#eptcrew

In our next Kickstarter update we will be interviewing our Editor Ditha Angraini, about her editing process.

Photo: Director Fille Kopelman watching the monitor as the camera department sets up the next shot. 📸 Thomas Williams

Welcome to Excavation Point Thestias!

We are a group of Wellington based collaborators making a science fiction short film. We just wrapped principal photography in July. There is still some exciting stuff to film ahead of us, so come along for the ride and learn about our process, our team, and the Story.

"Excavation Point Thestias" is a Sci-fi short film with a character driven narrative and retro aesthetic, currently under production. Join the crew of FEND-3 on their mission to Thestias 🚀🌖 

Follow us on social media to get updated on any news! We’ll be blasting off with some daily taster posts for the rest of this week as we count down to a big announcement in the new week. #EPTfilm

Our crowdfunding is now at over 70% and with just 8 more days left we want to showcase the amazing talent behind EPT's unique Painting reward.

We did an interview with hyperrealist painter Alice Toomer in our latest Kickstarter update:

I am a multidisciplinary artist based in Wellington, New Zealand, specialising in painting and film. I produce photo-realistic acrylic paintings of food and confectionery, and exhibit my works in galleries, exhibitions, and private buyers’ collections throughout NZ. I have been painting since the age of 12, and over the years I have honed my style to reach a look that is iconic Kiwiana.

I’m producing a one-off original “Excavation Point Thestias” themed painting, inspired by the short film poster design. This work is available exclusively through the Kickstarter campaign as a reward for one of the top-tier pledges to the film. The painting will be stylised and vibrant, with a visual identity that pays homage to 80’s blockbuster movie posters.

Read the full interview here.

Why not be the owner of one of 35 limited edition signed prints made specifically for “Excavation Point Thestias” by Alice Toomer? 🎨 😍

As promised, after the release of the exclusive footage for our backers - we have conducted an interview with our editor, Ditha Angraini about her process. We have included questions that you sent us on twitter, instagram and facebook.

You can read the FULL INTERVIEW over on our KICKSTARTER.

Here is a selection of the questions from the

Q&A with DITHA ANGRAINI

Tell us about yourself and your background.

I’m Ditha, most people call me Dee. I’m an editor, a camera operator, and a photographer. Most of my work is corporate video productions and live events, specializing in (but not limited to) short form content. A big chunk of my professional work is live events related, I do a lot of on-screen content building for it and I do show ops as well.

Film is something that I’m passionate about, I’ve worked on quite a few short films in post-production as an editor, as well as in production, usually as a camera assist, and occasionally on screen, and more recently I have been working towards building experience in stunts and choreography.

How did you get involved with EPT and what is your role?

My role on EPT is as the editor. Prior to EPT, I worked with Robert Johansson, who plays Gunnur and is also the stunt coordinator on EPT. He brought up EPT in early 2019 when it was still in pre-production, and he asked if I’d be interested to be a part of it.

After hearing about the project, Robert and I basically geeked out about it over coffee, of course I told him that I’m interested. Shortly after, I met with Fil Kopelman, the Director, and after seeing the script and meeting other people involved - I knew I made the right decision. It does help that I’m a huge sci-fi geek myself too.

Which films inspire you in terms of their editing?

It’s hard to narrow it down, but in general, Sally Menke’s work; I absolutely love Inglourious Basterds, but the one that made me fall in love with her work was Kill Bill.

I also love the editing in Alien. It is my favourite film of all time anyway; I remember being so tense and glued to the screen while being scared to the point of having nightmares the first time I watched it. Though to be fair I was very young then, but that made me want to be able to grip audience attention like that.

Being an Asian and growing up in Indonesia, I also watch a lot of Asian films and dramas (tv series), which have their own flavours and rhythm that I’m influenced by.

It is often said that a film is made in three steps; in the writing, the directing and finally in the edit. What is your approach to editing EPT? Is it different from other projects you work on?

My basic approach to editing any project is the same, but I’ll do research on the films/series that have a similar feel to the film I’m editing. In EPT’s sense, I ended up re-watching a number of 80’s sci-fi films as well as character driven dramas. However, on any edit, I play it by ear - at least the first time I see the footage - seeing what I can come up with. Then I hone it in to a feeling that’s suitable for the film.

What does your and Director Fil Kopelman's communication look like? Can you provide any insight on how you translate the Directors vision?

Fil is good at communicating and is very clear about what he wants, which is great, because I get a clear direction of how to create his vision. We use an online reviewing platform for scene reviews, and often we jump on a call to discuss these. We also chat on Messenger quite a lot, sometimes when a random thought for EPT comes up, we end up chatting for hours about it. He’s also open to suggestions and my own interpretations, so it has been a very enjoyable collaboration.

Without spoiling the story of Excavation Point Thestias – talk about a scene that has been fun or challenging for you to edit.

The most fun must have been the argument/discussion between the MEV and ground crew, and it is actually my favourite scene. Basically because it has four people involved in the conversation happening at two different locations, and emotions are running high. I initially ended up with 3 or 4 versions of it before I presented 2 to Fil, and we discussed it further before nailing it down.

What is your hope for the future of Excavation Point Thestias?

I hope that this gets the recognition and attention it deserves. I wish to see EPT in film festivals and for it to be enjoyed by many.

I also hope that this will grow into something bigger, maybe a feature or a continuation? Or perhaps a story about another crew? Because I love the universe the story is in, and I would love to see and work on more.

Where can people find you and support your work?

For my work (what I can share publicly), you can find them at @SilverDuckNZ on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter. And for everything else (the martial arts, the stunts/stage combat, the me), it’s at @bona92 on Instagram & Twitter.

You can find and follow Ditha at

Website: https://silverduck.co.nz / https://www.ditha-angraini.com/

Instagram: @SilverDuckNZ / @bona92

Facebook: @SilverDuckNZ

Image sources:

● Screenshots from EPT

Above: Director Fil Kopelman discusses the next scene with Actor Ryan R. McIntyre on the set of the “MEV”.

UPDATE #8: Where we're at now!

M.E.V SET BUILDING ON EXCAVATION POINT THESTIAS

There has been some cool things happening behind the scenes this week. We are really hyped to share them with you but they're not ready just yet. Tonight we have another BTS short to take a look at and see a little of what went into the making of the M.E.V.

The M.E.V was one of the full scale sets used in the film and is the ship that the crew can be seen inside during the teaser trailer.

We are also going to be announcing our kickstarter very soon so stay tuned for that.

THE CREATIVE MINDS BEHIND EXCAVATION POINT THESTIAS