Beginning Middle End Productions Presents...

[Zim]

Awesome! One of the best so far.

 

[Mike Manning]

Forgive me for shortening your quotes... trying to keep the post from being too long...

...This is easily one of the best films in the fest! Congratulations on a job well done.

Thank you very much! Thanks for watching and I'm glad you liked it!

I liked the journey you took us on. The art direction was fab- of course....
...The music didn't work too well for me....
I love his sly expression at the end when he says, "I know"

Thanks... I've realizes I haven't been giving it up to my Production designers, Jeremy and Angel. Those guys did PHENOMENAL work. It was my first time actually using production designers, and let me tell you, you can't make a movie without them!

Interesting that the music doesn't sit well with you. Originally I had asked Danny to tone down the bells, but then I wanted them back when he was doing the final score! Haha. When we did the first rough cut, we used music from the film "Assassination of Jesse James"... there's lots of bells and chimes in that score.. I guess it's a matter of preference really, I'm sorry you didn't dig it as much.

And yeah... Sebastian is awesome!

Exceptional, not much more needs to be said.

Thanks!

wicked cool idea, very different

We were definitely going for different. A little love twist in the twilight mix! Haha..

Very nicely done.

Amazing production value. I loved the framing and subtle camera movements. The shot of him looking closer at the artwork in the gallery was phenomenal.

Yes! That is my favorite shot as well!

Awesome! One of the best so far.

Thank you! I really appreciate it.

 

[Mike Insane]

WOW Mike. I rated yours higher than I rated mine. Good short. The only think I didn't dig was the over done back light on the doctor and Arthur. But I really had to look for something that i didn't like. I think this project is going to go to a lot of festivals and win some nice acclaim for you guys. Great job.

 

[majikfraug]

Yay for girlfriends! I just watched bunch with my girlfriend as well... they really are the end all be all critics aren't they? It's either, "Ooo I like this one!" or "I'm BORED...NEXT!"

That's SO true! My wife is the same way. Lisa and I both loved yours -and we look forward to seeing you at the Art Gallery next Sunday.

 

[Susanne G.]

Fantastic - for sure 10 stars. The acting was incredible good, the story intelligent, excellent lighting and photografie, lovely score and these drawings are a very good aesthetic detail. What a hight quality of production! Absolutely perfect. It was really a pleasure to see this one - I adore it! Thank you for have done it! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Susanne

 

[mattspat]

Wowwwwww that was so sickkk! best I've seen yet!!! Put me in your next film!! haha You can check me out...I am in Divine Intervention. Actually I think you have seen it already, it's by Robbie Comeau

 

[mattspat]

actually now that i think about it, it reminded me somewhat of the series on global called Heroes in season one when that one character could predict stuff through his paintings. Amazing job though I am really really impressed haha more than I can type.

 

[alex whitmer]

Title is fitting for the craftsmanship of the film as well. A work of art. Very well done.



SPOILERS


Didn't like the dot.com at the beginning. You could lose that.

This was superbly filmed. I liked the torment, but in one scene we see him freak out and rip stuff off the wall, but when he collapses most if not all is still there. Somehos the action and the aftermath didn't match.

Really like the one-on-one with the doctor. Nicely done, framed, lit. Didn't like the performance of the boss. Felt pulled off a shelf.

At first I wished we had seen even one scene of the girl in a similar torment, but in the end glad we did not. I guess one could assume she was somewhat troubled by her obsession with an unknown face - course the end leaves us to wonder if that exhibition ever happened, or was just in his mind.

Lots of variety of spaces and textures. Brick walls, glass, paper-filled walls, unfocused interview room. Very nice.

Artwork is very nice. Loved the live animation. Maybe the reaction was a tad over-acted, but great just the same.

Overall really good acting. The girl did a nice sin-dailogue role of object of affection. great smile, nothing girlish - just down to earth natural beauty.

Still not sure what was real and what was not, but I'm okay with that.


Great film.


aw

 

[Mike Manning]

WOW Mike. I rated yours higher than I rated mine. Good short. The only think I didn't dig was the over done back light on the doctor and Arthur. But I really had to look for something that i didn't like. I think this project is going to go to a lot of festivals and win some nice acclaim for you guys. Great job.

Wow! I really appreciate that, man. That's really cool of you. I really hope you can make it out to the screening too!

That's SO true! My wife is the same way. Lisa and I both loved yours -and we look forward to seeing you at the Art Gallery next Sunday.

Awesome! Make sure you RSVP.. http://aworkofartmovie.com

Fantastic - for sure 10 stars. The acting was incredible good, the story intelligent, excellent lighting and photografie, lovely score and these drawings are a very good aesthetic detail. What a hight quality of production! Absolutely perfect. It was really a pleasure to see this one - I adore it! Thank you for have done it! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Susanne

Thank you Susanne, I'm really happy you liked it! My first German fan!

Wowwwwww that was so sickkk! best I've seen yet!!! Put me in your next film!! haha You can check me out...I am in Divine Intervention. Actually I think you have seen it already, it's by Robbie Comeau

Awesome man, really glad you dug it. Come to LA man, I'll put you to work!

Title is fitting for the craftsmanship of the film as well. A work of art. Very well done.

At first I wished we had seen even one scene of the girl in a similar torment, but in the end glad we did not. I guess one could assume she was somewhat troubled by her obsession with an unknown face - course the end leaves us to wonder if that exhibition ever happened, or was just in his mind.

Thank you! Surprisingly you are the first to comment on whether or not I was true to my namesake - something I was worried about seeing in repeated posts! Haha.. it's like naming your film, "Disaster Movie" ... oh.. wait ... Haha

Yeah about showing the Girl's torment... when we came up with the story, I thought it to be ironic that while Arthur was tormented by something he didn't understand, The Girl capitalized on it and had an art show. I always found that kind of humorous and decided never to pursue developing her character.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[bosindy]

What a nice surprise this was. You have a good sense of pacing and the story unfolds nicely. The story was constructed well through to a nice reveal. Nice performance by your lead. great score.

My only criticism would be that the lighting in the institution scene felt a bit over the top. Everything else looked natural and that felt out of place.

nice art work too btw. Really made the obsession feel authentic.

all and all top noch and one of my favorites. kudos.

 

[ConspiracyPenguin]

Penguin Review - "A Work of Art"

Penguin Review - "A Work of Art"

The story was excellent and original, the editing/cinematography was superb. I thought the acting was believable and the compliance with the theme and requirement was well done. I actually had to go back through to find the ball because I didn't notice it during my first viewing - this is good because it means you didn't just throw (no pun intended) it in there for the sake of throwing it in there. The art pieces were lovely, by the way, did you do them yourself?

Now for some things I think could use some work. Mostly petty things, not enough to drastically effect the score. I thought the lighting in the institution scenes was too harsh and the score was a bit overpowering in certain areas (I am not sure if it was the music itself or just the volume, though).

Overall, I really enjoyed this piece quite a bit. It is one of the best I've scene thus far. Good job and good luck.

---
PENGUIN DISCLAIMER: The Penguin has not read any other reviews before writing his own. Further, any and all criticisms are based solely on the opinion of The Penguin and, thus, may differ from that of other commentators; said comments are provided purely for the constructive use of the filmmaker and can be embraced or ignored at his/her discretion only. Lastly, please be aware that it is NOT penguin season. In fact, it is NEVER penguin season.

 

[jojopop]

Very cool. Story and its structure worked really well. I could see where things were leading but I was still sold by the time it got there. Nice job.

There were a few rough patches I felt with the acting -- namely the editor and the doctor, however overall it was pretty solid.

The sequence where the drawings come to life was sufficiently creepy -- pretty well executed. I was wondering at first how your test animations were going to fit into the film but after seeing it in context they fit and are totally believable in that scene. Which leads me to the editing between the mental breakdown and the institutionalizing - that all flowed smoothly. Good job there.

I'll echo some thoughts on the institution lighting -- I also felt it to be overdone and on the melodramatic side. Apart from that the lighting was nicely done.

Overall cool flick! Great work!

 

[Danielleus]

Hey,

Just caught the flick. Really dug this story. Teh concept was great and I dig the use of the paper medium you have here. The artwork IN the piece is really nice too.

I'm a little confused about the structure. For the most part I like the editing, with the story unfolding as your lead's telling the doc about the girl and the events that transpired. I really like that and I think it's a unique way to tell the story. However, I'm thinking the way the story unfolds, narratively, is works of art go crazy, he commits himself, he gets better, and then he runs into the girl and realizes the twist at the end. However, the way it's laid out, even IF you wanted to have the doctor stuff still edit into the rest of the film (as it does now) it doesn't explain his sudden happiness. Did I miss something? Because he seems to come out of the hospital ready to trash the images of her and move on. Then he sees her and has the realization. But he still has the "work of art" and look of contentment? Did he recommit himself somewhere? Otherwise, are we to assume that the session went on past that moment of contentment, to the point where the doctor "fixes" him out of his obsession?

Just would like to have that clarified. Otherwise, I had some issues with the music here and there but overall, a nice piece. I echo jojopops idea about the acting but I think the storytelling, editing, lighting, and overall the piece is nice. But the story is fantastic. I really dig it. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bryce A]

Great film. Got off on the wrong foot with me. I’m not a big fan of the interrogation cop/doctor “tell me what happened” exposition device. Other than that personal quirk, the film was great. It had a very sincere and heartfelt tone at the end. Nice and refreshing in a fest-o-death. Really really solid film. I didn't have much problem with the institution lighting. And i looooved the ending. Great work.

p.s. I think my ego would have been bruised if my name went zooming by in the end credits after the writer/director and story credits got such ample size and time.

 

[Noel Evans]

Interesting... what particularly didn't work for you? We struggled with the scene in the comic book office and the boss... it was originally a lot longer... was it that scene? I'd like to know...

Sorry for the delay in replying, for some reason I couldnt get onto DVXUSER all morning.

What I meant, I felt it took a awhile for the hook to come.

 

[Mike Manning]

What a nice surprise this was. You have a good sense of pacing and the story unfolds nicely. The story was constructed well through to a nice reveal. Nice performance by your lead. great score....all and all top noch and one of my favorites. kudos.

Thanks! I appreciate it!

...Now for some things I think could use some work. Mostly petty things, not enough to drastically effect the score. I thought the lighting in the institution scenes was too harsh and the score was a bit overpowering in certain areas (I am not sure if it was the music itself or just the volume, though).

Overall, I really enjoyed this piece quite a bit. It is one of the best I've scene thus far. Good job and good luck.

Glad you dug it! The lighting in the doctor's office seems to be hit or miss with a lot of people. And I agree, the sound mix still needs a some work. The music can be a little overpowering...

Thanks for watching!

The sequence where the drawings come to life was sufficiently creepy -- pretty well executed. I was wondering at first how your test animations were going to fit into the film but after seeing it in context they fit and are totally believable in that scene. Which leads me to the editing between the mental breakdown and the institutionalizing - that all flowed smoothly. Good job there....Overall cool flick! Great work!

Thanks I'm glad. Not a lot of people have commented on the special effects, I'm glad they aren't so bad they take you out of the film. I think I coulda done a lot more and gone a lot bigger, but I chickened out and didn't wanna risk not being able to pull it off the way I wanted to.

I'm a little confused about the structure. For the most part I like the editing, with the story unfolding as your lead's telling the doc about the girl and the events that transpired. I really like that and I think it's a unique way to tell the story. However, I'm thinking the way the story unfolds, narratively, is works of art go crazy, he commits himself, he gets better, and then he runs into the girl and realizes the twist at the end.

Yes.

Haha.. I've been having a pretty length dialogue with Jack Stanley about this.. and I understand that it become unclear as there is a return to the doctor's office during the ending. At the end of the day, I'm starting to wonder... does it matter? People have been interpreting the ending different ways.. some how I intended... others, not so much. But whether or not they're certain about the ending doesn't seem to change their opinion about it, which leads me to wonder if I've done one better... you know? Perhaps ambiguity was the smarter result... I'll leave it to you to decide Arthur's fate..haha. Thanks for watching!

...Nice and refreshing in a fest-o-death. Really really solid film....p.s. I think my ego would have been bruised if my name went zooming by in the end credits after the writer/director and story credits got such ample size and time.

Yeah I thought Love might be a nice change of tone amongst you sickos!

The credits are temp.. just through them in there cuz i had some extra seconds available for the submission. My final cut is going to have really nice credits... haha

I felt it took a awhile for the hook to come.

Glad it won you over in the end !

 

[Maximus]

Great job! I really liked the ending. I didn't see it coming and it worked like a charm. One of my favorites! :beer:

 

[mjjason]

I didn't quite get the ending. Was the girl real or imaginery in the end? Was she some ex-girlfriend that he still loved or was she someone he never met but somehow they had this connection that led them to drawing each other? I might have missed something but to me that wasn't clear at the end.

Also, I echo the comments about the sudden change in his demeanor from scared to happy. He changes to fast. Maybe if it was over several sessions with the doctor than I would buy it but if it was one session than it seems like a quick change. I think the 'Three weeks Later' part didn't help because it seemed like that part was after the doctor scene but you went back to the structure so I was confused about the overall time line.

I did like the look of the film. Very clean images and great framing. Especially loved the art pieces. They worked well.

Overall, strong film with good shot composition. I felt the story could be structured better to make it clearer though.

 

[FDL film music composer]

Great film ..very impressive quality and great score

 

[Troy Ruff]

Wow man, this is a great film. I love the story, your camera work and the actual art on the walls. You are very talented. I really like that the girl in the picture starts moving and wanting him. Very nice touch. Good job man, and good luck