Even if you have not seen or heard of “Last Passenger“, you should definitely watch the making-of videos that the creators of this film have made available online. They are super interesting.

The film was made for $2.5 millions, but it has a mega-budget look and feel. These filmmakers were very creative not only with the storytelling, but also how they made the movie. There is an in-depth article about the movie’s production at nofilmschool.com. So, here I will just summarize a few key points.

• they used an actual train as a set and adapted to the limited space with smaller gear and custom rigs (ex. for tracking shots)
• they did as many things in camera as possible; for example:
  • rear projection for the views through the train windows; besides saving money, it made the setting more real for the actors, and it probably ended up looking better than using blue screen and computer effects.
  • use of flares, electric grinders to create fire and smoke
• for those interested in film financing, you’ll want to hear from the producers how they used a concept trailer to get funding

If you want to see the film itself, I found it available on Amazon.

Here is the trailer and all the making-of videos

Her is the interview with the producers and the teaser concept trailer that got them funding