Wholphin (DVD)
Encyclopedia
Wholphin is a quarterly DVD magazine
containing a selection of short films
which have had little or no exposure elsewhere. It was created by Dave Eggers
and Brent Hoff of McSweeney's
publishing house. It is named after the marine animal of the same name, a rare hybrid of a false killer whale and a dolphin, which highlights its unusual nature.
Eggers and Hoff claim they were inspired to create it after the Cannes Film Festival
, which is one of very few places at which many of these short films can ever be seen. Short films and documentaries
have limited exposure to the general public because, in the words of Hoff, "they're too short to show on TV, and they don't play in theaters because they'd rather show some great trivia about Adam Sandler
."
The first issue of Wholphin was released in December 2005, containing among others a documentary by Spike Jonze
about Al Gore
, by David O. Russell
on U.S. soldiers in Iraq
, films by Miguel Arteta
and Miranda July
, David Byrne
and Selma Blair
, Turkish sitcoms and Iranian animation.
Issues 2, 3, and 4 each came with a bonus DVD of the three parts of the documentary The Power of Nightmares
.
DVD magazine
A DVD magazine is a magazine that collects most of its content on DVD, or is issued in a DVD-only format. It was invented by Isak Bini who published the first DVD magazine: City and You DVD magazine...
containing a selection of short films
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: 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 or less, including all...
which have had little or no exposure elsewhere. It was created by Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
and Brent Hoff of McSweeney's
McSweeney's
McSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...
publishing house. It is named after the marine animal of the same name, a rare hybrid of a false killer whale and a dolphin, which highlights its unusual nature.
Eggers and Hoff claim they were inspired to create it after the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, which is one of very few places at which many of these short films can ever be seen. Short films and documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
have limited exposure to the general public because, in the words of Hoff, "they're too short to show on TV, and they don't play in theaters because they'd rather show some great trivia about Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
."
The first issue of Wholphin was released in December 2005, containing among others a documentary by Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
about Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, by David O. Russell
David O. Russell
David Owen Russell is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been praised for the loose, comic energy that characterizes his work, and is notorious for his explosive confrontations with cast members.-Early life:...
on U.S. soldiers in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, films by Miguel Arteta
Miguel Arteta
Miguel Arteta is a Puerto Rican director of film and television, known for his independent film Chuck & Buck , for which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.-Early life:...
and Miranda July
Miranda July
Miranda July is a performing artist, writer, actress and film director. Born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger, she works under the surname of "July," which can be traced to a character from a "girlzine" Miranda created with high school friend Johanna Fateman, called Snarla.- Background :Miranda...
, David Byrne
David Byrne (musician)
David Byrne is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography,...
and Selma Blair
Selma Blair
Selma Blair is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. She has performed in feature films including Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, The Sweetest Thing, Hellboy, The Fog, Purple Violets and Hellboy II: The Golden Army...
, Turkish sitcoms and Iranian animation.
Issues 2, 3, and 4 each came with a bonus DVD of the three parts of the documentary The Power of Nightmares
The Power of Nightmares
The Power of Nightmares, subtitled The Rise of the Politics of Fear, is a BBC documentary film series, written and produced by Adam Curtis. Its three one-hour parts consist mostly of a montage of archive footage with Curtis's narration...
.
External links
- Official Wholphin website
- http://larecord.com/interviews/2008/04/28/wholphin-two-margaritas-talking/April 2008 Interview In L.A. RecordL.A. RecordL.A. Record is an independent music magazine originally published weekly as a broadsheet poster. The poster usually depicts a local Los Angeles musicians and according to the magazine editors is meant to recreate an iconic album cover. In March 2008, it began publishing as a monthly magazine with a...
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