A Word from Carlo Leone
Directors of "EMERGENCE OF THE SITH"

Emergence of the Sith originated from my intent to direct an action packed short film. The story Idea came to me after watching Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The Darth Maul character left me wanting to see more. I wrote the script over a three-day vacation. When I showed the script to a few people they strongly encouraged me to shoot it.

Shooting this film with only four people and one camera was a tremendous undertaking. The action scenes were all shot on location in the woods. They had to be perfectly choreographed so as not to waste precious time and natural light. (Oh, and did I fail to mention the mosquito epidemic and encephalitis scare that occurred during our shoot time in the woods?) On set, I stuck to the script, although most of the shot sequences were etched in my memory, especially the action sequences. We trained for three weeks to learn sword fighting so that the saber scenes would have the speed and momentum of true action and George, who played Subo Dai, was able to do most of his stunts with minimal practice.

The interior set was built in a leaky garage with limited space and resources, so camera angles were quite a challenge. At times I had to compromise my shot list because of space constraints. Other challenges included a hurricane, freezing temperatures and a flooded garage. (We were more than a little concerned with 1000-watt lights being used.)

I am envious when I hear other directors speaking of their "small crews" of 14 or 15 people. There were truly only four of us (no exaggeration), three of which had extremely limited experience with filmmaking. It was difficult to manage acting, directing and camera work simultaneously, but not impossible. So don?t be discouraged if you?re interested in shooting with a limited budget and crew. Even with limited resources, we were able to complete the project successfully, because I had such a dedicated crew. I hope you enjoy the film.

We would like to thank everyone involved with Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise for inspiring us to make this film. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I hope you enjoy the film.

Carlo Leone

Director, Emergence of the Sith