Creating Indie Sci-Fi on a Micro-Budget

With two features under their belt and a third on the way, Hudson Phillips, Jordan Noel, and Kelley Boonruang, have found their niche in telling expansive science fiction stories on a micro-budget. From the post-apocalyptic This World Alone to the memory-warping dramedy Guacamole Yesterdays to their upcoming homemade kaiju epic Gargantuan , this team has valuable experience to share in developing, making and distributing their films. The panel will discuss their journey as filmmakers from courting investors and assembling cast and crew to shooting on tight schedules and determining the indie distribution plans. Moderator: Screenwriter Nathan Cabaniss Panelists: Hudson Phillips (Writer, Producer), Jordan Noel (Director, Producer), and Kelley Boonruang (Production Designer) Nathan Cabaniss is a writer and filmmaker who has written for Screen Rant, Birth.Movies.Death, Sequart and other pop culture news outlets. He's also had short stories published in various anthologies and e-zines, in both English and in French. 2016 saw the publication of Nathan's first collection of short stories, Mares in the Night . His short novel, The Mummy's Hand At the Center of the Universe , was released in 2018. Hudson Phillips is the writer, producer, and founder behind Mirror Box Films, based in Roswell, GA. His films ( This World Alone , Guacamole Yesterdays , Gargantuan ) are elevated, emotional genre stories that make you feel seen. Mirror Box is a micro-studio using an indie-band-style, community-driven model to bypass traditional gatekeepers and build direct relationships with audiences. Jordan Noel is a multi-disciplinary artist obsessed with the collaborative nature of filmmaking. He has directed and edited three feature films ( This World Alone , Guacamole Yesterdays , Gargantuan ) in addition to music videos, short films, and short documentaries. Some of these have won awards; nearly all of things have split audiences. Jordan is not a singer-songwriter but he does live in Nashville, TN with his wife, daughters, and dog named Susan. Kelley Boonruang is an accomplished production designer who has driven the visual direction of incredibly indie music videos, to Sundance award-winning feature films. She delights in utilizing her technical and creative design sense to create immersive worlds on film, and relishes the novelty of the unique challenges the art department provides, from building sets for Samuel L. Jackson to fabricating props for Sabrina Carpenter. Currently residing in Atlanta, GA, Kelley has had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the finest crew, actors, directors, and producers in the Southeast.