We might be living in the golden age of CGI, but local filmmakers Cameron Currin and Joel Hartlaub are making their short science fiction film, Infinitus, the old fashioned way, by creating a realistic, low-budget set that, as much as possible, uses practical visual effects rather than digital trickery. This allows actors to more easily connect with the world of the film.
“If you watch a lot of other sci-fi films, they’re all digital, all special effects, CGI,” says Currin. “They [the actors] don’t really have something in front of them, so they’re all just looking blankly into the distance, pressing buttons.”
Infinitus takes place mostly on a derelict spaceship floating somewhere in the solar system. It explores a world without a sun, and humanity’s attempt to fix our mistakes. Infinitus is an art film, lacking traditional narrative structure, and Currin, the screenwriter/director, wants it to stand out among the competition. “We’re more focused on making something visually stunning and showing off what you can do,” says Currin. “The idea that we had was basically Alien — a practical, grungy sci-fi.”
Hartlaub, the set designer, explains how he pursued the ship’s lived-in look by honing his salvage skills. He spent just $5 on the interactive panel for the life-sized, working airlock he designed. “For the computer console, we used an old oscilloscope, an old security camera,” says Hartlaub. “It was all stuff I had in my basement already. Or I found it on the side of the road.”
The scaled-up miniature model of the ship resembles a Star Wars Death Star surrounded by an external ring. “The ship itself is a planter pot in the back for the booster, hamster ball,” Cameron says, pointing out various parts of the model. “This is two halves of a bread clip here, a zip tie there,” he says, smiling.
This is the second short film for Currin, an active duty Navy sailor; because of his duties, he couldn’t be there to direct every day. But Currin felt comfortable handing the reins to Hartlaub, who would take over supervising the 20-person team. “It helps a lot when you have a crew who can handle things and are competent, and who you can trust in the vision and can do it while you’re not there,” says Currin. “It’s refreshing.”
The filmmakers are in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign; they have raised $1,625 of a $10,000 goal. They hope to complete the film in 2020 and submit it to festivals and streaming services.
Many big-budget films are disjointed narratives with flighty computer-generated effects. The Infinitus team, with its desire to bring something tangible to the silver screen, is on its way to creating something genuinely intriguing.
