WELCOME TO CHRISTOPHER MOONLIGHT PRODUCTIONS
And My Post Comic-Con Wrap-Up!!!
I’m back home in Texas, decompressing from the flight, and still buzzing from the incredible energy at San Diego Comic-Con.
To everyone who grabbed a seat at the Indie Filmmaker’s Survival Guide panel with Film Threat, came up to chat afterward in the hallway, or scanned the code to join this community, I’d like to say welcome and thank you. You entered a space built for independent builders who refuse to ask for permission.
If you missed the panel or want to revisit the conversation on how we’re bypassing legacy gatekeepers, you can watch the full Comic-Con panel below:
The Big News: Escape From Planet Omega-12
I couldn’t be more excited to share what I’ve been building. The official trailer for my upcoming animated sci-fi feature, Escape From Planet Omega-12, is here on this Substack for subscribers, and it will hit YouTube shortly after.
This project is the culmination of everything I stand for: marrying traditional practical effects, hand-built miniatures, and physical puppets with the power of consumer technology, open-source tools, and local AI workflows. It’s scale and vision that used to require a $50 million studio budget, built right on my own desk, and Guillermo del Toro can’t do a damn thing about it.
What You’ll Find Here
This online publication is a living record of the modern creative frontier. Here, I break down my exact process, share technical insights, and write about the future of the entertainment industry at large, showing how the democratization of compute power is breaking corporate monopolies and putting true creative sovereignty back into the hands of individual artists.
If you’re new and want to dive into the core philosophy behind this work, here is a starting kit of what I’m up to, from my writings to where you should follow me. Just click the bold text to go there.
FILM THREAT - Here’s where you can find all of my articles, but I will mention that they’re on this Substack, too, and I drop new ones here first, where my supporters can access them early.
YOUTUBE - This is my second channel (I got locked out of my first one) where I post updates, tutorials, interviews with industry professionals, and more. I have another channel called Sci-Exploitation that is dedicated to Escape From Planet Omega-12 and any of my other science fiction projects that I have in development.
The CHRISTOPHER MOONLIGHT PRODUCTIONS WEBSITE - A work-in-progress, this is eventually going to be the main business hub for my production company, complete with dedicated pages for all of my projects, as well as the place to get merchandise, physical media, and downloads.
My Movie and “TV” Lineup
The Quantum Terror - My first feature film, which I shot in and around my Texas home on a 15K budget, using consumer equipment and technology, miniatures, and a lot of trick photography. I’m very pleased with it, but it does wear its budget on its sleeve. However, that didn’t stop me from winning Film Threat’s 2023 ‘Award This’ for Best Indie Horror Movie.
Escape From Planet Omega-12 - This is my next feature film, an animated co-production by Doug Mayfield and myself, bringing together practical effects miniatures and puppets with CGI, VFX, and AI, to create a sci-fi epic unlike anything anyone has seen before.
There are other upcoming projects to be announced.
Articles Indie Filmmakers Should Read.
I write to remind myself who I am and why I’m doing all of this, but it makes me happy that so many other aspiring artists and filmmakers (same thing, really) find my musings helpful. Below is an index of the articles, for you to reference, that I think you’ll find the most useful, and hopefully, inspiring.
No One Is Talking About AI Jobs and The Viability Gap: This is the one that scares Hollywood the most. The “Viability Gap” is an economic principle that has kept big studios safe from indie creators competing with them for years, but now it’s closing in on them. You need to understand how it works if you’re going to win.
Indies Invade The Multiplex - A New Wave of Filmmakers Taking Back The Silver Screen: Here I talk to several indie filmmakers and LOOK Cinema’s director of programming to bring you info on how to get your movie into theaters, without a distribution deal.
The Reality of AI and Copyright - Now and Tomorrow: I intend to write more about AI and copyright in the future, but here are some facts to get you started. This is not legal advice, but the first step in what you need to understand.
There Is No Such Thing as Ethical or Unethical AI: Some talking points to remember when someone wants to repeat the NPC lie that AI is theft.
7 Lessons from the New Frontier: How I Used AI to Engineer a Profitable Indie Studio: Not only should you want to make money, you need to make money. Here’s a breakdown of how I use AI as a business partner.
5 AI Tricks Indie Filmmakers Can Use to Achieve Hollywood-Level Production Value: Some ideas for how you can use AI to make your life as a filmmaker easier, and scale your creativity.
Garage Bands Vs. Zombies: Hollywood is the Walking Dead: People will line up to tear you down. This is to remind us all that we are the counterculture, and we should be damn proud of it.
How The Anti-AI Movement Ensures Corporate Monopolies: This breaks down just how important the fight for independence truly is.
I want to thank Chris Gore and Alan Ng for including me in their panel. They didn’t have to, nor did they have to offer me a platform on their website, but they took a chance on me, and for that I’m eternally grateful. I also want to thank my fellow panelists, whom I learned a great deal from listening to, and I especially want to express my eternal gratitude to everyone who showed up to listen to us talk, ask questions, and fill my heart with optimism for the future of storytelling.
Keep it right here. We’re just getting started.