Mutant Shorts
It seems only right that this month I should discuss the Mutant Shorts Filmmaking event which took place at the Roundy on June 24th. For those of you who are still unsure what Mutant Shorts entailed, it was basically a filmmaking competition, organised by a number of us amateur filmmakers in association with mutantspace arts skills exchange. Participants were given one week to make a film after receiving a theme by email. This year the theme was ‘Inbetween Spaces’ which may sound rather obscure but resulted in a number of inventive shorts.
Six films were screened on the night, and they ranged from the philosophical to B-movie sci-fi. The first, entitled Last Chance and directed by Rob Noonan, seemed to depict a young man going for a job interview but took us by surprise with a twist ending. Untitled 1, by ‘Outside the Box’ productions and director Michael O’ Sullivan, created an unusual scenario when three strangers find similar parcels on their doorsteps. Two more films kept the theme name, Inbetween Spaces, as their title: the first of these was a rather abstract piece that some interpreted as a tribute to the process of reading and the characters we meet. The second short of the same name, directed by Oisín Carey, tracks a day in the life of one young man who patiently listens and absorbs the worries and complaints of the various strangers that he meets.
The final two screenings were of a sci-fi/fantasy nature. One, entitled Steve, included a wizard, numerous dimensions and a troubled young man, with the director Rory O’ Reilly taking on almost all of the roles. The final film of the night was The Outer Zone which comprised a mad scientist, a not so mad scientist and one daft looking machine (hand made). ‘The Outer Zone’ was created by Catherine Crowley, Fiona Riordan, myself, and Keith O’ Connell, who also wrote the script, and it starred Cian Daly and Catherine Crowley.
There was, of course, a winner, as judged by Moray Bresnihan of MutantSpace and Dan O’ Connell of Egomotion, and this summer the prize went to Untitled 1 by ‘Outside the Box’ productions, with Last Chance taking a runner up position.
The success of Mutant Shorts proves that there are plenty of people around Cork (and around the country) who are just waiting for a chance to be creative. The great thing about the event was that you didn’t have to be a professional or an advanced filmmaker to get in on the action, and yet you were guaranteed a screening of your short. Hopefully the next Mutant Shorts, which should be taking place next November, will result in the same amount of enthusiasm and creativity.
Gemma McCarthy
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