MicroCinema Scene

Journey with us now as we got back to the recent past, when the world was consumed with the fear that the year 2000 would send the world’s non-Y2K compliant computers into turmoil, resulting in an apocalypse.  Y2K:  Shut Down Detected tells the tale of the unfortunate inhabitants of one office building where the Y2K bug is unleashed, resulting in a killer blob, a hungry zombie, and a computer’s desire to create a new species that isn’t quite human.

Y2K would make for a great feature - it’s like an amped-up Italian zombie movie, using some amazing computer graphics and top-notch make-up effects to create a horror flick that looks and feels like anything in the multiplexes.  What holds it back, though, is that it feels like a 90 minute feature cut down to 20 minutes, meaning there’s little time to get to know the characters before they’re meeting their various fates.  Here most of the cast are identified by their costumes or their hair color; I’m not even sure if there was a hero or a main character that the audience was supposed to be following.

Where this short soars is on the technical side.  Being shot on film helps, but it’s the time and effort that went into making a $2400 short look like ten times that, if not more.  The zombie effects are fantastic, the CG effects are up to snuff with what was on Xena its last few seasons, and the computer animation is some of the best I’ve seen on any level.  The shots are all well-composed, and the editing is top-notch.  That’s not to say the short is without its flaws; the audio tends to not be in synch, and even though the filmmakers do a noble job of covering up that shortcoming it’s still apparent.  But otherwise the sound effects and music work well in the movie, and overall Y2K is a wonder of microbudget filmmaking.

As a stand-alone short, Y2K would probably get a decent recommend from me.  What really intrigued me, though, was the accompanying making-of documentary that follows the short, A 2 Year Journey.  Following the production from creature designs (amazing) through shooting and post, it’s a jaw-dropping account of how much work these three producer/directors put into the production.  Watching DP/Director Slava Siderman being wheeled around in an office chair for smooth dolly shots alone rings so true on the micro level, but the resulting shots are so impressive it’s hard to believe that it wasn’t done with a steadicam or a dolly.

What most shocked me were the number of computer effects (over 150) that appear even at times when I would have sworn they were done in real time, like the zombie attack that’s shown in split screen to show the difference before and after.  It’s a great primer for anyone wondering if great effects can be achieved on no budget and a lot of favors (answer:  yes, they can).  The only drawback of the documentary is that by simply showing the crew do what they do best, they actually create a cast that’s more engaging than the one in the short.

If the purpose of Y2K:SDD was to showcase the passion and abilities of the filmmakers, it’s a job well done.  A solid short, and an eye-opening documentary, are the kind of projects that will propel the microbudget scene into the mainstream sooner than later.

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