''More'' is a 1998

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

created by Mark Osborne using

stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

animation. ''More'' has won several awards, and was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...

in 1998.

Plot

''More'' tells the story of an inventor who lives in a drab, colorless world. Day by day, he toils away in a harsh, dull, and dehumanizing job, his only savior being the memories of the bliss of childhood. But at night, he works secretly on an invention that could help him relive those memories and spread their joy to everyone in his despair-filled life. When he finishes the invention, it changes the way people look at the world. His success changes him, however, because he loses an important part of himself.

Production and publication

''More'' was written and directed by Mark Osborne, and created by a team that included, among others, Keith and Shannon Lowry, Rick Orner, Nick Peterson, and David Candelaria. Although it was only a 6-minute

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

, it was, as Osborne put it, an "absolutely massive undertaking"—as it was the first short to be shot using the

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

format. In addition, it was filmed using

, a much more time-consuming method than live-action filming techniques. Filming ''More'' took nine months, and it was first screened in fall of 1998. While it had a positive critical reception—including an

nomination—commercial options proved limited once the initial hype died down. Although ''More'' was subsequently included in the ''Short Cinema Journal #7: Utopia'' DVD, Osborne was receiving e-mails daily, asking for the short to be released on DVD. One of these was a writer from Despair, Inc., complimenting him on his work, which led to an offer for Despair to fund DVD production and to sell DVDs on their website. The DVD thus created included three commentaries and an hour-long documentary on the creation of ''More''. The film was also released on disk in the second issue of '' Wholphin Magazine''.

Soundtrack

The song featured as background music is titled "

Elegia Elegia may refer to: * The Latin term for "elegy" * ''Elegia'' (moth), a snout moth genus in subfamily Phycitinae * ''Elegia'' (plant), a South African plant genus in family Restionaceae * , 1979 Polish film directed by Paweł Komorowski * Elegia ...

". It was recorded by the band New Order on the 1985 album ''

Low-Life A low-life (or lowlife) is a term for a person who is considered morally unacceptable by their community. Examples of people society often labels low-lives include aggressive panhandlers, bullies, criminals, drug dealers, freeloaders, hobos, ga ...

''.

Legacy

The film ''More'' was adapted into the music video for the song "Hell Bent" by

Kenna Kenna Zemedkun, known professionally as Kenna, is an Ethiopian-born American musician, philanthropist and technology creative. His track "Say Goodbye to Love" was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in the 2009 Grammy Awards. Kenna ...

Awards

''More'' was awarded the following honors: *

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

- Special Jury Prize for Short Films *

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

- Best Animated Short *Nominated -

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year ...

Shorts Bay
/ref> *ResFest – Audience Award for Best Film, Grand Audience Prize for Best Film *Aspen Shorts Fest - Special Jury prize *World Fest Houston - Gold / Special Jury Prize for Shorts *USA Film Festival - Dallas - Grand Jury Prize for Shorts *Toronto International Short Film Fest - Best Animated Short, Best Short Overall *Stony Brook Film Fest - Best Short Film *'' Message to Man'' International Film Festival - Russia – Best International Debut Film *PhilaFilm - Philadelphia – Best Animated Short *Nominated -

Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

*St. Louis International Film Festival - Best Short Film *Uppsala International Short Film Festival/Sweden - Audience Award for Best Film *San Francisco Indie Fest – Audience Award

References

External links

*
''More'' on YouTube

Short of the Week article
{{Mark Osborne 1998 films Stop-motion animated short films IMAX short films 1998 short films Clay animation films Films directed by Mark Osborne American animated short films 1998 animated films 1990s stop-motion animated films 1990s American films