diverse Hosted a panel of six short films, moderated by Senior Craftsman Editor Jaz Tangkai, as part of diverse Broadcast room series. Among the films screened in the committee were “Au Revoir Mon Monde” by participating directors Florian Meurice and Astrid Novais, “George’s Bottle” by director Daisuke Tsutsumi, “Edge of Space” by director Jean de Meuron, and “I Am Not a Man.” Robot” from director Victoria Warmerdam and producer Trent, “The Masterpiece” from director Alex Lora, and “The Last Ranger” from director Cindy Lee and writer David S. Lee.
Maurice shared how the inspiration for “Au Revoir Mon Monde” came from his life experiences. Listening to a song about the difficulties of relationships, the co-director thought about losing his father when he was six years old and was drawn to crafting a story centered around human grief.
“I wanted to write a story about grief,” Morris said. “The most obvious theme was to take on the theme of the end of the world… I wanted to make a comedy, something fun and goofy.”
He added how one of the challenges of producing “Au Revoir Mon Monde” was making a film that didn’t feel like a traditional horror film. The director explained that this is where the colors and humorous elements of the project developed.
“We wanted something weird, funny and original, but still very believable,” Novais said. “That’s why we chose a completely simple story, but with a different tone, like comedy and drama at the end. We wanted to find a balance.”
Cindy and David Lee cited the harsh weather conditions in the Eastern Cape and coronavirus fears as some of the challenges surrounding filming The Last Ranger.
They explained that having a crew who was comfortable working in an environment full of wildlife was essential, in order to capture moments pivotal to the film’s narrative core.
“Although the film is difficult and emotional, we have to end on a positive note,” Cindy said. “We had to know that (Thandi the rhino) survived and that she has given birth to five babies since then. So we literally had to get that last shot.
David added how the production team had to move filming to Kariega Game Reserve, where Thandi lives today, to close the film.
“We had to chase the light again to get the last shot to get to the other game reserve before sunset on our last and final day,” he said. “And then of course we had to track down Thandi and find him.”
Warmerdam said she had never shot a film project before before “I’m Not a Robot” but following this decision allowed for the same story to be approached. She said she was inspired by vintage design as well as science fiction elements.
“I think going back to that human ingenuity in making movies is very closely linked to this story,” Farmerdam said.
Trent praised his director for her meticulous preparation and stated that both creators tend to do a great deal of prep work before production begins.
“Besides shooting the film, one of the challenges was also the final shot in the film,” Trent said. “Victoria wanted to do it in one shot. Of course we had to do it in a few takes. We had to do the visual effects. We had to do the movement of a woman jumping off a building.”
On the subject of final shots, de Meuron detailed the closing moments of “Edge of Space” in which the film’s hero returns to Earth after his journey through the galaxy. De Meuron explained that a complex drone shot was used that included particle simulation, as well as X-15 visual effects.
“We follow (the astronaut) and he walks to his wife and then they hug and have a very sweet moment,” de Meuron said. “Then I wanted to end with the moon because that’s where we’re going in the end, right? The movie starts with the sun and ends with the moon.”
For Tsutsumi, who has delved into the field of CG and 2D animation in the past, “Bottle George” was the director’s first foray into the world of stop-motion animation. He explained that this change in technology requires tremendous precision because the latest state of filmmaking does not allow for adjustments such as changing frames or drawing in the post-production stage.
He added that he and the production team shared a desire to use “George’s Bottle” as an artistic medium to raise awareness about a misunderstood topic such as addiction.
“We wanted to tell the story of a family with addiction problems,” Tsutsumi said. “It is a very sensitive topic, and it was difficult to convey exactly the difficulties I have witnessed in my personal life through our cartoon characters.”
In “Masterpiece,” Laura found his inspiration through stories of global migration in Barcelona, various Mediterranean countries, and the United States.
The director, who usually focuses on stories from the disabled and minority communities, said the idea of people helping others as a way to help themselves became a thematic concept for the film when approaching the project.
“It’s a story about our biases, and I found that very interesting,” Laura said. “The seed was based on stories and people who work in scrap dealers in Barcelona and how that can lead to us looking at ourselves in the mirror in some way.”