Calls From The Führerbunker

[mark_Cray]

when I read the earlier posts about this film you were concerned about any controversy it may have cause but IMHO I believe they were all unfounded. I found this movie to be highly entertaining. Loved the B&W and the actors did outstanding. I would have liked to hear the first ringing as well, and I half expected to see "Shoe" confront him at the end...lol...but thats a personal preferance and not a critic of the film. Fantastic Job!

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Woah! To tell a story within six minutes... you have definitely done that to perfection. This production was extremely tight and ultimately, I was entertained. You have hit a home run in my opinion Mike.

:beer:

Thanks! I'm really happy that you enjoyed the story as well as the production. Story is very important and I really try to write for the theme as closely as possible.

Great story there, absolutely loved the film! congrats. I second every good comment about the audio.

Awesome! I owe Herman and Rutger for the sound and music. They did a wonderful job.

Use headphones and you will be amazed by their work. :beer:

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

when I read the earlier posts about this film you were concerned about any controversy it may have cause but IMHO I believe they were all unfounded. I found this movie to be highly entertaining. Loved the B&W and the actors did outstanding. I would have liked to hear the first ringing as well, Fantastic Job!

Thanks! The ringing is there, it's just distant sounding, down the hall. I can hear it on my little laptop speakers but it's very clear on my Mac or with headphones.
We may have to mix it a bit higher in the final version though.

Thanks! I'll pass your praise on to the actors.

I don't want to post spoilers so I won't comment on the rest as of yet. :beer:

Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it.

Mike

 

[Darkline]

Hiya Michael,

First one we've watched and we really enjoyed it. I liked your build up and shot selection and I loved the score; however Im not sure that the score complimented the vibe you were going for.

Its probably a personal thing but I picked up a really nice haunting mood at the start and the score, as great as it was, seemed to suit something more lighthearted/pg. Very danny elfman...

but thats just my opinion. You have a great short here and I'm lookig forward to seeing future work. Good job.

Have you ever seen 'nightwatch' by Ole Bornedal (the Danish one not the US remake). Well it really remined me of this at the start, one man on security duty with strange things going on. you took this in a very different direction but check the film out you might like it.

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Hiya Michael,

First one we've watched and we really enjoyed it. I liked your build up and shot selection and I loved the score; however Im not sure that the score complimented the vibe you were going for.

Its probably a personal thing but I picked up a really nice haunting mood at the start and the score, as great as it was, seemed to suit something more lighthearted/pg. Very danny elfman...

but thats just my opinion. You have a great short here and I'm lookig forward to seeing future work. Good job.

Have you ever seen 'nightwatch' by Ole Bornedal (the Danish one not the US remake). Well it really remined me of this at the start, one man on security duty with strange things going on. you took this in a very different direction but check the film out you might like it.

Thanks! You know hoe much I loved your movie.

I'm honoured that you watched mine first, random or not.

The music is definitely always a personal choice, I think Herman nailed the Twilight Zone feel I was going for. We did make a few adjustments along the way but I'm really happy with the end result.

Thanks for the shot selection kudos. Much appreciated coming from such a talented bunch.
I'll have to check out that movie.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Susanne G.]

I really enjoyed this film! I liked the black and white feel and the score. The old man did a fantastic job- he was really funny. I like the line about the toilet on the 3rd floor. Actually, my whole family is German and he reminds me a bit of my grandparents. (And good job with the German, it was right on!)

Thank you Teresa for your compliment about the german voices! :dankk2:
It is a pleasure to be part on an excellent film project like "Calls from the Führerbunker". rogar-Happy(DBG):

S P O I L E R

My favourite scene is when the main character is repairing the telephone with the screwdriver and the german dialog started. It is a very funny part, the acting is fantastic and Herman's music runs very well with the fast and decisive german voices. I love the whole rhythm of the scene. :2vrolijk_08:


Susanne

 

[deedive]

wow, u are a popular dude, this thread is huge

S P O I L E R

I thought i would never say this but "i really loved the fuhrer" lol
love the old mans acting and the main character was good too.
Story was very twilighty.

only gripe is i wish there was 20 seconds more on the end. a little abrupt
Definitly one of my favorites, u get better with each film.

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Thank you Teresa for your compliment about the german voices! :dankk2:
It is a pleasure to be part on an excellent film project like "Calls from the Führerbunker". rogar-Happy(DBG):

S P O I L E R

My favourite scene is when the main character is repairing the telephone with the screwdriver and the german dialog started. It is a very funny part, the acting is fantastic and Herman's music runs very well with the fast and decisive german voices. I love the whole rhythm of the scene. :2vrolijk_08:


Susanne

Pleasure working with you.
That's my favourite scene as well.....

Cheers,

Mike

 

[hoz]

i really liked your movie!

you have awesome locations, the tunnel, the mess hall, the bathroom, the room with the phone...

acting was great, shoe was terrific! he really nailed his part. the lead was good too.

SPOILER DOWN BELOOOOOW!!!!!

really liked the black and white, worked real well for this movie especially when you had the lead use a flashlight. might've been better without him telling us the phone is not connected, just showing it was enough for me ( small change )

the story was fun too. kinda knew it would be the old man in the beginning but it was still fun to see it happen. i liked the way you ended it too with leaving us to wonder what might happen next.

only other thing i would change is the music, and not all of it either, but only the part where it went space saucery (that weird hum type music ) keep it creepy throughout!

also good use of 6 minutes! not easy to do!
great work!

 

[galbach]

Awesome work!!!

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

love the old mans acting and the main character was good too.
Story was very twilighty.

only gripe is i wish there was 20 seconds more on the end. a little abrupt
Definitly one of my favorites, u get better with each film.

Thanks! You won't be happy though, the Director's Cut will end the same way. :evil:

i really liked your movie!

you have awesome locations, the tunnel, the mess hall, the bathroom, the room with the phone...

acting was great, shoe was terrific! he really nailed his part. the lead was good too.

really liked the black and white, worked real well for this movie especially when you had the lead use a flashlight. might've been better without him telling us the phone is not connected, just showing it was enough for me ( small change )

i liked the way you ended it too with leaving us to wonder what might happen next.

only other thing i would change is the music, and not all of it either, but only the part where it went space saucery (that weird hum type music ) keep it creepy throughout!

also good use of 6 minutes! not easy to do!
great work!

Thanks! Glad you seemed to like it. I put a lot of hard work into this one so it's really appreciated. As I'm sure it is from the cast and crew.

Awesome work!!!

Thanks! :thumbsup:

 

[chstick]

Thought your story was great. Very TZ. You guys made excellent use of your location. Well done.

 

[KOHR]

I've watched about 3/4ths of the films (yes, I had no Halloween plans... ) and I gotta say that this one is probably #1 in terms of nailing the fest theme. Your tone, story, and score all worked quite well to make this the most twilighty of the films. Besides that, I really enjoyed your lighting, which is obviously incredibly important in a b&w film. I especially liked the part with the flashlight guiding the camera movement. Didn't see the twist coming either-- however I do wish that there was a little more time given to the ending...it seemed rather abrupt. Besides that, I really enjoyed it. Good job!!

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Thought your story was great. Very TZ. You guys made excellent use of your location. Well done.

Thanks! I tried. :thumbup:

I've watched about 3/4ths of the films (yes, I had no Halloween plans... ) and I gotta say that this one is probably #1 in terms of nailing the fest theme. Your tone, story, and score all worked quite well to make this the most twilighty of the films. Besides that, I really enjoyed your lighting, which is obviously incredibly important in a b&w film. I especially liked the part with the flashlight guiding the camera movement. Didn't see the twist coming either-- however I do wish that there was a little more time given to the ending...it seemed rather abrupt. Besides that, I really enjoyed it. Good job!!

I really appreciate this! I wanted to make a movie that could slip right into a Twilight Zone series. I take the DVXuser theme very seriously, as do many others. Right down to the lighting on this one, thanks for noticing. I really enjoyed shooting the flashlight scene, it really shows what the HV20 can do in low-light. That and I just love the slight reveal at the end of it. Glad the ending got you as well.

Thanks for the high praise!

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Bryce A]

Nice job with the music! I think Herman Witkam really helped to seal the deal on this twilight zone homage. I especially noticed it during the bathroom sequence. Totally kooky, totally on target. Loved it.

Johni Keyworth was great as Andrew Shoe. Has one of those, “I’m cool no matter what I do” demeanors. Fit the role well. It’s also nice to see Ian Quick back in much the same way as Jeremiah Rounds in Analog.. It’s nice to see former killers in …er… nicer/less bloody roles.

Aesthetically the film was solid. Liked the harsh lighting with the black and white. Production design was awesome. THOUGH, having seen your behind the scenes location pics, I was dying for Ian to move frame left when talking with Johni in the hallway. The location was soooo great and he just blocked out the depth of the hall. I really wanted to see what I saw in the photos! I also thought the end was very abrupt. Time constraints? Anyway, solid pic. The plot is such a twilight zone episode! Good job.

 

[Maximus]

Great job Mike! Technically very good as usual. I did have a few problems with it, and I will share them, whether you like it or not. Jk. :laugh:

The film felt rushed. There was too much story for the time limit. It needed more quiet time to build suspense. The ending in particular felt like it needed to be wrapped up quickly as the last few seconds counted down. I have no doubt the director's cut will be more effective.

The tone. Your lead, Ian, seemed to be playing this very straight, very angry. The choice to play his reactions to the phone as pissed off, instead of curious or frightened was interesting. The F bombs seemed gratuitous and unecessary.

The limp. Was this the reason he was so pissed off? I expected a pay off since you seemed to focus on this in the opening moments. Paraphrasing Chekhov, "If you bring a cannon on stage, you must fire it." (I expected the physical disability to have some Naxi Eugenics connection).

My biggest critique is your choice of music. You have made it clear in your thread how happy you are with the music, however, some others have commented on this, it seemed inappropriate TONE wise. Every time the Theremin played, I thought of Scooby Doo cartoons and Saturday Night Live skits. Little too campy.

My two cents.

 

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

I love it!! You get 10/10 from me, awesome short!

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Nice job with the music! I think Herman Witkam really helped to seal the deal on this twilight zone homage. I especially noticed it during the bathroom sequence. Totally kooky, totally on target. Loved it.

Johni Keyworth was great as Andrew Shoe. Has one of those, “I’m cool no matter what I do” demeanors. Fit the role well. It’s also nice to see Ian Quick back in much the same way as Jeremiah Rounds in Analog.. It’s nice to see former killers in …er… nicer/less bloody roles.

Aesthetically the film was solid. Liked the harsh lighting with the black and white. Production design was awesome. THOUGH, having seen your behind the scenes location pics, I was dying for Ian to move frame left when talking with Johni in the hallway. The location was soooo great and he just blocked out the depth of the hall. I really wanted to see what I saw in the photos! I also thought the end was very abrupt. Time constraints? Anyway, solid pic. The plot is such a twilight zone episode! Good job.

Detailed review. Totally agree about the tunnel shot, you'll see more in the DC. Glad you liked the movie. I agree, Herman nailed it! Perfect TZ music.

EDIT: As for the ending.... no. Ian, Johni, and I talked about this a great length before filming. The DC will end the same way, with one minor adjustment.

Thanks! Mike

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

My biggest critique is your choice of music. You have made it clear in your thread how happy you are with the music, however, some others have commented on this, it seemed inappropriate TONE wise. Every time the Theremin played, I thought of Scooby Doo cartoons and Saturday Night Live skits. Little too campy.

My two cents.

Thanks. Most people think he nailed it though. You have to be a fan of the old TZ/Sci-Fi shows to get it.

Thanks for the well thought out critique.

Mike

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I love it!! You get 10/10 from me, awesome short!

Thanks, man. Already commented in yours the other day. My hat's off to you guys/gals. Nice work. :thumbup: