In recent interviews, filmmaker Neill Blomkamp hasn’t really hidden his frustration with the current Hollywood paradigm. After bursting onto the scene with “District 9,” Blomkamp has had a bit of a rocky go of it, with his films underperforming. The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back came with the release of his film, “Chappie.” That film was released to poor reviews and low box office. Then came the drama surrounding a proposed “Alien” sequel. Well, now he’s decided to take matters into his own hands with Oats Studios, and the first short film from the studio “Rakka.”
Oats Studios is Blomkamp’s response to the traditional Hollywood model. Through his own studio, he will help produce short films that will be released to audiences, with the hopes that some will catch on and become viral hits, leading towards enough money to create larger feature films. The first release is a short called “Rakka,” and after you hear the descriptions, it’s obvious that this came from Blomkamp.
“Rakka” tells the story of what happens after the aliens have invaded Earth. In 2020, aliens have completely taken over the planet and enslaved the human race, altering the Earth’s atmosphere. The film is experimental in that it is told through various points of voice and not just a single narrative. The short is available to view for free on Steam and YouTube. While viewers are familiar with YouTube, they may not be as familiar with Steam, but that’s where all the excitement happens for Oats Studios.
If you enjoyed this film, Blomkamp and Oats Studios hope you go to the Steam page to download “assets.” Those assets include the behind the scenes stuff that would normally be on a Blu-ray but are now available to download. All for the low price of $4.99, that is. They hope that enough people will support the film by purchasing these assets, which would lead to funds to create more content. Blomkamp hopes his unique voice and ideas are enough to create a new paradigm for releasing these high-concept sci-fi films.
No matter how successful “Rakka” ends up, Blomkamp is doing this on his own terms, so hopefully, this leads to more exciting ideas down the line.
