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What exactly is a short film? These days, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences in the US define a short film as a movie less than 40 minutes in length. The British Academy of Film, on the other hand, reckon they can’t be longer than half an hour, but back in the early days of the moving picture, all the films were short. While the advent of the features films has changed all that, these flash fictions of cinema can still pack a pocket-sized punch. To see for yourself check out ten shorts long on drama, suspense and oh-my-word awesomeness.

1. The Gift (2010)                 Dir: Carl E. Rinsch

Although featuring a stunning futuristic Moscow, much of it was not actually filmed in the city – but incorporated clever CGI. It also won the Gold Film Craft Lion at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. The question on everyone’s lips – what’s in the box?

2. Vincent  (1982)                 Dir: Tim Burton

Burton’s expressive take on loneliness and isolation, would later characterise much of his work.  He had $60,000 to spend but he wanted the legendary Vincent Price to narrate it. Astonishingly, Price agreed!

 3. Panic Attack (2008)       Dir: Federico Alvarez

Alvarez took two years to make this £180 YouTube-tailored short. He arrived in Hollywood on a Sunday and had a film deal by Wednesday. Who would have thought that it could lead to a gig remaking The Evil Dead?

 4. The Black Hole (2008)    Dir: Phil Sansom and Olly Williams

Apparently this is shown in film schools as a ‘perfect short film.’ Not bad for a silent short shot over 24 hours. It is the actor Napoleon Ryan’s wonderfully expressive face that truly makes the piece.

5. Mama (2008)                                 Dir: Andrés Muschietti 

This seriously unsettling short inspired Guillermo del Toro’s recent film of the same name. Del Toro said it was ‘…One of the scariest little scenes I have ever seen…the claustrophobia, the craftsmanship and the horror made me want to produce the feature version.’

6. Alive in Joburg (2006)   Dir: Neill Blomkamp

At the age of 20, Blomkamp had known he wanted to be a film director. He had an interesting take on special effects with an ‘…experiment to completely degrade what is usually expensive CGI… to degrade everything to make it look like old documentary footage.’

7. 10 Minutes (2002) Dir: Ahmed Imamović

Winner of the Best European Short Film, it certainly packs a punch and is a masterclass in short narrative. Set in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Rome, it shows how life can be brutally different for people in those tiny ten minutes.

8. The Crush (2010)                        Dir: Michael Creagh

Creagh borrowed from the bank and his family. But it was worth it when his work was nominated for an Oscar. He gave the lead role to his son Oran, simply because ‘I promised the poor little bugger I’d put him in the film and I couldn’t go back on it.’ 

9. Miracle Fish (2009)        Dir: Luke Doolan

Lots of excited pupils from Annandale North Public School got to play extras a film of great tonal twists. Doolan has talked very publicly about enjoying the collaborative process – the ‘weird alchemy of finding the right group of people.’

10. Portal: No Escape (2011)  Dir: Dan Trachtenberg

There are a lot of holes in this movie, which was based on a video game. No – real holes…as in portals. The music featured was composed by Mike Zarin, who also composed for the first Inception trailer. Next for Trachtenberg? Directing an adaption of Brian K. Vaughn’s graphic novels Y: The Last Man.

As you can see short films, done right, really can blow your mind. If you’d like to get in on the act, you’ll be happy to hear we’ve recently teamed up with Sundance London to launch the Nokia Music Short Film Competition. The brief is simple: To showcase the amazing, the unusual and the unknown music happening underground around the world.

Mad for mobile music movies?

 Filmmakers need to simply upload a short video trailer (15 to 60 secs) visualizing the underground music scene in their chosen city. Think of this trailer as an audition, which showcases your concept. If your idea is chosen, you’ll receive two Nokia Lumia 920s and a $5,000 budget to shoot your film. What’s more, both films are guaranteed a special screening at the Sundance London Film & Music Festival (2013) in April, and one lucky grand prizewinner will walk away with $5,000 and a Nokia Lumia 920.

Think you’ve got what it takes? Then why not start making short movie magic today!

Image credit: Håkan Dahlström

While, by any reckoning, the new Nokia 105 is a modest device, a conversation with its product manager, Tracy Chen, at MWC last week revealed that the phone is also a great example of Nokia innovation.

In technology circles, the word ‘innovation’ is applied liberally. A bigger camera, more megahertz or a faster way to dial phone numbers can all receive the label.

But what is innovation? Many people, including some well-respected dictionaries, mix up ‘innovation’ with ‘invention’.

‘Invention’ means making something new. ‘Innovation’ is more than that. Its origins come from the Latin word for ‘change’ or ‘renew’. Innovation is about creating new value. David Schmittlein, Dean of the MIT School of Management, says:

Innovation does not relate just to a new product that would come into the marketplace. Innovation can occur in processes and approaches to the marketplace.

Tracy Chen agrees. She’s a modest person, and the enormously positive reaction to the Nokia 105 both in the technology press and on the stand was a very happy surprise to her. But it made her think again about the phone’s place in the world.

The price of the Nokia 105 – €15 – was the key talking point. But it’s not just inexpensive: it also brings the phone into a new place. It makes people feel excited about the possibilities.

This is innovation in another direction. Innovation on price. It’s taken something that people already know – a mobile phone – and moved it into a new area; given it a new life.

A phone that costs less than a round of drinks means that it takes zero consideration to decide to buy one. People who had never thought about having a back-up phone, or a phone especially for holidays or sports, suddenly want one. Chen was approached by many people on the Nokia stand who wanted to buy the Nokia 105 right then and there.

“A lot of people came up and said, ‘Can I buy this now?’

“It’s not just individuals, either. There are also business opportunities. We were approached by companies that wanted to be able to give the phone to all their employees. A travel company approached the stand, with the idea that they could give the phone to holidaymakers as part of their ‘welcome pack’ when they arrive at their resort.

“It’s a mistake to think progress is always about making things more complicated. Making things simpler and less expensive is another dimension to progress.”

The latest Nokia Asha devices may be light on the wallet, but they certainly don’t scrimp on features. There are thousands of apps available for Nokia Asha phones, with everything from tiny one-man developers to huge companies like EA all providing options to keep you entertained.

If you’ve bought a Nokia Asha recently, or have one on your wish list, you’re in for a treat thanks to the EA Games Gift, offering 40 free games to Nokia owners. Once you’ve downloaded the games, they’re yours to keep, for free, forever. What are the games actually like though?

To find out, it’s a simple case of opening the Asha’s menu, clicking on Games Gift, and logging into your Nokia account.

Lasting legacy

Out of all the game publishers Nokia could have teamed up with, I’m really happy that Nokia partnered with EA. They’re a developer close to my heart when I was younger, growing up with FIFA, Worms and Need for Speed on my PC and SEGA Megadrive. I certainly didn’t think I’d be seeing similar titles make an appearance on phones nearly 20 years later, let alone on one of Nokia’s most affordable handsets.

Plenty of the titles are well worth downloading too, and coming up with a shortlist of my top 10 wasn’t difficult. Fitting it all into one article was, however, which is why you’ll have to make do with my favourite five apps today, and the following five next time! 

FIFA 12

I still can’t believe FIFA has made an appearance on devices like the Nokia Asha 205. It’s brilliant! OK, it loses the isometric and TV views found on console versions, sticking instead to an overhead view, but it’s still great fun. Although it is a lot trickier than I anticipated, and I was 2-0 down against a team I’d never heard of within ten minutes of the start! I did improve over time, and even managed to muster a few shots, but I haven’t managed to win a game yet…

Worms 2010

Worms really is one of my favourite games ever, and it’s perfect for the small mobile phone screen. The action happens at a pace where fast processor speeds aren’t necessary, and the simple graphics look great whatever the screen resolution. More importantly, it means none of the fun is lost when playing Worms on the Asha 205, and if you’re only going to download a couple of games, this is definitely one I’d have on my list.

Tetris

Tetris is a game that needs little introduction, almost single-handedly launching the Nintendo Gameboy into superstardom. Nearly two decades on, it’s still completely addictive, and it really could have been designed for the Nokia Asha 205 from the outset. Considering my Gameboy cost the best part of £100 nearly 20 years ago, and couldn’t even display Tetris in colour at the time, the fact anybody can now download it for free on their Nokia Asha highlights just how far technology has progressed. 

EA Cricket 11

Out of all the games I tried playing from EA and Nokia’s Games Gift collection, EA Cricket 11 is definitely one of the most visually impressive. It features the sort of graphics more often found on far more expensive games, and it’s addictive to play too.

SimCity Deluxe

I had loads of fun creating my own city, with everything from parks, schools, hospitals and utilities, along with more mundane things like roads to connect people, housing and more. It’s not just building things either; you’ll also have to keep on top of your city before it can fall to ruin.

Stay tuned for my next next five favourite EA games!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

If you know anything about snowboarding you’ll know the name Roope Tonteri. The fantastic Finn recently nailed double gold at the 2013 FIS Snowboarding World Championships. One of the best snowboarders of his generation and a keen filmmaker, we’re now helping him prepare for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Not only will he be using Nokia’s flagship phones, starting with the Lumia 920, to record his life on the slopes, he’ll also be giving us a unique insight in the world of a top class snowboarder. 

With this in mind, we asked you on Twitter to fire some questions at the man himself. Here’s what you came up and Roope’s answers.

1. How did growing up in Finland affect your development as a rider? What’s the scene like there? 

Growing up in Finland is really good for riding because we only have small hills. So you can take many laps in one day and you don’t have to spend your time in the lift. But it’s also really hard in wintertime because it’s so dark. Happily, we have lights on the slope so you don’t have to wake up early. I like to have mellow mornings. You can hit the slopes in the afternoon and slopes are normally open till 8pm.

2. How awesome is the pro border life and what’s the most memorable competition or free ride experience you’ve had?

It’s really awesome! I can do what I love. My best memory is from a few years ago when I won the Burton European Open. That was really big goal for me.  Before it happened I never even thought about winning that kind of contest.

3. What’s the trick you find most fun?

For me, powder riding is the most fun thing what you can do with a snowboard. But if I have to say a trick I’d say an fs 360 and bs 720.

4. How did you become the snowboarding legend you are today and what obstacles did you overcome?

I just rode a lot and enjoyed the ride. That said,  of course I’ve had some obstacles in my career. I’ve had a few injuries and it’s hard to become pro rider from Finland. There are so many good riders and Finland is small country so its hard to step it up from there, but I always have my parents to push me forward and lend me money to go to snowboard events outside of Finland.

5. What does it feel like to be sponsored by Nokia?

It feels great! Nokia is a Finnish brand and it’s great that they’re supporting me now. Big thanks to Nokia!

6. During the off-season, staying in top shape is important. What are the best cross-training activities to do?

I try to get fit before the season start. In the season I just do stretching and cycling. Its good for my knees.

7. Did you go to film school since you’re a filmmaker, too?

No, I didn’t. I’ve just been practicing on my own. If you like to do video clips just go do it. You get better and better, day-by-day.

8. What single piece of advice would you give to someone wanting to become a professional competitor?

Just ride a lot and try to push your limits. The most important thing is to have fun on the slope and enjoy your riding.

9. What excites you most about Nokia?

It’s big Finnish brand and they’ve given me lot of opportunities to do all kinds of video stuff.

10. Do you live by the policy to never call ‘last run’ at the end of your day?

Yeah I never want to call last run. If someone does that I always have to take one more.

 11. Do you have any pre-riding or pre-competition rituals that you observe every time? 

 No! I don’t have like rituals, but I always wax my board before contest.

12. Have you ever had any injury scares, which made you hate the snow and never want to get back on the slopes?

I’ve had a few injuries, but after an injury I’m totally powered up and eager to get back on my snowboard and try even harder.

13. What feelings cross your mind when you are airborne and don’t quite feel right about the jump?

 It’s hard to say. I just try to land on my feet.

14. Have you ever used the #Lumia while you’re on your job, to capture how fast the surroundings move?

 No I never used a Lumia for that, but I will.

15. What does it take to become a champion in such a ruthlessly demanding sport, such as snowboarding?

Ride a lot, have fun and don’t take it too seriously. Of course some times I’m unhappy if I don’t land my trick but life goes on and tomorrow is a new day.

17. When did you realize that you had it in yourself to challenge the hard snow and make a blazing statement?

I don’t want to challenge hard snow because snow is my friend and I never think about making a statement. I just ride. Other people can make a statement I just want to have fun.

Whether you’re a snowboarder or not, we think you’ll agree this Twitter interview gave us a special insight both into Roope the man and Roope the snowboarding legend. If there’s anything else you’d like to know, let us know in the comments below.

The other day we asked you to send us links to your Nokia Lumia 920 snaps, and show us your photography prowess. As usual, you didn’t disappoint.  Pras’ excellent magazine-standard pic above got us started, and there was more to follow…

I decided to split them into categories based on rough groupings. Starting with…

The Sky

It’s always there, but can look so very, very different, as these three photos prove. From Olivier, a slightly off-kilter look at the clouds:

Christophe captured a contrasting sunset and shadow pic in France:

and finally a pic of the watery sun over Canada, from Dean:

Barcelona

You may have noticed a few tweets last week from Barcelona, where there was a small, intimate massive get together of all people and things mobile, under the banner Mobile World Congress. And from there, a few pics. The first of which – from Igor – could easily have come under the previous category. Look. At. The. Moon.

On a walkabout between Nokia launches (the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720, and the Nokia 301 and Nokia 105 all debuted last week) Stephen grabbed a shot in the local market:

After dark, when the booths were closed and the feet were resting, Bharad was testing the low light capabilities of the Lumia 920, snapping this impressively detailed shot of the Port Building:

Abstract

There is no other word for the pics that come into this category. The first is a very clever take on the modern world from weirdize (note the background):

As part of a comparison set on Flickr that pitches the Lumia 920 against the 808 PureView, Olivier brings us this chilly snap:

Finally in this category, this snap from Ali of nature reclaiming the junk:

Cat

Just because they win the internet…

From Michael, a photo of a cat:

So there we have it, an amazing gallery of your Lumia 920 snaps. Apologies if your photo didn’t make it, there were many, *many* quality images to choose from. Do you have anything taken on your Lumia 920 that could rival these? Or any other Lumia-snapped photos? Let us know by leaving a comment with a link, or drop us the details on Twitter – who knows, we could be featuring your work in a future post.

Really quick one guys – just after MWC wrapped up, we celebrated Xperia Z‘s global shipping kick-off by presenting our flagship Android smartphone (and Xperia Tablet Z) to a certain Sony brand ambassador…

Sony Mobile’s Marianna Cherubini (Head of Customer Marketing) and Kichiro Kurozumi (Vice President Creative Director, Head of UX Product Planning) presented the first official Xperia Z retail unit to Barcelona & Spanish international soccer star / scorer of the last World Cup’s winning effort; Andrés Iniesta – what’s more, the first ten people through the door that purchased Xperia Z, got the chance to spend a little more time with Andrés.

We first announced Xperia Z at CES in Vegas and showcased it again last week at Mobile World Congress; you can look forward to it rolling out globally over the coming months – please check in locally for all the specific details on pricing and availability.

Having had the opportunity to get to grips with Xperia Z at MWC, I can wholeheartedly say that this is a smartphone worth queuing for – and not just because I work for Sony

We’ve been listening, and we know you all love Instagram. The only way for us to show how much the Nokia community really care about bringing this world class app to Windows Phone, is by having a little fun and showing Instagram just how passionate you all are.

So on Monday the 4^th March 2013, a preview of #2InstaWithLove app was released on the Windows Phone market place. The app allows Windows Phone users to have their voice heard so that instead of letters, chocolates, mix tapes or petitions (although very effective in some cases), the community can speak directly to Instagram and the Instagram community in a way they can respect…through the use of beautiful photography.

The app allows you to take photos, add a classic Polaroid filter to them and post them to your social networks with the hashtag #2InstaWithLove.

So to get involved and download the app here or use the QR code below!

Holding the Nokia Luna Bluetooth headset it’s easy to imagine that wireless headsets are a very modern phenomenon.  Yet you couldn’t be further from the truth. Turns out the origins of wireless headsets begin more than a century ago. So, let’s take a closer look at the long and surprisingly colourful history of this now ubiquitous technology.

Headsets take off

The brainchild of Nathaniel Baldwin, a Stanford University student credited with inventing a whole host of electrical devices, the headset was originally a flop. In 1910 nobody was interested in mass-producing this strange communications tool. It wasn’t until the outbreak of World War 1, when the US Army bought a hundred devices for their pilots that headsets quite literally took off.

Until the early 50’s, these headsets were simply a pair of headphones. Then in 1951, Herbert “Mac” McClelland, fabricated a wireless microphone to be worn by baseball umpires at major league games. These two technologies combined would lead to the headsets we have today.

A successful pilot scheme

At the start of the 1960s, headsets used by airline pilots were so bulky and cumbersome, that many favored using handheld microphones to communicate. The discomfort of the over-sized headsets and inconvenience of handheld microphones, especially in complex jet planes, prompted United Airlines to begin a search for lightweight headsets.

Courtney Graham, a United Airline pilot himself, along with his friend and fellow pilot, Keith Larkin, decided to create a headset that was both durable and light. The two pilots ended up attaching two transducers, as used in hearing aids, to a headband. The design was submitted to United Airlines who approved it.

The modern headset was born.

Fly me to moon

In 1961, NASA astronaut Wally Schirra got in touch with the pilots to see if they could design a fully portable, two-way communication system for space travel. It took the team and NASA technicians just eleven days to design and manufacture a microphone headset unit that could be used by astronauts to communicate with one another and with earth. Each microphone circuit had two in-built transducers and each receiver had five transducers to ensure reliability and security.

Wally Schirra himself was the first astronaut to use the new technology on the Sigma 7 mission. Following its success, these headsets were used for the rest of the Mercury missions and the Apollo missions. In fact, Neil Armstrong’s famous phrase upon landing on the moon for the first time was relayed via a wireless headset.

The rest, as they say, is hands-free history.

Sending an email, writing an SMS or even making a phone call; these are the easy ways we let our friends or family know we’re thinking of them. However, there’s now a new way for people in the UK to let someone know you care by sending a real-world gift right from your phone – using Parcelgenie.

Parcelgenie is a free app for your Nokia Lumia that allows you to browse for a suitable gift and send it to anyone through the post, hand gift-wrapped. There are lots of reasons to why you may want to send somebody a gift, as Parcelgenie CEO John Taylor explains:

“People use Parcelgenie for all sorts of reasons – to cheer up a friend who’s had a tough day, to thank them, to wish them Happy Birthday. Or simply to let someone know they’re thinking about them. A Parcelgenie gift can be sent in seconds.”

Download Parcelgenie

1. Press the Search button on your Nokia Lumia and then tap Vision
2. Scan the QR code
3. Tap on the link when it appears on the screen
4. Install the application from the Windows Phone Store

In order to make this gift ordering process as quick as possible, everything on the app is laid out mostly on the first page. The top part of the screen is where you enter the phone number of the person you’ll be sending the gift to, and the lower section is where you browse through 50+ gifts. Gifts range from a small pack of retro sweets costing about £2, to more expensive items such as the Mother’s Day Bundle, which is priced at £12.49 – perfect for Mother’s Day, which is this Sunday (10th March) in the UK.

When you’re ready to purchase you’ve got the option of how you want to pay. You could pay using the premium SMS service, but this costs a couple of quid more, or you can use a PayPal account, or a credit/debit card. There’s also the option to add a voucher code to receive a small discount on your purchase.

ParcelPoke Ltd – the company behind Parcelgenie – was very generous in being able to supply us with a discount code so that Conversations by Nokia readers can receive 40% off the purchase. Just enter 7KG32E in the appropriate place – code expires 25th March 2013.

Once you’ve purchased an item, you and the recipient will receive a text. Your text will ask you to verify the use of the app, and the other message to the recipient will be to ask for their name and address. It’s this address that the gift will arrive. Delivery times are fast and the team at Parcelgenie try their best to make sure your gift arrives the next day, using First Class Royal Mail.

What can the receiver of the gift expect from Parcelgenie?

“We gift wrap every gift that we send out. When you open the parcel from Parcelgenie and you see a beautifully wrapped gift inside, that is the magical experience we want to create for all recipients of our gifts.”

For now, delivery is only available in the UK. However, there has been an exception to this rule when it comes to sending gifts to UK troops serving overseas. Parcelgenie gifts have been received by UK troops as far away as Afghanistan, connecting people to their loved ones despite any challenges they may face.

There are intentions to expand the service into new markets, though. Currently, the 50-strong team work from offices in Brighton and London. Plans are underway to open an office in California.

John tells me that they’re always learning from their customers about how they can improve their experience, as customer satisfaction is vital. Parcelgenie will continue to be updated and development is already underway on a new app that will be rolling out in the UK and US this year. The idea is similar to Parcelgenie but will allow you to send a friend a gift from a major global retailer’s catalogue.

Have you used Parcelgenie? Let us know what you sent and for what occasion in the comments below.