Røde Microphones has released a four episode series – The Power Of The Short – to inspire entrants for its My Røde Reel competition.
The series is hosted by radio & television host, comedian and filmmaker Tim Ross, who is also seated on this year’s competition judging panel.
Each episode features a successful Australian filmmaker, discussing how making short films helped path their way to feature films and television.
EPISODE ONE
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 TWO
THE DRAMATIST – Matilda Brown
Writer/star of the Let’s Talk About, a series of drama shorts for the Foxtel network and also a judge in the 2017 Røde competition.
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 THREE:
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 FOUR:
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, Genevieve tells how shooting short films of her dog as a child got her started.
As an independent filmmaker she believes that “50% of my job is making the film, and 50% is making sure people see the film.”
Genevieve is also a member of the 017 Røde competition’s judging panel.
