In a post apocalyptic world where humans are on the verge of extinction, a desperate physicist tries to find refuge for her family in a parallel universe... ours.
What is Nexus
Nexus is an action-packed sci-fi short film in the style of The Matrix and Inception.
Lucy, a brilliant physicist, discovers a technology to open a physical connection (a Nexus) between two different places and between alternate universes.
We’ll actually follow two versions of Lucy, one from our reality and another from an alternate universe where a seemingly small decision she did ten years ago led to the end of the world as she knows it.
This is going to be a high-end short film.
My friend Max and I have worked together on many projects in the ten years since we met at the Chronicles of Narnia movie. He's excited about this project and already working on the monsters for the film.
They still have no textures or bones, but here's what they're looking like:
![]()
![]()
![]()
We're going to animate them in big part using Motion Capture, which is a lot of fun and it gives us an actual performance. Here are the pictures of our early tests:
![]()
![]()
![]()
We're also creating animatics for all the action sequences. These are previsualizations, like storyboards, but animated. They allow us to know exactly what shots we need to get instead of wasting valuable time figuring that out when we are on set.
The sequences are broken into individual shots and planned accordingly.
In the finished film, the sequences will be a combination of live-action stunts for the close ups and computer generated versions of the characters when they're in the air.
We're shooting the live-action stunts at Cirque School LA. Their walls and floors are blue, which is great for Visual Effects. Plus, they have all the mats, platforms, and other gear we need to do the stunts safely.
![]()
For the computer-generated versions of the characters we'll get 3D scans of the actors with depth scanners and photogrammetry techniques. This will help us blend seamlessly between the real-life and the computer-generated characters.
![]()
![]()
The Story Behind the Scenes
I've been working on Nexus for about three years. I wrote a full feature. But the craziness of the action and effects it needs, makes it very expensive to produce, therefore much harder to sell.
I knew this since the beginning, but I had the burning desire to explore how a small decision today can add up exponentially and lead to a completely different reality in the future. Mix that with the fact that at the time I was playing and loving Portal 2 and voila... Nexus!.
Erykah (my good friend and producer of this project) and I are really excited for this project. While we can't afford to make a feature, we definitely can make a kick-ass short version.
This short has the same characters, mechanics and emotional charge from the feature, but with a slightly different, very condensed plot to make it a standalone 10-minute story.
Let's talk Money
I've been working in the film industry for 10 years, mostly Visual Effects. That means I have a lot of friends with the talents and skills needed to make this short amazing for a relatively low budget.
We've done projects for next to nothing before, but there are a lot of expenses in doing a film, and relying on favors is not really sustainable.
I’m putting my pocket where my mouth is. I put a big chunk of my personal savings into the project.
That money is good to get us started, so the project is moving already, but it's barely enough to cover the basic shooting expenses, so we need your help.
Anything helps, every cent you pledge will go towards the film and your reward. The more we collect, the bigger and better the film will be and the more crew friends I’ll get to keep.
![]()
Why Flex Funding
We chose Flex Funding because I've been doing Post Production for a long time. And if comes down to it I'll finish the film by myself, even if I have to just eat bananas and Soylent for a few months. My savings that I'm not putting toward the film can sustain me through the making of it, so I'm pretty much all in.
Who's behind Nexus
Real quick. My name is Carlos, I’m a very nerdy, very curious writer/director. I’ve worked in the Film and Television industry for 10 years doing Visual Effects at first then directing and writing.
![]()
Over the last decade I’ve worked on a ton of Music Videos, Commercials and independent movies. But the more recognizable credits include the first Chronicles of Narnia movie, and the TV shows like Silicon Valley, Ballers, Justified, Scandal and How to get away with Murder.
My friend and producing partner, Erykah, is a kick-ass director and producer. She’s worked for some big production companies.
In May, she was at Cannes Film Festival to screen her short film and she’s set to shoot the full feature in The Philippines in the upcoming months.
Erykah and I worked together on Bionique, here's the trailer:
Risks & Challenges
We definitely have some challenges ahead. On the writing side, I did my best to balance the amount and scale of the effects and stunts to something that is fun and exciting while also being doable at our budget.
We’re taking all the precautions, and we have all sorts of backup plans. However, even films with millions of dollars run into delays and budget problems, so that’s always a possibility with any production.
Also, this campaign is not the sole source of funding for the project (hence the flex funding). So even if we fail our goal miserably we’ll still be able to finish it. Sure, we’ll have to scale back and it will take longer to finish, but we’ll get it done… and it’ll be freaking awesome! ;-)
Either way, we’ll keep everyone up to date.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can’t contribute with money you don’t have to feel left out! Here’s a couple other ways you can help:
Spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Look below for the buttons on this page.
If you’re a VFX Artist and wanna help out feel free to contact me with your name and skill-set.
If you’re going to be in L.A. in September and wanna help out with the shoot let contact me. Let me know what experience you have, if any.
Thanks everybody.
