This is the first short film directed by James Cameron and created with the help of several of his student friends. It was financed by a group of Californian dentists looking for a quick tax write-off. Cameron co-wrote and co-directed it as a test movie to show his designs, hoping to attract investors for a full theatrical version of the story, and to start a career in the world of cinema. The latter ultimately happened when he was discovered by Roger Corman, who gave him a job as a special-effects supervisor.
James Cameron originally hoped to turn his short into a feature length film, but was unable to secure financing for it. However, the footage attracted the interest of Chuck Comisky, who gave him a job as a designer and special effects photographer on Battle Beyond the Stars (1980).
The music is 'borrowed' from Bernard Herrmann's Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and Mysterious Island (1961) scores (both Ray Harryhausen movies)