All Hail Our Alien Overlords is a feature-length documentary-style comedy in development at Otterspool Studios. This page is designed to give you an idea of what the film is about, and to help you get involved at a level that suits you.
Designed for Purpose
Alien Overlords is being developed to allow people who want to get involved to have as much or as little input as they want. We have chosen the documentary format for the following reasons:
- It allows people to have as large or as small a role as they want
- Actors can have a greater degree of flexibility in their delivery, and also propose material of their own for inclusion in the interview sequences
- The format means that people who don’t have time or bandwidth to learn lines can still be involved, as our filming approach means that the interviews can be shot without rehearsal in a matter of an hour or so for smaller roles.
- The format suits the equipment, locations, budget, and filming experience we have available.
Overview
STORYLINE
In the near future, the world is ruled by alien overlords, who hover over major cities in their ships. The film follows a group of people from a local drama company in Exeter, who are putting on a tribute-style event to the Alien Overlords. However, it becomes apparent that a plot is afoot to overthrow the alien masters – and the show is unwittingly being used to gather them in one place and allow the plot to take place.
APPROACH
The film will be shot in a documentary style, combining interview segments with action sequences, and a minimal amount of CG for the aliens. The style is a combination of a number of influences – notably Christopher Guest’s films (such as This is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, and more recently Mascots – which was commissioned in 2016 by Netflix, and can be seen there.)
DISTRIBUTION & SCREENINGS
As well as a screening of the final production in a local cinema (such as the Exter Phoenix) we are also looking into the distribution of the finished product via platforms such as Amazon. It will also be entered into competitions.
Demos & Proof of Concept
Aftermath is a short comedy documentary filmed in the space of a couple of hours to act as a proof of concept for the filming process.
This is a short demo reel that we created for the aliens who will appear in the film, who are also interviewed along with the real-life actors. This is a rough proof of concept – improvements in areas such as lip-synch and realism will be introduced during post-production.
Roles & Opportunities for Involvement
The concept and storyboard is currently under development – we will structure the final cast around the people we recruit for the roles, based on both their availabilities and appetites for performance and contribution of material for their character.
We are looking to complete production and post-production by the end of 2022. Again, the format we have chosen supports this timeline – as commercially, we film and produce adverts of a similar style but much greater combined greater length in a much shorter timeframe.
In terms of revenue – the aim here is to create something that will create interest and exposure. We will cover the production budget – all you will need to contribute is your time and energy. As part of the agreements we will sign together, there will be a provision for an equitable sharing of revenue in the event that it hits the big time.
If you are interested …
Please email us at hello@otterspoolstudios.com, letting us know your availability, what size of role you would be interested in, and also what locations you have access to or would be willing to use during the production.