More is a stop motion short film created by Mark Osborne in 1998.

Summary

More tells the story of an inventor who lives in a drab, colorless world. Day by day, he toils away in a harsh, dehumanizing job, his only savior his memories of the bliss of childhood. But at night, he works secretly on an invention that could help him relive those memories and spread their joy to everyone in his despair-filled life.

When he finishes his invention, it changes the way people look at the world. But his success changes him, for with it, he loses an important part of himself.

Production and Publication

More was written and directed by Mark Osborne, and created by a team that included, among others, Keith and Shannon Lowry, Rick Omer, Nick Peterson, and David Candelaria. Although it was only a 6-minute short, it was, as Osborne put it, an "absolutely massive undertaking"-- as it was the first short to be shot using the IMAX format. On top of that, it was filmed using stop motion, a much more time-consuming method than "normal" filming techniques.

Filming More took nine months, and it was first screened in fall of 1998. While it had a large range of success-- including an Academy Award nomination-- it soon became apparent that there was little that could actually be done with it in the range of publicity. The hype died down eventually, and Osborne was left with a highly acclaimed six-minute piece of art in his hands.

After a period of financial and creative struggle, Osborne decided to upload More to the Internet. He found a site called iFilm, which hosted thousands of short films online, and submitted it. Osborne was a bit apprehensive about uploading More, as he had fears about it being exploited and redistributed, or that people wouldn't be able to appreciate the product of nine months of constant hard work in a small window on their computer screen. However, he also felt it was his only chance to find an audience for his independent film project, find people who might connect with it or appreciate it in some way.

Almost immediately after putting it up on iFilm, More was voted the most popular clip on the site, and it held that position for near a year. It was being watched by thousands of people, many of which were e-mailing Osborne to tell how much they appreciated his effort.

This sudden upsurge in popularity left Osborne rather dazed and confused. The actual film industry didn't have a use for the film, but the giant, open audience of the Internet did. He was recieving e-mails daily, asking for the short to be released on DVD. One of these was a writer from Despair, Inc., complimenting him on his work. A few months later, the same writer wrote Osborne, asking to buy DVDs for their customer base, believing that they would be prime audience members. He replied saying that there wasn't funding to create a DVD, so he wouldn't be able to provide Despair with what they were requesting. In response, Despair funded such work, and a DVD was created, containing two commentaries and an hour-long documentary on the creation of More. A partnership was created, and Osborne and Despair, Inc. are still working together today.

Awards

More was awarded the following honors:

• Sundance Film Festival - Special Jury Prize for Short Films
• South by SouthWest - Best Animated Short
• Academy Award (1998) - Nominee - Best Animated Short
• ResFest – Audience Award for Best Film, Grand Audience Prize for Best Film
• Aspen Shorts Fest - Special Jury prize
• World Fest Houston - Gold / Special Jury Prize for Shorts
• USA Film Festival - Dallas - Grand Jury Prize for Shorts
• Toronto International Short Film Fest - Best Animated Short, Best Short Overall
• Stony Brook Film Fest - Best Short Film
• ‘Message to Man’ - Russia – Best International Debut Film
• PhilaFilm - Philadelphia – Best Animated Short
• Annie Awards – Nominee for Best Animated Short Subject
• St. Louis International Film Festival - Best Short Film
• Upsalla International Short Film Festival/Sweden - Audience Award for Best Film
• San Francisco Indie Fest – Audience Award

External Links

• HappyProduct.com: Mark Osborne's official webpage
• Watch "More" (Quicktime, 16MB)
• Despair, Inc. homepage
• An interview with Mark Osborne