Making a Low Budget Sci-Fi Film

Hello everyone!

Thanks for stopping by. Can I offer you a drink? Coffee? Sure, I'm going to need some coffee too for this thread. It's gonna be a long one.

I am posting because I wanted to bring you all along with me on my journey to making a Science Fiction film called "Infinitus".

My plan is to make something with practical FX, while retaining the moody/artsy atmosphere I like so much. Science fiction is one of my favorite genres. I grew up watching the Alien films, Bladerunner, 2001, Terminator, etc. It seems like lately, SciFi might be coming back strong again. I am ready for it! Interstellar was great, The Martian too, and I'm hoping Ad-Astra can pull it off.

For my film, I want to create a vibe similar to Stalker (1979) directed by Tarkovsky mixed with Sunshine (2006) by Boyle.

Our plot begins deep underground in bunkers near the Earth's core. A species similar to us has invented a technology to harness the power of a dying star and use it for themselves. Called the "Infinitus" program, it was designed to go inside of a star and control the reactions at the core. Instead, it causes the star to collapse and leaves a small black hole at the center of the system. (Don't worry, I've researched the heck out of this. Contrary to popular opinion, a black hole in place of the sun wouldn't change orbits of planets). Our main character, Rachel... Goes through the film plotting to eradicate the singularity and restore the star.

It sounds very high concept, I know. That plot was created after 6 revisions to the original idea, and there are still bits that I want to fine tune before filming begins in November-December.

Ultimately, I just want a piece about a female character taking action, a black hole as an antagonist, and the backdrop to work in practical FX.

For the set, I've locked down a warehouse and we will style it as a bunker. That won't be too hard, we are going to use scrap and cardboard/wood to build prop pieces in order to create a rusty/grungy vibe.

For the ship, I will be kit-bashing plastic bits and what not in order to make a studio scale miniature. (That seems to be the biggest challenge).
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For the suit, we've already pretty much finished it. Rob and Ray's homemade FX talent is quickly moving along.
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Filming will be done over a 4 day period, mostly indoor/cockpit scenes. The outdoor shot, we have to wait for the snow to settle in and the lakes to freeze over.

And for the rest, I will keep posting up here. I hope to continue sharing the progress of the film with you all. If you love scifi films, or have done some in the past, I would love to hear your stories too!

Until the next post.
-Cam
 
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It's been a while since I posted. Since then, the set director of the film has created and posted a video that I'd like to share here.

After taking a much deserved holiday break, we are planning to start finalizing the edit of the film, and capturing the spaceship sequences with green screen.

Hope you enjoy, and if you could show Joel some love by liking the video, that would be phenomenal! Thank you.

 
So, I have a trailer mock up. I want to share it with this community, but I'm wondering how I can do it securely without getting it into the public eye. Any ideas or thoughts?

I just want some feedback on it. I was thinking about also enlisting the IndieGoGo backers to help as well. I just want this thing to be banging when it comes out. Really get the hype behind the project.
 
Trailer.png


Hey everyone. Still working on the special FX and sound area of the film, but the rough edit is pretty much complete.

The new trailer will be coming out tomorrow.

It's been a long, intense road to make a scifi short film with practical FX. But, I learned so much, and got humbled a couple of times. I'm still happy with what we were able to achieve using models and custom built sets.

The team behind this project are so amazing. All of this will really be a culmination of their hard work and talent. I can't wait to show off what they accomplished.

Thank you to this community for sharing thoughts, ideas, and help throughout the whole process. I really hope you all will enjoy what you see when the final project airs on the internet later this year.
 
Sorry for the long delay folks! Been really busy wrapping everything up. With all the craziness going on right now, I am looking into what festivals I can submit the film to... While also finishing up the last bits.

The entire film should be completed by the end of next week, with that said I wont be able to show it right away depending on festival rules.

I am however making a behind the scenes series on my youtube channel that goes behind the entire process from starting concepts to finished product.

If you are bored in isolation, please give it a watch and share it with other fellow filmmakers or SciFi fans.


This is part 1 of what appears to be looking like a 7 part series. I will gradually be releasing these short clips as we get closer to the films release. Thank you for your support and patience, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback!
 
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The film is in the can! Phew, that one was a challenge. So much love and labor went into this short film, but in the end it has been all worth it.

Completing the film is only the first step though, so now its all about getting the crew/cast labors reviewed and screened. I've submitted to over 16 festivals, and have gotten back a couple of reviews. All in hopes to listen, learn, and share the films process.

Here are the links to what we've gotten back about the film so far:

Reviews:

Interviews:

Thank you for following us and supporting us here at this forum. It means the world to us to have your support. We poured our souls into this little film, and now that it is finally over... Well I don't really know how to feel about it. I feel relieved, sad, and happy all at the same time.

I can't wait to share it with you all later in the year, and maybe I will get to see it in an actual theater after all this craziness subsides?
 
We have won an official award for best scifi at the Top Shorts Monthly Festival!!! Super excited to share in this award with the cast and crew.

The final film will be releasing June 1st, so I look forward to posting here for everyone to watch and enjoy.

I appreciate everyone following this thread, and rooting for the film/helping me figure out things.

If you have any news or would like to talk about your own low budget scifi works, hit me up with a link. I'd love to chat about it.

Thanks for tuning in this far! See you in the universe!

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Just watched your last two BTS videos. Really inspiring! How many more are planned?

Thanks for checking them out Odd! There are going to be around a total of 7 episodes. I'm trying to keep the total time of each clip to around 5 minutes.

I remember for my first short film, I made a 40min long behind the scenes vid, and NO ONE watched it. Haha. Trying to learn what keeps people engaged, and what is too much.
 
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