The Valleys will be turned into something out of this world in a feature-length sci-fi film shot entirely in South Wales.
OFFWORLD is the brainchild of sci-fi author turned director Terry Cooper and producer Adam Neal both will aim to depict a group of space travellers from Earth who crash land on an alien planet unfortunatly this alien land is Ystrad Mynach.
With a cast of 10 actors, a computer animation department and locations lent for free by Caerphilly council , Cooper and Neal raised their budget within a week and continued with such momentum through their month campaign throughout September to more than double their initial budget.
The duo got together after Terry’s previous film The Black Room was accepted for worldwide broadcast on Amazon Prime – and their initial idea of a short film rapidly evolved into something far more ambitious.
Cooper, 46, from Ystrad Mynach best known for his charity cosplay work as Cardiff Jack Sparrow, said: “Myself and Adam, the two producers, have been quite big on the convention and costuming circuit for some time.”
“A sci-fi movie being made in Ystrad Mynach? They say ‘no way’.”
“The idea was born out of thinking that everyone else is doing something like this in England, and other countries, so why not here? “It went from being a short film to an entire feature. We think we can get enough actors together, and enough costume-makers, and then it’s a case of shooting for the moon. I turn 47 soon, and I’ve wanted to film something like this since I was a teenager, playing with toy guns and running around the forest. And it’s surprising how much interest there has been from local people, that there is a film being made on their doorstep.”
“A sci-fi movie being made in Ystrad Mynach? They say ‘no way’.”
Having made an emergency landing in a foreign world – called Epsilon Eridani B – the characters have a long journey ahead of them as they struggle to stay alive.
The group have to deal with illnesses, interpersonal conflicts, power struggles and starvation as they make their journey. It’s a battle for survival for our Epsilon crew.
Cooper said: “Basically, it was a case of what sort of thing could we do for as little [cost] as possible. The plot itself is a survival story, so it’s a case of actors on a location.”
You Don’t get many films made in Ystrad Mynach
“There’s not a lot of CGI needed apart from a small part at the beginning involving a spaceship, which means it won’t cost that much. We think we can do everything for £2,000 to £3,000. I enquired to the council about Parc Penallta and they were surprised. They said ‘we don’t get many films made up here! They put us in touch with the right people, and as long as we don’t dig up anything or set anything on fire – which we won’t – it won’t cost us anything to film for a week. People will be able to recognise landmarks in the film, but at the same time we’re making a sci-fi film so it’s our job to make it unrecognisable. But, an example is the horse shoe-shaped ponds above the sculpture of Sultan the Pit Pony.
“They’ll feature in the film and people will recognise them – and they can even go and visit the places where it was filmed. The help and support we’ve received so far is tremendous. You’d think it’d be impossible to shoot a sci-fi movie here in the Valleys, but anything’s possible with enough like-minded people who share the vision.”
The team behind OFFWORLD are starting crowdfunding through Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects so they can raise enough to start filming in April 2017.
Producer Neal who is also known for his youtube channel skybot aswell as his cosplay charity work, from Aberdare , said: “If anyone would like to get involved, they can join in the Kickstarter, to help us make the best film we can. Our cast are fantastic, and we can’t wait to start filming.”
Within a month they raised way over their original budget to a staggering £10.000!
CONGRATS TO THEM!
WE WISH THEM THE BEST OF LUCK!
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE FINISHED PIECE!
GO LIKE THEIR PAGES AND DONATE!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1962670634/offworld-british-scifi-feature-film
https://www.facebook.com/OffworldFilm/https://www.facebook.com/OffworldFilm/
COME TO NOVEMBER CARDIFF COMIC CON TO SEE THE OFFWORLD PANEL!
https://www.facebook.com/events/946521335452137/
OTHER PAGES TO CHECK OUT!
https://www.facebook.com/CardiffJackSparrow/?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/SkybotEntertainment/?fref=ts
Credits: Offworld,wales online.
Reworded and extra information added by S.Jones.