It's my pleasure to introduce a site that I've taken quite a liking to in the last few weeks, The Smalls. With original narrative short films uploaded from a variety of users, relevant filmmaking content and tips, and links to other film opportunities, this is a site that I've found very easy to explore and use as a resource for my own independent filmmaking.
As someone who has tried to make the most of what the internet has provided for independent filmmakers, more recently I've been scoping out sites that (unlike YouTube) are focused entirely on narrative/creatively produced content. Finding a forum or forums to showcase your work is paramount to getting your name and work out there, and I've found myself shifting attention to smaller venues that potentially offer more targeted views. While many of these sites aren't the biggest or most popular, the people who use and view them are exactly the kind of people that you'd want giving you feedback on your films. For that, sites like The Smalls can be a valuable creative gauge to hold your work up against and challenge you to push yourself further.
I have yet to upload anything here because I've been too busy exploring others work (and just haven't got around to it yet), but I can see myself using sites like this as motivation to create a more ambitious and refined short film in the near future. I've been saying it for a while now that I'd like to see myself put energy into single project for a longer period of time to produce something on a more professional and somewhat larger scale than what I've done so far.
The Smalls is a site that was forwarded to me by a good friend so I can't take credit for the find, but you can expect me to be highlighting sites like this more regularily in the coming months. I hope to use this site to highlight my own projects very soon, and in the meantime I'll continue enjoying what others are up to - check it out for yourself!
As an extension of the Travel category in my video portfolio at editingluke.com, I recently created a brand new map page where by clicking on the stars you can watch an associated edit with that location.
I actually created a DVD several years ago with this layout, which actually kicked off my focus on cutting together brand new postcard edits. With the flexibility of my new site, I thought this would be another great interactive way of getting people to check out my projects.
Edits range from Vegas to Alaska to Mount Rushmore to Ottawa and Disneyland. This new addition also comes on the verge of my long awaited Indio Outio edits to debut - more on that soon. For now, click on over to the Editing Luke portfolio and check out the Travel section by following the portfolio link. A view of every page on the new site can also be seen simply by clicking the 'Site Overview' tab on the homepage.
Happy Travels!
In my experience the open road leaves no shortage of time to talk, listen, argue, laugh, and to get to know your fellow travelers a bit better - much is true for the cast of characters journeying to California in their bright yellow VW Microbus in Little Miss Sunshine directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.
At first glance it's easy to dismiss. You'd assume from the previews that the characters are sufficiently quirky, deliver sharp one-liners on cue, and ultimately see the error of their ways to reform their flaws by the closing credits. While the formula may be recognizable, in actuality this refreshing dramedy allows its subjects to remain wonderfully flawed in an effort to explore just how bold you have to be to embrace your own diversity.
To me Little Miss Sunshine embodies a simple honesty making it easy to digest while still giving you something to sink your teeth into. On a road trip to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant we're taken on a journey of weakness, uncertainty, and realization, covering all our bases with the mash-up of personalities along for the ride. But the drive of the movie, quite literally, is a story about finding comfort in your own skin and pushing through the unexpected speed bumps - bumps that are potentially too heavy to handle alone.
From a mother's inability to keep her family focused, a son's dashed dreams, or a father's struggle to live up to his own words, the characters in Little Miss Sunshine all have a common awareness of their limitations. Although there's no clear cut resolution or easy answer to any of their problems, it's through brief moments of clarity that they each begin to see that the lives they lead are of value to those around them - the domino effect of these discoveries only helps to broaden the story in addressing the universal nature of their woes.
They're messages we've heard over and over again: be happy with what you have, be happy with yourself, love, accept, share . . . and these are tough sentiments to crack. But, those messages are developed in Little Miss Sunshine in small gestures; a supportive hand on a shoulder, a few kind words, simple expressions, and moments of silence. A slow drive provides the perfect backdrop for the solace and reflection required. The movie says everything you want to hear without much glorification, political correctness or grandeur. It's about underdogs that you feel for, relate to, and believe in. On screen it feels genuine.
On top of all this (thankfully) it has a comedic sense that encourages you to laugh at everyday life and those little occurrences and slip ups that when personally experienced we only find the humor in after the fact. Mind you, if you've actually seen anything like the climax of this film in reality you're probably in a more select group than the rest of us. We can continue to dream though.
The characters are twisted, but not overbearing; they're outcasts, but they compliment each other perfectly. It's a combination that clicks perfectly into place making it fun to watch time and time again. In an optimistic euphoria, Little Miss Sunshine is a bit of reassurance that no matter who you are everything is going to be alright - I for one believe it's true. We should all be so lucky to discover our own 'Super Freak'.
