Australian filmmaker Anthony Frith directs a mockbuster film in six days for The Asylum
Consensus Summary
Anthony Frith, an Australian filmmaker, directed *The Land That Time Forgot*, a low-budget mockbuster produced by The Asylum, in just six days. The film’s production was documented in *Mockbuster*, a critically acclaimed documentary that premiered in Australian cinemas on 27 August. Both articles highlight the extreme constraints of the shoot, including a minimal budget, rushed script, and last-minute fixes like upside-down Russian flags and a garage door mistaken for a battleship. Frith’s experience reflects The Asylum’s business model, founded in the late 90s, which prioritizes rapid, low-cost production to maximize profit. While the Guardian emphasizes the cultural and artistic aspects of mockbusters, ABC delves into the studio’s operational quirks, such as the six-day window adopted to avoid COVID testing costs, and the shift from human special effects artists like Glenn Campbell, who died in late 2024, to generative AI. Despite the film’s flaws, Frith views the experience as a valuable learning opportunity, akin to film school on steroids.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The film *The Land That Time Forgot* was shot in six days
- The Asylum studio was founded in the late 90s
- Anthony Frith directed *The Land That Time Forgot* and documented its production in *Mockbuster*
- *Mockbuster* premiered in Australian cinemas on 27 August
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Frith described the target audience for Asylum films as 'the truck driver who’s driven 16 hours'
- The Asylum’s COO, Paul Bales, stated: 'We make shitty movies, for people with bad taste ... we’re barely above porn.'
- Frith’s *Mockbuster* documentary was well-received by critics and has broad appeal
- Frith compared The Asylum’s approach to Roger Corman’s support of emerging filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese
- The Asylum’s 'six-day special' filming window was adopted to avoid COVID testing costs on the seventh day
- Frith initially thought the shoot would take 10 or 12 days, based on Wikipedia
- The Asylum’s special effects artist Glenn Campbell died in late 2024, and his work was replaced by generative AI
- Frith’s first child was born shortly before he joined The Asylum
- The Asylum’s mockbuster *Sharknado* spawned a five-movie franchise
- Frith’s wrap party included a carton of beer and doughnuts bought by actor Dave Margetts
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The Guardian does not mention the COVID testing rationale for the six-day shoot, while ABC attributes the six-day window to avoiding testing costs on the seventh day
- The Guardian does not mention the five-movie *Sharknado* franchise, while ABC explicitly states it as a fact
- The Guardian does not mention the use of generative AI replacing Glenn Campbell’s special effects, while ABC reports this shift
Source Articles
‘We’re barely above porn’: why would a film-maker choose to make a deliberately bad ‘mockbuster’?
With a tiny budget and six days, Anthony Frith directed a film for the studio behind Sharknado – and then made Mockbuster, a documentary about the experience Directors don’t tend to appreciate having their films eviscerated by critics. And us critics, well practised in lobbing proverbial grenades from the safety of our pretentiously book-lined, Cahiers du Cinéma-strewn offices, don’t tend to look an artist in the eyes and tell them that their work sucks. This is, however, exactly what I do to th
Most movies take months to film. This Australian director did it in six days
The studio behind Sharknado pumps out hundreds of 'mockbusters' a year. Anthony Frith is the first Australian to bring the chaos Down Under.
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