The contents of this page have been moved. Please see this page for more information on The Creative Process' short film collaborations.

The Creative Process is pleased to announce that we are collaborating with leading film schools, writers, and the non-profit initiative Storyvid on the creation of short films.

If you are a young filmmaker, film or art student and would like to get involved, please contact us. We are currently engaged in a number of collaborations with universities, film and art schools. If you are enquiring on behalf of your institution, we would be delighted to send you more details about this educational initiative.

There are many ways to participate, including:
– making your own short film or animation based on the stories of eminent writers
– collectively working on a film by contributing frames/short clip which will be incorporated into a larger collaboration
– other cross-genre collaborations

The completed short films will be shown at selected universities participating in The Creative Process exhibition and/or other venues showcasing Storyvids.

FAQ

SOME OF THE SHORT FILMS WHICH HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY ADAPTED FROM STORIES
Below is a short selection of stories and poems available for adaptation into short films. To find out more about this initiative or the full list of available works, have your university or school get in touch with us.

What Do We Have in Our Pockets

Debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival
A most unusual love story unravels when the objects in a young man's pockets come to life. 

Written and Directed by Goran Dukic
Story by Etgar Keret
Starring: Azazel & Diaz Jacobs
Producer: Mikal Lazarev
Production Designer: Linda Sena
Cinematographer: Tobias Datum
Music: Bobby Johnston
Animators: Mike Johnson, Linda Sena, Goran Dukic

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Love Is Blind and Deaf
Directed by Gur Bentwich
Story by Jonathan Safran-Foer
Animation by Ofra Kobliner
Soundtrack Editor: Yoav Brill

This film is viewable on the video community page of the New Yorker:

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A Natural Disaster
Based on a story by Lydia Davis, the film depicts a surreal, symbolic deconstruction of the society through the eyes of a little girl.
Directed by Lior Har-Lev
Written by Lydia Davis
Cinematographer: Roman Linetsky
Editor: Eran Rotem
Soundtrack Editor: Keren-Or Biton

For more details
View film

Tattoos of Tomorrow
Directed by Nir Bergman
Story by Ben Marcus
Director: Nir Bergman
Producer: Hamutal Gur
Cinematographer: Yoav Shapiro
Soundtrack Editor: Nimrod Yona

More details can be found on the Israeli Film Center website. 

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The Woman Who Wanted to Kill Someone
Story by Orly Castel-Bloom
Directing and Production: Ronnie Kidder
Cinematography: Ziv Berkowitz
Starring: Hen Yanni

View film
password: castelbloom

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The Woman Who Wanted to Kill Someone
Story by Orly Castel-Bloom

Directed by Bettina Blümner
Cinematography: Eva Katharina Bühler
Starring: Carlotta Von Falkenhayn

View film
password: blumner3112

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CLIPS FROM VARIOUS STORYVIDS
password: selection858
Not all filmed stories are available online.

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Zoo Train Station
Story by Anja Tuckermann
Israel-Germany 2015
Directed by Shira Geffen
Produced by Keren Michael
Cinematography: Ziv Berkovich
Starring: Bar Sade

View film
password: selection858

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The Hollow Men
Story by Etgar Keret
Directed by Miki Polonski
Produced by Tamar Goren
Cinematography: Ilya Marcus
Starring: David H̱rpwb, David Khrapov, Michael Korol

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Look out!
Story by Günther Conrad
Israel 2015, 5 and a half minutes, German
Directed by Yael Hersonski | Production: Me Ken Thor oh kenyang Tor | Music: Yishai Acer Ishai Adar | Voiceover: Alma Kaspi

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Zoo Train Station
Story by Anja Tuckermann
Germany 2015
Directed by Lih Janowitz
Starring: Beate Lehmann, Andreas Radar Beata Lehmann, Andreas Herder
Bitter-sweet story about autumn and sickness in Berlin. Marie wakes up alone. She's getting on a train. Thoughts and memories of Richard occupy her as she travels between stops. He's sitting and waiting for her. Will she come? Will she be late?

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The Hollow Men
Story by Etgar Keret
Directing, painting and editing: Peter Nestler
Production: Kintopp hb, Peter Nestler
Music: Alban Berg
Israel-Sweden 2015

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Opportunity
Story by Enoch Levin
Directing/Animation: Tatia Rosenthal
Music: Christopher Bowen
Voiceover: Tzachi Grad
View film
password: selection858

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What Do We Have in Our Pockets?
Story by Etgar Keret
Direction/Animation: Mia Funk
Edited by Piotr Ryczko
Animated with the assistance of The Creative Process / Pure Imagination Program
animation in progress

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What Do We Have in Our Pockets?
Story by Etgar Keret
Directed by Shira Geffen

View film
password: selection858

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Selected stories by Etgar Keret, Orly Castel-Bloom, Alex Epstein, and other writers available for interpretation on request. Through our network of participating universities and literary magazines, The Creative Process has a variety of stories covering a range of themes. Recent adaptations focus on the work of Bruno Schulz, Stanislaw Lem, and Wisława Szymborska.

Other Cross-genre Opportunities include poetry, dance, and visual art collaborations.

A selection of poems/prose poetry is also available for adaptation.
Here is a short film inspired by a poem written by our team member Jane McKie of the University of Edinburgh.
It is an adaptation of "Leper Windown/St. Mary the Virgin" which won the inaugural Edwin Morgan Poetry Prize.

We are currently adapting some stories for dance performances which will be filmed and included in our short film series.

Transformative Learning - Films Documenting Social and Educational Initiatives
The Creative Process is also participating in a number of community initiatives, including the screening and making of short films and documentaries on social issues (the refugee crisis, inner city schools, homelessness, Alzheimer’s, the disabled and their caregivers) in order to share the stories of people who might not otherwise be heard. The aim of these initiatives, as with other aspects of the project, is always active participation over passive entertainment. Selected films will be shown as part of the projection elements of the traveling exhibition and diffused by our A/V media partners. If you have made films on social issues or would like to get involved in this process, contact us.

Last year we piloted the Pure Imagination Inner City High School Program, which has been endorsed by linguist, social critic, and MIT Professor Emeritus Noam Chomsky. As with our university program, our aim is to give students an opportunity to tell their stories, build confidence and engage with leading writers and thinkers, igniting their own creative process. Our goal is to engage 100+ high schools across the US and Europe by the end of 2018. Essays written for The Creative Process are currently being adapted for college applications. Stills from the Making It Home films made by our team members in Edinburgh with the participation of the Maryhill Integration Network and Women Supporting Women. The project grew from two of the Refugee Survival Trust's aims: to raise public awareness of issues affecting refugees and asylum seekers, and to help build greater integration and understanding between local Scottish people and those who have come from abroad seeking sanctuary. 

SUBMISSION FORM

PARTICIPATING WRITERS

What is the recommended length for short films?
StoryVid looks for stories that don't exceed 500 words since a normal narration for this length lasts around 5 minutes. StoryVid is the literary parallel to the music video and, as such, we believe it should be short in order to "hold" a spectator in this era of constant stimulation. The rule is the shorter the better. The best StoryVids are made from stories of 200 words or half a page, but a full page can also yield an interesting interpretation. However, The Creative Process screens films of varying lengths, so some filmmakers opt to produce an abridged StoryVid and an alternative longer version.

I'm a writer, but don't have anything under 500 words.
It's okay. Those are the guidelines, but films have been made from slightly longer stories. Note that it may take longer to complete your film or pair your story with a director.

I don't have a story of that length, but I have a poem or passage.
Poems and self-contained passages are welcome. You may have a monolog, dramatic piece or essay which could be appropriate. The format is flexible as long as your piece tells a story and has some sense of completion.

What kind of pieces work best?
Visual pieces without too much abstract language and non-linear writing tend to work best. We like to film pieces which have already been written. We find that when a writer creates a work specifically for this format they sometimes change their voice and something essential gets lost. Of course, you may wish to abridge or excerpt a previously written piece to fit our format. This is welcome.

PARTICIPATING DIRECTORS, STUDENTS, UNIVERSITIES

My university is participating in your project. How many videos would you like to get made? Should we aim for less or more?
There is no limit as to how many films you may make. We will provide the stories and, in some cases, the voice overs. We welcome various interpretations of the same story as this becomes an interesting experiment in creativity, seeing the different ways directors approach the same story.

If you feel it is better to have many students/directors collaborate on fewer films, or more students do their own films, this is your choice. There is no restriction to the number. Feel free to experiment with different styles. Students may even try more casual films made from their smartphones, for instance. Or opt higher production values.

Is there a selection of texts from which the filmmakers/animators can choose?
A selection of stories which may be adapted are on this page. In some cases, we submit your request to writers before you can begin your interpretation.
This is a small selection of available stories which have already been filmed. We will be adding to this list in the coming weeks. Students/directors can check back to the page to see new stories that are available or send us an email for the full list. You may also propose writers who you think will be good for this process, as some universities are doing. All of this helps increase the diversity of the films.

Is there a preference towards any format? Film/animation or anything else?
No bias. We have also just began collaboration on a dance performance based on stories which we will film. So interpretation is open.

Think about it like a music video. The film is an open interpretation: it can be animation, dance, one person looking at the camera singing... whatever the director felt while listening to the story.

What are the timeframes these videos should be made? Is there a schedule we are aiming for? Some specific dates/event?
The timeframe is flexible. Directors should feel they have time to produce their best work. As we have many diffusion venues through different universities, etc., if a film is not ready for one exhibition, it can be shown at another. Some may enter their films in international competitions. (StoryVid was shown at Sundance and other international venues). So then, of course, those deadlines apply.