Gearhead A SHORT FILM DIRECTED BY JOE MAGEE, 2003 DURATION: 9MINUTES SUMMARY
On a bleak English housing estate a dysfunctional teenager's automatic behaviour becomes more absurd as the day continues. ABOUT THE FILM
Using heavily manipulated video and graphic colourisation, Joe Magee's film conveys the surreal experience of a young drop-out. The protagonist's state of mind manifests through extreme film loops and continually recurring sound motifs. Dogs become agitated, birds circle and clocks stop working all to the backdrop of a melancholy ice-cream van. And all the while children play in the never-far-away playground. AWARD
WINNER 2004 Film Council First Light Best Film Award. Sir Alan Parker, who presented the award, said "The judges felt that this film was a clear winner due to the incredibly sophisticated use of visual, aural and structural properties of film. This is a haunting film and stays with the viewer perhaps for longer than they would like. Very imaginative, edgy - strongly directed and grimly clear." CREDITS
Gearhead: Matt Kirk
Written by: Matt Kirk, Simon Willis, Nick Giles, Joe Magee
Camera: Joe Magee, Nick Giles
Editor: Yvonne Davies
Sound: Joe Magee
Directed by: Joe Magee Commissioned by Knowle West Media Centre www.kwmc.co.uk and Picture This Moving Image. Supported by Knowle West Detached Youth Project and Aardman Animation. Supported by The Lottery through the Film Council's First Light Initiative. | 
