The Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival takes over the Music Box Theatre for two shows on Thursday — with 36 short comedies in all by local filmmakers. One of the longest is “Bartholomew Whoops and the Bad, Bad Ball,” clocking in at 9 minutes; the shortest is “Broken Tattoo” at 30 seconds.
Now, in the last year I have blown more hours than I care to admit staring into the online void that is YouTube.com, the Web site where thousands of video clips and original comedy shorts are posted by unknowns and the famous alike.
At a time when viral video has become the norm, what does the future hold for local events like this?
The relevance of the festival — an annual, juried competition currently in its 9th year — is a delicate subject to broach with its producer Marion Sours. How do you ask a person if her efforts and passions have become obsolete?
I shouldn’t have worried; Sours isn’t.
“I don’t regard YouTube or similar video Web sites as competitive to this festival, because they accept videos from across the nation, or the world,” she wrote in an e-mail interview. “[Our festival] is only open to Chicago residents. That’s what makes this festival unique. The purpose behind this festival is to help build up the film industry in this city by increasing publicity for locally made works.”
And in all fairness, it’s not like Sours is gouging the public. Tickets are only $10, and there’s the added benefit of an animated social atmosphere, as opposed to solitude of your computer. The fest also schedules guest speakers, and this year’s lineup includes i.O.’s Charna Halpern, Chicago filmmaker Tom Palazzolo (“Bartholomew Whoops”) and local journalist Jack Helbig.
“This is the only place that I know of where a lot of these films can be seen,” says David Pasquesi, who co-stars with improv partner T.J. Jagodowski in “Must Like Magic,” a 5-minute, sepia-toned riff on silent movies they made with filmmaker Steve Stein.
“If they’re being seen on the Internet, great,” he continues. “But there’s nothing like sitting in a theater, in the dark, with a bunch of people, seeing a movie.”
“There is this perception that people have that film happens only in L.A. or New York,” explains Stein, who works as an editor at the post-production house Cutters. “I don’t know how much attention it gets outside of Chicago, but I do it for the fun of it. You don’t want to make a film and have it be your little secret. You want people to see it.”
Specifically, he’s referring to communal atmosphere of a movie theater. “Film is essentially dead until an audience sees it. The audience is what makes a film. The laughter becomes infectious.”
The key to the festival’s success, as Sours sees it, is the brevity of the films. “Comedy shorts are a natural for this city because you have filmmakers working in the advertising industry, who are skilled in making short films, and who are drawn to making comedies in their spare time. And, as well, there are many comic actors, writers and directors trained at Second City, i.O. and the Annoyance who are interested in making films, but have tight budgets.”
By day, Steve Delahoyde works at the ad agency and design firm Coudal Partners. In his free time, he creates shorts with friend Wakiza Gamez, and they have two films featured in this year’s fest. “We’ve made hundreds of these stupid things to amuse ourselves,” he says.
A title card at the start of one of their films, “Our Day,” explains the premise: “Waki and Steve’s Day Set To An Uptempo Song, Complete With Telling Lyrics.” They shot the video, a series of non-sequitur mini-scenes, in Gamez’s apartment, in which they perform actions that match the lyrics of their original ditty, including, “There is Waki in his bed!/ He really loves to toss and turn!” It’s oddball nonsense that nonetheless brings a smile to your face. And the thing is only a minute in length.
While all the festival’s films are brief, there is no set style or genre that defines a comedy short. Of the 18 films included in each program, some are cerebral chin-strokers, while others have a sharply written, unexpected humor–the kind that defines some of TV’s best commercials. “Must Like Magic” exists in a universe of retro silliness, bizarre human interactions and magic mumbo-jumbo.
The films go by quick, so if you don’t like one, another short is just around the bend. “It is a festive atmosphere,” says Pasquesi. Like many others, he is a repeat contributor. “I do it every year. It’s just a blast.”
There’s no ulterior motive–no one’s looking to get discovered. They’re doing it just for kicks. Which means, you just might be wowed.
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WHEN: Shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday
WHERE: The Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave.
PRICE: $10 per show; tickets in advance at TicketWeb, 866-468-3401 or www.ticketweb.com; and the box office on the day of the show.
MORE INFORMATION: Contact 312-409-8710 or www.witsendshorts.com.
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FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
The one-day festival has an early and late show, each with its own content — a different speaker and lineup of movies.
7:30 p.m.
The speaker: Charna Halpern, director of i.O. and former creative partner of the late Del Close.
Movies we previewed:
Untitled — A film from Adam McKay (“Anchorman” and the forthcoming “Talladega Nights”) starring Bill Kurtis and Tina Fey that seems self-serving until you realize it was created as an intro to i.O.’s anniversary show last year at the Chicago Theatre. Spoofing “American Justice,” it investigates the theater as a cult.
“Reading PSA” — John Shane and Chris Tucker shot this one-minute ode to public service announcements in the subway portion of the El, starring a flannel-shirted slacker in blue-tinted sunglasses. For such a short film, there’s an awful lot of buildup before a disappointing payoff.
Also at the early show:
“Skull” (Tom Herman and Dave Belden, 4 minutes)
“Broken Tattoo” (John Curtis, 30 seconds)
“Divorce Lemonade” (Justin Hayward, 6 minutes)
“Procura” (Live on Tape Delay, 1 minute)
“Auteur” (Bill Palmer, 5 minutes)
“Children’s Story” (Wakiza Gamez, 4 minutes)
“Who’s on First: the Movie” (Monsters from the id, 3 minutes)
“Interview” (Martin Shannon, 9 minutes)
“Text Fight” (David Weathersby, 3 minutes)
“Lemmings” (Ron Fleischer, 8 minutes)
“Peeaa-nut?” (Matt Chapman and Peter Grosz, 3 minutes)
“Motor Man” (Dale Chapman, 4 minutes)
“Three-Dollar Baby” (Bongsoo Joseph Ko and Junghyun Lee, 8 minutes)
“Post Apocalyptic Weatherman” (John Shane and Chris Tucker, 1 minute)
“Crimes in the Night” (Jason Adams and Ben Mayer, 5 minutes)
“Bird For Lunch” (Chad Kodiak and Andy Ross, 1 minute)
9:30 p.m.
The speakers: filmmaker Tom Palazzolo and journalist Jack Helbig
Movies we previewed:
“Must Like Magic” — David Pasquesi and T.J. Jagodowski — who perform weekly at i.O. — created an old-timey silent movie about a magician looking for an apprentice. Director Steve Stein scripted, shot and edited the film.
“Our Day” — Friends since high school, Steve Delahoyde and Wakiza Gamez filmed themselves acting out a series of mundane, non-sequitur activities, while an upbeat acoustic guitar song plays on the soundtrack. It’s goofy, makes no sense, and is oddly entertaining.
“Womb Treats” — Created by Monsters of the id Productions (a.k.a. Joe Kreml and Jeff Madden), the short is a commercial parody — similar in tone and tepid comedy to those seen on “Saturday Night Live” — touting a line of flavored snacks for your unborn baby.
Also at the late show:
“Bartholomew Whoops and the Bad, Bad Ball” (Tom Palazzolo, 9 minutes)
“Audition” (Tom Herman and Dave Belden, 4 minutes)
“How to Escape From a Straightjacket” (Leigh Jurecka, 4 minutes)
“La Ardilla” (Jim Finn, 2 minutes)
“Hang in There” (Jeff Hadick and Becky Nelson, 9 minutes)
“Just Try to Leave Us” (Eric Francque and Eric Trainor, 1 minute)
“Fung Tsao Theories” (Wenhwa Ts’ao, 6 minutes)
“Pony” (George Eckart, 1 minute)
“Wordsmith” (M.T. Cozzola, 4 minutes)
“Depression” (Steve Delahoyde and Wakiza Gamez, 1 minute)
“Coffee Break” (Larry Ziegelman, 4 minutes)
“The Guys” (Amon McCall, 9 minutes)
“They’re Coming to America” (Rusty Nails, 4 minutes)
“Sneezing Game” (John Curtis, 1 minute)
“Free For All” (Actual Effects, 6 minutes)
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TIPS FOR GOING
– BY CAR: The Music Box Theatre is located on Southport Avenue, a few blocks northwest of Wrigley Field. There is metered street parking on Southport (often scarce), or Music Box customers can park one block north at the Blaine Elementary School; corner of Grace and Southport; $10 with validation.
– BY CTA: Take the Brown Line train to the Southport stop, walk three blocks north to the theater. By bus from the north and south, take Route No. 22 Clark and exit at Grace, walk three blocks west; or Route No. 9 Ashland to Grace, three blocks east. From the east and west, take Route No. 152 Addison and exit at Southport, walk one block north.
– RESTAURANTS: You’re in luck, the theater is shoulder-to-shoulder with many good spots to eat. J-Thai (3819 N. Southport Ave.; 773-883-8683) has Thai and Japanese cuisine. Cullen’s Bar & Grill (3741 N. Southport Ave.; 773-975-0600) is an Irish tavern with full menu. Take Five (3747 N. Southport Ave.; 773-871-5555) is a bar that took over the Strega Nona space; everything on the menu is $5. Tango Sur (3763. N Southport Ave., 773-477-5466) may be the city’s hottest Argentine grill, though waits are often long and the restaurant refuses reservations. And after the show, you can’t beat Dairy Queen (3811 N. Southport Ave.; 773-857-7004), open until 11 p.m. weeknights.
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onthetown@tribune.com
