British Arrow Awards - Very Good Short Film - And Another Good Short
Steve K
Posts: 3,245
For me, coming up with a plot for a short animation is the hardest part. This live action award winning commercial is an example of the KISS principle for plots. Its about 30 seconds too short for the 48 Hour Film Contest (four minute minimum), but I'm guessing the judges would pick it the winner anyway.
https://www.britisharrows.com/winners/2023/a-christmaslove-story
Post edited by Steve K on
Comments
a 20 second version of this plays as an advertisement before basically every single show on NowTV and it's borderline incomprehensible at that length
I'm always a little surprised that the commercials in the British Arrow Awards go as long as this, 3.5 minutes. But as a short film, it's just about right.
P.S. Long ago I read that the commercials in France all play in a single one hour show, and it is very popular.
The main commercial channels are allowed seven minutes of advertising per hour, so a 3.5 minute add might take up the whole of one of two slots in an hour-long programme. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/16328/rules.pdf
Quite a bit different than US commercials, typically 30 seconds +/-. These British commercials are getting into the dreaded (for me) "informercial" territory, although that usually means a complete half hour show.
Judging by the cost of a Super Bowl 30 second commercial, putting on a 3.5 minute commercial might bankrupt most companies and some small countries.
lamb chops ... mmmmm
"The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar" is a 37 minute live action short by Wes Anderson with Benedict Cumberpatch, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, and some inspired set designs (did I mentiuon it's by Wes Anderson?). (Trailer below) I was particularly impressed by the changing set around an actor doing a monologue (sometimes with visible stage hands changing things). It reminded me a little of Houston's Alley Theater years ago doing "Noises Off", with the second half taking place BEHIND the set of a stage play within a play which happened in the first half. At intermission, the crew came out and turned the entire stage set around 180 degrees, using ropes on the huge pivoting two story English country house set. They got a standing ovation.