Chad Costen: From Homemade Monster Movies to Mister Sandman
Anthony Epp sits down with filmmaker, visual artist, and Vancouver Film School instructor Chad Costen to discuss the long journey behind his new fantasy feature film, Mister Sandman. Chad reflects on discovering filmmaking through Star Wars, making homemade monster movies as a teenager, and building a career that spans directing, visual effects, creature design, and teaching.
The conversation explores the making of Chad’s first feature, The Coming, the lessons learned from early filmmaking struggles, and the years-long process of bringing Mister Sandman to life. Chad shares how a proof-of-concept trailer helped launch the project, why he created a series of interconnected short films to support the feature, and how the pandemic forced major changes to casting and production plans.
Along the way, Anthony and Chad discuss creative collaboration, independent filmmaking, practical effects, and the importance of finding the right team. They also dive into the influence of Star Wars, the storytelling philosophy of Robert Zemeckis, and Chad’s upcoming theatrical tour for Mister Sandman across Western Canada.
Listen now for an honest conversation about resilience, creativity, and what it takes to turn a lifelong passion for filmmaking into a feature film.
Follow Ken's Indie Horror Feature Remnant here:
Follow Ken Kabatoff's newsletter The Film Founder here:
https://kenkabatoff.substack.com/about
Follow Anthony Epp's newsletter The Filmmaker's Notebook here:
Follow Ken & Anthony on Instagram here:
