Magnum Opus | movie | 2021 | Official Trailer
A film crew follows the struggles of an intrepid director as he attempts to make his ‘magnum opus’. | dG1fYVZjWTdlcEpmZ00
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00 [Piano music]
00:10 This is so nice, Mike.
00:12 Like you.
00:17 Juliet, when I'm with you I feel whole.
00:20 Like a pizza, with all its slices.
00:25 Oh Mike, be my Romeo.
00:28 [Sigh]
00:35 Might have to redo that one.
00:37 Turn it on? Are we rolling? Cool.
00:54 Twirl it. Yeah.
00:55 Hello, I'm Michael Bayford and I am the next big thing.
00:59 You may not have heard of me yet, but I am certain you will have very soon.
01:03 I'm currently working on my latest production.
01:05 It is an animated love story.
01:07 Who doesn't love a bit of love? I know I do.
01:10 And yeah, production's going very, very well.
01:23 Oh, what a surprise! Welcome to the studio.
01:26 Director, that's me. Come on in guys, I'll show you around.
01:29 This is the studio.
01:32 I've been a filmmaker for many years now. I've made many hits.
01:40 But this one feels like something special.
01:43 Here's a couple posters of some of my favourite movies.
01:46 Okay, my movies.
01:48 Quite a few here. We've got "Increases de Amor", which is a Spanish film.
01:53 I did try to break into the foreign language market.
01:56 Didn't help that I don't speak Spanish.
01:59 Google Translate isn't the best, but anyway.
02:01 Honestly, some people would say that it's a mistake to write and direct and produce and executive produce and film and star in and compose and edit your own films.
02:11 And a lot of people would be wrong. It's not a mistake. It's called artistic integrity.
02:15 Anyway, in these drawers here we've got...
02:18 Sorry, standby.
02:20 I've got some of my past scripts in these drawers.
02:24 Some of my films. They've done a couple of award circuits and done very well.
02:29 They haven't won, nor have they placed.
02:33 But I always talk to the people afterwards and they say, "Oh man, you're robbed."
02:38 It is a bit rigged, the whole thing, but you move on.
02:42 So over here we've got some of my stop motion utensils.
02:47 You mean your toys?
02:48 No, my utensils. Get out of my studio, please.
02:51 You mean your Pinterest?
02:52 My studio!
02:53 It's right there.
02:55 He's a moron.
02:57 Sometimes it is hard being a stayed home filmmaker, but I make it work.
03:02 Anyway, that's probably enough of the tour.
03:04 Big day ahead for us. We better get cracking.
03:07 I'm working on the bar scene today.
03:09 I tell you what, it gets me a bit thirsty for a frothy.
03:12 Anyway, better get to work.
03:14 He's hoping today is the last day of shooting.
03:16 There's a lot to get done and I think I can get it done.
03:19 I'm making a stop motion, which is uncharted territory for me.
03:30 Usually I prefer live action, but I haven't had a lot of success in the Academy Award field.
03:36 So I figured, you know, give it a crack.
03:39 It seems a bit less competitive.
03:40 I mean, how many more movies does Pixar have in the tank?
03:42 I really think I could be onto something here.
03:45 Next time.
03:48 Honestly, I've revised the script a number of times during production.
03:52 I never like to be set in my tracks.
03:55 They often say in the film world, you need to write about what you know.
03:59 And what do I know better than love?
04:01 I know love very, very well.
04:03 I've had a lot of it. I've given a lot of it.
04:06 And I guess you could say I'm a love maker heartbreaker.
04:11 Please don't put that in.
04:14 What a lot of people don't realise about making movies is that 50% of being a great director is having composure.
04:21 I'm literally going to kill someone.
04:23 I hate making movies.
04:29 I love making movies. It's my passion.
04:31 I have since I was young.
04:33 And my family can attest to that.
04:36 He's always enjoyed his movie making up there, making his little films, whatever it is he's up there doing.
04:43 As long as he's having fun, that's all I've ever cared about.
04:47 Thanks, Mum.
04:48 You left a cross on this one.
04:51 Stop Motion as an art form is amazing.
04:53 You move a character bit by bit and you have motion.
04:56 It's difficult, it's arduous, it's long, it's challenging.
05:00 It's any number of adjectives really.
05:02 But at the end of the day, it's art.
05:04 It's filmmaking. And I love making films.
05:07 It has been a really challenging shoot.
05:09 But what worth making isn't a bit difficult.
05:13 The main character in my movie is called Mike.
05:15 I'm Michael. Really a coincidence.
05:17 We don't have much in common.
05:19 He's a hopeless romantic pining for unrequited love.
05:22 Bit of a loser, really.
05:24 Thanks.
05:33 You know, it's okay, Mike.
05:38 I'm sorry. Sometimes I just get lost in my work.
05:41 Sometimes I feel like I'm never going to be good enough.
05:44 You can't let it consume you, Mike.
05:46 Sometimes I wonder if anyone takes me seriously.
05:50 If I'm ever going to make it as a serious assassin.
05:53 Mike, you are a serious assassin.
05:56 Serious to me.
06:01 I don't need my films to have all positive reviews.
06:04 Although it would be nice to get one.
06:07 Just occasionally.
06:10 But anyway, I make experimental films.
06:12 Nuanced films.
06:13 Not everyone can understand the subtlety.
06:21 It was a pretty arduous shoot.
06:25 But there is no feeling quite like wrapping.
06:28 I think that's a wrap.
06:29 I think we did it.
06:32 Okay.
06:33 See you at the premiere.
06:34 Here we come, Hollywood.
06:44 Alright, we're here.
06:45 We're right outside the theatre for the big premiere.
06:47 It's no cans, but it'll have to do.
06:49 It's going to be a tearjerker.
06:51 I brought some of these.
06:52 I'm sure people will need them.
06:53 Get really excited.
06:55 Hopefully it goes well.
06:56 Let's head inside.
06:58 [Music]
07:22 I'm about to tell you this not ordinary love story.
07:29 This is so nice, Mike.
07:34 Like you.
07:36 Julia, when I'm with you I feel whole.
07:40 Like a pizza with all its slices.
07:44 Oh, Mike.
07:45 Be my boyfriend.
07:47 [Music]
08:06 [Applause]
08:26 [Silence]
08:44 Trite, pretentious, but delectably cheesy.
08:47 The real drama here is the fact that this is even labelled a drama,
08:51 as it's honestly the funniest movie I've seen this year.
08:54 Must see in a cinema.
08:55 You'll laugh harder than you ever have at this, I hope,
08:58 intentionally woeful rom-com.
09:03 One of many, really.
09:08 Initially, I mean, I was probably a bit more cut, but I made a movie.
09:16 And people laugh at it.
09:19 People laugh at comedies.
09:22 I made a movie, you know, and I had fun.
09:26 I don't care what it is, I had fun.
09:28 And sure, I didn't get the reaction I intended, but I got a reaction.
09:32 People told me about it.
09:33 I made a movie.
09:36 Isn't that what it's all about, really?
09:39 I don't know.
09:40 I don't have anything poetic to say.
09:43 Anyway.
09:45 Want to hear about my next picture?
09:47 [Music]
09:54 Hey, we did it.
09:56 We made a movie.
09:57 Go on.
09:58 [MUSIC PLAYING]