Audiences are fascinating to me on many levels, because they are sometimes more interesting than the main attractions; and in an age of cell phones, iPods, and short attention spans, audiences have often succeeded in "becoming the show." Arguably, it has always been distracting during a movie screening when, just for example, the teenagers sitting in front of you are engaged in a rousing game of tonsil hockey. But nowadays, they're also text-messaging their friends at the same time. I don't know which makes me more jealous: their loves lives or their abilities to multi-task.

And that brings us to this short film called "Play," which is literally a comedy of manners set during a “live” performance. The movie is a celebration of being silly, despite the infractions of social graces committed by our protagonist, whose character clearly doesn't belong in this environment, but without whose presence the experience would not be nearly the same. So, is this the groundbreaking short film that furthers the art and science of cinema as we know it? Nahhhh… but it is a communal experience that immediately connects people in a surreal way as an audience more or less spends ten minutes watching themselves.

Thus far, I’m pleased to say that audience members identify strongly with the awkward situations presented; and I have not only noticed audience members afterward reenacting moments from the movie amongst themselves, but also turn off their cell phones and think twice about fiddling with a noisy bag of chips during the movie. While these are all wonderful compliments that a filmmaker doesn’t always get to see, I also have to acknowledge that sometimes it’s a lot of effort to be an audience member. After all, when life is so short, it's too much work to take things so seriously. I find it's much more fun to PLAY...

Sam Holdren
Director, Writer, Producer