Here's Something Completely Different (and Very, Very Cool!)

On Tuesday, Ol' Groove got an e-mail from Groove-ophile Leonard Scarlow, asking me if I'd be interested in running the superhero-inspired short film he and his mates created. Naturally, I watched it before deciding (the Groovy Agent is nothing if not scrupulous). After bopping on over to YouTube and spending eight or so minutes, I have to say I thought Have You Ever Wanted Superpowers? was far-freaking-out, man! The film is funny, relatable, and very well produced-- and the ending just ups the groovy-factor by ten! So naturally I told Leonard I'd run it here on the Diversions. While it's not from or about the 70s, it sure captures the heart of what being a superhero fan is all about--so why not run it here, dig?

Not wanting to just toss a video at you without some sort of introduction, I asked Leonard to share some background info on the project. Here's what he had to say:

The film was made by a group of film students at the University of Bergen, Norway, as a part of a script writing course. We are now on our final semester of a 3 year degree. It was shot in five days on various locations in Bergen. About 6 weeks of planning. It was edited in about 15 days, with an extra 2 weeks for effects and color correction. Basically we could make a movie about whatever we wanted, so we decided to go with this script.

The director/script writer is Stian Hafstad (he's the guy who made this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21OH0wlkfbc&feature=channel_page if you have ever seen it) He wanted to write a script about something most people could relate too, and felt that super powers also works great on a metaphorical level. It's like with all other dreams. Deep down inside you know that they wont really come true, but even the slightest possibility that it could happen to anyone makes it worth dreaming about.

We also found it a bit strange that there aren't more films out there about male friendship. There are many lonely people out there who could need a friend, but don't know how to find one. So maybe finding an archenemy is easier:)

Since we are students we didn't have much of a budget, so all the actors etc did it for free. None of them had much prior experience, but did a great job anyway. We are hoping to get it shown on some festivals and hopefully it will result some job possibilities, since we graduate in June.

The film was shot in 1080i, edited in Final Cut and After Effects.

So here it is, Groove-ophiles! C'mon, tell the truth--Have You Ever Wanted Superpowers? I know I have! Enjoy!