Documentary looks into the masked actors in 'Star Wars'

"Elstree 1976" turns the spotlight on the anonymous extras who appeared in the very first "Star Wars" movie.

We all know what became of Harrison Ford and Carrie Fischer, but what about the people behind the Stormtroopers, Greedo or the helmeted spaceship pilots? A new documentary directed by Jon Spira interviews the actors whose names are absent from the credits.

Between extras and bit part actors, all of the individuals interviewed in "Elstree 1976" participated in some way in "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope." It all began at Elstree Studios in 1976, on the set of a strange movie no one expected would become a major societal phenomenon.

"The effect a cultural behemoth can have on the lives of those involved"

Director Jon Spira and his team followed these individuals for 18 months. "I just wanted to know who the people were in the background," Spira explains on the project's Kickstarter page. "The ones you saw fleetingly for a second but are now preserved forever as part of our cultural heritage. What got them on to that film set? What are they doing right now?"

The filmmaker specified his aim to make a documentary "about the effect a cultural behemoth can have on the lives of those involved on even the slightest basis."

A call for support

Though the project has already been filmed, its creators have launched a Kickstarter campaign to finance the post-production process and distribution. With more than 50 days left before the deadline, the project has already raised almost half of its £30,000 goal.

Watch the trailer and learn more about the documentary: www.kickstarter.com/projects/832232974/elstree-1976