Since my review of will be arriving on Cinematical shortly, I decided to dedicate this edition of Eat My Shorts to Jack Black and Kyle Gass -- otherwise known as Tenacious D. I guess you can call it a tribute ..
. but more on that later. Most films are nothing without their music (score, soundtrack, whatever), and that goes triple for a flick like Pick of Destiny.
Fans of The "D" will be happy to see the film overflowing with impromptu songs and jam sessions -- all of which are included on the pic's soundtrack, now available in stores and online.
But how important is music to a short film? Well the simple (and obvious) answer is that it's very important.
Music sets the tone, exposes a mood and helps move the story along. Try this: Imagine some of your favorite films without music, and see if they still stand out. In my opinion, music is right up there with story, character and acting -- a crucial element in filmmaking.
Then there are some flicks that are all about the music (Pick of Destiny, ), some of which are adapted from actual musicals like , and . Others begin as films, at some point find their way to the stage and then arrive back in theaters -- and are two of the more recent examples.
Today we'll be taking a look at a few short films I found online that use music (in different ways) to carry the story.
As per usual, I'm always looking for content, so please feel free to send me all links, comments and suggestions to shorts AT cinematical DOT com. This shorts column will be picking up steam in the next few weeks, and I will definitely need your help ..
. for I am but one man. Let's go watch some shorts .
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One thing I did notice while searching for shorts with a musical theme is that there aren't many out there.
Luckily, Atom Films has a section dedicated to musicals (short films, etc), but iFilm (and I know you iFilm folks read this column) does not have anything dedicated to musical-themed short films. So, as you can imagine, it was pretty hard to find quality shorts for this particular theme (with not many avenues to travel down), which means if you know of some wicked short film that revolves around music (and it's available online to watch for free), then please send it my way. (Oh, and iFilm -- get with the program!
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Short was also an official selection at the Aspen Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and the Milwaukee Film Festival, among others.
The visuals here are outstanding, and the music will definitely cause some bobbing of the head. Director Steve Wood did a great job editing his images to go along with the music and the whole thing is simply a treat to watch.
Go figure. Directed by Marek Okon, Caught in a Beat revolves around some dude who goes out for a stroll with his trusty CD walkman thingy (you kids at home might not know what they are, but before iPod that's what us old folks used to listen to our music on). However, some mysterious man is following him and our hero has no idea why.
I believe the filmmaker was going for a sort of Matrix feel, though I personally would've liked to see him explore it a bit more.
It's pretty goofy stuff and the animation is impressive for someone who obviously put this together all alone. Things to watch out for: Yoda gets eaten by Godzilla and check out the muscles on that Lando doll. I don't remember him being that jacked in the film.
Of course, said song and said demon play a big role in the upcoming film. Check it out and enjoy.
1. I hate musicals. How they can bring story if they're always singing?
Sometimes better to stay in words what you are feeling.
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