Missed the Digital Shorts Cineformation... Read all about it here.

Digital Shorts and Digital Nation

Nurturing the talents of new writer/directors was the focus of October’s Cineformation event at the Watershed. Sarah-Jane Meredith and Arilda Tymko of South West Screen discussed the Digital Shorts and Digital Nation programmes with Menekse Meech, before introducing some of the short films made through the schemes in the past.

“In Digital Shorts we are looking to commission up to six short film ideas from people based in the South West,” explained Meredith. “There are four strands in the scheme, one of which is specifically for an animation project, but all of which have strong roots in the region and involve working with local partners. We want to hear from people with innovative ideas which they want to realise.”

Digital Shorts is open to applications from teams made up of a writer and director, or individual writers, directors, or writer/directors. Once the shorts are selected, producers and developers are allocated, and from there the development process is kept intense and productive. Budgets will range from £7,000 to £17,000 and any genre can be considered, although Meredith stressed that the ideas needed to be realistic as well as suitable for a range of distribution platforms.

Tymko explained that the deadline for submissions was 10th November 2008, after which a short list in each strand would be prepared. Interviews would then follow in January, to pare the applicants down to an eventual group of 6 commissions. “So it’s an X-Factor process,” asked Meech. Tymko didn’t disagree too strongly.

The Digital Shorts scheme involves South West Screen and the UK Film Council, and Meredith explained the distinction between the aims of the two bodies. “South West Screen has a cultural remit through the Regional Development Agency, and acts as a development agency for the creative and media industries in the region. It aims to grow creative businesses, develop skills, and promote our area. The UKFC aims to promoting the UK’s film culture film industry. So although some people from past Digital Shorts are now known to be rising talents, the scheme is not necessarily intended to produce the next household names. It’s much more about nurturing the culture.”

Meredith and Tymko ended by enthusiastically welcoming all applicants. “All you need is an idea for a film. And to know who the audience for that film actually is.”

The first film shown was One To One, selected by Meredith and Tymko despite being a product of the Digital Shorts scheme from back in 2003. A cameo portrait of the shifting relationship between two girls and shot almost entirely on the top deck of a bus, it was said by Meredith to be an example of the kind of low-key personal film that could be realised by its creator through the scheme. With a simple concept and a relatively low budget, the film went through the Digital Shorts process and into reality quickly. It was an example of what could be done.

Next was Off Beat, an animated short from Will Becher in which a lugubrious claymation Everyman embarks on a small-scale crime wave, only to find that others have had the same idea. “I was working at Aardman animation, but wanted to a more personal project when the Digital Shorts scheme came along,” said Becher. “It allowed me to make my own film, would have been impossible otherwise.”

Becher explained that his film inevitably went through some changes during the Digital Shorts development process. “I worked with a script editor whose take on it was a bit different to mine, and it drifted away from what I wanted it to be at one point. But I got it back. In short films you work with people who are doing it for the love of the film, and who want to be involved. That’s the great thing about shorts.”

The third film was Luke And The Void, presented by writer/director Matthew Freeth and producer Alison Sterling. A charming 1980s-set fantasy with a distinct nod towards Joe Dante’s Explorers, it follows a young boy’s withdrawal from quarrelling parents and horrid classmates by building a spaceship in his back garden from household junk.

Sterling explained how the Digital Shorts program throws directors and producers together, without necessarily guaranteeing that the result will be a strong working relationship. “I was brought on by South West Screen to produce this and one other film, so Matt really had no choice about me at all,” she said. “And yet, we are still talking to each other…”

“We do have to work with which ever producer that we get,” confirmed Freeth. “But I got lucky.”

Sterling emphasised the need for Digital Shorts film makers to appreciate the importance of their working relationships with the producers and other creative staff. “I would stress that the whole thing is about relationships, and how every single choice made will affect the final film,” she said. “It’s all about making relationships that work.”

She also advised potential applicants to have a clear view about the film they wanted to make, and not tailor the application to suit what they think the scheme is looking for. “Don’t guess what the commissioners want; you’ll never get it right,” said Sterling. “Only make something you are passionate about. And make sure that it’s achievable. Avoid huge projects and the huge problems they will create. If you can’t describe your film in one sentence, it’s not a short idea. Go back and think about it again.”

The final film was Detour, an atmospheric tale of the unexpected from Kodjo Akeseh Tsakpo about a grieving father and a hitchhiker who can foresee when people will die. Detour was developed through the Digital Nation scheme, a larger version of Digital Shorts, intended to develop writer/directors who are ready to make the leap to more ambitious cinematic short films with larger budgets. Digital Nation involves an intensive tailored development process designed to hone scripts and allow film makers to find their voice.

Despite the bigger scale, Tsakpo admitted that some things stay constant. “Even going from Digital Shorts and a £5k budget and moving up to Digital Nation, there’s still never enough money,” he said. “But my next project has benefited from the experience. I’ve gone back to an old script, written ages ago but left on the shelf. When I went back to it, I realised how much I had learned about writing from going through the Digital Shorts and Digital Nation process. That’s a very positive thing about the scheme. As well as simply opening doors and meeting people who can be helpful, you learn about yourself too.”

You can read more about Digital Shorts and Digital Nation and apply online at www.swscreen.co.uk

By Tim Hayes
Copyright 2008