Your new movie Alien Planet - in a few words, what's it about?
Two
alien species with a history of hatred for each other are captured by a
monster and are forced to get along in order to survive and save their
planet. That’s only in a few words, LOL.
With Alien Planet
being a space opera of sorts - is this a favourite genre of
yours, and some of your genre favourites?
Absolutely.
I adore science fiction, especially pre-CGI era. Planet
of the Apes, Enemy Mine, Alien Nation, Star Trek
and
countless others. That era of sci-fi was so thought-provoking and visually
stunning. I wanted to create my own world and story within the vein of
those films I loved so much. Do
talk about Alien Planet's
overall approach to the science fiction genre! My
approach was fairly simple: I wanted to make a movie that I loved. This
was very much my love letter to all of my favorite movies.
What are some of the challenges of making a movie set on a strange
planet with an entirely alien cast of characters?
Money
was the most difficult. We had to make Earth look like a different planet,
all on an extremely small budget. Most sci-fi films have to have a minimum
of a million dollars and we had less than $80k. On top of that, Alien Planet
has zero human characters. So it required
expensive makeup, prosthetics, monster suits and puppets for every
character. It took a lot of camera and post-production tricks to make it
all work.
Connected to the last question, what can you tell us about the
effects work done on your movie, and why did you decide to rely mostly on
practical effects?
Because
I love how practical effects look. They are so much more believable than
CGI, and they have charm! I think people will find so much joy in the
practical effects we used in Alien Planet.
Barfing space-cats, moving plants, and 11 gallons of fake blood… sounds
like a fun movie to me! Haha.
A few words about your directorial approach to your story at hand?
I
wanted to be true to the humanity of this movie. While it doesn’t have
any humans in the film, it’s the most human you can get. There are so
many issues, situations and lessons in Alien Planet
that
mirror humanity and how we are as people. That was the most important to
me, so when it came to the story and performances, that was the most
important thing to keep in the forefront.
What can you tell us about Alien Planet's
cast, and why exactly these people?
I
chose every cast member very specifically in this movie. Every single one
of them are extremely talented and brought so much to the table. I feel
very grateful to have had all of them on my team.
Do talk about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere!
Fun!
Man was it fun. It was one of those rare magical sets that every day was
great. All of the cast and crew worked so hard but also brought great
energy and vibes. Anytime we brought out the blood cannons on set,
everyone was smiling from ear to ear. The messier we got, the more
laughter we had!
Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of Alien Planet?
So far it’s been great! I think the critics and audience alike, have all
appreciated the amount of love and dedication put into Alien Planet. I just hope for more viewers, the more eyes on this the
better!
Any future projects you'd like to share?
Nothing I can share just yet but there are a few things in the works!
Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?
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Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
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You can find links to all the streaming channels airing Alien Planet
on our website www.AlienPlanetFilm.com.
It’s also available on Blu-ray on our site too. You can also find me on
social media on @monster_maxson and @alienplanetfilm.
Anything else you're dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Thank
you to everyone who has watched our film! Thanks for
the interview! Thank you! It was great chatting with you!
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