synopsis
'Solitary' is a contained feature length sci-fi film about a man who wakes up inside a room
to discover he's a prisoner sent into space to form Earth's first colony, and worse -
his cell mate Alana is hell bent on destroying everything.
production timeline
JANUARY 2019
Pitch
JUNE 2019
First Draft of Script
JANUARY 2020
Post-production begins
AUGUST 2019
‘Solitary’ is greenlit.
JUNE 2020
Post-wrapped
NOVEMBER 2020
Production begins
AUGUST 2020
‘Solitary’ is released in the UK
DECEMBER 2020
Production wraps
PROOF OF CONCEPT
This is is the short film that secured the funding and distribution for the feature film ‘Solitary’. In truth this was never intended as a story pitch for the premise of Solitary but rather a short film to show what is possible with little money. The idea being to convince would-be financiers of what is possible with a sensible budget in order to convince them to back another idea we had.. In the end they liked the idea so much that they asked me to write a script based on it and the rest is history.
As well as writing & directing, I operated the camera and drone, recorded sound and completed all of the visual effects.
Visual effects BREAKDOWNS
I completed around 250 vfx shots for Solitary on my own, mostly in Nuke and After Effects. Most of the CG was animated and rendered using Element 3D for speed, but with final composites in Nuke. FX was done in Houdini courtesy of my friend Harry Ellard.
Much of the work was invisible VFX work - fixing creases in the floor of the set that appeared and extending the capsule ceiling. There were also some big in your face shots including explosions, space ships, shots of the earth and future London.
I would have loved to have spent longer on every shot but in the end I couldn’t spend more than a few hours on most of them - the recurring theme behind the creation of this film. It was a real push to find enough time to squeeze the work in along side the main edit, as well as overseeing the score and sound mix which was being worked on by Vince and Tristan so it was a miracle it got done at all.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“What is most impressive about Solitary … is the difficult circumstances it was made in, which mirror the set-up of its two protagonists.” — NME
“Solitary pushes the boundaries within a modest budget, proving that with great skill and determination, any idea can be made a reality. From the Hollywood inspired visuals to the fantastic minuscule cast, Armstrong’s ability is incredible, writing and directing a small scale narrative with finesse, contained like your favourite bottle episodes of Star Trek.” — UK FILM REVIEW
“Solitary is worth a recommendation on its excellent story, accomplished special effects, and stellar performances from the lead actors. It’s an honest attempt to make a good sci-fi film and fulfills that task. It has interesting things to say about our future and the human condition.” — FILM THREAT
