With Hello Out There, director Otis Blum examines the search for connection with aliens, and the alienation we feel on earth.
“I thought of the parallels between trying to reach out to other species, and the times in our lives when our families can feel completely alien to us,” he tells MovieMaker. “I believe each person contains a universe of their own emotions, thoughts, and experiences, and finding someone who understands us can at times feel like trying to find life on other worlds.”
The comedy stars Chloe Bennet (Interior Chinatown) as Minnie, a journalist seeking access to Area 51, and Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso) as Rex, her cousin and a punk-rock guitarist fresh from rehab. Jennifer Beals also stars.
Hello Out There takes advantage of a vast range of New Mexico locations, which makes its screening Friday at the Santa Fe International Film Festival a kind of homecoming.
We talked with Blum — who has worked on Broadway, film, TV and video games — about why aliens are so much in the zeitgeist, and shooting a story where so much depends on the actors.
Otis Blum on Hello Out There
MovieMaker: What message did you want to convey with the film? Why include the alien aspect?
Otis Blum: I wanted to explore the idea of connection. Is it possible to connect with other beings, and if so how? During the depths of the pandemic, I noticed an uptick in stories about aliens in traditional publications like The New York Times, New Yorker, and The Economist. It made sense to me — at a time when we were and still are desperate for connection, of course we would look up and wonder if something was looking back.
MovieMaker: You’re based in Los Angeles — how did you find filming in New Mexico? What drew you there, and where did you shoot specifically?
Otis Blum: I love New Mexico so much. I’ve been visiting the state since I was a child, and I have family that lives out there. I wrote this script with the purpose of telling a story in New Mexico and highlighting the beauty and wonderful peculiarity of this enchanting state. Filming in New Mexico was wonderful.
With all the production that happens in the states, there are many talented and experienced crew people that were vital to the making of this film. We were able to shoot on location in Roswell, White Sands National Park, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe, with the unique look and feel of each place elevating the look and feel of the movie.
MovieMaker: At one point your characters are at the gates of Area 51 — are those the real gates of Area 51? I thought it was impossible to get that close, so I was very intrigued.
Otis Blum: I’m glad you were intrigued! Those are not the real gates of Area 51. We studied lots of photographs and a producer visited the location, getting as close as legally possible, so we worked hard to authentically recreate it. That scene was shot at a private airport outside of Albuquerque. The real Area 51 is in Nevada, and I’m proud to say we shot every scene in New Mexico!
MovieMaker: How did you enlist your very good actors?
Otis Blum: I sent them the script and they wanted to be a part of it! When pitching to them I emphasized that the movie rests entirely on the performance of the actors. I admire each and everyone of them as naturalistic performers – Chloe, Phil, and Jennifer don’t perform characters, they create real people. We started off by casting Minnie, and then finding the Rex that had the right chemistry.
Chloe and Phil had tremendous rapport from the very start. We did a lot of character work and rehearsal before we started shooting. In the process we discussed the themes of the story, and each actor had some form of personal connection to both their character and the larger story.
We couldn’t find the right Judith for some time, and Jennifer Beals came on to the project a week or two before we started shooting, and I’m so grateful she did. I was so grateful to have such experienced talent on my first feature.
MovieMaker: What was the biggest obstacle you faced in making this film, and how did you overcome it?
Otis Blum: There were two really big obstacles. One was the logistical headache of shooting in a lot of locations across the state. I have to thank my production team for playing jenga with schedules and transportation to make sure we got all the locations we needed.
The second obstacle was New Mexico weather. We shoot a lot of this movie outdoors, and New Mexico weather can be very fickle in the summer. … I would wake up in the middle of night checking the weather app on my phone. We were incredibly fortunate that the weather never caused us to miss a day. We only had one thunderstorm delay. There were some brutally hot days, but we had a dedicated team who was watching out for our health and safety making sure we were hydrated, shaded, and safe.
Hello Out There plays Friday at the Santa Fe International Film Festival, one of our 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee. You can read more of our festival coverage here.
Main image: Hello Out There. Courtesy of the filmmakers.