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Your new movie 5000
Space Aliens - in a few words, what is it about?
Scott: Well, 5000
Space Aliens is a bonkers rollercoaster ride of a movie! There's no
narrative or dialogue. You'll meet 5000 animated space aliens in 5000
one-second shots, which is about 83 minutes. I created all the animation
myself in several different styles over a 2 1/2 year period, partially
during lockdown. I also created the film's groovy instrumental soundtrack.
It's a fun trip of a movie!
Lucas: If you ask me, this film takes audiences on an unprecedent journey –
challenging them intellectually and emotionally via a new and unusual
animation medium. It offers a dialogue-free and narrative-free sensorial
experience which no two viewers experience in the same way. And, in fact,
even after multiple viewings, you’ll still pick up nuances –
artistically and musically -- that you may have previously missed. I guess
you could say, it’s a genre onto itself.
Scott, what were your sources of inspiration when dreaming up 5000
Space Aliens?
Scott: Pretty much all the movies these days are about story-telling, so I wanted to see
what else I could do with a film and keep it entertaining. I've seen it
with an audience several times now and it's always a big hit, which I'm so
happy about.
Nearly
all the animation is based on material found on the Internet, like found
footage and photos, plus random phrases from hundred-year-old books. I
turned this material into animation using methods similar to rotoscope.
Very fun!
Lucas, what convinced you to come aboard this rather
unusual project? Lucas: To
be totally honest, it all happened by chance. Now
to give you some context, I met Scott back in 2020, and, if you recall,
the world was in a bit of chaos at the time, all thanks to Covid-19.
People were told to shelter-in-place while our political leaders and
health authorities tried to figure out what the heck was going on, and how
to best respond to the crisis. As I sat at home, bored out of my mind, I
wanted to see if there was something I could do to help others during that
time of instability and confusion. And, eventually, I found myself heading
to crowdfunding pages, where in August of 2020, Scott was doing a
fundraising campaign for his new project – 5000
Space Aliens. What was the collaboration between the
two of you on 5000
Space Aliens actually like? Scott: Lucas
came on board late in the production--I had put up a Kickstarter for
finishing funds and film festival submission fees and he loved what he
saw. He let me finish up the film as I saw fit, which is the sort of
relationship a filmmaker always wants with a producer! His early belief in
this unusual film has really driven it to where we are now, releasing the
movie on streaming and DVD. Not many films this small and strange get this
wide of a release! Lucas: Great
question. Because the pandemic was in full swing at the time, we had
little choice but to stay as far apart from each other as possible. And
while Scott and I had occasional Zoom meetings, I concluded, early on,
that it was not for me to meddle in his creative process.
Remember,
all from his home in upstate New York, Scott singlehandedly directed,
animated, and scored this entire feature film. It was all him. How many
filmmakers can claim that? So, when I came to appreciate the uniqueness of
the endeavor, I thought it was best that I not meddle, and that I allow
him “to do his thing.” And it is truly amazing work. I am incredibly
proud of it.
What were the challenges of bringing 5000
Space Aliens to the screen from a producer's point of view? Lucas:
Because
it was a non-narrative, dialogue-free art piece, I thought it would have
limited appeal, and that distributors would rebuff us. But fortunately,
that wasn’t the case.
I
brought the film to Bryon Allen’s Freestyle Digital Media and asked
Chris Gray, the director of acquisitions, to give it a look. But before I
submitted the film, I said to Chris, “please keep an open mind, it’s
not your traditional or standard film.” A
few weeks went by without a response, so I was certain we were dead; that
we were going to get a rejection. But one morning, Chris sent me an email,
and it basically offered a single word: “DELICIOUS.”
So, it was at that point that I knew it was going to be smooth sailing. I
mean, how many people do you know have described a film as
“delicious?” Of course, it didn’t hurt that the project had won many
selections and awards at film festivals throughout the globe before I sent
it over to Freestyle. So I think that also gave us a lot of “cred”
and made the distribution process a heck of a lot easier than it otherwise
would have been.
How
did you find all the snippets you used in your movie, and how did you even
go about even looking for them? Scott: I've
used found footage on some previous projects, though this was my first
time turning it into animation. There are some fantastic sources of public
domain material online. I found many old home movies on archive.org, along
with vintage TV ads, just all sorts of things! There are also some
circa-1950s photos from old photo studios in Venezuela and Romania in the
Flickr Commons, amazing stuff! You've digitally altered and/or
stylized most if not all of your clips - so how did you go about this, and
what can you tell us about your stylistic choices? Scott:
I approached each piece of footage differently, usually there was something
about the footage itself that suggested what I might do with it! There are
definitely some stylistic influences from film and modern art, such as
Bauhaus design and Terry Gilliam's animations in the old TV show Monty
Python's Flying Circus.
Do talk about your work in the editing suite for a bit! Scott:
Editing
is my favorite part of the filmmaking process. Now, the problem with a
film with 5000 individual shots that can go in any order is that
mathematically, you're talking about millions of different ways to arrange
the material! So I made the decision early in editing to randomly assign
footage to each of the eleven pieces in the soundtrack, and then arrange
them by what felt right. Sometimes a few shots in a row seem to be
reacting to each other, or I would match up gestures and movements. But I
could easily still be editing 5000
Space Aliens! SO many decisions! Lucas:
Wish we had a few stories to tell, but alas, given that the pandemic was in
full swing, we both wanted to stay as far from each other as physically
possible. Suffice it to say, this was all Scott, all the time. And I’m
glad I let him be. He truly did an amazing job. The
$64-question, where can 5000
Space Aliens be seen? Scott: Many
of the big streamers: AppleTV, YouTube Movies, GooglePlay
and more. It'll
be on VOD on every cable system in the US, and it's available on DVD from
retailers like Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Lucas:
Haven’t you heard? This unique film has been picked up by most of the major
streaming services, worldwide. You’ll find us on: AT&T U-Verse,
DirecTV, Dish Network and Sling TV, iN DEMAND
(Spectrum, Comcast), Vubiquity (Verizon Fios),
Amazon, Apple TV, Xbox,
Google Play and YouTube Movies. We’re just about everywhere. And if
you’re into DVDs, those will be available via Amazon.com,
Bestbuy.com,
Walmart.com and
Barnesandnoble.com by the end of November. And they’ll
cost you a lot less than $64, that’s for sure! Anything you can tell us
about audience and critical reception of 5000
Space Aliens yet? Lucas: We’re
proud to report that the film has been universally well received.
Reviewers have called this movie “one of a kind,” an “animated
oddity,” “otherworldly,” “mesmerizing,” “cutting edge,”
“ground-breaking,” and “artistically daring.” And those are only a
few of the many accolades the project has garnered thus far. Without
question, viewers are connecting with the piece and the unique experience
that it offers, and I, for one, couldn’t be happier.
Scott: We're
getting wonderful reviews, and I know audiences have loved it at film
festivals and other screenings! So it should be a lot of fun for a few
friends to sit on the couch with some pizza and 5000
Space Aliens!
Could you ever be persuaded to
make another collage film like 5000
Space Aliens, and/or other future projects you'd like to share? Scott:
I mean, creating all that footage was one of the greatest creative
challenges I've ever set for myself, and it was a blast. So that could be
in the cards! Lucas: Ok,
stop twisting my arm! Are you ready for an exclusive? Scott and I are
discussing a sequel. So, maybe, just maybe, 5002 Space Aliens may be
coming your way, very soon.
Just the other day, Scott was kind enough to offer me a preview, and I had the
pleasure to take a glimpse at a few minutes of the next iteration. Let’s
just say, with his use of AI, it’s not only better, but a bit more
controversial, than the original version of the film, if you can image
that. So, stay tuned!
Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?
https://5000spacealiens.com/
@scottbatemanman
and @5000spacealiens on Twitter.
@scottbateman
and @5000spacealiens on Instagram.
Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Scott:
This movie is definitely a one-of-a-kind thing, no one's really ever done this
before. I think people will really enjoy this experience! Lucas:
Well, are you ready for a spoiler alert? Some may say, there are only 4999
aliens, because Scott included me in the film. I have a cameo. He calls it
an “Easter egg.” Whatever it is, try not to blink, because you may
just miss me.
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And, in addition to a sequel, I have two horror features in the final stages
post-production. My first horror film, Children of the Pines, written and
directed by 20-year-old Joshua Morgan, of Tampa, Florida, should be coming
out within the next six months or so. It’s basically about a couple who
seek to mend a dysfunctional family dynamic by joining a cult. Of course,
nothing good comes from that.
While Manor of Darkness, written and directed by Blake Ridder, is about a
jewelry heist that goes terribly wrong because the home the robbers invade
is haunted by an evil spirit.
Let’s
just say, both of those films are sure to knock your socks off. So, stand by!
Thanks
for the interview!
Lucas: Our
pleasure! And thanks for sharing your column with us. As you know, it’s
an extremely challenging time for indie filmmakers, so we are incredibly
appreciative of the support you’ve been kind enough to afford us.
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