Sci-Fi Short Film: "Checkpoint" | DUST | Online Premiere
After mysteriously awakening in a barren alien landscape, a self-serving prisoner must conquer a series of grueling trials in order to reunite with his lost love.
"Checkpoint" by Jason Sheedy
Connect with the Filmmakers:
www.jasonmsheedy.com/
/ jasonmsheedy
/ noonanfilm
/ brettbrooks
/ erinownbey
"Checkpoint" Credits:
Starring:
Brett Brooks
Erin Ownbey
Neal Burnley
Kim Blaurock
Brad Huffman
Noelle Jean-Baptiste
Casey Motter
Kyle Gazak
Written, Directed, and Edited by Jason Sheedy
Story by Jason Sheedy Matthew Noonan
Produced by Kyle Steinike
Co-produced by Jason Sheedy & Matthew Noonan
Director of Photography - Matthew Noonan
Camera Assistant - Joe Trimmer
Camera Utility - Nelson Roney Walters
Costumer - Megg Waddington
Additional Costumes by Matthew Noonan& Jason Sheedy
Makeup Artist - Shannon Lee
Stills Photographer - Michael Serine
Production Assistant/Body Double - Jack Feister
Visual Effects Artists - Ryan Coster & Jason Sheedy
Animators - Greg Bekken & B. B. Jenkins
Stock Elements:
Production Crate, Video CoPilot, Triune Digital, ActionVFX, Pond 5/ANTONIIIO, Pond 5/ INFUSORIAN, Pond 5/VICTORIANZINC, Pond 5/ALEKSANDARNAKO, Pond 4/PHANTASMOGORIA
Turbosquid Models:
Cecoaliensa, LOTR Junkie, Game Ready Studios, Adrian Kulawik, Cordy, 3d_molier International
Music:
[All Pond5 Artists]
SOUNDPHENOMENON, EPIKTON, MUSICINMIND3, ALEXWINNER, RAVENP, NAWAK, AUDIOMODEL, WESBILENMUSIC
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Hey there, I'm the writer/director/editor and happy to answer any questions. Thanks for giving our film a watch!
No questions, merely praise, great stuff, Sir!
@@zpinkLondonBelow Appreciate that thank you for watching!
Was this filmed at Arabia mountain?!
@@FoxGolem Yep sure was!
More please.
Hey all, I'm the writer/director/editor and happy to answer any questions - thanks to DUST for our online premiere and thank you for watching our film!
Brilliant, simply brilliant.
@@catherineeckstein2705 Thanks for watching! My DP and I were location scouting and once we found this spot we were hit with a bunch of fun ideas and it took off from there - was a really fun shoot!
@@JohnPaul-ii Thank you for watching!
Great job! Hope you will get a big flow of cash one day to create someething of a full length movie
@@catherineeckstein2705 Appreciate that! Yeah I feel like there are so many possibilities for features and series across the DUST library
This is the best heros origin I've ever seen. They fight evil because they know evil. They're the only ones who can.
The fingers in the ears had me laughing harder than i have in a long time and a great short as well.
i hope they play into the fun aspects and not take themselves too seriously
OMGawd, yes. That was so funny but swept by so fast I almost missed it cause it took a minute for my brain to go "YUP. Eyes ain't lyin'. Those be FINGERS in his ears."
I am worn-out for this guy but glad I stayed around. Super Dope and thank you.
Over 6 decades ago I cut my teeth on Sci/Fi short stories and here I am at 72 years of age, now watching them fleshed out, taking over an aged mind that can no longer bring to life the imagined stories of print, but are now envisioned by talented writers and put forth in wonderful videos. Bravo! . We have indeed come a long way. Then, as now, it takes a keen mind to weave a near, if not complete, story into a short. Many shorts leave one somewhat unfulfilled but great ones always leave us yearning for more such as this masterpiece. I can`t sing enough praise about this piece. Sadly I am computer and tech illiterate, having missed 5 decades of both, only really have barely one decade in technology.
thanks for the kind words about the film - that's very gratifying to hear and so glad you enjoyed it!
"it takes a keen mind to weave a near, if not complete, story into a short. Many shorts leave one somewhat unfulfilled but great ones always leave us yearning for more " If you've enjoyed scifi for 60 years, you read through eras of some very great and original storytellers and probably can spot the failures a mile away, now. So your critical approval counts for a lot. But 'tech illiterate" : pshaw. If you have an accessible local library - online or IRL - they almost always have free computer courses for the beginner to pros looking to upgrade their skills. 🙂 And often with assistive features, if needed. But so long as you can enjoy the wealth of talent on display on KZhead (DUST really does have a lot of great indies, but also a lot of suprisingly well-funded productions), Vimeo and the like, you're doing well. "an aged mind " Being able to appreciate perspective changes over generations of scifi (like the gaming scenario herein, or inclusive narratives reflecting more awareness and openness) means you will never tire of the genre as you will never get 'stuck' in an era. The open mind never gets old. 😉
Computer dinosaur here....one gets accustomed to it....😂
Excellent. Didn't predict that ending.
This needs to be a mini series! The concept of redemption among the 7 deadly sins is powerful!
Our thoughts exactly
@@PointShootLoot "Our"? Are you like multiple people in one body? "Our thoughts", sounds like you need medication.
This was freaking epic! I can't believe these things get done and nobody ever comes up with stuff like this to actually end up into movies...
This the essence of movies.
u never heard of "ground hog day"?
@@badpossum440 Ground hog day for one was complete utter garbage imo, but that's just my opinion. I just did not warm up to it, it was more of a american thing. Also it has absolutely nothing to do with for example this short film. This is proper scifi stuff, Ground hog day was not.
It was great but reminded me of Tom Cruise Edge of Tomorrow.
@@cpugh01 Ew that was awful. I never liked anything with Tom Cruise in it. Something about his face that I dislike, not that his acting is any better.
Now THAT was really well done! Original theme and the Special FX were very cool!! This has so much going for it that I hope there is or will be a continuation!!
🤯🥳
Not original. It's Souls like, but really well made.
You mean this wasn't the continuation Actually very noisy and fragmented repetitive scenario
Para mim foi fantástico....👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
No dude, this was poorly made and ripped off too many other movies and stories.
This felt like watching myself stumble through a few games in the past, awesome job
Yep haha definitely some video game homages/references in there :)
Go for it
me recovering my souls again and again at dark souls
In the middle of the short film, I actually don't get the coins while there is no shop to upgrade his weapons and armor. But at the end, I get it. He is the embodiment of greed. Nicely done. Amazing concept, editing and vfx.
I love this one 😆 please make another 😫😫 i need round 2
Exceptionally Weird and Bizarre … imaginative creativity gracefully captured! 👌👍😎
WOW they need to make a full-length movie on this!!!
That was more entertaining then the last 12 full-length movies I've seen!
This was more than I expected. Totally awesome and so immersive. I would love to see follow up stories for all the sins.
WOOOOW!!!!! THAT WAS SOO WELL DONE!!!
Appreciate it!
I think I will watch this again. Got it the first time, but it's that good. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Well hey I appreciate that, thanks for watching!
I would watch this one as a series.
Wow, that was a good entertainment ! Thanks a lot. Nice Story Idea and VFX and also the Music at the end, superb. Maybe all our Life is only a checkpoint....
Please make this a series, it has a really good plot.
Holy cow, that was fantastic!!! A short that seemed to have a beginning, middle and end...and then boom another beginning. Just great. Story was interesting and felt fully formed.
Great stuff mate. I was hooked before the 1st minute went by all the way to the end!
Thanks for watching! We were trying to think of an attention grabbing opening shot. "What if he blows up 30 seconds in?" "Yeah. There it is."
That was quite good! An original twist on old themes, well written. And it even felt like a full film, which is hard to do in 9 minutes (and many short films fail at).
I hope this was just the bada$$ trailer
A true gamer's nightmare. This was one of the best shorts you made. Your studio is incredible. Keep up the awesome work.
He adjusted well. And handling the blaster for the first time was comedy gold.
BRAVO! I did not want it to end! (Hint, Hint) Riveting had me on the edge of my seat! Peace.
This is what greatness looks like. The sound you hear is slow clapping from Europe 👌👍👏👏
Thanks from Atlanta, GA!
closed story - great job
Putting it simply - that was great! 9 minutes just disappeared, an old theme with a modern twist, loved it!
To Mister Sheedy and to DUST. Thank you for a reminder of what is Pandora's Box. How you play this out will be epic. Who will be first back to Checkpoint, and who will be last. Also is there a time set, on how many times one can redo themselves. And what will be the alternatives, if any. Thanks Mr Sheedy and thanks to DUST for showing this. More soon I hope.
"So how about if we showed the horror of what 'respawning' in a video game would look like IRL." "Hey, yeah - I bet that'd be horrific." ** Makes fantastic short film** "Now that the cold opening is done - let's make a full-length feature film" (laughs in Victoria).
Isn’t that the obvious what they did !?
@@hippo4g93 I mean - I literally stated that's what they did. heh. But we still need the full film :)
Yeah, but that's how all of these Dust films end ... with shit wide open and us left wanting. These days I just expect it.
This is freaking fantastic!!!!!
We need a movie or a series of this. 100 thumbs up.
A new direction for DUST… I like it and would watch more of it. Thanks Algorithm!
The end is only the Beginning. Great idea for a Film
KickAss Short!!! Sometimes ppl FORGET, what d SciFi genre is about! Action, Kool sounding weapons, nice special effects, Well Done!!! Sometimes U want PURE ENTERTAINMENT! y'all delivered, I don't want to figure out a Rubics Cube to discover d plot! Ty
The production quality was awesome.
That felt....complete with an expansion in the end for a new saga...hope the writer et al will keep showing and making more not only of this high quality work but others...well done, very well done.
Thanks! Expect more soon!
That was VERY WELL DONE. Excellent! Give me more!
Well done. Thank you.
Hey. Thank you.
Great story. Can't really explain why but it reminded me of the 'Into the Electric Castle' album by Ayreon. Congratulations.
Very seldom do I watch a story that fascinates me but this one did , makes me want more of the story of the individuals and how they face their new challenges . this is a winner more please .
Worlds most violent and realistic video game. This film was most entertaining!
This is WOW inspiring. Guy kept getting killed but kept starting over somewhat. And the end is really only the beginning.
Yeah, I'd like to see this one turned into a Full Length Movie!!! 👍
Damn that was nice. If you didn't notice, each person of one of the seven sins of humanity are supposed to be different people across human history. Or rather they represent someone identical to a person who represents that sin the most. Sloth - A person from the Cold War era that was labeld as a "hippy" and was slothful. Pride - A women that most likely represented a "Karen" or really prideful person. Envy - A person that wanted everything so much they apparently became a robot so nothing could be taken from them (?). Lust - Looks like Cleopatra who was known to be very lustful. Especially in her stories with Julius Ceasar and Mark Antony. Gluttony - Looks like King Henry the Eighth, who was once slim and quite handsome until his gluttonous ways made him overweight which lead to his large figure. Wrath - Looks like a Gaul warrior, or even a gladiator. In either case he represents war and death deriving from wrathful acts. And then Abel who represents greed. Of course we see that hes really greedy throughout the entire video, and whats more is the fact that he is wearing clothes that for the time of the era in which the coins he had existed, he wouldbe been considered a rich man. And when he lets go of that greed hes able to escape part one of their penace trial. Which I assume each other sinful person had to do the same, will continue to do the same. The only thing that makes me question this video, is that is thus supposed to be a representation of purgatory created by some advance civilization, or a rather intense psychological machine program made by a large corporation? What do y'all think?
As i understand it, "Envy" is a cyberpunk archetype. A dystopian future where technological enhancements are the norm and needed to be successful. Most of the stories in this kind of universe is about a nobody ready to sacrifice his humanity to grind the social ladder. So, he want so much more that he is basically a robot (?)
@@satellachannel6423 That's a better way of explaining that bit.
Sounded to me like they had to redeem themselves and by doing so, save humanity. I don't think all were from Earth, though. Abel doesn't seem to fit the Biblical character of that name, who was a shepherd I believe.
Astonishing - something Hollywood could never produce in a thousand years. It's a cruel world.
All I can say is "WOW", a great popcorn movie. A worthy watch.
THAT...WAS...CRAZY!!!! Such a great story. One of my new faves for sure.🤓
I have watched a lot of these short DUST films and this is one of the ones that I’ve REALLY enjoyed. It’s interesting and wild. Bravo!
I LOVED this. The different ways of dying were very entertaining.
Thanks! We had fun making it
Saying the same thing on nearly every one of these films ... need more!
One of the best short film on Dust!
A gem indeed would like to see more of this work its on another level puts hollyweird to shame.
I forget where I first saw DUST, but I remember watching several short vids. Short entertaining films with great casting and thought provoking themes. So much fun!! A Sci-Fi lovers dream. Glad I found the channel on KZhead.
These shortfilms are like veavy metal comic strips in video format. Great stuff!
Oh Yeah ... I want more of this ... Love the concept
Is like the edge of tomorrow
In my opinion greed was chosen as the protagonist to show us how society is today, the greed of wanting more and more but never satisfied. Excellent work really in joyed watching this.
Excellent work. Enjoyed the film very much . 👏😊
EPIC! Well done... captivating film!
This was fun and well executed. Good pacing and storyline backed up with good acting, cinematography, and special effects. Well done!
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
I was BLOWN AWAY! Thank you for original ideas and concepts, something missing in major productions.
Thanks so much!
When he had that look of determination and accidentally shot himself in the face, I lost it😂
OMGosh that was so well shot and edited, with visual wit and organic humour. SO much going on, but the gaming plot mechanics were still fairly clearly laid out. Bonus points for detail and care taken with the 'double' bodies, with or without faces. Even brief glimpses were excellent matches. For a pilot/concept-short it's thrilling and enjoyable as a standalone. 😀👏
I always say listen to your parents and grand parents or any elder in the neighborhood and you will never get a checkpoint, they have lived the life before you. ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS FILM
Very impressive - insane VFX, editing and compositing.
That was the best thing I have seen since Kung Fury. Low budget flicks with a great story are way better than Michael Bay blockbusters with dumb plots any day.
That was a lot of fun, and so well done. A great basis for a game or a series.
Dazzling piece with limitless storylines.
Beautiful! Simply beautiful!!
Simply Amazing! This Literally Blow My Mind Away! 😱
Awesome we need more of this 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
Dust, you've gone and done it again. Nice work.
thanks it was immediately captivating and brilliant, i see many of these shorts that would be so great if made into a full sized movie, so much fun, thanks
We appreciate that, glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely brilliant film. Amazing concept and great fX. Perfect
We appreciate that!
You'll be interested to know that I used Dust as an example of where there are still good filmmakers out there making interesting films even if Hollywood has become the Land That Creativity Forgot.
Probably the best RPG intro I've ever seen!👍👍😄
Nicely done Jason, More!!!
How wonderful! An excellent short film and soundtrack!
Can we expect a part 2 or a series from this cause it needs it
As an avid gamer I definitely said "CHECKPOINT!" out loud when he smashed that first stone. I'd forgotten the video title. A+ logic twisting on my part. Laughed pretty hard when he turned up midway through COVERED in coin pouches, you guys nailed the subtle dry humor on this one.
ha that's awesome, thanks so much for watching!
Thanks!
This is,by far, one of the best short films Ive seen in a while!!
That means a lot thank you!
Better than most of the unimaginative stuff from Hollywood and Disney.
Cleverly done. Worth watching for sure. Note to self: make sure your hand gun is pointed away from your noggin 😆
Nice prologue epsode for MORE! Well done!
Normally i don't like violence, the only movies I watch are Pixars, but this was _so_ well done, so well acted, with a twist at the end - and I'm old, it's hard to surprise me. I have watched it 3 times and sent it to all the three people I know. Amazing little piece of fun candy, just LOVE it!
Thanks so much!
Wow, this was awesome!!!!😊
Yeah, it was great!! I'll never complain if I have a bad day, ever again!!
Need to make a full movie I like what I saw and the concept of it
Dust writing is getting so good, kept my on the edge of my seat. What a really good surprise. This is "Big Ticket" writing - major quality production stuff.
Omg this needs to become a movie or tv series that was so awesome.
appreciate that thank you for watching!
This would make a good movie..
my sincere congrats..the seven sins concept is exquisitely smart
Wow, incredible work! Engrossing from start to finish. Let there be more!!
What a bloody clever story. Open ended for more. Nicely done.
Fuck me I hate these shorts, they are all so damn good. I want full movies, or at least a series. Fantastic work man.
This would be a great series on Netflix!
What I liked about this was that it wasn’t restarting the day, he was just respawning, that adds a new dimension where you can gather resources off your corpse like halo lol.
I would watch the hell out of this as a show/series. I'd love to see each one's play-through. :)