straight 8 Shootout 2024 in Cannes: The winners are…
And find out how to see the show in London on June 27th.
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A somewhat grey morning in Cannes made for a perfect, cosy cinema experience on Friday June 21.
The industry assembled at Cinema les Arcades to see the bloody gladiatorial show: straight 8 shootout, presented by APA and Cinelab Film + Digital, with support from shots, Warner Chappell Production Music, and Machineshop and when we were done: the sun was out!
15 companies had taken straight 8’s now quarter century young challenge: to try and make a piece of compelling ‘cinema’ with just a single roll of super 8 - and without the luxury of being able to correct any mistakes, or use AI for that matter.
The line-up of companies big and small was: Affect Sound, Humant Life, Kaus, Imagine This, IRIS, Mad Cow Films, MR+Positive, Newd, Not Just Any, Odelay Films, Outsider, Presence, RSA, The &Partnership and VCCP.
With no theme set, they all tried to wow the audience in different ways with their 2.5 minutes of the silver screen. They discovered their work at the same time as everyone in the cinema did, and then the votes were cast. Only the companies in competition get to vote, nominating their Gold, Silver and Bronze choices - not voting for their own film.
And the STRAIGHT 8 Shootout Cannes 2024 trophies made by Machineshop go to...
Imagine This - for “AI CHEESE” - Gold
VCCP - for “DEIRDRE’S NEW PET” - Silver
The & Partnership - for “NON-PLAYABLE CONNECTION” - Bronze
And the audience award, given to the film that got the biggest applause but no trophy, went to…
Presence - for “OVER-STIMULATED” - Audience award
The show will re-screen at The Prince Charles Cinema, Screen 1, London on June 27th 2024 at 6pm, followed by a nearby after-party.
Tickets are available now. The films will not be available online until after the London Cinema Re-Run on June 27th.
The show is also available by request to screen publicly elsewhere in the world. Contact straight 8 for details.
To take part in the next straight 8 shootout, register your company’s interest now at www.straight8.net/shootout
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Background
Any kind of creative company is invited to take the straight 8 shootout challenge: to make a 2.5 minute short film created entirely in-camera on just one cartridge of super 8mm film. Every shot is taken in story order, with no opportunity for re-takes or editing. Any visual effects, colouring and titling must be done the old-fashioned way: as part of the shoot, with the camera. Super 8 doesn’t record sound, so soundtracks are made ‘blind’ and must be original. Entrants send their exposed but un-developed film cartridges to straight 8 partners Cinelab Film & Digital who will process and scan the films. straight 8 will then line up each soundtrack with the first frame of the film. It’s that ‘simple’.
Background to straight 8:
straight 8 began in 1999 when director, Ed Sayers, asked friends to have a go at making a short film on one cartridge of super 8 each - with no waste, at a 1:1 shooting ratio. The films were screened in London’s West End to a packed audience, projecting off Super 8 with audio playing from cassettes. straight 8 now receives 100-200 entries to its annual open competition, from all over the world and has enjoyed 14 years of premieres at The Cannes Film Festival, plus stints on Channel 4 broadcast TV and has appeared at many festivals. Past entrants include Edgar Wright, Alice Lowe, and many more.
