This is my fourth year as a programmer for Toronto Youth Shorts, and each year, one of my main goals is to increase the number of participants from the high school level. I am very happy to say that we have received over 80 high school submissions from a variety of schools across Toronto and the Southern Ontario region, and we will be featuring 13 films made from those in high school at this year’s festival. As a youth film festival, it is important to us to feature films from this demographic and these impressive stats were made possible by a team of junior programmers, a newly initiative at Toronto Youth Shorts. 

Our inaugural team is consists of Carri Chen, Christian Gnam, Avondale Nixon, and Meryl Allysa Romo. I had the pleasure of working with these wonderful film buffs in soliciting and programming our high school submissions. Thanks to their dedication, from attending numerous screenings to composing exceptional film notes, we were able to acquire and program some of the best high school films in the region. While reviewing the submissions, I was very impressed with the level of sophistication that these high school filmmakers brought to the table. Wonderful writing, excellent comedic timing, beautiful costumes, and polished cinematography are only some of the great things you can expect from the high school films showcasing at the festival this year. It is inspiring to see the immense talent and drive that these young filmmakers have, which is why we want to showcase their work to our audiences. 

My favorite part of working with the Junior Programmers was gaining insight on the unique perspectives they provided on all the films, including the ones made from university or college film schools and community-based non-academic pieces. Each programmer shed light on a different aspect of their favorite shorts that allowed the rest of the team to appreciate upon second viewings of these films. The level of detail with which they analyzed each film, from character design and story to the technical aspects of film and their personal emotional responses to each piece, made for very  insightful programming discussions, and provided this year's festival with a well-rounded youth voice.

The Junior Programming team and I curated Expect the Unexpected and though the majority of the team are from high school, the program is anything but child-like. Films will touch on domestic violence, sexual abuse, racial tensions, stereotypes, and mental illness. Watching some of these films and choosing to program them for a youth audiences requires an innate sense of maturity and I must give kudos to the junior programming team for that. We chose these shorts because they use the power of film to express the unheard voices of society, and provide insight on these sensitive topics in ways that will resonate with the audience.  We're excited to share with you some of the best of the best films made by youth and we hope you will enjoy them as much as we did.

​-Julia

Somehow the word "dark" became synonymous to praise and critical acclaim when it comes to the world of film and television, especially in the science fiction and fantasy genre. The definition for dark as an adjective is "with little or no light" yet many critics and audiences use the word as a description of high-brow sophistication, believing it as an automatic indicator that it will be better.

Take for example the latest superhero flick, Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Yes, critical reaction to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy has been high and undoubtedly Warner Brothers would want to cash in on that success but at what point do we draw the line? Do we say enough is enough when a symbol of optimism and hope like Superman becomes a desaturated tool of mass destruction? I personally don't think audiences need a depressed Superman walking around the cold mumbling to himself nor do we need to see the Power Rangers murdered in cold blood but many will agree otherwise. A good portion of the audience believes that content needs Game of Thrones level violence and gratuitous blackness to be worthy of viewing. Anything else is too light-hearted and comes off as camp, even when it's not. 

I certainly see the appeal of a gritty drama. But I disagree with a notion that dark dramas make better content. Female characters should not be walking allegories for the numerous atrocities committed against them in order to be relevant or good just as curse words do not automatically make a film or TV show better. I think there is a belief that the stakes feel higher and the more emotionally compelling when propelled to a dark place but melodrama accomplishes just that for a specific audience yet rarely would you find someone who would place that genre above others in ranking quality.

It's truly bizarre how out-of-hand this is getting because content makers are almost pressured in adapting this tone for the sake of the viewing audience. There can be many positive attributes to stories that are bleaker in tone but the darkness should service the story, not shoehorned for the sake of it. Being dark is not an automatic quality stamp of approval. I'm totally okay with Supergirl being a happy go-getter whose biggest problem other than saving the world is keeping track of her boss' latte order. Not everyone is Batman, nor should we want everyone - or anyone for that matter - to be.

-Henry

It seems it's every year I see an article asking if short film is the future of advertising. I don't know about the future, but just a month ago I came across Oscar-winning director Joachim Back's short film, This Day Forward, for the MINI convertible. MINI, owned by BMW, adds itself to a growing roster of major brands that are recognizing the power of selling story over product, and are employing the medium of short film to do so.

Just this November Canada Goose released Out There, a short film also helmed by an Oscar winning director. And Rennaisance Hotel is doing something different. This January they debuted their short film, Business Unusual, declaring their intent to create short films that inspire travel.

This is by no means a new idea: there was Nike for the 2014 World Cup with The Last Game, an animated short with a star-studded lineup of the wold's most famous players. There was Lincoln in 2011 and a series of 8 shorts made by the likes of John Woo and Guy Ritchie for BMW in the early 2000s. We can go all the way back to Apple's 1984, and there's no need to stop there.

These works go beyond classic advertising and promotional spots as we know them. There is often no direct reference to the product – instead they rely on narratives that brands think encapsulate their values. Whether it is extraordinary individuals persevering and challenging their environment, to youthful positivity and a cosmopolitan free spirit – whatever it is, there is a lot of room to play in when trying to engage viewers that are becoming less and less receptive to classic (and crude?) product placement and 30-second TV spots.

How do we feel about advertising and the short film colliding in this manner? I'm not sure I can put myself in any particular camp. On the one hand, we have a subtle encroachment on art by corporate interests, but on the other we get more palatable advertisements. And as anyone who has suffered through enough Youtube ads knows, this is something we can infinitely use more of. Advertising isn't going anywhere after all.

-Sia

Maybe you dedicated this weekend to frantically binge-watching the new season of House of Cards on Netflix. Or maybe you spent the weekend avoiding Twitter for fear of having House of Cards spoiled. Or maybe you don’t care about House of Cards at all. But even if that’s the case, there has probably been a time where somebody ruined the ending of a movie or TV show that you were planning to watch. And it was probably pretty aggravating. But while spoilers are annoying, they’re also an unavoidable – and even more so now that social media gives people the platform to share their instant reaction to everything as it’s happening. The internet can sometimes seem like a spoiler minefield. However, I’d like to argue that spoilers actually aren’t such a big deal. And short films are a great example as to why.

While I personally think that it’s generally ideal to go into a movie know as little about it as possible, it doesn’t mean that knowing more (or even virtually everything) about a movie ruins the experience. Even the most plot-driven thrillers should have much more to offer than just a few main story points. That’s why good movies still hold up on a second viewing, even after you know how everything plays out. It’s also why movies based on famous real-life events like Apollo 13 or Zero Dark Thirty can still be exciting and worthwhile films, even though virtually every viewer goes into it knowing what will happen.

A lot of the pleasure of a good movie can come not from finding out what ultimately happens, but in the viewing experience you have getting to that point. Many short films illustrate this perfectly, since they work on a compacted timeline. Sometimes the plot synopsis of a short film tells you the bulk of what will happen in the film, but because of the format, no one would really claim that to be a “spoiler”. In a lot of cases, it’s more about the way the story is told – through sharp writing, evocative acting, dynamic cinematography, etc. – rather than the story itself.

So why is it any different in a feature-length film or a television series? Is it because we invest so much more time into watching six seasons of The Sopranos than we do into watching an 11-minute short film? Probably. And maybe that’s fair, since there is more room to develop storylines and ensure that the audience gets attached to the characters. But by focussing solely on the ultimate conclusion of a film or TV series, it seems to me like that actually undermines all of the craft that goes into making that final punch have the impact it does.

Someone could say that they don’t need to watch The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford because the title of the movie already tells them how it ends. But, as is obvious to anyone who has seen the movie, that’s not really what it’s about. And I think that’s the case with a lot of movies. To boil them down to who dies, who falls in love with who, and who turns out to secretly be the bad guy is to miss the point. No matter the format – a short film, a feature, or a series – we should take the piece as a whole. Not just cherry pick the flashy bits as the only parts that matter.

-Colleen

I'm currently in my fourth year at Ryerson's Radio and Television Arts program. Over the past few months, I've been working on the final project of my academic career: a short film. What I learned is that filmmaking is more than an art; it is a business and very laborious work. I may not be an industry veteran but as a film student working on her thesis short film, I can definitely say they do not teach you everything in school. Like many professions, the most fruitful learning is accomplished when you get that hands on experience in the field. Here are 10 things I have learned about short filmmaking over the last 6 months.
 
1.     Everything takes longer than you think.
During production, you are always fighting with time. There just never seems to be enough hours in a day to get everything done. Between hair and makeup, technical difficulties, lighting changes and wardrobe malfunctions, time seems to just slip away. In saying this, always give yourself more shoot days than you think you need. It is worth the added cost.

2.     Your estimated budget is truly an estimate.
Everything costs money. No matter how much you may plan, there will always be unexpected costs involved. In my own experience, our estimated budget covered most of our costs, however things like gas reimbursement, postponed shoot day rental costs, food and overall equipment rental put us over. I definitely do not believe that money is the most important thing in a production, but it definitely makes the whole process easier when it is less of a worry. Investing in your own film, crowd funding and seeking investment are all things to consider before you get started.

3.     Just because you like an actor, it does not mean they are best person for the part.
The audition process is one that can feel very long and hopeless. Seeing one audition after the other, and nothing feeling right can really put a damper on your whole team. Despite this, you really have to audition a ton of people in order to find that perfect person. If they are not perfect and you have any doubts, you need to keep looking. The extra time is worth it, rather than questioning your decisions while re-watching all of your footage in postproduction.

4.     You need to feed your crew… and feed them well. 
Hungry people are grumpy. Grumpy people are difficult to work with. Good food makes people happy.

5.     A vehicle is possibly your most needed and useful tool.
As students living in downtown Toronto relying on TTC for all of our everyday transportation, cars were rare but absolutely necessary. From transporting equipment to picking up crew and talent, a vehicle is potentially the most needed piece of equipment in the production.
 
6.     Background talent are not actors.
On small productions, often the background actors are going to be your beloved friends and family who have donated their time to help you out. It is easy to forget that these individuals are not trained actors and do not necessarily know what they are supposed to do while in the background. Simple things like not looking in the camera can easily be forgotten and possibly ruin a beautiful shot. It is very helpful to have one person designated to dealing with background and watching them throughout to ensure the whole shot is panning out well.

7.     People are very helpful. You just have to ask. 
Getting anything free is absolutely amazing for any small budget production. You won't be able to find these deals unless you ask for them. There is no harm in talking to people, telling them what you are doing and seeing where that takes you. You will be surprised how many locations you can film in, discounted equipment you can get, free food you can get and donated products you can get if you just ask.

8.     Plan a rain day for your rain day.
When you are filming in Canada, always plan multiple rain days. The weather can be very unpredictable, particularly in the Winter months. It is easier to have 2 days set aside and planned with your talent and crew, than trying to scramble everyone and everything together in restricted period of time.

9.     Sleep is very important but very rare.
Working long hours is a given, and lack of sleep is inevitable. Actually getting some sleep though, rather than running 3 hours overtime to get a shot will likely be a better choice. You are less observant when you are tired and will mess up small things and ultimately not get the best footage and shot you could get.

10. PAs are a necessity.
There is always a shortage of hands on set. Getting PAs on set to do pretty much any odd job you need is an absolute must. We had a lack of this on our own set and ended up having to take on too many jobs each. If everyone sticks to their own assigned job, every job will be done and done well. 

For those who are still working on their films before our submission period, hopefully these tips will be useful!

-Gabby

In January, Paul Bronfman, the CEO of William F. White International -- Canada's largest provider of movie production equipment -- announced that the company planned to pull its support from York University's Cinema and Media Arts programme due to a mural in the Student Centre that he believes promotes antisemitism. The mural, which has no affiliation with Cinema and Media Arts, depicts a Palestinian man holding a fistful of rocks, watching a bulldozer in the distance. In defense of the painting, Gayle McFadden, Vice President of Operations for the York Federation of Students and Chair of the Student Centre, told the Globe and Mail that "the painting is not antisemitic" but "merely critical of the state of Israel."

As a TYS programmer, I have a practical interest in the debate. We see a lot of great content submitted to the festival each year from York students. I hope they continue to have the resources they need to make good films. I also hope, though, that they continue to make the films they want to make -- whether overtly political or not -- without fear of biting the hand that feeds. Artists have always relied on the generosity of benefactors, whether patrons in the 19th-century or donors and crowdfunders in the 21st, and it remains important for us to be aware of how those relationships have the potential to shape the content we see. 

I believe it's possible for us to have a more productive conversation about free speech and hate speech than the one demonstrated. I also believe the arts are one of the best ways in which we can contribute to that discussion.

-Paul