See related story: The Best Fan Film Ever Is From Three Kids in Mississippi
By the end of the two weeks, they had taped 76 shots, featuring four cars and about 12 crew members -- an astounding organizational feat for a teenaged crew.
, which he started 25 years ago as a 12-year-old. "There's a purity to that, to the child's eye. There's a raw and direct connection to the creative psyche, and it’s exciting to let kids run with it."
, which they started as 12-year-olds in 1982 in Gulfport, Mississippi.
," Spielberg said, "I saw and appreciated the vast amounts of imagination and originality you put into your film."
"If the film about us gets made, and then there is a making-of video for that film, it'll set a new record for circular reference," said Eric Zala (right), at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch.
, during a visit to George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, where they laid hands on the Ark of the Covenant prop.
. He signs an autograph after a screening of the fan film in Chicago. "I didn't realize what we had ... I got married and my wife didn't know I was an Indiana Jones fan."
"Even with all of the technology and greater level of accessibility to information and being able to shoot video and upload it to the web and edit on your laptop at Starbucks, it still comes down to great storytelling," said Chris Strompolos who, as a teenager, played Indiana Jones in the 100-minute film. "We aren't adamantly opposed to CGI, but there is a certain delight in practical and in-camera effects.... The mind's eye knows."
Another challenge came with a flash flood, which left the truck temporarily underwater and then coated with mud. Indy's hat went missing, too.
. "(This film) was DIY filmmaking, it was film school on the fly, trial by error ... it helped that we were remaking a classic. That held our feet to the fire in terms of quality and gave us a tangible vision to shoot for, as complete beginners who didn't really know how to tackle the project."
"It's really something to see the best bits of your childhood arranged in order on the big screen, put to John Williams' (Spielberg's composer) music," said Eric Zala, director of the backyard classic. He's shown here (right), next to co-creator Jayson Lamb, at a screening in Germany. "And then to see it in front of an audience."
Finally, the boys struck a deal with a local shipbuilder, dug a perfectly round hole in his backyard, poured fiberglass material into it, let it set, repeated and attached the two sides. Voila!
"The outtakes are really funny," said co-creator Chris Strompolos. "Eric's on fire -- he's on fire! -- and this kid is off to the side reading the instructions on the fire extinguisher."
. The grounds of the school were washed away in Hurricane Katrina.
).
spent a year making sketches and storyboards -- 760 in all -- before attempting their shot-for-shot remake.
