Clockwork

Director: Gopi Sutar
Duration: 5 min 1 sec
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: An unpredictable, random change to a part of his routine sends Harry scurrying elsewhere in search of predictability and tranquility.
Festival selections: Official selection to the Short Film Competition at the 7th Third Eye Asian Film Festival Mumbai in October 2008

Shooting Format: MiniDV
Edited with: Final Cut Pro
Completed in: August 2008

Watch the Short

Editorial Review

Reviewed by Shahul Ameen
The structure of Clockwork has some similarity to that of Parque Via, an excellent film from Mexican director Enrique Rivero. Both the films spend a lot of screen time illustrating the isolation of the lead characters and their monotonous lives, even to the dismay of unprepared viewers, and then ends with good climax punches.

The movie deals with an interesting concept. The loneliness, calm acceptance of the stereotyped routine, gradual adaptation to the newly introduced element, and the frustration on the break in the new pattern are all depicted well, without a single dialogue.

But Clockwork could have been a better work if the director has done his homework, especially storyboarding, better. The shots, especially the wide ones from the same angle, lacked visual interest or emphasis on story elements of importance.

A different font and a more contrasting font color would have made the title more emphatic.

Use of clock's sound in the background of the dissolves was an interesting idea. It would have been more effective if the sounds were placed at the middle of the dissolves.

That close up of Yu Ri Na Yang does not create much impact as the closing shot. Maybe, a wide shot of Harry leaving the park would have been more effective.

While Harry performed wonderfully, never going over the board. But Yu Ri Na Yang should have been directed better (Or, may be, my expectations from Korean actresses are too high, after watching all those Kim Kiduk movies!)

Director Bio

Gopi Sutar, a general management professional, makes films when he is not working on his entrepreneurial business venture. Gopi has lived and worked in various parts of India and the USA.

Director's Statement

This short film explores a particular facet of human nature in a lighthearted way. Given the universal theme, the film connects with the audience primarily through visuals, aided by background sounds and music, with no dialog. The production team comprised of highly diverse talent - the director/ producer/ writer/ cinematographer/ editor is an India-born corporate executive from the USA; the lead actor is an award-winning media studies teacher from Australia, the supporting actor is a young student of journalism from South Korea and the background instrumental scores used in the film are composed by a Serbia-born musician. Shooting for the film was done in Union Square Park, New York City, USA.

Contact Info

E-mail: gopisutar.films@gmail.com

Average Rating by Registered Users

Score: 5.9, Votes: 8