This amazing Kickstarter-funded sci-fi film hides its low budget with movie magic

Kickstarter has long been a breeding ground for unique experiments in technology and, in the case of amazing science fiction short C 299,792 km/s, film. The project was originally funded in December 2011, and the impressive 15-minute film was made on a budget of just $40,000. Part mock-educational documentary, part science fiction adventure, C 299,792 km/s follows Lieutenant Commander Malleck’s attempt to commandeer the Kestros IV warship for her own purposes.

In an interview with Wired, producer and co-writer Otto Stockmeier shares some of the techniques he and director Derek Van Gorder used to make the low-budget film shine. By taking advantage of the low-light capabilities of digital cameras, the team used dim, colored lights to set the mood and hide the low-budget sets, and used projectors for the ship’s user interface and nearby planets. The detailed Kestros IV interplanetary warship was created using a combination of 3D-modeled, laser cut parts and various pieces from other modeling kits.