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CoffeeTime:
Beware the Ides of Shorts

by Steve Piper

CoffeeShortsAs mad as March hares or maybe as investment bankers, we roll into a new month with a pair of superb short films that seemed incredibly relevant in this time of global economic chaos. Selected by Coffee Shorts for Microfilmmaker Magazine both these films show off just what's acheiveable with a singular vision, determination and talent, with both made on zero budgets. And if you want more short films drop by Microfilmmaker Magazine's own short film critique archive, or hop back to a previous selection of ours through the archive links near the bottom of the page.

Still Waiting
Truly beautiful filmmaking in action here with this stunning short on the evils of capitalist culture, hard selling and general financial bastards. Incredibly simple, gathered, almost minimal in it's delivery this is very pure storytelling giving us just what we need without the over stylisation so prevalent in modern cinema and modern shorts.

For all it's simplicity, there is no lack of emotive power or technical talent at work: crafted by German filmmaker Christian Grüner, who makes a living shooting extreme sports and high end commercial advertising, every shot is beautifully framed, beautifully moved and beautifully cut. The performances are simplicity themselves: subtle, relaxed and unselfish in their delivery whilst the music is also perfect for the occasion. This is Christian's first narrative short film, and we think that what has been the commercial film world's gain for several years, has been a colossal loss to the fiction narrative world, someone give this guy a budget immediately!

Coffee rating: 10/10
Notes: All round beautiful independent filmmaking


Greed
Next up we're pleased to welcome another lessen in excellent filmmaking but this time from the animation genre. Without a doubt an online success story animation often slips into popularity purely by being animation: Greed is a classic example of a truly complete short film that just wouldn't have worked in the live action world and fortunately animator Alli Sadegiani has buckets of talent to bring it to life with.

Successfully combining a smart comment about greed with some very funny and creative moments this addresses the absolute opposite end of the viewing spectrum to the intellectual Still Waiting. A simple morality tale given teeth by it's grim Trainspotting setting and feel and inconclusively limbo ending providing that ultimely independent structure which neither follows convention nor flips it on it's head, it just leaves us hanging with a decision to be made.

Coffee rating: 10/10
Notes: A tragi-comic approach to morality that could only work as indie animation


THE TRAILER: Last of the Scottish Wildcats DVD teaser
Clearing out the last of our 2008 archive this is a short teaser trailer from our sister company Coffee Films for their wildlife/current affairs documentary on Scottish wildcats. Unusual in the low budget indie world it's nevertheless proved the impact a decently crafted documentary can have on a buried subject bringing widespread British media attention to this rapidly disappearing animal. Check out the charity cause at scottishwildcats.co.uk


Coffee Shorts have a unique approach to distributing short films which uses well established social and video networks to exhibit its filmmakers, earning them income through a series of advertising and partnership deals: just watching the films above helps them earn money. So if you have a short film you think is up to the standard and would like to get involved, have a look around coffeeshorts.co.uk and check out the online submission details: we also accept music videos and trailers for indie DVDs or features.

More short films and mini-reviews next month!


Previous editions:
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008

Steve Piper is the managing director of Coffee Films, a production company based out of England that focuses on all forms of zero-budget filmmaking. His company website is: http://www.coffeefilms.com.

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