BBC Radio London Interview - The Hibernation Film Festival

BBC Radio London make a difference now you can make a difference yourself it's very difficult in this situation the sun's shining you want to get out well how do you occupy yourself at home now I know probably like you I've been receiving lots of memes or whatever they're called little clips of people from around the world doing sort of amazing things in quarantine there's the guy with the golf ball whoo-hoo putting it into his girlfriend's cleavage there's the other golf balls that go around the house and go into a cup at the bottom some of them are funny some of them are outrageous some of them are good there's a one that went viral of some flatmates dancing if you've seen that one doing like a zombie dance when they're trying to get into the shower that one see people making films being very creative in the house and you might think well how do they do that house how's that work well here's your chance to get him get involved and make your own movie the hybernation Film Festival has been founded by bear jam productions James Hilditch is its chief chief something chief director he's in charge of it anyway he's in charge of the hibernation Film Festival he joins me now hi James I'm all right thank you very much so I don't know your exact title what's or the creative director yes creative director and founder general dogsbody so you've come up with this rather ingenious thing that to get London filming itself well is it London based was it world base well I guess it did start off just for our own network of crews and freelancers our London base and we thought you know why not open it up to the to the world really so everyone and everybody that needs to be an experienced filmmaker in anyway we just wanted to challenge people to get creative and have a great filmmaking and you know challenge themselves to try something new perhaps and submit a film short film to our to our festival it is short you're asking for a hundred seconds yeah so just we didn't want it to be you know for injury to interest and the people that are going to be making this film so short and sweet just over a minute and a half hopefully that'll be enough to tell a story or get a point across though a little documentary or whatever people see I mentioned those memes that we're all getting and on our phone on our whatsapp groups are clogging up our phones memories with all this video stuff but you're looking for something a little bit more not polished but a beginning middle and end in a web or even an app you're doing abstract as well there's all sorts of categories in your festival yes well we've got four categories there's narrative documentary animation and creative which is a bit more of a kind of catch-all that might be you know some of the ones you've mentioned with golf balls or dancing or you know how people were to interpret it but yeah I mean hopefully something a little bit more than you know just a funny click it would be great to have a have a story in there or for people to get a message across did the theme of the festival which want to kind of run across all the categories is positivity right keep keep your pecker out I think so and you know as you say people are creating some really fun stuff for social media and you know we definitely want to be entertained and amused but I think there's some submit some positive stories that people can tell as well and hopefully a really good format for that now yes you mentioned that the community the badge I was very respectable production company respected so you also know a lot of people who are in that in that business struggling to work out where the next paycheck is coming from because it's such a freelance world of camera operatives and that that film world so some people will be at home with a lot of equipment they'll have their own that some people never made a film before and it seems to me that's a good level playing field because you you want people any anyone to play along whether they've got a you know a 5k Alexa camera or or all their just their phone yeah I think all we really need is an idea and there's a lot you can do on a smartphone and you know yeah there will be some people though that might have a lot more experience but to be honest it might be a really good opportunity for them to you know get the other side the camera they might be an experience camera operator but you know what do they like acting so we're we want people to try something new challenge themselves you know hopefully that can use other people in the household yeah any tips for someone who's never really made one before but has obviously taken video on their phone any tips to sort of sharpen that up or in editing turns I think that just just be original and have fun I mean but I think the main thing actually is is don't aim for anything too polished if you don't have those skills I mean that there are a lot of YouTube videos and tutorials to help you if you do what you know some help filming or editing but don't let that hold you back you know just come up with an idea based on the skills and the resources that you've got and and run with it have fun with it we're kind of really excited to see what people are going to come up with and where we gonna wait where will you show the film as a festival oh you know you can't do can and Tribeca they're all they're all council they would be able to see these works so we're gonna visit where it accepts entries up until midnight on Thursday the 16th of April I've got a couple of weeks to do it yeah look at a time then we'll judge them for a week come up with a short list and we will announce all the winners on a on a livestream on the 23rd of April so we've got some we've got some great judge wise they're great judges who cut myself and some break judges there'll be judges all the entries and then you know ultimately shortlisting them and I'm picking the winners I think I got Lucy Lucy Bryden on the jury I knew her yeah Lucy Bryden Stan Smith he's a BAFTA award-winning TV director someone from Netflix as well and and myself yeah you could be the next think you could be the next global hit you'd be the next Tiger king if you give the Netflix guy picks you up yeah I mean I'll be great to discuss it to discover someone you know some unearth some unfound talent in in London or the rest of the world mind you if there is a tiger king lurking around not sure I really want to make another matter we did the zoo earlier how can people enter just give us the details again so just obviously create create your short your short film and then email it to us at hibernation at Bergen code at UK so you can send us a link to a YouTube video or you know something that we can download if you're having any trouble then you know just get in touch with us and you know the team will help you find a simple way to submit your video and then we'll be judging those and then answering the winners in due course yeah I like this I like the prize for the best use of a prop could be anything could be trouble so as well as the one of the four categories we've also got four other prizes which we'll be judging on plus best use of remote collaboration yeah well you knew you doing something with someone like maybe in New York or somewhere exact it kind of you know with everyone doing more video calls it just felt like maybe there's something there because I mean this this this fractured experience it works together a lot of its fractured you know I had a zoom part in the oven I think I've got another zoom party a bit later I never know with zoom parties is one that you have to go if you're invited you have to go is it like you can't say well I was busy unless you couldn't get in traffic was terrible get to this party I know well we zoom but you know what 50th the light James I've got to I've got flashing zoom parties to the host provide the refreshments or getting in return for go to your zoom party I'm gonna provide my own drink I don't need a free drink at least I don't know these are new etiquette rules that are coming up and I hope they get there I think they rear their heads in the hibernation Film Festival which has been invented by James Hilditch thank you very much James keep safe and keep strong and look forward to the festival hibernation Film Festival email hibernation at Bear jam co uk with your film start filming at your zoom parties tonight right now however it's time at 12:30 for the latest news headlines