By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Amazing what you can do with a smartphone.
Berwick teenager Callum Pritchard has just smartly filmed and edited a short film that stretches the potential of his hand-held device.
His film Behind Closed Doors – a pointed look at a teenager living in a domestic violence household – boasts many technical feats.
There’s slow-mo action, dramatic soundtrack, fast, silky editing and crisp lighting. Though there’s a roaming hand-held feel, it’s easy to forget it’s captured on a smartphone.
It’s Callum’s second entry in the annual SmartFone Flick Fest (SF3) – an international film festival for films shot only on smartphones and tablets.
He says he learnt much from analysing the winners in last year’s comp.
“They were inspiring. It’s interesting how the winner actually filmed as if a person was walking around with a phone.
“It didn’t seem so put-on.”
As with many 14-year-olds, the Beaconhills College student is not threatened by filming on a smartphone.
Basically, the device is always in his pocket, ready for filming on a second’s notice.
However, his mind is also on the quality of lighting, the sharpness of image.
He then used simple movie-editing software on his tablet to slow down the action and weave together the scenes shot on location around Berwick.
“It’s pretty user-friendly. You can pretty much learn it all in one sitting.”
His film’s topical, heavy subject matter was chosen because simply, domestic violence shouldn’t happen, he said.
“It’s thought that domestic violence just affects the parents but it also affects the people around them.
“It affects so many people. I think just getting the word out there might just help.”
Callum centred the film on a teenage girl, starkly showing her angst and isolation while her parents fight.
“She didn’t have anyone to reach out to. There was no one there to reach out and ask ‘Are you OK?’”.
Callum is already setting his sights on a career in film, inspired by the likes of The Conjuring horror maestro James Wan.
“I think that it’s just the way he goes about his films. They’re all different.
“He doesn’t just go along with all the other movies.”
Entries for SF3 close on 1 August. Details: sf3.com.au
View Callum’s film here:
