The Beacon, Short Film, Review And Interview

Looking for a lost loved one is a recognizable story. We can empathize with the young husband, Mark, who journeys out to find his wife. The visual effects for the settings depicting life in the future in space is the highlight of The Beacon. The production of the settings used give the feeling that there is more to this story looking for a way to be told as a feature.

The ending brings back one of the timeless sci-fi questions of not understanding what is out there.

The Beacon was screened at the 2019 FilmQuest film festival (website). It was nominated for Best Sci-Fi Short, Best Sound, and Best Production Design/Art Direction. It won for Best Visual Effects

I recommend The Beacon to fans of large scale production sci-fi movies. This might only be a short, but the chance to see the detail in the settings make it rich.

Synopsis: Mark and Kara Verne are both young shipping pilots struggling to make ends meet. When Kara goes missing months after taking a large interstellar contract, Mark travels to the far reaches of the galaxy in search of his wife.

Chris Staehler co-wrote and directed The Beacon. He shares his inspiration for the film and why he became a filmmaker. He also talks about what else he is working on and other things he likes to do.

 

What was the inspiration for The Beacon?

My main inspiration was calling back to some of my favorite stories/films from when I was growing up. Dune, Star Wars and Alien were big ones for me and always supercharged my imagination. When it came time to flesh out the idea for The Beacon, I turned to those childhood ideas and inspirations and found a way to bring them to life in a new way.

What project(s) do you have coming up you're excited about?

I work professionally in visual effects, and had a hand in previsualizing a few projects coming out soon. Lucy in the Sky is a film by Noah Hawley that I am very excited about. I also helped a bit on Watchmen for HBO. As far as my own projects, right now I am in a really exciting place of having too many ideas and not enough time. I am having a blast exploring possibilities for what I would like to do next. Most of my time is spent reading, drawing and writing; getting my head in the right place to jump in again.

 

What was your early inspiration for pursuing a career in film?

Star Wars, as with a whole generation of filmmakers I am sure, was huge for me. I saw it when I was 5 and that pretty much jump started my love for cinema. Specifically, I was really intrigued by how visual effects could make the impossible possible. The blend of story and technology and the problem solving that comes with it have been a huge motivation for me.

What would be your dream project?

That would be Dune, though it is well on its way to coming out soon. And as a huge Star Warsfan, I certainly wouldn't mind taking a crack at something related to that now that Disney has opened up that world. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was one of my favorites growing up and I would love to see a faithful adaptation of that. Beyond that I have a tone of original ideas and honestly it would be a dream to be able to tell those stories my way. Hopefully I will have the chance.

What are some of your favorite pastimes when not working on a movie?

I do a lot of art on the side. Animation, painting, photography. They are very constructive pastimes that actually end up helping me professionally as well.

What is one of your favorite movies and why?

Star Warsis definitely one of my favorites. It's the marriage of technology and story that keeps me inspired, but as a kid it was mind-blowing beyond comprehension. For me it was a very visceral experience to see my imagination played out before my eyes; fantasy made real. It showed me that I could harness my imagination and use it to create, to share these wild ideas in my head with other people. It's not just my favorite because it's Star Wars, it's because of what it inspired me to pursue.

You can find out more about The Beacon on IMDb (link) and their social media accounts on Facebook/ Instagram/Twitter @thebeaconmovie

They have two trailers on Vimeo.

Trailer 1: https://vimeo.com/321425044

Trailer 2: https://vimeo.com/282198458

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