Films

'Dolly' is the story of a shop window mannequin who finds the love of her life on the internet, only to discover that he's hidden his real identity from her ... and his real identity is closer to home than she was expecting!

This humorous tale was filmed in Guernsey using the unique Straight 8 process. This requires film makers to shoot a short film on a single cartridge of super 8mm film that the Straight 8 team send out.

Lindsay and Chris await first screening.

Lindsay Henderson, who wrote and co-directed the film, explained that "the trick is that there's no editing". The film is sent back unedited and unprocessed, accompanied by an original soundtrack made without any visual reference. 

The film is very short (three minutes 20 seconds) and there's only one chance to use it. "It's a heck of a challenge," said co-director and cameraman Chris. The Straight 8 process means all film makers have an equal opportunity to succeed, as you can't rely on post-production to fix any mistakes.

The Straight 8 team, who put the visuals and soundtrack together, are the first to see the finished result. Film makers see their completed work for the first time if it's selected to play.

It's a scary process and Lindsay admitted they had a few last minute jitters before the first screening. Fortunately the audience's response to the film "was fantastic - we got some really good laughs during the film and they whooped at the end".

Film makers and fans gather at Cannes.

Both Lindsay and Chris made it to Cannes, where their film was screened at the Cannes Lions Film Festival on June 22. It was also screened at the Soho Shorts Festival in London on July 29. The film made it into the top 20 and is one of only nine films to be shown in both Cannes and London.

Asked what his advice was to budding film makers in Guernsey, Chris said "do it. Get hold of a cine camera ... get on the Straight 8 website and enter next year's competition. It's that simple!".