We Made A Short Xmas Film That Is Not Really About The Spirit Of Xmas

A very short Xmas film that is not really about the spirit of Xmas.

Suisock is a short film about the meaninglessness of a tragic event.

We made this film in 2019, planning to release it soon after during Xmas. After 20-something screenings in a few film theatres in Amsterdam it was set out to do festivals and more screenings and what not. However, as with many intended events, Covid messed up a lot of that. So here it is now, I hope you like it.

Even though it's just under 2 minutes, I wrote some 7 or 8 versions of it. It started out with a father and a daughter and never went into the gallery, but I felt something was lacking. It needed a more meaning, another layer to make it more than a moving version of the illustration.

As I walked the streets of Amsterdam I passed a public photo exhibition where people were walking past the most amazing or unsettling images without blinking an eye. Eating their sandwich, looking at their phones. This somehow reminded me of a moment in art school, where one student asked for feedback on their poster design but was only critiqued for the quality of the printer. These two moments became this idea of the disinterest in the story behind the works of art we see and consuming tragedy as mere flat visuals.

As I didn't want to be the old guy who scoffs a younger generation for being glued to their phones I set the second part in an art gallery, where people can show equal superficial interest.

I hope I make sense.

This are Klaas, the art director and William, the producer. We're trying to figure out if this ludicrous idea will work at all.

I wanted the set to reference the original illustration, which is an attic. But attics are not good for filmmaking, especially not when you need the lights to be outside, you have 10 meters of dolly track and a close to zero budget. So we were very lucky that we got this golden tip pretty much as our first option.

That's Bas, the DP, by the way.

Because we needed the whole length of the artist studio to tell the story in our movement, we had to place all the grip outside. Here's Mike, who pushed this monstrosity back and forth the whole day. In the rain. In October. He's the man.

The painting in the film is done by Sasja Wagenaar, she's a painter (obviously) and also the owner of the location.

This is my girlfriend, her feet being photographed as the example for the painting.

I know that sounds ridiculous, but it truly was one of the hardest decision. Do I go with this flashy red and green? Or do I tone it down and make it more serious? Maybe even use white socks? Or do we use funny socks? with pizza slices?

Those dangling feet are from Marybelle, who sat there all day, dropping feet on cue.

The voice of the mother is Judith, as you can see she takes the voice acting so serious she holds a paint brush. I dig that.

We had to match the camera movement in the artist studio to the movement in the gallery. Nearly impossible without motion control, but Pablo, who did the VFX rescued us. Once again.

It doesn't really make sense to have a poster for a 2 minute film, but it's a nice way to show the credits in some context.

Here's to all the wonderful people who made this possible. Thank you.

And to the Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst for their financial contribution.

In the world of filmmaking, sometimes the essence of a project transcends mere visuals. The short film Suisock confronts viewers with an exploration of societal disinterest in tragedy, akin to the way art is consumed without genuine engagement. This thematic portrayal resonates with the idea of finding deeper meaning within mental health struggles, as seen in Artur Studans' illustrations.

For those interested in understanding the connection between art and personal emotion, exploring how spirit animals in art can help mirror our emotional battles might offer further insights.