‘Man in the Moon’ is a short sci-fi drama about growing up and finding your independence, and the gift of freedom a mother can give her child. It follows single mother Emily as she attempts to reconcile her fractured relationship with her troubled teenage son Lincoln as he prepares to leave their rural property under the guidance of an omnipresent race of Extraterrestrial Beings.

The story takes place in a world much like our own, where technology is everywhere, in every home, even out in the isolated country. However in this reality, a small group of citizens from a rural community have been contacted by technologically superior Beings who have hijacked the radio and electrical waves in the Earth’s atmosphere in order to communicate with them and influence them to build an intergalactic portal to another world. The presence of these Beings mirrors the prevalence and control of technology in our own lives where technology does connect us in many ways, however total immersion in it tends to disconnect us from those who we should be closest to; our families.

Concept Art by Elizabeth Lea

In the same vein as films like Spielberg’s ET: The Extraterrestrial - which is in essence a sci-fi film but more importantly a story about family- ‘Man in the Moon’ will use the science fiction genre as a mode to examine the human condition in a fresh and interesting way. In its subtle presentation of events, the film will offer a high level of mystery and ambiguity that will allow for audiences to be active in their formation and interpretation of the story and its meaning. The audience will be experiencing the story from the perspective of Emily – a single mother and farmer – as she attempts to connect and understand her troubled teenage son Lincoln, and they will only learn as much information as she does throughout the story.

The story is set in an unspecified time period, but will have a touch of a Retro aesthetic – similar to contemporary films such as ‘It Follows’ and ‘Interstellar’ - as a homage to classic alien encounter science fiction films and television shows such as ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’, ‘ET the Extraterrestrial’, and ‘The X Files’. Although we will be using Visual Effects to create a number of elements in the film – mainly the moon and sky- we endeavour to build as much of the sets and props as possible so that everything feels as real for the audience as it does for the characters.

Sound is a very important element of ‘Man in the Moon’, and will be used throughout the film to illustrate the effect and dominance technology has on the two main characters and the people in the community. We hope to build up a detailed soundscape using electronic sounds such as the pulsating, buzzing and humming of energy and various technologies, and also low drones to create avery atmospheric and moody piece. The soundtrack will be less of an orchestral score, and more of a subtle combination of the sounds listed above timed with moments of stillness and silence to enhance the naturalistic style and also compliment the science fiction elements of the film.

Man in the Moon is made possible by the generous support of:

Bedshed Dandenong

Mount Cathedral Vineyards Taggerty

Black Spur Inn

Spring Valley Golf Club

Windows on the Bay

Royal Agricultural Society Victoria

Making a sci-fi film on a low budget is not an easytask, but we’re passionate about breathing new life into a genre so rarely seen on Australian screens. Being student filmmakers with limited budgets, Man in the Moon has been creatively inspired by our restrictions and we’ve taken a very practical approach, with a low-fi look reminiscent of our favourite classics.

That said, we need this funding for our post-production budget to get our sparing use of special effects up to scratch. The design of our story means we can achieve a lot with very little and deliver a visually engaging and fresh Australian sci-fi. We just need your help to get there!