Directing a Horror Sci-Fi Film, Practical Effects vs CGI & AI | Tyler Edward | Sonderverse S2 E4

In Episode 4 of Season 2 of Sonderverse, I’m joined by Tyler Edward — a Media Arts and Business student at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota.Tyler is currently directing, editing, and producing a full feature-length horror sci-fi film as part of his college capstone project alongside fellow students. The film, titled Captive, is now approaching its final stages with hopes of releasing in May 2026.We begin by looking back at Tyler’s early life, where creativity showed itself in simple ways — filming skits and videos with his siblings on mobile devices. Interestingly, filmmaking wasn’t always an obvious path for him. It was something he discovered and grew into later in life.Over the past few years, Tyler has immersed himself in the horror genre, producing several short films and now taking on his most ambitious project yet with Captive. He shares insights into the filmmaking process — from initial ideas and storytelling to production, editing, and the challenges of figuring out distribution.We also talk about the emotional side of creating something you care deeply about: managing feedback, navigating perfectionism, and learning when to refine and when to let a project breathe.The conversation turns to filmmaking craft as well — Tyler explains his preference for practical effects over CGI, and we explore how AI is beginning to influence the future of filmmaking and the creative industries more broadly.We wrap up the episode with some quick-fire questions about Tyler’s filmmaking influences, favourite films, and personal creative preferences.This episode is about creativity, persistence, and discovering your path as you go.One story. One guest. One connection at a time.00:00 Trailer 01:25 Intro to Tyler04:30 How Tyler and Luke know each other   07:40 Tyler’s move into creating a feature length film12:30 Is a feature length film common for aCollege/University Final project?16:30 What is the film ‘Captive’ about?20:00 What inspire the movie Captive and film-making29:00 How much has been invested into make Captive asfeature length film35:00 Battling with Perfectionism in Tyler’s Work 39:40 Dealing with Rejection on feedback 44:40 Tyler’s plans for the premier for Captive and thefuture for the movie57:00 Refining the Horror genre of Film-making1:02:04 Tyler’s aspiration goal to be a film director 1:05:29 The impact of Ai in the Film-making industry1:19:30 Ireland rolling our UBI for starving artists1:23:00 Future film ideas that are possibilities 1:25:30 Quick fire questions1:36:00 Tyler's final takeaway___Tyler's Instagram: http://instagram.com/tyleredward.filmsTyler's Website/Portfolio: http://tyler-edward.com/___Sonderverse Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonderverse_?igsh=emNxZ2dyM2Q2bmUx Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sonderverse_?_r=1&_t=ZN-922wouifMz0Sonderverse Show Platforms:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0CqjSKCCnjeloKJ9EDFCPX?si=H8JxEvmMRgm8iSnF5ybb3w Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sonderverse/id1849352087