Feb 25, 2013

Film edited in bedroom on a Macbook wins Oscar


Shawn Christensen Curfew
The magic between these two is remarkable

QUESTION:  What do you get when you combine a quickly written screenplay shot in 7 days with a 3 person crew (each publicly unrecognizable), then edit the film from your bedroom on a retail application (Final Cut 7) using an ordinary Macbook?

ANSWER:  You get an Oscar!

Or at least Shawn Christensen did.  Shawn Christensen is the writer and director of the film "Curfew" (and, as of last night, is also an Oscar winner having snagged "best live action short" film award for the 19-minute long gem).  Shawn Christensen has a very bright future!  A bright future indeed!

Having chosen Curfew to watch on a whim, I was immediately taken-in by how well-done it appeared.  This gripping drama and a fascinating aesthetic piece also affected a curious empathy in me from the first frame; I believe the director intended this, and wisely entrusted its preservation to the deft acting performance of the films few central characters.  

In Curfew, Shawn Christensen expertly couples just the right mix of cinematography with a captivating tight-as-a-drum script, expert cinematography (despite his editing the film in his room on a Macbook Pro!), absolutely first rate acting, and a frighteningly perfect musical score.

And then there was the dance scene.

It was this films own little slice of Travolta and Thurman, and it was nothing short of film magic.  In fact, it's scenes like that one in Curfew which serve as the contemporary cinephile's raison d'ĂȘtre.  Films like Curfew do so much to sustain our faith.

Shawn Christensen and his acting mates Fatima Ptacek and Kim Allen delivered up so much up in such a small package.  This film is a wonderful way to spend 19 minutes, and is a wonderfully deserving recipient of the Oscar award last night!



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