A Word from Darren Scales
Director of "THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLONES"

The completion of the real Star Wars saga has completed the circle for many, me included. I wanted to produce a film that incorporated my favourite moments of the Star Wars Universe. TENCLO allowed the whole Backyard Productions team to do just that! For example, the fact that our Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, who were clearly not twins (or the same age), was not an issue for us; it was more important that we got to play the parts that we wanted to play, and have fun doing it. I think what I am trying to say (albeit badly), is that ultimately, we made TENCLO for us; for us to enjoy making and to enjoy watching.

Of course, I hope that TENCLO will be enjoyed by many; in particular the TFN community. We have aimed to include something that will appeal to a variety of audiences, Star Wars jokes, slapstick and something for those who have seen our previous work. We will never please everyone, but what film (fan film or mainstream) ever has?

It has been a hard and long road, one that has been for the most part an absolute blast. Perhaps the biggest personal reward has been where we have introduced people to the world of fan-filmmaking for the first time (for example Shaun Walker, who played Mace) and in their words, given them the fondest of memories to treasure.

I am over the Endor Moon with what we have achieved; after nearly 2 years hard graft and $5000 later, I firmly believe we couldn’t have done it better. Like most fan-filmmakers, we are just amateurs with day jobs and families. I pushed everyone to the max and they responded by giving back even more than I dared ask for.

Backyard Production has, and always will be about making filmmaking fun; hopefully you will have fun watching it...

Enjoy the movie!

Darren Scales

Director, The Emperor's New Clones