A wonderfully subtle debut short, written and directed by Vancouver-based filmmaker Michael Milardo. Fittingly shot in the notoriously rainy city Milardo was born and raised, “Roam” offers something of a throwback to 90s youth culture and coming-of-age in a pre-internet world. Milardo himself describes the story as about more than just a group of friends or “that moment you realize your friends might not actually be the people you thought they were.” As he shared with us:

“For me, it’s also a story about growing up before the internet became our everything. A time when parents didn’t helicopter, when kids played outside after hours, hoping for parties, hunting for payphones and sometimes, if things went bad, running for their lives. It was also a time when a simple piece of technology could fill us with hope and optimism for the future – though looking at where we are now, I can’t say for sure that promise was fulfilled.”

Check out “Roam” above and see full credit below!

Starring: William Dickinson, Jared Ager-Foster,
John C. MacDonald, Alisha Newton, Jessica Mcleod, Julien Naud

Written and Directed by Michael Milardo
Produced by Jesse Savath
Cinematography: Bobby Shore
Editor: Graham Fortin
Casting: Kris Woz, C.S.A and Kara Eide C.S.A
Production Designer: Caitlin Byrnes
Music + sound design: Armen Bazarian
Wardrobe: Mia Fiddis
1st AD: Blair Dykes
2nd AD: Roxy Rejfek
Stunt Coordinator: Cameron Hilts
Set Decorator: Dani Bayliss
1st AC: Laurent Danis
2nd AC: Jerry Wang
Colourist: Drake Conrad
Sound: Rodolfo Piedras
Boom Op: Siddharth Sadashiv
Key Grip: Jordan Findlay
Gaffer: Leo Harim
Swing: Mario Jurado
Art Director: Justin Ludwig
Hair + Makeup: Teia Dumaresq
Stills: Katrin Braga
Sound mix: Apollo Studios
Catering: Pazzo Chow
DIT: Brennan Lloyd
Title Design: Andrew Passas

Special Thanks:
Emily Milardo
Ronan Milardo
Panavision
Jeff Flowers
PS Production Services
Matrix Production Services
Wendy Moss
Jeff Ramsay
Zach Steele
Angela Beaulieu
City Of Vancouver
UBC Endowment Lands
Practical Lighting
Discount Car Rentals
CopyThat
Devin Kerringten
Benedicte Leclere

Michael Milardo on Vimeo

Michael Milardo on Instagram

Video for New York rapper Wiki by Brooklyn-based director Ryosuke Tanzawa. Shot entirely on Super 8, “Litt 15” meanders through the bustling city streets of Manhattan to Coney Island, where featured rapper Your Old Droog lives.

An intimate look at America’s opioid epidemic, told from the perspective of a mother and one small town. Directed by New York City-based filmmaker and photographer Brandon Lavoie of Lindytown Films, “Hometown” aims to convey the fact that Shane Walsh could have been anyone’s child and Salem, New Hampshire anyone’s hometown.

Director / DP: Brandon Lavoie
Executive Producers: Brandon Lavoie & Brady Darragh
Editor: Brady Darragh
Associate Editor: Nicholas An
Animators: Casey Drogin & Morgan Gruer
Visual Effects: Lucjan Gorczynski
Original Music By: Fernando Martinez & Ed Marks
Sound Design & Mix: One Thousand Birds
Audio Post Producer: Kira MacKnight
Post Sound Engineers: Calvin Pia & Torin Geller
Color Correction: Irving Harvey
Archival Assistant: Jen Ackerman
Score Recording Engineer: Kia Eshghi
Aerial Cinematography: Max Collins

This video was submitted by Brandon Lavoie and selected by our team. Click here if you have a project you’d like us to check out!

A vibrant tale of conflicting identities and self-acceptance for Bondax by London-based directing duo Jay Stephen and Ralph Briscoe of Time Based Arts. “Real Thing” features a perfectly cast Paul Raschid as a young man struggling with unrealistic expectations and an obsession with perfection. Focusing particularly on the pressures men feel to constantly hide their emotions, Stephen and Briscoe shed light on what people go through behind closed doors.

Directors – Jay Stephen & Ralph Briscoe
Production Company – Time Based Arts
Executive Producer – Tom Johnson
Producer – Will Parnall
Actor – Paul Raschid
Casting Director- May Douglas
Director of Photography – Francis Lane
1st AD – Will Parnall
Gaffer – Sam Meyer
Steadicam – Charlie Rizek
1st AC – Zag Erlat
Camera Trainee – Josh Cobb
Spark – Idris Rhys
Choreographer – Jamie Neale
Stylist – Jade Moore
Hair / Make-up -Shayna Lewis Fenton
Production Designer – Stephanie Lane
Art Dep. Assistant – Charlotte Toon
Prop Man – Simon Lane
DIT – Simon Brooks
Editor – Jay Stephen, Ralph Briscoe
Post Production Company – Time Based Arts
Post Producer – Tom Johnson
Production Assistant – Sean Ewins
Colourist – Myles Bevan
VFX Supervisor – Ralph Briscoe
Flame Lead – Ben Stonehouse
Runners – Lewes Bridson, Maria Bracher, Dee Stephen

This is just one of the many amazing submissions we’ve received in the past week. Consider participating here if you have a project you’d like us to check out!

A lovely short co-written and directed by New York-based filmmaker/photographer Anne Hollowday and cinematographer Bill Kirstein. “Common Structure” follows two young women at a crossroads — one determined not to let life or time slip by, and the other seemingly unaware of how easily that can happen. Speaking of the intention behind the project, Kirstein described the film to us as “an invitation to access the sublime,” driven by the desire to express something about what it means to “truly feel alive.” The cerebral theme is further coupled with visual threads of memories, moments that feel simultaneously natural and surreal.

“As filmmakers we followed a process that was all about creating situations and then reacting in the moment. Watching and listening for the chance to capture something ephemeral.”

Check out “Common Structure” above and see full credits as well as some behind-the-scenes images from the shoot below!

Starring: Rosalie Lowe and Adea Lennox
Written and Directed by: Bill Kirstein and Anne Hollowday
Presented by: 100 Year Films
Produced by: Billy Holiday
Edited by: Ian Park
Cinematography: Bill Kirstein
Sound Design and Mix: Kenny Kusiak
Colorist: Jaime O’Bradovich
Location Sound: Jeffrey Dunn Rovinelli
Additional Camera Operator: Gabe Elder
Assistant Camera: Jake Ewald
Production Assistant: Leon Izsak
Stunt Coordinator: Jeremy Linardakis
Music Composition: Joe Greenier
Special thanks: Sal Giarratano, Zach Sullivan, Sodium Ranch, Fred Brehm, Company 3

Filmed in Panavision

Anne Hollowday’s Website

Bill Kirstein’s Website

100 Year Films

London-based directing duo Jean-Philippe Blunt and Thom Humphreys (aka in/out) explore flesh anxiety using thermal imaging cameras in the video for The Horrors’ track “Ghost.”

Performers: Charlotte Lowdell, Jakub Drewa,
Sharran Alexander, Wren Myers Haynes.

Director/Editor: in/out
Producer: Natalie Steiner
Director of Photography: Spike Morris
Post Producer: Tamara Mennell @ MPC
VFX: David Filipe, Edward Taylor @ MPC
Colourist: George K @ MPC
Runners: Rosie Bingham-Hall, Alina Portinova, Sophia Kawyani
Commissioner: Natalie Arnett

Captured using FLIR Systems.

This video was submitted by Jean-Philippe Blunt and selected by our team. Click here if you have a project you’d like us to check out!

A young boy goes all out for love in this 80s-inspired video for Irish duo Ships. Produced by This Greedy Pig, in collaboration with director Stevie Russell, “Another Way” was filmed in the seaside town of Howth on the northside of Dublin. As Russell explains his vision for the project:

“Ships have created a beautifully nostalgic track. For me, it evoked the awkward pain of young love. The uncertainty and the confusion of it all, the regretful moments where you feel you’ve blown it and the world is collapsing, but you’re still a kid so you dance it off. I wanted to frame this feeling through the prism of what I was watching at that age. We got really lucky with the two kids, Sam Hardy and Elena O’Connor. They nailed the feeling.”

This is just one of the many wonderful submissions we’ve received in the past week. Consider participating here if you have a project you’d like us to check out!

A haunting exploration of the power of human connection for altopalo’s track “Terra” by New York City-based director and cinematographer Patrick Golan (previously featured here).

Starring Kosta Stanisavljevic & Sarah Vanessa
Directed by Patrick Golan
Producer: Luigi Rossi
Production Manager: Luke Marcus Rosen
DP: Patrick Golan
Production Designer: Camille Safadi
Choreography: Eva Jaunzemis
H&MU Artist: Magda Buczowska
Steadicam: Calvin Falk
1st AC: Nicolas Lopez
2nd AC: Franklin Ricart
Gaffer: Bjorn Ante Roee
Grip: David Almazan
PA: Francesco Rizzo

Edit: Matt Schaff
Color: Josh Bohosky @ The Mill NY
Color Prod: Evan Bauer
Sound Design: Raphael Ajuelos

Special Thanks: Matt Collwell, Focus Gear,
William Cooper, Scotty LD, and Richard Taxidermy.

This video was submitted by Patrick Golan and selected by our team. Click here if you have a project you’d like us to check out!

A poetic short by English writer and director WOLF CVB of London-based studio UNIT9. “Reverse Everything” delves into the psyche of a young girl searching for the meaning of her own existence. Based on theories about the nature of reality and how the individuality of our perspectives skew our perceptions, WOLF CVB incorporates many of his own personal pastimes like writing and skateboarding:

“Being a skateboarder, I’ve always wanted to use the art of skating as a medium for a narrative; but I didn’t want to make the stereotypical skate film that we always see. My plan was to merge genres and dip in and out of all the things that I’m interested in —  fashion, skate and narrative; but without locking any one down fully. I also wanted to make this film challenging for myself as an artist. Art house style films generally split audiences, so I wanted to see what I could create without being too indulgent or conformed.”

Check out “Reverse Everything” above and see full credits below!

Starring:
Brinnen Thompson as Cody
Greg Diaz as Jake

Written and Directed by WOLF CVB
Executive Producers:
Michelle Craig
Adam Dolman
Luca De Laurentiis
Producer: WOLF CVB
Production Manager: Joe Molina
DOP: Craig Dean Devine
Editor: Alex Burt
Sound Design & Mixing: George Castle
Colourist: Richard Fearon
Production Coordinator: Sophie Floyd
1st AD: Joe Molina
1st AC/Gaffer: Sonny Wong
DIT: Nate Hoffman
Sound Recordist: Noor Che’ree
Production Designer: Myles Lumb
Art PA: Aleena Lusier
Hair & Makeup: Terea Aguilera
Stylist: WOLF CVB
Assistant Sound Designer: Dave Williams
Camera Hire: Almost Lawyers

Special Thanks:
Adam Dolman at UNIT9 Films
Leianna Campbell (MPC London)
Greg White (Envy London)
Molly Butcher (GCRS London)

WOLF CVB’s Website

WOLF CVB on Instagram

UNIT9 on Facebook

UNIT9 on Instagram

Director Joscha Bongard perfectly captures the sensation of living through moments that already feel like memories in this video for GiiRL’s track “Downtown.” Following a group of four friends navigating the uncertainty of youth, Bongard explains:

“The video tells from the fine differences between friendship, love and sexual attraction – especially between the two boys. It’s an ode to freedom and melancholy after passing your finals. A lot of changes and the pressure of taking decisions that will affect your whole life.”

Watch “Downtown” above and see full credits below!

Starring: Jonathan Berlin, Alban Mondschein, Ella Morgen, Zoe Valks

A Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg Production
Producer: Felix Schreiber, Stella Markert
In Association with LE BERG: Yannick Fauth, Sebastian Raphael

Director: Joscha Bongard
Editor: Wolfgang Purkhauser
DoP: Christopher Behrmann
1stAC/2ndAC: Verena Mühling/Christina Verena Bauer
Gaffer: Holger Enck, Max „Magic“ Rauer
Electricians: Matthias Kreter, Vreni Sarnes
Original Sound: Moritz Schulz
Sounddesign: Paul Powaljaew
VFX Supervisor: Johannes Lübke
Coloring: Jakob Sinsel
Casting/Art Department/Styling: Stella Markert
Unit Manager: Lukas Lankisch
Line Producer: Thomas Lechner
Digital Film Enigneer/Distribution: Cordula Landt

Filmgestaltung 1/2018
Supervising Professor: Jochen Kuhn
Tutor: Nils Knoblich

Special Thanks:
Jens Nägele, Max Fischer, Jennifer Mallmann, Lea Lembke, Fabienne Priess, Louis Hofmann, Maite Bengsch, Nils Gustenhofen, Leopold Pape, Emilia Wieding, Marleen Mayr, Alma Buddecke, Karl Heidelbach, Walter Bäßler, Horst Weissinger, Tim Jaiser, Alice Theimer, Alexander David, Olga Müller, Maximilian Pittner, Magdalena Wolff, Bernd-Siegfried Michalek, Matthias Wagenführ, Peter Beutel, Bettina Strauss, Alnatura, Alpina Farben, Nicolas Blankenhorn, Jannis Birsner

This is just one of the many fantastic submissions we’ve received in the past week. Consider participating here if you have a project you’d like us to check out!

A stylish revenge tale for Brodinski and Peewee Longway’s track, “Split,” by Los Angeles-based director Pavel Brenner of Couscous Saumon (previously featured here).

An overwhelmingly creative (and surprisingly environmentally conscious) video for Swedish pop quartet Francobollo by Australian director and animator Samuel Lewis. “We’re Dead” features stop-frame pixilation which involved using the band members like puppets and painstakingly animating them one frame at a time. On an equally impressive note, Lewis took on another labor-intensive task: that of collecting (and cleaning) all the plastic used in the video off the streets of East London in order to ensure no new plastic projects were purchased for the shoot. And, of course, responsibly recycling everything that could be afterwards!