Archive for the 'International Short Films' Category
Independent Short Film: Iran–A Nation of Bloggers
May 18th, 2012
In light of the recent election in Iran, I thought this was an appropriate Independent Short Film, offering insight that you might not otherwise hear or find.
Originally posted 2009-06-16 10:07:59.
Independent Short Film: Offside
May 11th, 2012
This is an Independent Short Film that A friend of mine came across and brought to my attention. We hosted a film discussion evening in my apartment and it was REALLY interesting to hear what everyone took away from the film. What are your thoughts? Consider the film from a storyteller’s perspective: What elements of plot, theme, symbolism, etc. can you draw out of the film? Now consider the film from a filmmaker’s perspective: What do you notice about the shots, editing, filter choice, audio mixing, etc. that stands out to you? Leave a comment with your thoughts, and I’ll share some of my thoughts throughout.
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Originally posted 2008-10-11 10:14:59.
Time Travel–A Compilation of 7 Short Films
February 23rd, 2012
Time Travel is a popular theme for Independent Short Films. And for feature films, of course.
Many people are fascinated by the concept of time travel, others could spend days discussing the various paradoxes. In fact, even fictional characters talk about them sometimes.
To be honest, sometimes I catch myself daydreaming about what I would do if I could travel through time. One of my favorite choices would be to record all the Top 40 songs from a given year and release them about 5-10 years earlier to see if they still would have become popular, to see if the original band still would have become famous, and to see how it would affect the rest of musical development across the industry in the following years. But that is very much beside the point.
This blog post has been a long time coming. I first saw many of these Independent Short Films a while back, but had to refind some of them, or search for an embeddable form, and in the meantime, I discovered several more.
Due to the numerous video clips, some of which are in multiple parts, this post will be quite long. Feel free to bookmark it and come back another time to catch the rest. Also, social bookmarking is always appreciated (as is subscribing, either by clicking the orange RSS symbol in your URL address bar, or by clicking on the words “Entries RSS” on the bottom of the column to the right)
Some of these Independent Short Films are funny, some are serious, some have controversial themes or dialogue. That is to say that you’ll probably enjoy at least one of them. So let’s have a look. And as the t-shirt says, if you are interested in time travel, meet me last Thursday.
Ad Infinitum
The Small Multiple
Sooner or Later
Hirsute
12:01
Unpossible
Time/Out
And if you haven’t seen it yet, in a previous post you’ll find La Jetée. So which one was your favorite?
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Originally posted 2009-06-06 16:41:59.
The hidden potential of Independent Short Film (La Jetée & Peluca)
December 22nd, 2011
One reason I like Independent Short Films is because of what they represent in terms of influence and impact.
For example, the Independent Short Film La Jetée was made in France in 1962, a good location and era for interesting and creative motion pictures. This 26-minute film was made entirely from still photographs, with the exception of one moving shot. It’s title means The Jetty (or The Pier) which refers to the outdoor boarding platform at Orly airport in Paris, where the crucial scene of the film is set. However, the title also has a revealing twist because it sounds similar to the French phrase “There I was” or La J’Tais.
Itself being inspired from Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, this film was the main inspiration for the film 12 Monkeys with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, and many plot elements were borrowed by Terry Gilliam (or rather David and Janet Peoples) for the feature-length film.
Peluca was an Independent Short Film made in two days and with a budget of less than $500. It was shot in 2002 and featured in the 2003 Slamdance Film Festival, considered by some to be more “indie” than Sundance. This nine-minute Independent Short Film was then expanded into a feature-length film, Napoleon Dynamite, which was featured in the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and was sold on the opening day of the festival to Fox Searchlight for $3.2 million and later earned $44 million in box-office sales. Thus, it can be reasoned that Peluca was directly or indirectly responsible for the launch of the careers of Jon Heder, Jared and Jerusha Hess, and Jeremy Coon, as well as the aftermath of endless quoting, dancing, and nerd-off competitions around the world.
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Originally posted 2009-05-03 17:16:59.
Just shut up and start communicating! (Three short films)
November 16th, 2011
In an acting class long ago, a coach once said, “Don’t tell me, SHOW me.”
I think this is probably part of the standard script for acting classes, but it’s a valid point. Audiences are usually sophisticated enough to figure things out on their own, and if we rely too heavily on monologues and dialogues, it weakens the story.
I’m reminded of this because I’ve observed that I REALLY like Independent Short Films that have no spoken parts, and I’ve posted more than a few of them, some of which can be found here, here, here, here, and here. (I would have included this one as well, but the radio signal made me second guess myself.)
Needless to say, Independent Short Films without dialogue really speak to me.
Here are a few Independent Short Films, all with MINIMAL dialogue, which have been getting increasing amounts of attention, so I wanted to bring them to yours.
Signs:
The classic love story of so many Independent Short Films, told here with handwritten signs.
Notte Sento:
Notte Sento (English subtitles) from Daniele Napolitano on Vimeo.
In this Independent Short Film, a deaf girl misses her train to Milan and is set to wait overnight in Rome until dawn. However, a chance encounter with a guy changes her plans and the night lights of the capital turn into the background to a tender love story. An extraordinary chemistry made of knowing glances and small gestures fills the few instants that separate them both from the sunrise.
World Builder:
This Independent Short Film was produced by Bruce Branit, co-creator of 405, one of the first Independent Short Films I found online, on ifilm.com almost 10 years ago. 405 is a real gem and got me interested in Independent Short Film altogether. As a matter of fact, here it is:
Also, for more dialogue-minimal Independent Short Films, check out some of these previous posts:
Lovefield
Lavatory Love Story
Ten Minutes
Keep posted for more to come, and feel free to share the love.
Here’s some bonus reading:
- July 2007 – TCM’s Classic Movie Blog – The Grim Reaper claims two of his biggest fans. I did not want to blog about Ingmar Bergman or Michelangelo Antonioni’s passing away on the same day. Both are giants within the world of cinema and have a vast body of work.
- Going some place? Foreign films hop on Oscar’s train | Analysis … – Foreign filmmakers may not pander to Oscar like some of their American counterparts. But early Saturday morning in front of a packed audience that had even some of the cast from the films scrambling to find a seat, the directors of this …
- TMB’s 4 Rules Before Making A Remake | The Movie Blog – There are some terrific films that have been made over the years that were actually remakes. I’m one of those people who doesn’t mind the idea of remaking an older film. Yes, it has the potential of sucking but so does every movie.
- The Top 10 Must See Foreign Films of the Last Decade « The Pulp … – Like many Americans, I do not see enough foreign films. The massive marketing machine of Hollywood makes great foreign productions difficult to discover. However, some of the greatest movies ever are produced outside U.S. borders, …
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- Independent Short Film: Apricot (independentshortfilms.org)
- Independent Short Film: Destino (independentshortfilms.org)
Originally posted 2009-04-12 17:11:59.
