UNIVERSUM

UNIVERSUM: A TOTAL FILMMAKING ENDEAVOR

Universum (2017) represents one of my most personal and ambitious projects—an exercise in "Total Filmmaking" where I assumed responsibility for every single phase of production. It is a 3-episode science fiction web series that explores a unique narrative: a colossal alien spacecraft hovering over the mystical mountain of Montserrat, intrinsically linked to a mysterious sphere that crashes in a domestic backyard. My goal was to forge a distinctive sci-fi language by blending the esoteric atmosphere of the Catalan landscape with an epic, interstellar narrative.

THE ONE-MAN PRODUCTION STACK

Created primarily for my YouTube channel (Albert Fox), this project was a brutal test of creative autonomy. I wrote the screenplay, directed, and even acted as the protagonist, filming myself against a portable green screen using a Nikon D300 with a 50mm 1.8 lens. In post-production, I leveraged my full technical arsenal: creating digital extraterrestrial characters in Daz Studio, compositing the massive VFX sequences in After Effects, and editing the final cut in Premiere Pro. I also composed the original soundtrack entirely from scratch using FL Studio and Kontakt sample libraries.

THE CHALLENGE OF BLACK & WHITE VFX

The defining artistic choice for Universum was presenting the series entirely in Black and White. While this provided a striking, high-contrast aesthetic, it presented a monumental challenge during compositing. Integrating a gigantic, hyper-detailed alien mothership seamlessly over stock footage of Montserrat required absolute precision in matching lighting, shadows, and contrast values. Additionally, to breathe life into the script, I directed professional voice actors (LerynDubbatti as the AI entity "Gaia" and JSparda as the News Reporter), elevating the production value beyond a standard solo project.

INDUSTRY VALIDATION

The result was far more than an internet video. Universum was officially inscribed in the VOC 2017 Awards (Òmnium Cultural), acknowledging its contribution to Catalan audiovisual production. Furthermore, the web series is officially cataloged on IMDb. This project stands as a testament to the power of a unified creative vision, proving that a single artist armed with the right digital tools can produce a complete, cinematic sci-fi universe from the ground up.