A ground-breaking collaboration between Sony Tropfest, Mitsubishi and PBL Media, the Lancer Supershort Series will see the launch of six 60-second short films written and directed by previous Sony Tropfest finalists. Each film will be based on one of the six themes behind the all new Mitsubishi Lancer: Safer, Smoother, Greener, Stronger, Smarter and Roomier.
Sony Tropfest 2006 finalists, Eddie White and James Calvert from South Australia, are the first directors off the mark with their animated film Safer in a Wild World, which airs for the first time tonight on Channel 9. The six films will be rolled out weekly across PBL Media including the Nine Network Australia, in cinemas nationally, on Foxtel and will be covered in ACP magazines including the Australian Women’s Weekly, NW, Woman’s Day, Ralph, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Style, Motor, Wheels and Madison. The films can also be viewed on ninemsn at http://www.lancersupershortseries.com.au./
‘The Lancer Supershort Series has offered us the opportunity to write, design and direct a short film for a commercial client – giving us a leg up in the world of branded entertainment. This is a great thing for us because opportunities to work with global brands are generally reserved for ad agencies,’ says 26-year-old Eddie White.
‘This time, we were involved in the entire process and given creative freedom, which was so rewarding…and the fact that our film will receive exposure on national television, in cinemas and magazines is huge for us.’
Bridging the gap between art and commerce, White and Calvert’s short animated film embraces a story-book theme combined with a touch of Japanese anime. It sees a small boy sitting in the back seat of the new Lancer as it drives through a wild forest full of monsters and demons, which flee at the site of the Mitsubishi badge.
‘If you apply the principles of filmmaking such as good acting, cinematography and writing into a ”supershort” format, it can be just as enjoyable to watch as a longer film, and provide an alternative to the traditional “TVC”,’ says 25-year-old James Calvert.
John Polson, Sony Tropfest Founder and Creative Director, said ‘We’re always thinking of new ways to support our filmmakers beyond the Sony Tropfest festival, and the Lancer SuperShort Series is a fantastic way for them to extend their careers into the commercial world.’
Paul Unerkov, General Manager of Marketing at Mitsubishi, said: ‘We gave each director complete creative control which. And it’s paid off – Eddie and James’ animated film is an extraordinary piece of work which has brought new visual and emotional depth to our consumer communications, and allowed us to speak to a new group of consumers in a compelling new way.’
Sony Tropfest announces new Adelaide event partner
But South Australians have even more reason to celebrate – 2008 will bring Sony Tropfest to Adelaide! The Media Resource Centre will be producing the event, with venue details to be confirmed shortly. Financial support for the event has been offered by the State Government through Arts SA, the Adelaide City Council and the Kojo Group, though the MRC are still seeking additional partners to bring it over the line.
‘Sony Tropfest is all about inspiring new filmmakers and engaging audiences. The addition of Adelaide to our list of screening partners means we can motivate more people in South Australia to get out there and make films, and join us in celebrating their efforts at the festival as members of our national audience,’ says Polson.
Adelaide will be one of 7 capital cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Hobart, as well as 8 regional locations currently confirmed to screen the festival in 2008.
White continues, ‘We always tell any budding filmmaker to make a film for Sony Tropfest. As finalists in the 2006 festival, with our film Carnivore Reflux, we received a massive amount of exposure and recognition for our work which has led to so many career triumphs – including winning several prestigious awards at local and international film festivals.’
[release from Spin Communications]