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DramaComedyDocumentaryAnimationExperimentalMusic
School Of Life
Jake Polonsky
average rating from 37 members 
       
drama | 2003 | London | 7 min
Published 08 Feb 06
This will be the most important lesson of your life. Maybe the only important lesson.
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synopsis
This will be the most important lesson of your life. Maybe the only important lesson.
short fact
The idea of directing something came partly from my friend Andy Shelley – Andy had been on the sound design course at the RCA, and we’d made some shorts together that he’d directed. He once commented to me that he’d learned more about sound from making his own film than from all the films he’d contributed to as sound designer. I was interested to see what I might learn about cinematography from the experience of directing a film that I didn’t shoot myself.

Having worked on many short films I wanted to find a project that I knew would be fundamentally achievable if I couldn’t get any external funding. It sounds a bit reductive I guess but I’d seen very ambitious films that simply couldn’t be achieved with the production facilities available to them, and if I was going to pull in all my friends to work on it, I didn’t want them to hate me for it at the end.

I read the script and thought it was about something, and it meant something to me personally – it felt like it conveyed some sort of universal truth without being pretentious. And it was kind of funny in a dark way, and sad. In short, I thought it was a very good piece of writing.

Unfortunately my friend Andy Shelley was planning to direct it. So I begged, bullied and persuaded him to let me have a crack at it. Which he eventually did, for which I am very grateful.
crew
  • director Jake Polonsky
  • writer Malachi Smyth
  • producer Malachy McAnenny, Richard Weager, Jake Polonsky
  • editor Martin Swannell
  • director of photography Haris Zambarloukos
  • music Chris Elliott
  • 1st AD Olivia Peniston-Bird
  • 2nd AD Casey Levie
  • runners Marcia Kleinhans, Luke Fredberg,
    Adrianna Tsigara & Ben Croucher
  • school liaisons Lin Instone, Luke Jones
  • stills photographer Brock Elbank
  • make up & costume Madeleine Van Groeningen
  • focus puller Rupert Hornstein
  • clapper/ loader Charlotte Ginsborg
  • grip Philip Coleman
  • steadicam Dion Casey
  • gaffer Reuben Garrett
  • sound recordist Julian Bale
  • art director Rebecca Pilkington
  • associate producers Alex O’Neal &
    Olga Gimeno
  • cast
    • Stanley Nick Stockwell
    • Garth Jack Doolan
    • Gordon Jonathan Readwin
    • Miss Given Susan Lynch
    format
    35mm/Super 35
    © 2003 Jake Polonsky

    comments

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    comment by Nick  Barrett
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    posted Jan 5, 2008

    Beautifully shot, the cinematography is top notch (which you would expect from someone with a longstanding career in advertising), but not only that, this short film stands out through it's simple/cryptic story. Anything that purports to give 'the meaning of life' is bound to raise some discussion and controversy, particularly on a site such as this, but for me the last line is as shallow or as deep as you'd like to read into, and there in lies the beauty of this film, it really doesn't give you everything on a plate.
    The acting from all concerned was superb, the lead in particular, playing a kind of everyman that we can all relate to. The run through a hauntingly quiet school was superbly done, and had such a dejavu dream quality that I'm sure we can all relate to (everyone must remember those long corridors with the double doors...). For me this is one of the best shorts i've seen on this site, haunting and memorable, I guess the director has had a huge amount of experience working in the industry prior to this which gives him a leg up on most short film makers, even so this is five star filmmaking and I look forward to a future feature from this director.

    comment by sarah  trigg
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    posted Sep 25, 2007

    I thought the acting in the film is truly superb. Outstanding performance from the boy who played Stanley. He should be in Hollywood...

    comment by Harvey  Eaton
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    posted Jul 18, 2006

    Very well done, great cinematography as well as a great idea.

    comment by a  anon
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    posted Jun 7, 2006

    There is little I can say but- I LOVE THIS FILM!

    comment by steve  dexter
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    posted Jun 2, 2006

    Very very good.

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    • Listing on www.britfilms.com
    • www.network-irl-tv.com
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    Network Ireland Television

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    • Teenage Kicks
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