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: Enemies
Runtime: 12 min
Country: UK
Director: Oliver Griffiths
Placement: Award of Merit
Competition: September 30, 2017
Synopsis: Set in 1864 during the American Civil War, a confederate soldier deserts his camp following a traumatic event, and leaves to join the Union.
Feeling betrayed and angered, his older brother pursues him into the wilderness.
GS: What was the inspiration for your film?
OG: I really wanted to make a film in the cinematic style of films that I enjoy watching. There can be a very significant difference in filmmaking styles between short films and feature films, and I wanted to make a film with the overall style and quality of a feature film but reduced to the length of a short film.
I wanted the film to focus heavily on a conflict between two characters, which would eventually become a conflict between two brothers, and felt that American Civil War was the period of time that the story had to be set. It is a period of history that fascinates me as it was not taught to me in my school days, and felt like uncharted territory. The conflict between the brothers also reflects the conflict between the North and the South, as they were not truly ‘enemies’, but forced to act that way towards each other due to the circumstances.
I also did not want to feel restricted to a specific genre based on the fact that we would be shooting in the UK. I knew the shooting locations beforehand and knew that they would be ideal for the setting.
GS: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?
OG: The concept for ‘Enemies’ came about in the Spring of 2016, as I was deciding what film I would want to make for my final University project. It originally started as a Western set in North Western territories, which was based on the potential shooting location. However, this changed to the American Civil War over the Summer of 2016 as I felt that the setting and conflicts of that time period would be more fitting and appropriate to the story.
Pre-Production started properly around November 2016, as all the finalisation to the script were made, casting calls went out, locations were secured and props and costumes were decided upon. The film was then shot between March and April 2017, with the premiere screening occurring on June 5th 2017 at the Cine17 University of Derby Degree Show at Quad Cinema.
GS: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?
OG: It was challenging taking a story that would be suitable for a full feature length film and reducing it to a mere 12 minute run time. We had to cut a couple of scenes from the film entirely and shorten others, which was difficult as we had to cut away parts of the film that worked on paper but not so well on screen, but was also good as we were able to see the film flow smoother and feel tighter as a whole.
GS: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?
OG: The most challenging aspect of the film really was the fact that we had a deadline, and so we were forced to have to sort out the whole of pre-production by a certain date, have the film cast by a certain date, have shooting dates confirmed with accommodation, and ensure that costumes and props were ordered in time for the first day of production.
Once everything was in order, the shoot went incredibly smoothly, with the odd hiccup here and there. Our lead actor Jonathan Butler suffered an injury to his arm during the main shoot, however he decided to work and channel it into his performance, which showed to me how invested he had become in the role.
GS: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?
OG: To first-time filmmakers I would say; make films. Even if they are on a mobile phone camera or a digital handy cam, like my first films were. You can only improve your knowledge and understanding of filmmaking by making films, and discovering how you personally approach filmmaking and what your own traits are. It may take years and years before your first professional looking film, but if you start, you can only get better and learn from your mistakes.
