I recently had the chance to speak with Justin and Jim, director and actor from the upcoming Jurassic World short fan film, Return to Isla Sorna. Following in the footsteps of Jurassic World, Return to Isla Sorna looks to bridge the gap between Jurassic World and the upcoming 2018 sequel - with potential sinister plotlines. Check out the synopsis from the team behind the short:
“After the Jurassic World incident, InGen’s research team goes to Isla Sorna (Site B) for their yearly examination of the animals.
They are about to find out this abandoned island was left behind with some unsolved mysteries… ”
As production ramps up for the Jurassic World sequel, directed by J.A. Bayona, The team behind the short is pulling from the news and rumors to build this short film. After much speculation based off interviews from Colin Trevorrow & J.A. Bayona, many get the feeling we are in for a darker sequel to Jurassic World. Their story attempts to fill the gaps on Isla Sorna, an island much left in the dark, as the fans of the franchise can attest. We have seen two movies on the island, but there is certainly less canon information regarding Isla Sorna than there is for Isla Nublar. This fan film will be a fun way to bridge that gap with you own "head-canon".
This project is the result of four people working very hard to produce great results. after viewing the trailer and promotional imagery, you'd expect a bigger team, filled with people full of experience; it's the opposite in fact, in the very best way possible. Much can be said about the results of high quality cameras and fancy software, but equipment and high budgets are not indicative of quality. For Justin, the director, a Canon 60D and Adobe After Effects does the trick. As Justin said on Episode 83 of the podcast - "We really wanted to create the project with everything we already had". A green screen, camera lens, and tripod is all it took to build a world that resembled Isla Sorna... not to mention all the hours of learning and honing of editing skills.
When you have no budget for a project, it's all about being crafty. Justin and Jim have done their homework when it comes to visual effects and digitally creating scenes based off nothing. Well, not nothing - *imagination. Aside from years of learning effects techniques, Justin, Jim and the crew decided to get creative. In their case, it's all about long days, being motivated, and taking on multiple roles. At this point, it's all about their admiration for the film series and the goals they have set. After talking with them on the podcast, it's clear that there is almost no separation of roles between the crew. It's about working together in a creative environment to accomplish something the fans of Jurassic Park & Jurassic World will enjoy.
“It’s not always about the equipment. I think it’s really more about getting creative and try to figure out a way to create something you have in mind...”
Return to Isla Sorna is set to debut February 17th, 2017. We will keep you in the loop on all the updates and be sure to talk about the finished product on a future episode!
Make sure to listen to Episode 83 of the podcast to hear us talk all about Return to Isla Sorna within the player below.
Check out a few more images from the project before it debuts! Don't forget to comment below and let us know what you think!
