Factory Farmed (2008) User Reviews

Solid background, but just not (convincing) enough

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 20 December 2016]

"Factory Farmed" is a five-minute live action short film from the United Kingdom. This one is from 2008, so it will soon have its 10th anniversary. The writer and director is Gareth Edwards and he is of course now very much the talk of the town because of "Rogue One" and also "Godzilla" from 2014. But back to this one here: dialogues are not non-existent, but so minimal that you can also watch this science fiction film without being fluent in the English language. The cast includes two actors only, but this is not too surprising given the runtime. Those are Jacob Court and Allan Leech and the latter may be familiar to Downton Abbey watchers. As for the story, I already mentioned the genre and I may be a bit biased here as I am usually not too big on it. However, it does not focus on space battles like the filmmaker's very recent work, but instead it is about clones with a touch of military as well. Overall, the story just wasn't convincing enough or interesting enough. The premise offered room for more, but it was not fulfilled. Ultimately I am glad the movie only runs so briefly because it felt like style over substance and the story that was told felt shoddy and lacking focus in a way where I would say it also could have been told in 1-2 minutes. Style over substance pretty much. I give it a thumbs-down and don't recommend the watch, but good to see that Edwards managed to improve drastically apparently in the last decade. The outcome here is very much underwhelming.

48 Hour Film Challenge

[MobileMotion · 8/10 · 24 September 2023]

Many years ago, a friend entered the London Scifi Film Festival 48 Hour challenge. Teams turn up for the challenge and are given certain props or dialogue that must appear in the film. This is to stop cheating. My friend didn't win. I asked who won, he wasn't too impressed. I watched the winning film and I was blown away. By far the best film made for a 48 hour challenge I'd seen. It was Factory Farmed by Edwards. The story isn't developed (I've tried a 48 hour challenge - its tough!), but it's so beautifully made, it's stuck with me ever since. I often refer to it when teaching filmmaking, as its a great example of what can be done with minimal resources. There's also something haunting about the way it's shot and edited. You need to understand this was made pretty much by Edwards working alone, improvising a story (filming & editing) over 48 hours. It shouldn't be compared to a movie where you have a huge team behind you plus months/years to develop a screenplay. Watch it for what it is, the beginnings of a major filmmaking talent.