David Elmer edits his film Insolitus Eventus about aliens invading Earth, which was shot in Suffolk, in his Needham Market flat.

HOLLYWOOD’S typical depiction of alien invaders bent on world domination is being turned on its head by a Suffolk filmmaker.

Insolitus Eventus on location in Stowmarket

Director, David Elmer, is bucking big screen conventions of sinister spacemen obliterating big cities by setting his first film closer to home.

For his debut feature, Insolitus Eventus, the 31-year-old turned a surreal dream into a story of unexpected alliance between the human race and an ancient undiscovered clan of river-dwelling creatures, formed to fight evil from outer space.

The sci-fi tale was inspired by a strange dream in which Mr Elmer imagined beaked locusts descending from the skies above Ipswich. But rather than shrugging off the bizarre nightmare he set about developing the story and writing a script.

An IT Technician at Ipswich’s Northgate High School by day, Mr Elmer took the bold decision to pick up a camera and start shooting without any financial backing. “There is no budget!” he said. “A former colleague helped with some of the funding and the rest has come from my wages. It’s been a whirlwind few months since we started filming in April.”

Suffolk, and in particular Rendlesham, have long been synonymous with extra-terrestrial intrigue and paranormal folklore, so Mr Elmer needn’t have looked further than his own doorstep for appropriate locations.

The cast and crew used local settings as the backdrop to a meteoric assault which threatens the world - and the film’s trailer even includes the Orwell Bridge being blown up by an intergalactic projectile. Mr Elmer continued: “We used Landguard Fort for the key military scenes and filmed at Stowe vets, Northgate and Suffolk Water Park.”

When not on location, most of the filming was done at Westhorpe Village Hall, where Insolitus Eventus is set to premiere on Friday, March 23. The hall was temporarily transformed into a green screen studio, with Mr Elmer adding special effects in post-production.

For the first-time filmmaker the whole experience has been the realisation of a dream. He said: “From a young age I have always come up with ideas for films but only since working within a creative environment at the school have I embraced the encouragement to learn and push forward.

“I thought I would need loads of money but discovered I just needed dedication.”

Mr Elmer hopes to make a comedy film next, followed by an animated adventure and a possible sequel to Insolitus Eventus. Find out more about the film by visiting www.insolituseventus.co.uk.