The ubiquity of cell phones has created a whole new distribution channel for video content but if you've tried watching a cinematic Hollywood epic on a tiny handheld screen, you know that a blockbuster doesn't necessarily translate into a compelling mobile experience.
Just as the limitations of television forced filmmakers to change
the way they created content for that medium when it was in its
infancy, so too has the advent of mobile video. It's more than a
question of reformatting and re-encoding existing content: producers
have to make aesthetic choices that take into consideration factors
that include bandwidth limitations, screen size, and the context of the
viewing experience (e.g. movies are more likely to be viewed while in
transit rather than at home). Does this make mobile video a new art
form in itself? The folks at Toronto's MobiGardens think so and they've
launched a series of film festivals to promote and encourage the
production of movies that are made specifically for cell phones:
Mobifest.
Sponsored by Palm/TREO, Mobifest Toronto is the latest edition and
has just closed to submissions from professional and amateur filmmakers
around the world. There is only one rule (other than the usual
copyright and ownership issues): works entered cannot exceed sixty
seconds (excluding the credits). Films were submitted online and a
screening, featuring some 60 finalists, is to be held on November 22nd
at Toronto's Jane Mallett Theatre. For those who have never created a
film for a mobile platform, Mobifest provides a quick video tutorial
called How to Make a Mobile Movie ( ).
Categories for submissions include animation and "Made on Treo," a
category that not only calls attention to the sponsor but also
encourages participants to consider smart phones as tools that help
remove the economic barriers preventing young and emerging talents from
creating a body of work, especially in Third World countries.
Avant garde filmmakers have been using camera phones for years to
make experimental shorts and last year, South African director Aryan
Kaganof shot a feature-length film called SMS Sugarman on a pair of
Sony Ericsson w900i 3g handsets. Filmed in 3-minute installments over a
period of a month, SMS Sugarman cost approximately $164,000 to make.
While this budget is small by Hollywood standards and is still beyond
the means of most beginners, the film was meant as an experiment by an
established auteur. And this was not the first time that Kaganof
experimented with a new medium, in 1996 he was the first filmmaker to
blow up digital video to 35mm film with his movie "Wasted!"
So what makes a great mobile movie?
For starters, keep it short. Under a minute is ideal. Avoid wide
shots, which are hard to see on a tiny screen and use closeups when you
can. Stay way from excessive motion because it ends up blurry due to
the slow refresh rates and low pixel count of the screens on most
mobile phones. Also, keep your demographic in mind. According to a
recent Comscore study, 24 to 35 year-old men comprise your prime
audience. Think Red Bull and Budweiser commercials, iPod ads, Quentin
Tarantino movies, Heroes and Lost. Judging from the predominance of
humorous entries in Mobifest, tickling the funny bone seems to be the
best, or at least most favored approach to winning over this
demographic.
Although the medium is young and Mobifest has been around for little
over a year, it has attracted some serious talent. Entrants have
included avant-garde filmmakerrs Midi Odera and Kun-I-Chang, and Second
City alumnus Brian Smith (who has submitted a series of short films
featuring Dave Foley of Kids in the Hall and Newsradio fame). And
unlike YouTube, Mobifest presents the work of emerging filmmakers to a
panel of industry judges and, in casting such a narrow net, provides
exposure to the right people, the potential for feedback and possible
prize money. After all, anybody can upload a video to YouTube, but
being selected as a finalist by industry professionals is something
that a young filmmaker can put on a résumé.
Online voting will take place in the coming weeks, with the 60 most
popular videos (as selected by site visitors) then being presented to
the judges for consideration in five award categories.
links: www.mobifest.ca
Christos Tsirbas