A Good Short Film

Recently we attended the 48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL and the DUKE CITY SHOOTOUT here in Albuquerque. Both events feature short films made in a short amount of time. (Disclosure: Jessi was one of the writers of a 48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL FILM called "Breaking In" - so we won't discuss that here).

All of the filmmakers in both of these festivals should be commended for trying to tackle creating a short film in either 48 hours (THE 48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL) or about a week (THE DUKE CITY SHOOTOUT). It's very tough to pull off any sort of film under "normal conditions" -- let alone with crazy time constraints.

That being said, there were just a few films that stood out for me. Mostly because they were the films that actually told a story.

One of our favorites in the 48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL was "Down the Road" by Director Hannah McPherson. Not only was the film beautifully shot (including a great ending shot that was filmed backwards -- with the actors walking backwards -- and then 'projected' forward). Good acting, interesting, fresh characters, nice art direction. "Down the Road" had it all. Including something that most of the other films missed: a story -- with a beginning, middle, and end. 

A good short film has to have a main character with a problem. It has to have a set-up, complication, and resolution. To sum up, it has to tell a story. Here's what screenwriter John August has to say on the topic:

A short film, like a short story, can’t waste any time. You need to give us your principal characters and establish their motivations immediately. There’s very little stage-setting before you get to the inciting incident and the ensuing complications.

Most of the short films we saw at THE 48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL and THE DUKE CITY SHOOTOUT were actually either character studies (like the winner of the 48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL, "Tinkerin'") or they were slices of life (or non-life as in the case of the winner of THE DUKE CITY SHOOTOUT, "Food for Thought.") There wasn't really a story there, but the film did feature an awesome retro animated segment.

Our favorite film (by far!) of THE DUKE CITY SHOOT was writer/director Kevin Napier's "Assassin Emeritus" starring Victor Izay as a geriatric ex-assassin whose appetite for life is rekindled by the prospect of one last job. The story was solid, with a great set-up featuring Bill Sterchi as a priest sick of hearing the ex-assassin's gleeful remembrances of past jobs, a complication involving a new assignment (featuring co-star Reuben Finkelstein, who also skillfully edited the film), and a surprising, yet inevitable ending. The whole thing was great fun -- and looked amazing (kudos to DP Dave Garcia of Halflife Digital).

It's certainly not easy to fully realize a story in the course of five or ten minutes. But that's what makes a good short film.