The Process - DC Shorts Film Awards

The DC Shorts Film Festival - the largest short film event on the East Coast. This is the festival's 9th year, they are showing 140 films from 27 nations — and expect hundreds of filmmakers and thousands of audience members to mix, mingle and explore the art of short cinema. The festival is the largest audience-driven collection of short films in the USA. The DC Shorts Film Festival turns the spotlight on truly independent short films, created by new and established filmmakers in an era when the art of filmmaking is opening to all. 

The Washington Glass Studio makes the glass awards given to the winners of the competition, and the steps to make the award are the subject of today's posting.

 

Based on the film festival logo, the imagery is drawn in frit powder onto flat glass sheets.

 

The pattern made of glass powder is kiln-fired to the glass surface.

Rob Kincheloe sets up a precise angle within the kiln for the previously fired glass to slump over.

The slump drop of the glass creates one piece award that has the base integrated.

 

Audrey Wilson rubs enamel paint into the white kilncast film reels to bring out the texture of the glass.

 

The slumped awards are ready for the cast glass elements to be attached with UV glue.

The production of the awards fill the tables of the studio. The finished awards are boxed and mad ready for delivery to the festival HQ. 

When you go to the DC Film Festival gala award receptions - be sure to cheer for the awards themselves!

DC Shorts is a project of the DC Film Alliance. The DC Film Alliance serves and strengthens the media arts in the greater Washington DC region by serving as a bridge between the myriad of media arts organizations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.