 15/05/2008 Straight 8’s philosophy on shooting film is simple. Budding filmmakers go onto their website and ask for a super 8mm single cartridge of film. They then shoot a short film about anything they like; the catch being that, because it’s on a film cartridge, tracking back to rerecord is out the question. In a nut-shell what you film is what you get, warts and all. Furthermore, there’s no editing. See? Simple.
Alas, after taking the Cannes film festival by storm last year - and with a return rapidly approaching next week, Straight 8 have been handed four 7:55pm prime-time slots for Channel 4’s ‘3 minute wonder’. This is the finest bit of news we’ve had since learning that a £70 bottle of wine is no different to a £10 bottle. Hoorah!
The directors of the Straight 8 ‘3 minute wonder’ films originate from the Netherlands, Mexico and the UK. Their films will be shown on Channel 4 to coincide with the Cannes Film Festival and, as an added incentive, the directors have yet to view their product. We’re literally talking about premieres! The complete schedule is as follows:
Monday 19th may: ‘Springlove’ – set in Amsterdam, using a ‘stop-motion’ technique, two people are seen to hover above the ground and they meet up for a date.
Director: Herrjaapmans
Tuesday 20th May: ‘Looking for Marilyn’ – an intimate portrait, in black and white, of a Marilyn Monroe look-a-like. When the whole neighbourhood dresses up the same, the paparazzi get out of hand. A clever story about celebrity.
Director: Anna Blandford and Anna Valdez Hanks
Wednesday 21st May: ‘The Last Trip’ – a charming tale of the wannabe first Welshman in space and how his village work together on a home-made space programme to take his ashes up there.
Director: Malcolm Finlay
Thursday 22nd May: ‘A Piece of Heaven’ – an epic, dark tale, from the Mexican countryside. A strange eyeglass arrives in the village giving people a troubling snapshot of heaven.
Director: Felix Alejandro Barbosa Vazquez y Yuri Misael Barbosa Vazquez
If you’d like to get involved with Straight 8 which, after you’ve seen the films next week, you probably will, visit www.straight8.net. You can request a single cartridge super 8mm film which means you won’t be able to do re-takes (as aforementioned). Soundtracks are to be submitted separately. The finest films will be hand-picked to be shown at events including Cannes, Soho Shorts Festival, and loads of other film festivals.
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