Director Neill Blomkamp’s latest sci-fi experiment is into the world of concept films with the help of his new project, Oats Studios. The first official trailer for Blomkamp’s Volume 1 is a weird, wonderful, gory romp through a series of short films featuring aliens, animated skeletons, and Sigourney Weaver.
“At the end of making Chappie, I wanted to try to figure out a different method for making films and expressing myself,” Blomkamp, the director of 21st-century sci-fi epics such as District 9 and Elysium, told The Verge. “I felt that if I could sell smaller pieces directly to the audience, the sale of those small experimental pieces would keep this machine alive so that it became an ecosystem that was self-sufficient. And I could, at any point, pick one of the pieces that I made that felt like it resonated with the audience, and turn it into a feature film.”
These “experimental pieces” will be short films featuring (but not limited to) Weaver, animated skeletons, alien overlords, plenty of action, and what looks to be a machine gun taking out a bunch of Furries. The trailer promises “a series of experimental films and more weird shit,” and it certainly delivers some “weird shit” in the minute of footage allotted.
In addition, Blomkamp said: “With District 9, I plan on making another film in that world. To go back and work with [design and effects facility] WETA, and make the film would be cool, but anything that pre-exists like that may not be the best fit for whatever we’re trying here.”
So, while Oats Studios and its experimental vibe might not be the place for a District 9 sequel, it seems there might be hope yet.
Volume 1 will be “streaming soon,” for free, on Youtube and Steam.
