Noon

A mining disaster has caused damage to the Earth's core with devastating consequences. Half of the Earth's population was killed and for the remainder they find a world thrown off its axis and, as a result the position of the sun in the sky is fixed, Antarctica is continual darkness and the Arctic is in constant daylight. A city has been established in the latter and the city is called Noon. In this short film we join one of many transport vehicles moving people into the city through the strict (and corrupt) security controls.

With watching short films it is never long till you find yourself with another film that sits awkwardly between the desire to tell a story to the viewer but at the same time pitch that story to production companies in the hope that the short will lead to a feature and onwards from there. Noon is a good example of this but perhaps a different one from the norm. Often the case as a casual, non-industry, viewer of such shorts is that you feel like "what about me" as the short gives you the high-hat and focuses all its efforts on the film it wants to make and not the film it is making. With Noon it manages to do both which is still a problem.

It did seem ambitious when the film opened with such grand ideas, that a short would be able to deliver but Noon does put us into this world very effectively even if we are in an enclosed vehicle for the majority of the film. The presentation of the ideas is good and the wider requirements of this world are filled in even if we don't fully understand the whys or the ins and outs. It is a simple scene but the feeling of apocalypse, survival and desperation is well done and I found it really engaging as a story and an idea – so engaging in fact that I was actively annoyed when it ended as the scene moved to the next stage of the story. I guess this is a positive for the pitch but it was a downside of the film working very well with the idea and mood, because I really did want more. The design, as much as we saw, was generally very good although of course gamers will fixate on the uncredited nod to Half-Life.

So, as an idea and a film and a pitch it works very well, with big ideas, good atmosphere and tone and the ability to hook the viewer into wanting more; of course the downside is that it ends with you wanting more, which shows how well it works as a pitch even if it is disappointing then as a story. But I think on balance the good outweighs this and it is worth a look.