A short can go a long way. That is on the table when you join the #ForYouPelikula short film festival which invites creators to make shorts of one to three minutes long. Adult participants based in the Philippines may jump in by uploading video entries via their TikTok accounts.
Short-form video hosting service Tiktok and multimedia company Viva partnered for the said challenge to give storytellers some opportunity to showcase their skills.
Qualified video makers are allowed to submit their entries until October 22, or some 20 days since the festival started accepting entries. The top 5 finalists will be announced on October 25, with each receiving a prize of P10,000. Within a month’s time, their creations would be professionally produced.
The resulting shorts are set to be premiered during the #ForYouPelikula Awards Night on November 28 at the Venice Cineplex Cinema 5 in Taguig. A Best Entry Award picked from the top five original videos submitted and a Best Short Film Award chosen from the Viva-produced films will be named. Both winners will receive a P50,000 cash prize.
“This campaign is more than just a competition. It’s a celebration of storytelling and a testament to the boundless creativity within our community. With #ForYouPelikula, we invite aspiring creatives, storytellers, and anyone with a bright idea to take on this challenge of self-expression and innovation,” said Julie Zhu, entertainment lead of TikTok Philippines.
She added, “Together, we’re shaping the future of Philippine cinema, and we can’t wait to see the incredible narratives that will emerge from this unique initiative.”
For musicians like me, the scores of music videos we have seen in our lives served as ample exposure to good quality shorts, in particular those with clear narratives or innovative presentations. May we go over some of the most remarkable promotional films for certain classic songs in random order.
“Thriller” (Michael Jackson): The Library of Congress labeled this video featuring a scary face Michael Jackson leading a dancing zombie crew “the most famous music video of all time.”
“Strawberry Fields Forever” (The Beatles): The clip was notable for presenting a new-look Beatles, with all four sporting mustaches, and John Lennon wearing round granny glasses which would become his trademark.
“November Rain” (Guns N’ Roses): A short story entitled “Without You,” written by American journalist-writer Del James was credited for inspiring this music video that shows a struggling rock star whose girlfriend committed suicide due to a strain in their relationship.
“Papa Don’t Preach” (Madonna): Rolling Stone magazine stated that this music video showing a made-up Madonna, with short hair, was the point when the pop star began treating promotional clips more of a short film.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana): A school concert that descends into a kind of riot somehow ushered the ‘90s generation of young people to go head-banging and loosen up.
“Nothing Compares 2 U” (Sinead O’Connor): A close-up of the singer’s face made this cover of a Prince composition originally released by The Family extra remarkable.
“Take On Me” (A-ha): The billion views music video for this Scandinavian act’s signature song employed rotoscoping which combines live-action and pencil-sketch animation.
“I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” (Meat Loaf feat. Lorraine Crosby): Big-budget movie maker Michael Bay directed this video inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera.
“A View To A Kill” (Duran Duran): The video for the only James Bond theme to have reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 was shot in Eiffel Tower, the French landmark that also appeared in the movie of the same name.
“Hello” (Lionel Richie): It’s that video featuring a blind woman clay-sculpting a head that looks like, yeah, Lionel.