Saturday, June 18, 2016

Short Film Spotlight: PROJECT ARBITER


Welcome back to another installment of SHORT FILM SPOTLIGHT.  This week, we take a look at the WWII sci-fi film...PROJECT ARBITER.


Here's the synopsis:

1943. Thousands of feet above Northern Europe a small plane carries a skeleton crew of the Allies best, including special operative captain Joseph Colburn. His handler, major Thomas Hardy does a final review of the mission's grim intel: infiltrate a mysterious villa on the Polish border and uncover its secrets. Colburn emerges donning a prototype suit, which can temporarily render its user invisible. As the plane's bay doors howl open Colburn begins to put on the skull-faced helmet when the plane is rocked by an anti-aircraft shell. Rapidly losing air pressure and altitude, now there's no question... This is a one-way mission.

Enjoy the show!



Project Arbiter is one of the best sci-fi short films I've came across.  It has a cool, sci-fi, steampunk feel to it, while also keeping the authentic feel of the time period in tact, and the action is done extremely well. I also thought the cinematography was fantastic.

Even though the film is only 20-minutes long, you really get a sense of what the characters are fighting for.  Being set during a war that actually took place probably helps with that, as most people have an idea of what was happening during that time.  However, adding a great sci-fi twist to the WWII war genre was great, and the writer/director, Michael Chance, managed to merge them perfectly.  I never once doubted the technology being in that time period because it was integrated so seemlessly that you'd swear it must have existed.  Chance recently produced a Star Wars short film, which I will be spotlighting next week.

Even the end credits are worth the watch, as they contain, what looks like, concept art for a possible sequel, showing events that may occur, including the appearance of a second suit and the inevitable showdown between the two.

This is definitely in my Top 5 favorite short films, and I can't wait to see what comes next in this world.  Will it be a second short film? Will it be a web series? Will a big studio pick it up and turn it into a feature?  Only time will tell, and I'll be eagerly waiting.

Also be sure to check out this awesome "Making Of" video:




If you have a short film or know of one you'd like to see featured on SHORT FILM SPOTLIGHT, please EMAIL me and don't forget to like and follow us on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram!!





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