BEHIND-THE-SCENES STAGE with Doug Steves (Room 515A)

Friday, May 25:

11:00 am -- 12:00 pm: The Archeology of Star Wars
Dr. David West Reynolds will be joined by Lorne Peterson, model maker and visual effects craftsman, who worked on all the Star Wars movies. Join them in an archaeological search for the Star Wars filming sites in Tunisia. Both Reynolds and Peterson will have many humorous stories to share, too.

12:30 -- 1:30 pm: The Making of Star Wars
Author J.W. Rinzler spent countless hours researching the making of the original Star Wars movie, including interviews with George Lucas and many of the key creators who made the move that started it all. Rinzler's research has been extensive and his panel will be steeped in little-known facts and insights.

2:00 -- 3:00 pm: The Archeology of Indiana Jones
Travel with Dr. David West Reynolds to Egypt and Peru in the footsteps of the "historical" Indiana Jones, and journey to the filming sites in Hawaii, California, and Tunisia to track down the traces of the original productions and see the world of Indiana Jones as it was viewed on the screen. From the Vatican manuscript library to catacomb cemeteries, from the real Thuggee cult to the Nazi quest for occult objects. Trust him.

3:30 -- 4:30 pm: Legacy of the Force with Aaron Allston, Troy Denning, and Karen Traviss
The authors of the major nine-book Star Wars novel series that is currently in process will be joined by Sue Rostoni of Lucas Books and Shelly Shapiro of Random House. Moderated by Lucasfilm's Pablo Hidalgo.

5:00 -- 6:00 pm: The Art of Ralph McQuarrie John Scoleri, author of the spectacular new book, The Art of Ralph McQuarrie, will show images of the influential artist's works, both Star Wars and non-Star Wars. The book celebrates McQuarrie's contributions, particularly his designs that shaped the Star Wars movies and helped bring George Lucas' vision to the screen.

Saturday, May 26:

10:00 -- 11:30am: Thirty Years of Star Wars Publishing and Continuity
Moderated by Pablo Hidalgo, this panel discusses 30 years of binding the Star Wars expanded universe together. Sue Rostoni, Jonathan Rinzler, and Leland Chee from Lucasfilm; Shelly Shapiro from Random House; Randy Stradley from Dark Horse Comics, and Jacob Bronstein from Random House Audio.

12:30 -- 1:30 pm: Basement Independent Film with Hollywood Results
Shane Felux, winner of both the George Lucas Selects and Audience Choice awards in the 2006 Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge for Pitching Lucas, will share his tricks and discoveries for shooting professional movies with limited resources.

2:00 -- 3:00 pm: "Robot Chicken" Writers' Panel
How do they make it so funny every week? How do they make it work for Star Wars? Come to the writers' panel and learn from the masters. Co-head writers Doug Goldstein and Tom Root will be joined by Mike Fasolo, Hugh Sterbakov, Breckin Meyer, Erik Weiner, and Jordan Allen-Dutton to discuss writing for the show.

3:30 -- 4:30 pm: "Robot Chicken" Toys & Sets Panel
Jed Hathaway, Ross Shuman, Rob Ronning, Rosa Tran, and Mark Caballero will share the secrets of toy modification and set design for "Robot Chicken." They're planning on bringing some great examples from the show to see, too!

5:00 -- 6:00 pm: Dark Horse Comics
Straight from the Horse's mouth -- what's coming and what's cool in Star Wars comics. Hear from Randy Stradley and Jeremy Barlow (editors), John Jackson Miller and John Ostrander (writers) and Jan Duursema (artist), with Jeremy Atkins.

6:30 -- 7:30 pm: Star Wars Filming Locations
With Gus Lopez and Brandon Alinger. Travel to filming locations around the world with these two interesting and well-traveled Star Wars fans and collectors. They have amazing stories that span from Tunisia to California and beyond.

9:30pm -- 12:30 am: Just Added! Celebration Saturday Night!
Gather in Hall K for a mixer with your fellow Star Wars fans from all around the world. There will be music and conversation, plus food and drinks to buy. No charge for admittance, just come and have some fun and make new friends from the worldwide Star Wars community!

Sunday, May 27:

10:00 -- 11:00 am: Basement Independent Film with Hollywood Results
Shane Felux, winner of both the George Lucas Selects and Audience Choice awards in the 2006 Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge for Pitching Lucas, will share his tricks and discoveries for shooting professional movies with limited resources.

11:30 am -- 12:30 pm: Advanced Droid Building
This panel, sponsored by the R2Builders Club will focus on the advanced methods it takes to have a fully R/C droid. Besides radio control, this panel covers drive systems, 2-3-2, lights, sound, and advanced materials used in creating the ultimate Star Wars prop!

1:00 -- 2:00 pm: 501st Costuming: Stormtroopers
Admit it! You've always wanted to be one of those Troopers in White that are seen all over the world at premieres, conventions, and charity events. Now is your chance to learn how with Sarah Pugliaresi, Edward DaSilva, Chris Romines, Martin Vavra, and Stuart Wilkshire, all stormtrooper costumers in the Legion.

2:30 -- 3:30 pm: Star Wars Incredible Cross Sections
Hans Jenssen and Richard Chasemore are the illustrators of the truly incredible Star Wars Complete Cross-Sections and other Incredible Cross-Sections books that expose the inner workings of ships and mechanics of the Star Wars Saga. Jenssen and Chasemore have spent the last nine years in a galaxy far, far away, co-illustrating a total of ten Star Wars books.

4:00 -- 5:00 pm: The Star Wars Vault with Stephen J. Sansweet and Peter Vilmur
This fall, Stephen J. Sansweet's twelfth book on the Saga, The Star Wars Vault, will be published in the U.S., U.K., Japan, France, Germany, Spain, and The Netherlands. The book contains 30 years of treasures from the archives of Lucasfilm (and from Steve's and Pete's personal collections), two audio CDs (hear Princess Leia sing the "Life Day" song!) and fifty pieces of removable memorabilia ranging from a recalled early t-shirt transfer to George Lucas' handwritten story treatment for The Empire Strikes Back. Look for give-aways at this panel, too!

5:30 -- 6:30 pm: The Art of the Pop-Up with Matthew Reinhart
Matthew Reinhart paper-engineered The Pop-up book of Phobias and its sequel, The Pop-up of Nightmares. He and his partner, paper-engineer extraordinaire Robert Sabuda, collaborate on a number of projects including the best-selling pop-up book series, Encyclopedia Prehistorica. His Star Wars Pop-up book is scheduled to come out this fall.

Monday, May 28:

10:00 -- 11:00 am: Thank the Maker with Ryder Windham and Kilian Plunket
Ryder Windham, has been busy writing lots of Star Wars books, including three upcoming for Dorling Kindersley, a juvenile Star Wars novel for Scholastic, and a new Essential Guide for Del Rey. Windham and artist Kilian Plunket will present a "how to" panel that illustrates the process of writing a comic book story called "Thank the Maker."

11:30 am -- 12:30 pm: You Can Draw Star Wars
With Bonnie Burton, Tom Hodges, and Matt Busch Pack your pencil and come to class! The author and artists of You Can Draw Star Wars will show you how it's done.

1:00 -- 2:00 pm: Wookieepedia Trivia! Let the Wookiee win! Or better yet, don't let the Wookiee win and take home some prizes. Test your Star Wars trivia knowledge against the fans who keep the extensive Star Wars encyclopedia online.