B-17 A mini epic
Somewhere in between all the nonsense teenage-boy videoblogs, duck vs. goat, and girl fights on youtube, you can actually find something genuinely sexy. B-17 is the story of Sarah and Yumi who are secret sex slaves, kept in a basement cell. It’s a collection of 11 videos that form the full short film. i-cubed productions managed to make something that has a ring of dark fantasy without taking itself so seriously that it becomes ridiculous or contrived.
A heavy fetish theme, an extremely cute main character, a meticulously constructed trash-art set, and a neat original “lo-fi” electronic score, among other things puts b-17 on my all time list of internet awesome. And, well, it’s fucking hot.
In addition to the 11 videos that form the main part of the series, there are bonus clips and behind the scenes materials on the youtube account. Here, for your consideration, is the second part.
The i^3 people also have some interesting and progressive ideas about filmmaking and creative process. Trying out things like “interstitial” media, and encouraging other artists to do so. According to their Hyper-Cinema Manifesto, their aim is:
“A cinema that bypasses the socioeconomic and administrative movie making machine, a gauntlet that turns many a film into just another watered down and unsuspecting vehicle for the “big message.”
I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for their future projects.
