The Star Wars shoots on location and at Elstree would not be Shillingford's last brush with that galaxy far, far away. Shortly after the film's release, he was appointed director/producer of a Star Wars-themed television commercial campaigned by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to immunize children against polio, rubella, mumps, and a number of other childhood diseases.
"All the sets and costumes were in London, as were the actors," recalls Shillingford. "So we resurrected the sets that were still in storage at Elstree and I brought in a cameraman friend of mine who I had worked for as an assistant. We shot some very simple set-ups with R2-D2 and C-3PO. They took all the material back to the states so I wasn't involved with any of the editing."
The commercial began airing in April, 1978, and included both Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker reprising their roles as C-3PO and R2-D2. The commercial contributed to HEW's enormously successful campaign to eradicate outbreaks of childhood diseases common at the time. Two more Star Wars-themed commercials were produced -- one for anti-smoking and another against drunk driving -- but Shillingford wasn't involved with those, as they were likely shot later in the United States.
The British native eventually did move to the U.S. shortly after his Star Wars work, spending 23 years in Los Angeles before ultimately returning to England.
During those 23 years and in the years since, Shillingford has kept himself busy in the trade, working on several commercials, feature documentaries, and 3-D motion simulation experiences for theme parks. In addition to hosting a number of international lectures based on his career in the motion picture industry, Shillingford is currently writing IMAX scripts.
"I just got back from Jordan," explains Shillingford. "I'm getting into 3-D IMAX, and am working on a script following in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia and the journeys he made through Jordan."
Returning once more to the desert, Shillingford looks forward to following the exploits of yet another figure made famous by the cinema -- this time, however, he'll insist on bringing a sound man along.
