An Indie Sci-Fi Short Film With A Big-Budget Look: The Making Of ‘Project Arbiter’

For many visual storytellers, technology means “equality.”

Equal tools, equal teams, equal attention.

…a creative meritocracy where the Internet decides to reward only the best and most beloved work.

Of course, the mythical future I’m describing isn’t significantly different from our present reality.

Ideas like Webcomics, Podcasts, Patreon and Spotify have been erected from the rubble of the traditional publishing and music industries. Mobile and indie games erupted into the mainstream, claiming a huge share of the existing market and expanding it even further.

Movies are different. Not safe, but different.

Independent film and mainstream movies have co-existed since the early twentieth century.

Mainstream movies thrived because the Indies never really got in their way.

Most independent filmmakers embrace limitations and leave the spectacle to the studios.

Today, mainstream movies survive on spectacle. …almost exclusively. They are being destabilized by a global competition for attention, not by independent film.

…yet.

In this interview, Director Michael Chance and Composer Ryan Leach take us behind the scenes of Project Arbiter, an indie sci-fi short film with a big-budget look.

What will happen when technology offers Hollywood spectacle to aspiring independent filmmakers everywhere?

‘Project Arbiter’ is proof that we’ll all find out very soon…

Watch The Film & ‘Behind The Scenes’ Documentary:

*The film contains some scenes of graphic violence.

Several soldiers get shot and we see the messy squib effects. There are a couple of mildly grotesque scenes where actors in make-up that appear to be mutating in an unpleasant way.

“I want to create something that lasts longer than the time it took to make it.”

-Michael Chance

Listen To The Interview:

[ download the mp3 ]

Read the transcript for this episode here.

Episode Highlights:

Why you should produce a lot of work, regardless of who is watching (or paying).
Why Michael Chance skipped the expensive film school and made Project Arbiter instead.
How Mike and Ryan got ideas for the score
How to find stories you’re passionate about telling.
Efficient filmmaking tips from Brad Bird, director of The Incredibles and The Iron Giant.