As part of the My RØDE Reel 2017 competition, RØDE Microphones have released a four episode series called ‘The Power Of The Short’ – a Q&A format with Australian filmmakers. In each episode different filmmakers share their experiences in how short films helped form their careers in features and television.
The interviews are hosted by My RØDE Reel ambassador and judge Tim Ross – whose career includes radio DJ, stand-up comedian, author and producer and star of several TV comedies and documentaries. If you haven’t already submitted your entry for the My RØDE Reel 2017 competition you are missing out on the chance of winning some of the $500,000 prize pool that is on offer.
Episode 1. THE INDIE HORROR MAKERS
Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner – The Roache-Turner brothers turned their self-funded, shot-on-the-weekends zombie movie Wyrmwood into an international hit in 2015, setting themselves up for a second feature in 2017 and a Wyrmwood TV series in development. “Make your short film crazy,” advises Tristan (producer). Kiah (director) agrees, adding that making a short proved a direct line to making a feature. “Our first Wyrmwood short film was a proof-of-concept that got 300,000 hits in the first week.”
Episode 2. THE DRAMATIST
Matilda Brown – Writer/star of the Let’s Talk About… series of drama shorts for the Foxtel network and My RØDE Reel 2017 judge, Matilda emphasises the necessity for a decent story “You need to be able to tell someone in a sentence or you have a problem”. That and the edit: “Start with a 10-minute film and chop it down.”
Episode 3. THE COMEDIAN
Christiaan Van Vuuren – As part of The Bondi Hipsters, Christiaan has made comedy shorts that have become an online sensation and spawned the Australian ABC TV comedy hit Soul Mates. He presses home that shooting comedy shorts can be fast, cheap and can build audience that builds to other media. “We set a goal to put out one new video per week for a year. Because we wanted to be filmmakers, make TV shows and be employable as writers and directors.”
Episode 4. THE DOCUMENTARIAN
Genevieve Bailey – The director of multi-award winning documentary feature I Am Eleven (following 11-year-old kids around the world) and several documentary and fictional shorts, tells how shooting short films of her dog as a child got her started, and about how being an independent filmmaker means that “50% of my job is making the film, and 50% is making sure people see the film.”
