Filmmaker Hasraf 'HaZ' Dulull Talks Masterclass on Sci-Fi Filmmaking

By Randi Altman

Hasraf “HaZ” Dulull is a producer/director and a hands-on VFX and post pro. His most recent credits include the features films 2036 Origin Unknown and The Beyond, the Disney TV series Fast Layne and the Disney Channel original movies Under the Sea — A Descendants Story, which takes place between Descendants 2 and 3. Recently, Dulull developed a masterclass on Sci-Fi Filmmaking, which can be bought or rented.

Why would this already very busy man decide to take on another project and one that is a little off his current path? Well, we reached out to find out.

Why, at this point in your career, did you think it was important to create this masterclass?
I have seen other masterclasses out there to do with filmmaking and they were always academic based, which turned me off. The best ones were the ones that were taught by actual filmmakers who had made commercial projects, films or TV shows… not just short films. So I knew that if I was to create and deliver a masterclass, I would do it after having made a couple of feature films that have been released out there in the world. I wanted to lead by example and experience.

When I was in LA explaining to studio people, executives and other filmmakers how I made my feature films, they were impressed and fascinated with my process. They were amazed that I was able to pull off high-concept sci-fi films on tight budgets and schedules but still produce a film that looked expensive to make.

When I was researching existing masterclasses or online courses as references, I found that no one was actually going through the entire process. Instead they were offering specialized training in either cinematography or VFX, but there wasn’t anything about how to break down a script and put a budget and schedule together; how to work with locations to make your film work; how to use visual effects smartly in production; how to prepare for marketing and delivering your film for distribution. None of these things were covered as a part of a general masterclass, so I set out to fill that void with my masterclass series.

Clearly this genre holds a special place in your heart. Can you talk about why?
I think it’s because the genre allows for so much creative freedom because sci-fi relies on world-building and imagination. Because of this freedom, it leads to some “out of this world” storytelling and visuals, but on the flip side it may influence the filmmaker to be too ambitious on a tight budget. This could lead to making cheap-looking films because of the over ambitious need to create amazing worlds. Not many filmmakers know how to do this in a fiscally sensible way and they may try to make Star Wars on a shoestring budget. So this is why I decided to use the genre of sci-fi in this masterclass to share my experience of smart filmmaking to achieve commercially successful results.

How did you decide on what topics to cover? What was your process?
I thought about the questions the people and studio executives were asking me when I was in those LA meetings, which pretty much boiled down to, “How did you put the movie together for that tight budget and schedule?” When answering that question, I ended up mapping out my process and the various stages and approaches I took in preproduction, production and post production, but also in the deliverables stage and marketing and distribution stage too. As an indie filmmaker, you really need to get a good grasp on that part to ensure your film is able to be released by the distributors and received commercially.

I also wanted each class/episode to have a variety of timings and not go more than around 10 minutes (the longest one is around 12 minutes, and the shortest is three minutes). I went with a more bite-sized approach to make the experience snappy, fun yet in-depth to allow the viewers to really soak in the knowledge. It also allows for repeat viewing.

Why was it important to teach these classes yourself?
I wanted it to feel raw and personal when talking about my experience of putting two sci-fi feature films together. Plus I wanted to talk about the constant problem solving, which is what filmmaking is all about. Teaching the class myself allowed me to get this all out of my system in my voice and style to really connect with the audience intimately.

Can you talk about what the experience will be like for the student?
I want the students to be like flies on the wall throughout the classes — seeing how I put those sci-fi feature films together. By the end of the series, I want them to feel like they have been on an entire production, from receiving a script to the releasing of the movie. The aim was to inspire others to go out and make their film. Or to instill confidence in those who have fears of making their film, or for existing filmmakers to learn some new tips and tricks because in this industry we are always learning on each project.

Why the rental and purchase options? What have most people been choosing?
Before I released it, one of the big factors that kept me up nights was how to make this accessible and affordable for everyone. The idea of renting is for those who can’t afford to purchase it but would love to experience the course. They can do so at a cut-down price but can only view within the 48-hour window. Whereas the purchase price is a little higher price-wise but you get to access it as many times as you like. It’s pretty much the same model as iTunes when you rent or buy a movie.

So far I have found that people have been buying more than renting, which is great, as this means audiences want to do repeat viewings of the classes.