Nils' Niche: Short Films (Week 5)

The task for this blog was to find internet delivered short films (max 10min) and upload them in a post and discuss why we have chosen each particular film...
Now what's the first thing that uncoils and springs to mind? That's right youtube, where else right? So in the great words of boxing referee Mills Lane; "Let's get it on!"
Since I have already posted the 2 short films from the lecture in a previous post ('BMW's Hire: Star' episode and 'Troops') I went hunting for a fresh batch of short films. There were many I found over the 10 min mark, however there were also quite a handful that were under. I had no idea there were so many really intriguing short films posted on youtube...

LOVEFIELD (5:29 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4meeZifCVro
Directed by Mathieu Ratthe
Starring: Pierre Lebeau and Bianca Gervais
"Lovefield is a film that combines elements of horror, suspense and drama to create a story that takes the audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions. It also plays with the familiar stereotypes we have come to accept."
http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D4meeZifCVro http://vodpod.com/watch/1646636-lovefield-short-film
What a simplistic psychological masterpiece this truly is. I never thought One location, two people and a crow would be able to suprise me as much as this did. The ending is very amusing and shows that with the right camera work and editing that anything is possible on a low budget. There was only one sentence of dialogue in the entire thing, so for Director Mathieu Ratthe to be able to manipulate our thoughts while simultaneously giving us a human behaviour lesson is nothing less than brilliant.

BLACK BUTTON (7:06 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrKnhOJ-R80
Directed by: Lucas Crandles
Starring: Robert Grubb ad Hayden Grubb
"Mr Roberts finds himself awoken inexplicably in a white room. A man sits before him at a desk and in between them stands a black button. If Mr Roberts pushes it, he will receive a briefcase filled with millions of dollars. Or he can take the key to the door and leave penniless. The catch? Pushing the button will result in the death of a human being. What would you do?" http://www.freshcreation.com/entry/black_button_short_film/
I chose 'Black Button' because of the idea that was portrayed and the choices we have of wrong and right, not only after death but in our every day lives. Regardless of if there really is a heaven or hell, the film still sends out a powerful message. Just as 'Lovefield', 'Black Button' is shot on one simple location with two people. However in this film it is more the dialogue than the camera work that is appealing and well executed. Long after the film is over I am still asking myself, what would I really do?

SPIN (8:16 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP59tQf_njc
Directed by: Jamin Winans
Starring: Hayz II
"Spin is the tale of a mysterious DJ, sent to a busy city block. The disk jockey plays god, using his DJ turntables as a time machine. It is a demonstration of how the smallest things can make the biggest differences, and has already won 35 film festival awards worldwide."
http://www.flixxy.com/dj-film.htm
Wow is what comes to mind after watching 'Spin'. I chose this particular short film because the editing in this is truly amazing. It conveys a sort of butterfly effect and from this gets one thinking, what if? What if I arrive somewhere 1 minute earlier or one minute later, would I still be alive? Who knows. I guess that is when fate and destiny come in to play. There is no need for clever dialogue in the film, merely an extemely talented editing team. 'Spin' quite simply rocks.

STRANGERS (7:11 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpjHSiQLPmA
Directed by: Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv
Starring: Guy Loel, Sami Samir, Ooky Etinger, Gil Rimer, Guy Eliayahoo and Dudu Kadosh
"Strangers is a short film about the racial divide between Arabs and Jews and what brings them together."
http://ajiminnicoup.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/strangers-short-film/
I chose 'Strangers' because race and religion can often be extremely touchie subjects, almost like tip-toeing over glass. However, in this short film we jump straight into the deep end and the suspense you feel throughout watching it is huge. It needs no dialogue to convey its message and really does give us food for thought. Actually its more of a three course meal we get to ponder over. Who are we really fighting against? I think it attempts to bridge the gap through this well thought out idea and shows that, we really aren't so different after all.

BMW SHORT FILM - THE HIRE - TICKER (9:46 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBdOaIiz60I
Directed by Joe Carnahan
Starring: Clive Owen, Don Cheadle, F. Murray Abraham and Ray Liotta
Plot: "The Driver finds himself in a dangerous, yet highly political situation; this time being pursued by a helicopter gunship while carrying a passenger with a suitcase... the contents of which will decide the fate of a nation."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340398/plotsummary
I chose 'Ticker', not because of it's amazing all star cast of actors, but quite frankly because of the great suspense and meaning behind the story. The suprise ending was really well executed with clever editing that saved all of the vital information from the audience until right at the end. It proved to be much deeper than I had intially anticipated with the future of an entire country in my mind. It sheds light on some important yet on-going subject matters, like dictatorship in the hands of the power hungry. We do not here much about these matters because they do not apply to our country, however it does not make it any less important in our overall society. Sure the action was really cool to watch, with hectic driving and shooting, although it was the deeper meaning in the end that made me want to share it.

BMW SHORT FILM - THE HIRE - BEAT THE DEVIL (9:44 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qQvXawnmjk
Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Clive Owen, James Brown, Gary Oldman, Danny Trejo and Marylin Manson
Plot: "Decades ago, the legendary James Brown sold his soul to the devil for fame and fortune. Now he wishes to renegotiate. Hired to take Mr. Brown to a rendezvous with the devil (Gary Oldman), the driver soon finds himself entangled in fiendish plans."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338768/plotsummary
On a lighter note, I chose 'Beat the devil' because it has to be my favourite short film from BMW's Hire series. Therefore I saved it for last because I believe it to be the best and most entertaining short film in this current post. Tony Scott has managed to capture and convey so much humour into this one short film. How coud you not love Gary Oldman as 'The Devil' and tough guy Danny Trejo as his side kick. Throw in the king of soul, James Brown and a surprise appearance by Marylin Manson holding a bible and you have the makings of one very entertaining story and a classic short film. Clive Owen plays his cool calm and collected role as the driver making me wish more and more that he was the man selected to play James Bond (However I am still a huge fan of Daniel Craig). The excellent editing, sound and cutting sequences all proved to be a mixture for success in my eyes. Drag racing the Devil in Las Vegas for an all or nothing wager? Oh hell yeh!

Why is internet distribution important for short films?

It is important because it is a cheap and effective way to distribute films for audiences to view. Since short films are usually on a tight budget then posting them on the internet acts as a perfect way for heaps of people to see them, without forking out extra cash. Not only does it save a lot of money for the distributor, it saves money for the consumer also.... I found some useful information from The Media Production Blog:

"Here is a list of websites that can help you with Short Film Distribution. The list primarily consists of internet distributors for your short film."