FilmG – the Gaelic Short Film Competition – will be taking to the road this week to round up the Highlands and Islands’ budding filmmakers, and steer them towards making something of themselves.
The FilmG competition encourages anyone interested in discovering their film-making potential to get rolling. Films can fit any genre – drama, horror, comedy, documentary, experimental, sport, or even music video – and the best films could win as much as £5,000. There is however a pot of £30,000 available, with sizeable prizes for best film, script, performance, production and the like.
Winners of the best film category will also have the chance to make their film again, this time will all of the best advice and technology available – and see it aired on the new Gaelic TV channel.
Last week, FilmG project manager Flòraidh Forrest was out and about at the HebCelt festival in Stornoway; and this week Cailean Collier is searching for talent in Uist and Barra.
Cailean will be at the South Uist Highland Games, and he plans to do the same at the North Uist event in Hosta. From there, Cailean will be checking out the artistic merits of BarraFest, trying to find the creative types in amongst the fans.
Flòraidh explained that those who are worried about their skills in either production or Gaelic should still give it a go.
“We have brought in the mobile phone short option to show that we’re not looking for finished polished pieces,” explained Flòraidh. “With mobiles especially, the quality is quite rough, but we are not looking for superb quality. What we are looking for is the ideas.”
FilmG’s five themes are designed to plant the seed of an idea for all those wondering where to begin – but they are open to interpretation, adds Flòraidh.
“We wanted to give people a starting point, but we didn’t want to be too closed off with it; so we came up with different themes that would give people ideas of where to start,” she said. “For example ‘Chlisg mi’ (Yikes!) can be a horror or a comedy.”
Following the themes is not essential, though some awards will be given for the best interpretation of them. The five FilmG themes are Tubaist (Collision), Chlisg Mi (Yikes!), Oidche Shathairne (Saturday Night), Aodainn ùra, Aiteachan ùra (New Faces, New Places), and Sorcha ‘s Dorcha (Dark and Light).
“You don’t have to follow the themes, but some of the prizes will be at least partly judged on the interpretation of the theme – and part of the prize for the winning film-makers will be the possibility of developing the film for the new Gaelic channel,” said Flòraidh.
For more information, see www.filmg.co.uk or email fios@filmg.co.uk.