Filmmaking beats film viewing

Making "Elf Off the Shelf," photo by Erin Hogan.

I love the experience of watching something great. It could be film, TV, a stage play, live music, and many other arts, that feeling of you and a piece of art meeting for the first time is exquisite. There's only a couple things that top it, one is actually creating that art.


When I discovered the real power of movies around 13 or 14, I think I watched my favorites on a loop. I would toss in new discoveries here and there, and it quickly grew into an obsession. But then a funny thing happened, I borrowed a camera from my media production classes in high school and one Sunday afternoon my friends and I made a mockumentary mixing skate culture and free-style walking called "Midwest Money Money." This rush was similar to watching movies but the intensity was jacked to the nines and I carried that feeling for weeks. I showed our film to everyone and anyone who would sit in front of a screen with me. The filmmaking "high" hits every time I make a film. 

Poster for "Elf Off the Shelf" created by Jolene Schultz

Beginning of December, Tiny Explosions made its 27th short film, "Elf Off the Shelf." We made it for a second stage 48 Hour Film Project competition called "Yes We Cannes." The event was invite only for teams that won, placed, or showed in their local 48. Teams were given 53 hours instead of 48. The top 15 films in Yes We Cannes go on to screen in L.A. at Filmapalooza, the top 9 screen at Cannes. That is a really attractive carrot, but it's surface level stuff. The real prize is making the film.

For 53 hours the excitement of making film coursed through my veins. Every day since has been a similar sensation, but with the added anxiety of the film going through the screening process and now publicly released. I hope you enjoy it. I personally feel this might be the best film Tiny Explosions has made to date. I've watched it every day since we made it and not a moment in it has dulled my joy. Sure there are bits I would have done different, and I don't think it's "perfect," but it just hits the right notes in nearly all the right places.

Brian, a.k.a. Brett the Elf and Erin Hogan.

My personal favorite pieces of the film include: Brian Hogan. Full stop. He makes the movie. We filmed the story out of sequence and we jumped from the open of the movie to filming Brian and Craig outside. I will admit, at first I was a bit thrown by Brian's characterization, but I have faith in Brian and a scene later I fully understood where he was going and why. Without him this movie would not work.  I'd like to add Erin Hogan proved the value of a script supervisor this year. I don't know how many times I yelled for Erin's help during the run of production. She really kept the project oriented and decipherable. Get yourself an Erin. 

Next, the tonal shifts. This movie goes from our sweetest film to one of our more zany films to probably our best action film. Love that, and at least to me it all works. Third, Jordan Mayland returned to the Tiny Explosions fold to compose, perform, and produce 95% of the soundtrack for the film! This is the second time Jordan's joined the fun (first being "Palle Amorevoli" in 2018) and both times he did all his work within the 48 hour production window. Dude is really talented and we're lucky to have him volunteer his time and talent. If you're reading this Jordan, thank you again. Finally, I wanted to add some sound effects and the YWC submission had a couple but when I got to spicing up the final edit I really dug into teammate Jon Hoffmann's supply of sound effects and good grief do they put the film over the top. SFX are going on my list of must haves every year.


So, Yes We Cannes! Will we advance? Wont we? I don't know. I sure hope so. I'd love for Elf Off the Shelf to screen in L.A. with The Run, but there's nothing I can do but wait until January to find out what the judges think. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the film and consider adding it your annual holiday viewing programming. I don't think there is a Christmas film quite like it.

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Okay, that was a lot, but during the YWC screening window I decided to watch all 70 films. 8 screening groups, with 8-9 films each. At first I only screened a couple to see the other films submitted from Iowa teams and support them. Good stuff from both teams, you should watch them. But after seeing three groups, the YWC organizers sent team leaders a pass code to see a random screening group. I was given a pass to group 8 and therein was a truly perfect short and a top tier 48 short. Following that experience, I decided to screen all the films and use the grading rubric 48 Des Moines shared with us a couple years back (45% art, 30% tech, 25% assignment adherence). I wont share my grades, but I would like to share my top 15 films (excluding ours, because... c'mon, don't be that guy). I tried to grade based on a mix of did each film accomplish what it set out to do, was it a direct rip off or something fresh, did it keep my attention, and lastly did I enjoy it. So now that our film is out, maybe jump on YouTube or wherever and search these films out. Cheers!


Top 15 Yes We Cannes 2022 Films (according to Pat)

1. "Jazz Hands" by Rad*ish Productions
2. "Tandem by Koning Pudding
3. "Unwrapped by Strong Sevens
4. "Say it Out Loud by Ghostwright Media
5. "A Cloudy Moon by Hill Bros Home Videos
6. "Here, Now. by Pizza Sutra
7. "حمرا. لأ, بدارو". by Roarpark
8. "Fangfic" by Twin Pictures
9. "The Session" by Nicalex
10. "ゆめかさくら" by Tarumi Eiga Gekidan
11. "REVERY" by WEITWINKEL
12. "Simulacrum" by Shady Acres
13. "The Pickup" by Syndicate
14. "Sleigh" by Behind the Curtain Media
15. "The Poppy Field" by by Fortified Films