“We’ve All Been There” Directed by Nicholas Clifford

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpkjGqYJxos

Directed by Nicholas Clifford, “We’ve All Been There” raises questions almost immediately from the opening sequence of shots. This quickly drew me into the story and made me reflect upon the juxtaposition shown in the shot of the high-end European car in a rural and remote part of Australia. As the film continues the story progresses to have two different narratives, one between the lady in her Mercedes and her relationship with a stranger who fixes her flat. And the other focusing around a young girl 8-months pregnant who is behind on her rent, working to make ends meet.

I found this film thought provoking and almost eye opening in many ways, with the overall message essentially being to pay it forward and despite your own hardships there are other people doing it tough as well. This film was the winner of Tropfest in 2013, and is highly accessible through YouTube and already has over 450 000 views. The widespread message that it promotes can make people reflect upon their own lives and what they could do to pay it forward. Maybe they could donate to charity, or if they see someone struggling maybe help them out. These sort of random acts of kindness may seem small but inevitably go a long way for many people as shown in this short film. Going forward with my own work, I really like how the two seemingly separate stories within the film came together in the end and ultimately give a bigger pay off to the audience. I also liked how a simple phrase like “We’ve all been there” effectively shaped the whole piece and is something that is relatable to most audience members which predictably will help them connect to the film.

“Time” Directed by Liam Connor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBly6LdzW_g

“Time” a short film directed by Liam Connor was another finalist from the Tropfest competition back in 2013. It follows the story of a young boy and his imagination and how something he was completely ridiculed for at school ultimately saved his mother’s life. The film uses a variety of tools to explore the protagonists ideas and imagination about time travel, using flashbacks and narration to show the child’s wild imagination and infatuation with time travel. This short film shocked me as it took a twist I didn’t really see coming when the original narrative begun. The shock value I experienced from the moment the car essentially launched over the hill into the water is the part of the film that I am most captivated with and is something I hope to maybe create one day in one of my bodies of work.

The overall message of this film in my opinion is to believe in yourself, despite what others think of you. It’s a lesson that is learnt over time but I believe that this film was partially aimed towards kids maybe 8 years old and above who maybe experiencing the same sort of problems as the young boy in the film. It also has another key message and target audience: young drivers. The message which is essentially to not text and drive at the wheel, because the consequences of one text message could lead to the very harsh reality of death. These strong messages and ideas that are put forward in this film inspire me to make films that have a purpose and clear message that makes viewers reflect and maybe enact change in their own lives. I think having a voice is important, especially in film, which is why I’d like to make films with a voice for an issue that I’m passionate about.