OTTfilms: Sign up to be a Part of a Community of Filmmakers

OTTfilms was set up in 2005 to help UK filmmakers get their projects off the ground, at a time when it was extremely difficult to do so without huge funding and resources. Times may have changed but many of the hurdles facing UK Independent filmmakers remain. OTTfilms founder John Condon talks about his community of filmmakers. 

John Condon: I set up OTTfilms in 2005 to enable me to get a short film project off the ground. The problem was, any filmmakers that I knew were so busy trying to get their own projects made that they didn’t have time to help me make mine. It was a Mexican stand off, if you like. So, I decided that the best thing to do was convince them all that rather than none of us getting our films made we should instead band together and get 5 films made. The idea worked and that sense of collaboration and endeavour inspired me to start OTT, based upon that same ethos of give and take.

The name OTT came from that original camaraderie. I likened it to a group of WW1 soldiers leaving the trenches and going out into the no-mans-land of independent filmmaking with only the support of the filmmakers either side of them. So, going OVER THE TOP became OTT and we have never looked back. We now have over 2000 filmmakers, from writers to editors and everything between, making over 20 films a year together. OTT is open to anyone who wants to be involved in any aspect of filmmaking, whether you are a working professional or a keen amateur with no previous experience. All are welcome, as long as you are intending to make films and are willing to help others do the same.

We have a very active writers section and anyone looking to develop a script will find lots of willing help from our existing writers. If you are a director looking for something to direct, then we have a section of scripts that are being offered up by our writers for you to take on. If you are a director with your own script then we can help you crew and cast for every available role. If you are crew or actors then there are dozens of ongoing projects and hundreds waiting to begin. Just show your interest and help make them happen.

Once a film is completed we will host it on our site, on our Vimeo page and we will promote it via our social network. We will also screen every film made by our members to our members and the most successful films are screened at a West End cinema.

On top of that, we provide monthly events where members can gather together and directly discuss new and ongoing productions. We will soon be providing workshops and other incentives for our members. Our website will soon be updated to provide even more tools for our members to help them make their film dreams a reality.

OTT are filmmakers and film lovers, who are willing to help you make films. If you are willing to help other members make their films in return, then sign up today and get involved instantly. Membership is currently free. You can check out the OTT website by clicking on this link. We also recommend you sign up on the forum. And, of course, you can find them on Twitter and Facebook.

The Student Film Festival Speakeasy Event!

On Thursday the 18th of August, the SFF is reliving Prohibition at Platform in London Fields. If you dream of being a gangster or a femme fatale, sneak in for a night of prohibited fun.

This is not your regular film night. SFF London is taking you out of your comfort zone for a taste of danger. Expect games, film, music and of course, drinking that illegal goodness!

Gorilla Film Magazine will be there, making fools of ourselves as usual, with games Monkey Roulette and Risk it for a Biscuit.

Drink to the special mash-up of forbidden rushes and Cigarette Burns’ exclusive teaser for this autumn’s Pinky Violence series at the Rio Cinema. http://cigaretteburnscinem?a.blogspot.com/

Call the Tune! With all you hotshots in the room, SFF feared a blood bath so they have decided to let YOU choose the music. Post your favourite 5 swinging Prohibition tunes on their wall and they’ll play them on the night: http://www.facebook.com/St?udentFilmFestival

For this exceptional event, SFF will announce the winners of SFFLondon’s and ISFO’s unique film Pitch Competition! http://www.futureinfilm.co?m/blog/isfo-launch-party

So join us on the 18th of August at Platform, Netil House for trench coats, strangers, mysterious looks and barrels of whisky.

Doors open at 7pm. Entry is free!

Check out the SFF Facebook page by clicking on this link.

Emotive and Confined: Marc Isaac’s short documentary Lift

James Hocking reviewed Marc Isaacs Lift over on the Gorilla Film Magazine’s website, here’s an extract. 

James Hocking: Marc Isaacs is a North London-born documentary filmmaker with a passion and flare for bringing those on the fringes of our society to centre stage. His documentary films to date include Lift, All White in Barking, Travellers and the harrowing Calais: The Last Border. His films force the viewer to look without judging eyes at people who remain on the lower rungs of our communities. Those ghosts in the background who work the unskilled jobs, speak with simple tongues and return home alone at night.

These common characteristics of his work are perhaps best displayed in Lift, possibly due to the sheer simplicity of the idea and the confinement of its subjects, but also because of the distinct sense of pathos we get from the wry smiles and faintly sardonic remarks made by them.

Isaacs spent two months in the elevator of an East London tower block, speaking to the residents as they went on their daily commute. London’s multicultural nature ensures Isaacs encounters a diverse range of people, different colours, creeds and ages. The superficial yet clear divide in many of the tower’s residents is something which undoubtedly contributes to conveying the film’s message.

What is particularly interesting is the confidence that builds between Isaacs and the characters. A confidence that grows simply from being present in such a familiar and confined space, often without any real engagement at all.

You can read the full review on the Gorilla Film Magazine website by clicking on this link. It might also be worth checking out Marc Isaacs’ website.

Zack Snyder is the new Joel Schumacher

Silly but fun: 2004′s Dawn of the Dead remake

Zack Snyder is an interesting choice for director of the Superman reboot, given that he is essentially the new Joel Schumacher. He’s put metaphorical bat nipples on every one of his comic book adaptations, and while Schumacher at least directed the superb Falling Down, Snyder’s biggest achievement was not making the Dawn of the Dead reboot suck as hard as a Platinum Dunes effort.

As convincing as professional wrestlers: 2007’s 300

300 was an erotic pantomime that spent half it’s running time in slow motion to glorify the sexy, sexy violence, while Watchman was so concerned with looking visually spot on that it managed to miss the entire point of it’s source material. Tellingly, Snyder’s answer to the implied fetishism of Superheroes in the Watchman universe was to dress his characters in rubber and latex, probably a wise move considering the dress code of Superheroes today (just look at Batman, X-Men, even the Fantastic Four) but then he goes and spoils it all by directing the most unerotic cringe-worthy sex scene in the history of cinema. Clearly, Snyder has the mind of a 14 year old boy, he understands surface, and can make his films look pretty, but any amount of depth plays second fiddle to a slow motion shot of someone having their shins kicked in.

Style over substance: 2009’s Watchmen

Zack Snyder has since gone on to make Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (no me neither) and Sucker Punch. Now Sucker Punch is probably the best example of what defines Synder as a director (and writer in this case), he makes music videos and thinks burlesque is empowering. He may actually believe that his female cast of sex dolls are feminist symbols, much like I’m sure Tarantino thinks that Kill Bill is a feminist movie, but again it’s all just surface, a feature length movie of stuff happening, loud noises and bright colours. In slow motion.

Misogyny disguised as feminism: 2011’s Sucker Punch

If the studio people behind the new Superman reboot (Warner Bros etc) wanted someone who could make fanboys excited, but misunderstand the tone of the source material, and fail to deliver a film with substance, then Snyder’s the man for the job. And maybe that is what the studios want, a bland retelling of an already iconic figure, with a devoted fan-base, something that will look exciting in pictures and trailers, but will be so mainstream and diluted that it will appeal to the kind of audience who enjoyed the Transformers movies. If it’s really all just about money, then the new Superman looks spot on.

If Superman were a videogame: 2013′s Man of Steel

Now, to be honest, I’ve never really liked Superman, for all the reasons that are better explained by Steven T. Seagle, however I felt actual pity for the fans when I discovered Snyder would be directing Man of Steel. But make no mistake, Snyder is a fanboy himself, he genuinely loves the source material; he desperately wanted to make Watchman and doubtless he has a hard-on for Supes too. But just like a fanboy, he also has no understanding of why he loves the material in the first place. Snyder is the movie director equivalent of a comic book fan, blogging about how great it would be if Christopher Nolan’s next Batman film had Killer Croc as the villain.

Fanboys have notoriously bad ideas, and Watchman is a great example of how Snyder understood the pretty pictures, but missed out on a lot of the depth and complexity of the comic, even wiping out a lot of the moral ambiguity, and essentially neutering the most provocative ideas in the process. While it’s an unfair generalisation to say this, I’m going to anyway: fanboys, at least initially, seem to care more about the irrelevant surface details than the underlining point, they want the costume to look spot on but aren’t so bothered if the character loses their identity. Joel Schumacher’s Batman didn’t suck because the bat costume had nipples, it sucked because Schumacher didn’t get Batman.

When making a movie adaptation of anything, it’s most important to understand the spirit of the source material, but Snyder is more concerened with getting the surface detail right. It’s essentially the same problem that videogame adaptations have.

Zack Snyder is, in a sense, Carl Denham, ultimately destroying the things he loves, by misunderstanding what makes them great in the first place. Obviously it’s far too soon to judge whether or not the Superman reboot will be utterly horrible, especially as Christopher “Wild Card” Nolan is producing, but this new image of Henry Cavill in costume as the Man of Steel does give us a hint of what to expect: slow motion.

2010′s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole… Just in case you were wondering

Man of Steel (just like Dark Knight, geddit?) is scheduled for release in June 2013. You should definitely all check it out because if there’s one thing cinema needs, it’s a new Superhero movie. 

Emmaalouise Smith talks about her experimental short film: The Midnight Pen-pal

The Midnight Pen-pal is a short film by London film-maker Emmaalouise Smith. Shot on a mix-medium film palette, including; super 8mm, 16mm and PX instant stills. The project is made up of an all-girl cast and crew, with Emmaalouise both starring and working multiple roles throughout production.

The narrative is based upon a poem written  about living at ‘The factory’ in Leytonstone during the summer months of 2008, where observation, personal projection and feminine interaction are all key themes.  Colour and mise-en-scene heavily motivate the piece, telling the story of a girl, and her dreams and desires through audio/visual experimentation and an overtly  ambiguous time setting.

Emmaalouise Smith: I used the shoot as a kind of observational experiment amongst the people I was finding myself living around. And from writing, styling and directing the vision of the action I could let the situation and scene in question just play out… and SNAP and SHOOT whenever I saw the action I wanted to capture. I always had a very clear idea about what I needed to ‘find’ through my small script, storyboards and test-shots with the girls, and I soon found out that by simply making the scene look and feel right, the people involved would react in the way I wanted- not naturally- because cinema verite cannot exist when working with super8mm (the camera is too loud to be un-noticed!), but I found myself capturing the emotions and insecurities I aimed to uncover initially, by simply painting the picture I saw in my head.

I’m completely self-funded, and never let budgets rule over my films, there’s always a way to make something work; whether it means making my own ‘lenses’, hand-processing stock to make my own special ‘effects’ or simply using the help of those around me.

The Midnight Pen-pal can now be seen in full, at festivals and screenings in and around London toward the end of 2011, as well as plans to present as part of more exhibitive and installation environment with stills photography and sound-scape for the upcoming months. Previous notoriety has been given through screenings such as a Q&A showcase at the Rich Mix cinema, The Pictures , the 5th International Cambridge Super 8 Film Festival, and the 2011 East End Film Festival.

You can read the full article on the Gorilla Film Magazine website by clicking on this link.