THE COMMUTER |
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(2003, 90 sec, DV on 35mm) Two 35mm prints available |
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Film and Literature Department 10 Spring Gardens London SW1A 2BN Tel. +44 20 7930 8466 |
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| click on image to show poster | Pat Reid under his own image on the Berlin U-Bahn, February 2003 |
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| The Commuter is a short animation in which an office-worker shaves his face off every morning in order to blend in with the other faceless commuters on their way to work. | |||
| The film is now online on the BBC Film Network website. Click here to visit it | |||
| or watch the film on the G.M. Film website here | |||
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Technique |
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| The Commuter is live-action/digital hybrid. I shot the live-action component on video and then captured it on computer, before repainting it a frame at a time in Adobe PhotoShop with co-effects-designer Jonathan Mercer. The grainy image quality, which gives the film its distinctive look and feel, is an artifact of the image compression available in 1996. | |||
Film Credits |
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Actor of 'The Commuter: |
Pat Reid | ||
Camera & Effects: |
Martin Pickles | ||
| Jonathan Mercer | |||
Sound Design: |
Dave Peacock | ||
Co-producer: |
Jonathan Mercer | ||
Written, Directed & Produced by: |
Martin Pickles | ||
5mm Film Blow-up: |
CFS | ||
Blow-up funded by: |
British Council Print Fund | ||
Sales Agent: |
Dawn Sharpless of Dazzle Films | ||
| The Commuter is a 90-second reworking of my 1996 film Shaving (see below) and was made especially for Interfilm Berlin's short film festival 'Going Underground' 2003 ( http://www.interfilm.de ) | |||
| The film was selected to be one of fourteen to be screened on the trains on the Berlin Undergound on 4th, 6th and 7th February 2003 and again at the Urania cinema on 8th February. Martin and the film's star, Pat Reid travelled out to Berlin to see it, along with Karola Gajda who starred in The Big Heads. | |||
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The 'Going Underground' poster; Pat and Karola at the Urania reception; Pat and Martin onstage at Urania, 8th Feb 2003. |
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| More recently it was shown in competition at Animafest Zagreb in Croatia on 17th June 2004. This was the first time it was shown at a festival dedicated exclusively to animation. Appropriately the festival mascot was a bowler-hatted man. I would like to thank the British Council for giving me a travel grant to attend the festival and Margit Antauer and all the festival staff for looking after me. | |||
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The Commuter Screening History |
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| Going Underground Film Festival, Berlin, Germany | February 2003 | ||
| International Open Image Competition, Deluxe Gallery, London | March 2003 | ||
| International Scientific Film Festival, Szolnok, Hungary | September 2003 | ||
| Flexiff Film Festival, Sydney, Australia | September 2003 | ||
| Kino Film Festival, Manchester, England | October 2003 | ||
| Foyle Film Festival, Derry, Northern Ireland | November 2003 | ||
| Depict! Film Festival, Bristol | November 2003 | ||
| Halloween Shorts Festival, ICA, London | January 9th 2004 | ||
| Wood Green Film Festival, London | February 7th 2004 | ||
| Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market, France | February 2004 | ||
| Cinenygma Film Festival, Luxembourg | Mar 28th-April 2nd, 2004 | ||
| Bimini Film Festival, Latvia | April 1st-4th, 2004 | ||
| Dresden Film Festival, Germany | April 16th & 18th 2004 | ||
| Dazzle Films Screening at Curzon Soho Cinema, London | April 22nd 2004 at 6pm | ||
| Kino outdoor screening, Manchester for The Bigger Picture | April 10th-24th 2004 | ||
| Festival des Tres Courts, at venues across France | May 7th-9th 2004 | ||
| Welwyn Garden Film Society: 'The Commuter' and 'G.M.' were both screened as accompanying shorts for the Aki Kaurismaki feature film 'Man Without A Past.' Special thanks to Dawn Sharpless of Dazzle Films | May 7th 2004 | ||
| Fantastic Films Weekend, at NMPFT, Bradford, West Yorkshire | May 22nd-23rd 2004 | ||
| Animafest Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia | June 17th 2004 | ||
| Talent Circle event, Central London | July 20th 2004 | ||
| OMSK ROAM, East London | July 25th 2004 | ||
| MECAL 2004 Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes, Barcelona, Spain | Aug 27th-Sep 4th 2004 | ||
| 8th International Video Festival Videomedeja, at the Museum of Voivodina, Novi Sad, Serbira and Montenegro | October 2nd 2004 | ||
| Simrishamn International Art Film Festival, Galleri Valfisken, Simrishamn, Sweden | October 14-17th 2004 | ||
| L'Alternativa 11th Barcelona Independent Film Festival, Pantalla Hall, Barcelona, Spain | November 12-20th 2004 | ||
| Face On Film Festival, The Curzon Mayfair Cinema, Mayfair, London | November 21st 2004 | ||
| Berlin Talent Campus, at the House Of World Cultures, Berlin, Germany | February 12-17th 2005 | ||
| Future Shorts, Studio Athanor, 17-19 Rue de la Fourche, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium | June 27th 2005 | ||
| Homegrown Hollywood, BBC2 Learning Zone, UK Television | July 14th 2005 etc. | ||
| Hull International Short Film Festival, BBC Big Screen, Victoria Square, Hull, UK | July 15th 2005 | ||
| BBC Filmnetwork Website: see the film online | from July 20th 2005 | ||
| Super Shorts Film Festival, 01 and Costa, London | September 8th 2005 | ||
| Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, Dazzle Films screenings: 5:00 pm at Rushes, 66 Old Compton Street, London, and at 7:00 pm, The Hospital, 25 Endell Street, London | July 31st 2006 | ||
| Uppsala Short Film Festival, Sweden as part of a 'Best Of Depict!' screening | October 2007 |
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| Independent Film Festival II, British Council, Cairo, Egypt | 23rd November 2007 | ||
| Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, Dazzle Films Screening | July 2008 | ||
| MANCHESTER BBC Big Screen, Exchange Square | October 8th -21st 2005 | ||
| BELFAST, Queens Film Theatre, 20 University Square | November 9th 2005 | ||
| NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, Digital Lounge, Tyneside Cinema, 10 Pilgrim Street, Part of the Northern Lights Film Festival programme. (nlff.co.uk) ALL 375 Films screened |
Nov 20th - 23rd 2005 | ||
| BIRMINGHAM, BBC Big Screen, Chamberlain Square | Nov 12th - Dec 9th 2005 | ||
| LIVERPOOL, BBC Big Screen, Clayton Square |
Nov 12th - Dec 9th 2005 | ||
| EDINBURGH: TALENT CIRCLE SUPER SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL 2005, Brass Monkey Bar, 14 Drummond St, Edinburgh EH8 9TU: ALL 375 Films | Dec 5th - 9th 2005 | ||
| HULL, BBC Big Screen, Queen Victoria Square |
Dec 3rd - 9th 2005 | ||
| CORNWALL, Acorn, Parade Street, Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 4BU | December 14th 2005 | ||
| WOLVERHAMPTON, Light House Media Centre, Chubb Buildings, Fryer St, Wolverhampton WV1 1HT | December 15th 2005 | ||
| DERBYSHIRE, Winding Wheel Function rooms, 13 Holywell Street, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S41 7SA | December 21st 2005 | ||
| BRIGHTON, Hanbury Arms, 83 St. Georges Rd, Brighton, BN2 1EF | January 16th 2006 | ||
| MARGATE: Beeping Bush, The Community Pharmacy Gallery, 16 Market Place, Margate, Kent CT9 1ES: ALL 375 Films | January 26th 2006 | ||
| LONDON: Video Forum, Earl's Court 2, Warwick Road, London SW5 9TA Showing: ALL 375 Films. | Feb 7th - 9th 2006 | ||
| GLASGOW: Glasgow Media Access Centre, 34 Albion Street, 3rd Floor, Glasgow G1 1LH |
February 22nd 2006 | ||
| CARDIFF | March 8th 2006 | ||
OXFORD |
March 2006 | ||
'As Is: A Downsized Life' |
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| In 2005 The Commuter was incorporated into the 70 minute documentary As Is: A Downsized Life by Maryanne Galvin (USA, 70 min, 2005). | |||
| Dr. Galvin describes her film as follows: | |||
| "'As Is: A Downsized Life' takes you behind the scenes into the lives of nine diverse individuals who encounter economic simplicity. All were once upwardly mobile. In 2004 they found themselves earning, spending, consuming less and making incredible discoveries about themselves along the way. Some embraced voluntary economic simplicity as a lifeform long ago. Others recently found themselves unemployed, ill without insurance or otherwise without income. Each conveys a true grit approach to confronting consumerism, materialism and the implications on self esteem, dignity and freedom. | |||
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"Shot across the USA and Eastern Europe, the social,political, spiritual, environmental, psychological, practical and philosophical elements of life on the downside are exposed with unabashed realism. Former Disney animators, entertainers, educators, physicians, monastic nuns...all join the discussion about life after downsizing. Professional auctioneer Marie Keep's unique cadence and provenance provides insight about these lives onthe proverbial auction block." |
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As Is: A Downsized Life Screening History |
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The Boston International Film Festival, USA |
June 2005 | ||
| The Rhode Island International Film Festival, USA | August 2005 | ||
| The Doctoberfest/Clark University, Worcester MA, USA | October 30th 2005 | ||
| San Francisco State University Fall Film Series, USA | Autumn 2005 | ||
| The St. Louis International Film Festival, USA | November 2005 | ||
| East Bay Media Center/Berkeley Video & Film Festival, in the Bay Area, CA, USA | Autumn 2005 | ||
| Broadcast on Comcast Cable and Urban Cableworks Channels 54, 48, 62, and 99 | October 30th 2007 at 9 PM | ||
| November 2nd 2007 at 10 PM | |||
| November 3rd 2007 at 5 PM and Midnight | |||
| November 4th 2007 at 5 PM and Midnight | |||
| November 27th 2007 at 9 PM | |||
| November 30th at 10 PM and Midnight | |||
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December 1st & 2nd 2007 at 5 PM and Midnight | ||
Prehistory of The Commuter: 'Shaving' |
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Stills from 'Shaving' as they appear in the 25hrs video art festival catalogue |
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| The Commuter started life as a longer film called Shaving (1996, 5 min, Beta SP) which followed a day in the life of an office worker. After shaving his face off and spraying on his suit, he spends the day working at the Bureau Of Missing Persons, looking at mugshots of other faceless people. Later that day he returns from work, steps under the shower and washes his suit off. He examines his face in the mirror: his face has grown back like five o'clock shadow. It was shot on a borrowed camcorder and manipulated in PhotoShop in downtime at mine and my collaborator Jon Mercer's places of work. | |||
Shaving Screening History |
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| Club Cinergy screening club, London | Spring 1996 | ||
| The Halloween Society screening club, London | Spring 1996 | ||
| Ars Digitalis Festival, Berlin, Germany | December 1996 | ||
| The Pleasance, Edinburgh Fringe, Scotland | August 1996 | ||
| The British Short Film Festival, London | Summer 1997 | ||
| The Portobello Film Festival, London | Summer 1997 | ||
| Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, France | February 2002 | ||
| The Halyon Club at The Edinburgh Fringe | August 2002 | ||
| Curzon Soho Cinema Bar, London | April 2003 | ||
| 25hrs video art festival, Barcelona, Spain | May 9th-10th 2003 | ||
Shaving on Television |
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| Screened on Canal+ in Belgium and France over a nine-month period starting in late 1996. A clip of an early version of Shaving was screened on Take Over TV on Channel 4 (1996) and subsequently on ITV and Channel 4 (2000). | |||
Awards |
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| Shaving won a Public Art Award at the Ars Digitalis Festival in Berlin 1996. | |||
