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Filmmaker Launches To Another Planet In “Maroon”
Strange lands, unusual characters, laser ray guns and artificial intelligence are what make up a great science fiction story straight from another planet. Stories of mysterious vitors date back to cave paintings left behind by our ancient ancestors. In the 1950s, E.C. Comics had their own running series called “Weird Science”. It brought people’s curioty of what is going on outde of our atmosphere into pop culture. That’s really were stories like those originate from. Looking up into the sky and just wondering, what else or who else is out there?
Hollywood for years has been attracting audiences into theaters with weird science fiction stories that most of us can’t help but to be attracted to. Influenced by films like Star Wars, Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Fifth Element – West Texas filmmaker Christopher Robleto-Harvey has set out to make his own sci-fi movie. He plans on combining the visual influences of the films that have inspired him while still maintaining and unique and most importantly original style.
The film is called Maroon. It’s a twenty minute narrative short film about an astronaut who crash lands on a distant planet. He attempts an emergency rescue but it ultimately challenge with the acceptance of loss in the face of his own death. “Maroon is a project that I have been working on for roughly three years,” Robleto-Harvey said. “It began as a way for me to practice my favorite aspect of the filmmaking process, sound degn. As a sound degner from West Texas, I was mostly working on dramas and border stories and I wanted to hone my skills by stepping into the realm of science fiction. I knew I would have fun synthezing strange atmospheres, creating computer voices and other futuristic sounds, but what I didn’t understand is how this project would end up taking me, and my life, in an entirely new direction.”
Christopher’s credits include being sound editor on the 2008 horror film Wicked Lake and sound work on the 2010 drama Hands of God, which was an official selection at the Chicago Latino’s Film Festival. “Having worked in the industry, both domestic and international, I knew I needed people who I could trust with the departments outde of writing, directing and sound,” he said. “I assembled a team of profesonals that I trust and that believe in my project and ideas.”
Beyond a great plot and top notch special effects one of the most important elements of a flick involving far, far away universes are the costumes. Christopher met Texas native Jesus Meza, sculptor and artist, on the set of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition when the show came to El Paso to film an episode. They became friends and Meza took a great deal of interest in the project. In February of 2009, they started degning the costumes for the three central characters: the astronaut, the alien and the apparition of the wife. Christopher says that Jesus Meza’s original style and unique degn approaches have really made this film trantion from just “ideas on paper” to amazing pre-production and production work.
Creating a film from beginning to end can be one of the most enduring and difficult experiences a person goes through. On the other hand, it’s very enriching and fulfilling. It’s so obvious the impact the journey of making this film has had on Christopher from what it has taught him. “The evolution of Maroon and the transformational affects it has made on me from a sound degner to write/director has given me a new outlook on my career and my life. I’ve realized that I am a storyteller as much as I am a technical artist and that I, as an individual in the world, have something to say and, hopefully, to teach.”
I wanted to leave off on something Christopher beautifully stated about life and how it ties into this other world plot. “Although the film’s theme is death and takes place in a futuristic setting I believe that Maroon is a film for everyone. The message that film conveys: the acceptance of loss in the face of death is a universal message. I’ve wanted to tell this story for a long time, because I feel it is something that all human beings share. We all have to face death at some point in our lives whether it is the death of others or our own inevitable end. Death stares us in the face and always wins the staring contest.”
We wish Chris all the best and will keep you posted on the development of the film.
Official Maroon Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/maroon.film
Maroon Trailer: http://vimeo.com/13615817
Hollywood for years has been attracting audiences into theaters with weird science fiction stories that most of us can’t help but to be attracted to. Influenced by films like Star Wars, Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Fifth Element – West Texas filmmaker Christopher Robleto-Harvey has set out to make his own sci-fi movie. He plans on combining the visual influences of the films that have inspired him while still maintaining and unique and most importantly original style.
The film is called Maroon. It’s a twenty minute narrative short film about an astronaut who crash lands on a distant planet. He attempts an emergency rescue but it ultimately challenge with the acceptance of loss in the face of his own death. “Maroon is a project that I have been working on for roughly three years,” Robleto-Harvey said. “It began as a way for me to practice my favorite aspect of the filmmaking process, sound degn. As a sound degner from West Texas, I was mostly working on dramas and border stories and I wanted to hone my skills by stepping into the realm of science fiction. I knew I would have fun synthezing strange atmospheres, creating computer voices and other futuristic sounds, but what I didn’t understand is how this project would end up taking me, and my life, in an entirely new direction.”
Christopher’s credits include being sound editor on the 2008 horror film Wicked Lake and sound work on the 2010 drama Hands of God, which was an official selection at the Chicago Latino’s Film Festival. “Having worked in the industry, both domestic and international, I knew I needed people who I could trust with the departments outde of writing, directing and sound,” he said. “I assembled a team of profesonals that I trust and that believe in my project and ideas.”
Beyond a great plot and top notch special effects one of the most important elements of a flick involving far, far away universes are the costumes. Christopher met Texas native Jesus Meza, sculptor and artist, on the set of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition when the show came to El Paso to film an episode. They became friends and Meza took a great deal of interest in the project. In February of 2009, they started degning the costumes for the three central characters: the astronaut, the alien and the apparition of the wife. Christopher says that Jesus Meza’s original style and unique degn approaches have really made this film trantion from just “ideas on paper” to amazing pre-production and production work.
Creating a film from beginning to end can be one of the most enduring and difficult experiences a person goes through. On the other hand, it’s very enriching and fulfilling. It’s so obvious the impact the journey of making this film has had on Christopher from what it has taught him. “The evolution of Maroon and the transformational affects it has made on me from a sound degner to write/director has given me a new outlook on my career and my life. I’ve realized that I am a storyteller as much as I am a technical artist and that I, as an individual in the world, have something to say and, hopefully, to teach.”
I wanted to leave off on something Christopher beautifully stated about life and how it ties into this other world plot. “Although the film’s theme is death and takes place in a futuristic setting I believe that Maroon is a film for everyone. The message that film conveys: the acceptance of loss in the face of death is a universal message. I’ve wanted to tell this story for a long time, because I feel it is something that all human beings share. We all have to face death at some point in our lives whether it is the death of others or our own inevitable end. Death stares us in the face and always wins the staring contest.”
We wish Chris all the best and will keep you posted on the development of the film.
Official Maroon Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/maroon.film
Maroon Trailer: http://vimeo.com/13615817
dakotathomas
Wednesday 6/22/2011 at 02:00 PM | 77643
