ShortFilms Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Watch This: James Franco Freakout
Filed under: Comedy », Shorts », Fandom », DIY/Filmmaking », Trailers and Clips »
You know, I've always gotten an irrational thrill from watching good old fashioned physical destruction -- rock stars trashing hotel rooms, Gallagher sledge-hammering watermelons, you name it. Sure, it's a little immature of me, but I place the blame on my 'inner child', who's been known to be a little destructive now and again. So, personal idiosyncrasies aside, I have to ask: is there anyone who wouldn't enjoy watching lovable stoner James Franco wield a staple gun?
The Room Before and After is a 32-minute short film that appears in the latest issue of Wholpin (McSweeney's DVD magazine), and was directed by McSweeney's founder, Dave Eggers. There are other films included in the issue for the Room series starring Creed Bratton from The Office and comedian Maria Bamford, but I don't know if they contain quite the same level of mayhem as Franco's installment. The clip is the perfect combination of McSweeney's (and presumably Franco's) style of high-art mixed with abstract silliness, and it's a great of example of how Franco has slowly become one of the most interesting actors working today. He has the same great sense for silly comedy that he does for dramatic work -- and without the usual hang-ups of so many 'serious' actors. Not to mention, you have to love a guy that can go from likable weirdo to just plain weird in 51 seconds flat.
After the jump: Franco lays waste to a studio apartment and another of his famous 'freakouts'...
Watch This: Superhero Short, 'Nemesis'
Filed under: Shorts », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Trailers and Clips »
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I'm always on the look out for the next great short film. When I'm not writing on Cinematical, sometimes I'm watching boatloads of festival submissions for various friends in the film world, and while it's definitely a tedious task, I always feel it's so worth it when you discover that one gem ... because it's there, hiding under a stack of blah. It always is. This short film, titled Nemesis, arrived via email yesterday from Cinematical reader Leonard S. ... and I just kinda fell in love with it right away. It comes from Norway, and according to the YouTube description, Nemesis was part of a school project; an exam from last semester. It's scary knowing this is just a school project because I guarantee it could play in some of the larger film festivals around the world.
Nemesis follows a guy named Arne who, ever since he was a young boy, has been convinced he has super powers. However, since he hasn't been able to discover his super powers, Arne decides to put an ad out for an archnemesis in the hopes this person will help unveil his secret abilities. The short is embedded below -- and you can watch it there -- but I also recommend watching the larger HD version over on YouTube. Check it out and let us know what you think. FYI: Running time is about 8 minutes.
SXSW Finally Gets a Little Oscar Consideration
Filed under: Awards », Shorts », Oscar Watch »
OK, this topic might only interest a few movie nerds, but that includes me, so I'm writing it. Most people know that to be eligible for Academy Award consideration, a film must play theatrically for at least a week somewhere in Los Angeles County within the calendar year. But what about short films? There are categories for those at the Oscars (usually announced coincidental with the viewing audience's bathroom breaks), but surely those little live-action and animated flicks didn't play theatrically somewhere. I mean, when do you ever see short films in a theater other than in front of the new Pixar movie?
The answer, which you can read for yourself in the Academy's rules, is that for short films, they either have to play theatrically (for three consecutive days, at least twice a day), OR win a best-in-category award at an Academy-approved film festival. And that makes a lot of sense -- the only way most of us ever see shorts at all is at film festivals.
So which festivals "count" for Academy purposes? I'm glad you asked, because it brings us to the reason for this post. The current list of approved festivals is here, and it has the usual suspects -- Toronto, Sundance, Venice, Cannes, Berlin, etc. -- plus about 60 others all over the world. And the news that's a semi-big-deal for our friends in Austin is that our beloved South By Southwest Film Festival has just been approved as an addition to that list. From now on, any short film winning the top prize at SXSW is eligible for Oscar consideration. SXSW is legit now!
The Exhibitionist: Long Story on Short Films
Filed under: Animation », Foreign Language », Independent », Romance », Shorts », Exhibition », Columns », Cinematical Indie »
When was the last time you saw a short film in the theater? I don't mean an 85-minute animated movie; I mean an actual short, like they give separate Oscars to. Otherwise known as a short subject, defined (by the Academy) as anything with a running time less than 40 minutes. Chances are, unless you attend film festivals, go to see the toured screenings of Oscar shorts, or bought a ticket to Paris, Je T'Aime, it's been awhile since you actually saw a short film on a big screen.
Or, maybe I should specify that it's likely been awhile since you purposefully went to see a specifically timed screening of a short film or compilation of shorts at the theater. Technically some ads for Coca-Cola and other companies, the ones made by novice filmmakers as part of a competition or something, count as shorts. And, I'm fully aware that some arthouse cinemas, such as NYC's IFC Center, run a short film in place of pre-show commercials. But as far as I can tell, such shorts are not specifically advertised as screening at a designated time. Sure, you can go on the IFC Center's website and find out that Erik Rosenlund's Looking Glass is the short currently being shown (as it was this past week when I saw Trouble the Water there), but for most people (myself included), it's a surprise. And I doubt anyone has trekked to IFC just to see that particular film, unless anyone is a huge aficionado of frightening black and white Swedish animation.
Middle East Film Fest Adds a Short-Film Competition
Filed under: Other Festivals », Cinematical Indie »
It will be a few more days before we find out the lineup for the inaugural edition of the Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi, but festival programmers have announced one thing already: a short-film competition open to anyone living in the Middle East.The Hayah Film Competition ("hayah" is Arabic for "life"), sponsored by the festival and by Abu Dhabi Women's College, is taking the theme "life at the size of an iPod screen." Projects must be less than five minutes long and submitted in an iPod-compatible format. All the entries will be watched and judged on iPods; it may not surprise you to learn that EmiratesMac Apple User Group is also a presenting partner in the competition. Entries can be submitted now through Sept. 27, and prizes (including cash) will be given in student, professional, and amateur categories.
The Middle East International Film Festival is new, but it has a few things going for it already. One is its director, Jon Fitzgerald, a veteran festival programmer and co-founder of Slamdance, whose appointment Kim Voynar told us about in July. Another is its location. Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world and is the capital of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, a modern, wealthy nation on the Persian Gulf. The film festival will be held at the Emirates Palace, a hotel so opulent it makes Charles Foster Kane's Xanadu look like a Motel 6.
For more information on the short-film competition, visit the Hayah Film Competition's website. For more on the festival itself -- which runs Oct. 14-19 -- check it out here.
Short Films Popping Up On Sam Raimi's Ghosthouse Website
Filed under: Horror », Site Announcements », Lionsgate Films », Sony », Shorts », DIY/Filmmaking »
While most fans were preoccupied with whether or not Sam Raimi would be continuing the Spider-Man franchise -- and it seems that that neither Toby Maguire or Raimi can make up their minds on that question -- the director has been focusing some attention on his plans for "multi-platform" projects, which of course means projects that have components designed for the Web, cable and other non-theatrical arms. A few weeks ago, Chris had news about Raimi's collaboration with FearNet (a horror site created by Sony, Lionsgate, and Comcast) for a seven part online series through his own Ghosthouse Pictures. Now, Ghosthouse is premiering some web films of their own, on their own site.There are four shorts in total, and the subject matter includes the usual chestnuts of standard horror films, such as the bimbo and the babysitter in peril. Not to mention a surprising amount of skin snatching. The directors for the shorts are Ben Ketai, Toby Wilkins, John Coven, and Peter Logreco, and Ghosthouse seems to be keeping both Ketai and Wilkins busy, since they are working on the FearNet projects as well. There are five more films promised on the Ghosthouse site, but no word on when that is going to be, or whether Raimi has any intention of making his own short for the site, or how deep his commitment to multi-platform filmmaking will go in the future. Considering the amount of rumored Raimi projects on the horizon, I doubt he is going to have the time to focus on much else.
Flying High for Short Films
Filed under: Shorts », Distribution », DIY/Filmmaking », Movie Marketing », Contests »
So you've completed that short film, and now you don't know what to do with it. Submit to festivals? Sure, but everyone does that. Now Delta Airlines is partnering with Gen Art to give you a chance to have your film seen by thousands of captive audience members strapped into their seats at 25,000 feet. Plus you can win cash (and what filmmaker can't use some of that to pay off those credit cards maxed out in completing that film?), travel, and a trip to Sundance 2007!
If you want to enter, you have until October 31, 2006. Five finalists will be chosen by "industry professionals" ( I assume by industry they mean the film industry) to have their short shown both online and on Delta's domestic transcontinental flights. All finalists will receive a pair of round-trip tickets good for any domestic Delta flight. The five finalists will be voted on through audience balloting (both online and on Delta flights) and the winner will receive (drum roll please) $10,000 cash (!), a pair of round-trip tickets valid for international travel on Delta, AND a trip to Sundance with a guest, where he or she will be feted at a celebratory party, where the winning film will be shown.
Geez, what are you waiting for? Official rules and entry form can be found right here. So dust that short off and get it in already. And if a Cinematical reader happens to have their film chosen as a finalist, let us know!
Midnight Madness Comes To Brooklyn
Filed under: DIY/Filmmaking »
Do you have what it takes to write, shoot, edit and score a movie in one day? Probably one of the more intense film competitions, The Brooklyn Midnight Run asks you to do just that. Beginning at midnight on September 24th and ending 24 hours later, this is one of those tasks sure to bring out the caffeine addict in anyone. I had the pleasure of participating in The NYC Midnight Run this past June and let me tell you – I'm still feeling it. The only drawback is that teams are expected to have at least one member present, in Brooklyn, for the theme announcement prior to send-off. However, that shouldn't stop some of you insomniacs from bumming a ride off that friend who still owes a favor.
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