Rossellini Talks Mobile Short-film Production

• Posted: Thursday, February 14, 2008
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• Author: pradhana
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• Filed under: Mobile Content

Actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini followed Redford at Mobile Backstage to discuss the creative process behind Green Porno, her new series of Sundance-produced mobile shorts exploring the secret lives of the animal kingdom. According to Rossellini, her association with Sundance dates back to her involvement in films like David Lynch's classic Blue Velvet.

In 2005, Sundance co-produced her first short film, My Dad Is 100 Years Old, a tribute to her father, pioneering neo-realist Roberto Rossellini. While Green Porno is ostensibly an extension of The Sundance Channel's commitment to environment-themed programming, the series--eight one-minute shorts, each requiring a day to produce--also draws on Rossellini's affection for comic strips, short stories and other short-form content.

"I wanted to exploit the mobile opportunity as a new canvas for film--when you use your cell phone, you're waiting for the bus and bored, and you want to be entertained for a short moment," Rossellini said. "I had in mind something funny, but to be funny and not silly, it has to have content. Sundance told me 'This is a new media--you have to make something flashy,' and 'flashy' to me translates as 'sex.' So that's why it's Green Porno."

According to Rossellini's production partner Jody Shapiro, the process of creating films expressly for mobile created its own unique set of challenges. "Getting from the script to the soundstage was a long process. We had to figure out and experiment with what works on a small screen, what reads on a small screen, and what kinds of stories you can tell. It's a new medium, and it will only progress if artists and filmmakers explore it."

Added Rossellini, "Filmmakers are always constrained by time--to me, it was a great pleasure to work without this constraint. It was incredibly liberating." [FierceMobileContent]

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