The Face of Time - POV - Aarhus Universitet

56 p.o.v. number 13 March 2002
ling. I think in a short film you have more license to experiment. But
a boring short film can feel longer, much longer, than a solid feature.
Do you feel there are fundamental differences between Eastern and
Western storytelling, or that the principles of storytelling are essentially
the same, regardless of the particular culture?
I don't think I'm qualified to give a very informed answer to this
question. I think that all cultures share similar principles in storytelling
as evidenced by some common myths which are present in
all cultures. In Japan, for instance, there is a myth regarding the first
gods of Japan, Izanagi and Izanami, that has many similarities to the
Greek myth about Orpheus in the underworld. I think the difference
in storytelling is no longer as pronounced as it once may have been
because everyone is consuming Hollywood movies and books like
Harry Potter that have been translated into many languages. I do
find that third-world cinema has more examples of non-Hollywood
story structure with ambiguous or unresolved endings and sometimes
less of a emphasis on finding one main character's point of
view.
Do you have any advice to give to student filmmakers about to make their
own first short fiction films?
1) Take chances and don't try to please your professor or your
friends, or any audience beside yourself. Make sure you like it. Make
sure you believe in the message you're trying to communicate.
2) Make sure the camera style fits the content. Don't do crazy
camera moves just for the sake of showing off your talent as a
director. I guarantee someone has done the shot before and with
better equipment. That said, if you have an interesting way to create
a shot that is designed to communicate a specific feeling or idea, go
for it.