RIFF - James Clarke

Last year I was lucky enough to see the award ceremony and RIFF's big winner "Pound Cake" on Saturday. This year I decided I would mix it up a bit and go see the Experimental Block of shorts. I almost immediately regretted this decision. Not only did I learn that experimental film was not my cup of tea, but I also discovered that it is hilarious to hear Harry Musselwhite laugh in the midst of a silent theater.

"Telephone", shot in black and white, was very visually stimulating. I could see all the elements of mise en scene within it, signifying all the relationships between callers and their devices. I still thought it was incredibly strange and didn't catch onto any kind of narrative though.

There was one short that was just music to some sort of kaleidoscope montage. I think I have that as a default on Windows Media Player. Not only did I not particularly care for the music, i felt that the visuals were not enthralling or impressive enough to merit a 'film' at all.

The one short that I really loved was "Sunday". I could identify a protagonist, I could identify a narrative, and I could identify the conflict. The stop-motion animation was great and very refreshing from all the computer generated effects in modern cinema. I loved the music and the dark feel of the brain workers. Definitely a unique piece and worthy of much praise.

The last short, and I do not recall the name, was about different people dealing with lost love or a breakup, I think. I hated this short. There was no narrative, none of the characters mattered, and it was entirely too long.

I'm glad I got to go to the DeSoto as well this year. I've always wanted to go into that style of theater. I also look forward to participating in RIFF next year with my own student film.