The Fun of Experimentation In Short Films.

I just finished one of the stranger projects I've done.

The purpose of short films, I have always believed, is experimentation. But first we must define what experimentation means in a film-making sense. When shooting a full-length film, the intention is to attempt to sell it, in other words the filmmaker is making a project intended for the commercial arena - regardless of how artistic, avant-garde, personal or offbeat the film may be. 

When making any film, we use various artistic techniques to communicate ideas - but when making a film intended for commercial distribution, the filmmaker must have a clear idea on how he wishes to communicate his ideas - he must have his techniques mastered, to a certain degree, in order to create a professional piece of film. Otherwise, he is wasting his or his investor's money. He is using the feature film to experiment, instead of having tried his techniques before. The place to try these techniques, to experiment, is the short film, that which is not intended for commercial distribution beyond the festivals. The short film is the filmmaker's laboratory and it is where true, creative experimentation can happen. Failing or succeeding on a short film should be the exact same thing: both result in tremendous learning value, a value we take with us when attempting the bigger project - the feature film. 

Allyson Sereboff and Ammar Daraiseh on the set of "Touched"

With "Touched," the experiment was in the communication of the story. The question I asked myself when scribbling down its script was: how vague can I be, yet still create an emotional response, and still have the story understood at some level - and of course still be entertaining? I wrote the piece with purposeful holes of background, holes of detail. We do not know the exact background of the characters, we do not understand their precise relationship, but we feel some things, we are given glimpses, we are given a window into a strange relationship.

The project was unusual for me in that I wrote it in two hours and shot it three days later. I am a stickler for planning, rehearsing, carefully preparing shot lists. None of that happened here. I did not have the luxury of working in my comfort zone, and because of the speed of production I left the shoot having no idea if it was any good. It was a very strange feeling, and strangely free. No strings were attached between my brain and the ultimate quality of what this film might be. But when I sat down to edit, I discovered that the footage did indeed have an interesting mood, and that a fun little short can be prepared from it. 

David Jakubovic and Ammar Daraiseh

There is something wonderful about working with a tiny, professional crew. The freedom of one's student days returns, but with experienced hands. There is very little stress in these shoots, only a raw, creative vibe.

Allyson Sereboff in a scene from "Touched"

The film stars two fantastic actors: Ammar Daraiseh and Allyson Sereboff. John Schmidt was the DP. The music was composed and performed by my brother, Daniel Jakubovic. I directed and edited. It was shot in San Diego on the only rainy day in the entire decade, probably. I will now begin submitting it to festivals and see what happens. 

Ammar Daraiseh in a scene from "Touched"