Short Cinema Journal
Short Cinema Journal AKA SHORT was a DVD Magazine focused on independent short films, interviews and documentaries. The first three issues were released via Polygram Filmed Entertainment. After PolyGram's reorganization, the magazine was picked up by ( Warner Bros. Home Video and you can still buy it online from them @ wbshop.com including: Circuit: A Music Journal and Young Cinematographer), later "retitling" the magazine to "SHORT" and began making "Short International Release" issues as well. The first three issues were re-released by Warner during 1999 and 2000.
Beginning with issue 4, the magazine included various commercial advertisements that could not be bypassed or fast forwarded through.
The investors ( East West Capital and Allen & Company NYC ) sold QuickBand Networks to On2 Technologies ( ON2 is owned by Google ). The parent company of SHORT was renamed to 2014 after 2014 Pacific Ave. Venice, CA 90291 (2014 was the first content start-up to get venture funding in Venice).
Short Cinema Journal
| Issue | Title | Contents | Running Time | PolyGram Release Date | Warner Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | Invention | A virtual digest of cutting-edge short features, interviews, and animated short subjects. Films include "Zionsville," " Mr. Resistor," "Shape Without Form," "Black Rider," the animated short "The Big Story" by Tim Watts and David Stoten and George Hickenlooper's original short "Some Folks Call It A Sling Blade" - the basis for the award-winning feature SLING BLADE starring Billy Bob Thornton. Interviews include punk godfather and monologist Henry Rollins interviewed by Albert Watson and documentarian Michael Apted. | 120 min. | 1997 | November 23, 1999 |
| 1:2 | Dreams | Documentaries on the making of Jane Campion's "Portrait of a Lady" and on director George Hickenlooper, Orson Welles' "The Big Brass Ring" (with Malcolm McDowell), Jane Campion's "A Girl's Own Story", and "La Jetee" (directed by Chris Marker; the inspiration for Terry Gilliam's "Twelve Monkeys"). | 120 min. | 1997 | January 4, 2000 |
| 1:3 | Authority | A virtual digest of cutting-edge short features, interviews, and animated short subjects. Films include "Flying Over Mother", "Os Camaradas", "Joe", "The Whites", the animated short "Dada" by Piet Kroon. This issue also contains Alain Resnais' powerful documentary short "Night & Fog" about the Holocaust. | 120 min. | 1999 | April 4, 2000 |
| 4 | Seduction | The fourth in this much-lauded series of digital magazines that highlight short films: fiction, documentary and animation. This edition is called "Seduction," featuring, KOM, a film from Norway, and HISAO, an experimental film about a Japanese singer who dreams of fame in America, among others. | 83 min. | June 15, 1999 | |
| 5 | Diversity | Featuring "Silient Rain in the Ninth", "Multi-Facial" starring Vin Diesel, "Buy My Film", "That Strange Person", "The Job", and an interview with contemporary jazz cellist Erik Friedlander. | 137 min. | August 17, 1999 | |
| 6 | Insanity | Featuring "Blue City", "Billy's Balloon", "Franky Goes to Hollywood", "Bovine Vendetta", "Midnight Dance", "The Bad Plant", "El Banquete", "Black Coffee", and "60 Channels". | 120 min. | October 26, 1999 | |
| 7 | Utopia | Featuring "More", "Zoltar from Zoran", "Lars from 1-10", "Amplified Man", "Images of Korea", "Superstition 9", and "The Lion And the Lamb". | 112 min. | February 1, 2000 | |
| 8 | Vision | Featuring "Tag Der Freiheit", a rare Leni Reifenstahl short; "True"; "Number One Fan"; "Why Liberace?"; "The Cinema Ticket"; "Serpent And the Sandman"; "Sky Above, Heaven Below"; and the animated "Kite". | 100 min. | May 2, 2000 | |
| 9 | Trust | Featuring "Heather Woodbury's Whatever", "Love Bites", "Clown Car", "The Raven (Der Rabe)", "Sidewalkers", "Tiny Sunbathers", "Bloodlock", "My Beautiful Me", "Still Revolutionaries", "Vertical Air", and "Maestro". | 215 min. | July 4, 2000 | |
| 10 | Chaos | George Lucas' Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB | 140 min. | November 7, 2000 | |
| 11 | Ecstasy | The eleventh release in the remarkable SHORT series focuses on the extremities of human emotions. Fifteen highly original short films are included which are as diverse as the range of feelings that they explore. Highlights are the award-winning "Hate: A Comedy," which involves a rivalry between a man and a chicken and "Bass on Titles," a documentary which explores the work of acclaimed graphic designer Saul Bass, who did the remarkable titles for many of Hitchcock's films. The thirteen other shorts included are: "Portrait of Jimmy McGriff," "House," "Mister Smile," "The Closet," "Chuck," "Smash," "Moods of the Sea," "Lovely Day," "Scrub," by Rob Schmidt and Andrew Takeuchi, "Coyote," "Agony or Ecstasy," "What Is Sex," and "Naughty Naughty." | 150 min. | February 6, 2001 |
Short International Release
| Issue | Contents | Running Time | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Award-winning short films from France, Denmark, Korea, Belgium, China, Germany, Holland, Australia, Mexico and Hungary.
1. LARS FROM 1-10 - Lars von Trier's most recent film, DANCER IN THE DARK, won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. From Denmark/UK/USA. Also including: TINY SUNBATHERS (Belgium), DER RABE (THE RAVEN) (Germany), IMAGES OF KOREA (Korea), SUPERSTITION (Mexico), ARLING AND CAMERON: MUSIC FOR IMAGINARY FILMS (Holland) and HIP HOP: THE NEW WORLD ORDER (International). |
120 min. | October 3, 2000 |
| 2 | International Release 2 features filmmaker commentary, alternate audio tracks, additional and bonus tracks, production notes, interactive menus, hyperlinks to filmmaker's websites and more. Where else could any one see this all together? Nowhere.
Portrait: Jane Campion and the Portrait of a Lady (International)- In this hour-long, unusually extensive and intimate study of a filmmaker, Jane Campion directs Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey, Shelley Winters, and Richard E. Grant. Irish Actors: Brosnan and Byrne (Ireland)- In these remarkably candid interviews, Pierce Brosnan and Gabriel Byrne talk about their identities as Irish actors and reveal how their accents have hurt their careers. Viewer interactive. First Person Singular: I.M. Pei (International)- World-renowned Chinese architect I.M. Pei tells the secret of his success in this excerpt from the award-winning full-length documentary. Gabriel (Belgium)- A beautiful film about a boy named Gabriel who believes he's a real angel. Kaal (France, India) - A poignant portrayal of the life of a humble Indian shoemaker who practices his trade on the streets of Bombay. With director commentary. Kite (Hong Kong)- This stunning blend of traditional and 3-D animation was inspired by William Turner's artwork. Director commentary and additional tracks describe the animation process. Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Before playing live in Austin, TX, this hilarious Welsh band explains their wacky name and reputation. |
120 min. | December 5, 2000 |
| 3 | The third "issue" of the remarkable short video series SHORT INTERNATIONAL features the Academy Award winning Scottish film "Franz Kafka's It's A Wonderful Life." The film stars acclaimed British actor Richard E. Grant (WITHNAIL AND I) as a man who wakes up to find he has turned into a very large banana. In addition the short documentary "Guggenheim Bilboa Museum" features its architect Frank Gehry as narrator the indie pop bands Tahiti 80 and Mojave 3 give live performances and interviews with two acclaimed film directors Michael Apted (THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH) and Constantin Costa-Gavras (MISSING) " are all included. Finally four comparably innovative and exciting short films are included all of which prove that the short film will always be a medium for visual and narrative experimentation. | 100 min. | March 6, 2001 |
Notes and references
Key talent involved were producers Aparna Bakhle, Mara Schwartz, Kim Adelman, Jonathan Stearns, Tara Veneruso and many more dedicated team.