As you all already know at this point, we love to highlight fan projects of all sizes here at The Jurassic Park Podcast. It is safe to say that fan projects are what help the drought in-between the releases of Jurassic films to be a little bit more tolerable – providing us with fun projects which people of all ages commit time and energy to creating.
One recent project which dropped on YouTube was Jurassic World: Safeguard – a short fan-film by a budding film maker by the name of Deondre Aviles. Deondre, or ‘Deo’ as we refer to him as from here on in, is a passionate film maker who wanted to take a shot at making a project themed around the license he loves.
We decided to catch up with Deo to learn a little bit more about the process behind making a fan film.
Can you tell us a little more about yourself? What started your passion for film?
My name is Deondre Aviles and I'm a graduating senior from a small charter school In Allentown, PA. I love filmmaking and have a strong desire to create and study film.
My passion for film started as a young child. I always had a film playing in the background or I would be fully immersed in the experience and in awe. Back then, I knew that films can make you feel something. Films have always been a part of my life growing up and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
What started your passion for the Jurassic franchise?
The Jurassic franchise has a special place in my heart. I owned all 3 films on VHS and re-watched them all multiple times. I used to re-enact scenes with Jurassic Park toys as a kid. I was so excited for the revival of the Jurassic Park franchise with Jurassic World. I loved the film and was excited to finally see the park open. With the success of Jurassic World I knew the future of the franchise was headed in the right direction.
What was the inspiration for making Jurassic World Safeguard?
I love the Jurassic World films, but I wanted to capture the horror of the older films again. In my opinion the recent films are a bit light and shy away from the darkness of the original films. The terror you felt watching the originals, when you saw a dinosaur on screen. I wanted the audience to feel nostalgic.
What is the story of Jurassic World Safeguard?
The short takes place sometime after the events of the last Jurassic World film, where dinosaurs are now living in our world. The story follows a man trying to make a deal to sell dinosaur embryos. When things go south, they encounter a wild Dilophosaurus and reality becomes a terrifying fight for survival.
Why did you choose to use a Dilophosaurus for the short?
The Dilophosaurus had one of the most iconic scenes in the original Jurassic film. There was a “cameo” In Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom. The Dilophosaurus is a beloved dinosaur that, in my opinion, deserves better in the franchise. It's probably going to return in the next Jurassic World film, buy for now, I wanted to give her the proper shine she deserves.
What was the most challenging part to shoot?
The most challenging thing to shoot was shooting practical effects. There's a Dilophosaurus puppet in the film and it was a challenge to make it feel alive. I also wanted to bring back the practical side of the Jurassic World franchise .
Can fans expect more Jurassic from you in the future?
Fans of the Jurassic franchise can definitely expect a project in the future. It will be more grand and on a bigger scale than Jurassic World: Safeguard. I love the franchise and will never abandon it.
You can check out the full 5-minute short here:
Thanks to Deo for taking the time out to chat with us. We are certainly excited to see the future projects which Deo may work on!
If you have a project you think we should highlight, then let us know in the comments, or reach out to us on Twitter and we will see what we can do!
Written by:
Tom Fishenden