Independent Short Film

It’s that time of year again…all the presents have been returned or run out of batteries, most new year’s resolutions have been broken, and the Sundance Film Festival is just around the corner.

Incredibly, we’ve been invited to cover the many Independent Short Films being screened at the festival.  We’ll be able to blog, vlog, tweet, and  otherwise document the goings-on of the fest.

I’ve seen various trailers for some of the Sundance Shorts, and I’ve gotta tell you, there are some treats to be found, and I’m positive that our team at the festival is looking forward to viewing them.

To whet your appetite, I’d like to highlight some of the things I’ve found.  For today: Drunk History.

Filmmaker Jeremy Konner has found a clever trick for creative storytelling–filming drunk people and having them talk about historical events.  He then has A-list actors re-enact the story as told by his subject.  The results are….interesting.  Some might find them hilarious, some might find them offensive, but mildly amusing.  At any rate, these short films are sure to find an audience.  Two such films are screening at this years Sundance Film Festival, Drunk History: Douglass & Lincoln and Drunk History: Tesla & Edison.

Douglass & Lincoln features Don Cheadle (Oceans 11,12, & 13, Crash) as Frederick Douglass and Will Ferrell (Step Brothers, Stranger Than Fiction) as Abraham Lincoln.

Tesla & Edison features John C. Reilly (Step Brothers, Walk Hard) as Nikola Tesla and Crispin Glover (Beowulf, Back to the Future) as Thomas Edison.  You may remember these two actors from the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? or heard their voice-acting this past September in the animated feature, 9.

As a taste of what to expect, here’s the first installment featuring Michael Cera.  And remember, if the humor isn’t your cup of tea, you’ll most certainly find something at the festival that suits you better.

Be sure to check back here for more updates on the festival. And leave a message in the comments about what YOU want to see at or from Sundance!

In other news, we’ve recently acquired a new domain and will be transferring this blog to it over the next few weeks.  (If you remember my last post, I’ve been having a lot of problems with hosting, and since this blog is a subdomain of brighterplanet, which I don’t own, I need to find a more reliable solution.)

The past few weeks have been a nightmare because every time I would post a new blog entry, the site would go down for a few days, presumably because of high levels of traffic.  Long story short, you can now find us at independentshortfilms.org which means that you should be sure to update your bookmarks, subscribe to the new feed (RSS or ATOM) for free, automatic updates, link to the new domain from your blog, site, or social networking profile(s), and tell all your friends about the move.

In the meantime, you can check back here, and I hope to officially “launch” the new site in February.  (It’s up already, but I’m still working out a couple of things, so just consider it a beta version.)

Looking forward to our future!

A remarkable opportunity was recently extended to us when we received an invitation to attend the screening of a very noteworthy Independent Short Film, as you may discover in this excerpt from the press release:

“After winning Best of Fest at LA Shorts Fest ‘09, the 28-min. American short movie ‘The 8th Samurai’ directed by Justin Ambrosino, became eligible for an Academy Awards nomination in the Live Action Short Movie category. Academy members will soon be able to cast their votes from which a short list will be issued for the nominations.”

As you probably may have guessed, this film was an homage to the director of the film Shichinin no Samurai (Seven Samurai), Akira Kurosawa, and the screening was hosted by the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, who generously supported the film.  The screening was followed by a reception and a Q&A session with the filmmaker.

Francis De La Torre was in attendance.  Here’s what he had to say about the film and the event:

“When life gives you lemons, make lemon flavored saké,” a statement that describes Justin Ambrosino’s tragicomedy, “The 8th Samurai.”

The film is an empathetic tale that unravels the emotional impact experienced by “Nanshu,” (Eijiro Ozaki) when he is fired from his first big acting role in an upcoming movie, the first day of shooting. The director (Toshi Toda), having experienced a spiritual awakening, realizes that the movie cannot contain 8 samurais, as originally thought, but rather only seven. As the story progresses, Nanshu goes through several stages of grieving, ultimately coming to acceptance of his fate, and becoming a stronger person from the process.

Although Nanshu was not the most dexterous of individuals, I found myself walking in his shoes from opening scene. An insecure, overly zealous young man, trying to fulfill his dreams as well as the expectation of others, something we all have experienced. As he developed, I caught myself chuckling at him as he tried to cope with a rapid decomposing of his “big break,” saying to myself, “I know what you are going through.” At that point, I realized that filmmaker Justin Ambrosino had me.

Ambrosino, a recent graduate from The American Film Institute, did a remarkable job bringing to life the insecurities that accompany success and the pursuit thereof–from over-preparation and eagerness to please to the quiet voice in the back of our heads which constantly tell us we are not adequate for the tasks that lay before us. Success is a never-ending circle of constant inner-struggle. It is only when we come to a place of self-acceptance that we can experience self-admiration and obtain the confidence needed to reach our fullest potential. Ambrosino communicated this flawlessly.

I found the film profoundly encouraging. What gave the film even more depth was the vulnerability that Ambrosino displayed during his open Q&A following the screening. Having his first thesis film denied approval for production by the The American Film Institute, Ambrosino was left in a frustrated condition to devise a plan B. Having to experience first hand much of what his lead character encountered, (including saké), Ambrosino developed and told a story of a tragedy, that ultimately resulted in self growth and acceptance.

The sobering story was delivered with class as well. Ambrosino’s aesthetic for the film is reminiscent of traditional Samurai movies, shot in black and white with humorously nostalgic editorial transitions. An all Japanese cast deliver the dialogue in their own language, providing us a timeless sentiment to this timeless story. The film was very enjoyable, and I highly recommend it to anybody that has experienced discouragement but possessed the fortitude to press on.

Rating: 4.5/5

Written by: Francis De La Torre
www.8bitfilms.tv
twitter: 8bitmindset

Oh, by the way, I do feel I have to apologize, I’ve been having hosting troubles lately, and will probably have to switch soon (any tips?) but if you tried to access this site and couldn’t, first of all, I’m sorry, and second, thanks for coming back.  This post was a long time coming, but I’m glad to finally share it with you.

First a preface, and then a disclaimer:

I’d like to begin by saying that I have very strong personal objections to creating a music video and slapping the name “short film” onto it.  I’ve seen it done numerous times and it really irritates me.

That said, I’ve decided (perhaps subjectively) that the short film in this post is, in fact, an Independent Short Film and not a music video.  Here’s why:  The film was made by a film student, not the artist.  Although the story has its origin in the lyrics, the independent musician had nothing to do with the production of this short film.

And now the disclaimer:
This short film will probably offend some viewers.  The lyrics of the song contain words which many find to be inappropriate.  They also describe a scene of violence and abuse, which in the short film, although animated, is nonetheless disturbing.  However, I found the film to be powerfully moving, and the social and spiritual messages conveyed are what compelled me to post it here.  I do hope that you’ll watch it, but be advised that it is not suitable for everyone.

That’s the name of a great article I read at timesonline.co.uk just a minute ago.

Here’s a link.

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Two quick take-home points:
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Know your goal in making a short film. As mentioned on this blog numerous times in the past, Independent Short Films are often a touchpoint for networking with others in the industry (at festivals, for example) and planning other projects such as features.
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Keep it short. There’s a reason why it’s called a short film.  Wikipedia tells us, “There is no clear definition of the maximum length of a short film, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences classify it as 40 minutes, while the Internet Movie Database refer to any film lasting less than 45 minutes as a short subject.”  Your 45-minute short film might technically qualify by some standards, but if a festival organizer has to choose between screening your film or 12-15 other films, my money would be on the others.  Here’s a good rule of thumb: The longer your short film is, the more exceptionally remarkable it must be in order to justify its length.
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The rest of the article deals with elements of story.  At the end, there’s a link to a sales page for the book that inspired the article.  I have no connection with the book or the article, but I’ve heard good things about the people behind the book, from shootingpeople.org so if you ever get your hand on a copy, let me know how it is.
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Until next time.

This Independent Short Film was more than I expected, honestly.  I’m constantly surprised by the ideas people have, especially for animated short films.

What do you think?

This is an interesting, not to mention remarkably well-done Independent Short Film put out by the New Zealand Book Council.

Leave Me from Daros Films on Vimeo.

Simply beautiful.

This prize-winning Independent Short Film was produced by Vinn Bay and Tee Boon Leng for a video competition as part of the ADI (Alzheimer’s Disease International) conference in March 2009.

I’ve been sitting on this Independent Short Film for a while, hoping to contact the filmmaker, but no luck so far.  It’s been long enough, and I have to keep you entertained.

This is really well done, and I hope you like it.

Noteboek from Evelien Lohbeck on Vimeo.

This Independent Short Film has been getting a lot of attention.  The film is aptly named Synesthesia,  which is a myriad of sensory stimulation.

I hope you enjoy it.