For nearly a year, Neill Blomkamp has showcased his latest work via Oats Studios, a YouTube channel he launched last June. Now, the District 9 director wants to turn one of his Oats-distributed shorts into a full-length project, and in order to accomplish that goal, he has turned to Twitch. There, on an official Oats Studios channel, he will stream five of the shorts he has released over the past year, answer questions from viewers, and raise money to fund a feature film.
The showcase, which is billed as a miniature film festival, will begin at 2 PM ET on April 11 and will include screenings of the short films Rakka, God, Zygote, Kapture, and Firebase, all of which previously premiered on the Oats Studios channel. The goal of the stream is to fund a feature-length version of Firebase, which premiered in June and has since received more than 2.2 million views. That project, as is typical of Blomkamp’s work, is a dark, sci-fi thriller with rich themes, sharp special effects, and high production values.
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To further engage Twitch viewers, Blomkamp will offer up insights via a Q&A, which he will host alongside Oats Studios’ Art Director, Rich Simpson, and its VFX Supervisor, Chris Harvey. “Since Oats Studios has created a lot of films, doing a live director’s commentary for the first time on Twitch is a great way to connect with our fans from all over the world,” Blomkamp said in a press release. “After we screen each film, we will be discussing them live with the audience and look forward to a spirited conversation with the Twitch community.”
Blomkamp hasn’t indicated exactly how much money it will cost to make Firebase, but he noted that the ultimate length of the film will depend on how much money its crowdfunding campaign pulls in. That initiative will launch alongside the Twitch live stream.
