nofilmschool » shorts

PBS Independent Documentary Series 'POV' is Asking for Uncommon Stories That Uncover Lives

Laura Gamse — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:20:22 +0000

PBS’ independent documentary series POV has opened its doors for submissions to the 2014 broadcast season, and you’ve got until the end of the month to finish that masterpiece before they slam shut again. And with a mission like “telling stories that are not often seen in the mainstream,” who wouldn’t feel inclined to enter? So if you have a doc in the glint of your eye, holla at POV right now like you know what’s up. As always, details after the jump. (more…)

Take a Beautiful Trip Through a 2.5D City in the Animated Short 'Mirage'

Mar Belle — Wed, 29 May 2013 17:39:44 +0000

All too often the films that make the biggest splashes are those that race from one showy kinetic scene to the next, barely allowing a pause for breath before the final credits roll. So every once in a while its refreshing to find a film that takes a gentle stroll as its tempo, as Frederic Kokott’s short animation Mirage does as it portrays a city in picture and sound. Ease into it after the jump: (more…)

What Happens When Your Movie Unexpectedly Goes Viral? Ben Howling & Yolanda Ramke's 'Cargo'

Joe Marine — Sat, 11 May 2013 04:24:19 +0000

It’s a phenomenon that didn’t really exist before the internet: going viral. The term has come to mean quite a few things and can be applied to all sorts of different scenarios, but in this case, we’re talking about a video that is seen by millions of people in a relatively short amount of time — a near impossibility for the average person just a decade ago. Ben Howling had this exact situation happen to him about a month ago, when the movie he co-directed with Yolanda Ramke for the Australian Tropfest Film Festival was considered a finalist and then posted online, going viral long after. It has now been viewed over 2.7 million times in just a matter of weeks. Check out the short below, followed by a discussion about the production and how the sudden success of the film caught the filmmakers off-guard: (more…)

Finally the Reason for Vine's Existence: 'Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal'

Joe Marine — Fri, 10 May 2013 08:13:58 +0000

Vine, the Twitter-owned iOS app that lets you take, upload, and now embed 6 seconds of video, has been making the rounds since it was released back in January of this year. Tribeca held a contest for filmmakers to make movies with Vine, but similar to Twitter itself when it began, we haven’t quite figured out its true purpose. That is, until now. Ryan McHenry, who directed a BAFTA-winning short film called Zombie Musical, has created something of true genius with the app. Behold, Ryan Gosling Won’t Eat Cereal, the very reason Vine, and possibly the internet, was created: (more…)

Science & Animation Come Together for World Record-Breaking Atomic Animation 'A Boy and His Atom'

Mar Belle — Fri, 03 May 2013 23:34:46 +0000

I’ve always thought that being a Guinness World Record holder has to be a stressful gig. Firstly, there’s all that time you have to spend prepping for whatever record-breaking feat it is you’ve set your heart on being the best in the world at, but let’s face it, that’s the easy part. Surely the time spent looking over your shoulder for those destined to snatch your glory from under you is much harder. It could be months, it could be years, but in the case of Sumo Science — who held the record for the ‘smallest stop-motion animation character in a film’ with Dot — it was around 974 days before the smart arses over at IBM definitively crushed their record by releasing A Boy and His Atom; a stop motion short created with 5,000 carbon monoxide molecules. Step into the atomic world after the jump: (more…)

Red Giant Put BulletProof Workflow Software Through Its Paces in Cold War Gadget Short 'Spy vs Guy'

Mar Belle — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:43:44 +0000

It’s all well and good setting out to create a ‘proof-of-plugin’ short / commercial when you have flashy effects or color grade looks to show off, but if the product is more concerned with efficient workflow, then introducing an impressive invasion scene or futuristic weapon probably isn’t going to cut it. So how did Red Giant choose to showcase their offload, prep, and delivery solution BulletProof through the medium of film? Why, by creating Spy vs Guy, a live action Road Runner vs Wile E. Coyotesque film, steeped in cold war era skullduggery of course. Check out the hunt below. (more…)

If You Like AMATEUR, Take 2 Seconds to Help Us Spread the Word (Makes a BIG Difference)

Ryan Koo — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:20:10 +0000

Last week I posted AMATEUR, the prequel to my forthcoming feature MANCHILD, and the response to the short has been downright amazing. Thank you to everyone who has watched it! If you haven’t seen it yet, it is embedded below, and if you have seen it, here’s how two seconds of your time can make a big difference for the project: (more…)

Stratastencil Animation, Dance, and Poetry Take Flight in 'The Me Bird'

Mar Belle — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:13:13 +0000

Take a poem written by Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, combine it with transfixing stratastencil animation, throw in a strong piano score from Conrado Kempers and Pedro Carneiro, and have Brazilian design and motion graphics studio 18bis blend it all together. If you’re lucky you’ll end up with The Me Bird; a transfixing, textured dance film, realized through a mix of digital and crafted techniques. Fall into it after the jump: (more…)

MUBI and Images Festival Partner Up to Present 20 Short Films Worldwide for Free

V Renée — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 23:14:24 +0000

For the third time, MUBI has partnered up with the Images Festival to bring you a selection of the festival’s short films. Images Festival, established in 1987, is the largest festival in North America for experimental and independent moving image culture. Images has presented thousands of vanguard media-based projects in the last 24 years of its existence, and this year, they bring 20 of this year’s films to you — for free — through MUBI. (more…)

Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola Team Up to Make a Short Film for Prada Candy L'Eau Perfume

V Renée — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:00:33 +0000

Frequent collaborators Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola get together once again to bring us a short film for Prada’s new fragrance Prada Candy. The film has its auteurs’ thematic, cinematic, and aesthetic fingerprints all over it, which makes you forget that you’re in fact watching a commercial. Set in France, the film follows two young and attractive men as they vie for the affections of the beautiful “Candy.” Watch the short and go behind the scenes after the jump: (more…)

Take a Surreal Fashion Road Trip in CANADA & 55DSL's 'Beyond Mountains, More Mountains'

Mar Belle — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 15:03:55 +0000

Have you ever found yourself in a foreign country, jet lagged but wide awake. You turn the TV on, flick through the channels, and happen upon a film that, while strangely compelling, you just can’t make head nor tail of? Perhaps it’s your exhausted brain or something’s getting lost in translation, but either way, you’re not sure you’re getting the whole story, yet feel too invested to bail out. That’s how you may well feel watching Beyond Mountains, More Mountains, an Italian road movie initiated by the hunt for a lost boot from directorial team CANADA, created for fashion label 55DSL. (more…)

Take 12 Minutes Out of Your Day to Watch Ray Tintori's 'Death to the Tinman'

Joe Marine — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 23:10:30 +0000

Not having a ton of professional talent or money doesn’t mean you can’t make a great film, but letting your budget be your aesthetic opens up a whole other world of creative possibilities. Ray Tintori’s short Death to the Tinman, which won an award at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, is a perfect example of working within a limited budget but achieving what feels like a much bigger film thanks to some clever DIY effects and ingenuity. I first saw the film a few years ago, and while it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s a great example of doing a lot with a little, and not apologizing for your budget. (more…)

Bringing 'HENRi' to Life: a Filmmaker's Arduous Low-Budget Animated Journey

Robert Hardy — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:34:12 +0000

Do you love underdog stories? How about underdog stories about independent filmmaking? If the answer is yes, there’s a lot to love about HENRi, a low-budget science fiction short film, written and directed by Eli Sasich, starring Margot Kidder and Keir Dullea of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame. HENRi tells of the poetic journey of its titular character, a self-evolving robot who wishes for nothing more than to become human. The film is a unique blend of traditional miniature and puppetry effects alongside more modern motion-reference animation, and the results are simply stunning. Check out the trailer below. (more…)

'Red Bull Perspective - A Skateboard Film,' Shot in Gorgeous Anamorphic on RED EPIC & Phantom Flex

Joe Marine — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 04:22:50 +0000

Skateboard videos became more popular as digital cameras got smaller and cheaper, and it was practically free to go shoot your friends for a few hours or tape over anything you didn’t like. High-end skate videos are in their own world entirely, and you don’t have to be a fan of skateboarding to appreciate the beauty and talent exhibited by the skaters and the filmmakers. In Red Bull Perspective — A Skateboard Video, DP Marc Ritzema shows off some gorgeous anamorphic photography with the RED EPIC and time-stopping slow motion with the Phantom Flex, and Director Nicholas Schrunk crafts a story that takes you into the lives of some of today’s premiere skaters. Check out the film below. (more…)

Watch the Top 5 Films from the AbelCine Phantom Miro High-Speed Inspiration Challenge

Joe Marine — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 01:24:20 +0000

All the way back in July, we told you about a contest that AbelCine was running in partnership with Vision Research. That contest, the Miro High-Speed Inspiration Challenge, focused on contestants coming up with new and creative uses for high-speed photography, and they’ve now selected five finalists from a group of a few hundred applicants. The winner will be announced on March 1st, but you can watch all five of the short films right now embedded below. (more…)

We All Start Somewhere: Watch the Directorial Debut That Haunts Academy Award Winner Ben Affleck

Joe Marine — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 04:59:33 +0000

The first films you make are never going to be your best (unless things go really, really well, and you’ve got a bit of money behind you). Just because a movie may be someone’s first feature, doesn’t mean they’ve never made a film before. Sometimes there are a few gems in that early work, but more often than not, plenty of them are cringe-worthy. That seems to be the case with one of Academy Award-winning Ben Affleck’s first short films made in 1993, I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney (catch all that?). Watch the film embedded below. (more…)

Get Lost in Lizzy Caplan's Whimsical World in Matthew Frost's Parody 'Fashion Film'

Joe Marine — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:36:33 +0000

If you’ve been a human being for a long enough period of time, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a fashion commercial. While designers in fashion tend to set trends, very often their commercials can become downright predictable. That’s why Matthew Frost, who is no stranger to these kinds of ads, decided to play on that predictability in his new promo for Viva Vena! clothing. Starring the very talented Lizzy Caplan, Fashion Film is a humorous look at a world that sometimes lacks such an emotion. (more…)

Academy Award Nominated Animation 'Paperman' is a Gorgeous Blend of 2D and 3D

Joe Marine — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:34:45 +0000

Academy Award nominees are rarely available for free (legally) online before the actual Oscar ceremonies, but that’s exactly the case with the short animation Paperman, produced with the help of Disney. The film is getting attention for more than just the nomination — the technique used is an interesting blend of 2D hand-drawn animation mixed with a 3D world. It’s not the first time that we’ve seen techniques like this used, but it may very well bring back some of the things many of us loved about traditional 2D animation. Check out Paperman and some behind the scenes videos below. (more…)

Sundance 2013 Winners Announced, 'Fruitvale' and 'Blood Brother' Grab Top Prizes

Joe Marine — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 04:15:28 +0000

Another Sundance Film Festival has come and gone, and it was a tremendous year for acquisitions, with the rights to at least a dozen films sold for over $1 million dollars. We’ve had a few great conversations with some of the filmmakers from this year’s festival, including Darci Picoult, writer of Mother of George, winner of one of the Cinematography Awards. The top prizes went to Fruitvale, for dramatic, and Blood Brother, for documentary, and we’ve got some material from both films, as well two of the award-winning short films embedded below. (more…)

Focus Forward Documentary Winners Announced, Watch All 5 Including the $100K Grand Prize Film

Joe Marine — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 05:08:23 +0000

It was announced all the way back in February 2012, but the Focus Forward documentary short film competition has finally come to a close, and they’ve announced the winners at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The contest, sponsored by General Electric and Vimeo, and in partnership with Cinelan, has awarded $200,000 in prize money to five short films around the theme of invention or innovation. Check out all of the winners below, plus a new short film from Morgan Spurlock. (more…)