The Utopia Trial (A Sci-Fi Short Film)

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In an apocalyptic future, the world is a barren wasteland. Survivors strive to gain access to the City of Utopia.
However, to enter this safe haven, one must first amass credits in order to prove their worth. Credits that can only be collected from a very deadly foe...
‘The Utopia Trial’ is a sci-fi action short film was created as my graduation film for my final year at University. This film was an incredibly ambitious project for me and was achieved on an incredibly low budget. You can see more extra content on at www.liamjmwilson.com/theutopia...
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Take a behind the scenes look at the film:
• Making a Low Budget Sc...
Visual effects breakdown here:
• The Utopia Trial | Vis...
And Storyboard comparison here:
• The Utopia Trial | Sto...
Listen to the original soundtrack:
Spotify: open.spotify.com/album/5ztMlV...
Apple Music: / the-utopia-trial-origi...
KZbin: • The Utopia Trial - Sou...
Links to cast and crew:
Liam Shevill (The Wanderer): / mrshevill
Ellen Carnazza (The Stranger): ellencarnazza.com
Joanna Rowling (Costume): / thimblesanddimples
Simon Leonard Cutts (Music): slcmusic.co.uk
Alex Thomas (Storyboards): alextstoryboards.com
Daniel Cain (3D Design): / dancainart
Bach Do (Concept Art): artstation.com/dishwasher1910
Andrew Tudor (Assistant Camera): moocat.me
Liam Clarke (Boom Operator): / liam_t_clarke
Christopher Harry (Roto Assistant): / christophers_animations
Andrew Bedford (Title Design): / andrew_bedford_design
Tom Brazier (Music Mastering): / tom.brazier.music
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#shortfilm #independentfilm #scifi #scififilm #film #indiefilm #filmmaker
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Please go check out my website for more of my work and follow my social media to stay updated on what I'm working on.
Website: liamjmwilson.com
Instagram: / liamjmwilson
Twitter: / liamjmwilson
Facebook: liamjmwilson

[@danielhanawalt4998]

Hight stakes future game. What lies in Utopia? A bright future...or the final game? Better he let her go. Even better she didn't. Join forces for a better chance for a win. Well done.

[@FilmCompPodcast]

This is an awesome short. Love the visuals. Great job!

[@brianwhite9555]

Shoot! I need 85 more credits.

[@JBscripts]

Quality work, really enjoyed that. Great example of resource filmmaking!

[@gilbertwilliams7256]

Woman: Utopia? Man: Utopia.. There better be a pint waiting!

[@THEJACKTARS]

Excellent film Liam, very resourceful and visually good with no budget! I look forward to your future work as more resources become available!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks man. I'm really glad you liked it. Can't wait to get back out there and make some more films!

[@candycosmonaut]

Brilliant ... great tension ... hope to see more !

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks a lot! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I haven't got any immediate plans for another film in this universe, but later im the year I'll be uploading another short that I finished last year. :)

[@sprngrdave]

Great Job !! Best of Luck in your Future Career Path

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks so much! :D

[@kalalcock-murtagh2991]

Great stuff, Liam. Well done in bringing that all together. I'm intrigued by the world you've made there and want to know more now! Keep it up

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks! That really means a lot. I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@hughbarton5743]

Tremendous. Thank you!

[@GodsVibes]

More More Please, Great Production.

[@dylanbuck1719]

Well made ! Thank you.

[@Khyron9]

Great work, I really enjoyed it!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks man. I'm really happy you liked it!

[@RobertBranch-FL]

Very well done! I suspect you received full marks for this!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thank you, fortunately I did get a first for this yeah haha! I'm glad you liked it!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks for watching, I never expected this many views and I really appreciate it. If you enjoyed the film, please check out the behind the scenes video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqPGnYN5ecqngMU I put a lot of work into it so I hope you find it interesting. Thanks!

[@TheAdeybob]

bloody nice work. You pulled a team together and you all really created something special. The attention to detail was remarkable. I came up with an idea for a story very similar to this around '87, except that people go into deep VR just to qualify for jobs. A whole lifetime in a few mins. Anyhow..thanks for your film..it was a real corker.

[@samiam4544]

Excellent short film. Keep at it and you will be Brilliant.

[@MobileFilmmaking]

Great stuff man. loved this

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thank you so much, glad you liked it!

[@MisterG2323]

Very nice, lovely proof of concept. Let's see more!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Haha yeah maybe one day! We'll see.

[@burtonwilliams5355]

Very well made ! Thank you.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@zeon5323]

Very well done.

[@ortizguard2816]

This should be developed into a big budget movie or a series of movies! Outstanding!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Why thank you very much! I'm glad you think so. :)

[@shivajireddy5959]

Awesome. Here from Reddit.

[@deedee3904]

Great piece. 👍

[@avtpro]

Great Writing, Shooting, FX and Actors. Simple and Smart. It all comes together. You are on the next level and take a few of us with you. Thanks

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks man. If you enjoyed this, maybe try check out the latest film on my channel, 'Warlock' made at a similar level to this one. Hope you enjoy.

[@alantelford712]

Excellent work. Greetings from New Zealand.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks man!

[@melraine919]

Brilliant! 10/10 👍✌ UK

[@veneraberrens1719]

WELL DONE

[@41divad]

Great fun!

[@000aleph]

Good work, boys

[@richarddeveas4537]

Welldone!

[@samiam4544]

nice job

[@stevendavies8496]

Love it,,please do more ,would love to to know the beginnings, and the end of this story.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thank you. I may return to this universe one day.

[@ankoutechnica8211]

Excellent.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thank you :)

[@kostas6621]

Impressive!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thank you! :)

[@makb9137]

Nice shooting

[@2-AProduction24_27]

BRILLIANT WORK GUYS 😎😎🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯

[@ArielCotton]

Seriously imagine thsi guy rolling around and yelling at the air in his front yard and we just thinking he's crazy. And this shows up on the internet and we feel ashamed for judging. Lol

[@LiamJMWilson]

😂😂

[@apoksubutai5237]

Heeeey this was actually very good! You could work out a full film from here! Or a series perhaps

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thank you, I'm glad you think so. I maybe could return to this universe one day.

[@chapelgrovefilms]

@@LiamJMWilson - Maybe they get into Utopia, find out it's hell on Earth, and they have to get 1,000 credits (each) to get OUT. :-)

[@vishalrajhans8011]

Today there are two different invisible world tomorrow there will be two different visible worlds.

[@bigwes5935]

Here from Reddit as well. Really enjoyed your film. Keep up the good work!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks a lot! ^_^ Really glad you liked it.

[@chianasgeek6730]

Utopia? Yeah, right; I wouldn't trust that as far as I could throw it.

[@harrygrimley4352]

Great ideas. Sci fi channel should pick you up. I'd watch. So many options for the story lines. Several seasons easy.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Haha we can only hope. Glad you enjoyed. :)

[@shadow2010shadow2010]

very good

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thank you very much!

[@omega3pictures]

Also from Reddit. Great film and incredible VFX! If I could recommend one thing, make the guns look more realistic!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks for the feedback. I agree, looking back on this film, that is one the biggest things that niggles me that I should have spent more time/money on.

[@flywheelmedia506]

Here from Reddit as well. Interesting concept, I would enjoy seeing more of this world!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thank you, maybe I will return to it one day.

[@lindahigh6974]

Good

[@brandonjack2190]

Very nice. What was this filmed on?

[@LiamJMWilson]

All filmed with a Canon M50 mirrorless and a 50mm f1.8 for most shots, though for some of the wider shots, I just used the 15-45 kit lens.

[@LaughterOnWater]

@@LiamJMWilson Holy crap! It looks so cinematic, even with the kit lens. It's amazing that filming at 24fps can really suck you into the scene, eh?

[@AshleySmith-dw6wh]

Rad

[@anthonyromo8684]

👍

[@jaspersilence9328]

Ok...ok...not bad at all⭐

[@hibranwar]

i want to know how the utopia looks like!!!

[@LiamJMWilson]

Haha I specifically didn't want to show it because everyone's perfect utopia is so wildly different, I would never create something that everyone would think was a perfect sanctuary. I wanted to leave that to the viewers imagination of what it would be like.

[@ronaldwhite1730]

thank you . ( 2022 / June / 24 )

[@annemckeon6532]

What's with the shawls? Are they are uniform or what? Sorry but didn't get anything from this

[@LiamJMWilson]

I was going for a sort of sci-fi / western genre with this film, they are a bit of a western reference. Sorry to hear you didn't connect with the film, can't win them all :)

[@realitycheck3363]

This makes about as much sense as my ex during one of her screaming marathons, but weirdly I still enjoyed it. Thanks.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Ah haha that's a shame. Maybe I left it slightly too ambiguous :/

[@realitycheck3363]

@@LiamJMWilson Well, maybe, just for stupid people like me, explain a bit more about why credits are so important, what are the ways people can get them, how much one credit is worth, etc. Because 100 credits somehow, does not seem like a lot. Also maybe a little info on what Utopia is, what they can get there for just 100 credits, and why that is worth fighting each other to get it. Luckily you can explain all of this in the next 100 episodes. ;D

[@LiamJMWilson]

Yeah that's very fair. I did struggle with deciding how much I wanted to reveal about this world, but the basic idea being that the city is a sanctuary for people to get into to escape this hellish, apocalyptic world. The drones serve as a kinda police to canvas potential citizens, by defeating the drones you gain credits to prove your worth, gaining you your citizenship. I definitely regret not making the world details a little more obvious, but I was concerned about making a 10 minute film so exposition heavy so made it a bit more mysterious to fill in the gaps. Definitely learnt a lot from doing this film.

[@realitycheck3363]

@@LiamJMWilson One way I sometimes test ideas, is to explain it to someone, without interruptions, or let them read a draft of it. Once you have explained everything you think is important, or they had time to read it, have the person explain everything they heard, and understood, back to you in their own words. Without the help of the draft, of course. It will instantly be obvious which parts were clear, concise, and understood, and which parts might have seemed obvious to you, but somehow got completely lost. Once you know which points are apparently obvious, and which ones apparently needs more explanation, it will make writing the script a lot easier, and also ensure viewers will understand the message, and get all the important plot points. That is one of the best ways to convey what you have in your head, to other people. Remember, what seems obvious to you, might not, and probably will not, be obvious to others. Anyway, it's just a suggestion. It has helped me in the past. Can't wait to see the sequels to this.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Yeah, it's definitely easy to get tunnel vision and just assume it all makes sense. This was my graduation film from university and I definitely learnt so much, I'd never done anything of this scale before but have applied lots that I learnt into my next film which is now finished and coming in the new year. I'm working on another short at the moment and I'll certainly get more people to check the script. Thanks for the feedback and advice mate! I appreciate it. I'm just glad you enjoyed it in some regard hahah.

[@martinruddell2682]

Leaving the guns seems wrong.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Yeah I suppose, though they're both empty and they won't need them in Utopia.

[@MAILLADY2010]

May we have done more please?

[@LiamJMWilson]

Haha maybe one day I'll return to this world, who knows.

[@MAILLADY2010]

@@LiamJMWilson Nope, that is a line from a song by Europe, The Final Countdown. ❤ Yes, I'm that old

[@LiamJMWilson]

Oh ok? Yeaa I know the song, but that isn't a lyric from it? Not that I recall anyway?

[@MAILLADY2010]

@@LiamJMWilson a version of what you said ... and maybe we'll come back to earth, who can say?

[@everythingabouttheflatearth]

Realyti

[@aungmoe2318]

Hi

[@sbnnielsen0]

if this was a pvp online game a third player would heas shoot them and take the credits.

[@user-gp2sd9cd2e]

On the power On El shaddia Eluhem Adoni Ahched schema Israel El roi On the power On St Michael On the power On St Gabriel On the power On St Mary On the power On St Paul On the power On St Peter On the power On St John On the power On St Jhon the Baptist On the power On St betrelmeyos On the power On zekyous On the power On tadiyos On the power On Timothy On the power On St George all the immunity ufo bad gode will be in the middle in volcano forever Amen

[@owlthepirate5997]

This was excellent! I was glad to see that the heroine of this film, wasn't the usual, pretty, and thin type, and more realistic. Wonderful job! ☺️💛✨

[@AshleySmith-dw6wh]

That’s not very nice

[@guinnesslover2970]

Centre parcs 😂😂😂

[@LiamJMWilson]

😂

[@LaughterOnWater]

Excellent! See my comments on Reddit... Looking forward to more!

[@Anuclano]

Of course, the description does not math the film. What you see in the film is an RPG computer game. (Drones, charged with money? What?)

[@LiamJMWilson]

The credits aren't money as such. It's just a point based system to allow them access to the city.

[@thewizzard3150]

I was very disappointed to have sat thru all that build up only to be cheated of the prize.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Oh? What do you mean exactly?

[@thewizzard3150]

@@LiamJMWilsonyour story is one large build up. I was expecting to see them enter the utopia. Then nothing. Your story has no endpoint . No resolution to the tension built-in to every scene . Others have commented on the technical quality which is good. if they were farther from their goal then they could keep walking together, as an example.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Ah ok, I see, thanks for the feedback mate. However, in my defence, I'd just say that the title of the film tells the point of the film; it's about the 'trial' itself to gain access to Utopia, the last step of their respective journeys. In the end it's not about the city, it's about what they've done to reach it, if that makes sense. I'd say the resolution to the tension is that they've defeated the drones that were after them, gained their citizenship and can now enter to begin their new lives. I don't believe we need to see the city, we already know that's where they're going, their journey is done, it doesn't really add any story to show them enter it. Also it's a very low budget short, showing the city was a bit beyond my reach haha. But thanks a lot for watching though! I hope you enjoyed the rest of the film haha.

[@thewizzard3150]

@@LiamJMWilson I understand your title and defence and I hope you do see a simple disappearing from screen with or with out a flash of light would resolve the tension without any financial cost. They have entered utopia, the end. I also realise that dust tends to cater to the experimental film maker, but this is not the 1980's and the film industry is finding to their cost that special effects don't cover up story holes and wow viewers as much as they use to. holes such as 'why does society need for them to destroy 20 robots to get in? is it an initiation? ' Anyway I hope you can take this advise on board. on a positive note your action and dialogue is well thought out and acted. Of course sex still sells and will cover even the lack of a story, but unlike suicide squad margot robbie is beyond your budget Haha!

[@MrMannyfresh78]

So... Were those the last three drones in existence? I mean the whole advanced utopia was like "they survived 3 drones! Let them in." Why the robot eye? Just because? I'm sorry but this shit is corny as fuck.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Ah it's a shame you didn't enjoy it, but thanks for watching anyway. It's implied by the fact that he has a lot of credits, that he's already defeated a lot of drones (or stolen credits from other humans in her case). And these three drones would just be the closest three who detected the disturbance caused by these humans. And regarding the bionic eye, everyone has smartphones right now, is it so hard to believe that people in the future might all just have that kind of utility (or something similar) installed on their person?

[@andrewleecy7982]

Really enjoyed this shout film.

[@LiamJMWilson]

Thanks man! Glad to hear it.