
YouTubers Renny and Boston Complete Feature Film Alien Country with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton November 23, 2023
0 Comments
With their latest feature film Alien Country, filmmakers and content creators Renny Grames and Boston McConnaughey, known for their YouTube channel Renny and Boston, leveraged their success on YouTube to complete a passion project years in the making, one that directly interfaced with their audience and followers.
McConnaughey explained, Our YouTube channel began with sketches and short fan films based on video games. We slowly but surely grew our following, and that, coupled with separate commercial work, helped us lay the groundwork to transition into the longform content we've always wanted to make.
We see the rise of the mini studio,' or filmmakers coming up from YouTube who can compete visually with the big studios, thanks to the democratization of technology, and who have the added benefit of a built in audience used to interacting with them, he elaborated. There's room at the table for both, as I might go to the grocery store to buy a brand name item, but I'll also go to the farmers' market for something indie or local where I can connect directly with the artisan.
With Alien Country, Grames and McConnaughey are proving the model exists, forming their film and interactive media production company Story Mode and bringing their audience on the filmmaking journey via behind the scenes and making of content, tutorials, and educational filmmaking resources on their YouTube channel.
Never Settle
With Alien Country' in development for eight years, we weren't going to let 19 days of principal photography decide the result of the project, noted Grames. We packed as much as we could into those 12 hour days, but the pickup days ended up making the difference between the film we shot and the film we wanted to make.
Equipped with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K digital films cameras, Grames and McConnaughey were able to head out in the desert by themselves or with a small crew to capture pickup shots and drone footage, as well as play with VFX shots against a green screen in their garage.
The film would have suffered if we didn't have those shots, which we were able to get thanks to Blackmagic Design. Visually the cameras provide a cinematic look and that, coupled with the compact form factor, supports our artistic vision and ultimately lets us compete at the level we want to, said Grames. The cameras' flexibility allowed us to not have to settle.
Recreating a classic 80s sci fi look for the film, Grames and McConnaughey relied on a Magic Booster and the camera's 6K sensor shooting in Blackmagic RAW to match principal photography. The Pocket Cinema Camera 6K's high resolution and compact form factor came in especially handy when shooting with a drone.
McConnaughey detailed a captivating chase scene: We wanted to capture the creature's viewpoint as it chases the characters through a tight canyon. We put the Pocket Camera on a stabilizer on a drone and got dozens of beautiful shots. The camera is so easy to throw in a backpack, use handheld, on a rig, a drone, etc., and one person can build it, so you're good to go.
November 22, 2023Le R ve Films Relies on Collaborative Blackmagic Cloud Workflow for Celebrity Wedding FilmsBlackmagic Design today announced that Le R ve Films, an award winning wedding
November 21, 2023Fontys Guides Future Journalists with a Live Production Workflow from Blackmagic DesignBlackmagic Design today announced that the MindLabs research facility in the Netherlands
Grames added, It's those kinds of shots that allow us to uplevel as filmmakers. We aren't a huge studio, but that doesn't stop us from producing amazing content. There's one drone shot that gives me chills. It's from the point of view of an orb flying over a cornfield, and it really exemplifies the quality of the film for me.
It's All in the Details
From sweeping drone footage to small details in sunrises, Grames and McConnaughey never settled. Grames highlighted how no one sees the time and effort that goes into the minor enhancements behind the scenes.
We needed a fast, tight night to day transition, and there was no way of getting it during principal photography. So, we went out several months later with the Pocket Cameras in hand and captured the sunrise perfectly, she explained. There were also two intense action scenes, one a demolition derby and another where we had a giant alien battle in a rodeo arena stadium. With a limited crew, we strapped Blackmagic cameras to the sides of the stunt cars to create the scale and scope that make this film look beyond indie. The cameras really support this guerilla style of filmmaking.
McConnaughey added that many times people think budget is a limitation to their creativity. They need to rethink that. They do have the capabilities because the technology, like Blackmagic Design, is available now, he said. Even in post, with DaVinci Resolve Studio coming free with the camera and all the editing, VFX and audio tools being added over the years. With this type of affordable and powerful tech, you can make something at a fraction of the cost that still competes visually.
Creative Freedom
In post, Colorist Ben Hoffman created a film stock look using filters and halation in DaVinci Resolve Studio. Additionally, he enhanced the film's color scheme, with Renny's character Everly's clothes and her environment in the canyons represented with red, and the town represented in blue, with male lead K.C. Clyde's character Jimmy driving a blue truck. As the film progresses, Everly begins wearing more blue tones, while Jimmy wears red, with the shift towards purpl
North America Stories
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it's given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what ...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils First-Look Images from Villaflor, Santiago Mitre's New Film
Entertainment
12 June 2026
GlobalArgentina
Link copied to ...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Cross the Boundaries of the Real World into the Spirit Realm i...
12/06/2026
A fentanyl countermeasure that adapts to combat future black-market drugs Scripps Research scientists developed a vaccine that teaches the immune system to rapi...
11/06/2026
The immense size of the tourney and its Atlantic-spanning operation also disting...
11/06/2026
Nielsen has released a new soccer fandom consumer research report, The Fans Behind The Game: FIFA World Cup 2026 Edition, examining the soccer audience in the...
11/06/2026
Telemundo will launch its FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage on Thursday, June 11 with...
11/06/2026
FuboTV Inc. has announced a distribution agreement with NBCUniversal. Fubo customers can now stream Telemundo and Universo, with NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), NBC...
11/06/2026
DAZN has announced its in-app features for FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage in Spain...
11/06/2026
Roblox has released the 2026 Roblox Digital Expression Report: Wave 4 - Sports D...
11/06/2026
FIFA has unveiled DNA, the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Anthem, performed by A...
11/06/2026
ESPN will provide English- and Spanish-language news and information coverage of FIFA World Cup 2026 across its U.S. media platforms from June 11 through July 1...
11/06/2026
The latest product of the outstanding RIT Sports Network program, this recent grad from Long Island is carving out a promising path in broadcast engineering
In...
11/06/2026
DAZN has announced a multi-year agreement to make DSPORTS channels available to ...