This all sounds really serious and high- tech but in fact.. Steve Guttenberg and the wholly 8. Ally Sheedy. It comes as no surprise that much of this idea came from the success of Star Wars and the vast array of droids featured all over its universe. I do recall this movie coming out and it was quite a big deal, very popular, quite an original idea and following on well from things like 'Flight of the Navigator' and of course 'E. T.'. This was possibly one of the first movies to use this concept where a robot featured as the main character with humans mainly as secondary characters. ![]() The plot follow the creation of Number 5 at NOVA laboratories along with four other robots. Whilst being prepped for a demonstration Number 5 is hit by lighting and is suddenly.. Naturally Number 5 is curious of his new surroundings and runs (drives) off leaving the military base getting lost in Astoria, Oregon. The happy little robot finds his way to Ally Sheedy who eventually takes care of him whilst convincing Guttenberg (another scientist from NOVA who is after 5) Number 5 is indeed a living errrm.. Together the brave pair must battle off the other naughty scientists from NOVA who want to recapture Number 5 and reset him or shut him down and fix him. ![]() The entire production does look cheap accept for Number 5, as if they shot most of it in and around the local area quickly without permission. But considering this movie is pretty darn old nowadays Number 5 does still look really very good and totally holds up. ![]() Sundance festival winners. Watch the best short films to have won at the Sundance Film Festival, including A Reasonable Request by Andrew Laurich, Actresses by Jeremy. Short films afford wonderful freedoms and are the exclusive property of the writer-director. No studio demands. Click to read more about short filmmaking. An exploitation film is a film that attempts to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low. Keep your eye on Allen Maldonado whose Hollywood star is on the rise. He’s best known for his hilarious, recurring role on ABC’s Black-ish and as a staff writer. The fact that Pixar clearly copied this classic design for their own creation shows the overall concept was still looked upon favourably. Obviously 5 was designed to look appealing and kinda cute for kids to enjoy, hence the easy to recognise simple binocular eye design, eyebrow type flaps for basic emotions, an E. T. It all still looks quite authentic to this day really, maybe the support coaster at the rear being rather impractical but the simple eyebrow flap emotions work nicely. ![]() ![]() Now all of you who claim that Wall-E is a rip off of Johnny 5 will get your moment in the spotlight, too! The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films. Circuit top: Bulbs in a series circuit are dim because electricity has to pass through every bulb in the circuit before returning to the battery. I guess the Oscars really do snub Horror films these days or more like decades. Even websites that talk about Oscar awards snub Horror films. So I take it no-one has. The cinema of West Bengal (Bengali: Science Fiction Films: Books in the UC Berkeley Library. Alien Invaders and other Things From Beyond Men and Women in Space / Other Worlds. Amusing, creative and memorable Sci Fi comedy, Short Circuit is a well crafted picture with some good effects, fun performance by its well chosen cast, and it is a. Matter of fact if you look at 5 from the side he bares a striking resemblance to the Hunter Killer tanks from 'The Terminator' which came out two years earlier. There is literately nothing of interest to look at or get stuck into in this movie other than Number 5. The military base is your typical 8. At least I assume they are military police of some sort, I actually think they were just company security guards that had their own arsenal of weapons, jeeps and min tanks! It made me chuckle when 5 escapes and this security force span out to find him in various vehicles, 5 must be moving at less than 5mph yet they still can't catch him up. Although admittedly the main scientist played by Austin Pendleton wants 5 in one piece, head of security played G. W. Bailey wants to nuke it. In fact Guttenberg and Bailey pretty much resume their roles from 'Police Academy' with Bailey virtually repeating all his old lines to boot! The whole chase aspect in this movie is really ludicrous frankly as I'm pretty sure they would have caught little Number 5 in about ten minutes, all the goofiness is so very 8. We the audience are meant to connect with her and root for her (same with Guttenberg in time, we all know he always played a goodie) but its all so vomit inducing and infantile.. She lives in a very large house typical of Astoria (which also kinda reminds you of 'The Goonies'), its probably the best bit of background eye candy in the movie really. Lastly we then have Fisher Stevens playing an Indian scientist and sidekick of Guttenberg. He actually plays this character extremely well because I always thought this character was actually an Indian actor. Not sure why Indian though, I kinda get the impression it might be for cheap laughs at the accent? Essentially its all about the silly antics of Number 5 and how he interacts with the world like a young child, he is a young child basically, learning for the first time. In that you do feel for him and you can relate to him which gives the film a lot of heart, but watching these days it really is very very mushy and cheesy. The whole sequence where Sheedy and 5 are getting closer and end up dancing is pretty corny to the max, laughably so. On the other hand when Number 5 learns of morality and what will happen to him if NOVA capture him, shows a much deeper side that does tug at your heartstrings. I will say that Tim Blaney does do a terrific job with Number 5's voice, he's so innocent, naive and trusting whilst at the same time starry- eyed with wonder and pure untroubled joy with everything he learns. It really is a superbly moving little performance that actually really came into its own with the sequel. You do actually forget this character is a robot, by the end of the movie you do look at him as a real person, a little bug- eyed alien that you don't wanna see get harmed. Anywho its a by the numbers science fiction yarn with ample amounts of sweet doughy charm littered with lots of sickly good- natured visuals, dialog and humour. I don't think there is anything here that could upset, fun for all.. SHORT FILMS: Small Stories, Big Ideas. By Scott Rice. Click to tweet this article to your friends and followers! Short films afford wonderful freedoms. They are the exclusive property of the writer- director. No studio demands. Shorts therefore find themselves exempt from the tired formulas preached by countless Hollywood screenwriting gurus. Nevertheless, savvy young filmmakers should ask: Why do some shorts fail while others win awards, make money, and jump- start careers? Do “winning shorts” have certain qualities in common? After years of studying successful short films and making projects of my own, I’ve concluded that indeed they do. Winning shorts are entertaining. Avoid the deadly mistake of forgetting about your audience and its thirst for entertainment. Ask yourself: Does my story have an element of spectacle? Potential for visual beauty? Does it use humor? Is it surprising or shocking? Does it make clever use of genre conventions? Most importantly, is it original or “fresh”? Research student- film clich. Because the very nature of short film limits complex character and plot development, you must explore theme. Your story might be small, but the ideas contained within should be large, or at least clear. Think of the blowing bag in American Beauty. Also, employ visual and aural motifs— images or sounds that repeat and vary to create meaning. For example, take the simple visual motif of houses in the story of the three pigs. The three houses are the visual repetition. The three different materials used to build the houses are the visual variations. Combine these images with a hungry wolf, and what is the meaning of the story? Practice communicating character, theme and plot through images, actions and sounds. Short films are motion pictures, not stage plays. More often than not, an audience will favor an image- driven short film over an equally well- executed dialogue- driven short simply because it makes better use of the medium. Some of the best short films contain no dialogue at all. Winning shorts are structured. Good feature- film scenes have dramatic structure (beginning, middle, and end). Considering most scenes run about three minutes long, why do people find it hard to apply dramatic structure to short films? Writers often complain, “How can you have plot points in a short? Plot points are big, life- changing moments like deaths, kidnappings and divorces.” Well, yes, in features a plot point must match the scale of a two- hour movie. But in a short film, there is no reason a plot point must be “big.” All it must do is take the story in a new direction (for example, accidental eye contact between two ex- lovers). Try this exercise: Write a well- structured scene that needs no set- up (scenes that come before) and a climax that resolves the story with enough closure that we don’t need any scenes after. If you pull this off, you’ve most likely written a well structured short film. Winning shorts are human. If you make a short that prioritizes abstract concepts over human interactions and emotions, audiences will likely lose interest. Yes, ideas and themes are important, but you should communicate them through strong characters. The human element draws the audience in. Indeed, characters in shorts can’t be as broadly defined as those in features, but they can still be defined. And, yes, they can even change. First, choose a clear protagonist. Then, establish a strong point of view. Next, focus on what your protagonist wants in a very simple, immediate scenario. Crisis situations work best. Then, put something or someone in the way of that goal. Finally, decide if the protagonist will achieve the goal. If the hero fails, does he discover a more valuable principle along the way, something that reflects your theme? Does this discovery comment on the human condition? Finally, winning shorts are simple. This is the most difficult rule to abide by. Because we’re used to watching big, lumbering feature films. Shorts simply can’t use all the tools that features do. So scrap the subplots, multiple plot twists, supporting characters, etc. Short film making is a different art form altogether. BUT, the skill you must master to pull off a great short—narrative economy—is the identical skill required of great feature film writers. Agents and studios recognize this skill. So keep your short films simple and economical. Choose one and only one theme or idea to explore. Reduce locations, perhaps to just one single place. Limit passage of time, or let the story play out in real time. Pare down characters. Two are plenty. Avoid lengthy exposition or back story, especially in the form of montages, flashbacks, speeches or voice over (unless these tools are truly an integral part of your story). Focus on immediate circumstances, the “here and now.” Finally, keep your short films SHORT. A 1. 0- minute film will not only find a wider audience than a 3. Of course, any rule in the world of screenwriting can and should be broken. But knowing the rules aids in breaking them successfully. Follow your instincts. Your unique artistic voice should ultimately bring you success. Success won by sticking to your guns is the best kind. It will inevitably lead to more creative freedom, the kind most Hollywood filmmakers envy in those lucky folks making their own innovative shorts. Scott Rice is a lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin. He was nominated for two Student Academy Awards. A version of this article originally appeared in the Austin Film Society’s journal, Persistence of Vision. Originally published in Script Magazine July/Aug 2.
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