This special entry for Show Me Shorts‘ Screening Room, a monthly blog that brings to like some of the darnedest, finest short films from across the world, features shorts picked by Ben Barrington.
My name’s Ben Barrington and I’m an actor based in Auckland (he’s on The Almighty Johnsons, but is too humble to mention it – Ed.). I’ve always firmly believed in the short film format as a vital part of screen entertainment. To begin with, a short film is a great calling card for any aspiring filmmaker to share their vision and writing style. Or for that matter, any aspect of the film making process, without the requirements of vast time, resources and money. Secondly, without the constraints of feature film and television structure, filmmakers can explore their vision freely in a short, since it’s almost an expectation that short films will be unconventional in their narrative and composition.
I’ve chosen to briefly write about three short films that made an impression on me for different reasons; there’s no real unifying theme, except that I can highly recommend each one of them, both as solid examples of work to aspiring filmmakers and satisfyingly entertaining pieces of cinema for an audience. Anyway, here we go…
Bottle Rocket
Wes Anderson, 1994
One of my favourite short films is Bottle Rocket (1994), directed by Wes Anderson and written by Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson. It’s a classic example of aspiring filmmakers using a short to attract investors to their style and bigger visions; a feature length version was funded and made in 1996. Anderson and Wilson made Bottle Rocket as buddies at the University of Texas, but went on to collaborate on several pictures, winning an Oscar for The Royal Tenenbaums screenplay in 2001. Shot in shaky black and white, the film is incomplete in its narrative and badly edited and scored, but shows Anderson’s distinct meandering style, quirky dialogue and the whimsical take on American culture that would become his trademarks in later films like Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Moonrise Kingdom. The film is also notable for introducing Wilson as an actor, along with the asinine earnestness that would make him a movie star.
Brains?
Giles McNeill, 2012
Another recent short that really stuck with me was the winner of the 48Hr Film Competition in 2012. Brains? exemplifies the expression “Pressure makes Diamonds” and offers a truly original spin on the saturated Zombie genre. Brilliant not only for a 48Hr film, but a short in general, it has a clever idea and a well-constructed and cohesive narrative with a satisfying ending, while suggesting countless possibilities for the wider world in which it takes place. The relentless shooting pace and shoestring budget of the 48Hr weekend serve to give the film the nostalgic feel of cheap 1960s zombie features. I loved this short because it endeared the central characters, the walking dead, to the audience in only six minutes and set my imagination going on the story’s broader context. The horribly clunky final line delivered by the single human character was the icing on this charming cake.
I’m Here
Spike Jonze, 2010
A third short film I really love is I’m Here, a Sci-Fi romance directed by Spike Jonze in 2010. Firstly, I like the fact the film was funded and promoted by Absolut Vodka, proving that the ever-increasing union between cinema and big business doesn’t have to mean artistic compromise. The film’s love story about two robots, set in a modern, hipster Los Angeles where humans and robots co-exist, is full of obvious metaphors of isolation, loneliness and discrimination; but it gives weight to the old adage that good films are simple stories told well. As with Jonze’s feature films and music videos, it’s the richly textured visuals, coupled with a highly emotive mood and pace that leave a lasting impression. This film made me feel pretty sad, but also inspired by experiencing a fairly familiar concept realized in expert hands.
So, there you have it. Check out these films if you haven’t already. Three brilliant shorts, very different and made for different purposes, but, in my opinion, each a shining example of work in the short film medium.
