Sweded films are amateur recreations of famous films released within the last 35 years which mimic their source's material. They are produced with no budget and filmed using basic and homemade props. The editing uses only human-made sound effects and music, with no computer generated graphics or special effects aside from camera tricks/angles and arts and crafts. They must also have a duration between 2 and 8 minutes long and are usually comedic.
(Sources: knowyourmeme.com/memes/sweded-films & swededcinema)
Some examples of sweded films that I have found are:
Iron Man 3 Sweded Trailer
This sweded film is a remake of the Iron Man 3 trailer, and is conventional to the sweded film genre. One factor which makes it conventional is its use of homemade mise en scene and costume, for example Iron Man's impressive cardboard suit, and Iron Man action figures for impossible stunts. Also no computer edited/generated sounds were used for the trailer, as they are all produced by people. Finally a blue translucent plastic sheet was used as a filter over the camera lens to create an underwater effect, and the arms of Iron Man's suit are thrown onto him, as opposed to using special effects, and the editing is simple; only involving the cutting of clips and layering of non-diegetic sound, with no edited animations. Mist and the ignition of the Iron Man model drawings is another creative technique used as opposed to using special effects, making this swede more authentic. However what breaks conventions are the slide transitions which include fading and dissolving.
4/5 stars
Tron Sweded Film
This sweded film is a remake of Disney's Tron, and meets almost all of the conventions of a sweded film. The props are all homemade or found around the home, such as the cardboard computer screen and bikes. The film makers have used creative camera tricks in keeping to the sweded film guidelines, for example the close-up composition of the toy helicopter to create the illusion that it is life size compared to the characters, and that a man was walking out of it. Also with the fast movement of cardboard to create a beam of light, without the need for computerised special effects. The sounds used for the film are all generated by humans vocally, and the film has been edited with simple editing. However the one factor which strays from traditional sweded film expectations is its use of computerised credits at the end of the film, and a fade transition. Despite this, overall I think this is an excellent example of a sweded film, but not as creative as the Iron Man 3 trailer.
2.5/5 stars
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark Sweded Film
The final sweded film which I have criticised is a remake of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. This is my favourite example, as I feel that it meets all of the expectations of a sweded film perfectly. The key moments of the film are presented concisely with a clear and easy to follow narrative, which is important for such short and heavily altered remakes of films. The film is edited using simple editing techniques, no special effects, and hand drawn credits are used at the beginning and end. Also the sound is completely human generated and vocalised. Creative and homemade mise en scene is the main feature of this sweded film, with the cardboard tube and rope against a hallway to create the rope swing, the closing gap in the wall created by cardboard descending downwards, and a skipping rope to recreate Indiana Jones' iconic whip. The comedic essence of sweded films is captured by the serious acting within a humourous set, and the running person dressed as a boulder. This silliness, and other factors identified makes it true to its sweded film genre.
5/5 stars
