Any great Indie Sci-Fi films?

jamestmather said:
I disagree, Similo has more story than 99% of the films I've seen here or anywhere else on the web. It has subtext, subtle performance, a character goal, a (well hidden) late plot reveal - and an ultimate sense of story irony and pathos. It also presents a credible universe, boasts nice cinematography, good art direction and is well edited. These things are conspicuously absent from most shorts. I often find that shorts that are too well crafted tend to get the lazy hack put-down that they lack substance.

Care to share your definition of what constitutes a good story?
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If you're just comparing it to what you see "on the web," well, that's not exactly a sterling place to look for "great sci-fi."

My definition of a story which would constitute "great sci-fi" wouldn't be predictible enough to see the end coming 10% of the way through and wouldn't be a nearly page-for-page retread of a Twilight Zone episode.

(Of course, if you want great low-budget sci-fi, you need look no further than the Twilight Zone.)

I think people around here were a little too dazzled by its pretty pictures and kind of gloss over its lack of story.


This was my original review of Similo, based on the very questions macgregor asked people to respond to:

Originally Posted by macgregor
We took this feedback form, in case you are bored at home and can help us to improve results next time.


CHARACTERS
1. are the emotions drawn out correctly? Is there enough emotional impact?
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Honestly, not really.

For example, some places which could have been a little deeper --

The love scene. Let's see some PASSION there! If we're to believe she lost a great love when the robot "died," we need to see it in the scenes where she's remembering him.

The reveal of his smashed body -- she seems disappointed, but she doesn't seem distraught. She's lost something/one she loved deeply, right? Let's see it!

In the car -- she looks at the new robot, and she looks bored. Maybe that can show a lack of passion toward the replacement, who just isn't the same, but I think the moment would be better-served if we can see plainly on her face that she's remembering the original and realizing this new guy just isn't him. A tear, maybe? A sense of loss?



STORY
What is the most remarkable moment?
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I'd say the first close-up of her face.


Is it easy to understand the story?
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Yes.

is it boring at some point or does the pace slow down?
Is the plot interesting?
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It wasn't hard to guess what was going on. The surprise wasn't a surprise. It was about the same as a lot of sci-fi short stories, "Outer Limits" and "Twilight Zone" episodes, etc.. Not a lot of punch, because it's been done quite a few times before.

Now, it could be that you weren't relying on the surprise as your emotional impact, and if so, I'd structure it a little bit differently. Establish earlier that the man is a robot and tailor the story toward the differences between the new robot and the old robot.


What part would you remove?
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The reference to Antarctica. It didn't mean anything, and also didn't make much sense, given the scenery.

I'd also not do the whole thing in voiceover. If I'm watching a film, I don't want to be told the story, I want to watch the story.

What part would you add (dont ask for explicit sex scenes here...)?
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More about how the robot guy was destroyed. Just being out in the middle of the road didn't have much punch. Was he hit by a truck? Was it a motorcycle accident? Did it happen after she said "see you later tonight" with a wry smile?
Adding context could have helped the impact of the scene. It's not enough that he was destroyed.


MUSIC
Does it play well with the film?
Is it in the same mood?
Do you miss something?
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It was fine. It was original. It was better than what a lot of people do -- find canned music (like me!). It wasn't particularly deep or emotional, though. Kind of like the score of "King Kong."


PRODUCTION
how would you rate the recreation of the future?
Do you think the sets/environments are well picked?
Do you think the production element. i,e. set, clothing, design, hairstyle (padawan style, lol) are suited to the time and place?
What do you think of the VFX?
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I think this was all great, except the scenery in Antarctica. It doesn't look like that. What's more, no one THINKS it looks like that.

You took a conservative approach to portraying the future, which is good. A common mistake, which you didn't make, is that the future is way too different from the present. You skipped a lot of cliches and created a future that's plausible, maybe even probable . . .

The only quibble I have with the sets and costumes is that there's too much white. I can only hope the future isn't really that bland.


PHOTOGRAPHY
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I'm sure you know that this is where your film really stood out. I wouldn't mind a detailed description of what you used, and even some behind-the-scenes pics of your setups, if you don't mind. What did you use?
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And this is what zacharias (one of the filmmakers) said in response:

David Jimerson,

thanks a lot for give us your time answering our questionary.

I would like more people answer our questionary too.

It's help us to be better!!
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Sorry Dave I disagree -

My definition of a story which would constitute "great sci-fi" wouldn't be predictable enough to see the end coming 10% of the way through and wouldn't be a nearly page-for-page retread of a Twilight Zone episode.
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which one?

In the car as opposed to Bored, I thought her performance was understated - (see Soderbergh, Cassavettes, Malick) - in the car she looks at him and looks pensive I would say (Bold and the beautiful daytime soap opera directing would go for a tear I think). The sex scenes were real and convincing as opposed to overstated (and daytime soap opera again with all the PASSION). Antarctica didn't look like that because in the FUTURE all the polar ice caps have melted - revealing a wasteland - and ordinary people have moved there to live (was that not obvious? New York isn't flooded in real life - but in Spielberg's AI it is - I didn't find that mystifying ). They don't have cars in Antarctica either.


Anyway - didn't mean to jack this thread in favour of Macgregor's film. On with the feature argument.

Indi sci fi features? How 'bout Primer - made for 7000 dollars. It's about as indie as you get,
 
Similio was nice. Not a feature film, which is what I think the discussion is about.

There's a lot that needs to go into a sci-fi film unless there's a good story to back it up. "Gattaca" is an example, not indie by any means, but it didn't have robots or futuristic spaceships and was still considered sci-fi. Sci-fi is still a tough genre even for studios to make effectively and not many indies have access to Maya or Cinema4D guys and the various props and visual effects for it.

Well, I shouldn't say that, there are plenty of ways to pull off sci-fi, the various Star Wars fan films have shown us that. It just takes a dedicated filmmaker to find out what tools they'll need to pull it off and to follow through with actually making the thing.
 
I feel Eraserhead is a little bit sci fi. And definitely independent (I hate the word "indie")

What ever happened to that sci fi movie some guy had been making in his basement for six years?
 
I liked Primer but it felt like it was lacking something and that something was what it couldn't afford to show us. In the end, the movie became this vague idea that never showed up visually. But the whole experience was enticing and it worked. I'm just nitpicking it.

What would make a great sci-fi film? What is the purpose of it? To show that human spirit is still the same and just as important in another time and place.

I think as long as we can show human drama, be it in 2078 or on another galaxy far far away, it can be disgustingly good. Everything else is eye candy.

I thought Solaris (sodebergh) was visually entertaining. The human drama and our fear of the unknown was what it kept me watching. What was also impressive was the lack of focus on the elaborate set- which was very mature of Soderbergh to do.
 
PRIMER was interesting; PI was, I think, mostly garbage. THX-1138 is a bit silly too, but totally perfect for what you're looking for. Worth seeing for sound design alone.

If you haven't caught LA JETEE yet, haul ass to do so. It's one of the most beautiful and important sci-fi films ever, and the whole thing could have been made for less than a used DVX.

Next, I would recommend you check out some of the early '90's Japanese techno punk stuff, like TETSUO THE IRON MAN, ORGAN, PINOCCHIO 964, etc., to see what can be done with more balls than budget.

Someone mentioned SOLARIS, but Tarkovsky's STALKER might be more inspirational, production-wise. Some other recommendations: ALPHAVILLE, SECONDS, SCANNERS, THE HIDDEN, Jean Rollin's NIGHT OF THE HUNTED or maybe even stuff like LE DERNIER COMBAT or THE ELEMENT OF CRIME.
 
Can't determine if you would consider these great, but from another board here are a few from a couple filmmakers.

Mike Conway -> The Awakening - I believe it was filmed mostly on DVX100? and was under 6k. (IMDB link) - Still in self distribution.
Mike Conway -> Terrarium - Shot mostly on 16mm I believe, cost about 27k. (IMDB link) - Lions Gate picked it up and changed the name to War Of The Planets - (Amazon link).


Christian Viel -> Recon 2020 among others - (IMDB link) - budget unknown - (Amazon link)

You may or may not like these. They are low budget Sci-Fi.

Billy Pilgrim said:
I can't believe I forgot Alphaville. I also forgot to mention Videodrome.
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Videodome rocks. :thumbsup:
 
Saw this thread, from my Sitemeter...

Cryogenic Filmworks said:
The Awakening - I believe it was filmed mostly on DVX100? and was under 6k. :thumbsup:
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Yep, it was $5,900 and shot with the DVX. Nothing fancy, but there are a lot of groundbreaking FX - example: the poolstick breaking on the girl, as seen in the trailer:

http://www.midnightsunent.com/Trailer3.mov


The only movie that I can think of that was cheaper, but extremely well done, was RED COCKROACHES. Supposedly, 2 - 3 grand!


Best looking DVX100 shot trailer I've seen is for THE MEN WHO FELL:

http://www.themenwhofell.com/640.html

Budget is 15 grand. My friend, Aaron (aka "Ike") Stielstra, stars in it. Shot in Tucson, Arizona.

Yes, PRIMER is a good example - very intelligent. PI was made for about $128,000 (I think 64K, without lab costs.) CUBE supposedly was made for around $50,000, getting free effects from a Canadian house that handled William Shatner TEK WAR projects.

Most of the other mentions, like THE QUIET EARTH (from New Zealand), have real budgets. Really enjoyed QUIET EARTH, though I thought that the "death by hairdryer" part was strange.



I guess if you are talking about "Indies," then that is referring to filmmakers, and camera-people, like yourselves (not a studio), who make movies for what you could afford on a salary, from waiting tables, editing weddings, etc.

Christian Viel is the most successful indie I know. Yes, he produces the RECON movies. His budgets are around the CUBE range. Love this RECON 2022 trailer, which uses a lot of HVX200 footage:

http://www.recon2022-movie.com/media_player.php?url=./media/teasers/RECON2_TEASER_MEDIUM.mov&title=undefined
 
Hello Mike, did not know that you had made it here. I am one of the recipients of The Awakening when you first got them over at indieclub. I have both The Awakening and Recon 2020. Terrarium I have seen from another indieclub members collection.

Raymond
 
Cryogenic Filmworks said:
Hello Mike, did not know that you had made it here.
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Being that I have both a DVX and an HVX, I had better check here, once in a while! I mostly lurk.


I am one of the recipients of The Awakening when you first got them over at indieclub. I have both The Awakening and Recon 2020. Terrarium I have seen from another indieclub members collection.
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Very cool! Yeah, I recognized the Cryogenic Filmworks' name. I should have another movie for your collection, soon! (Details still under wraps.)
 
Here's a good one:

http://films.thelot.com/films/5566


Also, has anyone here mentioned a movie called "Screamers" with Peter Weller? Not really indie too much, but lower budget and a decent idea.

It's also go to be floating around online somewhere, but there's a sweet indie short called "Prey Alone" that really rocked. Great story, feel, look, everything. Worth checking out!
 
The Awakening - I believe it was filmed mostly on DVX100? and was under 6k.
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Hmm, looking at the trailers I think it shows just how much cheap lighting detracts from a movie... I've noticed the same with some of the low-budget movies I've worked on myself. For all I know it may be great as a feature, but the trailers definitely show the budget.

Has 'Star Wreck' been mentioned yet? It has its faults, and suffers somewhat from being a parody, but it looks an awful lot better than most low-budget SF features I've seen.
 
MarkG said:
For all I know it may be great as a feature, but the trailers definitely show the budget.
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Yes, a lot of that lighting was very rushed and there was no crew for it. I took on way too much - I set up the lights, the mic on a stand, the camera..... and played the lead male. THE AWAKENING is a fun movie, if you like an over the top "superchick gone bad" scenario.

Here are some scenes, that you can sample. Be warned, these are pretty violent - but campy.

http://www.midnightsunent.com/Bensonshoots.mov

http://www.midnightsunent.com/Halfop.mov

http://www.midnightsunent.com/Poolstickhit.mov

http://www.midnightsunent.com/Headoff.mov

http://www.midnightsunent.com/Shootout.mov
 
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