth watching.
Check it out; it's great "behind-the-curtain" stuff:
I decided to create a narrative in the Star Wars universe honestly because I’d been doing quite a few commercials last year, and felt the need to tell some stories again. Since that first Force Awakens trailer came out, I got real antsy about its release — I’ve been a SW fan since I was like 5 years old, drawing X-Wings on paper all the time. I don’t know what the “spark” point was, really … I just thought it would be kind of the perfect playground for me to mess around in. It was just like the Tesla commercial for me — I wanted to tell my own story in a universe I knew so well. I wanted to contribute to the world not just by supporting Force Awakens, but by adding my personal voice to it as well. I also really wanted to exercise narratively in preparation for other projects to come! It just seemed like it had to be this way.