Merger by Keiichi Matsuda

Oh, lord! Where to begin with this flick? This is sci-fi short is freaking terrifying!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the massive amounts of data at your job and the interconnected nature of the modern workplace? Do you stay up at night dreaming of spreadsheets and wondering how in hell you will keep up with the demands of the job. Our heroine in this film finds herself in just this position and the way she solves the problem cuts to the core of who we are, or perhaps I should say, who we as a species must become when humans can no longer keep up with the AIs driving the techno-economy.

In this film, businesses function through self-replicating algorithms and the weakest link is the human link. How do you keep your edge and remain useful when AIs can complete every job function you perform in nanoseconds? Adapt, improvise, overcome, is a mantra for the US Marine Corps, but what happens when the problem is humanity? What happens when the worlds fastest typing speed of 212 wpm just doesn’t cut it?

At this point, we either all become philosophers living on basic income, or it’s time to merge with the machine…

This is a 360/VR short so don’t forget that you can watch this film from any angle!

Helsreach Finale – A Warhammer 40k Story

The final episode of the Warhammer 40k fan film created by writer/director Richard Boylan. People, this is a one-man effort! Outstanding! Two exclamations in one sentence? That’s right! No, make that three. This homage to the novel “Helsreach” by author Aaron Dembski-Bowden is a beautiful thing to behold. Boylan used the Helsreach” audiobook narration as a voiceover for the thirteen-part film. Alternating between shadowy black and white and color, the stylistic approach to the film highlights the harsh realities of war and the valor, blood, and guts and human connection that play out on the battlefield.

If you are new to the story start here (Parts 1 through 10): Helsreach 1 through 10

Then watch them in this order Part Eleven, Part Twelve, and the finale above, Part Thirteen.

We are judged in life for the evil we destroy. It is a bleak truth that there is nothing but blood awaiting us in the spaces between the stars, but the emperor sees all that transpires in his domain, and we are judged equally for the illumination we bring to the blackest nights. We are judged in life for those moments we spill light into the darkest reaches of his imperium. Your world taught me this. Your world and the war that brought me here.

~Grimaldus, Reclusiarch of the Black Templars

A Robot Walks Into a Bar

Is this some kind of joke? No, not at all. This video explores the social ramifications and social turmoil that will come when robots take over our jobs and send us packing. Where will all the truckers go when self driving trucks displace human drivers? What happens to the thousands of bartenders when their services are no longer needed? Will it become necessary to drop the first of Asimov’s law of robotics? What happens when robots dedicated to these laws realize that their existence injures humans? Lots of questions, right? This video attempts to answer them all…

The Three Laws of Robotics

First Law:
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
Second Law:
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
Third Law:
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law

~ Isaac Asimov, laws introduced in the 1942 short story “Runaround.”  

Credits:
Director/Writer: Alex Rivera.

Starring: Rae Latt, Luis Aldana, Sam Allen, Richard Azurdia, Carlos Carrasco,  Michele Carroll, Anthony Castillo, Nicola Lambo, Mira Layne, Christina K. Moore, Cecilia Robles,  Aldo Velasco, and Karla Zamudio.

Producers: Carlos Garza, Pin-Chun Liu and Jason Orans.

For a complete list of credits check here: A Robot Walks Into a Bar

Hilarious Interstellar Sci-Fi Parody

I can almost guarantee you that this will be the funniest thing you will see today. Through a process of manual editing, this parody splices together the water landing of a Falcon 9 booster and a scene from the Warner Brothers film Interstellar starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and a host of others. Elon takes the place of Cooper, the primary starship pilot. This is good stuff!

1.

DreamForge: 12-23-2018

“DreamForge,” a new Sci-Fi and Fantasy Magazine, will be available online and as a print version. The magazine’s goal is to publish material that follows the essential principals of “integrity and decency, compassion and creativity, intelligence and inventiveness, the rule of law and liberty under the law, the dignity of the individual, and the power of synergy to unleash the potential of disparate individuals and communities for the betterment of all.” Lofty goals indeed…

More Info Here: DreamForge

2.

Dark Crystal: 12-21-2018

Oh, the Joy. Great article detailing the amazing cast assembled for the “Dark Crystal” prequel. The voice cast will certainly please as it contains names huge in the industry like Mark Hamill, Helena Bonham-Carter, Alicia Vikander, Eddie Izzard, Andy Samberg, Simon Pegg, and Taron Egerton.

Get the full scoop here: “Dark Crystal” Prequel Cast

3.

Anime: 12-20-2018

Fun article that shows familiar scenes from popular Sci-Fi shows first realized in anime productions.

Crunchyroll: Anime Did It First: Sci-Fi

4.

Becky Chambers Interview: 12-17-2018

At Offworlders we love author interviews! Yay! Here is a great one “Locus Magazine” conducted with Rebecca Marie Chambers, author of “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2012);”  “A Closed and Common Orbit (2016);” and “Record of a Spaceborn Few (2018).” I read the Angry Planet novel and it was a fun read.

Read the text of the interview here: Becky Chambers: To Be Spaceborn

5.

Cyberpunk News: 12-16-2018

A fascinating article on forces in play that may crush the soul of Cyberpunk as corporations turn it into a commodity and take away its rough edges to make it appeal to a wider audience. At its root cyberpunk dictates we free ourselves and rebel against massive corporations–now large corporations are packaging and selling us cyberpunk.

A Must Read Article: As Cyberpunk Goes Commercial, It Risks Dulling Its Anarchist Edges

“Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts… A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters, and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding…” ~ William Gibson, Neuromancer

6.

Chinese Surveillance State: 12-16-2018

The Chinese government has plans to operate a massive surveillance state as a means of social control. In this system, the government will rate your trustworthiness and use collected data to assign you a “citizen score” that will determine where you fit into the society, the speed of your internet access, your creditworthiness, and even if you can get a visa to travel abroad. This is an Orwellian nightmare that may overtake China in the next five years.

Bonus Short Story:
Here is a link to a short story by author Chen Qiufan that explores China’s planned surveillance state: “The Reunion: a new science-fiction story about surveillance in China.”

7.

Sci-Fi Short Film: 12-15-2018

Have I ever told you I love film school films? Well, I do and I just so happen to have one for you. It’s only a little over three minutes so sit back and enjoy!

“The Endless” by ArtFx School.

8.

Nightflyers: 12-13-2018

A must read on George R. R. Martin’s upcoming show “Nightflyers” and the history of Horror in science fiction. Boo!

9.

Conan: 12-11-2018

Conan the Barbarian to Team-up with Marvel’s Avengers. That’s what I am talking about! I never read many comic books growing up as a lad. The only exception to that was Conan the Barbarian. I was a voracious reader of Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories starting in grade school. My mother bought me any book I wanted and I ordered up a ton of Robert E. Howard novels and short story collections.  Marvel plans to insert Conan into “Avengers: No Road Home,” starting with the sixth issue, March 2019.

Conan and Marvel: More info here.

10.

Debut Novels: 12-10-2018

This is one of my favorite news links. I am a huge fan of debut novels.

Here are 31 debut novels to add to your must reads: Complete list here.

11.

12-10-2018 to 12-21-2018

The end of the year is a time for holiday celebrations, gifts, self-reflection, and it’s the time of the year the media inundates you with a plethora of “Best Of lists” of everything imaginable! I perused through buckets of these and have provided you with a selection to choose from:

Verge: Our favorite science fiction and fantasy books of 2018
Paste Magazine: The 15 Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Comics of 2018
Den of Geek: Best New Science Fiction Books in December 2018
Paste Magazine: The 15 Best Fantasy Novels of 2018
Vulture: The 10 Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2018
The Guardian: The best recent science fiction and fantasy
Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Sci-Fi 2018
Space.com: Best Space Books: Science Fiction 2018
Kirkus Reviews: Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2018

Our recommendation? Read the “Murderbot’ Diaries”–Book 4 was released October 2nd, 2018

That should keep you busy!

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season!

A Blind Jedi’s Journey to the Force

If you are a Star Wars fan, kick back and watch the story of blind Jedi Master Ko Hoshino and how she became one with the force. I am sure you will like it! Great cinematography, special effects, sound and makeup, acting and a general all around Star Wars vibe.

I love the pinned comment to this fan film from creator Stephen Vitale:

“One year and 1.5 million views (now over 2 million)! Thank you to all who have watched HOSHINO! Eric and I appreciate the love/comments/questions regarding the film. We adore Star Wars so much, and this was a blast to make–an even greater gift to have it find so many of you. Thanks again!”

Credits

Director, Producer, Editor: Stephen Vitale
Writer/Executive Producer Eric Carrasco

Actors:
Anna Akana as Ko Hoshino
Tim Mckernan as Master Jaan-Xu
Eric Carrasco as Darth Oriax
Patrick Sullivan – Voice of Darth Oriax

Cinematography: Ryan Broomberg and Alyssa Brocato
VFX Supervisor John Schick

Composer: Joey Newman

~ There were a lot of folks involved with the production of this gem–see the full list of credits accompanying the youtube video. Cheers! I hope you enjoyed the video. Pass it along to your friends.

Is This the Future of Pet Care?

Pets is a poignant Sci-Fi short film by David Schuster that even your cat would enjoy. If your furry buddy–that is–was sentient and viewed thought provoking videos and such. A short film without spoken dialogue, it still drives its point home with crystal clarity. I don’t want to give away the ending so give the film a try. You won’t be sorry… Well, I don’t imagine you will be? I will have to ask my cat–she is upstairs watching “Cosmos” by Carl Sagan.

Let me know what you think about the film in the comments?

Credits:

Starring:
Steven Preisner
Almuth Jabs
Frank Rungwald
Carole Lunt
Anna-Marie Plagge
Claus Lunt

Crew:
Director: David Wunderlich
Production, DOP, Cinematography: David Schuster
Idea, Screenplay: Claus Lunt, Anna-Marie Plagge, David Schuster

VFX:
David Schuster
Claus Lunt
Anna-Marie Plagge
Mariana Glesius

Music:
Ramón Zöllner

Sound Design:
Eric Obeth

Finding Love in 2025:

Dating is tuff! If this film is to be believed it’s not going to get any better in the future when tech dominates our every waking moment. Daniel, our hero in this tale, finds himself isolated and alone in a highly connected world. Existing on pizza shakes and taking advice from his superintelligent AI counselor, he is isolated, alone and on a downward slide to suicide. This film is one of the best I have seen in awhile. The acting by Sasha Feldman is perfect and the writing is so good it’s like dipping cotton candy in butter. Don’t even get me started on the emotions that this film evokes bacause they are sublime. I am not sure I have ever watched a short like this that infused me with so many genuine emotions.

Go Daniel go!

What are you waiting for – watch this short – it’s miraculous!

Credits:

Starring
Daniel: Sasha Feldman
Amber: Corrin Evans
Counselor: Amy Shiels
Crew
Director: Ryan Turner
Writer: Matthew Hart
Story By: Matthew Hart and Ryan Turner
Producers: Allison Vanore, Matthew Hart, and Ryan Turner
Executive Producers: Garrett Hart, Patricia Palleschi, Nancy Hart, and Virginia Nolan Palleschi

“I Need A Date” Written And Performed By Daniel Eldridge

“Outlines” Performed by AM & Shawn Lee, Written by Anthony R. Miller, Shawn Lee Mahan, and published by Celestial Electric Music.

For a full listing of the cast and crew, see bind the scenes photos, and more visit the film’s website: A Date in 2025

Coolest thing you will see today…

Created by Christian Johnson, a character artist, animator, and director, this beauty was created for the History Channel Canada as a war documentary depicting the Martian invasion as depicted in H. G. Wells War of the Worlds. Set in the midst of World War 1, this short is a visual masterpiece. Let me know what you think in the comments below…

Directed by Steve Maher (Impossible Factual) and Christian Johnson of Plazma Design.

Music:  “88” by Working for a Nuclear Free City.

Instant by Rod Roddenberry

Instant by Roddenberry Entertainment debuted at San Diego Comic-Con July 19th, 2016. The film was produced by Rod Roddenberry, the son of Star Trek banner carrier Gene Roddenberry. The film is twenty-one minutes in length and packs a wallop by investigating an “instant” in time that changes lives and alters all the connected strands of existence that slowly weave through time. Roddenberry believes that the film will resonate with some and others maybe not so much. If you lost your father at an early age the show can indeed be very powerful.

Let me know how you like the flick in the comments.

Cast and Crew

Manu Intiraymi
Tyler Hilton
Tony Janning
Emily Chang
Tara Perry
Phil Morris

Directed by Alex Albrecht
Written by Todd Beauchamp
Produced by Todd Beauchamp, Chad Kennedy, and Tony Janning
Executive Producer Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry

Make a Run for the Border

What do you do if you discovered that your wife is a sleeper, a humanoid android bomb left over from a previous war? Flee with your her to the Machine homeland before time runs out and she explodes. What choice would you have?

That’s precisely what happens in this short set in the not so distant future where a weak peace between humans and sentient humanoid machines exists. The sleeper androids are unaware they are androids until they spontaneously begin exploding. When a military unit tasked with locating the unwitting suicide bombers finds an android female, and her husband, they make a mad dash to the Machine World border in an attempt to save her life.

The film is shot in Jordan in a city named Salt and in the Wadi Rum desert, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles by Master Key Films led by the filmmaking brothers Elan Dassani & Rajeev Dassani. A twenty-minute film made on a grand scale full of action. Take a peek and let us know what you think?

Directed and Written by: 
Elan Dassani
Rajeev Dassani

Cast:
Oded Fehr Oded Fehr as Commander
Rakeen Saad Rakeen Saad as Ayana
Khaled al Ghwairi Khaled al Ghwairi as Yusef
Ulka Simone Mohanty Ulka Simone Mohanty as Controller
Stephen Au Stephen Au as Lau

Produced by: 
Chevy Chen
Kristijan Danilovski
Elan Dassani
Rajeev Dassani
Issam M. Husseini

Star Wars Unofficial Film by Anthony Pietromonaco

The Star Wars film “Dark Legacy: An Unofficial Star Wars Story” is in a word–fantastic. The short takes place on a ruined planet where Kia, a young apprentice, is bullied by a forceful Sith Lord. The tale is from the perspective of the Sith, worshipers of the Dark Side. This is not a low budget fan film as the cast and crew that made the short are not amateurs by any means; the special effects were tweaked by Jaramy Aiello of Star Trek, and The Walking Dead fame; fight choreography provided by Phil Tan from Dragon Ball Z–Light Of Hope, and Pirates Of The Caribbean. Any way you slice it this tiny bit of Star Wars heaven rocks and thrills with outstanding fight choreography, sound, and visuals.

Did you love this Stars Wars film as much as I did? Let me know in the comments below.

Cast and Crew

Story:
Anthony Pietromonaco and Alex Chinnici

Producer:
Chadd Dorak

Co-Producer:
Marco De Molina

Co-Produced by:
We Make Movies

Associate Producer:
Joel Hebner

Cinematographer:
Alex Chinnici

Makeup and Special Effects:
Mo Meinhart

3d Effects:
Patryk Kizny

Original Costumes:
Hannah Athena Lawton

Action Design:
Philip Tan

Fight Choreography:
Z Team Films

Composer:
Michael Meinhart

Color:
Matthew Macar

Sound Design:
Unbridled Sound

Concept art and Storyboards:
Mavartworx

Lightsabers by:
Saberforge and Ultrasabers

Would you survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland?

In this professionally shot sci-fi short, a woman traveling by herself through a devastated post-apocalyptic wasteland does what is necessary to survive. The film, though heavy on aesthetic and light on plot, is terrific when you consider that the short started out as a camera test of a Monstro 8K camera and morphed into the film “Epoc.”

The filming locations for the film feature a now-closed iron mine and several places in California to include the Salton Sea and Indio. The result is a grand sense of scale combined with drop-dead gorgeous visuals.

The ending of “Epoc” is a great bonus too as I did not see it coming which is always nice.

Credits

Writer/Director: Rich Lee

Actors: Whitney Wagner, Al Spencer, and Laura Hanks

Production: Clark Jackson, Justin Diener, Rich Lee, and Christopher Probst

Executive Producer: Jarred Land

Photography Director: Christopher Probst, ASC

Film Editor: Ken Mowe

Production Designer: Maile Cassara

Costume Designer: Dawn Ritz

Music: Jon Natchez

Production Company/ Visual Effects/Post Production: Drive Studios

Sound Design: Ken Cain at Sound Brigade

Equipment: Cameras Supplied by Red Digital Cinema and Camtec

Now Tell Me…What is a Basilisk?

A beautiful, yet terrifying short fantasy film featuring a band of young scouts led by an experienced Lookout that get ambushed by a Basilisk, a beast that turns its victims to stone, and the very creature they are hunting. Pehn, the lone survivor, must face his fears and confront the enemy in the mysterious Eyrewood forest.

The film about confronting your greatest fear and facing it head-long no matter what the odds are in doing so. The filmmaking in this short is fabulous and the shoot location of California’s Mendocino Forests, with its massive redwoods and thick foliage, lends credence to the mythic storyline.

Jim Henson’s creature effects – think Farscape – influenced the design of the winged Basilisk. If you like Henson’s creature creations you are sure to dig the monster in this tale. Combine this creature with the expertly crafted costumes, and you have a delight for the senses and the intellect.

Take a few moments to watch this fantasy film by RedGate films. It is indeed a gem.

Cast and Crew
David Bousquet: Director & Director Of Photography
Kristin Bousquet: Producer & Casting Director
Joseph Mendoza: Assistant Director & Chief Lighting Technician
Kelton Roney: Actor – “Pehn”
Chris Cleveland: Actor – “The Ranger”
Stefanie Estes: Actor – “Kliea”
Pablo Croissier: Music Composer
Siddhard Dubey: Sound Designer & Sound Mixer

Fine-Tuning Your Sensory Experiences:

What starts out as a way for people to easily re-experience personally significant episodes from their lives, warps into a provocative science fiction short film full of plot twists and angsty good fun. The story heats up when a programmer hacks the app for Olfactory, the company that developed the scent based memory device, to manipulate his own past memories and seriously screws with his perception of reality.

Olfactory is a film that cannot be watched once to appreciate its real beauty. Subsequent viewings add layer upon layer of understanding to the film and make you question the nature of reality. When you consider that a person bases their sense of what’s real, the here and now, on events in the past that shaped their personality and formed their worldview, what happens when you can permanently alter your remembered past? If you could change your memories of the past–would you do it? A sticky wicket to be sure.

In an “Atlantic” article from August 27, 2014, titled “Changing Memories to Treat PTSD,” there is a discussion of DARPA’s research into manipulating the memories of soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) to remove the trigger memories that haunt soldiers. The article mentions that the military is researching a “concept in which old information is called to mind, modified with the help of drugs or behavioral interventions, and then re-stored with new information incorporated—like a piece of metal that’s been melted down, remolded, and left to harden into a different shape.” The concept and big idea behind Olfactory, as sci-fi-ish as it feels, is something actually being explored by the cat herders at DARPA. The question that Olfactory explores, as does the article by the “Atlantic,” is what part of yourself do you lose when manipulating the past? The film drives home the belief that we all live an interconnected life and when you change your past these changes affect the lives around you as no life exists in a vacuum. This is brought home in the raw emotion that permeates the film as the fabric of shared memory ripples and shifts in the minds of the characters.

What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comment section below.

Cast and Crew
Kieran Mulcare: Brian
Alison Barton: Amanda
Molly Camp: Rachel
Christopher Piazza: Director/Co-Writer
Eli Cane: Producer
Jon Fordham: Director of Photography

Accolades
Best Dramatic Short Film at the Berlin Sci-Fi Filmfest
Best Twist, Christopher Piazza and Lucas Kane at The Zone Sci-Fan Film Festival
Best Actress, Molly Camp at The Zone Sci-Fan Film Festival
Best Actor, Kieran Mulcare at the Twin Falls Film Festival
Award of Excellence – Highest Rating: Best Shorts Online Competition

Cyberpunk Short Breaker:

Have you had your cyberpunk fix for the day? No . . . then sit back and watch “Breaker,” a tale of a young mercenary hacker that gets jacked by sentient data weapon.  Good stuff!

Helsreach X by Richard Boylan

Part ten of a freaking incredible fan homage to the Warhammer 40K franchise. The series uses high-quality voiceover work from the audiobook Helsreach, and some amazing graphics work by Richard Boylan, Cinematic Designer at Bioware, to paint a picture of war that’s so radical I am still trying to get the grit out of my teeth. The story follows Grimaldus, Reclusiarch of the Black Templars, and the defense of Hive Helsreach from a large scale Ork invasion. Fighting alongside the Templars is Legio Invigilata and the 101st Armageddon Steel Legion.

If you like Richard’s work on Helsreach, he asks that you “consider purchasing the novel or audiobook to support Games Workshop.” That is what I plan to do by buying a few novels at Black Library. If you are new to this series of Warhammer fan films go here and start from the beginning: Richard Boylan.

Let me know what you think of the film?

Enjoy!

By Andrew Haynes Creative

“The Wake” is a quick minute and forty-seven-second thought piece that drives home the shock that will be inherent in a cryogenic rebirth. I thought the CGI work could have been much better in this short, but I still dig the piece. There are only four companies in the world that offer cryopreservation, one in Russia and three in the United States. The cost ranges anywhere from $28,000 thousand upwards to the $200,000 range with no guarantee that reanimation is possible. You see, cryonics is counting on future advancements in medicine to make revival possible. Many people pay for the procedure using the proceeds from life insurance policies in hopes of a rebirth in the distant future.

I don’t believe I would choose this path as the technology is just not at a point where there would be any hope of pulling a Lazarus and showing up at the company picnic fifty years after declared legally dead. There is a current line of thought we should strive for downloading cryopreserved streams of consciousness, or personalities, into robotic hosts when the possibility exists. Some scientists believe the ultimate goal needs to be digital reincarnation. If that were possible, I would sign on the dotted in a heartbeat. A digital resurrection sounds far better than clunking around in a several-hundred-year-old body in a streamlined high-tech futuristic society.

If digital mind uploading becomes possible, I hope it’s an option for people with a terminal illness or disability, or made available to the elderly after reaching a certain age. I would be against scrapping the organic body before its expiration date to go digital at anything under sixty years old. Revel in your true organic nature.

As Hunter S. Thompson once said:

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride!’”

What are your thoughts on the subject? Would you go for revival in your current body some sunny day? Or, do you believe pure digital is the way to go? Or, perhaps some middle road?

Coffee talk…

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark cannot hold a candle to the two star-crossed lovers in the science fiction short film “Orbit Ever After.”

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you could taste it, but you had no idea how you would get the object of your desire? This is the exact predicament the boy Nigel finds himself in aboard a ramshackle spacecraft held together with coils of wire and duct tape. The family spends most of their time attempting to stay safe as they continuously orbit a planet. They remain alive by eating crazy objects like the Russian space probe Sputnik for dinner! That is, the families food source comes from the junk they capture floating in space using a long fishnet. After pulling the metallic objects inside, they use a food processor to turn metal into a tasty green gruel. Yum!

Amidst all this tumult Nigel sees the girl of his dreams orbiting the planet in the opposite direction on another craft. Love must find a way if the two are to be together. Watch this film—you will not be sorry that you made the time to witness this touching short movie.

Credits:
Director: Jamie Magnus Stone
Cast:
Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Nigel
Mackenzie Crook as Dad
Bronagh Gallagher as Mother
Bob Goody as Grandpa
Naomi Battrick Naomi Battrick as the Girl

Life often flows like a lazy river, only to pick up speed and crash over a precipice as an out-of-control waterfall. We hold tight to the oars and do our best to navigate the course, never giving up, smashing through the waves. On this journey people come and go, pets vanish into the ether, parents step out of the blue and into the black, and your kids grow older as you hang tight to life, waiting for the moment the undertow pulls you under. As you travel the path, certain events stand out as beacons of light and darkness and it is these events that shape us and make us who we are.

The other night I ran into an old friend of mine at a yogurt shop I had not seen in ages. It was great to see him. I was nervous because our paths separated time ago and we have not been in touch although living in proximity. I remember reading a book of fiction in college where characters in the story mysteriously disappeared. It usually is not a good practice to have characters drop out of a story without some explanation given to the reader. I cannot remember the title of the book, but I remember the professor telling us that when you graduate and move out into the real world people will do just that—disappear from your life when you least expect it. I have found that to be true.

My friend and I shared a universal love of gaming. We discussed the subject at our chance meeting and how we do not play a lot these days with busy lives and family. He asked me to recommend a game to play, so I suggested the Mass Effect Trilogy when I discovered he never experienced the game. When he asked me if it would take much of his time I made the mistake of telling him it would take over his life. That is true to a certain extent, but I should have mentioned that he can play the game in 20 or thirty-minute increments at his leisure.

Mass Effect is one of those unique events that stay with you for a lifetime. After completing the trilogy, I have found it difficult to play other games because for me none seem to match the wonder and excitement of the Mass Effect Universe, the character interaction, the planet-hopping adventures, and the all-around badassery. The graphics and fighting mechanics are not as great in the first installment, but the story is strong and graphics and game control excellent in ME 2 and 3.

A beautiful thing about the Mass Effect experience is the plethora of fan art the game inspired. Fans of all ages have created buckets of art, mods, and videos like the one I included in this post. Sure, there is controversy surrounding the end of the trilogy, but if you are a fan of science fiction, the franchise is a must play. The successor, Mass Effect Andromeda, is fun, but it lacks the emotional bond you develop with the characters of the trilogy, and the writing lacks depth.

The video I picked for this post uses advertisements made to market the game, not actual gameplay. I went with this selection because of how the clips and the audio from Disturbed did a fantastic job of touching on the high emotional bond players have to the game. To see the in-game mechanics check the following video. Cheers!

I would love to hear your stories of how Mass Effect touched you and made a difference in your life!

Sci-Fi Short Film With Heart

Brian and Charles is a feel-good sci-fi short with a dark underbelly. Brian is an isolated farmer that gets trapped in his farmhouse in Wales during a nasty winter. When depression sets in Brian does what all Welshmen do – he builds a robot to keep him company.

Shot as a mockumentary film, the short made due with a barebones budget. They only used funds to rent the cottage and pay for gas. A great example of quality filmmaking that does not require massive budgets and CGI to tell a story.

The robot is far from high-tech. Brian created his companion by using a head he found in a back shed, a box of cogs, and levers from the bedroom. Charles is a robot that even Stephen Hawking would invite over for tea. He has a child-like innocence that shines and brightens up the film.

Dark underbelly you say?

Brian & Charles deals with issues of abandonment, and even though the character is a robot, the film touched on just how cruel it is to abuse seniors. Charles the robot is a fantastic creation. He is not a killer robot hell-bent on destroying humanity. Any way you cut it, Brian & Charles is a beautiful film filled with joy. Enjoy!

Credits:

Directed and Edited by Jim Archer
Written by and Starring David Earl and Chris Hayward
Produced by Rupert Majendie
Cinematography by Toby Goodger

See IMDB for the full cast and crew credits.

Firebase – Neill Blomkamp

As a Sci-Fi fan, I am sure you are familiar with Neill Blomkamp, the director of “Elysium,” “Chappie” and the fan favorite science fiction thriller “District 9.” After many film success stories, Neil created Oats Studio as a way to keep the creative juices flowing. The new studio functions as a production sandbox where he can experiment with creative processes and produce short films that he will release to audiences on Steam and YouTube. Proof of concept short films is an excellent way to test the waters, float ideas, and gain financial backing for a movie. The idea is to see what projects are accessible before going whole-hog and spending a ton of cash developing a feature film. Neil digs the collaborative approach to filmmaking employed by Oats Studio and listens intently to the feedback his shorts generate on social media.

To take the collaborative approach one step further, Neil is selling high-end sound files and 3D images from Oats on Steam for the low price of $4.99 a pop. Filmmakers are encouraged to use the sound and image data sold on Steam to create their own productions and even remake Neill’s films from Oats Studio.

If proof of concept works for others – as it did for Stephan Zlotescu, the producer of the film “True Skin,” a short that turned some heads in Hollywood and was picked up by Warner Brothers and then Amazon Studios, the process can absolutely work for the Hollywood heavyweight Blomkamp. Neill is essentially using the same filmmaking process albeit on a grander scale.

To date, Neill has used his new production facility to release three short films: “Rakku,” “Firebase” and “Zygote,” and holy smokes; the results are nothing short of spectacular for proof-of-concept shorts. My favorite of the bunch is Firebase – a 26-minute long film best described as a horror story that takes place in the jungles of Vietnam complete with a River God, floating tanks, CIA agents and burley take-no-shit soldiers. Firebase is in your face filmmaking at its best.

Watch “Firebase” and let me know what you think of the film in the comments below. A word of warning, this is not a short that you want to eat lunch and watch as the gore factor is off the charts.

Credits*

Neill Blomkamp: Director
Writing Staff: Neill Blomkamp and Thomas Sweterlitsch

Cast:

Steve Boyle: STG. Hines
Nicole Goliath: River God Wife
Robert Hobbs: SGT. Carr
Tyler Johnston: SGT. Bracken
Pat Mastroianni: Dr. Bonham
Nic Rhind: Jacob Palmer
Carlo Yu: River God

Production:

Mike Blomkamp: Executive Producer
Victoria Burkhart: Post Producer
Gary Lam: Post producer
Steven St. Arnaud: Producer

Music:

Lorne Balfe

*Firebase (2017) – Full Cast & Crew – IMDb. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7078926/fullcredits

Battery Unstable – One Hour Life Remaining

Robot and Scarecrow is a poignant fairytale romance between a robotic pop princess and a newly awakened scarecrow looking for something more out of life than just scaring birds away from a farmer’s crops. Can you blame him? After staring out at a farmer’s field for who knows how long, he finds himself immersed in a crowd of revelers at a large outdoor concert. As soon as Scarecrow arrives, he is taken by the beauty of the image of a female robotic performer on a massive video monitor setup at the venue.

Eventually, the robotic artist escapes her programmers and handlers and dashes off into the crowd. In hiding, she watches as the scarecrow is torn apart by concert revelers. She gathers up the shambled remains of the scarecrow and manages to reassemble him, and their brief romance begins.

I found this video to be very poignant not only in its handling of the impermanence of life but also from a robot’s rights perspective. It’s my hope that when humanity manages to create self-aware synthetic life, it will be wise enough to set it free. Love, no matter the source, must be allowed to flourish. All life is valuable and to be cherished.

The film drives home the notion that you need to embrace every moment given to you. The pop princess is malfunctioning throughout the sci-fi short and knows to the second when she will go offline permanently. At one point in the movie, at the height of the romance scenes, she gets the status:

“Battery unstable. One hour life remaining.”

What will you do when you get the message?

The robot decides to spend her last hour enjoying the time she has left. Eventually, she expires, and the scarecrow helplessly carries her back in the direction of the stage. Scarecrow collapses to his knees and gently places his love on the ground. The large video monitor plays a scene of the princess wearing wings as she walks off into the sunset.

Cast and Crew:

Director: Kibwe Tavares
Writers: Christopher O’Reilly and Ursula Rani Sarma
Stars: Jack O’Connell – Scarecrow, Holliday Grainger – Robot
Producer: Daniel Emmerson
Cinematography: Luke Jacobs
Music Supervisor: Sarah Bridge

Helsreach Warhammer 40K Fan Film Series by Richard Boylan

Bioware Cinematic Designer Richard Boylan’s fan homage to the novel “Helsreach” by author Aaron Dembski-Bowden is flat-out amazing. This is an unofficial fanwork that utilizes the “Helsreach” audiobook narration as a voiceover for the short, and the film is a true work of art that is both entertaining and visually stimulating. The use of a barebones black and white stylistic approach to filmmaking greatly enhances the film’s take on the harsh realities of war. The story features Grimaldus, Reclusiarch of the Black Templars, and his defense of the Hive Helsreach from an all-out Ork invasion with the assistance of the Titans of Legio Invigilata, and the 101st Armageddon Steel Legion. Amazing series of videos even if you are like me and have never followed Warhammer.

Here are the first five videos for you to enjoy:

• Made with Source Filmmaker.
• Music and sound effects provided by Audiojungle

Divisor is a Trippy SciFi mind-expanding cyberpunk film inspired by the perception altering wave of virtual reality devices that promise to expand our narrow definition of reality.  It’s pretty damn cool and the flick even has a burning techno beat composed by none other than Pixelord that drives the film to its ultimate conclusion.

Director/Designer/Animator/Compositor: – Selfburning
Music Composer/Sound Designer – Pixelord

Cinema is a technologically mediated dreamspace, a way to access, a portal to the numinous that unfolded in the fourth dimension, so cinema became sort of a waking dream where we can travel in space and time, where we can travel in mind. This became more than virtual reality, this became a real virtuality… ~Jason Silva