BY NICK JONES

On October 30th, Andrew Foley released the movie, “The Heist of Hallow’s Eve”. Over the first two weeks, the movie gained over 180 views.

But this was not the first time Andrew Foley has had a successful youtube video. His most-watched video has 37 thousand views. The video, titled Lego Star Wars: Go Rogue, was his entry to a short film contest.

Foley has many other contest entries and school projects that are all on his youtube.  With the success of his youtube, Foley has a promising career in the film industry ahead of him.  Below is the result of a Q & A between Andrew and me.

Why did you create your youtube channel, AJF Studios?

• “For my last 3 years of elementary school, I produced a short LEGO video for the annual talent show. It was always a big hit and I loved the feeling of sharing something I’m passionate about with other people so I set up AJF Studios as a place to post any new videos I’m working on.”

What is your favorite video you’ve worked on?

• “That’s a difficult question to answer. I have strong nostalgia for my old videos made back in the 5th and 6th grades. But I also really enjoy all the new stuff I’ve made. I really can’t pick a favorite, they’re all great (and cringy) in their own ways.”

What was your inspiration for film in general?

• “I’ve always been pretty creative and liked to tell and immerse myself in stories. As a kid, I have fond memories of watching LEGO stop motion videos on YouTube and later trying to recreate them on my own and I guess that just kind of blossomed into an overall interest in filmmaking.”

Are you happy with how your movie turned out?

• “Yeah, for the most part. There are certain things that I would’ve like to have been able to change: add dialogue, tighten up the story, add some more special effects, etc. But I have to be realistic given the short window of time I had to film each scene and my cast, while I love ‘em, aren’t exactly professional actors. But the public’s reception has been great and a lot of the concerns I had before releasing it aren’t as big for me anymore.”

Will we ever see the Elin Cut of The Heist of Hallow’s Eve?

• “Possibly. I don’t know for sure.”

What is your favorite movie/movie series?

• “Obviously, Star Wars will always be my favorite franchise. My ranking is… 

1. 1. 1. 1. Empire Strikes Bake
         2. The Last Jedi
         3. A New Hope
         4. Return Of The Jedi
         5. The Force Awakens
         6. Solo
         7. Rogue One
         8. The Phantom Menace
         9. Revenge Of The Sith
         10. Attack Of The ClonesOther movies 

• I also really like include The Usual Suspects, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Halloween, and 12 Angry Men”

What are your predictions for the new Star Wars movie?

• “Don’t get me started… but since you asked. I’ve avoided a lot of leaks, so these predictions are based solely on the trailers and my own personal hopes. The story seems to follow the return of The Emperor in some way, I’m guessing through Sith magic or some type of force ghost, although not in the same way we’ve seen before. I don’t think he completely survived the events of episode 6, he definitely died in some capacity, but I think remnants of him still remain in the galaxy and the story will follow the heroes trying to destroy those last bits of him before The Emperor can fully return in a new form. At some point in the story, the characters will mess with C3P0’s old wiped memory. This is a very similar narrative to the last few Harry Potter movies, so I doubt it will match this ideal exactly. Also if I were to guess, Leia will probably die mid-movie but have a satisfying payoff in some way. As for how Rey and Kylo Ren fit into this I’m unsure. Although if Bendemption (the term for if Kylo turns good again) and Reylo (Rey and Kylo Ren couple name) don’t happen, I’m leaving the theater. I have more to say about the movie but I’m guessing you have enough already.”

What is the best LEGO video game?

• “LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, obviously. But
  the first LEGO Batman game also holds a special place in my heart.”

What is your favorite musical artist?

• “No surprise for anyone who knows anything about me, but Billy Joel is easily my favorite. He has such a rich variety of sounds and styles across albums.”

Why are continents not real?

• “It’s not that they aren’t real, it’s that they don’t have a consistent definition that would apply to all seven of the normally considered ‘continents’. Anti-Continent-ists, like myself, don’t have anything against the idea of clarifying countries into specific regions, but I want to make sure there is an objective and consistent definition of what a continent is.”