'Star Wars' comes to JibJab
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Look to see a lot of Star Wars parodies show up in your e-mail and Facebook today. after all, according to comedy e-card site JibJab, Tuesday is unofficially "May the 4th Be with You" day.
JibJab cut a deal with Lucasfilm to include clips from the first three Star Wars films (A new Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) for its "Starring You" section of the website.
Upload a picture of you (and your friends), and the whole gang can be featured in two-minute recaps of the Star Wars film of your choice. Lucas "gave us unlimited access to all of the footage, and said to cut as funny a two-minute movie as we could," says company co-founder Gregg Spiridellis.
JibJab has featured two classic films in its "Starring You" series before: It's a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Carol, both of which are in the public domain, and thus, free to use. This is the first time JibJab has reached into its pocketbook to acquire footage.
Spiridellis wouldn't disclose the financial arrangement with Lucasfilm. he says Lucas approached JibJab earlier this year, after seeing the "Elf Yourself," (anyone can be an elf) and "Wonderful Life," videos.
The Star Wars deal is a way to keep JibJab members (who pay $12 yearly) excited to keep sending cards, as most of its traffic is on Christmas, Valentine's Day and birthdays. Cards using footage from Empire Strikes Back are free to all, but New Hope and Jedi are only for members.
The "Starring You" series is wildly popular. Some 270 million Starring you videos have been shared in the last 12 months, says Spiridellis.
Below is an example of the Starring you in Star Wars videos, starring me as Luke Skywalker, interacting with Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and the rest of the gang.
By Jefferson Graham
