Our Best Short Film winner will receive our custom Global Shorts statuette which we ship anywhere in the world, free of charge. The award is manufactured by Society Awards, the same awards company that manufactures the Golden Globe and the Emmy. All winners will receive our Global Shorts Winner laurels in black, white, and gold.
Title: Choice. Regret.
Runtime: 9 min
Country: UK
Director: Christopher Schönning
Placement: Award of Excellence
Competition: September 30, 2017
Synopsis: Christian has a successful career. He also has a drink driving problem. One night a Choice changes everything.
GS: What was the inspiration for your film?
CS: I had a very similar scenario that inspired me to write my film happen to me in real life. I also wanted to point out how a flawed person, but a person with a good heart and soul can make a terrible mistake, which then in turn leads to huge regret in their life but also effects other people in a very negative way. The point of my film is to make people think before getting into a car and driving under the influence of alcohol.
GS: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?
CS: 2013….I started to formulate a story in my mind. 2014 i started to write the drafts/synopsis. 2015 I went back to it and finished it. Towards the end of 2015 I started the crew hiring and casting process. In Jan & Feb 2016 I filmed the film and started editing in April…..but……due to being unhappy the editor i became disillusioned and shelved the film until early 2017….I went back to it and re- edited and finally became happy with the results…..finished it off and started submitting in July 2017….and obviously pleased that it has now picked up 10 awards!
GS: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?
CS: Budget! the film had a huge budget anyway but still even after cutting corners the budget pressure forced me to cut down on certain scenes that needed a lot more takes. This was reflected in the editing process where i really had to cut most of the pub scene, however……this was also a blessing in disguise as the film was held up with this scene and i cut it down to a much better pace.
GS: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?
CS: We had some problems with a important person from the crew side which was realised half way through and this caused a one day delay….also the cars that were supposed to be delivered for the stunt did not turn up forcing us into a huge panic to find 2 cars last minute and get them to set…..we solved with problem and finished the film on time.
GS: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?
CS: YES…..Never give up! I walked away from my film for almost a year because I knew I needed to come back to it with a fresh perspective…and it worked! I was down on the film and when I came back to it I realised that it was actually a very good film. Having a break from the film and taking pressure of myself produced a great little short which im very proud of. TAKE YOUR TIME on the whole process….because you do not want to be sending out a half baked film to the festival circuit…..and wasting sub fees……take you time to produce the best film you can. Chris
