World's first cell-phone film festival

This month, Zoie Films, an Atlanta producer of independent films and festivals, began accepting entries for what it says is the world's first cell-phone film festival. And while it might be difficult for some to imagine films that would work on 1- or 2-inch screens, Zoie's founder, Victoria Weston, thinks the medium offers filmmakers -- who are already used to creating films for computer screens -- a rich palette with which to work.

"I think we're in an exciting time with exciting opportunities," said Weston. "Where I feel like this is headed, we won't be tied down to the computer. The cell phone will be the computer."

To be sure, it's not very likely that the wireless device in your pocket will be showing something along the lines of Gone With the Wind anytime soon. But there's a good chance participating artists will turn in some sophisticated work, Weston said, especially those who understand how to think small.

"The biggest key is looking at the audience and looking at the screen and telling the story," said Weston. She finds that animation and music videos are two types of entertainment that can work well on the super-small screen.

Joe Miale, a director and entrant in the film festival, believes the most important factor in crafting films for cell phones is being able to tell a quick story.

"You're not going to make a short film that is character-based. It would be more caricature-based," Miale said. "It's going to have to be like a commercial, like a really short punch line kind of a film."

More than a hundred filmmakers are expected to enter and compete for prizes including a week's stay at a posh Philippine island golf resort. And anyone hoping to be among the 50 or 60 artists whose films are chosen to run during the festival will have to realize the visual limitations of a 2-inch screen.

"You can't have a really, really wide shot, where you're this really tiny person standing in a desert," Miale said. "From a director's standpoint, you'd probably shoot things that were visually simple. You probably wouldn't want to shoot a war scene."

Weston and Miale both said that they think animation and commercials would likely be among the better entries in the film festival.

"The visuals tend to be simpler.... A two-minute Pixar movie, with animated fish, would be perfect," Miale said. "I don't think there's enough on that tiny little screen to give you a breathtaking performance with subtlety."

While the age of films on mobile phones is just beginning, Miale pointed out that video games, another visually rich medium, have been growing in popularity for some time among cell-phone users.

"If someone can play a video game on that machine, they can probably watch a short movie," he said.

For her part, Weston said she is passionate about taking filmmaking into new territory, especially when it comes to technology. And she thinks that the filmmakers competing in her festival are breaking ground for many who will follow them.

"It may be premature today to watch films on wireless (devices)," she said, "but in the future it will be commonplace."

The deadline for entries in the cell-phone film contest is November. The festival is slated to begin Dec. 1, and tickets to view the winning entries either on cell phones or online will cost $10. http://www.zoiefilms.com/cellularcinema.html

via:wired.com