Just Say Enough- Brooke Harris

This is a short that I recently directed and produced along with the help and beautiful, creative camera work by Dave Justo Productions. I recently have been actively working on a campaign I created, entitled, Just Say Enough: Speaking out against Dating Violence. Our Facebook page with more information can be found at: www.facebook.com/JustSayEnough . My main goal is to raise awareness about dating violence which is a problem that is suppressed in our society and something that needs to be addressed and put to an end.

The goal of this film was to evoke emotions in people as well as passion and to help them know it is okay to speak up, they are not alone and they no longer need to fear or feel ashamed or embarrassed. The film was especially powerful to make because everyone who stepped up and involved themselves in the film, had either directly been involved in an abusive situation or knew someone who was. The beginning illustrates the person’s situation in an abusive situation; you are silenced and feel ashamed or embarrassed; you are made to believe it is not okay to speak up.

The ripping of the tape symbolizes the pain of speaking out. Yes, it will hurt like hell at first, but it will be worth going through with it. That pain will only be temporary in comparison to staying in a violent situation and remaining quiet. The end is more uplifting and trying to encourage the viewer to get help and to be aware of their loved ones and to ensure that they have a support system in us if they need it.  Parents need to be aware of how prevalent dating violence is, especially in middle school and high school as well as college. Children have health class and sex education in most schools, but they also need to learn about dating violence and what is considered a healthy relationship so they can avoid dangerous and detrimental situations.

The Dove Evolution Campaign- Tim Piper and Yael Staav

This film sets you at the scene of any typical photo shoot. The model you see on billboards is sitting there with no makeup, hair not done, looks nothing like models we see in magazines. She is quite simple, not ugly, but not what we consider in our society to be a “bombshell beauty”. Then they speed up the camera work and show the process, how long it takes and how many people it takes to do her makeup just right, her hair a certain way, all the work it takes to make her look “pretty” before taking the photos.

Then they show how much lighting is involved and wind in her hair to make her look…a certain way. Then after that the process is still not over. They put her face into a photo editing program, make her eyes bigger, change the shape of her nose, make her thinner, give her cheekbones, and lower her eyebrows, plump her lips and it is then that the image is posted on the billboard.

They send a clear message that obviously people have self esteem problems and our culture’s sense of beauty is completely warped. We live in a society where the perception of beauty is something that is not even real. The finished image looks nothing like the model who was in the image in the beginning. How do you think that makes her feel, let alone millions of other women staring at that AD? This was a very moving and powerful film that everyone should see.

What is Beauty

This woman, Annie created this in mind of her subscribers asking her what they can do to make themselves more “beautiful”. The beginning is very personal as you see the hand that is writing this letter, this letter she is writing to her subscribers. She uses beautiful piano melody which adds to the emotions. Her camera work is not fancy but she makes the point of showing what we see every day as readers and spectators. Magazines, billboards, ads, TV, telling us what is “beautiful” is thin, long legs, long hair, busty and so on.

She writes “You can never see true beauty with a mirror” and other very powerful phrases to remind young women that is not the outer beauty that matters and everyone is beautiful in their own way. It was very moving and done well to connect with the viewers.

Strangers- Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv (2004)

The camera work was very cool, while showing the different angles on the subway and the different close ups of the people’s faces as if looking through someone’s eyes who are moving back and forth. Without dialogue the film creates this intensity, this powerful silence that raises the issues and conflicts between the Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East.

The two believe because of where they come from that they cannot speak with one another. Then a twist in the film, adding skin heads to the mix suddenly brings these two strangers from opposite worlds together and they make a connection and feel for one another in a scary and tough situation.

This film goes from silence, to whispering voices which escalates the element of tension. Although they are both from different religions and entirely different viewpoints, these men find a common ground to work peacefully with one another which I think this short film communicates beautifully.

Causing Pain: Real Stories of Dating Abuse and Violence

This 2006 Emmy nominated film about teen dating abuse and violence was very powerful, emotional and well put together. They maintain the anonymity of the people involved in abusive relationships by doing close ups of them as they speak, showing only parts of their faces, the bottom half, top half, left side of their face and so on. The clips of actors displaying examples of the abusive stories being told portray good examples of abuse and show that it is not just physical, but also emotional, verbal and psychological.

They do a good job of showing that violence can happen in all different ages, races, genders and situations. The words and phrases that shoot across the screen as the actors tell their real stories keep the viewer’s attention the whole way through. The tone, lighting and mood really add to the emotion and seriousness of the video.

A Thousand Words- Ted Chung

This film was in B&W shows a simple everyday occurrence where two people make eye contact on the train or subway and think about that person later, wondering “what if”. Seeing this, most viewers can remember at least one instance where that has happened to them and they have either acted on it and something came out of it or they dismissed it and kicked themselves late wondering, “what if?”.

The girl leaving her camera on the subway is the connection the girl and guy have together once she left. After seeing that she too, noticed him through her camera (their connection), he uses clues and a camera to try and bring them together, in hopes or belief that this is fate or that something good would come out of it.  It was a very short film that showed a simple everyday occurrence, but in a very sweet and cute way; definitely worth watching.

Can be seen for free at: http://pangeaday.org/filmDetail.php?id=74

Dancing Queen- Sumit Roy

This was a very short but powerful film. Under 2 minutes, this film easily portrays the motion and passion one has, this love one has for dance. You watch the dancing fingers on the table, while wondering whose fingers they are the entire time. You can tell this person whose hand it is by the movement of the fingers, is a dancer with passion.

The end has quite a twist which is sad and very moving. It really makes the viewer think, “what if”… It was also fascinating to know this all was shot on a Nokia cell phone as well.

10 Minutes- Ahmed Imamovic (2002)

It opens with music that sounds like you are in little Italy. It was interesting to see two people from very different cultures talking to one another. The scene with the mother and children is sad to see how much she has to do without much help. The scene is shown in a weird de-saturated coloring into full on black and white then slowly back into color. Very cool transitioning showing, you are here now, full focus.

Then you are sent to Sarajevo where it is back in black and white. In the 1990s, they were under-siege by Serbian forces, and snipers in buildings killing any Bosnians they could find. So the entire city was shelled, thousands were killed, similar to today in Libya.  Does not appear to be the safest neighborhood, very broken down, but this is his home and he knows his way around all of the broken down cars and deteriorating buildings.

All of a sudden everything changes, it seems some war is going on and this boy has to run for his life. In as little as 10 minutes his life is ruined. In only 10 minutes the other man in Italy receives his photograph while pleasantly waiting outside. The set design was done really well, that at first the broken down cars are sad and then you realize you are watching a war zone and these broken down parts and pieces are used as barriers and protected shields. You even see graffiti quickly on the back wall with swastika symbols.

It shows how much can happen in 10 minutes and for one person it can feel like forever and be life changing while another person it could just be another 10 minutes for them that passes by quickly unnoticed. The tourist, nothing changes for him in those 10 minutes so the focus is on the little boy because in those 10 minutes for him, a lot changes. Imamovic comments on time and the state of war where one part of Europe can be sunny, and you can go for a walk and get your film developed but the other side of Europe a war is going on and you have to worry about living through the day, every day. One place is pure tourism and pleasure one part is like a parallel universe where everything is turned upside down. This was a very powerful short, worth watching.

Jan Villa – Natasha Mendonca

This experimental film, won the Tiger Award for short films at Rotterdam International Film Festival. It was based on her home town on the Mumbai floods in India. Mendonca shows Mumbai from a personal perspective, her home and her personal family dynamic. The floods she shows in the film symbolize these themes of destruction, festering and abandonment.  The black and white was the more emotional parts, showing the devastation and the parts in color seemed they were supposed to be present day.  A lot of sound was used to make it unique; sounds were very strange.

It was interesting seeing her as a gay film maker coming from India as well, as that does not generally go along with or is normally accepted by the family dynamic in that culture, which I feel is communicated in this film. She made the film in this way clearly to allow the viewer to generate or figure out the understanding of the movie on their own and for it not to be just handed to them in an obvious way. It clearly captures the viewer’s attention the whole time, while trying to figure out the purpose, the messages and themes of Jan Villa.

MUBI Short Films

These films can be watched for free, on www.mubi.com
Ain’t She sweet- David Fleischer

I take heart to these films. My grandfather who was very dear to me recently passed away and with that leaves a legacy, a history. These films were something I used to watch with him. He also played “Ain’t She Sweet” on the piano and I would sing it with him all the time. These cartoons had such uniqueness about them. They did not necessarily make sense, but they were upbeat, went along great with the music and the characters were absolutely adorable.

It had very simple, yet funny humor. For the 30s, it is quite impressive for the type of animation that was done. It is great that something so special,can still be funny and enjoyable for a child to watch, 80 years later. This was one of the first sing-a-long type films which exist a lot today, including karaoke that we have available to us. Of course, it featured the adorable Lillian Roth with her 30s dress and style and voice. It is a very cute film to watch.

 

Message Machine- Azazel Jacobs

This was very powerful because not only was it in the form of a documentary, but Jacobs traveled to NY on September 10^th, 2011 not knowing what was about to happen and he had these sad voicemails to share with the world.

He has this footage right before the towers were destroyed. Multiple people were voicing their concern on his voicemail wondering if he was okay. He had lost power at the time so the multiple door swinging shots really put you in this moment of silence, confusion and fear. It is also powerful to hear the amount of voices leaving messages for him, almost overwhelming. The fact that he chose to incorporate the voicemail portion that says, today is September 11^th, and the exact time this person is leaving the message, really puts you in the moment.

You feel you are there as this is progressing, as each minute and hour is going by. As the voices and messages get more distressed, it is a crazy feeling to look at his footage of the beautiful New York skyline, perfectly still, the day before. It is very conflicting emotions. Simple yet powerful, he deletes the last message and his mailbox is no longer full. He is lucky to be alive and tell his story.

Alice in Wonderland- Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stow (1903)

It was fascinating for me to leave that the first “Alice in Wonderland” movie was made over a century ago. It is amazing how it is able to be preserved and somewhat restored for people to be able to see it, forever. This is a story I grew up with, reading and watching. It is weird to imagine that my grandparents and great grandparents grew up with it as well. Also after recently seeing Alice in Wonderland in 3D with Johnny Depp, comparing it to the 1903 version is mind blowing.

It really makes you think as a society how much we take for granted the movies and special effects we have today, including 3D and even simple animation. Back then it was a large man walking around in a bunny costume. Today we can create a bunny on a computer that dances and talks and looks like a real bunny. In the 1903 version there is no voices, so there is paper held up in front of the camera that narrates the story along with music.

For them to be able to even create these illusions like making things appear or disappear or making Alice become smaller and bigger, for 1903 is amazing. To see this film transcend so many generations is remarkable. I can’t imagine what they will do with it for future generations.