By Jameson Coleman, Staff Writer
As someone who enjoys watching plenty of short films, whether that be films with the budget of a blockbuster or ones made in a friend’s backyard, I can say I’ve certainly seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. A new short film titled Your Father Wants a New Son is a fairly locally made film with a low budget, and is made by people close in age to Eastern students. Director and writer Jan Winters is from Coweta and currently makes content on Youtube under the alias “SCUMSUPREME”. Winters’ Youtube and Instagram content has gained an exceptional following, and is nothing out of the ordinary from what you might find with other content creators. This short film breaks his cycle of parody videos and nonsensical comedy sketches and goes with a professional feel and a serious tone.
It is clear that this film is something the director was eager to make, and considering the contrast between this and his regular content, it is something he wants to be seen and appreciated. The film itself is set around a father who finds a new son to bond with, sparking jealousy within the true son. While this clearly wasn’t Winters’ first experience working with a camera and writing, it still feels like someone’s first work. The concept of the film is perfect for the budget they were working with and the budget was used nicely. Lighting, camera work, and the overall tone was consistent and looked much better than most short films on this level. My biggest gripes were with the acting and the script. Acting can be one of the most difficult things for a low budget director trying to make a film. Getting talent can be very difficult, so I understand why this was the weakest aspect and I will give the film a pass, what I cannot give a pass however is the script. The stale acting is not improved in any way with the script they were given. This is something that doesn’t take budget or scale, but instead practice and understanding of the audience. The idea behind the short film is certainly unique and could provide a great setting for an emotional plot, but the dialogue felt awkward and made certain scenes a bore to watch. Visually I was very impressed with this short film, and overall I thought it was of much higher quality than what I am used to seeing from people at this level.
I resonate most, not with the plot, but with the creation of the film. Knowing the creator is close to my age and makes content locally is something that gives me hope for my own future. I’d love to be making short films like this in the near future with other local talents. This film made me realize that it is entirely possible, and with more experience it is possible to achieve the results I want even with the equipment I currently have.
