SXSW X Chicago
March 6, 2012 by Andrew Schneider
Two Chicago-themed or connected films will appear next week at SXSW Film Festival as part of the Midnight Shorts program in Austin, TX. One is from comedy theater The Second City and the other is, “The Others,” a horror/sci-fi film produced by Vitamin Films.
First, legendary comedy theater The Second City - who's Alumni list reads as a "Who's who of American Comedy" –made it’s entry into online video two years ago with the launch of their YouTube channel, The Second City Network (YouTube.com/TheSecondCityNetwork).
Now The Second City Network returns to South By Southwest for the second year in a row with their short film, Cherry On Top.
Directed by Mike Damanskis and written by Charity L. Miller, Cherry On Top tells the story of a prostitute who finds new ways to attract business in the 21st century by using cutting edge social media marketing to promote the oldest profession in the world.
Last year their film The Announcement, directed by Joshua Funk, screened during the Narrative Shorts block. Funk’s directing skills also made his Undocumented Worker: The Audition a finalist in last year’s NBC Short Cuts Festival.
OTHER, a short sci-fi/horror film directed Daniel DelPurgatorio and produced by the Chicago design, visual effects and animation studio Vitamin, will be screening as part of the SXSW Film Festival’s Midnight Shorts.
Inspired by films of the ‘70s and ‘80s, OTHER centers on a brilliant doctor’s obsessive quest to cure himself of a terminal illness. While conducting a series of unconventional experiments, he discovers a scientific loophole that could possibly save his life...if he is willing to accept the sinister consequences.
“I’m a fan of older films that had an experimental edge and weren’t done by the book,” says DelPurgatorio, whose credits include the animated Warner Brothers short Tales of the Black Freighter, a tie-in to Zack Synder’s Watchmen adaptation. “Visually and conceptually, the film lives in that kind of a world.”
OTHER is the first narrative film for Vitamin, a creative boutique best known for its work on television ads for Nike, McDonald’s and FX Network. The story was conceived by DelPurgatorio and Vitamin art director Rob Foster, and then adapted in collaboration with screenwriter Anthony Williams. The rest of the studio’s creative and production staff assisted with everything else, including conceptual design, live action production, 3D animation, visual effects, editing, color correct, and audio.
In keeping with the style of the films that inspired it, OTHER has a decidedly hand-crafted look. Many of the visual effects were done in camera and all of the oddly convoluted scientific machinery featured in the film was designed and built by hand by the Vitamin staff. “The film really allowed us to do a little bit of everything,” explains DelPurgatorio. “We got to play in a lot of fields, and that made it really appealing to everyone in the studio.”
Like most short films, OTHER had a micro-budget, but that, says DelPurgatorio, proved to be a virtue. “A lot of older films of this genre were made guerilla style and we always embrace that mentality with everything we do,” he observes. “In the case of OTHER, it forced us to come up with creative ways to adapt the story and all of those choices, ultimately, enhanced the film.
“Cherry on Top” screens as part of the SXSW Midnight Shorts Short Program:
Friday, March 9 11:30PM - Midnight Shorts Alamo Lazar B - 1120 South Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX
Saturday, March 10
11:30PM – Midnight Shorts
Alamo Ritz 2 - 320 East 6th St, Austin, TX
Friday, March 16
11:45PM – Midnight Shorts
Alamo Lamar C - 1120 South Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX
“OTHER” also screens as part of the SXSW Midnight Shorts Short Program:
Friday, March 9
11:30 p.m. – 12:58 a.m.
Friday March 16
11:30 p.m. – 12:58 a.m.
Alamo Lamar C - 1120 South Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX