The Art Of Suicide - A Film By Matt Kieley

I'm really glad I'm finally participating in a DVXuser fest. For all the past fests I've been on the outside, looking in. It's been months since I've shot...well, anything, and for a while I was kind of down on myself as a filmmaker, but I'm glad I finally got this project done. I feel a lot better as a result. And on top of that, I'm actually happy with the end result, which is rare for me. I now have more confidence in myself as a filmmaker, and am ready to tackle more projects.
 
Hey man, I think it's great that you got this thing done. I know you've had your problems with flaky people and everything, but the fact that you were able to pull through all that BS and get a film made proves that you can do it. Congrats, man. :beer:
 
Billy Pilgrim said:
I'm really glad I'm finally participating in a DVXuser fest. For all the past fests I've been on the outside, looking in. It's been months since I've shot...well, anything, and for a while I was kind of down on myself as a filmmaker, but I'm glad I finally got this project done. I feel a lot better as a result. And on top of that, I'm actually happy with the end result, which is rare for me. I now have more confidence in myself as a filmmaker, and am ready to tackle more projects.
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Same here. I've been following (lurking) these dvxuser fests since Zombiefest (bought the dvd!). I found them so inspirational, I promised myself I would jump in one day. It took me quite a while to finally do it (fear of failure), but I'm so glad I finally did. The journey is probably more valuable than the destination.

I'm looking forward to the next one! :)

BTW I love your screen grabs.
 
It seems as if there are alot of us in the same boat. This is my first FEst. too. I haven't shot anything since I finished my last film, so I wanted to participate and get some practice in at the same time.

Good luck guys, looking forward to seeing your films.
 
Very cool! Great cinematography.

The voice-over kind of took me out of it a bit due to the "hiss" that seemed to accompany it.

Still, I can ignore that. Very good movie.

Mike
 
REVIEW:
Nice looking film. The black and white looked great. The voice over confused me a bit at first so I had to watch it a second time. I love the concept of this one. Keep it up, man. Good job!

FILMMAKER-TO-FILMMAKER:
I absolutely LOVE the track when he's lying on the bed that is cued by the turn of the fan. That's seriously good stuff. I would have like to see some actual cuts to the failed attempts described in the VO, but I understand that may have been above and beyond the time/budget you had. I think also focussing the VO on just Felix and not his family may have made it less confusing. VISUALLY, this film was brilliant, though. Good stuff.

Cheers!
 
sorry to be a slow poke i haven't seen any movies yet cuz of work. tomorrow is my day.:) goona see your joint
 
Great job for a first attempt. I would reccomend getting a better mic and working on the sound mix so that it doesn't overpower everything else!
 
This was a pretty interesting film. Sad yet deadpan. Serious yet tongue in cheek. The black and white really sells the gritiness and the harsh reality of it all, while the monotone narration and acting plays up the comedy angle.

Very unique.
 
interesting. cool movie. Great pacing. like the wide shots. I like the attention and timing of your setups. smooth. Also like the writing. Only things that bothered me where the voiceover actors voice. He read well but im not sure if the character of the voice could carry the film. You have to hire alex baldwin or keith david. :) I would have loved to here driving ambient at the end and the way u took out the music at the end was genius.
 
Loved this right up until the end, where it suffered from a bit an an anticlimax. I was hoping that he was gonna get totally plowed by a truck or something to nicely round out the ironic tone of the film. A horn, some screeching tires, a sudden, jolting whip-pan on the sound of the hit, cut to black. Granted this is what happens. Using the naration (which I loved through the rest of the film) just seems like it might have been the wrong choice there.

In addition to the deadpan narration, I was also a fan of the friend who gives him suicide tips over the phone. That's what friends are for right? Also the wide shot of him walking up to the front door was sweet. Good job!

PS: considering your avatar I realize where some of the inspiration for the look of your film might have come from. Nice influence if so.
 
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Thanks! I would have loved to show the crash at the end, but you know how the low budget game goes. I didn't want to have to bother with little sound tricks. it's just not the same to me. Plus I thought it would have a weirder kind of effect seeing him drive before he dies, and hearing a description of it. Harvey, the friend who gives advice on suicide, was originally a character in the first draft that we see and hear, but I couldn't find anyone who was right, and the script was over ten pages long, so during the re-write he became just a reference. But I'm glad it still worked for someone. I was afraid people would be confused or not get the joke of the friend who gives Felix advice on killing himself, instead of talking him out of it.

In the first draft, the last sequence was Felix going to Harvey's apartment to borrow his handgun, and as Harvey looked for it (discovering in the process that his ex-wife took it after their divorce) Felix went to the bathroom, and then changed his mind and decided to jump out of the window. He survives the fall, and laments to the audience that he should have jumped from a higher floor. He would be broken and bent in uncomfortable positions. Harvey would come outside to help him and say a line I loved, and didn't want to cut, but had to anyway since there was no place for it in the second draft:

HARVEY
Felix, are you alright?

FELIX
I can't even kill myself successfully. How pathetic is that?

HARVEY
Don't worry about it, Felix. There's no need to get bent out of shape about it!
(Laughs)

FELIX
Very funny.
 
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