The Making of a Sci-Fi Filmmaker: From 'Level 17' to Today

I'm working on a new film that's taking me back to my true love.... Sci-Fi (sorry Lydia!).

There's not a lot I can say publicly about the project just yet, but once we get things started, we plan to document the journey from script to screen. What excites me the most is our plan to shoot using miniatures with a motion control system, which has been kindly loaned to us for the film.

It feels like the right time to reflect on my last Sci-Fi project, "Level 17", whose second episode was released just over 10 years ago. It was a web series crafted by a young and ambitious team. Many have since advanced to notable careers within the industry, including our VFX supervisor who has joined the ranks at ILM. We shot the two episodes over five days in the middle of summer, spanning locations from the Adelaide CBD to the hills.

The goal for "Level 17" was to leverage a small budget with careful planning and preparation to produce something of a larger scope.

To this day, I'm incredibly proud of what we achieved and the fan community we built, from local conventions to followers in the US.

It was also the project that taught me the hard lesson of how to deal with a project that, despite success, can be stopped dead in its tracks due to external factors (thanks, Tony Abbott). But coming out the other side has only strengthened my resolve and drive to continue, even when it seems like it's the end.

You can watch the two finished episodes of "Level 17" here on YouTube