Films with Empathy

Every now and again, when writing a treatment, I find myself describing one of the objectives is “to create a sense of empathy.” And this short stood out to me as an example of when a film can sucker punch you right in the feels.

I also noticed a few parallels as it relates to the kind of work we do. For example, the scene with Salote and her manager could be compared to some of the communication and coaching themes that we deal with from time to time. Likewise, the idea that “everyone has a story” and “you never know what another person is going through” is a concept we've explored on a few occasions and I specifically like how, in this example, the audience is learning Salote's true motives along with the supporting characters - the misdirection is very clever.

Lastly, this film is simply shot really well. I would be interested in thinking about how we might be about to bring this sort of cinematic quality to our work as well.

Night Shift from Zia Mandviwalla on Vimeo.

Short Films Without Dialogue

I was checking out my Vimeo feed this morning and, coincidentally, I stumbled upon two very different pieces that do not feature any dialogue. These two examples made me think of how many times we've been asked to create something that transcends language - in other words, something that wouldn't require translations or subtitling.

Square Peg from Mighty Nice on Vimeo.

THE DIG – The First Film Shot on Sony’s CineAlta VENICE Full Frame Camera from Sony Professional USA on Vimeo.

A Writer and Three Script Editors Walk Into a Bar

I feel like we've been talking a lot about Story lately - be it at work, on the podcast, or playing D&D. And I think this short film does a great job of reminding me that you should never let the details (even though they may be important) get in the way of a good story.

A Writer and Three Script Editors Walk Into a Bar-HD from Craig Griffin on Vimeo.

The Irrational Fear of Nothing

I was catching up on some of my "watch laters" on Vimeo and came across this really interesting piece. I bring it up because in the past we've recreated the "Being John Malkovich" effect in order to illustrate an experience or point-of-view, but something about the disorienting quality of the (backwards) body rig is fun. I think what I like best about it is it's simplicity - just dude walking around with a well-written narration.

From what I can gather, this film was created to promote the Olympus E-M5 Mark II and part of the Olympus: Point of View Series.

The Irrational Fear of Nothing from Paul Trillo on Vimeo.

Behind the scenes -The Irrational Fear of Nothing from Paul Trillo on Vimeo.

We all love short story telling. Dragon

As the 50 hour comes closer and we talk about keeping it simple vs. going all out I thought this short has a lot to it. It is short without leaving you wanting more, it has a nice setup and punchline, and you don't have to see the dragon to get the message. I think these are all elements we should think about when writing our story.



Dragon from Gulliver Moore on Vimeo.

Killing Kennedy

I recently had an opportunity to help consult on a music video for a buddy of mine. He's a photographer by trade and he was describing the setup they had for a scene that takes place at night in the woods - they had everything from four generators, a handful of 2K fresnel lights, a 12'x 12' silk, and a bunch of other really fun gear to make it happen.

The whole thing got me thinking about how relatively "light" we roll sometimes. That's not meant to be self-deprecating - I know we do what we do for very specific reasons. It also brought to mind this promo piece created for the History Channel by Variable, Killing Kennedy. It kind of blew me away to see just how much work went into this little 00:47 promo. For example, the attention to detail (they shot all the "home movie" scenes using actual film that should have expired in the 60's), the otherwise spartan set (basically a backdrop and a motorcade), and just the way everything was cut together in reverse from Lee Harvey Oswald's point of view really captured my attention.

Killing Kennedy from Variable on Vimeo.

Killing Kennedy - Behind the Scenes from Variable on Vimeo.

AWAY

The other day Wegman and I were talking about the use of VFX in Dead Dixie California, the film he's been working on for the past year or so. Specifically, the almost unreal amount of planning that's required to pull off even the most basic effects. Ultimately, the conversation reminded me of this piece from Convolv, AWAY.

Aside from the really great FX, there's a really good story behind the production. Basically, the two filmmakers were going into the project completely blind and with very little experience. You can read the full story here.

AWAY Official Trailer from Convolv on Vimeo.

AWAY VFX Breakdown from Convolv on Vimeo.

DEATH MASTER'S HOUSE

Still coming off of the Halloween BGSU 48-Hour, I thought I'd post this festive short. I've been following Holomax for a while and their films are always funny, charming, and well produced. From a technical standpoint, I'm also always excited to see their stuff because they are one of the few people I know who've really embraced the Bolex D16.

DEATH MASTER'S HOUSE from Holomax on Vimeo.

Leonard in Slow Motion

The Missing Scarf

Wow. Just, wow.

The Missing Scarf from Eoin Duffy on Vimeo.

Two Kids Who Love Metal - Update

I felt compelled to update Dave's previous post from November of last year. I read in an article that these kids struck a deal with Sony for $1.7 million. Dave should be a talent agent.

43,000 Feet

This piece reminded me a little bit of a radio program; something like This American Life, Wiretap, or The Moth. While there are some really-really-awesome visuals, the sound has a life of it's own. There are also some fun animations and sharp writing. This piece has something for everyone.

43,000 Feet from Campbell Hooper on Vimeo.

Ohio

Brent - consider this your guide to L.A. when you arrive.

Everyone else - It's a little long but there's a really curious thing going on with the production of this piece. They set up the main character through a series of candid, impromptu conversations with strangers in L.A. But then it almost seamlessly transition into a typical narrative. I can't tell if the dialogue is just written really well or if the two characters just riffed a lot.

Ohio from Andrew DeYoung on Vimeo.

Storytelling is Joke Telling

Andrew Stanton once said "storytelling is joke telling." so here's bit of fun. Love the character by the way. Happy Hump Day.

Flash from Will Herbert on Vimeo.

Two Kids Who Love Metal

Another Blast From The Past - No Faces

I was a grip on a senior film my second year at BGSU. This is a trailer for the short film. It was shot on Super 16 and the script was from a screenwriting class the semester before. It has all the hallmearks of a student film; guns, mobsters, drugs and melodrama...

A Relationship in 5 Minutes

Brilliantly written and acted piece from the folks at Restless Short Films.

Fear of Flying

This is an interesting approach to animation. All the character are "handheld" rather than moved incrementally like in traditional stop-motion. All human limbs were later removed and the character's pupils, arms and legs were animated in post.

It definitely has a Wes Anderson vibe to it, specifically Fantastic Mr. Fox. I'm also include a very short, obligatory making-of...

FEAR OF FLYING from conorfinnegan on Vimeo.

A glimpse into the MAKING OF "FEAR OF FLYING" from conorfinnegan on Vimeo.

Seeking Superman

So now that the festival is over, I figured now would be a fine time to showcase our efforts on 'The Stew'

Oscar Nominated Shorts

I am sure we are all familier with the heavy hitters of the year Lincon, Flight, Les Miserable. But the shorts are often forgotten. Here are trailers (or in some cases the full piece) for the shorts up for nomination.

HEAD OVER HEELS - Trailer from Timothy Reckart on Vimeo.