Cinem@tic

‘Side Dish’ of the day at Cinematic 2007
The animated film, ‘Side Dish’, by Director Leigh Hodgkinson, was voted the ‘most innovative film’ at the Cinematic 2007 short film festival. Leigh also claimed the ‘best animation’ award for her second entry, ‘Flighty’.
Cinematic was the fifth annual short film festival organised by Birmingham City University’s Technology Innovation Centre (TIC). The event was supported by IMAX Cinema Birmingham and Birmingham’s New Technology Institute (NTI). Established to encourage innovation in short film-making, this year’s event showcased 34 films, short-listed from a record 130 entries.
The winning film, ‘Side Dish’, was created as an accompaniment to the song of the same name by the group ‘Psapp’. The enchanting animation tangles interior and exterior decor, as a girl prepares a romantic meal in a garden. Leigh’s animation category winner ‘Flighty’ is a witty take on speed-dating, featuring butterflies with just two weeks to live!
As Apple’s Accredited Training Centre in Birmingham, NTI is providing a training place on the ‘FCP101: Introduction to Final Cut Pro 6’ course to Cinematic’s winning director.
The ‘best student film’ prize was won by co-directors Debbie Steer and Lucy Elliot. Their offbeat drama, ‘Grandma and the Monster’, was inspired by Japanese ‘Kajiu’ monster films, Manga animation, linguistics, sculpture and fashion photography. Debbie and producer, Jonathan Addy, were presented with a selection of Apple training books from TIC and prize sponsor NTI Birmingham.
Three further category winners also received awards. The drama category was won by Flemming Jetmar’s film ‘Drop’. His action-adventure film deftly depicts one man’s survival from a tornado as just the beginning of a perilous ride. Luke Dosey’s film ‘i’ won the category for experimental films, with a snapshot of a human eye during a terrifying moment.
The documentary film category went to Edward Brooke-Hitching’s film ‘The Watchman’, which follows the deeply moving story of Eastbourne window cleaner, Keith Lane. After his wife committed suicide, Keith started twice daily patrols of the Beachy Head cliffs in order to talk-down would be jumpers.
A text voting system enabled the festival’s audience to vote for the ‘People’s Choice’ awards. The winner on night one was the animated film ‘The Monster, the Penguin and the Giraffe’. Directed by Lou Wilde, the film explores the vivid imagination of children by bringing their drawings to life. The best student film winner ‘Grandma and the Monster’ also won the audience vote on night two.
Summing up Cinematic 2007, Festival Director, TIC’s Stephen Gordon said: “It was a tough task for our judges to pick winners. The production values of entries gets ever-higher and film-makers are constantly finding new and intriguing ways to interpret our desire to encourage innovation in short film-making. A noticeable trend in this year’s selection is the director’s decision to eschew dialogue in favour of compelling visually-led narratives – the kinds of stories that only film can tell!“
Further information on Cinematic can be found at www.tic.ac.uk/cinematic or www.myspace.com/cinematicfestival
Cinematic festival showcases the future of film - for free
Organisers of the Cinematic 2007 short film festival have challenged Midlands' cinema-goers to forgo Hollywood-produced features and experience a programme of innovative new short films for free. Cinematic will showcase a diverse selection of local, national and international films, on the giant screen of Birmingham’s IMAX Cinema at Millennium Point, on the evenings of the 16th and 17th October.
Cinematic is being organised for the fifth year by Birmingham City University’s Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) and supported by IMAX Cinema Birmingham and Birmingham’s New Technology Institute (NTI).
Inviting regular cinema-goers to take up the Cinematic short film challenge, Festival Director, TIC’s Stephen Gordon said: “How many times has the outcome of the film you’ve paid to see been predictable, falling victim to the same precedents in plot and structure? Whether you are affected by hard-edged drama, amused by charming animation, or simply prompted to muse on quirky experimentation, you’ll find lots to delight you at Cinematic 2007.”
Films by nine Midlands’ film-makers are included in the programme of thirty-four to be screened, short-listed from over 130 entries. Notable entries include the drama ‘Window’, by Kings Norton’s Philip Blake, which shows the lives of a young couple unfolding from an unnervingly fixed point-of-view. Another local feature is ‘Quest for Fire’ by Acocks Green’s Steve Rainbow. Steve’s documentary follows one man’s brave search for the hottest curry in the world! Amongst the experimental films, ‘Dogtail No.4’, by Moseley’s Anne Guest, is a witty film through which the weighty issues of identity, diversity and quarantine are tackled.
Another experimental offering has come from Wolverhampton director, Adrian Davies, who has created a visual realisation of both his own dreams and nightmares, in the film ‘Innerscape’. Pritam Singh’s inspirational project ‘Beating Drums for Brum’s Heritage’ is explored in a documentary by Darlaston-based director, Mark Pressdee. Wolverhampton-born rapper, SHIMM1 has produced a taster for his debut album in the music video ‘It’s Over’.
Attracting an increasingly international pool of talent, Cinematic’s programme also includes the multi award-winning Croatian animation ‘Soldat’ and a captivating exploration of memory in the film ‘Salmo’s Memories’, by independent New York-based animators, Camila Valdeavellano and Cayetana Carrion. Edgar Allan Poe’s timeless short story ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’ is portrayed to outstanding effect by a Canadian animation team, led by director Marc Lougee.
A panel of local professional judges will make awards in Cinematic’s drama, documentary, animation and experimental film categories, as well as for the best student film and overall ‘most innovative film’. The panel is chaired by independent producer, Mike Burch, who is joined by BBC Birmingham Big Screen manager, Geraldine McCullagh, Birmingham-based film-maker, Pogus Caesar and TIC’s Film Production and Technology Course Director, Mitch Goodwin. A ‘people’s choice’ award will also enable the festival’s audience to vote for their favourite film.
Commenting on this year’s programme, Stephen Gordon said: “A noticeable trend in this year’s selection is the director’s decision to eschew dialogue in favour of compelling visually-led narratives – the kinds of stories that only film can tell. Production values seem to get ever-higher as film-makers take advantage of the steadily lowering prices of high quality digital technology.”
The increasing significance of new technologies in film-making has attracted, for the first time, prize sponsorship from Birmingham’s New Technology Institute (NTI). As Apple’s Accredited Training Centre in Birmingham, NTI is providing a training place on the ‘NTI is providing a training place on the ‘FCP101: Introduction to Final Cut Pro 6’ course to Cinematic’s winning director.
Stephen Gordon says: “Whilst the popularity of Hollywood-produced films clearly shows that they entertain millions of people, there is much to discover in short films. Freed from big studio bureaucracy, yet constrained by budgets and facilities, the medium of the short film engenders greater innovation and provides a platform for stories and issues untouched by Hollywood. With our free seat offer, film-fans have everything to gain from a Cinematic experience at Birmingham’s biggest film event!”
Cinematic’s free screenings on 16th and 17th October start at 7pm. Anyone wishing to attend is advised to book seats in advance by contacting Nina Parmar on 0121 331 5400 or via email to [email protected] or visit http://www.tic.ac.uk/cinematic . Unreserved seats will be allocated each evening on a first come, first served basis.
Cinem@tic Festival Seeks Midlands’ Film-making Talent
Film-makers from across the region have been invited to submit their latest work for inclusion in the Midlands’ Cinem@tic 2007 short film festival. Short-listed entries will be shown on the giant screen of the region’s only IMAX Cinema, in Birmingham this October.
Organised for the fifth year by Birmingham City University's Technology Innovation Centre (TIC), Cinem@tic is supported by Birmingham’s New Technology Institute (NTI) and the IMAX Cinema Birmingham.
Festival Director, TIC’s Stephen Gordon explains: “Cinem@tic exists to encourage innovation in short film-making, irrespective of production budget. Our judges will be looking at how this is demonstrated in student and independent productions, as well as in funded films from established production companies”.
Entries of no more than 10 minutes in length are sought in Cinem@tic’s drama, documentary, animation and experimental categories. A panel of local professional judges will make awards in each, as well as for the best student film and overall ‘most innovative film’. A ‘people’s choice’ award will also enable the festival’s audience to vote for their favourite film.
TIC’s Stephen Gordon says: “There is a rich social and cultural tapestry across the Midlands to inspire new film-makers. The time and budgetary constraints of short-film production encourage film-makers to be rigorous with their content, engendering high levels of imagination and innovation.”
This view was endorsed by Cannes Film Festival-winning director, Ken Loach, during his recent keynote speech at TIC. Highlighting the need to respect the craft of film-making and focus on fundamental skills, Ken said: “A film can be shot and framed well or badly regardless of funding”.
Ken Loach also criticised what he perceived to be the ‘colonisation’ of British Cinema by Hollywood-produced films. He viewed this as creating ‘an impossible barrier for independent film-makers’. TIC’s Stephen Gordon comments: “Whilst there is now a tremendous spectrum of organisations and festivals to support independent film-making, screening opportunities are still vastly out-numbered by the plethora of mainstream multiplex cinemas showing largely formulaic Hollywood productions. Events such as Cinem@tic are vital to help new innovative films reach new audiences”.
Independent film producers are increasingly benefiting from new digital technologies, which provide powerful, yet affordable, professional production and editing capabilities. These were amply demonstrated in last year’s winning film, ‘The Fool Looks At The Finger That Points To The Sky’, an animation by Derby-based director, Aaron Bradbury. TIC’s Stephen Gordon says: “The judging panel and audience were completely swept away by the sheer complexity, detail and convincing way Aaron brought an imaginary environment to life”.
The significance of new technologies in film-making has attracted, for the first time, prize sponsorship from Birmingham’s New Technology Institute (NTI). As Apple’s Accredited Training Centre in Birmingham, NTI provides training in specialist software including Final Cut Pro, Shake, Motion and Logic. Programme Manager Oliver Williams says: “Birmingham’s NTI is delighted to offer a training place to Cinem@tic’s winning director. Our Apple accredited digital production courses have already helped to develop the skills and careers of a wide range of industry professionals”.
Anyone wishing to submit a film is asked to send preview copies, together with a completed registration form, on VHS or DVD format by Friday 24th August 2007. All submissions must be suitable for a general audience. Master copies of short-listed films must be supplied in miniDV, DVCAM, DVCPRo, Betacam SP or Digital Betacam format.
The Cinem@tic festival takes places on the evenings of 16th and 17th October in the IMAX Cinema at Birmingham’s Millennium Point. Entry is free and open to the public; however seats must be booked in advance. Anyone wishing to submit a film, or reserve seats, is asked to contact Nina Parmar on 0121 331 5400 or via email to [email protected] or visit http://www.tic.ac.uk/cinematic