My viewing of the films was interrupted due to a family matter and this was one of two finalists that I did not see. Tonight I finally got to screen A WORK OF ART and I absolutely loved it. As an artist I loved the story and especially the execution. You've got some great figure drawing and sketch work in this film Mike.
Opening camera work is marvelous and when you cut to the first scene with the doctor I really appreciated the glow effect. Little touches like the ink on his fingers and the detailing of the studio are to die for. Speaking of art direction, Jeremy Cisneros is nothing short of incredible. Jeremy was production designer on our Iraqi war picture and he just helped us out on the MIGGS music video we shot this past week and the guy is amazing. It shows in your film and I hope others here recognize that art direction is right up there with sound design in terms of making the difference in how a film is received. The studio set has all the elements of a working space including the imperfections and litter that adds authenticity and realness.
I simply can't say enough about Jeremy. We needed to create a somewhat funky medical lab from scratch for the MIGGS video and had a very short amount of time to pull it off. Jeremy went to AlphaMedicalProps and picked out a few items that would give us the most bang for buck on a very tight budget. He raided Luis's office and then scouted for junk at the warehouse we rented. Somehow in just a few hours he had a set with real character ready to shoot. Our good friend Matty G. shot Jeremy's set with a RED using anamorphic lenses and the results were stunning:
Ok, back to my review of this beautiful film. ... The production values are consistently maintained throughout and the story never feels rushed nor easily predictable.
Sebastian Stenhoj is perfect for this part. Great work directing him, Mike. He really conveys the tortured soul necessary to sell the piece. Mara is beautiful and a perfect counterpoint for the piece. My only critique would be the relatively weak (in my opinion) work depicting "her" images of Arthur, given that she is purportedly a featured artist in a gallery.
That score by Daniel Walter is killer. Simply killer! Whoa!
What a wonderful work of art you yourself have crafted. Top drawer. Absolutely spot-on and a beautiful depiction of what can be done with six minutes. Bravo.