Other Half
As an Individual Being in a world comprised of Merged Couples, Ren longs to find his other half and become complete.
DIRECTED BY Lina Kalcheva
Written BY Laura Jayne Tunbridge
Produced by Michelle Brøndum
As an Individual Being in a world comprised of Merged Couples, Ren longs to find his other half and become complete.
ABOUT THE FILM
This animated short was produced as a graduation project at NFTS. It combines several animation techniques - namely plasticine, oil paint and model sets on a multiplane.
Other Half premiered at Cannes Cinéfondation, alongside 16 other student films of all genres as part of Festival de Cannes. It won the award for Best Sponsored Short at our festival this year. It was also nominated for Best Animated Short at the British Short Film Awards and Best Post-Graduate Animation at the British Animation Awards. Festival highlights include the Academy Award qualifying Hollyshorts, Flicker’s Rhode Island International Film Festival, SITGES, Underwire, British Shorts Berlin, Foyle Film Festival, The Chicago International Film Festival, Norwich Film Festival, Bolton Film Festival.
It was released online recently by Directors Notes.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Lina is a Bulgarian animation director currently based in England. Her animation work uses combinations of different techniques across drawing, painting and stop-motion. Lina is interested in experimenting and mixing techniques. Her films are inspired by mythology, nature, the occult, and human relationships. She has also done some design and art direction work for student video games. Lina has a BA in Art, Film and Theatre from the University of Reading (2017), an MA in Animation from the London College of Communication (2018) and she has just finished her MA in Directing Animation from the National Film and Television School (2021).
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH LINA
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself/yourselves and your filmmaking background?
I’m Lina Kalcheva and I’m an animation director. I have a background in film theory and fine art and switched onto animation as a kind of combination of everything I was interested in - research, visual storytelling, experimenting with techniques, working in a team. Before Other Half I had directed a few other shorts but nothing close to that kind of scale, so it was a really great experience for me.
Tell us about the genesis of Other Half. This was produced at NFTS, yes? What was that experience like?
We made Other Half as our graduate animation project. The support and resources we had available to make the film were something I’m appreciating even more in retrospect after graduating from NFTS, and in general the environment was very engaging and inspiring - while also of course being quite intense, always coming up with new things we wanted to achieve and never feeling like there is enough time for everything. It felt like there was a lot of space to experiment and try things we hadn’t done before, and we always ended up finding a way to make them work no matter how complicated they seemed initially - which was obviously stressful at the time but has given me a lot of confidence as and animator and a director in the long run. Generally though, having the team come together and working with so many talented people I could learn from was the best part and I’m super happy to have found collaborators I can bring to future projects.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Other Half and how did you overcome them?
I think the film would have always been challenging but doing it during the pandemic definitely didn’t do us many favours. Since it was a new technique there was a lot we had to just guess about without being able to test in person - things like scale, materials, colour, timing - which then inevitably required lots of adjustments once we got back to working together in person. Although I think we eventually realised that there was no way to fully plan for everything in advance and got really good at setting time aside for experimenting and problem-solving alongside the shoot, and we ended up with really cool things from that process.
Gender politics can be a divisive topic, but what we love so much about Other Half is that the character is gender neutral which enables audiences of all genders to relate to the protagonist. Can you talk about the decision to tell this story from a gender neutral perspective and how that contributes to the film's universality?
As far as I remember the decision was really easy - Michelle (producer), Laura (writer) and I were talking about all these archetypal characters we wanted to create and it just didn’t feel right to gender them because that felt like it immediately made the characters - “a vain woman”, or a “self-absorbed man”, or it made the relationships we’re representing seem like we’re addressing issues that pertain to a specific sexuality - when really all of this seemed irrelevant and unnecessary - we wanted to have a universality in these experiences for the film - and the reception to that aspect of it has been super positive: people who watched it refer to Ren and the other main characters sometimes as male, sometimes as female, sometimes as gender-neutral and I’ve never really corrected anyone because it seems like people are projecting themselves or people they know onto the character regardless of gender and just looking at their relationships and the story - which is exactly what we wanted to do.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences. How have you found the online release of your film compared to its festival run?
Very different experience! Obviously going to festivals, sitting in on the screenings and really seeing people’s reactions was amazing (and a little nerve-wracking too) - but it was also great to finally put the film online a few months ago and make it more widely accessible. It became a Vimeo Staff Pick this summer and got nearly 20k views in just a couple of weeks which is still overwhelming for me to comprehend - nothing I have made before has been seen by so many people. It feels kind of weirdly abstract compared to going to a cinema and being a part of the audience but it’s definitely a nice feeling knowing that everyone’s hard work is being seen by so many people.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face in the early stages of their career when trying to break into the industry?
For me at least in the moment it’s finding funding and support to make more short films that can eventually help me get work on longer format stuff. It’s difficult to have projects stuck in development for a long time and keep the momentum and excitement for it going.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
I don’t know about hacks but the most useful thing I learned was making my work challenging and varied, so there’s always things to work out and solve the whole way through. Animation being such a long and repetitive process it’s easy to kind of go on autopilot and ending up finding the work tedious - but if there’s always something new to figure out and learn, I find it a lot more engaging and exciting.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
My favourite animation is La Planete Sauvage (1973) - beautiful visually and really unconventional, kind of distant approach to a fantasy narrative. I also love everything by Satoshi Kon and I’m a fan of campy fantasy and sci fi from the 70s and 80s - Labyrinth, Flash Gordon, Neverending Story, etc.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Oluwale
The first documentary to explore the story of David Oluwale, a Nigerian immigrant chased or thrown into the River Aire by Leeds Police in 1969.
Written, Produced & Directed by JEREMIAH QUINN
OLUWALE is the first documentary to explore the story of David Oluwale, a Nigerian immigrant chased or thrown into the River Aire by Leeds Police in 1969.
ABOUT THE FILM
Oluwale won the Best Micro-Budget Short award at our 2023 film festival and was also nominated for Best Screenplay. It also won Best Documentary at the Kino Manchester Film Festival and Small Axe Radical Film Festival. It was also an Officials Selection at the BAFTA and BIFA qualifying festivals - British Urban Film Festival and Bolton International Film Festival. It also played at the Real Documentary Film Festival, Filmmakers for Change, and Shorts on Tap Venice.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Jeremiah Quinn is a screenwriter, filmmaker and lecturer. He has won many awards in film festivals all over the world. He often tells stories of real people who aren't well-known. He has had various feature scripts optioned. Jeremiah is shooting his first feature documentary right now.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH JEREMIAH
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
When I was 19 I was offered a few weeks work in a 35mm cutting room and have never looked back. I worked on a lot of high budget productions but took to videography when cheaper cameras came out. I have also written screenplays. Have an agent. Had some scripts optioned, others commissioned. I also teach filmmaking in a few places.
Tell us about the genesis of Oluwale? When did you first get exposed to this story and how did it affect you?
Oluwale is an old Leeds United song which haunted me since I was a boy. I always wondered what it was about. I didn't recognise "Oluwale" as a name, so I thought it was a nonsense rhyme. Decades went by and one day I found a book about the case and the mystery was solved. I thought it was an amazing story and I wanted to tell it. I found it very moving. I grew up in Leeds and it was very multicultural and inclusive and the Oluwale story was very disturbing and in the end satisfying. It's like Red Riding blending into Line of Duty. It's incredible that my film is the first on the subject. It would make an extraordinary film or TV show. I didn't have the budget or the profile for that so I made a personal documentary.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Oluwale and how did you overcome them?
We needed archive to tell it. Yorkshire Film Archive did a deal which reflected it was my own money. They were great. The archive is so beautiful, it was my first time making an archive film. Aarif Laljee the editor was my main collaborator on this. He watched everything in the archive. We did an edit and sent it off to YFA and they told us which bits we couldn't use. There were some LUFC matches that were off limits and a few other bits and pieces. They also told us at this point that the police cadet film which we had used extensively was part-owned by West Yorkshire Police. We were crestfallen. But Graham at YFA gave us an email address to write to and the police surprisingly gave their permission for free and with no further questions. Oluwale is about a police atrocity, but it was a young police cadet who told Scotland Yard about it and they went after the perpetrators and got convictions.
Aarif then played a blinder by finding the son of the policeman who was the whistleblower, and adding him on LinkedIn. He told him we were making a film about Oluwale and his dad. As it turns out, the son is also a policeman. He let us film his dad's scrapbook and gave us a video of his dad getting his Ph.D. So we've ended up making a tribute to his father, who is not known or recognised for what he did. The son is absolutely delighted with the film and has passed it on to be used as part of police diversity training.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
I always say to my students not to make a short film over 15 minutes. The reality is that for a programmer looking at our film which is 21 minutes, they are saying No to perhaps three or four other films to say Yes to us. And that is very hard for them. But Oluwale did pretty well at fests. It opened a couple of festivals and was played by itself in a couple of festivals, won three awards, including one at Kino. We are just starting to share online and the numbers are good so far. Online is the most important section of distribution of a documentary I think. You want it out there being seen by thousands. I find it strange that the police love it so much. I imagine that for anyone who knows Leeds it will be very interesting to see it in the past and present in the film but it will take time and the algorithm to find them. The first two motion picture shots in the world were shot in Leeds in 1888 and one of them includes the very place that Oluwale was thrown into the river. We have not yet connected to Leeds United's fanbase, and they are bound to love it.
Jeremiah Quinn pictured here at the Kino London Short Film Festival awards show.
What do you think is the biggest challenge emerging documentary filmmakers face in the early stages of their career?
With the invention of the 5d Mark ii on the 17th September 2008, suddenly filmmaking was in the hands of anyone with a disposable income. Youtube was just three years old back then, and small affordable handheld audio recorders and cheap editing software and powerful computers were already in place. So the access is incredible for me because I can remember each of these inventions and the very dark era that we lived in before that.
The challenge now is the noise. Years ago I applied to a festival where I knew no one: Milan IFF. I sent them two copies of my film on DVD, that was still how it was done in 2012. I won Best Short that year. When I submitted there were hundreds of submissions but now there are a few thousand. That is the problem. Would that same film get picked out today against thousands of others? Probably not. Look at the submission numbers, they are huge. And remember that any programmer goes to other festivals and probably invites some films. They also have friends who are filmmakers and so not all the slots in any festival are up for grabs. Added to that many festivals will block book BFI funded films or all the NFTS graduate films, or all the regional funding body films so there aren't 80 slots in an 80-film festival. It's really hard to get into festivals no matter how good your film is you will have to face a lot of rejection. You have to keep going, keep the passion for your project, and set a budget and a time limit for your festival run. You should also focus on what you want to do by making a film. Take pride in your craft, enjoy what successes come, and don't curse the festivals that don't accept your film. Except Leeds IFF, who rejected Oluwale, which is unforgivable.
What advice or hacks would you give to other documentary filmmakers?
I think you should be very generous as director of short films. Nobody will ask you about your editor or your scriptwriter. We won a prize with Oluwale and in the review they wrote they wrote "[Jeremiah] Quinn cuts to images of newspaper clippings". It was edited by Aarif Laljee during lockdown. I literally wasn't there when it was cut. Nobody will ask about your team. So do what I just did and big them up. They will want to work with you again and you will still be given all the credit.
Very few narrative short films are based on truth. I don't know why this is. With documentary or films based on truth, however obscure the story, there are still people who are interested in that area and they make a natural audience for your film. I recommend niche projects as well, and that is one very effective way of cutting through noise. I made a film called Incognito, closely based on truth, about two Nazis on the run who used to meet for coffee. UK Jewish FF played it and then loads of other Jewish fests around the world picked it up. I didn't even have to apply, they wrote to me and requested it on FilmFreeway. Naturally the submission numbers for any niche festival are tiny compared to non-niche so you are much more likely to be selected. Also many of them are free. This is a big hack. Whoever you are, there are niche things that you love, whether it's your religion, your sexuality, or the fact that you go foraging each weekend.
Another hack of mine, and it took me a while to latch on to this, is that small festivals rock. There's a natural prejudice in novice filmmakers against lower prestige and smaller fests. I got into a small festival a few years ago, Souq, in Milan. I saw a brilliant film and got introduced to the director. I told him how much I loved his film. We had a great old chat. He was remaking the short into a feature which was called Les Miserable, which was nominated for Best Foreign Oscar the following year. At a small festival you meet everyone and you are aware of all the filmmakers. By contrast there's a festival, big and prestigious, I got into a few times. Each time you file in, watch your film with a packed audience and then file out into the night. I stopped applying as there didn't seem to be any point. Some big festivals are very good at the networking and introductions thing, but small fests don't have to be. If there are thirty people at an event, you are going to meet most of them.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
I love An Irish Goodbye, it deserved every bit of success that it got. It doesn't seem to be released yet, but the French short The Girl who Never Watched Friends is superb. I make my students watch Standby so I've seen it twenty times but it still hits me.
Did you mean by me? I made a very quirky short about a man I met in bookshop who told me extraordinary stories about himself and they were all true. Charles - A Life in 5 Books. Otherwise Incognito and The Strange Death of Harry Stanley are the films I'm proudest of.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
#NOFILTER
Beth, an insecure twenty-something, becomes obsessed with an insidious filter, leaving her to question real beauty.
Written & Directed by Nathan Crooker
Produced by Maya Korn & Nathan Crooker
Insecure twenty-something Beth struggles with her digital self-image until her friend Micah introduces her to a transformative filter. The digital magic boosts her online presence and attracts new admirers, but the allure comes with a dark and insidious price.
ABOUT THE FILM
#NOFILTER won Best Horror Short at the 2022 edition of our film festival. Not only did we think it was a winner, but this short hit 100+ festivals & won 50+ awards including Best Horror Short at the Phoenix International Horror and Sci-fi Film Festival, Director Award for Unique Concept and Execution at Filmquest, Best Score at Horror Haus Film Festival, and a Special Jury Mention at Shockfest. Other notable Official Selections include Flickers Rhode Island, Dances with Films, Chicago International, Screamfest LA, Crystal Palace, Unrestricted View, Boston Sci-FI, Atlanta After Dark, Horror-On-Sea, and Shivers.
It was recently released online via Omeleto.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
NATHAN CROOKER, with roles as a Producer, Director, Writer, and Actor, transitioned from commercials and music videos to specialize in horror. His recent shorts, "Playback" and "Midnight Delivery," have achieved global acclaim, with "#Nofilter" making significant strides in the festival circuit. As a producer, he masterminded the horror anthology "Isolation" and produced "Before Someone Gets Hurt," featuring Michael Welch from "Twilight."
Behind Nathan is Ghost Gang Productions, dedicated to bold content across various platforms. Ghost Gang is passionate about diverse, disruptive narratives that echo contemporary social issues, especially in horror and dark drama. With a commitment to artistic collaborations and genre innovation, Ghost Gang's essence is about disruptive and compelling storytelling.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH NATHAN
Welcome back to our Short of the Week series. What have you been up to since we featured your film Midnight Delivery?
Thank you for welcoming me back to the Short of the Week series! I deeply appreciate the feature of "Midnight Delivery." That film, with the incredibly talented Danielle Guldin at its helm, holds a special place in my heart. Lately, I've been immersed in writing a few features and intensively developing projects with my production company, GhostGangProductions.com We're actively seeking scripts and building collaborations with visionary filmmakers.I'm also thrilled to share that "Isolation," an anthology film I created and co-produced with the talented James P. Gannon, at the height of lockdown is now on VOD. This anthology paints a vivid picture of a pandemic-stricken world through the lens of iconic horror directors like Larry Fessenden, Bobby Roe, Keir Sewart, Alix Austin, Andrew Kasch, and Christian Pasquariello. Lastly, I'm gearing up for my debut feature film, aiming to start shooting by year-end. It's indeed shaping up to be an exhilarating year!
Tell us about the genesis of #NoFilter. What was your inspiration and decided to put it into production?
The genesis of #NoFilter is deeply rooted in the phenomena I observed during the pandemic. As isolation became the norm, I began to notice a surge in the use of digital filters amongst friends and acquaintances. Whether it was borne out of boredom or insecurities, the filter usage increased noticeably. What began as perhaps a fun, quirky way to interact online seemed to morph into a standard. Suddenly, it wasn't just about sharing a digitally enhanced photo; the filters extended to casual family dinners and regular catch-ups. This continuous, perhaps excessive, use of filters began to concern me. It wasn't just a harmless phase unique to the pandemic's isolation anymore; it appeared to evolve into an integral aspect of self-presentation. The thought of "this isn't truly you" kept lingering. What happens when you post unfiltered content? Does your perception of self-worth hinge on the number of 'likes' a digitally enhanced version of you receives? Delving deeper into this, I stumbled upon the term "Snapchat Dysmorphia". It was alarming to discover that Snapchat had to retract certain filters due to the potential dysmorphic effects they could have. But even more startling was the growing trend in Europe and the US, where plastic surgeons, who once modeled procedures after celebrities, were now being presented with filtered selfies by clients wanting to emulate their digitally altered selves. While #NoFilter is undeniably a cautionary tale, it underscores pertinent issues that society grapples with today, issues that I believe, show no sign of fading away.
What I love about about #NoFilter is that not only is it a well crafted horror film, but it also has a lot to say. Can you talk about how you balanced the elements of social commentary with elements of horror?
Absolutely. When creating #NoFilter, it was essential for me to seamlessly blend horror with relevant social commentary. What I’ve always loved about the horror genre is it has always been a powerful medium to reflect societal fears, concerns, and critiques. So from the start story integration was key. I wanted to ensure that the social commentary was integral to the plot. Instead of just adding it as a secondary layer, it was woven into the fabric of the story. This ensured that the narrative wasn't just unnerving, but also thought-provoking. Character development was always key. Our characters are representative of various facets of society. Their experiences, reactions, and choices within the setting reflect broader societal issues, allowing the audience to both relate to them and I hope evaluate the deeper messages. I wanted incorporate subtle nuances as well. While it was tempting to be overt about our social critiques, we used subtlety to our advantage. We allowed the horror elements to serve as metaphors. I wanted to give the audience a chance to engage and interpret the film on multiple levels, depending on their own experiences and perspectives. In the filmmaking process I love sound design and the use of audio cues. The sound design done by Andrew Smetek, played a pivotal role. By juxtaposing certain sounds with key moments, we were able to accentuate the underlying themes without detracting from the suspense and terror. Ultimately you need to respect the genre. At its very essence, #NoFilter is a poignant drama about a young woman grappling with deep-seated feelings of inadequacy and pain. While the film is undeniably steeped in horror, every narrative twist and social commentary was carefully woven in to enhance the story's dramatic undertones, rather than overshadow them. My primary mission was to deliver a thrilling cinematic experience, but it was equally vital to leave the audience introspective and contemplative about the broader implications presented.The fusion of drama and horror enabled us to craft a tale that was both deeply unsettling and profoundly resonant. In the realm of horror, there's a unique potential to make viewers confront and reflect upon uncomfortable truths. With #NoFilter, our ambition was to harness this potential, using it as a vessel to spotlight critical societal concerns.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making #NoFilter and how did you overcome them?
Creating #NoFilter presented a myriad of challenges, but time undoubtedly stood out as the primary one. My vision for the film encompassed an extensive range of shots, each tailored to make the cinematic world feel not just immersive, but thrillingly dynamic. I aimed for the film's pace and flow to emulate the restless energy of a doom scroller, constantly moving and capturing the audience's attention. A significant credit for this achievement goes to my director of photography, Jason Banker. His expertise was pivotal in translating my vision to the screen. It's one thing to envision a story, but another to have an exceptional cinematographer who understands the nuances of storytelling. Jason's innate ability to capture the essence of a scene, coupled with his technical prowess, added layers of depth and dynamism to #NoFilter. His collaboration was instrumental in ensuring that every frame not only looked visually stunning but also narrated a part of the story, driving the narrative forward. Jason is also a director, who’s done some two incredible horror features that are must see, the cult hit Toad Road and Felt. Back to our story, both Jason and I were keen on achieving unique shots that not only looked visually compelling but also significantly advanced the narrative. This often translated to numerous takes to capture a scene just right, leading to extended hours on set. However, the dedication of our cast played a crucial role in helping us manage time. Our lead Kelly Lamor Wilson, Misha Osherovich, and Sam Bixby were nothing short of exceptional. Their ability to consistently deliver on every take, regardless of the demands of the scene, was a incredible. Their professionalism and commitment helped us save precious hours. Another significant time challenge was the intricate makeup required for Kelly. The removal process was notably lengthier than the application, eating into our tight schedule. That said, our makeup team was absolutely stellar. Their expertise and efficiency ensured that the quality of work wasn't compromised, even under time constraints. What made a considerable difference was the foresight to conduct makeup tests before the actual shoot. This pre-emptive approach allowed us to perfect the look in advance, ensuring that no time was wasted on set making adjustments. Despite these challenges, the dedication and expertise of our fantastic crew ensured that #NoFilter was realized as envisioned, and I hope delivers a visually and narratively compelling film to the viewer.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences. Midnight Delivery and Playback both had good festival runs, but #NoFilter seems to be your biggest festival hit yet. Is that fair to say? You played over 100 festivals and won more than 50 awards. What do you think is the secret to your success?
Thank you for recognizing our journey. Indeed, the path from 'Midnight Delivery' and 'Playback' to #NoFilter has been marked with both challenges and triumphs. #NoFilter, in particular, has seen remarkable success in the festival circuit, which has been wonderful. The subject of Snapchat filters and body dysmorphia is undeniably timely. Today, with the pervasive influence of social media, the issues surrounding self-image, digital alterations, and their impact on mental health are more relevant than ever. #NoFilter sought to explore these nuances, diving deep into the psychological repercussions in a horror setting. The success of the film, I believe, lies in its resonance with the zeitgeist. Audiences could see a part of their own experiences and anxieties reflected in the narrative. Couple this with a passionate team dedicated to perfecting every detail, from story to production, and we had a film that both entertained and provoked thought. Every element, from storytelling to cinematography, was meticulously crafted. We aimed for each frame to echo the aesthetic of an Instagram feed. In post-production, tools like Neat Video were utilized to eliminate noise, rendering a crisp, saturated image, emulating that quintessential 'Insta' vibrancy. Our cast and crew's dedication was unparalleled, ensuring our vision was perfectly translated on screen. Another pivotal element to the success of #NoFilter is its compelling musical composition. I'm an avid collector of horror soundtracks on vinyl, which has cultivated in me a deep appreciation for the nuances of musical storytelling. Because of this passion, I'm especially discerning when it comes to selecting music for my films. This led me to the brilliant composer, Alexander Taylor. His grasp on musical composition is truly unparalleled. Alexander doesn't just create music; he meticulously crafts auditory experiences. He understands the intricacies of timing, ensuring that each note or chord strikes at the perfect moment to elicit the desired emotion from the audience. Beyond his technical mastery, Alexander possesses an intuitive sense for the nuances of music, enabling him to create scores that breathe life into scenes, adding layers of tension, dread, or relief as needed. Working with him was an enlightening experience, and his contributions significantly elevated the atmospheric depth of the film. Go check out Alexander Taylor’s score for the film on Spotify! I also want to add that we were fortunate to be able to incorporate a song from the gifted and up-and-coming artist Cottontail. Their track "Earworm" also on Spotify isn't just thematically in sync with our film's message, but it's also irresistibly catchy and dance-worthy. It's a testament to their versatility as an artist, to be able to produce a track that resonates on such a thematic level. It is all these nuanced elements really make this film a success.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face trying to break into the industry?
One of the most daunting challenges that short filmmakers face when trying to break into the industry is visibility. The film landscape is vast, and ensuring that your work gets seen by the right eyes can be an uphill task. Many talented filmmakers produce incredible shorts that unfortunately go unnoticed because they lack the right platform or avenue for exposure. That’s why I feel Kino Short Films is invaluable. Your dedication to celebrating the art of short filmmaking is commendable. What I truly appreciate about you is your genuine love for cinema and your unwavering commitment to championing filmmakers. Kino offers a much-needed spotlight, ensuring that these short films don't just get seen, but that they're appreciated by audiences and industry professionals alike. I love that you don’t just provide a platform but you cultivate a community. It helps bridge the gap between emerging filmmakers and industry insiders, granting us as creators the visibility and connections we need to make our mark in the film world. Kino helps to level the playing field, allowing talent and passion to shine through. So thank you. Also budget constraints are always a challenge. Short films typically operate on limited budgets, which can restrict the quality of equipment, locations, talent, and post-production elements available to the filmmaker. You have to call in favor and in my case put on multiple hats if you want your film to excel. A real bummer after putting all the time an money into a short is you don’t really get it back. There’s no monetary ROI. It's often harder to monetize short films compared to feature-length projects. The traditional avenues of revenue for films, such as box office and distribution deals, are not as accessible or lucrative for shorts. Yet, some of us get lucky and a deal comes our way to turn our film into a feature or we find that companies who want to buy our shorts in put them into an anthology. This has happened to me numerous times with Playback and Midnight Delivery which can be seen in the anthology feature Nightmare Radio - The Night Stalker, Strange Events and Charlotte The Return. As short filmmakers reach out to these companies with your films!
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
There are countless films I'd recommend, but since we're focusing on shorts, I'd love to highlight a few that really stand out to me. First off, Kelsey Bollig’s “The Fourth Wall” and "Kickstart My Heart" which is a must-see. Then there's Ramone Menon’s wild works "My Scary Indian Wedding" and "The Pey." Ryan Valdez’s incomparable films, "Make It Stop" and "We Got A Dog," are both amazing. The talented twin duo, Rob and Russell Summers, have created impactful pieces with "I’ll Be Back Tomorrow" and "See You On The Other Side." The pulse pounding bangers, “Retch” by Keir Siewert and “Sucker” by by Alix Austin. “Lastly, don't miss out on Christian Bachini’s bat shit crazy film “Escalation." All these filmmakers are making waves in the industry, and I'd highly recommend following them on their social media platforms. They're rising talents are worth keeping an eye on!
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
RoButler
Overworked in the email department at the a local Welsh council, Cwnt Jones purchases a personalised AI assistant in order to help make his life better- the RoButler.
Written, directed, edited & starring James Button Director of Photography & visual effects Paul Marke
Overworked in the email department at the a local Welsh council, Cwnt Jones purchases a personalised AI assistant in order to help make his life better- the RoButler.
ABOUT THE FILM
RoButler was created for the London Sci Fi 48 Hour Film Challenge. It was nominated for Best Micro-Budget Short, Best Performance in a Comedy, and Best Editing at the 2023 edition of our Kino London Short Film Festival. It also played at the BAFTA qualifying Carmarthen Bay Film Festival and the BIFA qualifying Short Com and The Shortest Nights.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Welsh filmmaker from Wales who loves making weird, wacky and silly comedy- James Button has made films about aliens, dinosaurs, time travelling in traffic, adorable goats and dog poo! Double BAFTA Cymru-nominated writer/director of 23 short films, all gaining official selections and screenings. Mostly comedies, they've nabbed 57 awards at international film festivals and competitions. James had fun making fun films for fun for the past 10 years alongside working full-time in commercial work. In 2023 James is now focussing on longer-form projects with two (dream) comedy feature scripts he is very excited to get made.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH JAMES
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
Ever since getting my hands on a camcorder at age twelve I’ve been making all kinds of nonsense. I simply love it and can’t imagine doing anything else, so have somehow managed to get away with basing my life about making stuff.
My favourite things in life are traveling, sleepovers, friends and films- and filmmaking kinda blends all of them.
Brilliant. So yeah basically, I just haven’t stopped making my own projects my way about fun things that we have fun with which hopefully people have fun watching! Never having had big budgets, my small band of filmmaker friends have had to get super creative with DIY indie filmmaking to make a lot with a little.
Tell us about the genesis of RoBulter - how the project came about and where you found your inspiration?
Well, this one never really should have happened.
Paul Marke and myself had previously done the London Sci Fi 48 Hour Film Challenge twice before- not taking it too seriously with me playing an angry Welshman shouting at aliens once (Flying Visit) and an AI house the other (Melting Point). So when Paul messaged me the day before the Challenge in 2022 and was like, “you up for it?”, I was like “oh alright then”. However, I had a migraine, we had ZERO budget, ZERO crew, ZERO cast but any excuse for a sleepover, even one with ZERO sleep.
What is the most challenging and/or exciting aspect of creating a film in 48 hours?
Subconsciously, I think we really wanted to test (or punish) ourselves by defaulting back to barebones DIY filmmaking to see what we could get away with.
I grabbed a few costume bits (including a tux and coloured contact lenses) from my dressing up box and just the two of us...went for. We ended up roping in Paul’s statistician wife Helen, his cat Narla (also a keen statistician) and then our composer (James Morris) popped around to see what we were up to...which resulted in him getting recruited on his first ever film set as boom operator, body double and prop maker. He even had to make a circuit board that would fit up my bum.
I think the most exciting thing about making a film in 48 hours is just getting to make something- no excuses. There is no time to overthink, self-doubt, delay- you just have to commit and dive in headfirst and really push yourselves. It’s mad.
Did any pre-existing creative ideas happen to fit the brief for RoButler or did you make the film 100% from scratch?
I knew I’d probably have to play multiple characters as we didn’t have any (actual) actors lined up so on the way over in the car I cycled through some weird voices to try see who I could invite to the party. Then I basically went off to a bedroom and wrote way too many silly scenes based on a quickly brainstormed concept with Paul, of someone stressed (based on our clients) who tries to get help, but only makes things worse.
In terms of scripting it was relatively simple as I knew I’d be improvising around it anyway (I can’t help myself) and having played multiple characters before I kinda knew what could and wouldn’t work.
Also Paul is a VFX genius and the real brains behind getting this actually made. Although whilst writing, I completely accepted we probably wouldn't get it done in time...but it would be fun. Turns out...we got it done in time and despite it being a whirlwind without sleep, oh it was fun.
Would you ever continue working on the film after 48 hours for your own personal satisfaction, or once the deadline is complete do you walk away from making any tweaks?
The version of RoButler selected at Kino (and other festivals) is a polished version where basically Paul revamped some of the VFX, James Morris did a new sound mix (he was sleep mixing the first time) and I attempted to do a re-edit. However, I soon found the frantic pace, lack of sleep and rushing really gave the film the energy so barely made any tweaks as part of the magic of a 48 hour film is the harnessed fun and ticking clock vibes. So just because we loved it, it seemed to go down well (and because we thought it would be really funny for it to get into festivals!) we did a visual polish and an audio tidy- and sent it out!
If you had more time to work on this project, what is the main thing you would like to change/develop further?
I think I’d make something better to be honest!
It’s a love/hate thing with me and RoButler- like I love that we bashed something out in a couple of days and that we’re still screening it all over. Buuuut I’m also painfully aware every time I watch it that we can do so much more!
If we had more time, any money, and probably even a bit of planning we could make something more reflective of where we are in our filmmaking adventure. I think RoButler is what it is, a very silly film- too fast and and something that shouldn’t be taken seriously- which is kinda our style but would really love now to get one of the backlog of comedy short scripts produced to have some fun for a little longer!
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
I originally popped RoButler straight on YouTube after we finished but I think seeing the laughs it got, I was tempted to see if we could get it seen on a bigger screen with a live audience. I feel I really learn a lot by screening our comedies live as although my heart goes way too fast, I like how you can hear and feel the reaction it gets to learn from it about pacing, gags etc. for next time. But really didn’t expect it to go to like five BIFA and BAFTA qualifying film festivals and I’m not just saying that! It’s shot in Paul’s kitchen, with a tiny crew, with a script I rushed out to just make Paul laugh and it feels as rushed as it was- however, it is short and fun so I’m more than happy to have it be an ice-breaker laugh, or palette cleanser after a proper heavy drama or just something to wake people up literally going “what the hell is this?” (which I’ve witnessed happening!).
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
Oh just go and make some stuff. I know it sounds too simple and has been said a billion times. Obviously you’ll be capped to an extent without a budget and all that- but if you can find filmmaker friends (just one apparently!) who loves doing it as much as you, even if it’s just a weekend go have some fun and practice.
I’ve made films for so long now but it's only really when I’m running around doing a bit of everything, solving silly practical problems (“how do we make the lights move when the drone flies in?” “Fishing wire!”) or laughing on set that I feel I’m really living it and learning from it.
Paul Marke is one of the best filmmakers I’ve ever met- a truly amazing person, dedicated and reliable friend but a damn good filmmaker. He inspires me by making a thirty minute comedy sketch show just to get out of doing a speech at his own wedding, which ended up being better than a lot of commissioned broadcast TV comedy- and just the quality of the work he can create on a whim with a laptop is insane. He can do that because he just does that- as in, he just goes and does it and if he hadn’t messaged me asking “you up for the 48 sci fi challenge tomorrow?”, I wouldn’t be here now. Writing this I mean, not dead.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
Argh! This was the only question that scared me because it’s so much pressure with so many better filmmakers reading this who have already seen them all!
I think I’m going to have to do a cheat answer...(sorry) and say, go to a film festival. Go in blind. No recommendations, no hit list, no hype, no expectations. A whole block of short films..no wait, multiple BLOCKS of short films.
Some of the best learning and some of the best constructive conversations I have is coming out of a screening with some trusted friends, going and hiding in a coffee shop (or on a sleepover) and just go through them ALL. What did you think? What did you feel or did you even? Why didn’t they work? What would you do differently? I’ve found you can really bond with collaborators over this and find your tribe, because your director to DP relationship or with your composer or any collaborator really can really be proven when you find yourself in agreement on this. Once you watch films and talk films with people, you soon find yourself making better films and the films that you all want to make.
Obviously you always try work with people that are better that you (I do) but also with ones who’d do things the same way or wouldn’t do that or would do this instead? Sorry I don’t know if any of this makes sense but basically watch SHORT FILMS. Watch good inspiring films and just as importantly watch yummy BAD films. You can literally watch like 300 in a weekend (I did earlier this year!. So I’d say go to Kino 2024 ;)
That was a flirt. Sorry what was the question?!
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
The Fool's Mate
A man tries to break up with his girlfriend. She thinks he’s about to propose.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Cian Llewellyn
produced by Jack Pollington
A couple’s relationship is at a cross roads - as he attempts to break up, she thinks he’s about to propose. But will an impromptu chess game finally force the truth to come out?
Fred and Holly have met up at London’s most eccentric pub, the Nag’s Head. Fred’s there to confess he’s been cheating and that they’re breaking up. But he’s nervous…so nervous in fact that Holly assumes he’s about to propose and tries anything to keep the conversation from getting serious, since she wants to keep things casual. To her aid come the pub’s ‘House Rules’ requiring the couple to engage in an impromptu chess match, strictly enforced by an over attentive waiter who sees all, says little but implies plenty. As the battle on the board reflects the psychological one between Fred and Holly, the distraction tactics become more obscure and the frustration, palpable.
ABOUT THE FILM
The Fool’s Mate stars Chris Lew Kum Hoi and BIFA Winner Nell Barlow as the couple in question. At Kino, we first became aware of this awesome short when it was submitted to our Kino London Short Film Festival. It was selected to screen and Nell Barlow earned a Best Performance in a Comedy nomination. The film also played at the BAFTA/BIFA qualifying Bolton International Film Festival, and the Wales International Film Festival. It was recently released online via Omeleto.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Cian Llewellyn’s debut short, ‘The Outing’ gained UK and US recognition, picking up 11 Official Selections and 4 Awards including ‘Best Short Comedy’ at the Wales International Film Festival and during the lockdown of 2020, Cian wrote, performed and produced ‘The Bike’ a short film, shot entirely on an iPhone, inspired by his own experience of fear and anxiety in a Covid lockdown which went onto win ‘Best Monologue’ at the Imagine Rain Film Awards and ‘Best Covid Film’ at the Toronto Independent Film Festival of Cift.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH CIAN
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
Having initially trained as an actor at RADA, I adapted Dylan Thomas’ timeless short story ‘The Outing’ into a short film. Born in Nottingham and fiercely proud of my Welsh roots, we shot it in the village I was brought up using a group of local friends, not actors, relying on their natural wit, camaraderie and chemistry to come through on-screen. It was a great fun to make and opened my eyes to directing and in particular it’s very collaborative nature.
I then ran on commercials and high end TV, including Steve McQueen’s ‘Small Axe’ - watching him work was enlightening and inspiring. He actually watched ‘The Outing’ in a prison cell in Canterbury on the last day of the shoot which was pretty special - thankfully he liked it.
In 2020, following the death of a close friend, I wrote a monologue on the nature of fear and anxiety during the Covid lockdown. We shot it in the area surrounding my parents home and I edited it myself. It felt fulfilling to have something creative going on during that strange, empty time and poignant that something positive came out of something tragic. It was a bit of a wake up call personally too - proving that there’s no excuse not to be making something - even if it is on an iPhone. A year later we shot the Fool’s Mate.
Tell us about the genesis of The Fool's Mate?
I love a pub and the older, more characterful the better. I was introduced to the Nags Head when at drama school and as I grew into film I couldn’t help but think it would make for the most brilliant set - unique, beautiful and eccentric. Every single thing you see in the pub, apart from the House Rules board, is as you find it - it’s one of London’s great gems.
First and foremost, I wanted to make something engaging and entertaining that didn’t take the audience for granted. I was keen for the story to somehow reflect the idiosyncrasy of the setting and to play with the characters having very clear goals but mistaking each other’s. As an audience we are in a privileged position (or so we think…) jumping between both characters to understand what they want, then to see that manifest in them being unable to be honest for fear of hurting the other person, in a way only the British can do so brilliantly.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making The Fool's Mate and how did you overcome them?
We shot the film in May 2021 towards the end of the second Covid lockdown. The landlord of the pub, Kevin Moran, is nothing if not eccentric and I couldn’t track down his whereabouts or phone number - it transpires, fittingly, he doesn’t own a mobile. Instead, I posted a hand written, wax stamp sealed letter through the front door and hoped for the best. A month later I received a call from an unknown number, it was Kevin. He took a little persuading…we needed to close the pub for the two day shoot, or at least not open until the evening, and he said he’d never closed for anyone apart from when the government forced him to and he wasn’t starting for me. Luckily we managed to twist his arm. Years ago he was an extra in films and secretly, and most certainly by the end, he loved the experience.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences. Tips and tricks for other short filmmakers looking to crack the festival circuit?
We were fortunate enough to have our premier at BAFTA/BIFA Qualifying Bolton International Film Festival which is brilliantly run and in a great city. But I’d say try not to make something with the sole aim of ‘cracking’ the festival circuit - it’s almost impossible to do so and even the most successful of films receive plenty of rejections. I think it’s just important to remember (and I have to remind myself of this) that every festival is subjective, it’s just a few people’s opinions and very often there can appear to be no rhyme or reason to an acceptance or rejection. Try not to pin your hopes on any one specific festival and celebrate all the acceptances. Tell the story you connect with the most and feels worthy of the blood, sweat and tears short films require - if it’s true to who you are you’ll have the best chance at festivals anyway. Just to add, we genuinely loved KINO - Dustin and the team are a force of nature and have created a vibrant, celebratory event in some of London’s most beautiful art house cinemas. Kudos.
How did you find the online release of your film compared to your festival run?
We submitted the film to Omeleto and they released it three weeks ago. I couldn’t believe it as the viewing numbers kept going up and two weeks in we were at over 66k views. The whole point of being an artist is to put your work into the world and have it seen, so reading all the positive comments, people sharing and liking it has been incredibly satisfying and rewarding - in that sense, it feels like the film has truly found it's audience.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
Use every contact you have. Be as tenacious and courageous as possible. If it feels risky and uncomfortable (but just about in reach) then do it. Just go make something!
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face trying to break into the industry?
Money - it’s widely accepted that short films are the way you progress your career but there just aren’t enough short film funds. Crowdfunding is a great option and then it’s self funding but even once you’ve finished the film you’re paying for the privilege to submit to festivals. The industry knows that 95% of people making shorts have no money but it also uses festival recognition, which you pay for, as a career barometer. So those with the most to gain (career wise) also have the most to lose (financially). That can be very demoralising for young filmmakers - especially when, in most cases, there’s no feedback on your work - something feels broken to me in that system.
Something a little less tangible is the lack of any real ‘ladder’ especially for director’s - there’s no clear path that people can walk, knowing they’re ticking off achievements one by one, like the qualifications of a lawyer or doctor. But in all honesty it is the work and the process of that work that is so invigorating. Getting up every day and thinking how I can make the next film - there is no better challenge than that.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
I love Thomas Vinternberg - anything by him but in particular, ‘Festen’, ‘Another Round’ and ‘The Hunt’. I’ve loved, ’SuperNova’, ‘Fanny and Alexander’, ‘Un Prophete’, ‘The Fallen Idol’, ‘Local Hero’, Withnail and I’. They are in the front of my mind at the moment as I’m developing something in that vain. It's not a film but, 'A Spy Among Friends' on ITVX - brilliant storytelling.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Influencia
After the loss of his mother, a drunk hunk juggles two very different identities.
Written & Directed by Ryan Rosenheim & Patrick De Vinck
Produced by Jan Luis Castellanos
A despondent young man, Cesar, wakes up on the beach hungover. As he readies himself for the day, more and more of his poverty is revealed. Mourning the loss of his mother, Cesar drinks himself into a stupor, listening to his mother’s old voicemail on repeat. After sobering up enough, Cesar sneaks onto a wealthy Malibu property to film a video with a Lamborghini.
ABOUT THE FILM
“Influencia” won Best Actor in a Drama at the 8th Annual Official Latino Film & Arts Festival.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKES
Ryan Rosenheim is an LA native, valley rat with a BFA in acting from the University of Michigan. There, he also minored in screenwriting and creative writing. After short acting stints at The Public in New York and The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Ryan returned to LA to pursue writing and filmmaking. Since then, he’s scored, written, directed, and acted in dozens of indie projects, some of which led to very educational optioning and pitching opportunities in the industry.
Patrick de Vinck, also a valley man, came back from his own east coast adventures at Rutgers where he studied economics. During the pandemic, Patrick delved back into creative endeavors and was able to seamlessly blend in his proclivity for numbers. Thus he put on his producer hat and reoriented his filmmaking aspirations toward being a producer-writer.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH RYAN and PATRICK
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
Throughout highschool, we (Ryan and Patrick) threw together a handful of goofy films. Despite Patrick dislocating his knee at the bottom of a three-mile hike shooting location, the joy we experienced while shooting these shorts mused about in the backs of our minds as we endeavored different paths at uni.
Ryan continued on, not in film exactly, but as an acting major and screenwriting minor at the University of Michigan. His senior year, however, Ryan returned to his roots to shoot a film called Scott for Now about a man with high quality intentions but horrendous execution.
Meanwhile, Patrick took a more practical route in school, but ultimately his love for filmmaking resurfaced. The childhood videographer and raconteur couldn’t hide from his true nature.
Tell us about the genesis of INFLUENCIA?
After graduating, Patrick joined his long-time friend Jan Luis Castellanos on the set of 13 Reasons Why. There, Patrick was inspired and began spitballing an idea that he wanted to write for several members of the cast.
A little rusty, Patrick called up Ryan for some pilot pointers. Per usual with Ryan, eccentric that he is, he became quite invested in the idea. That said, the initial pilot was a raunchy comedy and Ryan saw its merit as a dark comedy drama and began mining the comedy for its riches in drama. Ultimately, the two became co-writers and had at last reunited.
After the pilot’s ten millionth draft, the satisfied creative team decided to shoot a proof of concept to buff up our pitch. That said, all our schedules had only one brief overlap...two weeks out. We pulled a montage from the pilot, tweaked it, and voila we had a script. We used our recognizable talent to bait in a brilliant crew, and voila we had Kenzen Takahashi behind the camera.
Suddenly our two day shoot was over and Influencia was in the oven baking.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making of Influencia and how did you overcome them?
No film ever goes “as planned.” Sometimes the car transporting talent to location breaks down. Sometimes you have to shoot sunset to look like a sunrise. Sometimes you run out of fake vomit. A lack of location permits, a two-day timeframe, a wee baby of a budget, and a whole lot of vertigo (Ryan’s got a condition) made the process a challenge for sure. That said, with an enormous amount of generosity from the crew, we managed to pull ourselves — and a nice little poem of a film — together.
Obstacles are inherent to the filmmaking process. As much as we love film, we love mediation and problem solving. So any hiccup — big or small — is, in our minds, a reset. Forget the plan, forget the old idea. It’s irrelevant now. The obstacle forces you to think of something better. “Oh, we’re out of fake blood? Fine, let’s give him blunt force head trauma and have him stutter, moan, and spit about like a mummy.” You suddenly find your actor giving the performance of a lifetime, a choice much more horrifying than the bit of classic gore you had planned.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
When people aren’t getting paid much, the goal to finish is — while perhaps impassioned — not priority. That said, even though the film was intended to be a supplement to our pitch, when we finally finished, we couldn’t bear to put the film up on a shelf (or pitch deck) where it’d only see the light of day by the dog-eating studio execs.
Being a fan of the Annual Latino Film Festival, our star and executive producer, Jan Luis, submitted Influencia to the festival. We premiered our film in Palm Springs, but still were hesitant to post it on socials. Alas, we finally decided our hard work was worth viewing. We threw it up on Vimeo and have had great feedback from viewers. It surprisingly has meant a lot to folks.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
The best advice is, “Become great friends with rich people.” That, however, is not so easily done, so some practical advice would be to practice thinking on your feet. Just as an experiment, go into events or work without a plan. Don’t set ultimatums and don’t put on limiters. See where things take you and wherever they do take you, try to make the circumstances work for you, for your tastes and needs.
Also, ask for help. Control is hard to give up, but there’s too many hats to wear as an independent filmmaker. If you can surround yourself with trusted advisors and talent, shed a load and ask for help. You don’t have to do it all by yourself.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face trying to break into the industry?
When “readers” read your scripts or executives hear out your pitch, they aren’t assuming you have any merit. You could be the absolute greatest screenwriter of all time, but they aren’t looking at your work with the lens of genius on. We are not often given a chance to be taken seriously. So, with that, we think the biggest challenge facing indie filmmakers is breaking out of the “indie” title. Eventually, once your catalog is big enough, they might start looking. Until then, it’s pretty damn hard to not have to fund your own projects.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
For short films, selfishly, check out the very amateur, very heartfelt Scott for Now. Unselfishly, we’re very into a couple A24 newbies out, Aftersun and Past Lives. There’s also a Colombian film we just stumbled into called Embrace of the Serpent that absolutely had us jaw-dropped.
Also, Worst Person in the World was so damn moving that Patrick passed out in the theater next to Ryan…he also has a condition.
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Out Of Orbit
A young girl copes with her mothers death by rediscovering their mutual love of space.
DIRECTED BY Jess Kay and Dann Emmons
WRITTEN Jess Kay
PRODUCED by Jess Kay, Dann Emmons, RAGHAV MUKERJI, AND CHARLOTTE HARDICK
When Esme's mum dies, her world falls apart. She struggles to navigate her day to day life until she gets an idea, fuelled by their mutual love of space, which may lead to the relief she longs for.
Starring Amira Macey-Michael (Star of Oscar Nominated Aardman Animation / Netfix’s "Robin Robin”.)
ABOUT THE FILM
Out of Orbit won Best Micro-Budget Short & Best Production Design at our festival in 2022. It was also in the Judges Selection at Lift Off London where it also won Best Art Direction. It was an Official Selection at the Manchester Film Festival and Nottingham Film Festival. Jess and Dann won Best Directors at Unrestricted View Film Festival and Visability Film Festival, and Best Drama Directors at the London Director Awards. Additionally the film won Best Cinematography & Best Editing at Feel The Reel 2022.
It recently was released online via Omeleto.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Dann is a London-based Director working in Narrative and Commercial projects. Dann learned his craft in the camera department, as DoP and operator, working on the floor on episodics, features and commercials before moving into the Director’s chair. Naturally, he has an eye for visuals, and his experience gives him a unique perspective when it comes to the complexities of shoots and the demands of productions. To date he’s directed numerous commercials and promos as well as several award-winning short films.
Jess is a writer/director/maker who loves to tell stories. She began her creative storytelling career working in theatre and the outdoor arts, creating puppets and devising stories for numerous theatrical productions. This background in theatrical and large scale spectacles is now hugely influential within her filmmaking style. Jess always strives for visually beautiful work, with a keen eye for the importance of little details and a huge love for hand-made crafts. Out of Orbit is her first short film, following on from her award-winning music video "Drift" which followed a similar artistic style.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH DANN & JESS
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
We have both come into filmmaking through different pathways and first met making a short music video together which had a similar style to Out Of Orbit with a young boy and a puppeteer Jellyfish. Jess brings the arts and crafts to our team as she began her career predominantly in Theatre working as a puppet and prop maker and still works in that role often today. Dann brings the production knowledge and visuals to the table as he has a more traditional filmmaking background as a DOP who worked his way up to shooting smaller budget TV series, Commercials and Feature Films before jumping across to Directing.
Tell us about the genesis of Out of Orbit and how the project came about?
The project began with Jess as she had been toying with the story for a long time. The film is inspired by her own experience loosing her dad at a young age and some form of the story has been floating around with her for a while before she approached Dann with the initial treatment. After reading it and speaking to Jess, Dann was inspired by the ideas and visuals Jess had in mind and they quickly developed the film into a fully fleshed out script together before embarking on co-directing the film.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making of Out of Orbit and how did you overcome them?
As always our main obstacle was a lack of funding or money. We actually made the film for just under £1000 which was a stretch to say the least but by pulling in favours from our wonderful friends, family and networks we were able to assemble a team and a collection of great locations to set the film in. Then came about casting our Child star. We started by approaching a local drama college and was put in touch with a kids acting agency. After interviewing a few of the kids I think we were both taken by Amira straight away so the decision became very easy. Aside from that, production went pretty smoothly all in all and we managed to sneak it all in just before the first COVID lockdowns started kicking in!
How was it working with a child actor in your leading role?
We both have a history of working with kids as teachers and filmmakers so the idea of working with a child actor wasn't too daunting for either of us. We also knew how incredibly mature and talented Amira was so that certainly put our mind at ease. I guess the main distinctions in working with a child actor is the amount of hours and breaks you have to give which can slow a day down, so we had to account for that. Beyond that Amira really was a joy to work with, this was her first film and she picked up so much so quickly it was amazing to watch. By the end she was pointing out props that were in the wrong place and giving herself marks on the ground.
Can us through your production design process since it's such a major centerpiece feature of your film.
Jess background in Theatre and production design was really the key ingredient in the film and she created the space rocket you see in the film all by herself from scratch in her mums living room (much to her mums dismay). It took Jess a few months to piece the whole thing together and she worked feverishly through pre-production to get it finished in time with all the moving parts that Amira could interact with which was really important to us. The main considerations with the rocket were to make sure it always felt like something a child could make themselves and not have it too polished. We also built it in a way in which you could remove any of the walls independently to allow the camera to get inside and shoot from multiple angles.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
It's been a learning curve navigating the festival market but we've had a really great run so far with multiple awards being picked up which we've been so grateful for. There's also nothing like seeing the film with a live audience in the cinema, that has always been the highlight for both of us during that time, particularly as we rejoiced in hearing some sniffling and tears at the end. During the initial Festival push we had held a lot of details back from the applications as we didn't want to show all our cards (mainly the rocket) and found we had a lot less success than we anticipated. However, we changed up our strategy and decided to make the rocket the centrepiece of our marketing campaign, which made an incredibly tangible difference! After the festival circuit was coming to an end we didn't want to just pop it on our own youtube channels and hope people might watch it so we reached out to popular shorts channel 'Omeleto' who thankfully loved the film and are programming it on their youtube channel now. The response has been really positive so far!
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
Work with kids, they're great! But honestly just surround yourself with lovely, talented people who you like working with and don't look back. You don't need tonnes of money or resources but you do need friends, so keep them close!
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face trying to break into the industry?
I think the festival circuit is a really tricky minefield to navigate (and expensive too) so make sure you treat this part of the process like a business and try not to get too emotional about it. If you're not having much success, try changing up your marketing or asking for feedback. Do your research into festivals too so you're not spending money on festivals that would have never taken your film in the first place... and keep going - it's a long process but if you've got a good film with a solid story you'll find an audience for it!
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
The biggest influence on our film is probably the work of Michel Gondry. We both bonded over our love of 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and 'Science of Sleep' which are incredible films so go watch those!
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Shallow
Deep in a forest, Barry and Larry indulge in conversation that is by turns light-hearted and extremely topical, revealing surprising revelations, both good and bad, along the way.
DIRECTED and PRODUCED by PAUL ASHTON
WRITTEN by Joe Johnsey
Deep in a forest, Barry and Larry indulge in conversation that is by turns light-hearted and extremely topical, revealing surprising revelations, both good and bad, along the way.
ABOUT THE FILM
Shallow was an Official Selection at our 2022 festival. It also won the Audience Award at the Short Focus Film Festival and won Best Comedy at the New York Short Film Festival. The screenplay was nominated for Best Screenplay at the English Riviera Film Festival where both actors (Michael Shon & Joe Johnsey) were also nominated for Best Actor. Other notable festival selections include: Nottingham International Film Festival, Earl’s Court International Film Festival, Liverpool Film Festival and Byron Bay Film Festival. Shallow was also a Semi-Finalist at the Academy Award qualifying Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Paul Ashton is a Writer/Director originally from Hertfordshire but now living in London. Shallow is his second short film as director. He’s currently prepping his third short while also developing a feature script.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH Paul
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
I have a Degree in Film and initially worked on a series of films and TV projects such as Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers before focusing on directing and scriptwriting. I've directed Music videos and documentary shorts and used to work at a camera hire company before writing and directing my first short film POV in 2018. POV was selected for a series of film festivals worldwide such as Australia, Germany, the USA and England.
What position did you have on Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers?
On Saving Private Ryan I was a Location Assistant while on Band of Brothers I started as a Location Assistant before then advancing to Crowd Runner and then Floor Runner.
What were some of your main takeaways from working on a large set that you absorbed into your own filmmaking?
The importance of the following:
Organisation
Whether you have a huge crew on a massive production or a small crew on a low-budget short film – you're all trying to capture the best footage you can within a tight schedule so everyone has to be extremely organised and prepared to help things runs as smoothly as possible. No one wants to be the weak link when so much is at stake.
Adaptability
I found that regardless of the size of the production and the prep involved, delays happen or some things just don't go to plan on the day - so the ability to think quickly and come up with a solution is vital, to think outside the box. Perhaps a big set piece needs to be reset which takes some time or an actor isn't free when you need them, can something else be shot in the meantime rather than waste that vital time.
Communication
Hugely vital on a large set where so many departments are involved who need to know what's required from them and when but also for individuals to be given the opportunity to showcase their thoughts and expertise. On my shorts I want everyone to be in the loop and always know what we're trying to achieve and why. To also create an environment where people are able to contribute their opinions freely and be part of the decision making process so that we're all collaborating as a team to make the best project possible.
Tell us about the genesis of Shallow and how the project came about?
Shallow grew from a conversation that took place between our two leads Joe Johnsey and Michael Shon who at the time were housemates – a version of which appears in the final film. I was looking for a short to make while I finished off another script and chose this one to develop from the ideas Joe sent me. Joe then wrote the script which we all fine-tuned in rehearsals. It's very dialogue heavy where the timing is vital so the rehearsals were extremely valuable as they allowed us to discover what did and didn't work before reworking it until we were all happy. It also allowed us to rehearse the script again and again so that it was second nature on shoot day, saving as valuable time as we only had one day.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making of Shallow and how did you overcome them?
Shortly before we were due to shoot, our initial forest location was damaged by storms and we began to look again – but then Covid hit. Once restrictions eased we began to visit locations once again and came across the perfect spot in Black Park. Lockdown actually worked in our favour as Black Park was completely booked up before lockdown as it's such a popular filming location but as restrictions eased, shoots were slow to start up again. So thankfully they allowed us to shoot there for one day – straight after Jurassic World who delayed our shoot a few weeks as they were filming right next to us.
On the day of the shoot we had to contend with the changing weather. Shallow takes place in real time over 10 minutes so overcast conditions would have been ideal - but instead the weather alternated between sunny and overcast with a few showers. We also needed to lock off the surrounding area as it's a pubic park so members of the pubic were roaming around, usually walking their dogs.
I believe we had 27 shots to shoot that day, some of which were long steadicam takes but thankfully we managed it. And then post was all done remotely which wasn't ideal but perhaps did allow me to fine tune certain aspects.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
So we spent a lot of time researching festivals and trying to figure out where it had a chance of being selected and eliminating those where we thought we didn't stand a chance. We tried to target British film festivals more than anywhere else as we weren't sure how the northern accents and humour would travel.
But then surprisingly we won Best Comedy at the New York Short Film Festival, were Semi-Finalist's in the BAFTA and Academy Award qualifying Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival, as well as being selected for a few other American festivals and the Byron Bay International Film Festival and a number of festivals in England. Some festivals we thought we had a great chance of getting into rejected us while some selections came as a complete surprise – you just don't know.
A lot of festivals were still being shown remotely so sadly we missed out on attending some fantastic festivals and being able to see it with an audience – though we did take part in some great Zoom Q&A's and managed to meet some very talented filmmakers. Furthermore, some festivals were delayed by up to a year which did draw out the Festival process. Luckily, the Kino London Short Film Festival (previously known as the People's Film Festival in 2022) was a live event and this is where Shallow had it's best screening to date in a packed out venue. Kino is such a well run festival with a great atmosphere and it's a place where I have met a number of very good friends.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
Find a team of people that you work well who are also reliable. The process might be hard at times but it should also be enjoyable, otherwise why do it? And don't just make do, try and make the best short you can within your financial confines otherwise you're regret not fixing those little issues that then become magnified on the big screen – something I'm very happy I did with Shallow.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face trying to break into the industry?
Getting something made and then getting it seen. You're fighting to get something made, usually on a small budget that you probably financed yourself and which needs to stand out from the thousands of shorts out there.
Then once you've made something you have to fork out a lot of money for the festivals, and be rejected by many as there's just too many shorts out there. Whether you're selected or not is ultimately based on personal opinion and perhaps their desire to group certain shorts together based on themes or subject matter. Which sadly means that a lot of good films get rejected.
Plus the added hurdle of competing against much higher budgeted shorts – which is why the Kino London Short Film Festival works so well as the films are divided into groups based on budget.
Shorts are typically seen as a stepping stone to bigger things, which is a pity as they’re such an interesting art form in their own right and really allow you to experiment and find your voice. Sadly there's no financial gain (unlike features) – if there was it would be a lot easier to obtain funding which would thereby help to support your career progression.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
Some of my favourite shorts are Signs by Patrick Hughes, The Answers by Michael Goode,
Stutterer by Benjamin Cleary, Salt by Rob Savage and the shorts of David F. Sandberg who also includes making of videos for each of them.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Blinkers
Two women, their lives meticulously intertwined, are each on a fast paced journey to two very different destinations.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Sophia Capasso
PRODUCED TUTTI TUTTI Productions
This short film is about the cracks we don't see splitting in the rollercoaster of modern life and how two experiences of one night can be drastically dissimilar. Blinkers touches on the complexity of mental health and female friendships.
For best viewing watch with headphones, as the sound is binaural, cranking the volume up won’t hurt either!”
ABOUT THE FILM
Blinkers was an Official Selection at our 2022 festival where is was nominated for Best Editing & Best Score.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Sophia Capasso is a British/Italian writer and director from Suffolk.
Her directorial film debut L’Immigrato was based on her Italian heritage and follows three young brothers in south Italy during WW2. The short won The Hollywood First-Time Filmmakers Showcase 2020 and received an honourable mention at Ischia Film Festival 2020 amid other festival runs.
This was followed by her critically acclaimed one-woman show VOiD which premiered at the Vaults in January 2020, where it received four star reviews. Described as ‘an empowering and gut-wrenching drama’ the play was praised for its ‘confrontation of the criminal justice system’ and exploration of ‘psychological terror that leaves hearts racing to the rhythm of her words.’
Blinkers is her second short film.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH SOPHIA
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
Thank you! Sure. Um, I came into the industry at eighteen as an actor. I love people and human interaction which is what I think draws me to film making.
As a person I am hugely sentimental and I love bringing people together. I found being an actor can be quite lonely and often you have all these ideas and stories you want to tell but perhaps don’t feel like you can. So after a few years I decided to take what basic knowledge I had of sets and the process and make my first film, an Italian language short set and shot in south Italy.
I’ve been lucky to get collaborate with people who are open and passionate and have let me learn from them on the fly! I’ve also have a background in fine art and I see the film process in a similar way to building an elaborate painting.
Tell us about the genesis of Blinkers and how the project came about?
The two characters in Blinkers have been living rent free in my head for at least five years. I know them very well and they’ve appeared in my writing in various guises.
The voice over you hear in the film is a section of intertwined dialogue initially written for a play. When the two characters speak intertwined there is a semblance of sense but when you isolate either’s dialogue you also get a sensical monologue that reveals their individual truths. I eventually shelved the play and I left Lil and Con in an old folder on my desktop for a couple of years.
During the pandemic I had wanted to make a different film ('Que Sera’, which we are now finally in post for, yay!) but the restrictions at the time, and a serious lack of money, meant it wasn’t possible. I was having a look through old work, found the play and realised that these characters could possibly finally have a life of their own in short form! I re-worked the script and convinced a micro crew (by which I mean DOP Jan, we were the crew) to agree to shoot the piece…
Blinkers is quite meticulously edited featuring a lot of split screen elements that have to be timed just perfectly to work. How did you go about planning to execute such an ambitious short?
Initially I imagined more split screen than is in the final cut. We shot under the guise of a 4:4 aspect ratio but London is so present as a third character we changed to 16:9 and therefore scaled back the amount of split screen. We instead used split screen to mark moments of parallels between the girls, highlighting their connection.
For me the most important element in building Blinkers was the sound scape/ audio track. I’d decided early on that we would not be picking up audio on set, so the entire sound world would have to be build in post. I wanted it to be stylised, to mislead the audience and to give the film pace. I curated a playlist of how the film sounded and felt in my mind which I shared with the cast and crew.
Because there is no exact scripted visual we decided to edit to the music. I split the voice over dialogue into chapters and gave each chapter a look book of stills from the rushes alongside a list of feelings/ emotions. I gave this odd document to our incredible composer BYFYN.
BYFYN created the most awesome track. Which went to our glorious editor Fio along with the odd document and she built the first assembly. Because the film is literally a journey from A to B there was a clear structure for the edit; from home to the bus stop, on the bus, prom Piccadilly circus to the club/ bridge.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making of Blinkers and how did you overcome them?
It was December 2020. So the bitter cold and the pandemic were our main obstacles. Sophie who plays Lil was an absolute champion in only a slip dress at times and DOP Jan still hasn’t forgiven me for the frost bite on his fingers!
We had a really small crew, Jan and I, which at first was daunting but actually allowed us to shoot in central London and on TFL without being detected (although carrying the kit from Piccadilly Circus to Millennium Bridge was gruelling). Shooting on to go prevented overthinking and gave us really surprising and intimate footage.
The pandemic meant we had more hoops to jump though with regards to insurance, risk assessments, covid protocols and permits. But again it worked in our favour in many ways as London was empty! So locations like Millennium Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, etc were unusually deserted, almost as if they were locked off for us!
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
I struggle in some ways to know where to place it because Blinkers not a traditional drama/ narrative short and its not necessarily experimental either!
I spoke to people with more experience than me to gain a better idea of festivals suited to our film. We had a really good festival run and audiences reacted to the piece, which was a massive relief!
But I have to say that I am genuinely so delighted to have it as part of Kino’s ‘short of the week’ programme because it means people can see it whenever, wherever and ultimately that’s reason we tell storied right, to share them?
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face trying to break into the industry?
An obvious hurdle is always going to be budget. Then once you’ve made the film it’s hard to know how to get your film in front of the ‘right people’.
But I think if you are confident enough in your piece to be vulnerable, ask for advice/ help you can eventually get past these things. Ultimately the work speaks for itself!
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
Cinema Paradiso. I could watch it every day.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Portrait
Based on real accounts, a model takes matters into her own hands to expose a serial predator in the photography world.
Directed by Keir Siewert
Produced by Alix Austin
Written by Keir Siewert & Anonymous
Based on real accounts, a model takes matters into her own hands to expose a serial predator in the photography world.
Rhetta, an industrious model, sets up a shoot with a predatory photographer, notorious for his coercion tactics and aggressive behaviour. However, little does he realise that Rhetta has orchestrated this meeting as a sting, to expose his inappropriate behaviour on an online video live stream.
Portrait is a film built on research from interviews with 21 models about their experiences in the photography world, including real stories.
ABOUT THE FILM
Not only was PORTRAIT a big hit at our 2022 film festival taking home the awards for Best Director, Best Drama, and Best Editing, it was also selected for the BAFTA qualifying Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, Beeston Film Festival, and the Independent Film Awards London. It’s been release online via Klipist.
ABOUT THE FILMmakerS
Co-directing Team Alix Austin & Keir Siewert: A/K (Kill Your Lover, currently in post-production)
Alix & Keir met 10 years ago on a music video shoot and have been making films together ever since.
They were selected to be part of FrightFest and Queensbury Picture's NEW BLOOD '22 initiative. The team are also the recipient of the Raimi Productions Scholarship as featured in FANGORIA.
Notable work includes co-directing the London segment for Horror Anthology 'ISOLATION', alongside Larry Fessenden, Bobby Roe and Dennie Gordon, which premiered at Frightfest and Screamfest 2021 and featured in Variety, Bloody Disgusting and more.
Their multiple award-winning short film roster has screened at over 100 festivals globally:
RETCH (2018): Available on ALTER & Bloody Disgusting TV
PORTRAIT (2020): Available to stream on Klipist
SUCKER (2022): Premiering online in Summer 2023
Their first feature film, toxic relationship body horror, KILL YOUR LOVER is currently in post-production, working closely with Executive Producer Douglas Cox (Host).
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH ALIX & KEIR
Welcome back to our Short of the Week series. What have you been up to since we last interviewed you with True Value last August? How is post-production going for your feature, Kill Your Lover?
Hi there! Alix and Keir here - very excited to be back with Kino’s Short of the Week showcase. AA is Alix and KS is Keir, so that way you’ll know who’s answering the question!
For those who don’t know our work, we’ve been making films together for the last 10 years and recently officially joined forces as a co-directing team (A/K for short) on our first feature film KILL YOUR LOVER! In the case of PORTRAIT, Keir directed and wrote, while Alix produced.
What we’ve been up to since True Value premiered on Short of the week last Fall:
We shot the second block on our feature KILL YOUR LOVER in November, which was a wild ride! Now we’re in post and because the film is very music driven, we’ve been working closely with our Composer and good friend Thibault Chavanis.
Apart from that we’re definitely in more of a business driven phase, looking ahead to the future. It’s difficult to say no to new projects for fun rather than money, for instance, but we owe it to the feature and everyone’s hard work to put our all into finishing it well.
Tell us about the genesis of Portrait and how the project came about?
KS: Portrait initially came from an entirely innocent conversation. I was doing a photoshoot, chatting casually to the model and I asked her “what’s the weirdest shoot you ever had?”What she told me shocked me so much and it has stuck with me ever since.
She told me a photographer had once taken a break during a shoot to pleasure himself in the bathroom with the pictures he had just taken of her. It was a story I couldn’t get out of my head and ultimately became the catalyst for Portrait.
Your portfolio is heavily filled with horror films, so Portrait is quite a departure for you. Can you discuss how your horror background affected the way you approached a drama about a real life horrific encounter?
AA: A little known fact about us is that we’ve made a lot of non-horror films including and especially comedies. We just don’t promote them as much anymore because we’re not pulling in that direction anymore. That and it doesn’t support our feature film Slate.
When it comes to PORTRAIT, I think Keir will join me in saying that this film came about because it was a story that demanded to be made. We knew we had to make it.
RETCH (2018) was our first horror and PORTRAIT was made a year later. All our other, more strictly Horror genre work (Isolation, Do Not Resuscitate, Sucker) came after making PORTRAIT (2019).
KS: I think a lot of the skills that you learn through horror; like creating tension, working with intense emotion and understanding tone are translatable into most other genres. Our goal with PORTRAIT was to create a subjective experience and our horror work was a really good base to lead with the emotional content of the film rather than a more withdrawn perspective.
A lot of shorts thrive by embracing a minimalist master shot style, however, Portrait has SO much coverage which really helps amp the suspense. Can you talk about your process shotlisting and planning your shoots to ensure you walk away with such great coverage and still make it work on a micro-budget?
KS: We always try to lead with the idea that a scene has a design to it and that a sequence has a purpose. The goal isn’t really to cover the scene, it’s to tell the story of it, so we approach each scene individually.
So while there was a shotlist of the conversation in the first half of PORTRAIT, the second scene (the photo shoot) was more about blocking out the scene and then having a loose camera that can adjust and move within the space.
We knew there would be certain moments we wanted to highlight for the edit (like his hands touching her). So we grabbed that in slow motion as a distinct cutaway shot. But ultimately the first scene has a deliberate design, whereas the second we knew would be created through the edit.
Our general approach is to make sure to adapt to whatever will serve the narrative of the scene best, rather than just going for safety.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making of Portrait and how did you overcome them?
KS: The content was definitely uncomfortable for some people, especially reading it in a written form. The stylistic approach of combining black and white and colour I think also alienated people. I think when looking for funding or support often these sorts of subject matters are more appealing if they can be wrapped up in a nice glossy moral lesson.
Portrait has had some good festival success - not just being selected for the BAFTA qualifying Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, but also several awards from Beeston, Independent Film Awards London, Swindon, Unrestricted View, and Southport. Any tips for filmmakers currently trying to navigate the festival circuit? Any festivals where you had a great experience and would recommend?
AA: My main recommendation would be to be really clear on what you think your film is and be targeted in your festival submissions. Go for a range of festivals, not just BAFTA or Oscar-qualifying festivals (so-called ‘mid tier’ festivals are way nicer anyway!).
The above obviously depends on how far along in your filmmaking journey you are, but it’s a good approach for everyone, unless you have the right funding bodies/connections attached to your project to get you through the door more easily with the so-called ‘prestige’ festivals.
Some great practical advice I got from a course recently and I wish I’d known sooner - set your own Finish Line by answering the 3 WHYs:
Ask yourself 3 Questions:
- WHY: Why filmmaking?
- WHY: Why this film?
- WHY: Why festivals?
(What are you looking to achieve by attending the festivals with a film? Are you looking for a team for your next project? Are you using it to show you have a proof of concept for a feature and are looking for investors? Could you achieve your goals by attending the festival rather than submitting a film?)
If you have a clear goal in mind it’ll deter you from scattergun submitting your film endlessly and most likely making yourself miserable (and poorer) in the process.
Measure your success, and don’t treat film submissions like a lottery ticket: It should ideally be the beginning of a partnership with the festival.
I would definitely shout out SHIFT Festival (Netherlands) and Beeston for great people and vibes. And I would be remiss not to mention KINO itself, because we felt incredibly supported throughout our journey and that they really GOT the film, for which we’ll always be grateful.
Latest film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
We recently rewatched Ken Russell’s THE DEVILS, truly one of the great British films that has never gotten the wide attention and acclaim it deserves. Togo on Disney+ for wholesome, good vibes and Willem Dafoe being a dogsledding boss.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?
Fishwife
In wild 18th century Britain a lonely woman discovers that her menstrual cycle is of interest to a stranger.
Written, Produced & Directed by Beth Park
In wild 18th century Britain a lonely woman discovers that her menstrual cycle is of interest to a stranger.
ABOUT THE FILM
FISHWIFE is a dark and mysterious period piece which treads the line between horror and fantasy. In traditional horror a woman's fate is used as a plot point to terrify and excite an audience. In creating FISHWIFE filmmaker Beth Park was more interested in a true and specific female experience.
The film was shot in two days in Wales during a biblical storm, and once released it had one hell of a festival run. Not only was FISHWIFE nominated for several awards at our festival last year, it also played at renown genre festivals (Filmquest & SITGES), Academy Award qualifying festivals (Hollyshorts, Flickers Rhode Island, & Austin Film Festival), and BAFTA qualifying festivals (Underwire, Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, & Aesthetica). Recently, FISHWIFE premiered online with ALTER.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Beth Park trained as an actor and worked for several years in theatre. She also works directing actors in video games including Baldur's Gate III. During the pandemic Beth wrote and directed her first short film, FISHWIFE.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH BETH
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
I worked as an actor for about 10 years then when I took a year off to have a baby my world got flipped upside down. I was no longer content expending so much energy trying to fit into other peoples stories and I wanted to tell things from my perspective. I've always been imaginative but never really finished writing projects before. I think although I had some privileges growing up I've never had an abundance of time or money. When the pandemic hit I had time off work and a lump sum of a few thousand pounds in furlough money transferred into my account. That time and money combined with my new life experiences enabled me to create Fishwife.
How has your experience directing video games informed your narrative filmmaking process?
The two are not particularly closely linked. Video games are enormous machines with sometimes thousands of people in different countries working indirectly together. So when I direct an actor in a game there is a whole world of context, visuals, music etc which is nothing to do with me. In film I am trying to make the whole mise en scene cohesive and meaningful to the story. The only very useful transferable skill is that I direct actors every single day. So I'm good at reading what they need and don't get into my own head about that.
Tell us about the genesis of Fishwife. What inspired this film?
I was just driving along the motorway with my baby asleep in the back and the idea popped into my head! Initially I thought about writing it as a short story or even a novel but then when the furlough money came in I started to turn it into a script. At the time I didn't even want to be a filmmaker, I just wanted to make this specific film. Now I'm obsessed!
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making of Fishwife and how did you overcome them?
Oh gosh, there were so many. As I mentioned I got this lump sum, but it was only a few thousand pounds (which is a lot of money to get from nowhere but isn't a lot when it comes to film making!). So everything had to be bought or made as cheaply as possible. Then when we actually shot it there was a dreadful storm so we were contending against almost hurricane level winds in the middle of Snowdonia. And I was also crazy enough to make everyone do a 2.5 hour unit move between the internal and external locations. All shot in two days! Post production was hard as I was basically a team of 1 person, having produced it myself, so trying to get everything to the editor, colourist, composer, sound mixer myself was really tough. I was very burnt out when it was finally complete.
Fishwife has had some amazing festival success. Tell us about some of your favourite festival experiences.
There were a lot of festivals! Many of them were overseas so I didn't attend them, except Sitges which was absolutely incredible, the audiences there are just amazing! It wasn't easy for me to attend even some of the uk ones as I have a job and a small child so I have responsibilities I have to attend to. But my favourite thing about the festivals was being able to watch films to be honest, just a weekend of watching non stop movies is a real blast.
Any tips for filmmakers currently trying to navigate the festival circuit?
I used Festival Formula to create a list of festivals to target and a schedule for me to submit by. As I mentioned I was very burnt out when I finished the film. I was in kind of a hopeless state, I truly believed the film was bad and I had wasted everyones time and money. I couldn't afford to use Festival Formula but my parents very kindly paid the fee because they recognised what a mess I was in! I would recommend investing in this service if you can, they helped me find the right festivals to apply to and saved me wasting money on Festivals which weren't appropriate.
Now that you've completed your festival journey the film has been picked up by Alter. How have you found the online release of the film compared to the festival circuit? Any tips for filmmakers looking to release their film online?
I have really loved it being released online! There have been so many appreciative comments from people who really liked it and really seemed to get it! In comparison to the festival circuit this launch has been much more gratifying. I found many festivals to be quite impersonal, with no feedback or any kind of response about the film, just a 'congratulations you got a laurel, now please send us all the data', now I can actually see that there is an audience for it and people are mostly enjoying it!
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face trying to break into the industry?
Money. It's so expensive to make a film. If you have money you're already so far ahead in the game. If you can combine that with having a good idea then you can hopefully make some headway. It takes a lot of hard work, but it's worth it.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
A couple of films I saw at Festivals are now available on Netflix; Nocebo and Vesper, I loved them both.
Apply to get your short selected as our Weekly Pick
Crumbs
Tired of her husband’s noisy and messy eating, a wife starts a stop-motion battle and packs her bags.
Directed by robot chocolate (gabriela plačková, robert hloz)
produced by alexandra kara moravčíková
Tired of her husband’s noisy and messy eating, a wife starts a stop-motion battle and packs her bags. CRUMBS was made entirely in-camera for Straight 8's 2020 competition on one cartridge of super 8mm film with no post-production. Find out more about their unique filmmaking process in our interview below.
Want to make a super 8mm film? Straight 8 is open for entries now to anyone. Use discount code 10KINOCLUB10 for 10% off entry.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT
Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
Hi, I am Robert and I am commercial and feature film director and I love when a movie can transport me to a different reality. Somehow when I was really young I promised to myself than I want to bring the joy I had from films to other people too and sticked. My (now already) wife Gabriela is a stopmotion animator and my partner in crime on Crumbs and was our first artistic child.
Tell us about the genesis of Crumbs? Did you have the concept in mind before deciding to join the Straight 8 competition or was Straight 8 the catalyst for the concept?
NO! We totally just heard about the idea and went crazy about how far can we push the medium. The question was how can we use the limitations to create something the would be impossible to do without the constraints?
Had you ever previously shot on film before? If so, can you tell us about that?
I shot a short scifi movie Transient Consciousness on a film stock. But that was a bigger crew so I didnt even touch the camera, this one was so much hands-on. Still I know very little about the whole exposure stuff so I totaly trusted our DoP Ondrej Nedved who did a great job navigating us through all the obstacles. It was his first 8mm experience as well, but he is a prodigy of stopmotion so I knew we were in good hands.
What was the biggest challenge in making Crumbs?
We were afraid of how all the special effects and flying knives on quite complicated rigs gonna work, but that turned out to be a great fun and collaborative effort that worked amazing. And vice versa we have been so sure we have the sound sync sorted out and boy, that was micromanagement nightmare. We had no idea if it is gonna be all in sync till the premiere.
How long did the stop motion process take?
I think we squeezed about one week of work into a three days of real time.
What was the biggest challenge with in-camera editing?
Never to forget to push the trigger both on the analog and the digital camera during thousands of frames. We used two cameras for syncing of the sound and with the amount of technical detail with very DIY conditions there were times of panic and leap of faith when you just hope you listened your muscle memory and automatically pushed all the right buttons even if you don't actually remember it. It is a true miracle and I still can't believe that the movie is in sync till the end:))
How did you handle creating the sound design for the film without watching your footage?
We made a custom camera rig for the analog and digital camera so both could sit next to the other with almost the same field of view. And then recorded frame by frame the same frames simultaneously. So we had a digital copy of the film available for the sound design. But still with a lot of analog-related complications, there were many moments of uncertainty if the cameras are actually in sync.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
The movie started to life its own life after the premiere and the Straight8 team helped a lot with that. Originaly, we didnt think the movie could be interesting to anybody outside the competition as the conditions were so specific, but we got a feedback from all around the world that floored us.
Words of wisdom. What advice would you give to other filmmakers?
When someone tells you that your plan can't possibly work, you know you are on the right track.
What are you working on now?
I am finishing my first feature movie, Restore Point, a scifi set in central Europe which is a kind of a this thing that few years ago everybody knew was an impossible dream. And now the teaser coming out in a month. I am writing this from a final sound mix session. It is an incredible experience. Imagine a world where you have the perfect insurance, so when you die prematurely, let's say a car hits you or someone shoots you, you wake up revived and continue as nothing has happened. Restore Point shows you how the society reacts and if the humanity actually deserves second chances.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
People who dont like the original Top Gun or Tom Cruise should see Top Gun 2, seriously.