Behind 'THE 3RD STATE': How Young Filmmakers Made an Indie Sci-Fi Pilot for Only $40k
- Mary Jane
- Apr 9
- 5 min read
Most people think you need millions to make a sci-fi series look professional.
The team behind The 3rd State proved that wrong with a $35-40k budget, 10 days of shooting, and the kind of chaos that makes for legendary BTS stories.
This is how a 22-year-old filmmaker and his crew battled snowstorms and broke 25+ mirrors to create a sci-fi drama pilot that releases July 29th, 2026.
Table of Contents
The Budget: Where $40k Actually Goes
Production Chaos: Snowstorms, Car Crashes, Icy Roads
The Ronin 4D Advantage: 30-40 Setups Per Day
Practical Effects: Breaking 25+ Mirrors
The Asheville Locations
Post-Production: Solo VFX Journey
The Full Moon Release: July 29th, 2026
The Budget: Where $40k Actually Goes in Indie for Young Filmmakers
Filmmaking
The money went to locations, food, transportation, cast/crew salaries, and equipment rental.
Art and production design ate 15% of the budget—significant for an independent production.
The Two-Month Thrift Store Hunt
Creator Ethan Suess and Art Director Kai'ana Ghassabian spent two months hunting thrift stores, hospice care homes, and vintage markets within 100 miles.
The show is set in alternate timeline 2004, so every prop and electronic device had to be period-accurate.
The crew of young filmmakers worked discounted rates or free, everyone wore multiple hats, and they called in every favor they had.
According to Film Independent, most micro-budget indies spend 20-30% on crew and talent, making this allocation typical.
KEY TAKEAWAY: The 3rd State prioritized on-screen value through strategic spending while keeping costs low through months of thrift hunting and crew working for equity.
Production Chaos: Snowstorms and Icy Roads
The Snowstorm Evacuation
A major snowstorm hit during the 10-day shoot, forcing a complete schedule shift.
The entire team was staying at PARI Institute in Pisgah Forest—a former NASA base doubling as the show's research facility.
They faced a time-critical evacuation before roads iced over.
The Mountain House and Car Accident
The crew house (which also served as Gabriella's house) sat at the top of a mountain.
They evacuated before the storm but couldn't get one car out.
When they returned to retrieve it, the road had iced over—and Ethan Suess slid his car into a ditch from the ice
Still Shot That Same Day
They still had to shoot later that day.
Car crash, icy roads, snowstorm—they changed locations, moved to a hotel, and kept filming.
Add in a truck breakdown, and weather and vehicles became the production's biggest obstacles.
No Film School notes weather delays are a top reason indie films go over budget—but The 3rd State pushed forward.
KEY TAKEAWAY: The production faced evacuation, icy roads, a car crash (same day they still shot), and a truck breakdown—but adapted by changing locations and maintaining momentum.
The Ronin 4D Advantage: How Tech Saved Time and Money
The 3rd State was shot using the DJI Ronin 4D and Sony FX3 cameras.
DP Matteo Bonaddio chose the Ronin 4D for a reason—it became the production's secret weapon.
Four-Axis Stabilization and 30-40 Setups Per Day
The Ronin 4D uses four-axis stabilization—the "chicken head" gyroscope system that let them pull off shots requiring expensive setups and more time.
On some days, they hit 30-40 setups.
That pace is insane for any production, but the Ronin 4D made it possible.
The Gyroscope Handheld Trick
Ethan could hold the monitor and control the gyroscope to fake handheld motion the gimbal would replicate.
Organic handheld feel with stabilization—no tacky gimbal look.
This replaced multiple crew members and traditional rigs a bigger budget would require.
Sony FX3 with Military-Grade Night Vision
The FX3 handled scenes the Ronin 4D couldn't—specifically astral projection sequences.
They used a military-grade image intensification tube (night vision device) on the FX3's sensor.
This increased photon intensity by 10X, letting them shoot the astral realm in near-darkness with the FX3's already incredible low-light capabilities.
Watch the pilot July 29th at the3rdstate.net/watch to see these techniques create the show's visual style.
Practical Effects: Breaking 25+ Mirrors for One Scene
Why CGI when you can do it practically?
That philosophy drove the glowing crystal pushing through a bedroom vanity mirror.
Pure Trial and Error
The team broke over 25 mirrors nailing this effect.
They tried scoring glass, cutting it, pushing crystals through from different angles, different crystal types and sizes, various lighting techniques.
No YouTube tutorial—just trial and error.
The Bad Luck Factor
Breaking 25+ mirrors comes with superstition.
The team joked they probably have terrible luck now—though maybe it cancels out.
Practical effects are making a comeback as filmmakers push back against over-reliance on digital VFX.
Why It Matters
Practical effects have tangible quality CGI struggles to replicate, especially on micro-budgets where rendering time and software costs add up.
The crystal mirror exists in-camera—actors react to something real, creating authentic lighting interactions.
See the full BTS documentary at the3rdstate.net/bts to watch how they pulled it off.
The Asheville Filming Locations
The 3rd State was filmed entirely in and around Asheville, North Carolina, with multiple locations standing in for fictional Farpoint, Virginia.
PARI Institute: Former NASA Base
The show's research facility FARO was shot at PARI Institute in Pisgah Forest.
A real former NASA tracking station gave them authentic scientific facilities without building expensive sets.
Other Locations
Black Mountain, Gerton, Chimney Rock, and South Asheville near Biltmore Estate.
Managing multiple locations on a 10-day shoot means coordinating crew transportation, equipment moves, schedule adjustments.
The mountain geography provided perfect backdrop for the isolated Appalachian town setting.
Post-Production: The Solo VFX Journey
Ethan Suess is handling all editing and VFX himself—massive undertaking.
When asked about the VFX work: everything has been a learning curve.
Going from directing/producing to solo VFX requires learning new software, techniques, and problem-solving.
The Full Moon Release: July 29th, 2026
The 3rd State pilot releases July 29th, 2026—a date chosen intentionally.
Why July 29th?
Full moon.
They wanted a July release, and the full moon timing felt right for a show about consciousness, astral projection, and reality manipulation.
Where to Watch
Free on YouTube at the3rdstate.net/watch.
Available in English, Spanish, Hindi, and Mandarin.
Mark your calendar for the full moon release: July 29th, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of camera did they shoot The 3rd State with?
DJI Ronin 4D and Sony FX3. The Ronin 4D handled most production with four-axis stabilization, while the FX3 was used for astral realm scenes with military-grade image intensification.
How was The 3rd State pilot made independently?
Small crew led by 22-year-old Ethan Suess, who self-funded the $35-40k budget. No studio backing—just a dedicated independent team.
How many days did The 3rd State shoot for?
10 official production days, plus 2 no-crew days filming bike scenes. Production faced a snowstorm creating unique challenges.
Where was The 3rd State filmed?
Asheville, NC area: PARI Institute in Pisgah Forest, Black Mountain, Gerton, Chimney Rock, South Asheville near Biltmore Estate.
Is there a behind-the-scenes documentary?
Yes, feature-length at the3rdstate.net/bts. Michael Fitzpatrick was primary BTS videographer.
When and where can I watch The 3rd State pilot?
July 29th, 2026 (full moon). Free on YouTube at the3rdstate.net/watch. English, Spanish, Hindi, and Mandarin versions.
How were the crystal mirrors made?
Hand-made through trial and error. Over 25 mirrors broken experimenting with scoring, cutting, different crystal types/sizes, various lighting techniques.
Who's doing post-production?
Ethan Suess is editing and creating VFX. Everything's been a learning curve, with AI augmenting some VFX combined with human artists.
Conclusion
The 3rd State proves independent filmmaking is about resourcefulness, persistence, creative problem-solving.
Breaking 25+ mirrors, crashing cars on shoot days, pulling 30-40 setups with innovative camera tech—this production embodied scrappy indie sci-fi spirit.
Watch the pilot July 29th, 2026 at the3rdstate.net/watch to see what $40k, 10 days, and relentless determination can create.
Check out the feature-length BTS documentary to witness the chaos, creativity, and collaboration that brought this sci-fi drama to life.
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