There was a reason to settle into your seat early at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, one far more compelling than a few extra moments to snack, schmooze, and star gaze: the trailers, man. You didn’t want to miss the trailers. A series of six film shorts by collaborators Dan Brown, Mike Mitchell, and Kent Osborne, the SXSW 02 trailers were 60-second promos that ricocheted from bone-dry witty to surly to surreal, all set at a fictional Austin slop shop, the Burger Hut (“Beef of the Stars”). They starred Osborne and one chain-smoking, carrot-topped puppet named Jimmy, and they were damned funny. Lonesome for the boys at Burger Hut? Weep no more — they can be found at the SXSW Web site at www.sxsw.com/coverage2002/burgerhut.php/. Not only can you get your chuckles on over and over again, but you can also glean inspiration: The Austin Cinemaker Co-op and SXSW are calling for 45-second trailers, shot exclusively on Super 8, hyping next year’s film fest. Entries are due by 5pm on Friday, June 21; films will be screened by a jury and then shown publicly later in June. There’s no entry fee, but you do have to be a Co-op member … which means now’s the perfect time to join. For SXSW Trailer Fest rules and/or more info, trot on over to www.cinemaker.org, e-mail cinemkr@sbcglobal.net, or call 236-8877. Now you too can peddle beef to the stars.
This article appears in May 17 • 2002.