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DramaComedyDocumentaryAnimationExperimentalMusic
Telling Lies
Simon Ellis
average rating from 45 members 
       
comedy | 2000 | East Midlands | 4 min
Published 22 Nov 05
A comedy of errors and erroneous information told entirely in animated captions.
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very strong language
synopsis
A funny tale of modern manners and communication breakdown is told entirely in animated captions.
short fact
The idea for the film hit me when I sat through a festival screening of a poorly-subtitled Spanish film. Simple spelling mistakes made serious scenes amusing, and by the time the screening had finished I had decided on the premise, the amount of characters, and even their 'colours'.

I wrote the script that same evening while I was kept awake by the snoring of a filmmaker I was sharing a room with. Returning home all excited, I pitched it for two separate commissions and was rejected for both, meeting some fierce resistance and harsh feedback along the way.

It is still the most successful out of my fifteen shorts, so the moral of the story is: if the funders say no, make it anyway.
crew
cast
  • Tim Cunningham
  • Sarah Tutt
  • Juliet Jones
  • Shaun Mechen
  • Penn Linfield
format
Super 8
© 2000 Simon Ellis & Network Ireland Television

comments
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comment by Jack  Boyles
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posted Nov 12, 2008

That was great, made me laugh out in one of my senimars.
Nice simple idea but very effective, inspirational.
comment by Susan  Stewart
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posted Mar 29, 2008

God, that was brilliant!

What a crackin' idea.

Am so jealous.

comment by Account Cancelled -  New User with former account
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posted Feb 24, 2007

I'm surprised that I managed to read the subtitles and listen to the contrasting conversations at the same time.
comment by Luke  Flegg
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posted Feb 15, 2007

you bloody persistant genius! im glad you stuck it through, this is completely original and totally captivating
comment by Jason  Skinner
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posted Nov 17, 2006

Another li'l Gem, sometimes we all say things on the phone that are diffrent to what we are thinking and this just sums it up.

Well done Simon I loved it.
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other films by this director
What About The Bodies
comedy
useful links
world sales & distribution by
Network Ireland Television

funded by
EM Media

selected by
This film was selected by Brief Encounters Short Film Festival

more shorts with similar themes

This film is included in the film catalogue under the following themes:

Brief Encounters


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