Director: Christopher Nolan
UK/1997/3mins/16mm/b&w
This early short film from the director of
MEMENTO, INSOMNIA and BATMAN BEGINS
was made when he was a student in London.
Nolan was studying English Literature at University
College London when he started to make 16mm
films at the college film society, of which the surreal
short DOODLEBUG was one. This early film shows
the preoccupation with narrative boundaries Nolan
would later explore in his feature films and has the
simplicity common to many good shorts. The film
was produced by his now-wife and producing partner,
Emma Thomas.
A man waits patiently in his apartment to squash
a bug, but he could be hurting himself more than
he realizes.
"We did the effects on the best
machines we could at the time, for free.
We painted our own blue screen with
paint from John Lewis shop that doesn't
actually work very well. It's worth paying
for the proper paint it you're ever faced
with a similar dilemma."
Christopher Nolan on Doodlebug
Courtesy of Christopher Nolan
Commentary by Christopher Nolan, recorded in Los Angeles.
