Sydney-based ‘self-taught’ filmmaker Matt Sharp wins $10,000 eHarmony short film competition

| | 1 Comment

Pen7234.jpgSydney-based director Matt Sharp has won eHarmony’s ‘What is compatibility’ short film competition hosted by Genero.tv, winning himself $10,000 for his upcoming short film, Penelope.

 

The project, which launched in March, invited filmmakers from around the world to create a short film around one of eHarmony’s six traits of compatibility: character, humour, communication style, curiosity, romantic passion and conflict resolution. The submissions were judged on creativity, originality and quality. Sharp’s entry sees a love-struck barista’s attempt to woo a beautiful patron go horribly wrong.

Pen23984.jpgSays Sarah Mason, eHarmony spokesperson: “Matt’s video jumped out straight away. The production quality was very high, along with a very cute and quirky storyline. The talent was very likeable and we loved the overall link to the compatibility trait of ‘communication style’.”

 

This is the first short film competition held by eHarmony, aiming to tap into creative resources to gauge how others view eHarmony and its unique selling point of compatibility matching.

 

Says Mason: “We used this as an opportunity to take a look at ourselves quite literally through someone else’s lens. Working with Genero.tv and its global database of filmmakers made a lot of sense as we were able to glean a number of entries from people who were looking at our brand for the first time, which is a unique insight for most companies.”

Sharp, 24, is a full time freelance film director who specialises in music videos, short films and corporate communications. He is entirely self-taught, which he says encourages him to find his own solutions and style.

 

Says Sharp: “I like to be a problem solver, so this brief was a great challenge for me. I only came across the competition the day before entries closed, so I stayed up with a friend, came up with a concept and shot and edited the next morning.

“My grandparents gave me a video camera when I was in primary school, and instead of writing essays I used to submit short films as assignments. It didn’t always impress my teachers back then but it definitely paid off later in life. The eHarmony video was a really appealing project that allowed for creative freedom so I just went for it.”

Sharpe will use the winnings to partially fund his upcoming short film Penelope which explores the isolation of a glamorous female in late 1950s Los Angeles and stars Elisa Colla, the subject in his winning eHarmony entry.

 

Matt’s film will be used by eHarmony to promote their unique difference in the online dating category, through their social channels and website.

Director: Matt Sharp

D.O.P: Patrick Frischknecht

Sound: Bailey Dalton

Female Customer: Elisa Colla

Barista: Josh Searle

Waitress: Hannah Maguire

Male Customer: Matt Wilmott