DepicT! News

DepicT! at LSFF

Mon, 04 January 00:00:00 +0000

Easing the pain of post-holiday reentry, the London Short Film Festival and its projector with teeth return once again with over 200 short films and a whole load of other events at venues across London from THIS FRIDAY!

We're just chuffed to have been invited back again, and this time we're gathering our DepicT! friends for one of the festival's informal Howling Feedback sessions at the Curzon Soho bar on Wednesday, 13 January at 4pm. Since our discussion on the ultra-short film format at Encounters was such a success (apart from wanting more time to chat), we thought we'd try a similar approach this time.

What differentiates a DepicT! film from a viral or a trailer or an episode in a series? Does it even matter? What else can you do with such a teeny amount of time? Our panelists all have made an ultra-short or two in their day and have approached the format in perhaps less conventional ways.

Come along and add your two cents to the conversation, or just pick up a few pointers for your DepicT! '10 entry...

Hazel Grian is a new media artist and writer with a background in directing/performing for film and stage, twice shortlisted for DepicT! with Donut and Big Career. Hazel creates and directs Alternate Reality Games for clients including Bebo, British Red Cross, Paramount Studios, and Hewlett Packard Labs.
Matt Golding is creative director of media group Team Rubber. There he specialises in films for Rubberductions and also creates innovative virals, social media and online advertising for Rubber Republic.
Michael Davies is a filmmaker and television writer/director/producer who won the DepicT! ‘08 Special Mention Award for What's Virgin Mean?. In addition to making short films, he has worked on series for the BBC and the Discovery Channel.
Joseph Pierce is a filmmaker and animator who has been twice shortlisted for DepicT! with Big on Love and State of Nature. His NFTS graduation film Stand Up won a number of festival awards, and he has recently created web content including work for BBC Comedy.
James Mullighan (chair) is creative director of Shooting People

DepicT! '09 Winners

Mon, 23 November 00:00:00 +0000

As far as we're concerned, Saturday was DepicT! day. After a bit of last minute running around on our part (happens every year!), the DepicT! Showcase was absolutely fantastic. Once again it was a sold-out event, and the eleven shortlisted films went down a treat. As one audience member pointed out, there's something about seeing them on the big screen that completely changes them from what you've seen on the website, especially since the sound design was particularly strong in all the films this year. Tinny laptop speakers and grubby screens don't really do them justice!

After the premiere of the DepicT! films, Shooting People's main man James Mullighan helmed a brief Q+A with the filmmakers who were able to make it to the festival. This was followed by a panel with a variety of industry figures on the ultra-short format and what can be done with it. Hazel Grian, Matt Golding, Tor Kristoffersen, Nicholas Chee and Jeremy Routledge discussed virals, commercials, Alternate Reality Games, big screens and little screens, long films and short films... We hope to get a podcast of these two discussions online soon! In the meantime, you can download programme notes here (pdf, 550k).

Later that evening, we gathered to celebrate the top films of the whole Encounters Short Film Festival, which is where the three winners of DepicT! were announced. Jurors David Sproxton and Nicholas Chee presented the main DepicT! '09 Award of £2000 to Daniel Faigle for his film A TV-Movie, which they said was "effective in its humour and attention to detail". Juror Amaka Ugwunkwo from the British Council and Tim Hunter from BAFTA announced the winner of the new DepicT! British Special Mention Award, which went to Sam Firth for her film ID which the jury found to be "a personal and moving way of telling a story". Last but not least, James Mullighan presented the Shooting People DepicT! Audience Award to the winner as chosen by you, Last Minute by Pedro Suárez.

Big congratulations to those three, as well as to all the DepicT! shortlisted filmmakers. The judges agreed that this was an extremely strong batch of films, and their deliberation was lively indeed.

DepicT! '09 Shortlist

Mon, 05 October 00:00:00 +0100

Each year DepicT! challenges emerging filmmakers to show us what they can do in just 90 seconds or less. Our archive of over 90 short film gems exemplifies the mind-boggling range of creativity that can be crammed into just a minute and a half. However short the time span, talented filmmakers seem to always come up with radically different approachs to the format.

2009 has been no exception. Out of a dizzying 340 films from 39 countries, we've picked 11 which stood out as being the most original, imaginative and engaging to create the DepicT! '09 Shortlist. These 11 films are now in the running for this year's three DepicT! prizes which will be announced during Encounters Short Film Festival in November.

You can view them all here. As in previous years, be sure to leave your comments as well as rate each film to help determine the winner of the Shooting People Audience Award.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Mark Lediard, UK
A Film about Poo, Emily Howells + Anne Wilkins, UK
Gravitation, Michael Lockshin, Russia
I.D., Sam Firth, UK
Last Minute, Pedro Suárez, Mexico
Lucky, EB Hu, UK
Plot, George Sander-Jackson, UK
The Rabbit Hole, James Cook, UK
Sleepy Astronaut, William Westaway, UK
Thought Study, Sam Spreckley, UK
A TV-Movie, Daniel Faigle, Germany

DepicT! in Cinemas

Tue, 21 July 00:00:00 +0100

DepicT! '08 winning films Enough, What's Virgin Mean? and Breaking the Mould will unleash 90 second bursts of cinematic joy upon UK film audiences from the beginning of August. Our ongoing partnership with Arts Alliance Media allows these super shorts to be screened free and easily through the Digital Screen Network which has 240 screens in 210 cinemas in Scotland, Wales, North Ireland and England. Keep an eye out in your local theatre! We're delighted that Watershed here in Bristol will screen Breaking the Mould with Italian comedy Mid-August Lunch from 21 Aug (particularly suitable as half of BTM's directing team is Italian!).

This is the second year we've used the DSN as a platform to extend the exposure of these superb short films and their talented creators, and the reaction we had last year from venues and audiences alike was highly encouraging. For cinemas, DepicT's bite-sized films slot in perfectly without disrupting the programme, whilst audiences get a chance to see diverse work from emerging filmmaking talent in top digital quality. Everyone's a winner!

If you're a venue which would like to screen DepicT! short films, read more here.

Filmmakers, fancy seeing your work on the big screen? The winners of the three DepicT! '09 prizes - the main award of £2000 plus the DepicT! '09 British Special Mention Award and the Shooting People DepicT! Audience Award - will also have their films digitised and distributed to UK cinemas for all the country to seed. Just under seven weeks remain until this year's deadline on Mon 7 Sept, so get a move on!

Michael Davies NFTS Report

Wed, 17 June 00:00:00 +0100

Filmmaker Michael Davies won the DepicT! '08 NFTS Special Mention award for his film "What's Virgin Mean?" His prize was his pick of a short course at the National Film and Television School:

Winning the NFTS Special Mention Award for my Depict! entry What’s virgin mean? was brilliant. My prize included a Short Course of my choice at the NFTS. I chose the Directing Actors course, and spent an intense and invaluable week at the School.

Winning any prize is great, but – like film festivals - some are better than others, and this was absolutely the right one for me. If I’d won a cash prize the money would have disappeared into the overdraft I ran up making What’s virgin mean? And if I hadn’t been offered a free place on the course, I probably wouldn’t have gone on it. They’re not cheap, and if you’ve got work commitments… It’s easy to find excuses. Remarkably, according to the School, even some who win free places on the Short Courses never take them up. They don’t know what they’re missing.

Our tutor, Brian Gilbert (director of eight feature films, including Wilde) is one of those teachers you never forget. With an encyclopaedic knowledge of film, and an unbridled enthusiasm for his craft, he led myself and four other volunteers through a veritable assault course in acting and directing techniques. Classroom sessions included intensive script and scene analysis (during which Brian almost broke us with his constant and challenging question “But what’s it really about?”), preparing us for whole range of practical exercises. The highlight for me was shooting five scenes from When Harry Met Sally, from scratch – two hours to rehearse, two to shoot, two to edit. The week was so exhausting I could barely fight my way to the NFTS bar each evening.

I learnt a huge amount from the Short Course, and while it was a relief to discover I’d been doing some things right, I now have a much clearer idea about what I was doing wrong, or not at all, and how I can do it better.

Like I said, it was a brilliant prize!

Following Encounters, What’s virgin mean? has played in other major festivals around the world and has been picked up by the BBC Film Network and by a distributor, Future Shorts.

DepicT! Filmmakers at Rushes

Mon, 01 June 00:00:00 +0100

Congratulations to DepicT! filmmakers Michael Davies, Merlin Crossingham, Matthew Walker and Steve Smith whose films have been selected to compete in this year's Rushes Soho Shorts Festival.

Michael's award-winning film What's Virgin Mean? (the longer version which screened in competition at Encounters)was chosen for the Short Film category. Also from the DepicT! '08 shortlist, Merlin Crossingham's CRAiNED will compete in the Animation category against DepicT! '07 winner Matthew Walker's new film Little Face, and Brat and Bear New Best Friend by Steve Smith (Leap of Faith, DepicT! '05).

In addition to these and other competition programmes, the 2009 festival will include out-of-competition events highlighting work from abroad along with numerous guest programmes showcasing amazing work produced in the UK and overseas. The 10 day event will also see a large range of seminars, lectures, networking events, receptions, Bar-B-Q’s, boat parties and live music performances.

The festival provides many programmes and events for free, intending to encourage, inspire and promote talented filmmakers to the public and the huge number of production companies and creative organisations in and around London and the UK.

DepicT! at Cannes

Wed, 13 May 00:00:00 +0100

If you're over Cannes-way, keep your eye peeled for a big yellow van parked on the Croisette. Cannes in a Van will be screening the best of UK short and feature films, including a selection of our very own DepicT! treats, out of the back of their customised Ford Transit. They're on their way now, so keep an eye on their website to find out exactly where they are and what they'll be screening.

But if you, like us, aren't so lucky to be basking in the glow of the big screens, you can live vicariously through Mark Cosgrove, Encounters Creative Director and Watershed Head of Programme, who is there for the whole shebang. He's Twittering away, and will post festival reports up at dShed after he gets back.

Helen Filmmaker Q&A at Watershed

Tue, 05 May 00:00:00 +0100

If you're in the Bristol area, don't miss this opportunity to put your questions to director Christine Molloy, one half of the directorial team behind the recent feature Helen. Working under the title Desperate Optimists, Molloy and her partner Joe Lawlor have a background first in community theatre and experimental performance, before branching into online projects and a slew of shorts. Helen is their directorial debut, and Molloy will join us this evening to discuss the transition between formats.

“With echoes of Antonioni and Bresson, the story of a young woman's disappearance is one of the most remarkable British debuts of recent years.”
Philip French, The Observer about Helen

Helen PG + Q&A with filmmaker Christine Molloy
Tue 5 May 1800hrs screening
Presented in partnership with Cineformation
Dir: Joe Lawlor/Christine Molloy 2008 UK/Ireland 79 mins
Award-winning short filmmakers Lawlor and Molloy extend their celebrated short Joy into an understated and gorgeously captured blend of British realism and European psychological tension, a first feature which marks them as talents to watch. When a young woman disappears, lonely teenager Helen agrees to play her in a police reconstruction. As the missing girl’s persona begins to influence Helen, filling gaps in her own fractured life, Lawlor and Molloy maintain a sense of slow-burning mystery, treating the characters with heart-twisting compassion whilst keeping their true motivations ambiguous.

Watershed, 1 Canon's Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5TX
Box Office: 0117 927 5100
Book Online

"An impressive, beautifully shot debut feature" Leslie Felperin, VARIETY

"A remarkable first feature" Roger Clarke, SIGHT & SOUND

"A hypnotic first feature" Allan Hunter, SCREEN DAILY

"The latest vital sign of a UK art-cinema resurgence" Jonathan Romney, THE INDEPENDENT

"An outstanding feature debut" Philip French, THE OBSERVER

Winner Grand Jury Prize Premiers Plans Festival d'Angers 2009

Winner Best Actress Prize Premiers Plans Festival d'Angers 2009

The film-makers: Christine Molloy & Joe Lawlor
Jonathan Romney, The Independent

Stars who will shine in 2009 - Film: Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy,
Hannah McGill, director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, on filmmakers Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy, The Telegraph

Revolution
Watch Joe and Christine's 2005 short, part of the Civic Life series.

DepicT! '09 Launch

Tue, 07 April 00:00:00 +0100

Set your timers to 90 seconds – DepicT! once again challenges filmmakers worldwide to show your stuff in just a minute and a half. Whether live action or animation, experimental or documentary, we’re looking for tiny films which are hugely distinctive, imaginative and engaging.

Last year we received over 350 entries from filmmakers all over the world, and we can't wait to see what the next batch of entrants can come up with. We've had everything from conversations with God to confused cows, Marilyn impersonators to llama lovers... The possibilities are endless!

On top of the usual great prizes like the main DepicT! Award of £2000 and the popular Shooting People DepicT! Audience Award, we're particularly excited about the brand-new DepicT! British Special Mention Award: a package of career development opportunities from NFTS, BAFTA, British Council and Shooting People for a UK-based filmmaker.

You've got until Mon 7 Sept to upload your short, so why not have a look through the archive for some inspiration? Last year's winning films Enough, What's Virgin Mean? and Breaking the Mould, along with all the other 90+ films from the last ten years, represent a diverse and dynamic range of the format's possibilities.

PLUS: Our friends at Shooting People, the international networking organisation dedicated to the support and promotion of independent filmmaking, have offered every filmmaker who enters a film into DepicT! ‘09 a free three-month membership to the site!

Can you do it in 90 seconds? Head here to read the rules and to upload your film.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Drop us a line or find us on our Facebook DepicT! page and on Twitter.

Filmmaker Notes '09

Thu, 26 March 00:00:00 +0000

As we gear up for the launch of DepicT! '09, we've asked last year's winner Tor Kristoffersen for his thoughts on the competition and his advice to filmmakers thinking about what to do this year:

Inspiring is the word I’d sum DepicT! up with. It’s something I recommend to anyone aspiring to make films, as it really challenges you to ask questions of yourself and your story. I love the fact you have complete creative freedom in a very short space of time. Let’s face it, one of the worst set of realisations (I find they happen very quickly in this order) when watching a film is:

it’s going nowhere
it’s going nowhere slowly
You’ve got to watch it go nowhere slowly

DepicT! sidesteps two of these by its concept and presentation. Great! Point 1 is where the challenge lies because you’ve got to tell your story quickly. Really quickly. And that’s what I found inspiring.

It might sound clichéd, but make something you feel passionate about (clichés are clichés for a reason by the way – so if someone scoffs at your idea ‘That’s sooooo clichéd’ with that look then ignore them. Or ignore their pessimism. Great that they think it’s clichéd – that probably means people will relate with the story you’re trying to tell). And a story is not clichéd in itself, but the way you tell it can be.

‘What is the story?’ was and is my mantra. I repeat it like a Buddhist during development. I have also come to realise that paper is cheap film stock so make sure it works there first. The shoot and edit will be smoother if you do and the resulting work more accomplished.

So before this turns all blah blah (if it hasn’t already) – Get out there, believe in yourself and make a movie.

Tor Kristoffersen is currently working with Screen Yorkshire on a digital short Soul Flowers.