MEET THE FILMMAKERS: TRAVIS BAIN

Part 6 of The Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival IN CONVERSATION Series, hosted by Festival Director and Screen-Space Managing Editor, Simon Foster.

STARSPAWN: OVERTURE (Australia, Dir: Travis Bain; 19 mins) WORLD PREMIERE. Recently widowed farmer Randolph Sutton (Vernon Wells) goes to collect his teenage daughter Amy (Meganne West) from a party, but their routine drive home turns into a frightening close encounter, when the Suttons are stalked by a winged alien creature that seems intent on extracting Amy's brain.

Screening with STRANGEVILLE in NORTHERN LIGHT: QUEENSLAND SCIFI SHOWCASE on Saturday November 21 from 1.00pm at Actors Centre Australia. 

TICKET AND SESSION INFORMATION FOR THE 2020 SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL

SIMON: What have been the science-fiction works – books, films, art of any kind – that have inspired your work and forged your love for the genre?

TRAVIS: The one that started it all was Star Wars. It was the first film I saw in a cinema, when I was four, and it got me addicted to sci-fi for life. Then TV shows like Star Blazers, Doctor Who, Buck Rogers, Battlestar Galactica and Battle of the Planets, which I guess pretty much every Australian boy in the late '70s watched, and they sealed the deal for me. The '80s were a golden age for big-screen sci-fi, with guys like Cameron, Carpenter, Verhoeven and Spielberg leading the charge. As well as watching all the new films of that era, I was also discovering the classics like Forbidden Planet, George Pal's The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, 2001 and Fantastic Voyage, which I always got very excited about whenever it popped up on Saturday afternoon TV. But Starspawn: Overture is predominantly inspired by John Carpenter. Fellow fans of his work will notice I borrowed his favourite font and anamorphic cinematography. Spielberg was also a big influence, especially Close Encounters, but I must admit I usually prefer Carpenter's darker, edgier approach to sci-fi. I think The Thing is one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever made.

SIMON: How did the original concept for your film take shape? What aspects of your film’s narrative and your protagonist’s journey were most important to you? 

TRAVIS: About seven years ago I conceived of a sci-fi horror tale that would bring together elements of H.P. Lovecraft's writings with the Aussie legend of the Min Min Lights, weird ghost lights that have been seen in remote areas for generations. I figured out a way to combine them in a creepy outback setting, and I got very fired up about the idea and wrote a screenplay entitled Starspawn. When it was done, I stepped back, took a look at it and thought “Jeez, this is gonna be hard for an indie filmmaker to do with limited resources.” So I came up with the idea of making a proof-of-concept short prequel first, to show potential investors what I had in mind for the feature version. The idea was to take a sampling of what viewers can expect from the feature and distil it into a short story that sets up the main one by providing a bit of backstory and context. At its core, the film is really about a father wanting to protect his child and give them the best in life, and that means a lot to me because I lost my Dad last year. He was always my nurturer and protector when I was a kid. The horror in most of Lovecraft's stories stems from the fear of losing one's sanity, because both of his parents had complete mental breakdowns before they died. In Starspawn: Overture, the horror derives from a fear of losing a child. She's all he's got left in the world, so when some creature he can't comprehend starts stalking her, he understandably gets very shaken up and hyper-protective.

SIMON: Does the ‘science-fiction’ genre have deep roots in the art and cultural history of your homeland? Were the resources, facilities and talent pool required to bring your film to life easily sourced?

TRAVIS: We don't seem to have much of a tradition of sci-fi in Australian literature, TV and cinema, probably not as much as the Americans or the Brits. Over the years there have been hits and misses - you've got films like Mad Max 2 in the former category and The Time Guardian in the latter. If anything, Aboriginal culture has more of a connection to the supernatural and the uncanny. I've written a few sci-fi scripts, but over the years producers and funding body suits have told me “Oh, we don't make sci-fi in Australia because it's too expensive. You should leave it to the Americans.” I've always thought that was bullshit, because sci-fi doesn't automatically mean a $200 million CGI-stuffed epic, it can be a $7,000 indie like Shane Carruth's Primer, focusing more on ideas and characters than effects.

SIMON: Describe for us the very best day you had in the life cycle of your film…

TRAVIS: The day we finished it! The film had a long post-production period. We went through two different ‘creature effect’ guys, an Aussie and an American, with a CV ten miles long from working on Hollywood blockbusters. The same thing happened in both cases: after their initial bursts of enthusiasm, they eventually got too wrapped up in their own pet projects to stick with Starspawn: Overture. So my VFX supervisor Pete and I decided to take a different approach for the creature effects: we started recruiting international 3D effects artists online, using a site called Artella Indie, and after a few false starts, we found some really great collaborators. So the final day of post was hands-down the best day on the whole film, because it was just such a massive relief to finish it at last. The film used to literally keep me awake at night, worrying how the hell I was ever going to finish it. But ironically, once the pandemic started, suddenly all our VFX team members were stuck at home with tons of spare time on their hands, so they were able to finish the effects work way ahead of schedule.

SIMON: Having guided your film from idea to completion, what lessons and advice would you offer a young science-fiction filmmaker about to embark on a similar journey?

TRAVIS: I'd say just give it a go, using whatever resources you can scrounge together, because there'll always be a market for quality sci-fi films with interesting themes and ideas. It's OK to borrow elements from your favourite sci-fi works, as long as you don't go too far and become derivative. Don't be put off by the industry gatekeepers who say sci-fi is too expensive – it doesn't have to be, and in any case, you can do a lot with off-the-shelf software these days. And be sure to surround yourself with the most talented, committed people you can find to help support your vision. I was lucky to have a great team on Starspawn: Overture and I think the proof is on the screen. We can't wait to reunite and hopefully shoot the feature version in 2022. That's the plan, anyway.

MEET THE FILMMAKERS: KYLE LACEY-JANETZKI

Part 4 of The Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival IN CONVERSATION Series, hosted by Festival Director and Screen-Space Managing Editor, Simon Foster.

MILK (Australia, 5.40 mins) When a young boy is torn away from his pink strawberry milkshake, his world transforms into a video game escapade to reunite him with his beloved sugary drink.

Screening in the AUSTRALIAN SHORT FILM SHOWCASE on Saturday November 21 from 10.30 at Actors Centre Australia. 

TICKET AND SESSION INFORMATION FOR THE 2020 SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL

SIMON: What have been the science-fiction works – books, films, art of any kind – that have inspired your work and forged your love for the genre?

KYLE: Milk specifically was inspired by Ready Player One with a focus on its retro aesthetic - taking on influences from classic video games like Mario, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Dance Dance Revolution, and Street Fighter. It’s no shock that my love for sci-fi has a huge basis in both books, film, and video games. The most formative of these that forged my love for the genre includes Star Wars (across all 3 mediums), The Matrix, Inception, Doctor Who, and more fantastical/magical realism works of speculative fiction like superhero films and Studio Ghibli.

 

SIMON: How did the original concept for your film take shape? What aspects of your film’s narrative and your protagonist’s journey were most important to you?

KYLE: They say write what you know - and what I know is good milkshakes. I’m a self-appointed connoisseur of strawberry milkshakes, and the desire to have one came as the easy answer to the “want” of my protagonist - all I needed was an interesting mechanism to achieve that want. It was very important to me that this mechanism be entertaining, to create life and energy into a simple desire. This is how I like to connect to my audiences when I create a film: a simple enough premise that they can get on board with easily, but presented in a way that is entertaining and fantastical. 

SIMON: Does the ‘science-fiction’ genre have deep roots in the art and cultural history of your homeland? Were the resources, facilities and talent pool required to bring your film to life easily sourced?

KYLE: I believe science fiction has its roots in cultural history all over the world, and Australia is no exception. To speculate on our world, to wander what-if, to imagine the advances of the human race, and to pose ideological/theological questions through art and culture are inherent to all homelands where human hearts reside. To underestimate Australia in this regard, especially in our ability to craft beautiful science fiction works, would to be blind to a plethora of powerful stories that have been told through our cultural history.

SIMON: Describe for us the very best day you had in the life cycle of your film…

KYLE: I think the first (and only!) day of shooting was truly remarkable. We managed to shoot the entire film over the course of about 10 hours, and each shot, location, and set up flowed and exceeded our expectations on how efficiently a film could be made. Our film was remarkably easy to source - it was created from pen to screen in 9 days as part of a production trip with the Griffith University Film School. Our equipment, crew, our actors (one of our lecturers and the son of another lecturer starring together in the film), and our post-production software were made available to us - and we couldn’t be more thankful! 

SIMON: Having guided your film from idea to completion, what lessons and advice would you offer a young science-fiction filmmaker about to embark on a similar journey?

KYLE: Write what you know and keep it simple. It’s so easy to get caught up in grand ideas and complex narratives, but if you start somewhere simple and keep that concept at the core of your work, then you won’t be led astray. The only limit is your creativity - how will your characters achieve their goal and reflect your original idea and themes in the most fantastic, mysterious, or enjoyable way? Have a strong idea of what you want your story to look like, then dive in!

MEET THE FILMMAKERS: CARLOS J. MATOS

Part 3 of The Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival IN CONVERSATION Series, hosted by Festival Director and Screen-Space Managing Editor, Simon Foster.

2091 (Spain, 6.46 mins) In the distant year of 2091, three warrior-hackers face off against the mad AI known as Control in a last-ditch effort to liberate their city, and save mankind's future.

Director’s Statement: “It was equal parts challenge and pleasure to attempt telling a compelling narrative using just images without a single line of dialogue. The production itself was, without a doubt, the most ambitious thing I’ve ever attempted to do. It almost fell apart at one point, and never would have come together were it not for the hard work and tireless dedication of everyone involved.”

Screening in the FREE EVENT: INTERNATIONAL SCIFI SHORT FILM SHOWCASE on Saturday November 21 at Actors Centre Australia . Entry is FREE when you purchase any session ticket.

TICKET AND SESSION INFORMATION FOR THE 2020 SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL

SIMON: What have been the science-fiction works – books, films, art of any kind – that have inspired your work and forged your love for the genre?

CARLOS: Ok, this will be a tough one because the answer basically involves 98% of my life. My mom started me real early; I think I watched A New Hope for the first time when I was like 6 or 7. Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, A Nightmare on Elm Street… the works. For sure the films that have influenced my work the most would be Alien, and it’s sequel. I still watch those 2-3 times a year, every year. Dune, which I got massively into during my late teens, is also a huge part; I’m a little embarrassed to say I have the litany against fear tattooed on my ribs. Outside of film and literature, a big part of my stylistic influences actually come from manga. The works of Junji Ito and Kouta Hirano, in particular, are huge sources of inspiration.

SIMON: How did the original concept for your film take shape? What aspects of your film’s narrative and your protagonist’s journey were most important to you?

CARLOS: I originally pitched this concept as a narrative fashion film to the folks at ZER Collection, who provided the wardrobe for the film. They’re an independent label based in Barcelona who create these incredible, unique pieces using 3D printing; really futuristic detailing blended with classic silhouettes. Like something out of Blade Runner. So really, the entire narrative was built around this idea of a small group of resourceful women taking on larger than life forces, in this case the fashion industry.

SIMON: Does the ‘science-fiction’ genre have deep roots in the art and cultural history of your homeland? Were the resources, facilities and talent pool required to bring your film to life easily sourced?

CARLOS: I’m a bit of a stranger in a strange land, always have been. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, which historically hasn’t been much of a hotbed for genre, moved to the US when I was 18, then Spain. I was incredibly fortunate to have a mother who was a huge genre geek, who grew up in the US and brought all this pop culture baggage with her, who first introduced me to this world. I don’t think I would have ever gone down this path were it not for her. Spain thankfully, especially Madrid where I live, is a massive film hub. There are a ton of high-quality resources and talent, and people generally seem to get really excited when it comes to genre filmmaking. It was, without a doubt, the right place for attempting a project of this scope.

SIMON: Describe for us the very best day you had in the life cycle of your film…

CARLOS: We ran into several brutal challenges during production, particularly in regards to the set design. Originally the locations where the film takes place, the hallway and the “inner sanctum”, were supposed to be physical sets. That unfortunately fell through at literally the last minute; I mean, the morning when filming was set to start, because of some bad calls by the people in charge of construction. We ended up scrapping the sets entirely, and came up with this idea of recreating those spaces using lighting. 100% of the credit there goes to DOP Adonis Macias (@adonis.azulroto) and his lighting department, who managed to somehow pull off that idea and make it viable on basically zero time. The second day of filming, when we had the AI “core” of Control up on trusses, with the new light set, and the actresses came in wearing full costume, the feeling was exhilarating. It really felt like we had battled our way through and pulled it off.

SIMON: Having guided your film from idea to completion, what lessons and advice would you offer a young science-fiction filmmaker about to embark on a similar journey?

CARLOS: I think what makes genre so interesting, sci-fi in particular, is the fact that we wrestle with these really high concept ideas that need to somehow be brought into a visual realm. Locations, sets, costumes, characters; these fantastic journeys that don’t exist at all in the real world and have to be built from scratch. In that regard, the most important lesson I took from this project (my second short film, chronologically) was learning when to let go of a particular detail the way you had envisioned it, and either scrap or re-adapt it. There will always be things you can’t and shouldn’t budge on, the cornerstones of your story, but there will be plenty others that, due to circumstances beyond your control, will inevitably have to change. You really have to be flexible and resourceful, and think on the fly. At the end of the day it's better to get it in the can, even if it’s not exactly what you imagined, than to not get it at all.

2091 — Official Teaser from Carlos J. Matos on Vimeo.

MEET THE FILMMAKERS: ADRIANO RUDIMAN

Part 2 of The Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival IN CONVERSATION Series, hosted by Festival Director and Screen-Space Managing Editor, Simon Foster.

GOODNIGHT, STARGAZER (UK, 15 mins) Howard bound, two astronauts suffer damage to their ship. As their air supply dwindles,, one of them is going to have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Director’s Statement: “The film was inspired by two things: my homesickness as I was studying abroad in the UK, which inspired the space-setting and the story of my colleague from the London Film School who has a wife in the military in which her wife was often deployed in life-threatening missions. This predicament always made her worry about the possibility of her wife going home. From this idea, I started to write the story of Goodnight, Stargazer.”

Screening in the INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM SHOWCASE on Saturday November 21 at Actors Centre Australia. Entry is FREE when you purchase any session ticket.

TICKET AND SESSION INFORMATION FOR THE 2020 SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL

SIMON: What have been the science-fiction works – books, films, art of any kind – that have inspired your work and forged your love for the genre?

ADRIANO: 2001, Gravity, Interstellar, Arrival and The Martian have been my most mainstream influences. I also read Andy Weir's The Martian and Ted Chiang's Story Of Your Life, upon which Arrival was based. I've started reading more and more classic sci-fi by Arthur C Clarke, such as Rendezvous with Rama and the sequels to A Space Odyssey, which was 2010, 2061 and 3001. And like many sci-fi fans, I have a deep fondness for the Aliens series. The influences of the books and films have not been potentially realized on my works just yet -  but they certainly draw my love deeper into the genre.

SIMON: How did the original concept for your film take shape? What aspects of your film’s narrative and your protagonist’s journey were most important to you? 

ADRIANO: It was originally just an experimental and exploration piece. Can me and my team - as a part of my final thesis film - make a space film that is carefully thought out? At the time I just  learned how to make a zero-gravity effect on camera without using slings, which cut out budget by an immense amount. So we made this film for the sake of experimenting on set-making and in camera visual effects. The journey of the protagonist was inspired by my own journey of studying abroad and having friends with different set of skills and discipline, so I started writing from there and it went from  being complicated, technical and boiled down  to a really simple story about self-sacrifice.

SIMON: Does the ‘science-fiction’ genre have deep roots in the art and cultural history of your homeland? Were the resources, facilities and talent pool required to bring your film to life easily sourced?

ADRIANO: We were making the film in London, and sci-fi obviously has been portrayed in many ways, such as Dr.Who and so on. But I come from Indonesia, where the sci-fi genre- while having many enthusiasts -  is struggling to be in the public consciousness. The films that are predominently being made are cheap horrors, romantic comedies, national heroes biopics and horrible religious propaganda films. We are not short on talent, resources or facilities, but the demand for sci-fi is not at an all time high, which makes it difficult to finance a film in the genre, even with rich friends who are sci-fi enthusiasts. But that was [also] part of the reason I tried to make a film in that genre for my final thesis. In London, when you want to make sci-fi, people would say it casually, like, "sure yeah let's do it." while in Indonesia the most likely thing is  people would immediately overthink the monetary concerns and end up not taking the risk. The other problem would be they simply don't spend enough time refining the source material, or dumb it down. Sci-fi is not that hard to make, it's making good sci-fi that's difficult.

SIMON: Describe for us the very best day you had in the life cycle of your film…

ADRIANO: I guess the days of finally making it on set. Shooting days were hectic and stressful as with all film shoots, but I was really happy that we were finally managing to execute that pipe dream and with the proper crewmates as well. I worked with very difficult people on previous productions and making this film felt like a real collaboration instead of having to fight each other's egos. That and building the set. When we were building the set by ourselves, I just kept thinking how superbly lucky I was to be working on a film set, moreover for a film that I'm directing, [and I am] putting the woodwork and the nails in. You know when you go watch the Alien movies, or Lord of the Rings or any of those sci-fi and fantasy films, you would think, "Oh, one day I would love to work on those kinds of film sets, even just putting on paint would be nice" and now I an finally doing that. If I wasn't directing, I would probably be a production designer or an art director, as I really liked the nitty gritty of creating something hands on.

SIMON: Having guided your film from idea to completion, what lessons and advice would you offer a young science-fiction filmmaker about to embark on a similar journey?

ADRIANO: To try to find the best people to work with; people who are reliable and are on the same "frequency" as you are. As I said, having worked with people with giant egos and some who would just not listen to you, having the people who do listen, who do the work and are as passionate as you are really made the job so much easier.  I came to realize it's not that easy to find these people. Filmmaking relies heavily on collaboration, so it does affect the final output. That being said, it's important to be flexible and adapt to the situation as well, film shoots aren't forever after all. You'd still have days in which all you have to do is to get through the day as best you possibly can.

MEET THE FILMMAKERS: MIGUEL BAUTISTA

Part 1 of The Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival IN CONVERSATION Series, hosted by Festival Director and SCREEN-SPACE Managing Editor, Simon Foster.

GRAY (The Philippines; 11.38 mins) Set in a bleak, post-apocalyptic future, Gray, an ex-mercenary, searches for a signal jammer to shield his family from detection by the organization he left behind.

Screening in the INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM SHOWCASE, Saturday November 21. Entry is FREE when you purchase any session ticket.

Director's Statement: "Gray was my thesis film for the Film and Media Arts International Academy. I was 19 years old when I made it, [inspired by] love of visual effects and the sci-fi genre. It was meant to expand the horizons of what filmmakers can do when they are truly passionate about something. In this case, I as a filmmaker, wanted to explore a brand new post-apocalyptic-sci-fi world, which has led to an extensive use of visual effects. With this being one of my first few films, I wanted to see if it truly was possible to make a film that is both entertaining and hopefully inspiring to filmmakers that want to pursue this genre, especially here in the Philippines."

TICKET AND SESSION INFORMATION FOR THE 2020 SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL

SIMON: What have been the science-fiction works – books, films, art of any kind – that have inspired your work and forged your love for the genre?

MIGUEL: Growing up, the biggest movie influences for me were definitely the Star Wars originals and prequels. I loved seeing galaxies filled with different adventures and species, technology that blew my mind, and powers that don't exist in the real world. I never really grew out of that love. Video games with futuristic gadgets also played a big part in my love for the genre.

SIMON: How did the original concept for your film take shape? What aspects of your film’s narrative and your protagonist’s journey were most important to you? 

MIGUEL: The original concept for Gray actually just popped up into my head one day. I wanted a post-apocalyptic future where survival wasn't easy and people had to either sacrifice themselves or the ones around them to survive. What was important to me was definitely the sacrifice. I wanted my protagonist to go through tragedy after tragedy for the welfare of those he loves.

SIMON: Does the ‘science-fiction’ genre have deep roots in the art and cultural history of your homeland? Were the resources, facilities and talent pool required to bring your film to life easily sourced?

MIGUEL: Not at all. Coming from the Philippines, sci-fi is either not that well made, or it just takes from what already exists in Hollywood, etc. It was really difficult trying to explain my concept to people; with it being a student short film, very few people would even dare to think about it and actually try to do it. For example, I had to do all the visual effects myself because of the sheer workload of it and with deadlines that moved closer each day. I don't have a giant workhorse pc. I used a laptop with just enough processing power to get me what I wanted.

SIMON: Describe for us the very best day you had in the life cycle of your film…

MIGUEL: I definitely loved the days I had on location with the cast and crew. Cause we had to travel for a few hours just to get there, and when the filming started, it was really fun. It was truly one giant collaboration and we all shared ideas where we could and it was honestly one of the best experiences of my life.

SIMON: Having guided your film from idea to completion, what lessons and advice would you offer a young science-fiction filmmaker about to embark on a similar journey?

MIGUEL: To young filmmakers, I would say NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR IDEA. It will always go through revisions, it will always have setbacks, but don't let that discourage you. Whatever mountain you encounter, find a way to climb it.