Shooting People’s Film of the Month is a competition open to all its members, with any entry potentially able to reach the top 3 shortlist positions, with a prize of a Vimeo Plus account, and exposure of their films to an esteemed guest judge (past judges include Michael Nyman, Matt Groening, and Werner Herzog!) who will pick the final winner.

Having recently rejigged their format, the selection process now goes thus: all films submitted between the 1st and the 20th of the month are open to be rated by you, me, everyone (the public). The top 5 films at the end of this period go through with 5 ‘wildcards’, chosen on merit by SP staff - so even if you’re not so good at that self-promotion and social-network-marketing lark as those other sly cats, you could still go through. Votes go back to zero, and these 10 finalists are voted on once more for the remainder of the month. The top 3 films are viewed by the month’s guest judge (this month, Mark Cousins), who selects a winner, and provides feedback for all 3 films.

This month’s finalist include a film screened at Kino earlier last year, Bon Appetit, by Kate Shenton. The food-centric film went down a treat at Kino. To view it along with the other entries, follow the blue text, and don’t forget to vote.

Kino #37 was so jam packed with great short films you would have thought we programmed the night! We didn’t, Kino is an open mic night and the only people who decide what screens at our nights are the filmmakers who bring their films! And these filmmakers sure knew how to put on a good night, from the Kino challenge inspired comedy Use Me to the period drama Rosie by William Thorne, the good shorts just kept on coming. One film that stood out for me was The Things I Think About written and directed by Geoffrey Taylor. This dark comedy focuses on the thoughts of Ed (brilliantly acted by Ed Rapley) and his desire to “let go”. The film’s use of subtle voiceover in relation to sombre scenes that occasionally burst with energy works perfectly at expressing Ed’s mood and creates some sinister yet laugh out loud moments.

I caught up with the director Geoffrey after the screening to find out a little more about the short…

How long did it take you to film The Things I Think About and what equipment did you use to make it?

The film was shot on a weekend in darkest January last year – perfectly suited for the film. We used the D.O.P’s (my mate Charlie’s) gear he borrowed from his work, plus some lights he owned. For the techies’ we shot on a Sony 750. I went away for a couple of months so when I got back, I felt that I had enough perspective on the film to be able to edit it myself (using FCP). My friends (Torchy Design) did the sound and graphics, I really enjoy working with people, for me it is the best part of the film process, having people bringing different ideas to the work. Grading was the trickiest part, doing it myself, I knew what I wanted, but I don’t have the best grading know how and access to any professional equipment (apart from my laptop) to test the images on.

What gave you the idea for the film?

The idea was sparked by a series of thoughts and ideas I’d noted down (by things I’d either thought or what other people had said to me) It just seemed to develop into a character I was interested in, and the story followed. I wrote the script and within two weeks I was filming it. I was moving out of this big crazy house, which I pictured the film being set in, so on the very same weekend we were moving house I was also shooting.

How has the film been received?

I’m still submitting the film to festivals but so far the film has been really well received by audiences, they find it funnier than I thought it would be. Currently ‘The Things I think About’ has played at Encounters Short Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Comedy Shorts, Manchester and finally at Kino London where it got a really great response and I met some interesting people.

Finally, what are your filmmaking plan for the future?

I have a lot of different projects in the pipeline, as well as looking for freelance gigs. I’m currently writing a series of films based on this ‘Character’. As well as a short feature I’m also pursuing. My main aims are to find producers and collaborators to help get ideas off the ground or to work as a Director on other peoples scripts.For now though, I’ll just keep trying to make stuff.

To view more of the work by Geoffrey Taylor visit www.wideeyed.co.uk and www.vimeo.com/geoffwideeyed Also follow him on twitter @geoffwideeyed
To catch some more great shorts come to our next screening on the 1st of March!

BFI Southbank is going to be crawling with filmy youngsters this weekend as Future Film Festival returns for its fifth year.

Exclusively for 15-25 year olds, Future Film is much more of a development and networking event than simply a bunch of programmed screenings. Whilst most film festivals nowadays tend to pepper their programme with industry sessions, Future Film has more events dedicated to workshops and advice for young filmmakers than it does screenings! With sessions as diverse as ‘How to make your short stand out‘, ‘Getting Your Work Seen: Festivals versus Online‘ and the classic ‘Getting your Short Funded‘, this is pretty much the cheapest couple of days of solid film advice you can get in London right now!

THE TWITTER BIT : SEND THEM YOUR PITCH

Alongside all that, there’s screenings of cult classics liks David Lynch’s Eraserhead, short film programmes (and competitions), art exhibitions, workshops and Q&A’s. And no film festival is complete nowadays without some kind of Twitter-based pitching event! Send them your film pitch in 140 characters via Twitter and the best pitch will win an all-expenses paid trip to Europe for a filmmaking workshop, which is pretty good, no?! More details here.

Weekend passes sell for £8 for 15-18 year olds and £15 for 19-25 year olds, which is pretty affordable even if it’s paper-round money. Whilst you can (and should) buy your pass in advance, you can’t book for individual sessions until the day. Just turn up early (doors at 9:45am) and get your name down for the events you want to attend.

WIN A WEEKEND PASS WITH KINO!

Please note : this competition is now closed.

** NEXT KINO SCREENING**

Get yourself on the ‘I’m attending’ list for Kino #38 via our Facebook here. We have a whole evening of shorts – all presented by the filmmakers – plus the chance to get involved with the Kino Challenge filmmaking that launches each month at our events.

5th BFI Future Film Festival
Click here for more info and to book tickets.

Address Is Approximate strikes me as a beautifully crafted short film that achieves something remarkable in such a short space of time. Using very little in terms of prop, setting and dialogue, it introduces you to a character and a dream, it takes you on a road trip, and it makes you feel the highly charged experience of our on-screen adventurer.

The epic orchestral soundtrack instantly conjures up notions of Hollywood in the 1980s and ’90s and it’s big, powerful films, depicting big, emotional journeys. America is the destination and this is also reflected in our adventurer’s vehicle which looks suspicously like a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado (I’m pretending to be an expert).

These arguably dated elements sit comfortably within a film that is wholly modern in it’s use of Google Maps Street View and the crisp digital work of the Canon 5D MKII. This film reminds me both of the wonders of modern technology and the economic ease with which a great short film can be produced.

It has also made me realise that my desk is devoid of desk toys. I’m on it…

If you don’t know about the Kino challenge, you’ve not been to one of our screenings (or you’ve not been paying attention!). Let me break it down:

1. Filmlovers and filmmakers alike come to Kino for their fix of shorts, popcorn, and good vibes.
2. Throughout the night, our audience suggest ideas for films they’d like to see made, via the medium of little slips of paper. At some point, our comperes choose which of these films will get made, with the help of our technologically advanced ‘cheering audience’ voting system.
3. At the interval, eager-to-shoot filmmakers come forward and pronounce their intention to make the selected film idea, ideally in time to screen the following month. These strangers, united, arrange among themselves how they will undertake this hefty challenge. It’s similar to the Fellowship council scene in Lord of the Rings.
4. One month later, the team – once strangers, now a unified ‘crew’ – bring their film to screen at Kino.

Use Me is the product of January’s challenge. A very open suggestion, the team (Ben Davies, Daniel Jarvis, Paul Rey-Burns, and Will Watson), took it as an idea for a no-holds-barred odd-jobs service (odd being the key word), and followed the exploits of a man who’ll do anything to pay the bills. It’s a prime example of what can be done in a month, starting from just a title and the commitment of strangers.

If you’d like to be involved in making a challenge film, come along to Kino #38 and make yourself known.

Hot off the heels of our January challenge in association with LSFF, February’s screening was a toasty affair with a bumper buffet of 12 films to warm the cockles. We were blown away by the fantastic monthly challenge film “Use me” and the stupendously high quality of films across the board.

Speaking of challenges, what lovely little gems were served up to naughty rule-breaking filmmakers last Thursday then?

Will Thorne must make the film “One last dog”, Mark Brainhownd reluctantly accepted the challenge of a film about “an African family struggling in a different society” and Anton Short will take inspiration from “That’s not how you dress for burglary”. Good luck with those folks.

And then there was the monthly challenge delight; an audience-voted slice of inspiration, taken up by an intrepid group of filmmakers who will endeavour to bring it back in the shape of a film next month. This month’s challenge: Karaoke is not Okay – K.I.N.O – we can’t wait.

Not forgetting the films that graced our screen:

The Dealer’s Club – Molly Brown
Beard – Mark Brainhownd
Remain – Dave, Dave & Dave
Occupy Denver – Marius Milcher
How to prevent a Death in the Family - Marie Gear and Owain Rhys Dain
Audition this Way – Andy Lewis
Teatime – Daniel Jarvis
Rosie – William Thorne
Living with Mum – Anton Short
What does he want? – Daniela Ferrer
Use Me – Kino challenge – Paul, Dan, Ben & Will
The Things I Think About – Geoffrey Taylor

That’s it for February. If you want to see your film on our screen in March, drop me a line at screen@kinolondon.com and hurry, there are only a few slots left! See you there.

Brrrrrrr.

For those not familiar with the Kino thing, we don’t watch anything we screen in advance of the night, so the programme is as much a surprise to us as it is to you! Why? Because we just want filmmakers to take to the stage and speak for themselves.

THE KINO FILMMAKING CHALLENGE – TAKE PART!

Alongside the open-mic shorts we’ll see the results of the Kino Challenge film awarded at our February screening (Karaoke Is Not Okay – KINO, geddit?!), and there’ll be the chance – as always – to participate in the Challenge filmmaking that will be happening throughout March. If you’ve never made a short, or are stuck for an idea, or just want to work with new people, the Kino Challenge is a great way to get those filmmaking juices flowing.

Doors open at 7:30pm, films start at 8:15pm. £4 on the door, £3 with flyer.

WANT TO SCREEN ON 1ST MARCH?

NB: Kino is more popular than ever at the moment, and we’re getting many more screening requests than we can possibly fit into each night, so be sure to book your slot as soon as you can. Details below…

Filmmakers register in advance to screen their short at the next event, sight unseen. There are no themes, no pre-selection and no restrictions, other than:

- films must be under 6 minutes
– films must be on DVD
– films must include the Kino logo + screening number (38) at the end, just for our screening
– the filmmaker must present the film in person.

Screening slots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’d like to screen your short drop Laura a line ASAP at screen@kinolondon.com   She’ll need your name, the title and duration of your film and some contact details.

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KINO LONDON’S OPEN-MIC SHORT FILM NIGHT // #38
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KINO #38 – Thursday 1st March
VIBE LIVE, Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL.
Nearest Tube: Liverpool Street Station
Doors 7:30pm, films start 8:15pm.
£4 on the door, those screening get in free
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See photos from Kino events (and upload your own)
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To screen: screen@kinolondon.com
Partnerships and general enquiries: info@kinolondon.com

As small-scale as our operation might be here at Kino, never let it be said that we don’t like big things too.

Love it or loath it, Star Wars is back (again), and this time in 3D. I actually thought that it was in 3D already. Well, I kind-of just assumed. But clearly not. Anyway, now it is. And it’s coming to Imax in February. So it’s going to be really big – literally.

WIN TICKETS + THE GRAPHIC NOVEL

In our ongoing pledge to bring you some of the wonderful stuff that screens at BFI for FREE, we have three pairs of tickets to give away to any screening of The Phantom Menace (3D), subject to availability.

Also, for one especially lucky winner, BFI are offering a copy of the graphic novel, pictured here.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED!

Get yourself on the ‘I’m attending’ list for Kino #37 via our Facebook here. We have a whole evening of shorts – all presented by the filmmakers – plus the chance to get involved with the Kino Challenge filmmaking that launches each month at our events.

Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D
Click here for more info and to book tickets.

Raj Kapoor’s 1951 film Awaara (The Tramp’)

Throughout February, BFI Southbank is celebrating the work of Indian director, actor and producer, Raj Kapoor.

Also known as The Show-Man, Kapoor directed his first film at the age of 24 – at the time, the youngest directorial debut – having already been acting in major films since the age of… 11. No slacker he, then.

His films were nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and his performance in the film Awaara – modelled on Charlie Chaplin’s The Tramp – was rated as one of the “Top-Ten Performances of all time”, by Time Magazine.

So, all in all, a pretty talented guy.

Click ‘Like’ on our new-look Facebook page to stay up to date with Kino competitions, links, films and announcements.
Get yourself on the ‘I’m attending’ list for Kino #37 via our Facebook here.

Raj Kapoor
Click here for more info and to book tickets.