Cut Culture Vol. 36
EDITOR’S PICK
AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…
The Golden Globes took place at the start of the month to celebrate the very finest work and talent the American film and TV industry had to offer in 2024 – yet the main talking point seemed to be whether Zendaya may or may not be engaged to Spiderman. Sigh. With these sorts of glitzy events, the allure of celebrity tends to suck all the oxygen out of the room. From the build-up to the wrap-up, the clickbait headlines will inevitably revolve around the household names and big budget blockbusters. As a result, some of the brightest (and particularly up-and-coming) talent may slip under the radar. But not around here…
With the ceremony just a couple months away, Oscar nominees have now been announced. Naturally, you’ve got your Wickeds, your Gladiators, your Chalamets and so on - but we figured enough people are talking about them. So, we’re turning the spotlight on an oft-overlooked treasure trove of rising talent: the short film category (don’t feel too sorry for them, they’re still at the Oscars). Standouts include a B&W Venetian prison drama, a moving picture about child labour in India, and an unlikely pairing of the unhoused and the unsighted - but the nominee that really caught our eye was ‘I’m not a Robot’, a lo-fi sci-fi masterpiece.
Following multiple failed Captcha tests, music producer Lara starts to wonder… could she be a robot? We urge you to watch it so we won’t give away any spoilers – but we’ll tell you that the title is a lie… or is it? The subject matter is inherently timely, but the film explores timeless themes around humanity, identity, life and death. This juxtaposition is expressed aesthetically, with the short having been shot on film (a first for writer and director Victoria Warderman), offering a colour palette overflowing with sumptuous, warm browns and reds that fly in the face of the typical sci-fi genre tropes. Technically simple, conceptually complex, this is the embodiment of what a great short film should be: a great idea, executed really f*cking well.
While shorts like this may not garner the same mass attention of some of the better-known films, stars and directors, that doesn’t mean the industry isn’t taking notice. The three pictures we mentioned earlier all have big names attached in Zoe Saldana, Mindy Kaling and Colin Farrel respectively. More importantly, ‘I’m Not a Robot’ has already been picked up by Loki EP Eric Martin for a feature-length adaptation – but still with Warmedam at the helm to bring her vision to life on a bigger stage. Let this serve as a reminder that amidst the sea of sterile sequels and superhero flicks, there’s still no substitute for raw storytelling talent. Well, at least not until the robots catch up – if they haven’t already…
PRODUCTION NOTES
SAME GAME, NEW RULES: SPORT’S STREAMNG ERA
With an estimated 108 million live viewers globally, Jake Paul Vs. Mike Tyson was the most-streamed sporting event ever - and all to watch an ex-Disney Channel influencer beat up a soon-to-be sexagenarian. Why? Availability.
The event represented Netflix’s first foray into live sports. To quote the great philosopher Kevin Costner, “Build it, and they will come”. Netflix already built it. The event was right there on every subscriber’s homepage. Nobody was really interested, the quality was poor, yet everyone still watched - it’s like the sporting equivalent of the Gavin and Stacey finale on Christmas Day.
Just imagine if this model and the marketing military-industrial complex behind it were applied to genuinely elite athletic contests. You don’t have to imagine. On Christmas Day Netflix broadcasted two NFL games (plus a Beyoncé performance, for good measure) to millions of fans. They’ve also now secured the rights to the WWE and the next two Women’s World Cups. And it isn’t just Netflix. Amazon and Apple are also making a play for live sports. We happen to have some inside intel about a particular streaming platform who we won’t name having acquired the rights to a sport which shall also remain nameless – that feels just about vague enough to avoid us getting in trouble. Let’s just say it’s going to be a real touchdown… or homerun… or slam-dunk. Plus, with Dana White now on the board of Meta, what are the chances we might see a UFC event live streamed on Facebook in the near future?
This shift is already shaking up the production world. With new platforms, comes greater investment. And with greater investment, comes higher standards. To differentiate themselves from the old guard, streaming services are already starting to utilise nascent technology like 4K, augmented and virtual reality, and 360-degree cameras to create a more immersive experience. And they’re not just purchasing broadcasting rights; they’re also funding the creation of supporting content - from documentaries to BTS footage to interactive features. Think ‘Drive to Survive’, ‘All or Nothing’, ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ et al. – the last of which actually saw our mate Joby get nominated for an Emmy. Add to this a greater focus on digital-first formats, and the result is a wealth of new opportunities for innovation amongst content creators, agencies, brand partners and production studios alike. Welcome to the new frontier.