The results for the Aesthetica Short Film Competition 2010 have been announced. The finalists have their say on what it takes to make a great short and how that fits within the landscape of cinema today.
The mechanics of filmmaking have never been more accessible. In today鈥檚 internet driven world, sites like YouTube and Vimeo attract millions of viewers. The idea of do-it-yourself and user generated content has exploded. What impact has this had on the film industry? More and more people are making films, but the outlet for short films is limited. However, there are a number of festivals that include on shorts, which defines the infrastructure, such as: The London Short Film Festival (January), Glasgow Film Festival (February), Birds Eye View (March), Rushes Short Film Festival (July), Branchage Film Festival (September), Raindance (November) amongst many others.
Why should short film be celebrated? For many filmmakers, short films become a calling card, offering audiences a chance to see filmmakers as the impetus is rising. It鈥檚 a hard industry, with very little funding, and with the UK Film council being disbanded, and the strain on regional agencies enormous, it will remain this way. Much of the short film world is comprised of directors and writers who make these films because they have to; akin to writing short stories 鈥 many people say that market is dead, but it鈥檚 not, just as short film has its critics, the truth is these vignettes offer so much with regards to defining the craft. Limited space and time requires precision of story, and a good short offers immediacy, with a narrative that captures audiences鈥 imaginations from the start.
Earlier this year, we launched the Aesthetica Short Film Competition to support and champion burgeoning filmmakers. With approximately 1000 entries from over 30 countries, the competition attracted a wealth of international talent. We received films from nearly every genre, from the more experimental artists鈥 films to drama, documentary, animation and music video. It was an amazing experience to watch these films. Filmmakers are the ultimate artists; involving nearly every component of creative practice.
British filmmaker, Carol Salter was this year鈥檚 winner for her emotive documentary, Unearthing the Pen, while the American filmmaking-duo, the Varava Brothers were the runners-up with The Shadow Effect. Salter鈥檚 film is about a young Ugandan boy whose tribe has placed a curse on the pen, rendering him illiterate and limiting his understanding and knowledge, at one point he says: 鈥淚 know nothing of this world.鈥 We follow Locheng on his journey, when he enquires at the school and costs are discussed, the teacher asks him: 鈥淗ow will you afford this?鈥 It becomes a moment that defines real emotion. Salter negotiates a very personal story, and working as a one woman crew she captures the humanity of her subject: 鈥淚t鈥檚 crucial for me to build a close relationship with my subject. I don鈥檛 know if that would be possible with a larger crew.鈥 Although she manages the technical aspects herself, Salter says: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 work in isolation鈥, which clearly defines the medium: by its nature film engenders collaboration, between maker and viewer if nothing else. Locheng yearns for education, and through this film, we reflect upon our lives and situations realising how much we take for granted. Salter creates a relationship that draws out empathy in her viewers through her cinematography. She is a filmmaker who will, no doubt, grace the big screen in the future.
The Varava Brothers鈥 film, The Shadow Effect, is, in contrast, set in Hollywood. We meet a man, roughly 30-years-old, his life isn鈥檛 going according to plan, and he鈥檚 unhappy with a routine that never changes. In a self-obsessed culture, he sees an advert for a programme that will change his life. He鈥檚 meant to find someone to 鈥渕odel鈥 himself after, but he lives alone, eats alone, and so he turns to the television, soap operas in particular. The clich茅 of American soap operas is that everyone is rich and beautiful, and the main character buys into that idea. He wants to exist in a fictional world, and by dressing and acting like a character from the soap, he discards his own life. This sense of isolation in contemporary society underpins a present-day dilemma. Throughout the film, the main character is anonymous, and never speaks. The brothers wanted to create, 鈥渁 forceful sense of urgency with a smart and scathing sense of humour, seen through a beautiful, and unrefined aesthetic in hopes of really creating a deep empathy for the character in the narrative.鈥 The Shadow Effect is essential viewing for anyone that has ever compared themselves to others, a phenomenon that has been fuelled by social networking and digital media.
Providing a cross-section of compelling narratives and beautiful cinematography, the following filmmakers were commended: Remi Weekes (Exhale), Timothy Melville (The Laundromat), Tatiana Margaux Bonhomme (That Sunday), Guy Ducker (Missed), Shaun Hughes (Mother), Thomas Canning (Foto), Daniel Wirtberg (Love Child), Oonagh Kearney (Her Mother鈥檚 Daughters), Matt Hammill (Hazed), Manuela Moreno (I Want to Spend the Rest of My Life with You) and Tom Werber (Losers: Flush).
What makes someone become a filmmaker? Carol Salter, Shaun Hughes, Tatiana Margaux Bonhomme and Tom Werber all came from an art background. Hughes did a Masters Degree in fine art, although his 鈥渇irst experiments were in the realm of video art鈥 and he was 鈥渟triving to express ideas or emotions that generally dealt with memory.鈥 For filmmakers such as Guy Ducker, Thomas Canning and Daniel Wirtberg, they first got involved with film from a young age; curiosity driven by the family camcorder. In the case of Wirtberg, he grew up in rural Sweden, and it was his friend鈥檚 father鈥檚 camcorder locked away, which sparked the idea of making films. 鈥淲hen my friend鈥檚 father was out, we picked the lock, got the camcorder, went out into the night, and shot everything that moved. Step-by-step it developed into a sketch; there was a lot of playing around in the beginning.鈥 There鈥檚 a big difference between those of us who dream about making movies, and those of us who actually do it, although these filmmakers come from different backgrounds and varying levels of experience, they are all active in making films.
But the process of making a film is daunting. How do you actually do it? Although some of our filmmakers started off experimenting to make a film that goes beyond a series of candid moving images, it involves meticulous planning and collaboration. Each finalist cites collaboration as one of the main aspects for getting any project off the ground, and nearly all of the films are self-financed. Finding locations and casting, to organising a crew and adequate equipment, are only some of the many tasks. A good idea is not enough to make a film; you must be dedicated and surround yourself with a team who believe in the project. For Canning, it was location that was crucial: 鈥淚 learned an important lesson whilst trying to get permission to film on Brighton Pier. I called them and tried to sound like I was experienced and incredibly important. The price they quoted was astronomical. Then, I made the decision to be honest, and explained I was self-funded and it was a small film; they dropped the price and were lovely to me after I told the truth.鈥 Whereas for Ducker, it boils down to casting, for him it鈥檚 essential 鈥渘ot just to get the best actors, but the right actors.鈥 In a short film, there鈥檚 very little time 鈥渢o flesh out a character, so the actor鈥檚 natural presence becomes an important tool in storytelling.鈥
Digital methods signify rapid production, and so the landscape of cinema is changing. According to Kearney: 鈥淐inema culture is always shifting; on one hand we鈥檙e told audiences respond to what they know, but I think that certain modes of expression have 鈥榥ormalised鈥 and shaped audiences鈥 expectations. But audiences vary and times change.鈥 Does this mean that there鈥檚 a place for short film? Projects like the Artists鈥 Cinema run by LUX and the ICO in London, present short films before mainstream films at major picture houses. Although, their project focuses on artists鈥 films, there is scope to explore this idea further, as the model for watching films is changing.
Filmmaking is about communicating a message. The 13 finalists radiate energy, courage and determination. In one of the hardest industries to break into on the planet, they continue to create and most commented that they 鈥渘eed鈥 to create. This conviction is infectious and compelling. Hughes suggests: 鈥淲e consume much more today. Shorts are a great device for delivery of a story that can retain the viewer鈥檚 attention. You could argue that there is more scope to experiment.鈥 This prevailing attitude demonstrates the need for the short.
Cherie Federico
