COLD CALLS by John Whalen featuring Blanchard Ryan (OpenWater) & Ben Bailey (CashCab)

sean90291 said:
I didn't see Jack's signature on this one. Maybe relying on a great camera took away some of the innovation I've seen from Jack in the past. The story's premise was fun enough, but the script still needed more work than it got. I liked the montage of calls, and the character of the telephone solicitor was sometimes spot on. A bit of a TV movie treatment, when I expected more art I guess.
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It was just a HPX170... nothing special..... 35 adapter.... my canon lenses... nothing you guys haven't seen before....
 
Jack!

Solid work, man. You and you're crew definitely have a handle on how to effectively tell a story.
What impresses me the most are the choices you make with your shots. At it's bare bones, the script, for the first two acts, is literally Dana answering the phone repeatedly. A lesser talented filmmaker (or myself, a few years ago, haha!) might not have realized that there's more than one way to shoot a woman answering a phone besides setting the camera on a set of sticks and pressing the record button. Every time she answers you have her doing something interesting, in a different location, and with a camera that isn't always locked off. I particularly love the gliding push when she answers the phone on her way out the door at the beginning...a prime example of what I'm talking about. I've been working my way through some of these twilight entries now, and I think a lot of the filmmakers can learn from simple choices like this. Good job!

And I did dig the movie as a whole, there were some moments in there that made me laugh for sure, but I do have some issues with the end. Same issues I had when I read the original script...
I guess I just feel like there's no pay off. Judging from the way you edited the end and the final shot of the film, it seems like this may have been something you were struggling with. It's like, we get the joke as soon as she sees him... but then, it has no where to go. I dunno, I don't know what I would have done to remedy that.

Anyway, solid work! I really enjoyed it.
 
LMAO!! :grin:

Jack! That was exactly what I imagined while reading the script a while back. Really well done, man. The movie looked great, the acting was good, and the ending was fantastic!

Great work on this one all around.

Cheers!

Mike
 
wonderful Jack, This has come a long way since our cold read out in LA in the monster's living room. you know 90% of it is in the casting and I don't think you could have found anyone better for the male lead than Ben. great nuance in the voice work he did. The "widow Ewing" line kills. The detective is letter perfect to give a sense of the caricature. The "flatulent bastard" line kills. Kudos to Blanchard for playing the straight man very effectively in all this.

I really like the composition of the shots, and the one that really stands out for me as eye candy is when Blanchard is outside with the hedge clippers. the camera movement throughout the film is elegant and works well to build the surrealist tension. I love the slo mo climactic bit before she opens the door. Lighting is spot on to support the mood.

sound design is top noch and really needs to be when so much dialogue is delivered O.S. maybe the folley of the footsteps in the foyer are a little heavy. I think the heartbeat could be a little more pronounced to tie in to the ball better as well. none of this is fatal.

Maybe you can talk about what you did in post as far as CC for those of us who love to hear about that sh@t. congrats.
 
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Wow, really excellent work there. That was so funny. You nailed this sort of artsy campy yet well done mood spot on. I loved it.

Keep on rockin' in the free world.
 
Great job. What a ending. I was thinking something else was going to happen. Great acting. Blanchard was really good.
 
Wow. Just downloaded and watched the film. I am blown away. Fantastic work, Jack and crew! You managed to translate my dialog-laden little sketch into something quite cinematic. Jack's visuals and stylistic choices -- the suspense genre lighting and moving camera; the slo-mo hallway scene; even the little dog scampering across the screen--really brought the page to life. So did the pitch-perfect delivery of the lines by the cast. And hats off to Blanchard Ryan for her deadpan reaction shots to the dialog insanity. Playing the straight man (or woman) is often a thankless job, but her understated expressions added a number of LOL moments to the piece beyond the scripted gags.

Of course, I'm a wee bit biased, but I'd say you've got a winner here!
 
This was a lot of fun Jack. One of your best films to date (Next to ODD).

The camera was awesome in this one. So many wonderful shots and comps. The only shot I did not like was the master in the opening.

What I really liked was that you took essentially what would be a talking head and made it interesting; the pacing in the bedroom really brought the conversatoin to life; great blocking on that !

The cold calling actor was supererb. Great sound design and score. Fun and creepish. Great film !

I also love your wides, really opens up the frame. I'd love to see you get out of the house in the next film you do and get some real production values going (Mutilple actors, extras, complicated locations)

Anyways

Awesome. My fav so far !
 
Great everything...but what else would I expect from such a talented group of people. Loved the camera work, score and pace. Really a wonderful short. Top notch!

If there was anything I could comment on, it would be the very end...once she opens the closet door and we get the payoff, I thought that would be the end...but it kind of lingers there..and then?

Still...well done!
 
Well done, all. :) Loved the script from the moment I read it as part of the first ScriptFest; the movie isn't exactly how I pictured it as I was reading--it's better. :D
 
just got done watching and it was awesome.. I laughed my arse off at the end. well shot and awesome acting all round.
 
I hate to admit this, but yours was the first one I looked for, Jack. Found it, watched it, and loved it.

This seemed to be one that you probably had more fun doing, and seems to be the first comedic/tongue in cheek one I've seen you do, that wasn't super dark, etc. It was enjoyable ... quirky in just the right parts.

I liked the actress, LOVED the guy's voice, the writing, etc. Nice job, and thanks for making this! Makes a nice addition to your portfolio. :)
 
What can I say, Jack? You delivered on my expectation of a cleverly directed, acted and shot film. Some nice comedic moments. It kinda felt like a SNL skit...but with an actual ending :)

Nice job.
 
As usual, Jack, everything was solid. Cinematography, lighting and sound. I had forgotten, but I had read this script as well. It really is kind of a clever and funny piece that kind of throws you for a loop. The only things that stuck out to me were: the telephone voice didn't seem like it was coming through a telephone and when the lady was in the bedroom, the closet seemed too smokey. As far as the guy's voice on the phone, I know it can't sound exactly like it's coming totally through the phone, but it seemed as if he was talking to her face to face. I'm watching this at work, so I'll watch it again. It could be the sound system here on the computer. With the closet, it just seemed to stand out more than anything else in the shot even though it was in the background. You may have intended it that way, so I'll just shut up, because it's not a big deal anyway.

Again, I thought this was a very well done film. The actress did her job well and it was especially funny in a WTF kind of way. Nice work to you and your crew (Barry and the others) - again.
 
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