ASFF

1. Programme
https://issuu.com/aesthetica_magazine/docs/asff2020_programme?fr=sNj
dmZDE3NDY1NjM

3. TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
FILM COLLECTION 1 Comedy 2 Experimental 3 Music Video 1
FILM COLLECTION 2 Drama 3 Artist’s Film 2 Advertising 1
FILM COLLECTION 3 Artist’s Film 1 Music Video 3 Music Video 2
MASTERCLASS (Also Friday but I
can’t fit it in) The
Perfect Setting:
Finding the Right
Location
(Richard Knight)
Bespoke Storytelling:
Bringing an Idea to
the Big Screen
(Max Park)
UNIVERSITY
SHOWCASE
World Class
Filmmaking: Making
More with Less
(University of
Lincoln)
GUEST PROGRAMME Tales from Isolation
(Short of the Week)

4. Film
Collection 1
Foreword
I chose “Strange Tales” to be My first collections of films for a few reasons: Firstly I love black and off colour comedies.
Everything from: Troma films to “The League of Gentlemen” and The Coens’ back catalogue all rank among my favourites in
the comedy genre. Secondly, it seems that much of Aesthetica’s program this year has a focus on political and social issues. I
don’t have a problem with this at all, I care deeply about almost all of these topics and am chomping at the bit to watch the
shorts made around them. But given how politically volatile this year has been and continues to be, I feel that watching a few
shorts with pure entertainment in mind will act as a ‘pallet cleanser’ for my brain before watching some more heavy-hitting
material.
Knock Door Run – Andrew Rutter (2020)
“Knock Door Run” was a great start to the festival. The short follows a young man called Mathew who, in an attempt to prove
himself brave after taking a pill at a party, plays a game of ‘Knock Door Run’ which puts him in contact with a strange, recently
bereaved, older man. Using the comedy trope of escalation, the short gets dark and awkward fast as Mathew falls down the
rabbit hole of the stranger’s unusual life. My favourite element of the short was the writing and tone, I enjoyed just how far
the story leans into absurdity in scenes with the stranger and horror towards the end. The recurring elements of board
games throughout helped to give the piece a feeling of a surreal coincidence that black comedies are known for. The last-
minute full frontal nudity was, needless to say, ballsy and was a genuine shock that added to the ‘grindhouse’ feel that the
ending was going for. The camera work was perfectly okay, the stark change from locked down, evenly lit interior shots to
naturally lit outdoor, handheld shots in the final scene added to the shock and comedy of those last few seconds. There were
a few janky audio cuts between shots that broke immersion and a few characters early on that felt too overacted and camp
for their roles in the story but overall I have almost no complaints about “Knock Door Run”.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Knock Door Run Comedy

5. Film
Collection 1
Werewolf – Markus Meedt (2020)
“Werewolf”, in my opinion, was underwhelming. A group of friends come to the end of their dinner party and, in an attempt to lift
the mood, play a round of the titular ‘Werewolf’ which reveals secrets about the group and slowly picks them off one by one.
Personally, I found the short to be a bit sloppy, this is thanks to the tone getting muddled throughout. At first, the short seems to be
pure, fast-paced, farse; quippy dialogue coming from walking tropes that only exist to crack wise and progress the plot, the
inexplicable entrance of Kenneth: the verbose game narrator who acts as another joke machine, etc. If the short had kept to this light,
ridiculous tone, as implied by the elements at work throughout it’s first few minutes, I feel that it could’ve made more of an
impression for being a solid absurd sketch rather than the odd mishmash that It comes off as now. The film loses me in the second
half: when the elements of drama and horror get introduced. The issue isn’t that drama and horror are present, it’s how they are
executed. The audience isn’t made aware of who these characters really are or how they might come into conflict in the first act, so
when the second act comes along, drops the comedic tone and pits characters against each other it comes off as limp at best and
padding at worse. The few jokes that remain, don’t land because they follow the same pattern as they did in the first act: quips, which
feel incredibly unnatural coming from people that, we are supposed to believe, are genuinely angry or scared in a situation that we
are expected to sympathise with or at least take seriously. The ending twist is similarly unimpactful and predictable.
To remedy some of my problems with the film I would either: keep the tone of the opening half and stick with it throughout most
likely ending in a over the top, absurdist, punchline. Or make the shift to drama and horror stark; get really gory and violent à la “Evil
Dead 2”, perhaps go really bleak and depressing. My point being that: going from an extreme to another extreme can be effective as
long as you commit to both. Because at the moment “Werewolf” comes off as the writer believing they’re ‘too good’ to just be a
farcical comedy and that they need to show off their writing chops on the ‘real’ arts of drama and comedy.
Despite how much I written about disliking “Werewolf”, I can’t say I hate it. The front half of the film was entertaining and Will
Seaward’s portrayal of “Kenneth” was lots of fun. Overall though I feel that the film is really let down my it’s Second half.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Werewolf Comedy

6. Film
Collection 1
System Error – Matt Vesely (2020)
“System error” follows a advanced service robot named George, who lives and works in a service station.
Eventually George meets Sid, a kindly stranger who encourages George to “lighten up”, leading to George
grippling with self doubt, depression and changes in his source code. “System error” is a great example of a
solid film: it sticks to a traditional story structure without feeling artificial, it has a message that comes across
strong without resorting to contrivances of character motivation and plot, it even manages to remain funny in
the face of and in step with the heavy subject matter. My favourite aspect of the film was the dynamic
between George and Sid, the chemistry between the two is palpable, yet believable. Sid never hugs a sobbing
George and George never thanks Sid for helping him through his self doubt; George is an robot with little
knowledge of how people talk, Sid is a bit of an odd person who comfort eats ice cream and talks to inanimate
objects. These character traits are respected throughout the short which helps the audience connect with the
struggles of George with his mental health, for instance; the audience cares that the character is struggling, not
a George with a personality bent into a shape that screams to the audience that depression’s bad or that you
shouldn’t bully people or something similarly hacky. By staying consistent and relatively melodrama free, the
film makes its genuinely sad moments and sappy ending land really well. I can’t say I have any complaints
about the film: the cinematography is perfectly fine, the production design is a bit plain but it defiantly paints a
constant and interesting, if ultimately meaningless picture. Overall “System Error” makes for a relaxing and
easy watching experience that never progresses past that, but doesn’t really need to.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Strange Tales Comedy

7. Film
Collection 1
Shuttlecock – Tommy Gillard (2020)
A story about masculinity, homosexuality and shuttlecock doesn't sound
particular engaging, but through brilliant performances and a style all its own,
“Shuttlecock” kept my eyes glued to the screen. The aspect of the short that
jumps out immediately is its omnipresent style that takes the viewer on a
stream of consciousness through a charity shuttlecock tournament. The editors
use of numerus L, J and match cuts along with the incredible soundscape of,
mainly, undoctored location audio as well as multi-layered samples of that same
audio for montage and emotional purposes. The short has the energy of a
majestic and chaotic fever dream than knows exactly when to slow down, to a
halt if necessary, so it can deliver an beautiful, intimate moment between two
characters that feels earnt and not at all out of place between the laughs and
overwhelming style throughout the piece. I find it hard to put into words why I
loved this film so much, regardless it’s my favourite film I watched over the
whole festival.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Shuttlecock Comedy

8. Films 2
Idol – Ryushi Lindsay (2020)
“Idol” was twisted and disturbing in a great way. The film follows a single mother who depends on her daughter’s role as an ‘Idol’ for
her income. After her daughter gets taken out of a lucrative line up Miyabi comes up with a twisted plan to get her back on the stage.
As someone who used to preform in theatre productions as a child, I found the scenes of the backstage area incredibly realistic, not
only in their look, but in the character interactions. The heated arguments about kids getting dropped from such a superficial
performance between to grown adults would almost be darkly comical if it weren’t for the great performances of Miyabi and the
sleezy manager, bringing the scene a vaguely pathetic, disgusting and disturbing tone. The film’s locations is one it’s best elements;
apartments look lived in and appropriately chaotic. The contrast between Miyabi’s trashed flat, filled with child endangering paper
and naked flame combos and her sisters relatively clean and organized home give an immediate impression of the two characters. It’s
the quiet of Miyabi’s sister’s apartment that makes the kidnapping of a rival idol girl all the more disturbing to me, not much bothers
me anymore in film, but the sight of a little girl being held down to a sofa by an adult who couldn’t care less about her safety gets all
the more horrific when that’s all you can hear in a scene. This cemented the strength of the performances in the film, it felt so
incredibly real and physical that I was close to stopping the film, but the director knew exactly how long to focus on it to thoroughly
disturb an audience before moving the audiences mood from one of uncomfortable, to full on dread. As soon as the kidnaped girl is
moved to the bath you know something will go wrong but you don’t know when. The director again plays off this terror and makes
the death of the girl so disgustingly mundane as possible. The shot of the bathtub being opened is somehow tasteful and utterly
distasteful all at once, with the immediate devastation on the character’s faces and the sound of standing water really driving home
how utterly petty the disagreement between Miyabi and the manager was in comparison to the atrocities performed in service of it.
The final shot of Miyabi smoking on her balcony as police lights light up her face is almost tragic in its mundanity. Overall I loved
“Idol”, it reminded me a lot of “Fargo” (1996) in how seemingly ordinary people can be capable of so much horrific violence if pushed
as well as the focus on the normality and mundanity of crime, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was an inspiration for some of the films
elements.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Idol Drama

9. Films 3
Factory Talk – Chrissie Hyde, Lucie Rachel (2020)
“Factory Talk” was a great 4 minutes of great cinematography and enthralling
poetry about two factory workers from different generations making small
talk to distract from their menial work. The poem is written from the
perspective of the younger of the two men, who struggles with his sexual
identity and how that fits into his social life, particularly with his older, more
conservative leaning co-worker. The film pairs footage incredibly well with its
appropriate imagery from the poem making for an experience that can’t
really be described without just reciting the poem or dissecting shots in
which case I would just be making a far worse version of the film. The only
fault I can see with the film (if you can even call it a fault) is its directness:
you understand the message quickly, you can connect the visual and written
dots easily, it’s a straightforward experience but a informative and intriguing
one.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Factory Talk Artist’s Film

10. Films 4
DON’T KNOW WHAT - Thomas Renoldner (2019)
I tend to enjoy avant garde cinema more when I get the sense that the filmmaker
has a level of self awareness about their work, luckily “DON’T KNOW WHAT”’s
director knew exactly what he was doing. The film acts as a baseline of what can be
considered entertaining, it plays with genre, style and even medium to deliver an
experience that I adored. My favourite aspect of the film was the fact that unlike
most cinema, the sound directly controls the visuals in the film and vice versa. The
two most essential mediums in film, over which the filmmaker has the most
control, are now connected at the hip which makes for a fascinating sonic and
visual experience. The film can get disturbing with abstract visages of the filmmaker
staring directly at the audience for long periods of time with an the unnatural
sound of speech being rapidly repeated. The film can almost become a comedy or
an Aphex Twin music video within seconds of each other. Overall I loved DON’T
KNOW WHAT but I understand how niche it is.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
DON’T KNOW WHAT Experimental

11. Films 5
Pampas – Jessica Bishopp (2019)
I found “Pampas” to be an interesting subversion of documentary sensationalism. The film is based
around a pretty obscure suburban myth from the 70’s, about the presence of the titular plant
outside a house indicating swingers inside. The film uses the layers of obfuscation surrounding the
legend to comment on how overblown modern documentaries. “Pampas” uses interviews with
women from the time to comment on the rumours through the lens of female sexuality. All in all the
interviewee’s seem to see the rumours of swinging to be accurate but they question the pampas
aspect, overall the testimonies seem to be down to earth and realistic, which is in direct contrast
with the films other main element. The visuals of the film are really well done, they emulate the
‘feel’ of the 70’s in pop culture more than accurately represent the time period accurately. Almost
every shot uses heavy amounts of soft focus, every scene is scored with funky lounge music,
everyone looks at each other with sexual tension with all the subtly of a ‘Carry On’ film. The shot
that turns the visuals from comical to outright comedy are the sexualised pampas grass that are
overlaid above the rest of the action. Personally I believe that the film is intentionally creating a rift
between the mildly interesting rumour of suburban swingers told in a manner a fact way by the
people that lived through it and the revisionist, fetishistic look back at the 70’s as a way to critique
the vast difference of reality and the documentaries that claim to record it.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Pampas Artist’s Film

12. Films 6
Wan – Spend My Dayz – Agni Raj Singh (2020)
To get the obvious out the way, I really enjoyed the song attached to
this piece, Wan delivers a unique R&B vocal performance with some
self reflective lyrics that fit right in to the current pop-rap zeitgeist
while remaining unique. The video was really well done, with trappings
and styles reminiscent of the music videos of Brockhampton and Tyler
the Creator but with a surrealist, dream logic twist that gives the piece
a look all its own. The slow transition from the streets of LA to a
supernaturally massive field of flowers was a great element of delusion
that tied into the songs themes. Overall while not a masterpiece
“Spend My Dayz” was enjoyable.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Wan – Spend My Dayz Music Video

13. Films 7
Zebra Katz – LOUSY / IN IN IN – Daniel Wirtberg
As someone who’s been following Katz’s career since his surprise
appearance on Gorrillaz’s ‘Humanz’ record a few years ago, I can’t
describe how happy I am to finally see Ojay (Katz’s real name) realise
his debut studio album and this music video along side it. The video is
shot beautifully, with excellent composition and incredibly deliberate
camera movements. Themes of traditional and modern masculinity are
expressed through tribal imagery as well as sexualised meditation
sessions. Themes of sexuality, masculinity and fashion are central to
the persona of Zebra Katz and those are brought into the video
masterfully with the use of kamodos and other outfits and make-up
choices with multiple meanings to them.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Zebra Katz – LOUSY /IN IN IN Music Video

14. Films 8
Armeggeddon – Adam Wimpenny (2019)
I chose to watch “Armeggeddon” Because I wanted to know why Aestetica has a category
for advertising, I still don’t have a clue. If the only entry requirements for ASFF are that you
can physically watch it then “Armeggeddon” makes sense, otherwise I seriously don’t see
the appeal. This may seem harsh, but I just can’t get over the advertising angle; its hard to
get engaged in a story or laugh at the films attempts at jokes when you know that a board
of executives had to debate whether the cost of the film was worth dipping into their coke
fund to finance, I was hoping for something that elevates itself above such a vulgar label as
advert and towards something somewhat respectable like a celebrity chef’s autobiography
or perhaps even the dizzying heights of the penis that Odd Johnny from up the road keeps
etching onto Mrs Peterman’s memorial bench. The ‘film’ itself is competent, its unoffensive
and extremely tame for film about the post-apocalypse but it is competent. It was at the
first mention of the orgasmic qualities of a cream egg that I checked out and, despite the
fairly gross attempts to dress up the obviousness of the product placement behind half-
arsed satire, I never checked back in. To be honest I’d have more respect for the film if it
were diagram of congestive heart failure with a card reader attached.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Armeggeddon Advertising

15. Films 9
FATAL TIGER – Fucking Down – Amanda Lago
“Fucking Down” is exhilarating in a few ways not the least of which is FATAL
TIGER’s track. Driving drums and sharp guitars cut through the droning
introduction section and lead way to FATAL TIGER’s great vocal performance.
The video is visceral and abrasive without dipping into cheap nudity or gore,
every action of the women in the video contorting, pulling at each other and
making bizarre facial expressions all add to the uncomfortably intimate
feeling both the video and song are going for excellently. I noticed that the
lighting in particular was so precise and constantly shifting along with the
video yet always looking appropriate and well done. There isn’t much to say
about “Fucking Down”, the talent on display is exhilarating, the production is
perfect and the song compliments the video perfectly and vice versa.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
FATAL TIGER – Fucking Down Music Video

16. Masterclass 1
• This talk was about, as the title would suggest, finding ideal locations for a
given film as well as an overview of the role of a location scout and a
location manager. I learnt some of the core skills involved in finding a
location, being: creativity, visualization, practicality, flexibility, negotiation,
lateral thinking and photography. I learnt about what makes for a good
location for shooting: open, large and unpopulated seem are best because
with set dressing and camera skills, large becomes small, one location
becomes many locations etc. Generally as long as you have access to a
location for quite a while and you can use it for a lot of things, it’s a good
location. I also learnt the importance of getting consent just to take photos
and getting permission to shoot.
• I imagine that this skill could come massively in handy for university where
I likely am going to have to look for real locations and especially locations
within a low budget range. Seeing how I plan on doing a lot of work on my
productions by myself, any extra production schemes I can gleam are very
valuable.
MASTERCLASS TITLE
The Perfect Setting: Finding the Right
Location
(Richard Knight)

17. Masterclass 2
• This master class was mainly about how to get noticed as a filmmaker and
more specifically what scouts look for in new talent in film.
• The main, overarching skill that I learnt from this talk was how to attract
interest in my work: innovative storytelling techniques and themes seem to
be important for onlookers, story telling fundamentals and self-awareness
are also paramount in drawing in executive producers for instance. In terms
of pitching ideas, its best to get across the feel, importance to me, and
most engaging parts of a story rather an a blow by blow on the entire
script.
• I feel that this will help with university courses and my future career, by
knowing what people are looking for and keeping ideas and concepts in
check before they become unmangable.
MASTERCLASS TITLE
Bespoke Storytelling: Bringing an Idea to
the Big Screen
(Max Park)

18. University Showcase
• Foreword.
I chose to watch this showcase because I have an interest in low budget productions: not only just because it’s likely what I’m going to be making as a
student, but also because I find films with lower budgets interesting in their own right as explorations of the limits of storytelling.
• Shelter – Ruairi Wright (2020)
Shelter was my favourite film in this showcase due to its tight writing, attention to detail and lead performances. I enjoyed the fact that the writer
addressed the inherent issues of limited locations and props with the implication of a dystopian future that we never get to see. I liked the use of natural
light; the cinematography as a whole didn’t feel all that armature.
• Risk it for a Biscuit – Daniel Cappere (2020) & Hop to it! – Aaron Smith (2020)
I’ve chosen to lump these two together because, to me, they are both comparable in terms of story and general structure (one of a vintage cartoon short)
but also because they are both animated; I personally don’t have a lot of knowledge in terms of animation so I don’t feel entirely comfortable with
critiquing them. With that said they were both entertaining enough to hold my attention and were not long enough to grate on me. I did notice an odd
problem that both shorts had: their audio was really strangely done; with “Risk it for a Biscuit” I found the music to be pretty bad, it sounds like the
creator isn’t too versed in music production, bought a DAW and a load of cheap string instruments and tried their best. “Hop to it!” had very disjointed
sound effects that sounded like a rough pass of where they should be placed in the final product. Ultimately I have respect for these two shorts, I can
only imagine how much time and effort went into their creation.
• Final Contact – Reece Taylor-Long (2020)
I found “Final Contact” pretty engaging, if for no other reason than to see which stereotype the human in the story would fall under. For a student film,
the set design and special effects were ambitious and well executed for a student film. Ultimately I found the short to be admirable for attempting sci-fi
on the budget it had but ultimately it was nothing new for the genre.
• Rich – Aaron Good (2020)
I found Rich interesting if a bit half baked. In terms of cinematography its one of the best in this collection with shots looking clean and well thought out. I
really enjoy character studies and particularly those dealing with existential issues but to me “Rich” fell flat due to its performances. I understand that
this may seem unfair, but to me if you want to tell this story, a great performance it sort of essential to selling the emotions and situation the characters
found themselves in, as it is I couldn’t buy into the story in the way it wanted me to.
SHOWCASE TITLE
World Class Filmmaking: Making More
with Less
(University of Lincoln)

19. University Showcase
• Extract from “The Drift” – Daz Scales (2015)
The little I saw of “The Drift” was extremely impressive in terms of production, set design and special effects but very underwhelming
in terms of story and characters. Most Dialog is ADR’d, this was most likely a necessity but it still disconnected me from the
characters, along with the writing so bland it might as well not be there. Ultimately as the first film by a group of students “The Drift”
is extremely impressive but as a film in its own right its fairly bland.
• Extract from “Mind-Set” – Mikey Murray (2020)
The tiny amount I saw of “Mind-Set” was impressive in its small details, it wasn’t showy. It’s shot composition felt deliberate and
meaningful, the dialog and performances felt natural and enjoyable. I enjoyed my time with “Mind-Set” But to be honest I’ve seen so
little of what will be a feature length film upon release so I find it hard to formulate any strong opinions around it.
• What Happens at Sea – Aaron Good (2020)
I really didn’t enjoy “What Happens at Sea”. I think the idea of two ex-navy lovers meeting up after their service and trying to move
forward in a time that won’t accept them as they are is a decent plot for a short film but I was really underwhelmed by the end
product. The actors felt really unnatural and stunted, as did the dialog. The fact that a good chunk of this film was a dull as drywall,
shot reverse shot scene of two people with no chemistry having a circular argument about how much they love each other got
seriously grating after a while. To be honest I feel like this was made more as a statement that a film. As a statement: I see its power
and importance, as a film: it’s seriously lacking substance.
• Beep – Max O’Toole (2020)
“Beep” was the most amateur of the films in this collection, to be frank it’s a bit of a mess. There isn’t much to say about this short
apart from pointing out wonky camera movements, jarring editing choices and the general “made in a weekend” quality that
permutates the film. Despite the aforementioned jank I can’t say I hated “Beep”; I enjoyed picking apart the decisions made on set in
my head and ultimately the mistakes give the film character and could (at a huge stretch) could tie into the characters mental state.
SHOWCASE TITLE
World Class Filmmaking: Making More
with Less
(University of Lincoln)

20. University Showcase
• Silent Observer – Paice Lees (2020)
I enjoyed “Silent Observer” in as much as I’m interested in the topic at hand and found the
film’s subject’s interesting take on a divisive pastime entertaining. In terms of the
filmmaking, I enjoyed the matter of fact shooting style that is fairly cohesive with
contemporary parkour videos. I feel like the shot of the subject's mask is the best example I
can give of why I enjoyed the film: it’s very very simple and arguably unnecessary given
how much footage the filmmaker would have with that mask present, but it shows a level
of effort and care that elevates the film past a glorified parkour video or plain interview.
• Conclusion.
I feel like the films I watched here were fairly informative to how I view films. With all the
films present being ultra-low budget, I feel like I got a distinct idea of what elevates a film
above its budget and what can drag it back down. More importantly it gave me a chance to
examine what elements matter most to me when everything is so stripped back in a film.
Given what I’ve written throughout I can see that what matters most to me are engaging
characters and plots.
SHOWCASE TITLE
World Class Filmmaking: Making More
with Less
(University of Lincoln)

21. Guest Programme
• Foreword.
I chose this guest program because I’ve been interested since the first lockdown in March about the potential storytelling opportunities that come from a
worldwide lockdown and quarantine, as I see it there’s a lot more opportunities for themes of paranoia, isolation, intense boredom and loneliness to be
relatable to an audience than there was pre-lockdown. I’m interested to see what perspectives these films have to offer.
• Isle of Chair – Ivyy Chen (2020)
“Isle of Chair” got lost in it’s visuals and that isn’t necessary a bad thing; the film is absolutely gorgeous and, in some of its more abstract imagery, almost
has a meditative quality. This indulgence of visuals comes at the price of the films message and story which can only be complex given how short and
image-forward the piece, not to imply these aspects are bad just fairly shallow.
• Stucco – Janina Gavankar, Russo Schelling (2019)
“Stucco” was a nice exploration of a deep isolation with a schlocky ending. The film manages the transition from crushingly mundane, psychological
horror to visuals that wouldn’t be out of place in a Sam Raimi film incredibly well, with the hole in the wall acting as a constant figure of surrealism that
haunts the film. The intentional spatial inconsistencies also add to this tone of something being ‘off’. All of which builds up to the flesh chair and the
crown of fingers and jawbones: an incredible visual that came out of left field and sort of breaks the believability of the film. Personally, I can look past it’s
faults but I could absolutely understand if somebody else couldn’t. Overall “Stucco” was enjoyable and good at putting a viewer in the protagonist's
shoes.
• The Distraction – Matty Brown (2020)
Personally I found “The Distraction” to be a bit gross in how it handled its subject matter. This film is extremely fast paced and samples: music, images
and videos along with original footage to make what is essentially: a collage-cum-anxiety attack. This style of intentional sensory overload through editing
has been done before to great effect, my problem is that this film massively overshoots the mark and ends up coming of as sensational and is if its trying
too hard to look intense. The intro, for example, is a flurry of news footage dealing with the issues of suicide and depression. But it comes across as if the
film is trying to look cool and stylish rather than portray information. The bizarre editing choices continue along with genuinely impressive and fascinating
visuals that are barely seen due to the fast pace which is a shame considering how much work obviously went into them. I found “The Distraction” overall
to be too caught up in how it looks, as opposed to what it should say.
GUEST PROGRAMME TITLE
Tales from Isolation
(Short of the Week)

22. Guest Programme
• In Full Bloom – Maegan Houang (2019)
“In Full Bloom” was simple as a story but in terms of emotions and execution it was anything but. The film follows a elderly hoarder being met with a sinkhole that
threatens to swallow all of her possessions. The effects in this film were utterly brilliant, all of the moving possessions have a real weight and physicality to them, the
hole is a great effect, being a seamless mix of the practical and digital effects. Despite the fact that the film has no dialog, the star (Kieu Chinh) manages to show
intense and subtle emotions just though her face and occasional screams. The film manages to flip between an intense thriller esq effects shot and slow mournful
sadness as gracefully as one would in their own minds.
• Born in a Void – Alex Grigg (2020)
“Born in a Void” has the style of a classic jazz album and the incredible sound to back it up. The film uses a track throughout the entire runtime that shifts and mutates
throughout to match the on-screen action. The visuals were amazing, the consistent art style allowed for abstract images but also allow for objects to be intuitively
understood by the audience, despite their nonsensical nature. The story could be taken a few ways: that we never truly know each over, that we are inherently
narcissistic, etc. I enjoy that the whole piece is open to interpretation, it allows for each person to take something different away from it, the ability to interpret the
film doesn't come at the cost of the films substance, as it so often can in open ended stories.
• Nigel – Natasza Cetner (2020)
“Nigel” is the strangest documentary I’ve ever seen, being an almost blow for blow retelling of the strange story of “Nigel Nomates” a Gannet who fell in love with a
Gannet statue and died next to it two years ago. The visual style of “Nigel” is unique in how abrasive it is, it reminded me of the pastel colours of “When the Wind
Blows” and “The Snowman”. The constant changes in lines and colours when characters and objects are in motion also add to this harsh style, which to me is supposed
to sell the harsh arctic environment.
• Still Here – Sean Wang (2019)
A heartfelt and, to me, deeply sad documentary about a group of people in a once bustling Taiwanese town that was almost completely abandoned. There isn’t a lot
going on visually in the film, it’s fairly basic in terms of cinematography the main source of visual interest comes from some nice, subtle J and L cuts but apart from that
its fairly typical. The stories of people who have confined themselves to the town are so haunting in how content they are to do almost nothing all day. I have no
doubts that the residents likely aren’t all that depressing in general but the skill of the editor to get such saddening testimonies speaks volumes to their skill in that
field. The one aspect of the film that annoyed me was the music choice at the end, it felt a far too manipulative in what it wanted the audience to feel when no music
at all, I feel, would make for a more open ended experience which is what I look for in a documentary like this.
GUEST PROGRAMME TITLE
Tales from Isolation
(Short of the Week)

23. Guest Programme
• Alone – Phinehas Hodges (2016)
“Alone” supposedly follows people going about their day while alone. My issues with “Alone” is in its execution; in concept
the film is fascinating and the first time I watched it I found it to be as such, but when re-watching the film before writing this
my suspension of disbelief broke. The subjects of the film are not alone, they’re surrounded by a camera crew who want to
get beautiful shots of them and while those shots are undoubtably great to look at, it breaks the core concept of the film on a
fundamental level. Not to mention the fact that the sort of person who would be willing to take part in a film are most likely
those more open to people being part of their private lives. After this the illusion is broken, even the fact that a camera is
present keeps the pretence of performance in place. To me a film should try to maintain some sincerity especially when
dealing with a topics like mental illness and substance abuse. To me a more self aware filmmaker would take the opportunity
and make a film about how people want to be seen, even in private. Still despite my complaints, I loved the film the first time
I saw it and the cinematography was great, regardless of how fake it seemed in retrospect.
• Conclusion.
While I enjoyed most of the films in this collections, I was slightly disappointed with the lack of films about the pandemic, I
should’ve checked beforehand I suppose. Regardless the films on display were entertaining and melancholy in almost equal
measure. One storytelling tool that I have learnt was the importance of silence or just a lack of dialog as a whole. I was aware
of this before, but with so many of these shorts getting so much emotion across through good sound design and visuals alone
I feel like I would be more willing to experiment with pauses in future, particularly to emphasize sadness or loneliness.
GUEST PROGRAMME TITLE
Tales from Isolation
(Short of the Week)