We receive a ton of tips every day from independent creators, unaffiliated with any major motion picture studios, television networks, new media studios, or other well-funded online video entities. The Indie Spotlight is where we’ll write about and shout out to a select few of them and bring you up to speed on the great (and sometimes not-so-great) attention-grabbing series you probably haven’t heard about until now. Read previous installments here.

An upcoming indie project is looking to create one of the most unusual crossovers imaginable. Reality Check, a short film seeking funding on Kickstarter, plans to combine the moody sci-fi of your average Philip K. Dick adaptation with those Progressive Insurance commercials. Seriously.

Saying it like that is a gross oversimplification, but the concept is certainly a novel one. Cora Benesh will play Elion, an employee for an insurance company who travels time to investigate claims for accuracy. Of course, as this is a moody, noirish sci-fi film, she will become embroiled in a wide-reaching scandal. Reality Check‘s creative team describe Elion as a “strong female protagonist”, which is no doubt a bit lacking in the sci-fi genre.

The best part of Reality Check, however, is its visuals. Director Chris Buchal has apparently spent a more than a year designing his special effects, and they look glitchy, twisted, and surreal. For a film seeking just a $10,000 budget, I’m impressed with Buchal’s vision.

Based on the Kickstarter’s success, I’m not the only one. Reality Check has already pulled in more than $3,000, meaning it only needs to raise $7,000 more in 27 days to reach its goal. Based on Kickstarter trends, the Portland-based team is likely to reach its mark, and the end result should be a doozy.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT:

Final Fantasy VII: The Web Series. The hugely popular RPG is getting a hugely ambitious web series adaptation if this series’ creators can raise 400k on Kickstarter.

Alabama Ghostbusters. The iconic film franchise gets a fan adaptation set in the deep South.

Englishman In LA. A posh English gent must adjust to the fast pace of life in Tinseltown.

Headshop. A drama that explores the trade of a new, dangerous synthetic drug in Memphis.

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