Concept Film Night

Concept Film Night is the DigitalCity's quarterly film networking event. Intended as a showcase for Tees Valley based filmmakers, Concept shows a selection of short films across genres as diverse as animation, drama, comedy and documentary.

Concept Film Night celebrates the tremendous talent we have in the area. It represents the filmmaking industry as a whole and is an event aimed at professional, student and amateur filmmakers alike. Where possible, all of the work being shown is introduced by the filmmakers themselves.

Following the showcase a networking session takes place in the Star & Garter pub. This is perhaps the most important part of the night as it is here where people discuss and share ideas and where several collaborative projects have begun.

The next Concept Film Night takes place at the University of Teesside on Wednesday 23rd April.

1) The Opportunity by Garry Moore
The Sunderland-based filmmaker was commissioned to produce The Opportunity for Northern Film & Media and Generator’s Sound & Vision scheme. The scheme saw filmmakers and musicians collaborate on short film projects. Garry shot this film to the music of Mushi Mushi.
For further information Email: garry.moore@ntlworld.com

2) The Badass by James Hartland
The meanest, toughest, biker punk from hell, ‘The Badass’ fears no one and no thing… Except that is, for his girlfriend - and he’s already running late for their date. The Badass was written by Guisborough based screenwriter James Hartland who has recently been selected for Northern Film and Media’s LA Features scheme. It was filmed by Newcastle based Superkrush.
For further information Email: jd_hartland@hotmail.com

3) 50,000 Pairs of Feet Can’t Be Wrong by MoShine Animation
Three of the stunning pieces MoShine produced for internationally renowned composer Michael Nyman. 50,000 Pairs of Feet Can’t be Wrong was commissioned for the Great North Run and was performed to the backdrop of MoShine’s visuals at the Sage in 2007.
For further information visit: www.moshine.co.uk

4) Air by Lost Weekend & Hands On Digital
A hiker makes his way across the countryside. A sense of forboding comes over him with every step. Soon he finds himself trapped in a horror he never quite imagined…
For further information Email: andy@hands-on-digital.co.uk

5) Moon Shot by James Harris, Shameless Films

The prolific James Harris has had his comedy shorts shown on Channel 4 and BBC3. In Moon Shot, the first English moon landing goes a bit skew-whiff. The film was funded by Northern Film & Media through its micro movies scheme to mark the launch of the North East Movies website.
For further information visit: www.shamelessfilms.com

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The running order for our October event was as follows:

1) The Father, The Son & the 50 Wives by Ghalapoum Abdoulaye
Ghalapoum was awarded a DigitalCity Fellowship to complete a documentary project about the issue of polygamy. The documentary explores the reasons behind multiple marriages, focussing on the life of one man who lives in Oudjila, North Cameroon. This is a short version of the 50 minute documentary which Abdul is in the process of commissioning for TV.

2) Hall of the Mountain King by Tom Bailey & Twisted Studio
On Saturday 8th September Middlesbrough hosted the BBC’s Proms in the Park. 7,000 people took part in the famous last night of the Proms event. Tom Bailey and Twisted Studio were commissioned to produce this beautiful short animation to accompany the popular Edvard Grieg piece.

3) Julie – A Love Story by Yellow Fever Films
The dark side of love is examined in Yellow Fever’s short tale of alienation. Christy has fallen for Julie and this time he knows what he feels is real. This is a love like no other - and nothing can stop the course of true love…

4) Club Life by Simon Hunter & Sam Davey
Simon Hunter and Sam Davey’s film looks at life in a working men’s club. There’s speculation that this way of life is dying out. The regulars at Middlesbrough’s Beechwood & Easterside Club may disagree.

5) Birthplace by Louise Hamill
Louise Hamill’s short documentary about Teesside was made for the DOTT07 Festival. Louise wanted to tell people that this isn’t an area where things are just dying off. It has always been a place where new things are being created!

6) Green Trolley: Day one, part one by Charles Tait & Ben Collier
Green Trolley is a multimedia project created by University of Teesside MA Design students Charlie and Ben. The guys set themselves a challenge to live on only locally grown produce – a challenge which led to some hilarious consequences.

7) Better to Have Loved by Karen Macey, Transmission Animations
Karen Macey is a creative Newcastle-based filmmaker and animator. Karen mixes live action with animation to create new realities and dimensions. Better to Have Loved demonstrates her unique and interesting style.

8) That Good Night by Keith Foster and Richard Smith
Another award-winning short from Cleveland College of Art & Design’s Foundation Degree in TV & Film Production. Keith Foster and Richard Smith’s That Good Night won the RTS Yorkshire region Student award for best drama last year. It was shot entirely on location in Middlesbrough.

Total Duration: 53 minutes

Give or take one or two technical hitches, the August event was the most successful Concept Film Night so far.

We showed seven fantastic films which ranged from documentary to comedy and drama:

No Thais by Egg TV
The routine of being stuck in a nine to five job that you hate. Every day the same. A low paid job, no career prospects, bills to pay and a few quid left over for a few drinks in the local pub at the weekend. That’s Adam’s life in Middlesbrough.

He’s heard about Thailand. ‘The land of smiles’ is full of culture, life, energy, and most of all, freedom. A work in progress, Paul Everett’s short film follows Adam as he chases his dream and the chance to escape from his mundane existence.
For further information email Paul Everett: eggtvuk@ntlworld.com

Cherry Pop by Garry Moore
14 year old Chanel’s carefree conversations with her friends reveal an underlying sadness. Her search for love and identity culminates in a fateful meeting with someone claiming to be her wayward father in an internet chat room.

Garry Moore hails from Sunderland and Cherry Pop was his final project for the Foundation Degree in TV & Film Production at Cleveland College of Art & Design. It features Hazel Pude and Chelsea Halfpenny from BBC1’s Byker Grove. Garry has recently been commissioned by Northern Film & Media to make a short film after being shortlisted for their ‘Sound & Vision’ competition.
For further information email: garry.moore@ntlworld.com

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The April event featured another diverse programme of films. In Bamburgh Experience we screened our first ever archaeology film and Joseph Tan's take on children's TV show The Littlest Hobo got a lot of laughs...

Jaan by Gurnam Singh
An urban western set in present day Middlesbrough, Jaan is scriptwriter Gurnam Singh’s first short film. When Ash arrives back home after a four week break, his best friends Quinn, Lok and half brother Coy tell him that a gang of thugs has returned to the town. In a cruel twist of fate Coy is gunned down by the gang. Fuelled by rage, his friends decide to confront the gang, a decision which has dyer consequences for them all.
For further information email: gurnam@gshome.eclipse.co.uk

Bamburgh by Gerry Twomey
Since graduating from the Northern Film School MA Screenwriting course in 2000, Gerry Twomey has been involved with the Bamburgh Research Project both as an archaeologist and Media Director. On joining the project Gerry experimented with the possibility of recording the project’s activities to digital video. Since then he has captured around 700 hours of material, assisted by work experience media students who join the project each summer as part of the archaeological training excavation.
For further information email: gerrytwomey@tiscali.co.uk

The Littlest Hobo by Joseph Tan
Having made 12 films between autumn 2006 and April 2007, Joseph Tan could well be Middlesbrough’s most prolific filmmaker. After completing his second feature film Time to Kill in 2006, Joe’s produced a series of short films and music videos. Production has already begun on his next feature The Last Ninja, which is based on the 1980’s Commodore 64 game. This short film is Joe’s comedic take on children’s television series The Littlest Hobo which ran from 1979 to 1985.
For further information visit: www.gorecartoons.co.uk

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January 2007's event was one of 'exclusives': While it had been on-line for some time, WMDJ's Voices had never been shown publicly before. Louise Robinson's Silhouettes was the first silent film shown at Concept, and we got a sneak preview of Ronak Singh's Gintha & the Enchantress which was launched in May 2007.

Voices by WMDJ:
WMDJ brings together the talents of musician Steve Thompson, photographer Peter Dixon and poet Tom Kelly. This exclusive compilation previewed an eagerly anticipated exhibition at Kitch-en Gallery.
Click the link below to view 'Voices'. For
further info visit: www.wmdj.org.uk

The Tournament (trailer) by Jonathan Frank, Scott Mann & Nick Rowntree
A trailer of the gritty, multi-stranded action-thriller which was written by former University of Teesside students Jonathan Frank & Nick Rowntree. Currently in production, it will star Robert Carlyle and a host of other household names.
For further info/to view this trailer visit: www.shakabukufilms.com/tournament.htm

Streetwalkers by Rob Lutter
Using CCTV footage and crime scene photos, University of Teesside Media student Rob Lutter’s documentary brings Middlesbrough’s vice underworld to life through the tragic story of Rachel Wilson, a missing prostitute whose case remains unsolved.
For further information email Rob Lutter: B2008578@tees.ac.uk

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The October 2006 event was made up of short films ranging from experimental documentary to comedy. While all of them were made in the North East, Love Lesson and Lucky Man were award-winning films which had enjoyed critical acclaim:

Love Lesson by Clive Tonge & Scott Mann

Last Stand of Combat by Stark Film Pictures

Daddy’s Girl by Tom Marshall & Matt Rozdoba-Hallows & T Marshall

The Curse of Jeff by Shameless Films

MEME by Peter McAdam

Time to Kill (teaser) by Joseph Tan

Wishful Thinking by Anthony Short

Lucky Man by Danny Willshaw & Paul Colwill (click the link below to view it)

Are you a musician with an interest in films?

We are currently looking for film music from Tees Valley based musicians to form the soundtrack for our next event on October 18th.

We are particularly interested in unusual interpretations of well known film scores and songs.

Have you recorded your own version of a tune from Pulp Fiction, A Fistful of Dollars, Grease or Dirty Dancing? Why not submit it and have it played before the film showcase.

For further info email: scott@thedigitalcity.org