No matter how advanced new mobile phones have become, they are still undeniably less high-tech than a video camera. I doubt that Baz Luhrmann would have considered making his latest epic ‘Australia’ on his Nokia. Nevertheless, these limitations have proved advantageous for many filmmakers in producing often more personal and intimate pieces of work. The mobile phone filmmaker relies more on his own creativity than on high technology.

New ventures bring exciting firsts. For that budding relationship, the first kiss. For that new job, the first time you use the coffee machine without pressing the wrong button. And for the mobile phone filmmaker, the first festival dedicated to what are now commonly referred to as ‘Pocket Films’, films made entirely on mobile phones. The first ever of which was held in Atlanta in 2004, created by Zoie Films.

The first to be held in Europe is the now annual Pocket Film Festival, created by Forum des Images in association with the French mobile phone network, SFR. The festival welcomed over 5000 visitors during its debut in Paris in 2005. Over 400 films were received by the jury, with 100 being selected to be screened during the 3-day event under the title of The 4th Screen.

I attended the Pocket Film Festival in 2007. The first thing that struck me was the lack of pretension. Three young filmmakers introduced their films with humour and insight. In the hour that followed, I saw a diverse range of films all between 1-10 minutes in length. ‘Here I am still Strong’ by Melissa Bliss (UK) combined stunning shots of the British countryside that surrounds a ‘Removal Centre’ for refugees, with the voice of a Zimbabwean musician describing his fear of being sent back home. Then came Rodrigo Pazzini’s (Brazil) ‘Quanto Vale’, an experimental film that used harrowing images of people jumping from the Twin Towers on September 11th. ‘World Sham Pain’ by Tim Bruniges(Australia) was a beautifully crafted piece that played with textural images and sound.

For the critics, pocket films are a fast food generation’s answer to filmmaking. However, contrary to the questionable quality of MacDonald’s and the like, pocket films have proved their artistic credibility in the last couple of years, defying their critics and emerging as a celebrated part of the independent film scene.

Indeed the firsts just keep coming. This year has seen the first full-length concert film (running time of 60 minutes) made on a mobile phone. Entitled ‘Shoot the Summer’, it featured as part of the BBC’s music event Electric Proms. The film was a collaboration by festival goers and musicians, combining snippets of music festivals immortalised on their mobile phones. Next year’s European Independent Film Festival (ECU) will see the addition of their first mobile phone category Made on Mobile Telephones.

Festivals such as Pocket Films and the European Independent Film Festival have been crucial in recognising mobile phone filmmaking as a valid art form of its own and in encouraging up and coming filmmakers. I had the opportunity to interview one of these very filmmakers; Tim Bruniges from Australia, the creator of ‘World Sham Pain’. Typical of many pocket filmmakers in that he works across areas, Tim is a musician, visual artist and filmmaker.

How did being selected for the Pocket Film Festival affect your career or your attitude to your work?

Being selected for the Pocket Film Festival was a fantastic opportunity for my work to be seen as film making on its own terms, whereas prior to that it had usually only been seen as accompaniment to music in a live concert context.

It led to my work being shown around the world at various festivals in Seoul, Rio de Janeiro, Vladivostok and at home in Sydney. In terms of what effect it had on my attitude to my creative output, I'd say it was extremely encouraging to know that there was a valid outlet for this kind of work.

When did you first consider the mobile phone as a tool for film-making?

I first discovered the mobile phone camera as a creative tool quite by accident when I was taking a video of my nephews playing on swings in a park and the sun happened to be slowly setting in the background. When I later viewed the videos on a computer I noticed that there were many appealing "quirks" in the way that the camera dealt with things like sudden changes in light and sudden movement. I guess in a sense I just found the way it dealt with "errors" aesthetically appealing. Also it seemed to pixelate things in a way which was reminiscent of old Super 8 film; somehow the digital noise was distorted in a way that was unpredictable and inspiring.

What do you think films made on mobile phones capture that can't be achieved using video cameras?

Well I guess the obvious factor is that mobile phone cameras are generally always with you, ready to go wherever you are. Also, as with a lot of technology, with mobile cameras there's an inverse relationship between features and creative freedom; i.e. there are generally few, if any options for changing how a mobile camera video looks, so your focus as a photographer moves to the creative act of what you are shooting as opposed to getting bogged down in the how of technicalities.

Do you have any current mobile projects?

I am continually making audio visual works that make use of mobile phone cameras. In fact my current mobile phone doesn't have a video camera, so I still carry around my old phone which died as a phone a long time ago but still takes great videos! I'm always shooting new videos wherever I go, and largely sticking to the short film, abstract format.

What do you think the future holds for mobile phone film-makers?

Well, mobile phone cameras have far superseded the quality of video that my old phone captures and this will continue to be the case until they increasingly approach the look of handheld DV formats. To me it was never about that. Personally, I was never looking for high resolution images and indeed what attracted me to mobile film making was the stylised look of the video due to the nature of the technology. All in all, whether you are more into high resolution or low resolution aesthetics, it seems that mobile film making is now seen as a valid form of creative expression with increasing inclusion in festivals all around the world, and this can only be a good thing for all involved!

Still taken from ‘World Sham Pain’ by Tim Bruniges.

This year has not only seen a rise in films made on the small mobile phone screen for the big screen but also an increase in TV shows and films being made or downloaded for mobiles. It works both ways.

Surely, it’s only a matter of time until we queue up in line at the local cinema to watch the first ever mobile phone feature. Like the hand-held camera before it, in a few years it will become part of the mainstream industry that we won’t even question it. Think Blair Witch Project.

In the UK, everyone is familiar with the slogan ‘The future’s bright, the future’s Orange’. In terms of film-making, they might just be right.

Here at ECU, we are looking to the future and our upcoming festival in March 2009. The Made on Mobile Telephones category is already generating lots of excitement. Submissions are still open. Please visit the ECU website for more details at www.ecufilmfestival.com.

For more information on Tim Bruniges’s work and music, please visit his band’s website at www.myspace.com/thedeadseamusic