Last night, George Lucas himself was interviewed on G4TV’s Attack of the Show and talks about converting Star Wars to 3D as well as the Live action TV Series.

Now Attack of the Show labels this as George Lucas AND Disney Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald, but seeing this video I wonder why he was there at all. Papa Smurf clearly owns this segment.

So here are a few observations and comments I have about this very short but very insightful interview.

Lucas talks about his mission to create a technique and perspective in post conversion 3d that is better. He is a perfectionist and doesn’t like to settle. He simply finds innovative people to do this stuff better. Could a valid post conversion 3d be possible?

He hits on a few things about 3D that I do appreciate. He says the “poke you in the face” efforts are not 3d, and this is where I feel it is more a gimmick. I don’t feel that 3d is at all a gimmick, but rather just another evolutionary technique in feature film effects. But when they deliberately thrust something at the viewer, I find it cheap and it takes me out of the experience.

And he also hits on the live action Star Wars ongoing Television series we have heard about for so long now. It’s “on the shelf” but it is interesting as to why. Once again Lucas refuses to settle, and the budget restraints for TV and his vision for what the show would look like mean he has to find cheaper ways to film it without sacrificing quality.

Despite any of the bile flung at this man for his lack of judgement, I still see him as a visionary. Despite just recycling most of his own product instead of making new original content, this reproduction does have a fringe benefit. New technologies that will reduce the budget of visual films is exactly what Hollywood needs right now.

As I have said many times. 3D is not a fad, it is a new tool in the special effects toobox. Like any effect, it can be done well… or not. I have seen some breathtaking and effective uses of 3d. and I have seen some that are not.

Personally, I can’t wait to see Star Wars in 3d. That podrace scene just looks like it was MADE to be seen in 3d.