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Title: Busy Bee
Runtime: 11 min
Country: Cananda
Director: Myke Bakich
Placement: Honorable Mention
Synopsis: When a pleasant run in with an old friend quickly turns into an emotional roller coaster, Colette struggles with whether to hang on or let go of Lisa, a queen bee who’s just too busy.
OR: What was the inspiration for your film?
MB: Various experiences my wife Chandra and I have had with difficult people in our lives. I really enjoy moments in life and in film that are awkward and uncomfortable. When your not sure if your suppose to laugh, or its so wrong you need to, in order to attempt to handle a situation. It’s just the type of humor I adore. I’ve always loved live action films and wanted to make them.
OR: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?
MB: Busy Bee originated from a screenwriting exercise that I did for practice. I found it in a drawer a year later. Reread it, Chandra read it, and we both felt if developed further, we could turn it into a short. It’s been a long time dream of mine to make my own films and it felt like the right time to stop dreaming and start doing. It could have been completed much quicker, but with my full time work obligations, a shoe string budget, and not ever having made a short live action film before, we took about a year and a half to make it.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?
MB: I don’t find it very challenging at all. In fact I feel drawn to it. Maybe some might feel contained by the concise time frame and the creative economy required, but I enjoy it. My day job is in features and I look forward to making one myself in the days ahead, but I have so many ideas that lend themselves to the short format. I look forward to making many more.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?
MB: The hardest part was making it on evenings and weekends. It would be a dream to be a “working” director. I did so much running around picking up the rental car, equipment, tables, chairs, pylons etc. on days leading up to the shoot, that I was completely exhausted before the first take. I’m going to take a few days off work before the next one, I’ve learned that lesson.
OR: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?
MB: Just do it. You won’t know how to do everything, there’s lots of mistakes to make, but you’ll learn so much along the way. I love reading books, especially filmmaking ones but the deepest way to learn something is through experience. Be brave and have fun.