Filmmaker Spotlight: “Screen Time” by Brad Walton and Jared Michael Sobotka
Hey readers! This month’s spotlight is made by two awesome filmmakers that I met a couple of years ago.
“Screen Time” is a 6-minute, experimental short film directed by Brad Walton based on a screenplay written by Walton and Jared Michael Sobotka. Made within the span of 24 hours, the short features Sobotka as a man sluggishly going through the banality of his daily life before being transported into a strange and hypnotic dream.
Brad’s extensive resume as a cinematographer has greatly informed the language of “Screen Time.” This is probably the most visually striking and complex short featured in the spotlight series thus far. Furthermore, thanks in large part to its cinematography, I also believe that this short is thematically powerful from a philosophical perspective.
The protagonist feels a deep sense of entrapment in the short’s first act. But through the use of his phone screen, he is made free from the cold and mundane nature of real life and is allowed to explore a more colorful and vibrant world. However, this world is only an illusion. It is a fleeting simulation that, upon its conclusion, forces him back to the grey prison of reality.
In a sense, I feel that the short is commenting on the escapism that our mobile devices provide. They may be bright and exciting, but when we put these devices down, we eventually have to deal with the harsh reality of the real world. Is it even worth it to have such an escape if it can only be experienced for a finite amount of time? Somewhat paradoxical and nihilistic, but certainly worth thinking about.
At the same time, I also feel that this short’s message is open to interpretation, as are most experimental films, and it’s possible that you’ll take away something different from watching this. Or perhaps the artists had no message or meaning and their intent was simply to make a short that exists for its own sake. Nevertheless, “Screen Time” is a great piece of cinema that penetrates your psyche and forces you to ask questions that may, or may not, have answers.
I’ll be back with another spotlight short next month, but for now…
