Experiencing Interruptions?

Life

One man’s epic struggle to have his toast just the way he likes it.

A man's morning routine is interrupted when he discovers that he is out of honey. Initially resigned to accept an alternative, he instead braves his overstocked pantry and finds what he wants in the far back corner. With his incessant wall clock constantly reminding him he has only minutes before he must leave for work, he embarks on a series of misadventures in order to retrieve the sweet, estranged spread. Thwarted at every turn by everything from cheap furniture to wayward Bolognese, he furiously dives head-first into the pantry and swims his way through the cans and bottles to ultimately claim his prize. But his victory is short-lived - what seemed to be an identical honey bottle is in fact maple syrup, and he finds himself settling for the alternative, woofing as much down as he can before time, as always, ultimately wins.

  • Jonathan Adams
    Director
    Rough Stuff
  • Jonathan Adams
    Writer
    Rough Stuff
  • Nick Bolton
    Producer
    Rough Stuff, The Road to Vagator, Back of the Net
  • Nick Bolton
    Key Cast
    "Man"
    Rough Stuff, The Road to Vagator, Back of the Net
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 4 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 9, 2013
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    DLSR
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Lucky Film Fesival
    Sydney
    Australia
    Best Actor
  • Actors Anonymous Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    Best Film
  • Sydney Fringe Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    Best Film
  • Port Stephens Film Festival,
    Port Stephens
    Australia
    Best actor
Director Biography - Jonathan Adams

Working in film and video was never a career choice for Jonathan – it was simply his default position! By the time he’d graduated high school he’d made 8 or 9 short films, including the screwball comedy “May the Best Man Win” and the musical satire “SCHOOL! The Musical”. The multi award-winning black comedy “Some Kind of Crazy” and the fantasy-adventure “10 Minutes” soon followed, representing major technical and creative milestones.

In 2007 Jonathan founded Progressive Pictures, which encompassed a range of video services from creative development and production to live event coverage and corporate video. By 2012 Progressive Pictures had grown to become one of Sydney’s premiere Corporate Video production houses, having worked on major training and communication projects for Integral (Endeavour) Energy, QBE Insurance, Stockland Group, 2and2, the NSW Government and many others.
At Progressive Pictures, Jonathan specialised in large-scale, scripted training scenario’s featuring large casts and a complex camera methodology, bringing a cinematic flavour and emotional hook to corporate learning and development. These experiences represented invaluable lessons in marrying his creative impulses with a strict corporate pragmatism.

In 2012, Jonathan partnered with eLearning company 2and2 to write, direct and produce all video for the Lend Lease EH&S Passport program, which went on to win the prestigious Platinum LearnX Award and “Best in Class” at the U.S. Interactive Media Awards. In early 2013, Progressive Pictures and 2and2 continued their collaboration on the Energy Efficiency Assist program for the Australian Industry Group and the Difficult Conversations education tool for the Fair Work Ombudsmen.
Jonathan has come to appreciate the delicate balance between art and commerce, a common interest he shares with Ten Alphas founder Nick Bolton. With the slew of digital innovations, it’s an exciting time for the filmmaker and as Creative Director Jonathan’s ten years of production experience will help bring Ten Alphas to the forefront of digital content creation.

With the slew of digital innovations, it’s an exciting time for the filmmaker. Ten Alphas is at the forefront of digital content creation.

With the “Relativity” web series, Jonathan has married an old-fashioned serial adventure with big questions about humanity’s place in the universe. And with the feature film “Rough Stuff”, his love of the Wild West and thirst for far-off adventure is married to questions of certainty and doubt in our polarised political climate.

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Director Statement

I’ll admit the initial appeal of “Life” as a short was its simplicity - one actor, one location and a cleanly-set narrative goal. Despite the impromptu nature of the production, the opportunity to mine that simplicity for nuggets of complexity fueled my eagerness to realise the film to its full potential. I’m ultimately very proud of the thematic and aesthetic pleasures “Life” has to offer.

I’m a big fan of animation as a dramatic form, and with Life I aimed to make a live-action film with an animated soul. The broad, exaggerated nature of the central conflict would, I think, be right at home in the shorts of Pixar or Warner Animation.

The “story break”, as it were, came when I noticed the parallels between intimate and epic struggles - Life isn’t just the story of ones man’s quest for honey, but an allegory for the futility of life itself. How many of us have given our all and thrown ourselves at the honey, convinced of its perfection, only to find its not what we expected? How many of us have settled for what we so resolutely rejected from the outset? The final scene, as the Man humbly obeys the command of the clock as he skips off to work, is a wry reminder that time, the ultimate villain, always wins out in the end.

For all its lofty intentions, Life doesn’t forget - and nor should we - that its all just a bit of fun, isn’t it?