Micro Short Filmmaking: A Guided Learning Journey

Robert David Duncan is an award-winning filmmaker, actor and instructor based in Vancouver, Canada. He is also the founder and festival director of the Miniature Film Festival, which celebrates the work of micro short filmmakers worldwide. His first micro short film "Every Boat is a Dream" came about almost by accident, when he chanced upon an abandoned and half sunken sailboat during a rare Vancouver snowstorm. He shot some video footage with a smartphone, and later wrote a fictional narrative about the boat and its final owner. The film went on to be exhibited at festivals in several countries and was nominated for a Best Drama award. Since then, Robert has continued to make micro short film, many of them just one minute long, that have been in festivals around the world. His film "Beauty's Bubble" was awarded a win in the One Minute Story category at the Montevideo Festival of New Cinema, and his film "The Esteem Coach" won a Director's Award at the North Carolina Film Awards. Having come to filmmaking and acting later in life, Robert believes that we all have fun and meaningful stories to tell, and that today's technology makes it easy for any of us to make a micro short film that can be entered successfully in film festivals, or simply shared with friends and loved ones. In his book "Micro Short Filmmaking" Robert shares his approach to making films and takes us on a guided learning journey that both builds confidence and gently pushes us into making our own little films. Robert trained as an actor at the Stella Adler Studio in New York, and also holds a BA, an MBA and a Doctorate in Business Leadership. He is also an author and co-author of books on teamwork, collaboration and creativity. Robert also teaches both business and creative subjects and loves speaking to groups about creativity, collaboration and leadership.