From a Feeling, to a Song, to a Film 🎤
 
 
Director Elia Petridis (L), and AD Bashir Taylor by Michael Arcell
 

Before Out of This World was even an idea, synth-pop musician and actress Ariana and the Rose was singing from the rooftops: “You are not alone!” In this week’s chat, Ariana shares her experience adapting her pop single “Lonely Star” into a musical short film. She also explores how the film acts as an extension of the song, how Ariana’s character in the film is her from a parallel universe, and the power of human connection through music.

Ariana DiLorenzo by Natasha Wilson

We’re so thrilled to talk with you today, Ariana! Your song “Lonely Star” was the creative spark that inspired this film. How is this film an extension of your original song?

Ariana: The film takes the song to an entirely new place. It’s such a special and unique experience to get to see something you’ve made totally re-imagined by someone else and then brought to life by other creatives too. I’ve loved getting to see it interpreted by a screenwriter, a composer, other actors, and a lighting designer. It all feels like an extension of the song to me. The story of the two characters in the film brings the themes of the song to life. It makes it a tangible relationship we can relate to rather than the more general “you” I initially wrote in the song. It’s another way to step inside of the lyrics and melodies and creates this huge space for the audience to get lost in.

It really was exciting to see how the film expands the story in your original lyrics. The lyrics of “Lonely Star” truly resonate with people of all ages. What was your inspiration behind making the original song?

Ariana: I am obsessed with space and all things galactic. I had been doing an immersive event in New York and was in a writing session in LA telling everyone about it. Just the feeling of being in the middle of a room with people, all dancing in one singular moment together, and really just for a second feeling so a part of a collective, rather than a singular person moving through the world. That feeling is what inspired the song. To allow someone to feel connected to something larger than themselves, even if it’s just for the 3 minutes and 45 seconds of the song.

We absolutely felt that sense of connection in the song. Speaking of singular moments: without giving away too many spoilers, what was your favorite scene to shoot?

Ariana: Oh so many! There’s a whole scene where we’re fighting with and against gravity and everything in the movie is turned all the way up to a 10. That was very fun to shoot.

Sort of mirroring your own life, there is the fictional band called “Starstruck” featured in the film. What is the story behind that band?

Ariana: Starstruck is what I imagine could have been my life in a parallel universe! A small town group of friends, who love space, start a band, and really start to gain some traction in their hometown. They’re definitely people who are looking to have lives bigger than where they’re from and they really get a taste of it. And for whatever reason, either they mess it up or don’t live up to the hype, their moment passes and they’re forced to move on from it. The film definitely takes place in a moment where my character is dealing with that, and I think the events that happen in the movie really reinspire her to find her way back to music.

Yeah, the film really explores chasing your dreams, especially musical ones. Besides music, you come from an acting background and now have dipped your toes back in. Do you see more acting in your future?

Ariana: Sure, if someone wants to cast me! I was definitely nervous to jump back in, but Elia and the entire crew created such a detailed neon drenched world, my job was easy. Bex was also an incredible partner to work with. It was just so fun getting to listen and react to what they were doing. Getting to come back to acting in this way, and singing a song I wrote a part of in such a beautiful film is such a gift. I feel very grateful to be a part of it.

Throughout your career, who has been your most influential artistic inspiration?

Ariana: Oh jeez, so many to count! Cher is a big one. Her general attitude. Her style, her songwriting. Just all of it. I fell in love with songwriting first, people like Carole King and Sara Bareilles and Elton John – just a person and a piano. James Turrell has had a big impact on all the visuals I make. His use of non-directional light in all of his work and the entire light and space movement in the seventies in general has shaped the entire visual language I use in my artistry.

These are all amazing artists. If you could recommend one musical artist to Nebby, who would it be?

Ariana: Alanis Morrissette, always and forever. Nebby would be obsessed with Jagged Little Pill.

Touching on the power of collaboration when making art, what was the experience of collaborating with the Filmatics team like?

Ariana: The thing that struck me the most is their passion. Everyone was so excited to be creating this film, and filled with so much joy and excitement, it set the tone for the whole project. It’s so cool to see a group of people working to take an idea from someone’s imagination into reality. I loved getting to watch their process as the film came together.

What advice would you give to your 16 year old self about finding your place in the world?

Ariana: Being cool is overrated. Hang out with people who make you laugh and hug you when you cry. There is no “right” way to be an artist, you are one already.

 

Check out some art and artists that inspired the film’s mood board!

Craving some tunes that make you feel less alone in this big universe? Check out our official Out of This World Spotify playlist so you can hear what we’re jamming to.

 

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A Costume is Worth a Hundred Words 👨‍🎤
 
 
Director Elia Petridis (L), and AD Bashir Taylor by Michael Arcell
 

Take a look at Nebby and Ariana’s fashionable fits in Out of This World – you can’t miss em with their rockstar-inspired designs, 80s and 90s-era attire, and retro sci-fi callbacks. But if you look even closer at each costume, you’ll see that every detail showcases the characters’ unique personalities. There is a clear artistic and narrative intent in the design.


This week, Los Angeles-based costume designers and power couple Elias Martian and Orchid Satellite take us into their vibrant and statement-making world. There, we chat about how their retro sci-fi and gender-defying approach to the costumes and characters influenced the overall look of the film, and the importance of collaboration when making the perfect costume.

Ariana DiLorenzo by Natasha Wilson

Elias and Orchid, we are so excited to have our favorite costume designing power couple on board this week to talk about Out of This World! Your visionary fashion styling and costume design has gotten you clients like Doja Cat, Ariana Grande, Rico Nasty, and Dorian Electra, among many others. Where does the majority of your fashion and costume inspo come from, and how do you decide the perfect outfit for your clients and characters?

Elias: I think character building is one of the best aspects of this job, whether it’s something we are styling (choosing clothes that have already been created) or designing costumes. I like to collaborate with the other departments a lot when creating looks too. It’s really important to know what the lighting will be like and create a head to toe experience with the makeup team. Reading the script or treatment is so important too, because you might have the best ideas or clothes to use, but they might not work for the action of the scene. It’s really important to have a plan for being able to get multiple takes in a look, even if there is fire, slime, rain or blood! We really like sourcing unique and interesting pieces, so sometimes that means vintage hunting, working with a number of designers or making it ourselves. I want to make our work look like a “visual feast” - something that is impressive at first glance but once you look at it a bit longer there are details that keep you engaged and spark joy. 

Orchid: I think the best stylists approach all of their work with storytelling - rather than trends in fashion. Inspiration can come from anywhere, and a big source of inspiration for me are the clients and talents that we work with. It’s really important to work as a team, and I feel so lucky to have such inspiring peers that I get to work with creatively. The early creative process is one of the most fun parts of the job for me. 

It really does take a collaborative process to the storytelling to pull off a project like Out of This World. The film has a distinct visual world filled with a retro sci-fi aesthetic. As lovers of color, kitsch, and maximalism, what initially drew you to work on the film?

Elias: Orchid and I call ourselves the Martian Family, which initially started as a joke but when we got married we made it official! I have always had a thing for retro futurism, from plastic molded furniture of the 70s to weird space toys for kids from the 50s and 60s - you name it, I collect it. We are also big fans of Star Trek, Barbarella, and too many Sci-Fi B movies to name here. Anything in this genre is right up our alley and we’d jump at anything in this universe (or beyond, haha!).

Orchid: It was actually our good friend Ally McGillicuddy, who did the makeup and SPFX for the film, that initially showed us they were looking for a costume designer. I remember being so excited to see a film that encapsulated my style so well; I reached out at that exact moment while I was on set busy dressing people. I’d never wanted to work on something so badly. 

 
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Costume Designs from an early OOTW Lookbook

Speaking of encapsulating your style, we were floored by your design for Nebby as a colorful and latex-clad alien marvel, surpassing gender conventions. What was your inspo and approach to their design?

Elias: When the opportunity came up to pitch the character design for Nebby, we knew this was big. I really wanted to start from a place of fun and authenticity. Nebby is a collector and a curious soul with lots in their mind and in their space. We wanted their costume to reflect their fun spirit and desire to be a cool rock star. Using the rock n roll jacket as a jumping off point, we created a jacket with 3 peaked lapel points instead of two, using futuristic reflective vinyl and rhinestones to make it look and shine like a star. For the bodysuit, we knew that the material needed to scream “Out Of This World'' and there was only one solution - latex. Latex is shiny and fun and form fitting, and currently having a bigger moment in the fashion world, once only being relegated to fetish wear, which was definitely not what we were going for. We wanted Nebby to be able to bounce around and move while looking badass so we took a lot of inspiration from David Bowie’s costume designer Kansai Yamamoto as well as Pam Hogg’s reflective bodysuits. The bodysuit design we settled on was really sparked by Nebby’s abilities to manipulate electricity, so it has two lightning bolts creating an awesome “V”. We also really liked the character “Buddy Blue ' from Rainbow Brite and used elements from their character designs in the hips and inflatable star belt, but took it to the next level of plastic fantastic.

I was really excited to be working with a non-binary actor and clothing their body in a way that helped them connect to the character and feel empowered in their skin. I am the only transgender man working in costuming in Los Angeles (that I know of) and I was really excited to create this character that transcends gender. I wanted to create a costume that Bex could comfortably wear a chest binder underneath to create the body shape they wanted.

Orchid: I also feel really excited to help support and extend visual platforms for non binary people (and aliens). A lot of our biggest inspiration in fashion and film come from individuals that have broken gender barriers, David Bowie being one of them for this character. I think a lot of sci-fi allows us to look at our humanness and gender from a different perspective, which is beautiful. And I wanted Nebby’s character to reflect this. 

Wow, it’s amazing to hear the thought process behind Nebby’s costume and how it fits the character. How was your approach to Nebby’s design different from the earthers, Ariana and BeBe?

Elias: I think the big constant that runs through Out of this World is authenticity. We wanted all the characters to really seem authentic and true to themselves. For Ariana, she was one of those cool rock star girls, who waited tables on the side. She reminded us of some of our favorite servers at Swingers in LA or Saturn Cafe in Santa Cruz. She was the type to wear the uniform, but also try to make it her own as much as possible, with a cool jacket, pins, and accessories. We had this incredible 1980s beaded/sequined bomber jacket that said “SAVE THE PLANET” and we just knew this piece had to go with her character. Ariana was definitely the type to have her feet on the ground and her head in the sky - rooted to earth but looking for a cosmic connection. I created some custom Doc Martens boots to look like the lunar surface, and was really pleased with the result. We sourced an awesome vintage waitress dress, and dyed BeBe’s chef coat to match. 

For Bebe’s character, we really wanted her to look like a chef but also have elements that called back to that incredible poster for Ariana’s band. We wanted her character to not be super feminine since she was the leader of the kitchen/diner. We used an awesome 90s striped tank and baggy pants with a cool bandana to keep her hair back (food safety, ok?). We also used the rubber kitchen shoe version of chelsea boots to tie in with the intergalactic rock n roll diner aesthetic.

Orchid: I felt really connected with Ariana’s character, as growing up I was a punk girl with my head in the stars, who absolutely believed in aliens. I wanted both Ariana and BeBe to feel as real as possible, and to be wearing clothing that made sense for them to be able to access, but also had no specific time or place that you could pinpoint. Although we definitely wanted to give them both a 90s feel to their style.

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Bex Taylor-Klaus and Ariana DiLorenzo by Michael Arcell

All the details you’re mentioning really come through when looking at the final costumes. What were your favorite parts of each of the costumes?

Elias: Nebby - the helmet! It was an absolute feat to engineer the helmet with no cords coming out of it and to get it to go on and off easily and stay in place when on. I spent an incredible amount of time creating prototypes and junking them. I even broke the backup helmet the night before filming, so the helmet we used for Nebby had to work and be perfect. I probably spent over 10 hours on set just polishing the acrylic because the inline LED lights we used basically would show any tiny scratch.

Ariana - moon boots! Nebby got “moon boots” and so Ariana needed her own pair obviously, but in a more earthling/punk rock kind of way. That piece was so fun to customize.

BeBe - I love the 90s tank top, so much cooler than your standard white ribbed tank. 

Orchid: I also loved the space helmets, and it was really fun to decide what kind of helmet we were going to design, taking a lot of inspiration from 60s sci-fi and designers like Pierre Cardin. 

We also had a blast designing the backpack for Nebby with our good friends at Mokuyobi. They literally describe their brand as ‘Out of this world’, for ‘super beings of earth and beyond’, so we just had to include their work in this film. We got to work in their warehouse with them, and came up with the perfect design together that encapsulates Nebby’s style and theirs. 

I think for me though, I truly loved picking out the pins and details for Ariana’s outfit. We spent a long time sourcing online and at flea markets for strange, music related, and space themed pins. Ariana and I selected the final pins together, and I remember we both loved the one that says ‘Every cloud has a radioactive lining’. There is also a small heart pin by her nametag, that is a secret nod to the tin man in Wizard of Oz. And she has very tiny gummy bear earrings, which is a constant that runs through the film. I love hiding easter eggs like this in my costuming work. 

As a costume design power couple, walk us through your own collaborative process with each other. How do you divide up the responsibilities?

Elias: I am so grateful to be able to work together - it makes me so happy every day and sure beats the time in our lives when we were working for other people. Orchid usually takes on the responsibility of talking to clients, scheduling, and doing all of the logistical things that keep our business alive. She is truly a boss babe and owns every second of it. We like to go shopping together and usually we will split up and take on half each, meeting at the end with an armful of goodies to decide if we want them or not. I usually do the design and creation of things. The sewing, painting, building, etc. of all the stuff and costume creation. I also put together a lot of our moodboards and help pull inspiration. 

Orchid: He couldn’t have said it better. I feel very lucky to be creating as a team together, and it’s not as common in our industry, or any for that matter. Elias is a very talented designer, and many of our friends in the industry call him ‘the idea guy’ -- he’s always doing multiple projects at once. I come from a fashion buying and merchandising background, so I love the process of sourcing and finding special pieces for clients. And I definitely love the process of pre- production and getting ideas in motion. We have a really organic and fun way of dividing the labor.

With names like ‘Satellite’ and ‘Martian’, we have to ask – do you believe in aliens? 

Elias: Absolutely. I feel like it would be incredibly naive to think we are the only intelligent creatures in a universe this big. Too many people have had experiences with extraterrestrials/UFOs for me to think it's only science fiction. Many of the people with these experiences weren’t looking for or wanting contact with an alien species, and I believe them. 

Orchid: My dad partially named me Satellite because he wanted me to feel connected with the universe, and think bigger than our planet, and I really do. I’ve always loved aliens, ever since I was a little girl. I’ve always felt that there’s something more out there, and I think film is the best visual medium to help inspire us to keep searching for it.

 

Check out some art and artists that inspired the film’s mood board!

Photo by Kelsey Talton (L), Photo by Wussy Mag

If Elias and Orchid’s Out of This World costumes blew you away, explore more of their world of color, kitsch, and retrofits through some of their most iconic looks!

Photo by (Deathcats) Danin Jacquay (L), Photo by Gabriel Mendoza Weiss

Photos by Parker Day

 

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Crafting Character through the Power of Production Design 🛸
 
 
Director Elia Petridis (L), and AD Bashir Taylor by Michael Arcell
 

We’re so obsessed with the set pieces in Out of This World, we just can’t stop talking about them! Designing Nebby’s spaceship and the Space Case diner wasn’t just about making sets that looked retro or classic, it was about building a world that reflected our protagonists’ stories and journey. Today we are talking with our very own alien spaceship world builder, Production Designer Vanessa Plaza Lazo, on her approach to creating the perfect props and set decoration for our characters, and why we should pay a little extra attention to production design in our favorite films.

Ariana DiLorenzo by Natasha Wilson

Vanessa, it’s a pleasure to talk with you today! You pulled off something we haven’t quite seen before in films—an aquatic-inspired spaceship filled with eclectic souvenirs from across the galaxy. What was your inspiration for the spaceship and set dressing it?

Vanessa: I consider the main spaceship design a collaboration between Christy Gray and myself, since she was the one who started it and I took over the lead after, where I made some additions to it. It was very interesting and fun for me to get a deep understanding of Nebby to be able to dress the ship. I had several conversations with Elia [the director] for this, where we agreed that every single element on the ship should reflect the idea of a united planet earth identity and Nebby’s connection to it. It is true that there are multiple different cultures around the world and all of them are represented in different ways, but at the same time, we are based on some of the same principles. We are humans and we are all ruled by emotions. That’s why I focused on bringing those emotions in the ship through different types of elements, not just old images, but also objects that could represent that idea: Faun, Greek and Egyptian face sculpture pieces, old tribe masks, helmets, unusual glasses. I tried to wear Nebby’s space boots and think of what they would be attracted to, to actually make them want to take those items as a souvenir. Nebby is a being connected with water and light, so I thought light and colors are another way to express emotions. Bringing different elements where light could be projected in different shapes and colors could also be something to represent not just those human emotions but also evolution in terms of how they developed different ways to project them. In Nebby’s ship you’ll find a young alien’s desire to meet humans and the way humans are perceived by aliens.

You also designed the Space Case diner, a diner at the intersection of space and time. How did you approach it?

Vanessa: The idea of time and space is always very subjective, so I used it as a mirror to represent the diner as the human version of Nebby’s bedroom. The diner shows humanity’s pop culture perception of aliens with a touch of Bebe’s and Ariana’s feel.

 
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So much about these characters’ lives can be felt immediately just by looking at the spaceship and diner sets. In Out of This World and other productions you’ve worked on, what is your artistic approach to fusing narrative into props and locations to tell a story without words?

Vanessa: It’s all about the characters' back story and getting into their shoes to feel the world these characters live in. When I read a script there is just so much I can pick up from them, maybe some space descriptions and character actions. So after a script breakdown, I go deeper into the character’s back story--the story not being told in the script. That’s when the real treasure chest gets opened. It is important to really get to know the characters: their manners, their beliefs, likes, hobbies, fears, life experiences, etc. With all that information we start telling a story through the set and all the detailed set dressing.

What advice would you give to a younger person trying to break into production design in Hollywood? 

Vanessa: Be very persistent and dedicated. Always find new inspiration sources and upgrade your skills constantly.

Who has been your most influential artistic inspiration in your career? 

Vanessa: I believe the artistic world is so broad and the stories we get to tell could be about anything that it’s really hard to stick to one influential path. You can find inspiration in architecture, fine arts, literature, people’s stories, etc., especially when it comes to designing. But when it comes to growing as a professional, I would say that family and close friends are always an inspirational source to be a better person everyday and always give my 200% to keep taking my career to another level. 

Now that you’ve helped build an alien spaceship, do you believe in aliens? 

Vanessa: I believed in them before building a spaceship, so now I just feel a little closer to actually getting to meet one.

 

Check out some art and artists that inspired the film’s mood board!

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Nebby's Spaceship Mockup

When imagining Nebby’s home, our team wanted to give our spaceship an Out of This World twist. Here are some other iconic space ships from films we love!

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Discovery One - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

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Mothership - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

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The Ship - Arrival (2016)

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Fhloston Paradise - The Fifth Element (1997)

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The Endurance - Interstellar (2014)

 

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An Illuminating Conversation on the Power of Practical Film Lighting 🔦
 
 
Director Elia Petridis (L), and AD Bashir Taylor by Michael Arcell
 

We knew it would take a unique technical approach to light the aquatic spaceship featured in Out of This World in a way that would speak to the fluid character of Nebby the Alien, who can control light, so we enlisted the expertise of an outsider. (In other words, someone like us.)

Tyler Elich, who comes from the world of lighting design for live experiences – recent projects include the world tours of Bob Dylan, Janet Jackson, and Eddie Izzard – worked hand-in-hand with the film's lighting department and took practical lighting for the film to the next level, with the help of Vada Briceno on set. So today we're speaking with Tyler about his artistic and technical approach to lighting our spaceship and the power of light in film.

Ariana DiLorenzo by Natasha Wilson

Hi Tyler! Thanks so much for chatting with us. You’re a lighting design expert coming from the live events space, a role we don’t usually see on film sets. Having worked on some of the biggest conventions and concerts, what parts of your background did you bring to this shoot to make it truly unique?  

Tyler: I am a bit of an outsider in the film industry, but I have always been extremely interested in getting into filmmaking. I work a lot on broadcast and streaming as well, but working on film was surprisingly different and took me through a bit of a learning curve. For Out of This World, it was super important to me and the creative team that I bring new ways of lighting for camera that I know work really well in the live and broadcast worlds, but are not usually used in the film world. We wanted to give the film a real world look that can’t be achieved with CGI or other techniques. It was really exciting to bring in high end lighting consoles and fixtures that are normally intended for concert touring and use them to create something completely unique for this film!   

Our spaceship does feel a little bit like a concert. What was your artistic and technical approach to using light to bring the spaceship to life?

Tyler: When researching films related to this project I noticed that a lot of the lighting is simplistic, maybe just a few wash fixtures hung around the room to light everything evenly. I wanted to use lots of individual fixtures to highlight key areas of the set and make certain items pop and other items recede to help tell our story. I was excited to bring in John Marovitch, a super creative out of the box thinker, who helped design some funky set pieces, like the “Pixel Tube Bed” and “Mylar Roll Wall”. Both of these effects were created by John and I just throwing around “wouldn't it be cool if…” ideas until we landed on some super cool, never before done, out of the box designs.

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What do you wish more people understood about lighting design?

Tyler:
My favorite thing about lighting is how much it can affect someone’s mood without them even realizing it. By just making some subtle changes to color temperature, angle and intensity, I can make you feel warm and loved, cold and uncomfortable, or tense. Just making small changes to lighting in your home or office can have a HUGE effect on your mood and how you interact with others. When I walk into an office with fluorescent lights it drives me absolutely crazy, I have to leave.

Looking back, what advice would you give to your younger self or a younger person trying to break into your field?

Tyler:
If you find a passion for lighting and storytelling at a young age, like I did, stick with it. You can totally make a career out of it, despite others telling you to “get a real job”. For someone trying to break into the field, ask TONS of questions when you are on a new set or project. Don’t be afraid to show what you don’t know. I would much rather work with someone new who has a passion to learn then someone who’s an industry veteran. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to well established people, like me, and ask questions or even ask to come to a live set and learn. I got started by taking any job in lighting that came my way, no matter how tedious, and I learned so much from so many amazing people.

And, of course, do you believe in aliens?

Tyler: Absolutely! Growing up I was (and still am) obsessed with Star Trek and that grew my fascination for anything space related. My biggest dream is to one day go to space myself, and hopefully meet some real life aliens!!

You can borrow our spaceship anytime! Any additional thoughts about your time on set?

Tyler:
Working with the creative team on Out of This World has been an amazing experience I will remember forever. From the first time I read the script I knew I was hooked on such an amazing story, and I am so grateful that the team took the chance on bringing in an industry outsider. I learned so much and I am super excited to work on my next film, whatever that may be...

 
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Check out some art and artists that inspired the film’s mood board!

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Did you know that Nebby can see people’s auras? HALO Auragraphic’s aura photography reads the human energy field through a specialized photographic process taken on analog film! What energy and color does your aura give off to the universe?

 
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Director Elia Petridis (L), and AD Bashir Taylor by Michael Arcell

Director Elia Petridis (L), and AD Bashir Taylor by Michael Arcell

 

Greetings...

"...to the inhabitants of the universe from the third planet Earth of the star Sun."


That's an actual greeting to aliens spoken in the Oriya language, burned onto the Golden Record, and sent out into space for the Voyager mission with the aspiration to make contact with extraterrestrial life. It also serves to dress a scene in the short film I just finished directing, called Out Of This World. It was a challenging, thrilling production and the team and I are very proud of what we got in the can. We can't wait to share it with you all later this year. So join me, because it's time to strap in and hold on tight as we traverse the highlights of the project across time and space through the vessel of this newsletter.

At its heart, this is a story about instant friendship. It’s about that feeling you get when you meet someone unforgettable you know you were destined to meet, how they form your own personality, and how you both quickly become a bonded pair. Friends like that, especially early in life, make you feel seen, heard, included, and unafraid to represent your true self. So the film exhibits those traits of inclusion and representation on its sleeve as well. I wanted to make an unusual love story. I wanted to make an alien space opera action adventure musical comedy. Who says you can't have it all?

Bex Taylor-Klaus by Natasha Wilson

Bex Taylor-Klaus by Natasha Wilson

Ariana DiLorenzo by Natasha Wilson

Ariana DiLorenzo by Natasha Wilson

There's an incredible crew on this journey on the production side, and a very talented team on the agency side. On the bridge between the two sits Marlene Lacasse, holding "Story By" credit on this space opera, and hugely influential in how this crew of tastemakers came together. Marlene serves as the film's creative director on the marketing campaign as well as the creative producer of this sizable production, playing an instrumental part in building a world for audiences to discover.

Actor and non-binary icon Bex Taylor-Klaus (The Killing, 13 Reasons Why, Deputy) was granted the challenge of bringing the sympathetic, complex, and endearing character of Nebby The Alien to life. Our DP and force of nature Kelsey Talton (Bridge of Spies, Ghost in the Shell) was tasked with expressing Nebby’s power to wield light, and was charged with the job of coupling Nebby's emotional arc with the reactions of light in the room. Power couple Elias Martian and Orchid Satellite put their signature look and applied some real costume design ingenuity to create the outfits in our world, marrying Nebby's gender neutral fashion taste with striking character makeup by Ally McGillicuddy. Together they brought this Alien protagonist from across the galaxy to life through an incredible burst of imagination and tenderness. Holding us up on our foundations, we counted on the experience of Producer Kris Wynne, the other half or this film's production team, seeing us through to safe port every step of the way. And accomplishing no easy feat was our 1st AD, Bashir Taylor, with his ability to make sure we made our days and nights without missing a step

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And, oh yeah, there's music. What's a film by Elia Petridis if not to loudly remind you that music is a universal language? In addition to her layered role as the other best friend in this film, Ariana and the Rose is also responsible for the film's musical inspiration through her track "Lonely Star", a track whose stems renowned composer Ruy Folguera took apart to turn the short single into a long running cinematic score and musical number.

It's all here! If you'd like to feel childlike, as opposed to childish, please stay tuned for fresh doses of the innocence, warmth, nostalgia, and kitsch to come.

For love,
is love,
is music,
is love,
is film,
is love,
is people,
is love,
is you.

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Check out some art and artists that inspired the film’s mood board!

Barbarella, 1968 film poster

Hey, making an alien space opera action adventure musical comedy isn’t easy! Through time and space, these artists inspired our vision and made the film’s journey possible.

Artificial Americana by Victoria Zeoli; The “Kitchen Satellite” by Luigi Colani; Projector Work by Dana Trippe; "The Lady Who Fell to Earth" by Tim Walker

 
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What’s in the zeitgeist!

"Space Diner" campaign for Sara Giunti SS20

Nima Benati Photography

Mysterious sightings over U.S. Navy warships in California

TODAY

When the media is anti-trans, it’s actually out of touch with young people

GAY TIMES

 
 
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