Editing the parts into one short film an unforgettable experience...

From the moment we wrapped filming in May until early December 2005, the footage of Short Wars rested in a bookbag on a single home-movie camera diskette.

Our intention all along was to have someone else edit the film once production was over. Director Wade had friends who had already done an excellent job editing footage of a trip Cade and Wade had taken to Indianapolis in April for Star Wars Celebration III.

Our friends, however, were not going to be able to work on the editing in advance of our December deadline, so Wade decided to tackle post-production on his own.

With off-the-shelf video editing software called Roxio VideoWave Professional 7, Wade was able to capture and edit the footage on his home computer. Above, a screenshot from the Roxio editing software shows how simple modern computers make it for filmmakers to edit footage and add sounds and effects.

"In the end, I am so glad the editing fell to me," Wade said. "That gave me the freedom to do exactly what I wanted, and to really take the time to edit sound and effects. It wasn't as difficult as I had thought it would be, and it was such a fun process."

Editing only required a long weekend of work. Short Wars was complete! Several weeks of duplication began until finally, there were enough DVD copies of the film to present to every member of the cast and crew.

The premiere for Short Wars took place at Cade and Carey's house on Christmas Eve 2005 with most of the cast and crew in attendance. The film opened to rave reviews from crew members and child stars alike. Plans are now underway for Short Wars Episode V: The Empire Comes Up Short. Production is scheduled to take place in the summer of 2006.


How can I make a short film of my own?
We had so much fun producing Short Wars that we want to share what we learned so that you can do your own short film project. Read all about making your own short film.