Last year, Sony organized the One Minute Film Competition as a space for creators to express themselves. This competition started on October 1st, 2023, with submissions closed on December 31st, 2023. Over the course of those three months, there were more than 300 films submitted to participate, proofing that the up-and-coming, creative-minded cinematographers are eager to express themselves, and more importantly, to gain valuable experience for their own growth.

The winners of this competition were announced in a Film Screening & Winner Awarding Event held on March 8th, 2024, at CGV Cinemas, Grand Indonesia Mall, Jakarta. The judging panel consisted of experienced and renowned directors, Bagoes Tresna Adji, Fajar Bustomi, and Upie Guava, awarded “Yok Shooting Yok!” by Igy Yuniandri as the winner and “The Endline” by Faiz Fathurrohman as the runner-up. Let’s hear it from them! 

The Source of Inspiration

Both films were inspired by the creators’ feelings of restlessness. While “Yok Shooting Yok!” talks about the toxic environment in the film industry, “The Endline” focuses more on the environmental and social issues. Igy said, “We want to express our restlessness and fear of the film industry's toxic environment. We are worried that our lives as filmmakers will not be long if this situation is normalized.” Meanwhile, Faiz reflected on his own real-life experience and said, “In October 2023, there was an emergency in Yogyakarta, due to the Piyungan landfills being overcapacity. That caused the city to be very dirty as people started to throw their garbage away in the streets. That situation made me think that the problem did not only lie in the garbage but also the overpopulation. Over time, we are the ones that destroy the earth, our own home.” 

The Creative Process

Faiz initially created the film as part of his school project but he wanted it to have a bigger impact by submitting his work to participate in the competition. “‘The Endline’ started as a school project with ‘Less Pollution, Maintain Population’ as the main message. However, I wanted this film to have a wider validation and decided to submit this film to participate in Sony’s One Minute Film Competition. So, I had to improve the concept of the original film and make it adhere to the competition’s regulations, i.e. make it a short film with a one-minute duration.”

For Igy, the creative process of making the film was fun. He said, “The process was very collaborative because the main idea of this film sits very close to our hearts as filmmakers. All members of the crew shared their ideas and we put them all together in this film. As for the technical process, we started by creating a proof of concept in the form of a videoboard to make sure that the message was delivered in the story. This helped our shooting process run in an efficient and effective way.” 

The Production Challenges

Yes, even for a film with just one minute duration, the creators must face various challenges during the production stage. For Igy, he and his team had to be very meticulous about scheduling. “We had 65 shots scheduled in one day. It put pressure on us to finish the shooting without going overtime and creating an unhealthy production environment. Also, we didn’t have adequate locations to shoot. We had to figure out how to tell different stories in the same location. We are very grateful for having a reliable Art and VFX team who can solve that,” Igy said as he explained the challenges he had to face.

Faiz, on the other hand, had a very tough experience with the shooting location. “One of the challenges we had to face was figuring out how to fit such huge themes and issues into a one-minute film. But the biggest challenge was the situation at our shooting location: the Piyungan landfills. The air there was so uncomfortable that we had to wear two layers of face masks. A strategy of efficiency was our answer; we had to choose the shooting location very carefully and use the correct treatment for the equipment based on the shooting location. I am very grateful for the professionalism and integrity of our actor. He kept his focus on playing his role and he didn’t wear any masks so the scenes looked more authentic. This helped us maintain our quality even when we had to be in such unfavorable conditions,” said Faiz. 

The One-Minute Limit 

The short duration is the main challenge in this competition. Is it easy? Both Igy and Faiz agreed: no. 

“The duration limit was a challenge of its own. Figuring out how to tell a coherent, cohesive, complete, and entertaining story was harder than you can imagine,” said Igy. Agreeing with Igy, Faiz said, “Fitting such a huge theme in a 60-second film was a demanding challenge. We had to spend more time writing and editing to make sure that every second and every scene offered maximum value and relevance. However, through intensive collaboration, we could do it without losing the essence of the story.” 

Message for Other Filmmakers 

Both talented creators shared their message with their fellow filmmakers. “I would like to encourage my colleagues to consistently learn about storytelling so we can produce something that is not only entertaining but also enlightening and offering a positive impact on society,” said Faiz. Meanwhile, mimicking Donald Trump, Igy exclaimed, “Let’s make filmmaking fun again!”

Sony's support for cinematographers goes beyond just providing state-of-the-art filmmaking equipment; it's about fostering a culture of creativity and artistic expression. This competition is one way to realize this idea. We send our thanks to all participants and congratulations to the winners. See you next time!