This week I’m sharing some of my inspiration – namely short films that I enjoy. But it’s not really just that simple, just a casual enjoyment. This list is specifically focussed on short films which use a particular storytelling technique: they all lack dialogue. This is something that greatly interests me, as it forces another level of ingenuity upon the filmmaker, and forces them to rely upon the visuals in this visual media they are creating.
It’s an interesting challenge, and not one that I think is limited to live action films, so some (most, in fact) of these films on this list are actually animations. That doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
I encourage you to watch at least some of these. Well, I encourage you to watch all of these, but give at least some a watch. I hope you enjoy them as much or even more than I do.
Wire Cutters (2014)
Wire Cutters is a student film created by Jack Anderson, and regards a solitary robot on a desolate plain in a search for green gems when it meets a different robot, mining for the same gems. The amount of emotion that can be attributed to two characters that can only move their eyes is staggering.
Or watch it on the creators website:
http://www.jackanders.com/wire-cutters/
What’s on your mind? (2014)
The only live action short film on this list, What’s on your mind? deals with our online presence, specifically on Facebook, and how things may not always be as they seem. Using Facebook text and picture posts instead of dialogue, this piece uses contradictory images to great storytelling effect.
The Maker (2011)
The most highly awarded short film on this list, The Maker certainly makes a strong case for itself as to why this is. Awesome visual, stunning score and a deeply engrossing story make watching this some of the best 5 1/2 minutes you could spend. Seriously. Watch it.
Or go visit the creator’s website:
Balance (1989)
Directed and produced by German brothers Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein, Balance is the story of 5 identical beings trapped on precarious platform which shifts as they move about it, and the day one discovers a musical box. This is the oldest short film on this list, but it is well worth watching for the simplicity as well as the effectiveness of the storytelling.
Johnny Express (2014)
Ending on a lighter note, Johnny Express manages to be funny without having any dialogue. Well, almost no dialogue. This one is pushing that boundary a little, with a spaceship which reads out alarms and an alien answering the phone in an indecipherable language. But the main character, a lazy interplanetary delivery man, never says a word. But his actions say a whole lot.
References:
Anderson, J. (2014). Wire Cutters. Retrieved from http://www.jackanders.com/wire-cutters/
Higton, S. (2014). What’s on your mind?. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVZYiJKl1Y
Kezelos, C. (2011). The Maker. Retrieved from http://www.themakerfilm.com/
Lauenstein, C., & Lauenstein, W. (1989). Balance. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CTesYaduBA
Woo, K., & Kim, J. (2014). Johnny Express. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSGZyRBpMBE
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