Going viral: short film in the digital era
JA
August 05
On Saturday, I went along to the MIFF screening of Animated Shorts, largely with the singular goal of seeing Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing. With the man there himself, it didn’t disappoint – in barely fifteen minutes the entire film managed to wrangle out humour, pity and warmth, with so much detail and colour you barely wanted to blink.
Other highlights included Atsushi Wada’s In a Pig’s Eye, a delicately drawn, absurdist tale about a giant pig blocking a family’s front door and the Japanese concept of ma, and Chris Perry’s eco-fable, The Incident at Tower 37.
Before I started blogging, I had minimal interest in short films. Or rather, I might have been interested, but I didn’t have easy access. Since we started Spike, however, I’ve probably watched at least two or three a week, simple by virtue of various RSS feeds, blogs and Twitter, and as such become a pretty avid fan of animation. It was only after attending the MIFF that I realised how my viewing habits had shifted, although in reality it makes perfect sense that short films and digital media should go hand-in-hand. Filesharing, bite-sized viewing, DIY-experimentation and self-distribution all lend themselves to the medium. Films can be watched in a matter of minutes via iPhone in between tram stops, embedded to your blog, shared and commented on via Twitter. There’s also an element of cultural kudos involved in making good ‘finds’ – for the example the ‘<— look at this!’ factor – that works in favour of the form. It’s not only about what everyone else is watching, but also what you can bring to the conversation.
The question of how the digital has changed the ways in which we consume and attend cinema is hardly new – indeed, as with the book and music industries, it’s both vexed and thrilled film aficionados for many years now. But it is interesting to note how this is affecting shorter, more indie works in particular, which don’t have as strong a grip on mainstream cinema as bigger features.
Online stakeholders are well of aware of the shifting landscape and indeed many have been quick to step into the role of digital curators, festival holders and global ‘cinemas’. Youtube of course is the obvious example. In 2008, it launched the Youtube Screening Room, which uploads a selection of international short films every fortnight. Already, the claim to new methods of distribution, firmly tied to the future of the internet, is evident: ‘Be a part of a new generation of filmmaking and distribution and help us connect films and audiences in the world’s largest theater!’
Vimeo, Youtube’s somewhat more selective, hipsterish cousin and the first video-sharing site to support HD, has cottoned on to the shift as well. It recently threw its name in as part of the growing online festival circuit through launching the Vimeo Festival + Awards for films of up to 20 minutes in length across a range of genres. The judging panel reads like a who’s who list of indie-cool – David Lynch, Morgan Spurlock, M.I.A, Lawrence Lessig, Roman Coppola and so on – with the winner receiving a very healthy $25 000 grant.
On top of this there are a host of other ‘curatorial’ sites – Chunnel.tv, the Daily Tube and Vidque (formerly Nizmlab), which incidentally was where I found this pilot for Johannes Nyholm’s Dreams from the Woods, also screened at the MIFF. (It doubles as the music video for Little Dragon’s Twice).
On another level as well, digital media is having an impact on audience behaviour and content. Alvin Singh on Absorb What’s Useful points out that while in a cinema we are asked to switch off our mobile phones and not talk during the movie, having films online not only allows conversation but encourages it. Viewers are expected to leave comments, or tweet their thoughts throughout. Similarly, at the Video Vortex conference some years back, media artist Andreas Treske observed that while cinema effectively shuts down our senses (a darkened room, silence, closed doors etc), viewing on mobile devices means that films nowadays must also think about competing with outside noise. Animation for example might be created with a small screen in mind, resulting in simplified images and different aesthetics, as well as a focus on sound.
The bigger question through relates to how short films will continue to be distributed in the future. I’m no expert on the particulars of this (and if anyone is please feel free to jump in), but as far as I can tell, in the past short films have been generally reliant on international festival circuits or competitions like Tropfest. Digital filesharing and free viewing of course rewrites many of the rules of the game. Moving Web poses a few related thoughts:
What are the financial models of internet distribution? Will supply increase in demand? … This can lead us further to think about why artists do NOT want their work to be published online. For many artists, this means losing a certain control over the context in which the work was made and in which it will be shown (as anyone can show it anywhere they like in whatever context). This also raises questions of exclusivity, availability, quality and rights.
After the MIFF, the first thing I wanted to do was view Wada and Perry’s films again (and possible share them here). After much searching, I couldn’t find much trace at all of In a Pig’s Eye, and Perry’s site states that The Incident at Tower 37 won’t be available online until after its festival run. I think Shaun Tan also mentioned that the MIFF screening would be the only one in Melbourne for The Lost Thing, and I’m not sure of further plans to upload online.
Personally, I love the fact that so many short films are available on the web, many of which I know I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. That said, I can see that the growing foothold of digital media is something of a quandary for filmmakers. Do they stick with the more conventional festival run, or simple upload content online and hope for the best, or some sort of hybrid of both? Which of these provide the longer, richer lifespan?
One way to ensure a strong online presence is perhaps to open up the creative process behind each project. Perry’s blog gives a good run down on the journey from concept art to finished film and similarly Shaun has many character sketches on his site. InFrame.tv also did a great behind-the-scenes look into the making of The Lost Thing a while back, which you can check out below.
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Comments
05 Aug 10 at 10:21
Cool blog Jess – online exhibition of short films creates lots of opportunities for filmmakers I reckon.
I think that film festivals are important as a space to encourage well crafted, intelligent and inspiring short films. My feeling is that they will always be there and function as a platform for many new, emerging and established filmmakers. They become a chance to pitch ideas, mix in real-time with other filmmakers and producers, screen your work, and of course watch heaps of shorts that may not see the light of day in Australia. I’ve always loved going to MIFF and other festivals as a viewer and filmmaker.
At the same time, my experience of the film industry in Melbourne is that it’s very competitive, and there isn’t a lot of money. It’s bloody hard just getting shorts off the ground. I came across some research a couple of years ago which found there was much more funding and/or business opportunities for publishing and graphic design than film and television. Festivals can become exclusive places. Many committees judging shorts competitions are of course highly subjective and I’ve seen an awful lot of dodgy films at festivals. Perhaps this is one way in which online viewing can extend the distribution opportunities for filmmakers. I reckon good films have a habit of getting out there despite the limitations of the festival circuit, and largely due to the tenacity of filmmakers. I could be wrong, but I don’t think the ‘Saw’ short film/test footage was played at a festival. Those guys just turned up to sell the idea in Hollywood and it spawned a whole series of features. Also, guys like The Sack make awesome ‘bits’ and short pieces that get thousands of views, and they don’t rely on film festivals, just great ideas: http://thesack.tumblr.com/
The thing is though watching films in the cinema with an audience is intoxicating. I enjoy it more than online experiences. I get a huge buzz from sitting with an audience and hearing their reactions to my movies. Seeing my shorts at the St Kilda Film Festival and Triple J Framebreaks was just awesome, so much fun, I’d have to say St Kilda is my favourite festival for shorts. The sound is normally heaps better in the cinema, shooting on Super 16mm and then seeing it on the big screen is just gold, and it feels like more of an ‘event’. I really like the social aspect of the experience.
In terms of online versions of my shorts, what tends to happen for me is that I sometimes get requests from festivals overseas to screen my films. It’s only happened a couple of times, but I was pretty chuffed when I got an email out of the blue asking to screen Primal Urges (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDxxvwdxyJM ). A horror fan in the US who was running a festival just started searching online and came up with my film. Also, it’s so easy to turn up to meetings with content online – makes it really easy to show a portfolio to clients or other filmmakers, I don’t have to cart around DVDs, portable drives etc, we just go to the web page. Plus broadband internet means you can upload much higher resolution products, as long as the people at the other end have a half decent connection.
I reckon a combination of film festivals and online exhibition is what we’re going to see more and more. For me, the online presence becomes another means to exhibit and generate interest in my work, but I still prioritise screenings at festivals as a way of getting my work on the big screen, and being exposed to people in much higher places than myself within the industry.
Not sure if these are of interest to Meanjin readers, but I use the Cinema 16 collections of short films in my workshops and lectures, there are some great films in them:
http://www.amazon.com/Cinema16-European-Short-Andrea-Arnold/dp/B000UX6TNE
http://www.amazon.com/Cinema-Discipline-Daybreaker-Linebacker-Necrology/dp/B002J5EA2I/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1280966824&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/British-Short-Films-Collection-Doodlebug/dp/B003F1S54E/ref=sr_1_5?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1280966869&sr=1-5
...05 Aug 10 at 11:28
Cheers Ben – great to hear from someone who actually works on the inside.
It’s good to hear that online distribution can lead to festival screenings. As with the whole books/music piracy debate – I guess there is this misconception that filesharing = loss in ‘sales’. Do you find that festival directors are open to showcasing films that are also available freely online, or do they prefer a more exclusive run?
Audience reaction was something I definitely noticed at the MIFF – it seemed much more sensory than mainstream cinema. You could hear people gasping/sighing/laughing at various points, applauding at the end of each short etc.
This is completely unrelated but another thing I love about short films is the same buzz you get from short stories – little sips of narrative. So much is conveyed in such a short amount of time, which means that everything has to be spot on.
...18 Aug 10 at 12:31
My gut feeling is that festival directors would prefer films to be showcased at the festival rather than being available online first. My approach has always been that I prioritise the festivals. I did not upload my shorts to YouTube until they had played at a number of festivals, including St Kilda, MUFF, Triple J Framebreaks and others. I have a new short I’m writing and the plan with that is to submit to festivals first and once that’s been achieved then make it available online. This extends my audience and also helps me to continue generating awareness and interest in my work when I’m not actively in production.
Most festivals I enter acknowledge that short films play at other festivals, and they still consider them for screening because they are often interested in particular themes or ideas that year. You’re not necessarily excluded if you screened at other festivals, but you may not be eligible for prizes.
‘Loss in sales’ through file sharing online is an interesting idea. I don’t know any filmmakers who make shorts to earn money. They may win prize money, but shorts are normally a stepping stone onto features or to establish cred in the industry and to build a cast and crew for the long term. Commercials are different of course, although they’re not really a ‘festival’ kind of narrative. So I’m not sure how much actual income is lost, although it is important to me as a writer/artist/filmmaker that I’m treated as a professional and that I’m paid for my work. For me festivals have generated a tiny bit of award money, I’ve been paid to give some workshops on filmmaking and writing, so a small amount of income has been derived from the shorts. I have not seen sharing my shorts online as a ‘loss’, more helping me in the long term – provided it’s done in a particular way.
For aspiring filmmakers, the use of online sharing depends on the values of the filmmakers and what they hope to achieve from their short films. I prefer to make what I consider to be cool shorts, get festival screenings and then share online, so I’m not profit driven in that sense. I think the other factor that is important is wider public attitudes to the arts and their ‘consumption’, and the baggage that comes with an economic rationalist model for viewing films, and how this in turn impacts on short film production and exhibition.
Thanks again for the post Jess – it inspired me to knock together a YouTube video about making one of my shorts. It is based on a radio interview I had with Triple J during the 2005 St Kilda Film Festival.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piqinExFWxI
...14 Jul 11 at 12:14
Thanks for this post… even though I’m a little late to the party, I was at the same screening last year for MIFF and will be at this years' animation showcase too. It is an inspiring program. I found your post while researching what other animators come up against when considering if/when to make their films available online. It’s hard to toe the line between ‘saving’ your film for festivals and wanting to expand your audience in as many ways as possible with all the online tools at our disposal. I can only hope that in waiting out the festival run, my film comes into contact with some people who feel as inspired to write about their viewing experience as you have been… keep it up!
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