It would appear that the same is true for films.
This Saturday, April 17th, Matthew Gordon Long’s The Anachronism will at long last have found its community. Septopus, the 14-foot robotic squid that is the film’s visual centerpiece, has been embraced by the steampunks.
Steampunk is a literary and aesthetic movement that references Victorian era science, technology, and dress. Think of the scientific romances of H.G. Wells and Jules Vern, mix them into a modern day setting, throw in steam-powered machines, petticoats, and bowler hats, and you have the essentials of steampunk.
Steampunk Magazine, Issue 3
Now imagine a film set in the late 19th century featuring two children who, while chronicling various flora and fauna on a sun-dappled afternoon, discover a giant squid-shaped submarine on the edge of the ocean.
The visual link between The Anachronism and the major themes of steampunk are evident, but the connections go deeper. In a rather unprecedented move, the 15-minute film will be released online under the Canadian Creative Commons, which offers a set of user-friendly licenses to artists wanting to share their work beyond the restrictions of copyright law.
What this means is that anyone with internet access will not only be able to view the film for free, but also be able to repost, remix, and redo any aspect of it without fear of copyright infringement. While there is no financial model for this kind of film release, it is entirely in keeping with the film’s audience.
“Steampunk is an incredibly creative community, and it really is the essence of a remix culture,” explains Long. “We’ve already had an uncommon response to the posting of the film’s trailer, and have fans in Egypt, in Turkey, in Trinidad and South Africa. I want this audience to have a hands-on experience with the story.”
This push for a hands-on distribution model came after a hard examination of the film’s future. As haunting as it is beautiful, The Anachronism was acclaimed the Best Short Film of 2009 by the B.C. Film industry, and won 5 other Leo awards for design, score, production and screenwriting. This kind of critical attention should have made it a shoe-in for the festival circuit, which is the traditional method of marketing short films.
Steampunkopedia: An online reference for all things steampunk
Unfortunately Long’s films do not always fit easily into the packages festival programs require.
Long describes his work as “science fiction art house”, which blends the seriousness of art house films with the more whimsical nature of fantasy. While this makes them highly unique and totally stunning, it also makes them difficult to categorize.
“They’re kind of neither fish nor fowl,” he explains, “which means they don’t always appear to have mass appeal. Luckily, steampunks take imaginative storytelling seriously.”
In reaching out to steampunks, The Anachronism has found its partner in genre-bending. In releasing online under the Canadian Commons, it has adopted the stated and unstated virtues of its newfound community.
It has also made it easier for the rest of us to enjoy a film that otherwise might have remained tucked away in the musty darkness of a movie theatre.
Visit www.theanachronism.html on April 17th at 9pm to view The Anachronism in its entirety, or join the cast and crew at the steampunk-themed premier at Chapel Arts in Vancouver on the same date. More information can be found at www.theanachronism/news.html.