What is Kineku?
Kineku is a short-form movie project and creative movement inspired by the precision and economy of haiku poetry.
Traditional Japanese haiku must use only 17 syllables in a 5, 7, 5 pattern. Kineku movies have just one constraint: they must have a running time of precisely 17 seconds.
A Kineku can be on any subject, use any genre or technique, and be filmed in any aspect ratio – but to qualify as a Kineku, it must be 17 seconds long.
17 second movies. That's it!
The beauty of the Kineku form is that it demands a creative response – yet, it is also short enough to achieve results quickly and with modest resources.
Its aim is to reclaim short filmmaking as a tool of individual expression and engagement with the world immediately around us, and to overturn the view that movie-making is only ever a complex activity undertaken by teams of specialists.
Watch Kineku
Kineku 17 sec haiku movies are available on our Video Wall or playlists in the video hosting services they are published on by Kinekumakers, such as YouTube and Vimeo.
To view Kineku movies on the Video Wall click on the link in the main menu, or to view them on YouTube or Vimeo click on the brand icons wherever you see them on this website.
In separate YouTube playlists we will also be building a library of ‘how to’ videos as well as any ‘behind the scenes’ movies you share with us. We’d love to know how and why you made your Kineku, but we’d also like to inspire others to do the same.
We’re building a playlist of our own ‘hints and tips’ videos on how to get the most out of your moviemaking devices, so send us your questions using the Contact page and we’ll add popular topics to our growing slate of instructional movies.
For news of events and developments and for updates on new Kineku additions to the Video Wall, follow us on our social posts. To go to the Facebook and Instagram pages click on any of the icons on this website.
For more information on where to see Kineku, click the Watch button below.
Make Kineku
Do you have a short video or idea that could be crafted into a 17 second mini-masterpiece?
Kineku can be in any genre – drama, factual, animation, experimental, arthouse – and on any subject. They can be shot in any aspect ratio – 16:9, square, academy, cinemascope – with multi-track audio or completely silent, and they can be in full colour, tinted or black & white.
All they have to be is your own original work on a subject you feel passionately about, and feel strongly enough to share.
And of course, they must be 17 seconds long.
Reinvent the reel.
Anyone with a smart phone has a sophisticated camera and video editing computer in their pocket.
The availability of these resources makes it possible to draw inspiration from the extraordinary aspects of the everyday world around you – and because of the constraint of the Kineku form their shortness means that results are never far away.
Be inspired. Get creative.
It might be a play of light, it might be an overheard sentence or a piece of music, but the inspiration for your next Kineku is right in front of you.
For hints, tips and instructional videos to help you get started click on the button below.
Share Kineku
Once you’ve finished your mini-masterpiece you must publish it through a video host such as YouTube or Vimeo. Then, submit a link to your video to the Kineku website where it will certified as conforming to the Official Kineku specification.
Just click the ‘submit’ button below and fill in the form to send us a link to your movie haiku. The only conditions you must meet are that:
- the movie is your own work and has the permission to share of any contributors or collaborators
- it does not intentionally or unintentionally cause offence or harm to others
- and, of course, that it’s 17 seconds long.
...oh, one more thing!
Because we want viewers to know where one Kineku ends and the next one begins, we’re asking everyone who submits a Kineku to create and add a 3 second title caption or black space at the front of their film. This should be text based on a black background.
You may use any font, and can include logos of funders or supporters, but the title caption cannot be a part of your content – that would be a 20 second video.
Kineku are 17 second movies presented with a 3 second title caption. This is our standard distribution specification and the aim is to give viewers a consistent experience on our Video Wall and Playlists, as well as to frame the care you’ve taken crafting your Kineku to precisely 17 seconds.
You’ll find more information when you follow the Submit button links or on the Share page in the main menu.
Verified and certified
Once you have published your finished 17 second movie on your own video hosting account – with its 3 second title or black spacer – you can submit its details using the form you’ll find when you click on the Submit buttons, and we’ll process your application.
As soon as your movie has been verified as 17 secs long you will receive an Official Kineku Certifcate and your movie will be shared on Kineku website Video Wall and relevant YouTube Playlist or Vimeo Collection.
Go to the Share page and get hints and tips on how to tag your movie so that it can be curated and searched for by subject or theme at a later date.