First-time independent filmmaker juggles family and career while creating a VFX-heavy feature film with less than $15,000.
PUEBLO, Colo., April 4, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- MACHINATIONS ENTERTAINMENT LLC announced today it will release its 'submarine movie in space,' VOYAGE OF THE CHIMERA, on DVD and Blu-ray on April 12, 2022.
Directed by first-time feature filmmaker Michael Gates and produced with his wife Laura Gates, the innovative, all-virtual production was filmed and completed in Pueblo, Colo., where the company is headquartered, on a budget less than $15,000. It was screened at the 2021 Storymode Independent Short Film Awards festival where it was nominated Best Feature Film. Gates and his wife shot the film with a small crew in 17 days over a series of weekends, while Michael continued his regular employment.
"I've wanted to make movies since I was a teenager," Michael Gates said. "But I had no industry contacts, no way in. Laura and I are absorbed in raising our children and weren't even active in the local arts community. All the pieces suddenly lined up, so we decided to take the plunge on our own. It doesn't get much more independent than this."
Rather than create an action film or traditional space opera, Gates opted for a more character-based approach, drawing influence from non sci-fi fare such as the motion picture Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and the World War II submarine films with which he grew up.
"I love stories where you take a bunch of very different men, jam them into a cramped space and watch them bounce off each other," Gates said. "I felt that would be conducive to our extremely low budget and limited resources."
The first of a series, the production was joined by active local filmmakers Dave DeCenzo as executive producer, production manager Shawn Bidwell and assistant director Tawnya Studdard. However, Michael Gates also served as cinematographer and editor of the project, as well as the creator of its ambitious visual effects. Every single shot of the film utilizes computer-generated elements.
"These CGI locations had to look real, or at least stylized in a way that the audience forgets it's all computer generated," Gates said. "You can't just stick people in front of a green screen, hit record and worry about how it all comes together later. If you want a movie, you have to shoot it like one."
VOYAGE OF THE CHIMERA is presently available on Amazon Prime, Tubi and other online streaming platforms. Machinations Entertainment is planning two sequels to the film in addition to other independent film productions.
Media Contact
Michael Gates, Machinations Entertainment LLC, 1 719-501-3858, [email protected]
SOURCE Machinations Entertainment LLC
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