from youtuber spreadingthemuse:
Here is an explanation of the perennial science fiction weapon. LASERS. Every show uses them but do any of them really know why? Here I explain the formula behind their power, and using video clips from many recognizable science fiction sources (and other surprises), I segway into another science fiction weapon based on the formula for Kinetic Energy. This weapon isnt what sci-fi says, but it is exactly what it means.

Despite being my longest movie (10 mins on the nose, thanks for being patient) this one was almost one of my fastest. The plot and general formula for this just flashed into my head with a pang, and I spent a month writing it before I had the spare time to film it, which took me under a month. The whole thing was already in rough cut form in under 2 weeks, which goes to show how valuable pre-preparation is.

In addition to Lasers and Kinetic Energy, my original idea was to mention Nuclear Weapons far more extensively, using each weapon in the context of what TV tells us to expect vs what the disappointing reality will be. That idea is expressed in the laser section, but then dropped in favor of Kinetic Energy's history lesson, which I found more entertaining. I didnt plan on using Lord of the Rings footage when I started, but when in the middle of hard-boiled movie-making, the movie gives you its ideas and you had better follow. Choosing video clips is always half the fun. Interesting how the one clip from ALIENS which made me upload the movie in the first place was the one that I didnt use. And the one clip from ALIENS which I'd almost never heard of before was the one that saved my ending. I have the expanded edition DVD, with about 30 minutes of footage never seen in theaters. 1 min of that ended up here by accident, as I was totally stumped on how to end this thing until I ran across one expanded speech by Hudson which I had seen only once before in my life. If I didnt have the expanded DVD I dont know what the ending would have turned into. So much of this is plain random creation of the moment.

Movies are easy. Just the BEGINNING and ENDING is hard. The ending you see here was my THIRD attempt to get something I liked. First it ended with Babylon 5, then Space: Above and Beyond, then Buck Rogers, and on and on. Its the hardest thing in the world to wrap everything up in a concise way when you dont even know what to say. George Lucas once said that screenwriting was like watching a movie with the sound going in and out with a broken projector, and I understand completely. All your inspiration says is what it DOESNT like, rarely if ever telling you what you should do instead.

Due to its predicted length, which I always knew was going to be pushing it, I almost cut this one into a two-parter, where I would have had a quaint "To Be Continued" tacked on to the first one. I wanted that mainly to see if people watch short movies more often than long ones, but in the end it wasnt necessary, and one fluid narrative is best. Far more important was making sure that Bruce Boxlietner got screentime in two separate shows, one of which driving a lightcycle.
As I said, inspiration makes its own rules. ;)

So, after putting a half dozen clips from ALIENS in here, what was the one that was my original idea yet didnt use?

"LT, what do those pulse rifles fire?"
"10mm explosive tip caseless. Standard light-armor piercing round. Why?"

As with so much else, it looked good on paper. ;)