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Protocol

A team of American and Russian deep space astronauts have discovered life on a distant asteroid. All they need to do is figure out how to get it back home to planet Earth.

  • Woody Woodhall
    Director
  • Richard F. Russell
    Writer
  • Wendy Woodhall
    Producer
  • Jay Eftimoski
    Key Cast
    "Viktor"
  • Melissa Schumacher
    Key Cast
    "Rachel"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 15, 2016
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Woody Woodhall

Woody Woodhall, CAS is a passionate filmmaker with an expertise in sound design and post production. Woody is author of the college textbook, Audio Production and Post Production and is Founder of Los Angeles Post Production Group, (LAPPG) producing monthly events for the filmmaking community.

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Director Statement

From Blade Runner to 2001: A Space Odyssey I find the sci-fi story structure a fantastic way to tell rich stories with grand themes. With Protocol my intention was to create a complete and compelling sci-fi film in a short film format. Short films can vary in length wildly but for me under ten minutes is the perfect duration. My challenge in making this film was always going to be in the post production process since it was completely created on a green screen stage.

I found striking images and videos from ESO, the European Southern Observatory, who allow the royalty free use of their stunning shots of outer space. I wanted to be sure that the production, staging and acting would be enhanced by the other worldliness of those far away captures. The magic of this final film was in the post production. The post team on this film was particularly strong, with several editors tasked with different aspects of post, handling the keys, the visual effects, and the large computer screen.

So many films wander aimlessly without a point of view with no real story to tell. I wanted to use the sci-fi format to tell a complete story in as short a film as possible. Protocol is a film that uses all aspects of filmmaking from visual effects, great acting, sound design and color grading in mankind's endless quest to discover alien life.