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Early last month I saw a few sci-fi shorts that were nothing short of spectacular. A Thousand Suns Anthology by Blackmilk Studio is the best that science fiction cinema offers in terms of plot, effects, and flawless execution.
Therefore I simply HAD to talk to the person behind this fantastic labor of love that will grow into something amazing over time. The creator of these shorts is MacGregor aka Miguel de Olaso who is already behind the lens on many a fantastic project from Dua Lipa's music video to commercials for ultra-luxury automobiles.
MacGregor is a genius at photography, and direction and is (annoyingly) good at writing going by his responses to my questions alone. Here are my attempts to learn more about Blackmilk Studio and Miguel de Olaso.
Blackmilk Studio Interview
Here is the Blackmilk Studio Interview with MacGregor
1. Please tell us about your body of work and how Blackmilk Studio and A Thousand Suns came about.
For several years, I've been actively involved in the production of short films through Blackmilk Studio, an endeavor that has garnered recognition with awards at various film festivals. Additionally, as a boutique production company, Black Milk Studios has ventured into commercial productions, contributing to a diverse body of work that has been well-received.
A Thousand Suns emerged as a significant milestone for us, marking a notable expansion of our creative endeavors and introducing our studio to a wider audience.
2. About the name - Blackmilk Studio - how did that come about?
Ah, the name Blackmilk Studio has an interesting origin story. It was actually coined by my partner Zac back in the mid-2000s
3. What is the end goal of A Thousand Suns?
This is just the beginning.
We’ve got more tales to tell, more worlds to explore. We’d love to keep making these as a streaming series and also we have standalone feature film length stories based on some of these episodes that would play great on the big screen.
Check out the Top 5 Animated Intro Sequences in Series
4. How did you manage to fund these shorts? If you had better funding would you be able to come out with this in a much shorter timeframe? ( 1 year instead of 5 )
We didn’t ask for money or permission -- we put everything we had into this. Financing the shorts ourselves, we didn’t have the budget to make a hundred million dollar movie.
But what we knew we could make short films that felt like scenes from hundred million dollar movies if we just worked ourselves to the bone. But yeah the tradeoff of low budget is longer time to complete.
5. Your shorts are the lost direction that moviemakers should take. Each short has the plot density of a neutron star, with near-flawless execution. What do you think of the current global sci-fi moviemaking scene?
Thank you for your kind words about our shorts; we strive to create compelling stories that resonate deeply with our audience. As for the current global sci-fi moviemaking scene, it's true that there's been a saturation of endless remakes, sequels, and uninspired corporate IP churned out by the industry.
It's a landscape where creativity often takes a backseat to profit margins. That's precisely why we formed our collective. We refuse to sit passively while the genre we love stagnates. Our mission is clear: to breathe new life into sci-fi filmmaking by producing original, mind-bending, and thought-provoking stories.
We aim to reignite the same sense of wonder and excitement that fueled our passion for sci-fi in the first place.
6. Who is MacGregor? What has his journey been? What brings him joy in life?
MacGregor, also known as Miguel de Olaso, is a cinematographer based in Los Angeles. After graduating in visual communications from the European University of Madrid, he pursued both his passions for cars and films.
Beyond work, he finds joy in traveling, enjoying a cold beer, and humorously writing about himself in the third person.
7. You filmed "The Bug" in South Korea. From what I saw it could have been done anywhere in the world considering most of the short occurs indoors. Why did you choose to film there?
We chose to film "The Bug" in upper New York for several reasons. Firstly, we scouted extensively to find a location that would evoke a near-future, East Asian aesthetic, which was crucial for the film's visual authenticity.
While the majority of the short takes place indoors, the setting plays a significant role in establishing the atmosphere and narrative tone.
8. What were the top 3 challenges to making A Thousand Suns?
Money, budget and funding :)
Wrapping Up
Going by the insane quality of the sci-fi shorts, the intense passion behind the project, and the grand plans for Blackmilk Studio, MacGregor and his studio are bound to be a household name sooner than later.
I personally can't wait to watch the full version of these shorts which are still being released in blocks as we speak.
