The indie sci-fi anthology series A Thousand Suns is available to stream on YouTube. But before the short film project officially launched, a trailer was released that showcases the brilliance of each story. “In the vastness of space and time, many tales weave into one under the light of a thousand suns,” the 54-second clip says before viewers are presented with a montage of footage from the show.
Each installment of A Thousand Suns is approximately four minutes long and features a twist similar to the ones seen in shows like Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone.
A Thousand Suns is created by filmmaker and cinematographer Macgregor, whose body of work includes the Gerard Butler spy thriller Kandahar and music videos for Dua Lipa. Produced by Blackmilk Studios, the series is described as a “gateway to our hopes, dreams, and nightmares.” Various directors worked on the project, including Ruairi Robinson, Tyson Wade Johnston, Tim Hyten, and Philip Gelatt.
A Thousand Suns was created as an alternate for those who are tired of all the sequels and remakes saturating the entertainment market.
Each installment of A Thousand Suns is approximately four minutes long and features a twist similar to the ones seen in shows like Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone. The first short film, titled “Ice,” follows a terraformer scout who hopes to find no life on a specific planet. In another short called “Exodus” people are preparing to leave Earth, but the problems arise when the timeframe for escape is unclear.
Just like its high-budget sci-fi counterparts, each episode of A Thousand Suns possesses an eerie, intelligent quality and most importantly, demonstrates skill in using visual elements to tell a good story. Moreover, each short film is crafted by people who understand how to use specific visual styles to convey extensive world-building in a solitary frame.
But the biggest reason Macgregor decided to create A Thousand Suns was because he was repeatedly told that creating quality sci-fi content on a budget was impossible.
At present, there are six episodes of A Thousand Suns on the official series website 1Ksuns.com and YouTube. However, the creators have 16 more titles listed as “coming soon.” The site also makes clear their intention to create more stories written in collaboration with screenwriter Philip Gelatt, in the 30-minute or short-film format, that promise to thrill sci-fi fans.
A Thousand Suns was created as an alternate for those who are tired of all the sequels and remakes saturating the entertainment market. Macgregor, Gelatt, and their team of directors could not sit by and do nothing. Instead, they decided to give the sci-fi genre a fresh coat of paint that compliments the mind-bending, thought-provoking stories people grew up on.
But the biggest reason Macgregor decided to create A Thousand Suns was because he was repeatedly told that creating quality sci-fi content on a budget was impossible. In response, the team did it anyway without financial backing from any major production houses or studios. They just put everything they had into their passion project.
Macgregor and his team worked themselves to the bone to make every episode of A Thousand Suns feel like something right out of a million dollar movie. Via the official site, the creators also hinted at having standalone feature film length stories ready for the big screen. They make a mini jest-filled plea to viewers who may happen to work for a studio to perhaps pick up their project.
