Set up by FilmFour Lab and the Film Council’s New Cinema Fund, Viro is a new scheme to commission micro-movies to be distributed and consumed instantly via email. Viral films are short and sharp, injecting ideas and entertainment into your box and providing you with a daily source of original cinematic sunshine.
The first series of Viros to be commissioned through the scheme will premiere at the highly anticipated London Resfest on November 15th at 5:30pm at the Electric Cinema. Based on the theme of ‘release’, these virals (of no more than 1MB file size) have been created by established filmmakers from across a range of disciplines, who were given free reign to subvert, convert, destroy and disarm using whatever low-down and dirty tactics necessary to create the filmic equivalent of a spinal tap.
Doesn’t sound too comfortable, but probably worth a check anyways.
From renowned U.S. director/designer Geoff McFetridge comes “Stupid Humans” (23 seconds), a humorous take on the inevitability of human interaction. And “Slip On Shoes” (12 seconds), a live action film about the hidden dangers of comfortable footwear. Founder of the Champion Graphics studio, McFetridge divides his time between print design, video projects, motion graphics and art shows. His clients include Stussy, Milk Fed, Marc Jacobs, Gasbook, ESPN and Nike. Some of his most recognisable works are the poster and title sequence for the film The Virgin Suicides and his series of award winning spots for the Winter Xgames featuring cartoon animals being slaughtered.
Thomas Hilland, senior art-director at London-based creative agency Mother, has created the viral “Hot Dog” (30 seconds), a high octane graphic film tracing the origins of America’s original fast food. Norwegian born Hilland works across a range of clients creating TV ads, print work and music videos including the debut video “Eple” by Royksopp.
“Almighty_GW” (30 seconds), directed by Ed Holdsworth, is flash animation of an intercepted communication which reveals a paranoid President on a mission to destroy the Hosts of Evil. Holdsworth animates and directs short films, promos and stings. Using Flash and a variety of media, his work has been characterised by its use of sound and narrative combined with simple abstract imagery to create strong subliminal narratives.
For his Viro, “What Happens After Your Dead” (15 seconds), David Shrigley teams up with animation supremo Shynola to express his unique take on life, and death. David Shrigley is a unique talent who has published numerous books of humorous yet profound observation on the human condition. He has exhibited in galleries across the globe and has a weekly cartoon in the Independent on Sunday.
In addition to screening the above films, the Resfest event will host a discussion about the Viro, with participants including several Viro directors and leading designers from the commercial sector. Representatives from the Film Council’s New Cinema Fund and FilmFour Lab will also be there to talk about the Viro scheme and their plans for the coming year.
For more information, visit the Channel 4 website.
