Chris Alan Evans’ short film “Hivemind Deluxe” is a sci-fi satire, but its message is very real, and discomfiting:
It’s about a woman whose boyfriend takes her to a gathering of a UFO cult. What starts as a comical riff on a bunch of lovable oddballs turns into an exploration about free will. The film also features a scarily detailed being — voiced by Evans himself — that makes everything feel very real.
Evans is an extremely prolific actor and filmmaker who takes big swings: He also co-wrote and starred in one of the strangest, funniest films of this year, Peeping Todd, in which he plays a singin’ and dancin’ stalker.
“Hivemind Deluxe” has found an ideal venue at the Waco Indie Film Festival, a fest that prizes originality and risk-taking.
“I don’t think the programmers in Waco ‘play it safe,’” Evans says. “They take big swings with some of their selections and I absolutely love them for that,” he says.
We talked with Evans about what’s out there, Michael Jackson, and creating that amazing alien.
Chris Alan Evans on ‘Hivemind Deluxe’
MovieMaker: What was the inspiration for “Hivemind Deluxe”?
Chris Alan Evans: I’ve been following UFOlogy for almost 30 years, and the topic has become more mainstream over the last 10 years. I wanted to do “something with aliens” for this short film, but I also wanted to make a satire that spoke to current times. I have a journalism degree, which equipped me to be able to vet propaganda against honest reporting. I see a world where only a very small amount of people can do the same.
Most people are just subject to propaganda/marketing/misinformation, and don’t have the skills to call it out when they see it. I wanted to write a character that calls it out, even through her anxiety and disillusionment, she’s able to see that what she’s being sold is a crock of s—. Shout out to Fire in the Sky, which became a touchstone that inspired our abduction sequence.
MovieMaker: There’s a ton of world building in “Hivemind Deluxe” — political intrigue, some kind of cult, an alien, and, I think, a time loop. All in 10 minutes. Do you feel like all the answers are there, or is this more a proof of concept for a feature?
Chris Alan Evans: It’s definitely not a proof of concept for a feature, however it was a test run of sorts for me as a writer/director/producer to see if I could pull off this eerie supernatural vibe, still be entertaining and funny, while also including bits of social commentary that hopefully lend to opening up conversation about propaganda, without it being a one-sided agenda film.
To the question of “all the answers” being there… no, I want this film to give more questions than answers. To me, it’s an art film. Yes, it’s fun and more accessible than most “art films.” But, having the audience decide what they get from the film is more important to me than having the audience fully understand what I was trying to say with it.
MovieMaker: Do you believe in UFOs? Why do you think they’re so in the zeitgeist at the moment? (Besides Disclosure Day.)
Chris Alan Evans: I do believe humans are not alone in the universe, and that’s the most general way I can say it. There is a mountain of evidence suggesting people have been seeing unusual things in the skies and oceans for not tens or hundreds, but thousands of years. The Holy Bible has many accounts that read like UFO reports.
I don’t think the current popularity of UFOs is just a trend. I think people are seeing things they can’t explain more and more often. The US government has put “non-human intelligences” into the congressional record. The stigma of tin-foil hats and aliens has kept people from taking it seriously. I think we’re not alone and that governments have lied about what they know. Someone can only piss on your leg and tell you it’s rain for so long.
MovieMaker: To my ear, at one point a character says, almost under his breath, “shamone.” Michael Jackson used to say this, and Googling today I read that Jackson borrowed it from Mavis Staples, who used it in place of “come on.” Anyway, why does the character say “shamone”?
Chris Alan Evans: Oh cool. I’m definitely a big fan of MJ, but I have to give credit to the actor, Courtland Thomas, who improvised that line. I gave all my cult-member actors direction on how to behave, but encouraged them to improvise. Again, credit to editor/producer Alexander Jeffery for including it in the edit. While there’s no pointed meaning behind it, I love the vibe during that scene.
MovieMaker: The creature effect is amazing – so convincing and creepy. I also saw that you provided the alien voices. How did you and your team design this extraterrestrial?
Chris Alan Evans: We had a small budget for the alien mask. CFX Masks in Baton Rouge creates the most amazing cinema grade masks. Because of our budget we couldn’t afford to have them customize one, so we selected from several masks CFX already had. What’s cool is that all their masks are unique.
You won’t see another alien like ours anywhere else. It was important that he didn’t have a mouth… so that his dialogue might come off as telepathic. Actor Eric Gibson performed the alien with all the dialogue from the script, but Alexander Jeffery and I always knew the hypnotization sequence in the alien spaceship would need to be massaged in the edit. That’s when the dialogue changed and it became necessary to do ADR for the alien.
I couldn’t pass up the chance to perform the alien voices… it also allowed us to audition new lines of dialogue in real time during the editing process. Alex was also the VFX lead on this film, but it was VFX artist J.C. Doler who animated the face of the alien. He’s so talented and it added so much personality to the alien.
MovieMaker: Any tricks to make this whole film look so sleek? It looks like a million bucks. Did you just spend a million bucks?
Chris Alan Evans: Our budget was $18,000. The biggest costs were post-production and locations. It’s definitely the biggest budget I’ve had for a short film but the reason it looks so good is because of my team. Alexander Jeffery has his hands all over this film with VFX and color. Even with the high budget, we saved alot of money because producers Brittany Fallow, Alex and I put in so much sweat equity. Also, wonderful actors tend make your film “feel” like a higher budget than it is. I never hear anyone say that, but I find it to be true. Actors Jamie Costa, Maddie Nichols, and Garret Kruithoff are the types of performers that make your script and film better.
MovieMaker: Finally, any thoughts on playing Waco Indie?
Chris Alan Evans: I’ve had the best experience playing Waco the last three years. … As I travel the festival circuit, I’ve had conversations about Waco in New York and Utah and filmmakers are taking notice. They’ve carved out a wonderful event, their parties and red carpets are so fun!
However, the thing that really makes Waco special for filmmakers… is the audience! They seem to have a city full of people eager to watch, discuss and celebrate independent films. It’s rare that I’ll be at a film festival and someone will come up to me on the street and ask about my films. But it happens regularly in Waco.
You can read more of our festival coverage here.
Main image: “Hivemind Deluxe”
