It’s the end of another week at St Kilda Film Festival HQ and what a week it has been! The Top 100 Short Films in Australia list has been finalised; the logistics of Opening Night are being fine-tuned; exciting speakers for the filmmaker development program are already doing their vocal warm-ups; sponsorship and marketing plans and deals are in the final stages of negotiation; and I got to finally speak one-on-one with Paul Harris, the festival director.
Paul Harris is a film buff. I might be stating the obvious, but I’m being serious. He is freakishly fit, in the filmic sense – hence the name of his radio show, Film Buffs Forecast, on Triple R. Over his years of experience in the local film industry, he has been an exhibitor of films, member of the AFI, programmer at MIFF, and radio broadcaster extraordinaire. All of these roles have afforded him the opportunity to convey his wide knowledge of cinema and to understand the nature of the often unpredictable beast that is Australian cinema.
The St Kilda Film Festival is Harris’ baby, and he is as enthusiastic as ever about the festival. He describes it as a unique Melbourne institution because it is a “community-based festival” which is targeted at people who are very ‘into’ film culture. He also sets apart the SKFF from other Melbourne film festivals, because this festival is “focused on shorts” and showcases such a diverse range of local talent.
One thing that has Harris particularly excited for this year’s festival are the venues. The famous 3000-seat Palais Theatre is the location for St Kilda Film Festival Opening Night – a splendid setting for a night of cinematic diversity and Industry mingling. The Palais opened as picture theatre originally and has been used for many purposes since, but to have SKFF in its cavernous space annually is a fond nod to the past.
Post-Opening Night, the 75-year-old Astor Theatre will be the primary venue for screenings. This cinema has the biggest cinema screen in the Southern Hemisphere and will allow newcomer filmmakers to see their works on a truly ‘big screen’. New projection technology also allows the films to be exhibited in near IMAX quality, allowing an experience trumping prior festivals.
He describes the audiences for the SKFF not unlike those at comedy clubs – ready to judge critically, but with an open mind. With the festival’s emphasis placed on short film, Paul Harris has some handy tips on short film making for future auteurs and cinephiles alike:
- The shorter, the more commercially viable – therefore the more attractive to media outlets
- Think of your short film as being a person on the street in a crowded city, trying to get noticed. In order to stand out, you need to have something different about the way the film looks and seems. If it’s immediately ‘something else’, you’re probably on the right track.
- A short film doesn’t need to be technically brilliant – what it needs is to be engaging. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve spent on your production, it’s the idea and the way in which that’s presented, that matters.
- If it’s your first attempt at short film, consider starting with an autobiographical work. Much like the rule of writing (write what you know), make something that reflects your life and world. It will be more empathetic and believable.
- Remember that short films are a training ground from which your filmic style naturally emerges. David Michôd’s Animal Kingdom didn’t come out of nowhere; he worked on his style for years through short film making.
The excitement in Harris’s voice is palpable and contagious (especially when talking about the screen at The Astor). I’ll be talking to him as the festival approaches about the program highlights we can expect. As for now, I should be off. I’ve got to catch a train.
Cheers,
Mr. Intern
