BACK TO PROJECTS
As shown at: Bristol Bloodbath Film Festival 2006 & Viewfinder Film Festival 2007
Every summer I like to get together with a couple of friends and make a short film. In 2004 it was �Digital� and �my NIGHTMARE�, in 2005 it was �Trapped� and now (in 2006) it was �VHS�. The film is about the violent reaction of one VHS tape against someone who hopped on the DVD bandwagon upon the release of the new format, therefore ditching video like it had done nothing for him. Like with �Trapped� before it, �VHS� was designed to be a dark comedy and similarly starred Ben Connell as my lead protagonist (although I was able to get Gareth Knox � of �my NIGHTMARE� fame � to appear in a final scene after the credits, which I added during the editing process as a denouement).
Like with my previous summer short films I covered all the technical stuff and handed over the acting to my loyal chums (although I do provide the voice of the vengeful videotape). As Ben was off to Switzerland indefinitely soon after returning from university I designed the script to be filmed easily and quickly � taking place either in my own bedroom or in a specially built set in my garage, which was essentially a sealed black polythene box to represent that in the second half Ben is transported inside a videotape to be taught a lesson.
This time around I paid more attention to storyboarding and (bar a couple of shots) remained totally at the mercy of my tripod, instead of relying on my mode of preference, handheld. The construction of the videotape set was also a new advancement in my filmmaking (rather than simply using existing surroundings � this time not a single venture into the woods!).
Having gotten everything filmed quickly I allowed myself plenty of time to gradually chip away at the editing process (being much busier these days than I was a year ago). This meant capturing (and acting) all the VHS dialogue, manipulating it digitally, and recording all the music (created from scratch) and in turn manipulating it digitally also. Add in the shed load of editing (including a making of and photo gallery for the � ironic as this is � DVD) followed up by a dose of DVD authoring and you�ve got a lot of work, for one person, for a 10 minute film.
Creating �VHS� has been a great opportunity to further my own filmmaking skills and ideas as well as getting to make something more up my street, having spent the first half of 2006 making short films for BBC Local TV, (which are of course, all rather safe and not at all offensive, or even gory!), not that it was an awful experience � far from it � it�s just that everybody has something they�d prefer to indulge in given the opportunity.
After the somewhat stressful editing process on �VHS�, I�m not surprised I only embark on such projects once a year (aside from all the other various factors � availability of actors, free time etc), and having taken the creative process of �VHS� so seriously I am (at the time of writing) planning on getting out and filming something completely free form and daft with as many weird noises and video effects as possible splashed on top just to free up the filmmaking muscles, so-to-speak, besides it�ll be a bit of fun too.
