3 Very Short Sci-Fi Films to Watch in a 30 Minute Lunch Break #SFL48hr

In the future we’ll all just be working harder for the man. So you need to use your break time to best effect. This post is designed to prepare you for the days when the hour long lunch break are dead and all you’ve got is 30 minutes to distract yourself from the hum drum reality of work.

The videos included in this are hand selected by me, for differing reasons, but mainly just because I like them and because they are all entries into a competition to make a sci fi movie in a weekend.

Sci Fi London 48hr Film Challenge

This is a really cool annual event held in London where contestants have to make an entire short film in 48hrs – from shooting to editing to uploading!

The contest has an illustrious legacy as Gareth Edwards took part in 2008 and went onto produce the film “Monsters.” It’s a film that became to the Sci Fi genre, what the Blair Witch Project became to the horror genre – namely a flagship production that shows that indie film makers can break into feature films and even make them on a shoestring budget.

Competition Rules

The twist is that the competing teams can’t just come up with anything. They are given the title of their film, a line of dialogue that a character must say and also a prop that must be in the film.

You’ll see the brief filmmakers received at the beginning of the short films below.

Anyway, without further ado, watch all the movies below. They are all quite different in style and tone but all worth your time! A lot of effort has gone into making them, so I’m sure they’ll appreciate a tweet on the #sfl14 hashtag in support.

Waiting for the World

The film reminds me of computer games like Fallout 3 and Metro Last Light. Where the radio provides incidental details on the universe in which the story inhabits, is almost like watching story telling techniques go full circle in their influence from films to computer games and from computer games back to films.

Honour is Everything

Honour is Everything is not only a great mini sci fi adventure done well, but it also reflects a fantastic use of the city of London. This futuristic, hanging gardens type environment is actually a real residential area in London called The Barbican.

Smokestack

I just really loved the performances in Smokestack and the “Buffy” or “Serenity” type feel of it. The story reminded me of the His Dark Material Books, in particular, The Subtle Knife (where Lyra finds the ‘conscious’ computer that’s a bit like the Alethiometer), and it also puts some derelict riverside areas of London (around Camden Lock, I think) to great use.