Innovation Shorts

The ‘Innovation Shorts’ programme is a European multi agency project led by VERL (Scotland), Screen South (England) and Film Fyn (Denmark). The programme offers filmmakers the opportunity to produce and disseminate quality visual effects led short films. A panel of multi national experts selected the films after a pan European call. The four selected films: “Proto”, Unoriginal”, “Shallow” and “Henry Bramble” were commissioned as proof of concept for VERL’s newly developed methodologies. The films were shot at 4K resolution with two being post converted to stereoscopic 3D. As Principal Investigator my research centered round developing innovative new methodologies to deliver the complex research questions generated by commissioning works of this scale. Bespoke workflow methods were researched, designed and implemented. As Executive Producer I allocated budgets, commissioned external experts and tasked, oversaw and managed the principal photography. As Post Production Producer I conceived, designed and oversaw the stereoscopic 3D and visual effects sequences for two of the projects. New and novel processes were developed by the research team to help realize the films. This research has helped to establish a viable methodology for the creation of cost effective stereoscopic 3D projects with a high proportion of visual effects. The resultant new methodology, presented in papers to EU Creative Industries policy makers at Cine Regio, Nordic Panorama and Gothenburg Film Festival, is already instrumental in helping inform the commissioning procedures of various governmental and European regional agencies tasked with the promotion and development of indigenous screen content. “For the first time in Europe short filmmakers are able to produce new work with a high visual effects content and in 3D due to VERL’s research” Jo Nolan (CEO Screen South) in a UK Film Council paper (July 2010). Dissemination is via screenings, conferences and festivals across Europe and North America.