Links, Camera, Action Vol. 4: Who Directs Short Shorts?
From ideation to financing, distribution to production, the movie industry is just that, an industry. Let’s take a peek behind the projectors and movie screens at all facets of the films, and the people behind them, that we love. Let me direct your attention to these wonderful shorts.
- The Prestige of this director has been Interstellar since his Inception. Even someone like Batman Begins to see Christopher Nolan’s short film Doodlebug as a Memento of his successful career. (All the terrible wordplay my editor will allow in just two sentences…)
- Martin Scorsese is equal parts brutal and entertaining. Whether in the midst of violence or a drug-induced euphoria, he finds a way to induce an uncomfortable chuckle. His short, The Big Shave, starts off innocuously enough but quickly turns into something unexpected.
- With a title like Geometria (Geometry) you can’t make any assumptions about Guillermo del Toro’s 1987 short. It drips with mysterious undertones and haunting imagery. You can see the beginnings of del Toro’s signature vision, and that ending is a perfect bit of irony.
- Speaking of directors with a signature style, Tim Burton has always had a specific visual aesthetic and a melancholy tone. His poetic story Vincent is chock full of the imagery and design of his stop-motion films. A young boy who desires to be just like Vincent Price is lost in imagination and hyperbole and the film is even narrated by a special guest.
- Last but certainly not least, we’ll leave on a lighter note. Trey Parker and Matt Stone have built their career on tongue-in-cheek humor. Sarcasm and biting humor can be seen in their entire catalog and it holds just as true for their riff on 1950’s corporate informational films, Your Studio and You. Keep an eye out for some great cameos and don’t forget your attractive porcelain deer!
It’s amazing to look back at a director’s early work with their body of films to compare it to. We can see how much of their style comes directly from who they are and not just the subject matter.
Do you have any favorite short films, especially from directors with successful careers?
Perhaps I’ll do something similar for actors in their first films. Don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments!
(top image: Nolan’s Doodlebug – source: Cinema16)
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