"One Saved Message" - Off Stage Films

[Chris Messineo]

http://offstagefilms.com/images/osmposterweb.jpg

[Chris Messineo]

1/5/2009 - Entry:

After 5 years and 3,000 posts, I'm excited to say that this will be my first entry into any of the DVXUser Festivals.

We are holding auditions on Thursday, January 22 and are shooting on Saturday, January 31.

Lastly, I'm doubly excited to announce that Timur Civan will be our Director of Photography.

1/10/2009 - Cast and Crew:

We have cast two of our four actors:

Helen - Joann Scanlon
Jack - Jeff Maschi

We are holding auditions for the two leads on January 22 and I'm really looking forward to it. Actors have started sending head shots and resumes and that is always fun. :)

Our crew is all set as well:

Writer and Director: Me
Producer: Chris Furlong
DP: Timur Civan
Sound: Nick Sidorovich

1/12/2009 - Crew Updates:

Composer: Herman Witkam
Grip: Mark Harris

1/23/2009 - Cast Updates:

We have cast the two female leads.

Emily: Nadja Hoyer-Booth
Jenny: Kelly Reilly

1/31/2009 - Production Update:

Today was our shooting date and it went great. We even added a new team member.

Grip: Chingiz Musayev

2/3/2009 - Production Stills:

I've captured all of the footage and posted two stills for all to see.

[Chris Messineo]

Cast:

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/nadja.jpg
Nadja Hoyer-Booth

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/kelly.jpg
Kelly Reilly

Production Stills:

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/osm-emily.jpg
Nadja Hoyer-Booth as Emily

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/osm-jenny.jpg
Kelly Reilly as Jenny

[Robbie Comeau]

Sick script. I wanted to do this :)

Robbie

[stinkpot]

Very cool poster Chris. I'm looking forward to your film.

Welcome to the fest!

:beer:

[ZazaCast]

This is great Chris....I'm really looking forward to it! Glad you finally threw your hat in the ring. Now lets hope it doesn't take another 3000 posts for the next one.

Welcome and best of luck!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Way to grab one of the best DP's around for your first entry! :)

Looking forward to this one.

Best of luck!


MAH

[Zim]

Looks good Chris.

[Mark Harris]

Sweet! can't wait to see it, Chris!

Timur is DA BOMB.

[Maximus]

Good luck, Chris. Look forward to it!

[Matias Caruso]

Good luck, Chris.

Are you gonna expand the original script or shoot it as it is?

[Chris Messineo]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I'm really looking forward to this.


Are you gonna expand the original script or shoot it as it is?

We are shooting it as is.

[Faith Nelson]

Great script. Can't wait to see the film.

[Beat Takeshi]

Good luck Chris!

[Chris Messineo]

Thanks a lot. I'm trying to minimize how much luck plays a part in this, but it always does - doesn't it. :)

Also, I added an update up top with some cast and crew info.

[Chris Messineo]

Two new crew announcements:

Herman Witkam will be composing our score. This is my third time working with Herman and I can't wait to see what magic he comes up with this time.

Mark Harris has joined our team as our grip extraordinaire. I haven't worked with Mark before, but his legend precedes him. :)

Auditions in 10 days - Shooting in 19 days - This is going to be fun.

[Chris Messineo]

I needed one prop for our film and after 3 unsuccessful attempts on ebay, I finally won two different bids today (I was getting a little stressed). Now, I will have two props to choose from.

Just what that prop is will remain a mystery. My script is only one page long, so I need to hold onto the few surprises we have.

[Faith Nelson]

Chris, is it an answering machine?

[Chris Messineo]

No guessing allowed.

[Rodney V. Smith]

hey what happened to your poster?

[Chris Messineo]

hey what happened to your poster?

What do you mean?

[Rodney V. Smith]

it's not showing up.

[Chris Messineo]

That's strange. It shows up for me. I wonder if anyone else can't see it.

[Matias Caruso]

I can see it but there seems to be a naked girl -- oh wait -- wrong window.

Yep, I see it fine. :)

[Rodney V. Smith]

funny, nothing on Firefox and IE is throwing a javascript error...

[Zim]

Good luck with this one Chris.

[ZazaCast]

I can see it but there seems to be a naked girl -- oh wait -- wrong window.

Yep, I see it fine. :)

You must have been looking at my thread! :beer:

Best of luck.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I can see it.

[Rodney V. Smith]

It's just me I guess. Well I'm sure it's a great poster! (wish I could see it though...)

[vnguyen972]

I can see it fine... here with Chrome, IE 7, and Safari 3.1.2 for windows.

[Rodney V. Smith]

i'm going to go in a corner and sulk now.. somebody throw me a direct link to the image please.

[Rodney V. Smith]

ah ha! I see it now. is that an answering machine tape?

[Chris Messineo]

That was odd. I'm glad you can see it now and yes.

[warau]

I like the poster, looking forward to seeing what the film is about.... with a one page script??!!

[alex whitmer]

Catching up on my social calendar here. Jeeze, where did all these films come from?!

Saw the script. Love to see what you'll do with this one, Chris. Oh, and sure glad you are finally making the leap.

For a man who reads 6,000 scripts a week, you no doubt saw something intriguing here.

a



www.brooklyngarrison.wordpress.com


a

[GoodLuck]

Definitely looking forward to seeing this one. :)

[Chris Messineo]

We had our auditions last night and the turn-out was wonderful. The actresses were amazing and we honestly could have cast it three times over.

Still, we our very excited to announce our cast:

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/nadja.jpg
Nadja Hoyer-Booth

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/kelly.jpg
Kelly Reilly

[Brandon Rice]

"One Missed Call"

vs

"One Saved Message"

interesting :)

[Chris Messineo]

We're shooting tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. I'm really looking forward to it, but I also know I will hardly get any sleep tonight. :)

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Good script, great DP, sleep soundly! :beer:

Good luck.

MAH

[alex whitmer]

Sleep is overrated. Pace the floor all night with pangs of angst. Come sunrise, go with that hyper-creative stream of consciousness that comes with sleep deprivation.

Caffeine and/or absinthe are also recommended.

a

[Rodney V. Smith]

Coffee. Lots of it. And donuts.

leave some for the actors, at least enough for them to get a whiff of to remind them that it's morning and it's time to shoot! Now get out there and make us proud.

But first: drink your coffee.

[Chris Messineo]

The shoot is over. Everyone was awesome. BTS shots tomorrow.

[Herman Witkam]

Sleep is overrated. Pace the floor all night with pangs of angst. Come sunrise, go with that hyper-creative stream of consciousness that comes with sleep deprivation.

Caffeine and/or absinthe are also recommended.

a

Amen to that - Although I recommend green tea instead.

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

congrats on getting in the fest! looking forward to it.

[TimurCivan]

today was fun... i dont think chris was ready for my shooting pace.... Everytime he sits down, im like.... Lets go ready to roll, i didint let the actress sit, drink or eat. hahah....

[Chris Messineo]

I loved your shooting pace!

Remember I said we had 18 setups and I thought we could get them done in 8 hours. The cool thing is, you actually made that happen. :)

[Chris Messineo]

A few BTS shots:

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/osmbts1.jpg
Timur working his magic with the camera.

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/osmbts2.jpg
Mark, Timur, and I getting ready for the next shot.

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/osmbts3.jpg
Our two actresses, Kelly and Nadja.

[TimurCivan]

God thats a terrible picture of me....

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

So where are the grabs? :D

[Geoff_R]

Where art thou grabs?

[Brandon Rice]

grabs!

[Mark Harris]

Hey all,

I know a lot of you have seen Timur's work and wondered what it was like to work with him. So since I was grip on this, I recorded a bunch of candid BTS stuff when there was nothing to do.

Timur on Set part 1 (http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_audio/020209_christianbale.mp3)

[Geoff_R]

Wow... I can't really take a side without knowing how other events prior had transpired but one thing is for certain... Timur knows how to dish out the rage.

[Beat Takeshi]

great audio quality on that Mark. You must be wielding something heavy on that bts cam.

[TimurCivan]

thats right fools. Dont touch my sh*t.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Now where are those grabs. :)

[Richard J. Johnson]

word to ya mutha.

[Chris Messineo]

Two stills (straight out of the camera - no cc):

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/osm-emily.jpg
Nadja Hoyer-Booth as Emily

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/osm-jenny.jpg
Kelly Reilly as Jenny

[Robbie Comeau]

How'd you light that Chris?

What camera?

Robbie

[TimurCivan]

Ohhh it came out darker than i thought... i like it...

[Chris Messineo]

It was shot with the Panasonic HVX200, SGPro, and lit with Kino-Flos.

Timur did all the work - I just called "action". :)

[TimurCivan]

im in love with Kinos. i need a set of thoes... someday.. after i pay my taxes.....

[Brandon Rice]

It was shot with the Panasonic HVX200, SGPro, and lit with Kino-Flos.

Timur did all the work - I just called "action". :)

Awesome setup... :beer:

[Robbie Comeau]

Two stills (straight out of the camera - no cc):

http://www.offstagefilms.com/images/osm-emily.jpg
Nadja Hoyer-Booth as Emily


Thought I'd try out a quick CC :)

http://www.isarapix.org/pix71/1233697752.png

Robbie

[Mark Harris]

Wow, we should have calibrated that monitor....they are WAY darker than I thought they would be. But that's a good thing. Looks much more cinematic. Nice work, guys!

[Chris Messineo]

I'm very happy with the shots.

We had a great crew: Timur Civan, Mark Harris, Chingiz Musayev, Chris Furlong, and Nick Sidorovich. I think it was the first time I ever worked on a film and I didn't personally have to move a light. :)

[TimurCivan]

By the way, chingiz was REALLLY impressed that you spelled his name right o nthe welcome cards....

[Chris Messineo]

That was my daughter's idea to make those welcome cards (I didn't even know she did it). She loves being on the set and hanging out with the cast and crew.

[dantewaters]

Man Timur I thought that was a movie scene (I don't know why the guy named it Christian Bale).

Anyway let me know when you free so I can return the SG (dont' want any rage in my corner of the world).

[Chris Messineo]

February was a tough month personally and I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get back to this film.

Luckily, I have and the edit is complete. I just need to finish the sound mix and the cc, while Herman rocks out the score (I owe him big time).

[Marlon Ladd]

Glad to see you in, Chris. I'm surprised though - I thought you'd been in one of these before. Good luck. I know the story will be excellent.

[Chris Messineo]

I just got our score from Herman. He is a magician. I don't know how he does what he does so well and so fast, but his score compliments and completes our film perfectly. I can't wait for everyone to hear it.

[Geoff_R]

Looking forward to the film, Chris!

[Chris Messineo]

Our film is done and entered. The final cut with the leader came in at 2:45.

That is a big weight off my shoulders, but (as I said in another thread) I feel like I just sent my child off to her first day of school.

[ZazaCast]

This will be great....really looking forward to it! Congrats on the upload.

[pia12254]

I'm really looking forward to this one as well! I have not read the script (I hate spoiling the story for myself) but I'm sure it is killer.

Can't wait to see what you do with 2:45!!!

[Sprocketboy]

You put together a great production team. I haven't read this story and don't intent to until after seeing your film. Why spoil it for myself. Your film is one of my top ten to watch.

On a side note, thanks for putting together movie poet. Someday, hopefully, I will shoot one of the scripts from that site for DVXUser. I may ask you for suggestions.

[Chris Messineo]

Thanks guys. This is so much fun, I'm kicking myself for not having entered in the past.


On a side note, thanks for putting together movie poet. Someday, hopefully, I will shoot one of the scripts from that site for DVXUser. I may ask you for suggestions.

Anytime. Just tell me what you're looking for and I can definitely give you some wonderful recommendations.

[John LaBonney]

Hey Chris:

Glad to see that you've finished and are in this fest; I'm looking forward to checking out the film. Moviepoet seems to be growing by leaps and bounds!

John

[Chris Messineo]

"Moviepoet seems to be growing by leaps and bounds!"

It's grown faster than I ever imagined possible. I think much like DVXuser, people appreciate a site where they can get honest feedback, make some friends, and not get charged for the experience.

[Sprocketboy]

Anytime. Just tell me what you're looking for and I can definitely give you some wonderful recommendations.

Thank you, Chris.

[Tim Joy]

Great poster. Looking forward to it!

[Postmaster]

What a loveley plot and a great idea Chris.

Realy liked that one.

Frank

[Maximus]

Great job, Chris! I really enjoyed the script, and your film certainly did it justice. Everything was very well done, in particular, Herman's music. Melancholy yet subtle... a little Thomas Newman. Very nice. :beer:

[Chris Messineo]

Thank you both so much.

As I said earlier, the script is only one page long (written for a one page script contest) and I was trying to capture a very personal moment in time. I hope that makes sense.

I'm so glad you like Herman's score. I love it too.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Simple, yet effective.

It was well shot and the sound mix is good.
This movie/script plays on a real event to help drive the emotion. It does this effectively.

My only nit pick would be the acting. It is competent but could have been a little better. It wasn't bad though, I just felt that a pair of great actors could have had me gushing.

Still, I'm willing to bet that this does fairly well this Fest. It was very good.
Herman's score seemed to work quite well.

Nice work, Chris. Well done.

MAH

[Chris Messineo]

Michael, Thanks a lot. I'm so happy that you liked it.

The sound mix was really hard to do, so I'm glad you thought it worked well.

I loved the actors, they gave me so much to work with (so many choices) and the more I watched the takes, the more I was drawn to the subtlety of their performances and that is what I selected in my edit. If there is any weakness there, I assure you it is with me and not them.

Herman is awesome. I never wanted the film to be melodramatic (which it easily could have been) and I think his score sets the mood perfectly.

Anyway, thanks again for the great review. It means a lot to me.

[Don Riemer]

Chris,

You already know this, but I just wanted to make it official with a post... I love this film. What you may not know is that I never read the script. I didn't want to; I wanted to see the film knowing as little about it as possible. I didn't even know it was for the LossFest, didn't know the theme. And I'm glad I kept it off my radar. Much more fun to see it that way.

I've watched your film-making evolve for a long time, (not on this forum, lest others be puzzled) and I'd say this is your best yet. Such a simple, elegant story, beautifully executed. All the elements worked beautifully: lighting, camera, acting, editing... right on the money. I liked your lead actor especially; very subtle read. I got the sense that she was almost laughing at herself, for having saved that message for so long. And those little dolly moves were really sweet.

Again, great job. Now I have to see what other folks have been up to.

Don

[Nick Sidorovich]

Chris,

It was a blast working on your film with so many talented people. Having read the script and seen every take on set - and knowing full well what was coming - I was surprised at how much the film moved me when I watched it this morning. You avoided being melancholy or maudlin and yet the images, acting and score were so evocative and elicited a strong emotional response. Great job with the final sound mix. I remember the grocery bag crackling and rumbling like an avalanche on set, so you attenuated that nicely along with everything else in the final cut. Terrific edit of your shots, too! Great job overall!

[Matias Caruso]

Very nicely done.

(just in case: spoilers)

The writing is so tight. It's remarkable how you manage to make a simple action (deleting a message) so emotionally loaded.

Thanks for sharing. :)

[Richard J. Johnson]

This is the only film I have watched so far that made me tear up. And it's only 2:44. Nuff said.

[Chris Messineo]

This is the only film I have watched so far that made me tear up. And it's only 2:44. Nuff said.

I don't think I have the words to tell you how much this review means to me. This was a very personal story for me and I'm truly touched that it moved you. Thanks for putting a huge smile on my face.

[Blaine]

This is one of the first ones I watched. Overall, I'd say you did a good job. A very intimate and touching story.

The mother had obviously listed to the message many times. It was the last thing she had from him. There was just not enough between the girl and her mother to have me buy her erasing the message. This was short and could have used just a little more to make your point.

The girl's acting felt a bit stiff and forced but the mother as solid.

Herman's music worked well. (Herman on the East Coast/Justin on the West)

I thought the sound mix was good.

You made good use of the single location and shot it well.

You did a good job on this but it still felt like a scene out of a bigger piece.

[Mystaken]

This was a beautiful and poignant film, so far the best that I have seen in Loss Fest. The whole feel of the film was real and natural. Both actresses gave perfect performances. It seems that those who criticized the performances just didn't understand what you were trying to say in this brief snapshot of an everyday moment that became a significant turning point. Great directing, great music, great camera work.

[Chris Messineo]

Blaine, Thank you so much for the detailed review. I really respect your opinion. I wanted to try and keep this film short and leave a few questions unanswered - in particular, why does she choose this day to delete the message? I kind of knew that wouldn't work for everyone, but I'm glad to see you still seemed to enjoy it overall.

Mystaken, I'm thrilled that you liked it so much.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

This was a beautiful and poignant film, so far the best that I have seen in Loss Fest. The whole feel of the film was real and natural. Both actresses gave perfect performances. It seems that those who criticized the performances just didn't understand what you were trying to say in this brief snapshot of an everyday moment that became a significant turning point. Great directing, great music, great camera work.Not to nitpick but I read the script for this ahead of time and knew what to expect. Even talked to Chris about it a bit.

Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean that they don't get it. :)

I'm rating this film quite high and I expect it to make the finals. I just thought had the acting been a little better that it could be the clear winner. That being said, the acting isn't bad, just a little stiff in spots. That's just my opinion and others will obviously disagree. That's what makes this forum great.

I still expect this film to do very well as it is an excellent entry. :beer:

Chris, hope you don't mind me defending my opinion here.

MAH

[Chris Messineo]

Michael,

The reviews so far have been amazing, beyond my expectations.

I sincerely appreciate each and every review - especially the honest criticism from people like yourself and Blaine. Without it, I cannot learn and grow.

If my little film sparks some debate (about the story, the acting, or even my directing) I think that is a great thing.

So, please keep it coming, and thanks again everyone for all of the reviews.

Chris

[DerSpieler]

Great work, Chris.

The pacing is perfect and I loved the cinematography. The lead actress did a great job and the daughter gave a solid performance. As I said in my comments on the script, this is a story that calls for strong performances. So while I agree with MAH to an extent, these are very difficult roles to play and I think the cast should be commended.

Congrats, and all the best in the fest.

[Chris Messineo]

Great work, Chris.

The pacing is perfect and I loved the cinematography. The lead actress did a great job and the daughter gave a solid performance. As I said in my comments on the script, this is a story that calls for strong performances. So while I agree with MAH to an extent, these are very difficult roles to play and I think the cast should be commended.

Congrats, and all the best in the fest.
Thanks so much.

It's cool to know that you read the script first and you still really liked the finished film.

That's awesome that you liked the cinematography. It all takes place in a small kitchen so I worked hard to try and vary the shots, but still keep them motivated. Meanwhile, Timur and his team (including Mark Harris) did a phenomenal job and deserve the lion's share of the credit for making it all look so great.

Sometimes, I think my role as the director is to not ruin the story and just get out of the crew's way and let them all do their magic. :)

[DerSpieler]

Sometimes, I think my role as the director is to not ruin the story and just get out of the crew's way and let them all do their magic. :)

Hey, you wrote the story, that's where the real magic happens :)

[Mark Harris]

Chris. I'm very impressed with how this came out. Not that I thought it wouldn't, but I had my doubts about some of the waist-high shots looking too much like a soap-opera. Luckily, they are used so sparingly it's not really and issue.

Nice color work to. I assume you did some correction on it. much warmer tone than it seemed on set.

music just about perfectly suited to the size and scope of the piece.

Nit-picks: I think, now seeing it, that choice to have her mouth the words treads on going over the top. It's just that the elements are all working so great there, you don't need it in my view, so whens she does it, it feels like pouring it on a bit. She does a great job of just being in that moment, so I don't think it's needed.

I guess I saw this when I read it, but for some reason thought it would be more so in the performance, but now I kind of wish for a hair more conflict here. Inner conflict? Maybe that's a different story than the one you're telling, but I don't fully see why she's okay now, if she just played the message. What's different about this day? I mean, I guess it's in seeing the daughter safe? Dunno, I didn't fully get it.

Nice work.

[Lu-Ann Reilly]

Chris, I just wanted to say that I loved the film! After listening to your direction --and all the technical stuff that I didn't understand while watching the shoot (first time for me)-- I couldn't wait to see the final product. I like the fact that the film had no extraneous action. It was so incredibly touching without being super-emotional. As the real-life mom of the daughter in the film, I have to admit that Nadja and Kelly look more like mother and daughter than Kelly and I do!:) Also, I know I am biased, but I truly and honestly loved their performances and, knowing what you were asking of them, I can say that I think both Nadja and Kelly gave you the performances you wanted from them. Even after reading the script and sitting through the shoot, I cried when I saw the film. :crybaby:Great job, Chris! You are an amazingly talented filmmaker and it was an honor for Kelly --in her film debut--to work with you, Nadja, and your excellent crew. Best of luck to you!

[ramsaur]

Definitely a good little short! great job on it!

[lawriejaffa]

Yes I'll just add my tuppence. This short (was short!) and touching. The answering message was eerily authentic sounding. I think perhaps the resolution and the overcoming of the character (over needing to keep this message) as it were was a little 'easy' and sentimental.

I don't think moving on necessary means deleting the last recorded message of a doomed loved one (thats just my opinion) and i wasnt sure why a simple hug (that presumably had occured many times before) had not achieved the same result before.

So again, eerily authentic message, touching tale, but a little too easy - a little too much bourgeious sentimentality there ;)

Overall i enjoyed it mate and well done on the short :)

[Nick_Lee]

That looked great. Lighting was awesome and sound was great.

How do you get all these people to watch and give feedback? Popular, popular. haha.

[Lawsuit_Boy]

Chris,

This was certainly an affective, simple tale with a big heart. The performances all around were strong, the lead in particular. I absolutely adore seeing pieces like this in which the audience is shown someone finally coming to terms with a great struggle of theirs, especially the loss of someone. The idea of saving a message is something that hits home for me and it really helped me to relate. A bitter-sweet type of film in which we all feel a little better by the end.

It was technically proficient. Any critique would be of an aesthetic nature. It has a big heart, and that's where it grabs me. Great job! :thumbsup:

[Lawsuit_Boy]

So again, eerily authentic message, touching tale, but a little too easy - a little too much bourgeious sentimentality there ;)



Bourgeious sentimentality...you know, that is a fair description, lawriejaffa. I'm going to have to step up my linguistic game in order to compete with your delicate and meticulous style.

But really, this is the only thing I can foresee anyone really complaining about. But you know what? As lawriejaffa also said, it's still very touching. So again, fine work, Chris.

[ZazaCast]

Chris...WOW. I had no idea what this was going to be about & you floored me. This really hit home. (I won't go into detail as I'm sure there are a bunch of us that have personal 9/11 stories...it touched so many of us)

I thought this was SO well done. I'm a fan (and someday hope to figure out how to make one) of the short short. You did it here for me. It all came together, picture, sound, subject, acting...great job to all involved. Sometimes, less IS more and the message shines through.

Thank you for a wonderful, touching film. This is one I'll watch many more times...

[lawriejaffa]

Do you know how much effort I go to - to create those linguistic frames (in case i come across as too snobbish don't worry i always create many typos to humble myself.)

http://www.marxists.org/archive/lafargue/1881/12/25.htm

Thats a bit scary (the essay above haha) but in general Bertolt Brecht (the famous author) discusses quite effectively a theory of bourgeious drama and his preferred mediums, so thats worth checking out for sake of self reflection in ones own writings.

A soppy feel good ending is nice - it relieves the concern of an audience, but does so at the expense of making one think. My criticism here would not be that the ending is sentimental - but that it is so without a clearer visible cause? If you get my drift. You could go further to argue that indeed, instead of a happy ending, we could have had a thought provoking ending.

After all, take the 9/11 phone call, given the importance of that 'event' - is there anything to be learned from it - over say the husbands death being caused by say any other event? Why 9/11? What is the films point?

Those are the kinds of questions that are worth asking - and if you don't ask and think 'i just liked it, made me feel fuzzy, doesnt need a point' then you would be a kind of bourgeious sentimentalist (as Brecht might put it) or the type of reader E M Forster feared the most (in his instructional guide, Aspects of the Novel')

I know my feedback might seem a little unusual compared to others, but it all adds to the range of feedback eh? :)

[Lawsuit_Boy]

I'm always interested in Bertolt Brecht's writing as well as general conflict theory and marxism text. Thanks for the link!

[lawriejaffa]

Happy to oblige mon amie! and congrats on your film too

[Chris Messineo]

I'm very impressed with how this came out.
I'm so glad you liked it.


Nice color work to. I assume you did some correction on it. much warmer tone than it seemed on set.
I did a little cc on all the shots, but not much, Timur did a great job of capturing a great look for the film.


Maybe that's a different story than the one you're telling, but I don't fully see why she's okay now, if she just played the message. What's different about this day?.
There are so many ways I can answer this.

I guess I will just say, that having deleted a message from an answering machine in my life, that day was not filled with conflict, drama, or sadness and I think that is why the message can be deleted on this particular day. I don't know if that makes any sense, but I hope so.

[Chris Messineo]

Chris, I just wanted to say that I loved the film! After listening to your direction --and all the technical stuff that I didn't understand while watching the shoot (first time for me)-- I couldn't wait to see the final product. I like the fact that the film had no extraneous action. It was so incredibly touching without being super-emotional. As the real-life mom of the daughter in the film, I have to admit that Nadja and Kelly look more like mother and daughter than Kelly and I do!:) Also, I know I am biased, but I truly and honestly loved their performances and, knowing what you were asking of them, I can say that I think both Nadja and Kelly gave you the performances you wanted from them. Even after reading the script and sitting through the shoot, I cried when I saw the film. :crybaby:Great job, Chris! You are an amazingly talented filmmaker and it was an honor for Kelly --in her film debut--to work with you, Nadja, and your excellent crew. Best of luck to you!
Lu-Ann, Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm honored that you liked it so much and it was a pleasure to work with Kelly. That look she gives her mother at the end kills me. She should be very proud.

[Chris Messineo]

This short (was short!) and touching. The answering message was eerily authentic sounding.
Thanks a lot we worked very hard on that.

I think perhaps the resolution and the overcoming of the character (over needing to keep this message) as it were was a little 'easy' and sentimental.

I don't think moving on necessary means deleting the last recorded message of a doomed loved one (thats just my opinion) and i wasnt sure why a simple hug (that presumably had occured many times before) had not achieved the same result before.
"Easy" I understand and in a way, I agree with. I think today was the first day it was easy for her. I'm not sure why it feels "sentimental" to you though. We tried very hard to not make this sentimental or melodramatic. Purposefully avoiding costuming, lighting, music, and performances that would play into this. Also, I don't think "the hug" has anything to do with the message being deleted today (see my note to Mark), but if that wasn't clear, it is entirely my fault as the filmmaker and I need to work on my storytelling.

Lastly, thanks for the detailed review, I do appreciate it.

[Chris Messineo]

That looked great. Lighting was awesome and sound was great.

How do you get all these people to watch and give feedback? Popular, popular. haha.
I'm so glad you liked it.

I've spent most of today watching and reviewing films (I've seen about half of them), so I think most people are just returning the favor, which I really appreciate.

[Chris Messineo]

This was certainly an affective, simple tale with a big heart. The performances all around were strong, the lead in particular. I absolutely adore seeing pieces like this in which the audience is shown someone finally coming to terms with a great struggle of theirs, especially the loss of someone. The idea of saving a message is something that hits home for me and it really helped me to relate. A bitter-sweet type of film in which we all feel a little better by the end.

It was technically proficient. Any critique would be of an aesthetic nature. It has a big heart, and that's where it grabs me. Great job! :thumbsup:
Thank you so much. I can't begin to describe how wonderful it feels to know that this touched some people. I can't ask for any more than that.

[Chris Messineo]

Chris...WOW. I had no idea what this was going to be about & you floored me. This really hit home. (I won't go into detail as I'm sure there are a bunch of us that have personal 9/11 stories...it touched so many of us)

I thought this was SO well done. I'm a fan (and someday hope to figure out how to make one) of the short short. You did it here for me. It all came together, picture, sound, subject, acting...great job to all involved. Sometimes, less IS more and the message shines through.

Thank you for a wonderful, touching film. This is one I'll watch many more times...
Thank you, thank you, thank you. As I've said before, this was personal for me and it's hard to describe the feeling of knowing other people connected with it. It means everything to me.

[lawriejaffa]

Hey mate - just the stories ending itself was sentimental - your quite the performances and visual style etc and music (or absence) did not lend itself to melodrama (which i dont think is automatically bad) but obviously wasn't what you were going for and of course its not melodramatic.

Its sentimentality i think comes from how the audience gets the ending they want without really having to learn anything, and that the means by which the mother can 'let go' are unclear.

Now, you can take the point of view, that with all this 'realism' we are simply 'observing' the moment by which this character, this human being has. - But that seems very circumstantial doesnt it for a short - and so again the cause and effect as it were could be clearer imo, and that would reduce the sentimentality of its 'happy ending' without 'clear reason'.

Im just discussing this with you, (if you want!) i certainly don't mean this to come across as an overriding criticism, as i enjoyed your film, its up there in my book ;) As such for me what it lacks becomes clearer - (its point!)

[Sprocketboy]

This is well-executed. This is a very sensitive story and difficult to decide on how to shoot it. My hat is off to you for finding a way through it. None of your edits were too long or too short and the music is absolutely perfect. Of course, you got Herman Witkam, who has done the music for every film in this festival except mine. The young girl’s eye contact, in the wide shot, is questionable. I didn’t feel she was participating in the ‘moment.’ That is the only constructive criticism I can give to you and its can be perceived as subjective on my part.

Excellent job, Chris.

[Chris Messineo]

Im just discussing this with you, (if you want!) i certainly don't mean this to come across as an overriding criticism, as i enjoyed your film, its up there in my book ;)
Absolutely no offense taken. I think it's awesome that we are talking about it and I truly appreciate the kind words as well as the constructive criticism.

I think it's fascinating that you think the mother's resolution is so mysterious. It's not for me, but like I said before, if it is for you and that leads to sentimentality, then that is my fault as a filmmaker and it's something I will need to work on (getting the emotion in my head on to the screen).

[Chris Messineo]

This is well-executed. This is a very sensitive story and difficult to decide on how to shoot it. My hat is off to you for finding a way through it. None of your edits were too long or too short and the music is absolutely perfect. Of course, you got Herman Witkam, who has done the music for every film in this festival except mine.

Excellent job, Chris.
Thanks for the review. I'm so glad you liked the edit. I spent so much time on it, going back and forth on each shot. It's great to know that the pacing worked for you.

Herman is amazing, as we all know. The mystery is how he does it all.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Herman is amazing, as we all know. The mystery is how he does it all.
Interchangeable octuplets.

The Hermanuplets live on nothing but sugar and lager. :beer:

[Marlon Ladd]

Beautiful. That's kind of all I wanna' say, but I guess for the sake of critiquing I should say more or elaborate. The story was just great. Very emotional - simple, but yet powerful. You pulled off alot with this - you said alot without having to say alot, if that makes sense. Good cinematography and lighting. Love the slow pan to the phone. Great entry for your first fest.

[jasonthewho]

Very simple and well done. Impressive to be able to pull off a full story in such a short period of time.

I have to admit that I always kind of cringe when 9-11 is the subject of a story, but I think it was dealt with well here.

Liked her talking along with the message. Showed how many times she had listened to it, and exactly how she felt about it.

I kind of agree with Lawrie in that I would like to know why this was the specific moment where she decided to let go. What's changed? Or is the point of the movie that eventually, with time, we are able to move on?

[orchidsofwrath]

That was awesome! I know the short is good when I stop looking at technical stuff and caring what camera etc. and become indulged in the story. All the technical stuff needs to be deadly spot on for that to happen. I particularly liked the music choice. This could have easily been made cheesy with a dramatic orchestral score but the jazzy stuff made it contemporary and even more impactful (impactful?).

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Chris,
Really well done! Lead actress did a great job. Nice pace. Good detail on the degrading of the recording after years and years of listening to it.

I would have liked to see a reason, anything at all, as to why she deleted it, but that said, it's still a great idea.

[Kegan]

Chris,

I think that this was well done, especially for such a short piece. It captured the theme so beautifully and the lead actress did nothing but a superb job.

*SPOILER*





Shawn, I think it was meant to be open for interpretation, but my guess would be that as her daughter came running up the stairs and started rummaging around, something clicked. I don't have kids, but I do have nieces and a nephew and I can tell definitely tell you, there's something about a love for a kid that can overcome much diversity. Maybe this was the case for the lead...maybe it was something totally different. That's what I got out of it however.

Again, Chris - really enjoyed it on a technical and emotional level. One of my favourites.

Kegan

[bwind22]

Nice job Chris! This turned out very nicely!

[Norm Sanders]

Holy Crap, Chris!!! Once I heard that message, and knew what it was from, it just blew me away & instantly hooked me ... I wanted to hear EVERY word, and just imagined how many people may actually be in such a scenario as this, even 8 years later.

Short, but gripping. I wish there had been just a bit of visual motivation of some kind for the audience to better see & understand why she finally chose to delete it after all these years, but still works just great as is. I didn't think that the tape was degraded after all these years (though it would be), but thought instead of the bad connection that would likely be coming from the towers (insulation, etc.), let alone if there was disturbance in the building from fire, etc.

I really, really liked this one, and will watch it again for sure, as well as show others.

[Jason Ramsey]

Short, sweet and to the point. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Later,
Jason

[Chris Messineo]

Beautiful. That's kind of all I wanna' say, but I guess for the sake of critiquing I should say more or elaborate. The story was just great. Very emotional - simple, but yet powerful. You pulled off alot with this - you said alot without having to say alot, if that makes sense. Good cinematography and lighting. Love the slow pan to the phone. Great entry for your first fest.Thank you very much. I'm so glad you liked it. Mark Harris was working the dolly on the slow push in and he did an awesome job.

[Chris Messineo]

Very simple and well done. Impressive to be able to pull off a full story in such a short period of time.Thanks.


I have to admit that I always kind of cringe when 9-11 is the subject of a story, but I think it was dealt with well here.I cringe a bit as well when a story has a 9-11 connection. I wanted that to just be the backstory and try and focus on her sense of loss and recovery.


Liked her talking along with the message. Showed how many times she had listened to it, and exactly how she felt about it.That is what I hoped people would get from it.


I kind of agree with Lawrie in that I would like to know why this was the specific moment where she decided to let go. What's changed? Or is the point of the movie that eventually, with time, we are able to move on?The last one. :)

I don't think there is a "straw that breaks the camel's back" - a reason for it to happen today. There is just a day when it is okay to let another piece go and that moment of letting go is transformational. I hope that makes sense.

[Chris Messineo]

That was awesome! I know the short is good when I stop looking at technical stuff and caring what camera etc. and become indulged in the story. All the technical stuff needs to be deadly spot on for that to happen. I particularly liked the music choice. This could have easily been made cheesy with a dramatic orchestral score but the jazzy stuff made it contemporary and even more impactful (impactful?).Thank you so much. This is my first fest entry, but not my first short, and it has taken me a long time to learn enough of the technical stuff, to not let it all get in the way of the story. I totally agree about the music. This is the third time Herman has scored a film of mine and he always gets what I am after.

[Chris Messineo]

Chris,
Really well done! Lead actress did a great job. Nice pace. Good detail on the degrading of the recording after years and years of listening to it.

I'm so glad you liked it. We started with a 100% clean recording and then worked very hard to get that message sounding the way it did


I would have liked to see a reason, anything at all, as to why she deleted it, but that said, it's still a great idea.
Honestly, I totally understand people feeling this way. I've tried to explain what I think is happening in a few other posts, but in the end, I don't think there really is much more of a reason than "time".

[Chris Messineo]

I think that this was well done, especially for such a short piece. It captured the theme so beautifully and the lead actress did nothing but a superb job.

Shawn, I think it was meant to be open for interpretation, but my guess would be that as her daughter came running up the stairs and started rummaging around, something clicked. I don't have kids, but I do have nieces and a nephew and I can tell definitely tell you, there's something about a love for a kid that can overcome much diversity. Maybe this was the case for the lead...maybe it was something totally different. That's what I got out of it however.

Again, Chris - really enjoyed it on a technical and emotional level. One of my favourites.
I'm thrilled that you liked it so much. I think your interpretation of what happened is wonderful. I have a daughter and I definitely thought about her when I wrote this story.

[Chris Messineo]

Holy Crap, Chris!!! Once I heard that message, and knew what it was from, it just blew me away & instantly hooked me ... I wanted to hear EVERY word, and just imagined how many people may actually be in such a scenario as this, even 8 years later.

Short, but gripping. I wish there had been just a bit of visual motivation of some kind for the audience to better see & understand why she finally chose to delete it after all these years, but still works just great as is. I didn't think that the tape was degraded after all these years (though it would be), but thought instead of the bad connection that would likely be coming from the towers (insulation, etc.), let alone if there was disturbance in the building from fire, etc.

I really, really liked this one, and will watch it again for sure, as well as show others.As a huge fan of your films, your review means a lot to me. I'm so happy this touched you. Thank you very much.

[Tim Joy]

Great first entry, Chris. The writing is great, because it triggers so much emotion to use the event we all know so well. When I heard that, I took a big gulp and my heart sank. It wasn't over the top either. Great performance on his message.

My only critique is the kitchen you used. For me, I would've liked some more space, openness, color. Some windows for looks outside, and more variety of light in the room. It looked a little flat.

It must feel good to have a 1st movie in the can, and you should feel great about this one.

-tim

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

I forgot to add, GREAT acting on the part of whomever did the recording voice over. If that hadnt worked so well, the whole piece would have failed

[preston]

nice piece. everything looked good, lighting and photography were well done. directing and editing also- nice, simple and effective.

i haven't read through this thread yet, so forgive me if this has been covered already... i'm not to sure why she deleted the message. i think she would want to keep it, no matter how hard it is to listen to.

good job, i enjoyed this film. :thumbup:

[EVH]

Great job, Chris.

To echo the thoughts I left at MP:

It didn't bother me AT ALL that there wasn't some sort of critical mass moment when she decided to move on.

It was the void of emotion that motivated...that moment when you just say "You know what, it's time to let go" and, for the first time, nothing inside you rebels against the idea.

Those moments, in real life, come at really un-extraordinary times. I thought you captured that beautifully.

You did your script proud. No small task. Outstanding.

[Richard J. Johnson]

I watched this a few times and it is my top 3. The way his voice sounds on that tape gets me every time.

Okay. I'm a man. I watch football. I like man stuff. Damn you chris. Damn you for this.

[Chris Messineo]

Great first entry, Chris. The writing is great, because it triggers so much emotion to use the event we all know so well. When I heard that, I took a big gulp and my heart sank. It wasn't over the top either. Great performance on his message.

My only critique is the kitchen you used. For me, I would've liked some more space, openness, color. Some windows for looks outside, and more variety of light in the room. It looked a little flat.

It must feel good to have a 1st movie in the can, and you should feel great about this one.

-tim
Thanks a lot, I'm really happy you liked it.

Just to be clear, this is my first fest entry, but not my first short film.

The kitchen is a little dull. It's actually my father's house but he spends the winter in Florida, so it was empty and perfect for filmmaking. I tried hard to vary the shots and keep it interesting, but there was only so much we could do in that space.

This Fest has been amazing so far. I'm kicking myself for not taking part in the earlier ones and I am definitely looking forward to whatever challenge they come up with next.

[Chris Messineo]

I forgot to add, GREAT acting on the part of whomever did the recording voice over. If that hadnt worked so well, the whole piece would have failedI will be sure and tell the actor, Jeff Maschi, that you dug his performance.

He came in for a recording session and totally nailed it. I let him go and when I captured the audio, I realized I had screwed up and it was recorded too hot. He had to come back a second time and go to "that place" all over again. He was great about it though and I think maybe even better the second time around.

[Chris Messineo]

nice piece. everything looked good, lighting and photography were well done. directing and editing also- nice, simple and effective.

i haven't read through this thread yet, so forgive me if this has been covered already... i'm not to sure why she deleted the message. i think she would want to keep it, no matter how hard it is to listen to.

good job, i enjoyed this film. :thumbup:
Thanks a bunch, I'm glad you liked it.

There has been a lot of talk about why she deleted the message. I'm sure there are people who would keep a message like that forever, but for others, I think letting go of something like that, is probably a good thing.

[Chris Messineo]

It didn't bother me AT ALL that there wasn't some sort of critical mass moment when she decided to move on.

It was the void of emotion that motivated...that moment when you just say "You know what, it's time to let go" and, for the first time, nothing inside you rebels against the idea.

Those moments, in real life, come at really un-extraordinary times. I thought you captured that beautifully.

You did your script proud. No small task. Outstanding.
Thank you so much. This might be the first time I feel like the movie in my head actually made it up on the screen. I'm so happy you liked it.

[Chris Messineo]

I watched this a few times and it is my top 3. The way his voice sounds on that tape gets me every time.

Okay. I'm a man. I watch football. I like man stuff. Damn you chris. Damn you for this.
Thank you very much. I'm truly humbled by your praise.

Now, how about them Bears?

[Geoff_R]

Chris,

Overall, I liked this piece and it got my creative energy moving with that concept...

Really like the concept, wish I had thought up utilizing something like that :) Funny because I do and have done things like that. I still have emails and text messages I don't delete and will maybe never delete even if it's just letters and a time stamp, it carries something else with it. With a voice, that's even stronger, way stronger... I can't imagine what it would take for me to delete something like that.

Acting wise, I like your lead, lots of great subtlety there in her actions. She doesn't speak much yet we need to get inside her head and I think you accomplished that. The younger girl threw me off a little... but I don't know if it was her acting or her injection into the story itself. Sometimes the performance/moments are fine by themselves but how they come into the story greatly affects that perception. I think she seemed too 'put off' for my taste... she gave her mother a strange look as she came up and then proceeded to push her away when her mom tried to hug her... maybe that bothered me, maybe because I've been in situations where I know people are hurting and I wouldn't respond that way. This is me being super subjective :)

Shot well by Timur and you both comp'd it well. Favorite shot is at 1:07, nice light, nice look, nice comp.

The music was a little much for me... I'm a fan of Herman but I think the music itself was too dramatic, too noticeable. Although simple in design, It was eliciting a little too much drama... Maybe it was just mixed too high, too dominant in the whole of the soundscape...

Overall, enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Chris!

[Chris Messineo]

Geoff, Thanks a lot for the detailed review.

It is interesting how power a voice message can possess. Honestly, that was my initial inspiration for the story - the deletion of a kind of memory.

I see what you mean about the teen. Her initial reaction to her mother and the hug was 100% my direction. Maybe I pushed for it too hard. I thought it helped give the daughter a small but significant arc, but like I said, maybe it was too much too fast.

I love that shot too. Timur and the whole crew were awesome. We scheduled 18 setups in a 8 hour day and I think we ran 15 minutes over.

The mix of the score with the sound was all me, so maybe I had it too hot. But the more I listened to it, the more I wanted it to be heard and felt. For me, it was almost like that was the music in the mother's head. I don't know if that makes sense.

Anyway, I'm very glad you enjoyed it.

[Geoff_R]

Just to add to that... talking about character arcs...

Sometimes I feel the arc isn't so important, especially when dealing with shorts. Sometimes it's more impactful to show or highlight one simple state of being. I know we both write, and as writers I feel we're often pressured to induce change and arc within the story. And drama stems from change and conflict, resolution awarded to those who change and arc... but as directors, I think one of our greatest challenges is to capture states of being, allowing arc and change to creep in with delicate subtlety that could very well be overlooked with a casual glance.

Anyhoo, just some random thoughts you provoked by mentioning the arc notion for the young daughter :)

[galbach]

Chris, I loved your film!!! Just take I agree with every positive comment to save space... What kind of adapter did timur use on the hvx? Again.. Great job!

[Robbie Comeau]

Sweet film.

I agree that the acting could've been better, but it was good enough.

Nice camera work and lighting to.

I was looking forward to this and it was what I expected!

Robbie

[lordambrai]

Not much more to say here that hasn't been said. Powerful stuff with a very minimalist feel. I liked the music too, and didn't feel it was overpowering but more complementary, it was very simple just like how it was shot.

It also felt like enough time had passed that it was just that moment, no real reason was necessary other than, it's time I think. Sort of like how when the towers actually went down, when would it be to use them for comedic effect like in Family Guy where Peter challenges someone to a fight on the towers on September 11. But that was years later, and not to trivialize the point you maybe trying to make, enough time had passed and while still touched by the events that rush back with the recording, it was just her time to not be so hampered by an anchor that held her so close to an abyss... if that makes any sense.

Sorry got wordy. Great film. If I could vote I'd probably help you get top 3 =D

[Chris Messineo]

Chris, I loved your film!!! Just take I agree with every positive comment to save space... What kind of adapter did timur use on the hvx? Again.. Great job!
Thank you so much and in answer to your question, I believe Timur used the SGPro.

[Chris Messineo]

Not much more to say here that hasn't been said. Powerful stuff with a very minimalist feel. I liked the music too, and didn't feel it was overpowering but more complementary, it was very simple just like how it was shot.

It also felt like enough time had passed that it was just that moment, no real reason was necessary other than, it's time I think. Sort of like how when the towers actually went down, when would it be to use them for comedic effect like in Family Guy where Peter challenges someone to a fight on the towers on September 11. But that was years later, and not to trivialize the point you maybe trying to make, enough time had passed and while still touched by the events that rush back with the recording, it was just her time to not be so hampered by an anchor that held her so close to an abyss... if that makes any sense.

Sorry got wordy. Great film. If I could vote I'd probably help you get top 3 =D
Your explanation makes perfect sense to me. :)

Thank you for such a lovely review.

[warau]

Great job, the story, lighting, shot choice all worked together.

[Zim]

Chris my main problem is that you waited 5 years to get into the fest. Great work man.
My hearing is not the best and music did create a problem for me hearing the message on the tape the first time. But I knew what had to be on the tape. You could just tell. So I went back a listened again with the ear plugs in better.

I thought the acting was good. The woman really got her part down. Great film.

[plk142]

I thought "Jenny" was played wonderfully. She acted like a typical teenager -almost annoyed at her mom, sort of cold and stiff - then the realization that mom is upset. Her expression turned much softer and concerned.

[filmingfan]

Good little film, good little film. It's always tough to be reminded of 9/11 but this one did it in a real personal and human way. Sound, music, lighting, acting all strong, man. The voice on the tape didn't resonate with me like it did with others because i think i woulda been screaming if that were me...i don't know. Solid performances from the lead and the girl. Looking at all the comments i gotta say maybe those guys don't have teenagers at home. i have two a boy and a girl and they are always kinda in their own little world. Like the comment from plk142 it's realistic that the girl comes home probably from school and gives her mom a look like whats up with you and then goes about her business. The really cool point is when she looks up and says are you okay. As a dad that look just sorta tugged at my heart. Real solid connection between the actors. Nice work.

[Chris Messineo]

Great job, the story, lighting, shot choice all worked together.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. We had a fantastic crew.

[Chris Messineo]

Chris my main problem is that you waited 5 years to get into the fest. Great work man.
My hearing is not the best and music did create a problem for me hearing the message on the tape the first time. But I knew what had to be on the tape. You could just tell. So I went back a listened again with the ear plugs in better.

I thought the acting was good. The woman really got her part down. Great film.
Thank you so much.

I can guarantee, I won't be waiting another 5 years. This fest has been way too much fun.

[Chris Messineo]

Good little film, good little film. It's always tough to be reminded of 9/11 but this one did it in a real personal and human way. Sound, music, lighting, acting all strong, man. The voice on the tape didn't resonate with me like it did with others because i think i woulda been screaming if that were me...i don't know. Solid performances from the lead and the girl. Looking at all the comments i gotta say maybe those guys don't have teenagers at home. i have two a boy and a girl and they are always kinda in their own little world. Like the comment from plk142 it's realistic that the girl comes home probably from school and gives her mom a look like whats up with you and then goes about her business. The really cool point is when she looks up and says are you okay. As a dad that look just sorta tugged at my heart. Real solid connection between the actors. Nice work.
Thanks a lot. That's cool that you felt a connection and I'm glad you enjoyed the film.

[preston]

Thanks a bunch, I'm glad you liked it.

There has been a lot of talk about why she deleted the message. I'm sure there are people who would keep a message like that forever, but for others, I think letting go of something like that, is probably a good thing.

gotcha; nice job.

[hoz]

good film!

simple and strong. you tackled a huge thing and you did it with grace. congrats!!

[Noel Evans]

Chris, this was nicely directed. Really well done, actors did a very good job. My only small qualm was it was a bit two dimensional insofar as we were always looking at the players from the same side of the room, almost like a stage play.

I only just saw Timur was DOP (in the credits), and it showed, really nice lighting that suited the piece very well and great lens choice. Some good lessons on correctly using a DOF adapter there for many on this forum.

[disjecta]

Chris, nice job on this film.

The cinematography was perfectly out of the way, meaning it didn't intrude on the action or atmosphere. The lighting was very natural. For the most part, the acting was good.

I wish the young girl had not looked at the camera as she turned towards her mother. I've watched it a couple of times now and it distracts me. The mother mouthing the words of the message seemed a little forced to me like she had just learned them, not something that was ingrained in her mind.

There were a couple of shots I would have cut shorter, particlularly the last shot. It seemed like it was held just a little too long. Also, in that same shot, when the mother is looking up and thinking about her answer, that also seemed like she was about to look into the camera. Not huge things really, just my initial reaction.

I loved the music you chose, it was perfect for the mood of the piece. Like others, I didn't even need to hear the words on the tape to know what it was. The worn tape effect sounded very authentic to me.

I'm sure it was the Quicktime encoding but the shots appeared very soft to me and the blacks were quite milky. Other than that, I found everything to be natural looking.

I felt the emotional impact quite strongly in the story and performances without feeling like I was being manipulated.

[SMarston]

i dont know what else i can say other than, Bravo!

[alex whitmer]

Six tries and I cannot open this one.

Rats.:(

I'll keep trying.

a

[Sprocketboy]

Six tries and I cannot open this one.

Rats.:(

I'll keep trying.

a

You better find a way. Its worth watching!

[Noel Evans]

Six tries and I cannot open this one.

Rats.:(

I'll keep trying.

a

Havent tried direct but zip works fine.

[RodThompson]

Aside form being the Raymond Cocto of MoviePoet.com, you are also a GREAT STORY TELLER!

I dug the release of the female lead when she finally able to press the "delete" button. My only "meh" about it was that there was no emoitional buildup to her deleting the message. It was just like she saw her daughter and deleted it. Like when my wife walks in and I'm looking at porn, I close the window really fast. Sort of like that.

Also, thanks to my speakers, I missed the first few lines of the message. I heard something about a plane and put two and two together that perhaps there was a plane crash of some sort?

All in all, I gandered this was a saved message from a lost loved one, so her deletion should have been a little more of a struggle. No door is ever opened without turning the knob. No what I mean?

On the whole, me-likey!

[Chris Messineo]

good film!

simple and strong. you tackled a huge thing and you did it with grace. congrats!!
Thank you so much.

[Chris Messineo]

Chris, this was nicely directed. Really well done, actors did a very good job. My only small qualm was it was a bit two dimensional insofar as we were always looking at the players from the same side of the room, almost like a stage play.

I only just saw Timur was DOP (in the credits), and it showed, really nice lighting that suited the piece very well and great lens choice. Some good lessons on correctly using a DOF adapter there for many on this forum.
I'm so glad you liked it. Maybe I followed the 180 rule a little too closely. I agree, Timur was awesome with the camera and adapter - even his handheld shot was smooth as silk.

[Chris Messineo]

Chris, nice job on this film.

The cinematography was perfectly out of the way, meaning it didn't intrude on the action or atmosphere. The lighting was very natural. For the most part, the acting was good.

I wish the young girl had not looked at the camera as she turned towards her mother. I've watched it a couple of times now and it distracts me. The mother mouthing the words of the message seemed a little forced to me like she had just learned them, not something that was ingrained in her mind.

There were a couple of shots I would have cut shorter, particlularly the last shot. It seemed like it was held just a little too long. Also, in that same shot, when the mother is looking up and thinking about her answer, that also seemed like she was about to look into the camera. Not huge things really, just my initial reaction.

I loved the music you chose, it was perfect for the mood of the piece. Like others, I didn't even need to hear the words on the tape to know what it was. The worn tape effect sounded very authentic to me.

I'm sure it was the Quicktime encoding but the shots appeared very soft to me and the blacks were quite milky. Other than that, I found everything to be natural looking.

I felt the emotional impact quite strongly in the story and performances without feeling like I was being manipulated.
Thank you so much for the detailed review.

We wanted the lighting and shots to feel natural and not draw attention to themselves so I'm glad that worked for you. I really appreciate the notes on the edit. It's taken me a long time to get comfortable editing and even though I have a lot more to learn, it's nice to know I am getting close.

Damn Quicktime - those blacks are inky on my screen. I'll have to test my compressed files on other computers before I send them out.

Thanks again. I'm glad it touched you.

[Chris Messineo]

i dont know what else i can say other than, Bravo!
Thank you very much. :)

[alex whitmer]

Hey Chris, finally got this one to load.

Beautiful story in a minimal time. Nice range of history and emotions among three generations. You tape machin really played an important dual character here.


Maybe the only line that stuck out is 'Mom, stop it'. Not sure where that came from.

Does this same thing happen all the time? I assume so since mom knows the message verbatim. Is the daughter just tired of it?



Really nice film. Glad you finally made the jump.

alex

[Chris Messineo]

Hey Chris, finally got this one to load.

Beautiful story in a minimal time. Nice range of history and emotions among three generations. You tape machin really played an important dual character here.

Maybe the only line that stuck out is 'Mom, stop it'. Not sure where that came from.

Does this same thing happen all the time? I assume so since mom knows the message verbatim. Is the daughter just tired of it?

Really nice film. Glad you finally made the jump.

alex
I'm glad you figured it out and even happier that you liked the film.

I think the teen-ager is just filled with typical angst, the kind that would have her reluctantly hugging her mom. But then, seeing the look on her mother's face, that teenage facade is momentarily broken. I don't know if that works for you, but that was my intention. :)

This fest has been awesome already. I will definitely be back for more.

[Chris Messineo]

Aside form being the Raymond Cocto of MoviePoet.com, you are also a GREAT STORY TELLER!

I dug the release of the female lead when she finally able to press the "delete" button. My only "meh" about it was that there was no emoitional buildup to her deleting the message. It was just like she saw her daughter and deleted it. Like when my wife walks in and I'm looking at porn, I close the window really fast. Sort of like that.

Also, thanks to my speakers, I missed the first few lines of the message. I heard something about a plane and put two and two together that perhaps there was a plane crash of some sort?

All in all, I gandered this was a saved message from a lost loved one, so her deletion should have been a little more of a struggle. No door is ever opened without turning the knob. No what I mean?

On the whole, me-likey!
Rod, Thanks a lot.

There has been a lot of discussion about her motivation. Maybe, I left too much in the subtext, I hope not, but maybe.

Anyway, I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[MrKilloran]

I didn't really feel a strong connection between the mother and daughter to be honest. It could have just been the acting or the way they react to one another, not sure.

Was this the first time the mother did what he asked, to hug the daughter and that was her moving in the direction or does it happen more often?
- If its the first time then that shows she's taking the first step in moving forward.
- If it happened more than once then her daughter knows exactly whats going on and the daughter saying "stop it" doesn't seem so annoyingly angsty. It could be turning a light on for the mother, she keeps living in the past and its starting to affect the rest of her family.

The message on the tape is what really brings this one home. It's powerful and really pulls at you, awesome job with this.

I think there could have been a little more weight in the deletion of the message. A shot of hesitation perhaps, but thats just me. Great work.

[Will Clegg]

Chris, I thought this was a nice spin on the theme of loss. It was charmingly simple and very well shot. I wish the audio from the message had been a bit easier to understand - I had to watch that section again, and I'm still not sure what was said. The acting was a bit stiff all around, but they did ok. Looking forward to your entry in the next fest.

[abraham]

I liked that you kept this so simple. Short and sweet.
Someone above mentioned the connnection between the mother/daughter:
I think maybe the young woman is fairly inexperienced, and that sort of comes through here.
Overall, not bad at all. Thanks.

[Brian Parker]

Beautifully shot, short and sweet. There wasn't a lot of exposition needed. You told an emotional story quickly and efficiently. The warm tones you used for the film worked better with this presentation of loss than cold and stark ones would have. They helped depict the state of her coping with the loss. I can ramble on all day but I really did like this piece Chris. Good job!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Chris, well done film. You had some great shot, good actors, nice subtle camera movement... all setting up for such a nice and personal film. It was so simply told, and the way she repeated the words... all subtle signs of history. A story well told without having to explain anything. There was one moment where the girl seemed to be almost taken out of the story, but then she recovered.

You did an awesome job here so you'd better not stop now.

[Chris Messineo]

Thanks for all of the great reviews. I really appreciate all of the people who took the time to share their thoughts.

At the moment, I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't move on, but I suppose I will get over that in time.

[chriscurl]

I am sure you weren't too far from that top list, you shouldn't be too disappointed, you made a quality movie that pretty much everyone seemed to enjoy and think was well done, I certainly did, there's always next time!

[Norm Sanders]

I've been in your shoes before, Chris, and understand. Whatever you do, never be disappointed in your film. It's a moving & powerful piece.

[Nick_Lee]

Chris! sorry man, I thought I reviewed yours already. I actually went through my feedback and reviewed everyone. my bad!

Basically...I don't think there is much bad to say. It was shot well, nice story, and held my attention. Lighing was nice, and the answering machine audio was freaking sweet. good job sir. sorry you didn't make it through. I wasn't expecting to get through at all...I was just trying to get some feedback and I'm still kind of disappointed. I think I was subconsciously hoping for a miracle. haha.

[Chris Messineo]

Chris, Norm, and Nick,

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement.

I had several people tell me this film touched them, strangers who took the time to email me, and that really meant a lot. I guess, I had deluded myself into thinking it had a chance to be in the top ten.

This was such a personal story for me, maybe that was a mistake. I don't know. I just feel a little lost at the moment.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Don't be so down Chris. It was a touching film, a very personal one and it resonates strongly with people. Take this out to the festival circuit and it will clean up nicely.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Chris, Norm, and Nick,

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement.

I had several people tell me this film touched them, strangers who took the time to email me, and that really meant a lot. I guess, I had deluded myself into thinking it had a chance to be in the top ten.

This was such a personal story for me, maybe that was a mistake. I don't know. I just feel a little lost at the moment.Hang in there! It was your first Fest.
BTW, if you ask them they will tell you where you placed. That will give you some idea as to how well you did.

Hope to see you in the next Fest.

MAH

[Chris Messineo]

I was definitely feeling down last night, but today is a new day and I'm feeling much better.

Thanks again for all of the encouragement.

[ZazaCast]

St. Patty's Day was a great day to announce the top 10...that way the top 10 get to drink to celebrate....and the rest of us get to drink to commiserate…and we can all use the excuse that it’s St. Patty’s Day!

Life IS good. :beer:

[Rodney V. Smith]

I was a little busy editing yesterday and running around playing daddy.. slipped my mind that it was St Paddy's day. By the time I realized it was past 9:00 and the liquor stores here in Toronto were closed. Sometimes Canada sucks, and that's one of the times.

No beer for me...

[Norm Sanders]

I was a little busy editing yesterday and running around playing daddy.. slipped my mind that it was St Paddy's day. By the time I realized it was past 9:00 and the liquor stores here in Toronto were closed. Sometimes Canada sucks, and that's one of the times.

No beer for me...

You can only buy beer at liquor stores? That IS lame!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Not even at Liquor stores. The TWO liquor stores. LCBO (which is run by the government) and the Beer Store (which only sells beer and is the only competitor). That is it. I'm in a sort of Purgatory here in Toronto.

I miss Atlanta.

[Sprocketboy]

There's too much drinking going on around here! :)

The thing that is really tough about film competitions is most filmmakers pour their heart's into their work. They seek the acknowledgment of their efforts. I certainly do. The 1st round winner's showed a lot of hard work and/or heart. 8 are on my winner's list, even though I did not vote that way. I didn't even put myself on that list and I like my film.

The interesting thing about the DVX Fest is that people here are like the general public. They sway with the social tide. This is the information Hollywood marketing machines look for. Its all about timing and luck. Some filmmakers don't have the sensibility to follow that tide, or just miss it because of personal taste. We were up against many films that are well-made. I'm apprehensive to say... I didn't expect that. :shocked: Next time I won't play so soft at my game. :Drogar-Evil(DBG):

Your film can certainly win in other festivals. Its a strong film for a certain audience.

If you get the gumption to make another film (I sure hope so), you can certainly call on me to see if I'm available to help you out.

[Norm Sanders]

Well said.