profound pictures presents "Teacher's Pet"

[sean90291]

This film demonstrates some real commitment on your part. I mean, you got the perfect location and cast a whole room of kids. That is not easy. But sometimes having all the production values in the world, whether you acquire them by foce of will or with a lot of money, just don't make up for a flat story. I can only imagine how hard it is to get good performances from a lot of young actors, but the voice over undermined your hard work. And I just wish there was a real story here to match the quality of your location and hard work.

 

[jpsheets]

This film demonstrates some real commitment on your part. I mean, you got the perfect location and cast a whole room of kids. That is not easy. But sometimes having all the production values in the world, whether you acquire them by foce of will or with a lot of money, just don't make up for a flat story. I can only imagine how hard it is to get good performances from a lot of young actors, but the voice over undermined your hard work. And I just wish there was a real story here to match the quality of your location and hard work.

I disagree completely. It was a great story told within the time limits. I can easily see it being more fleshed out with a longer time limit.

 

[Chris Messineo]

But sometimes having all the production values in the world, whether you acquire them by force of will or with a lot of money, just don't make up for a flat story... And I just wish there was a real story here

If you think "Teacher's Pet" is a "flat story", I'd love to know what you think a "real story" is?

 

[Steve Strickland]

This film demonstrates some real commitment on your part. I mean, you got the perfect location and cast a whole room of kids. That is not easy. But sometimes having all the production values in the world, whether you acquire them by foce of will or with a lot of money, just don't make up for a flat story. I can only imagine how hard it is to get good performances from a lot of young actors, but the voice over undermined your hard work. And I just wish there was a real story here to match the quality of your location and hard work.

The production values in TP came from blood, sweat, and tears. Our budget of pizza, snacks, drinks, and tape (about $125) had little to do with the look. Of course, I'm not including the margaritas we got hammered on after we wrapped.:beer:

I'm sorry you didn't like the story. My love of the script was the whole foundation for making this film. Different strokes for different folks...(cue Gary Coleman theme)

I appreciate your comments, though. I'm always looking for ways to improve my filmmaking.

 

[pauly_the_hitman]

This is one of my favorites of this fest that I have seen so far. Also the kid was an amazing talent. I loved it from the first scene. Great job.


SPOILER




I loved the dark humor and the teacher eating the guinea pig classic.
Pauly

 

[Erez Henya]

the score is perfect.

Erez Henya gets all the credit for the wonderful score. He really made the film come to life.

I would like to take a minute to let everyone here know how awesome it was to work with Erez Henya, he is a master at his art.

Liked the music very much.

Great score.

I like the music, very well done, it really suits the mood...

Nice score, by the way. Quite beautiful.

[...] were great, as was the score.

I have never done business with someone who cared so much about getting it "Just Right".

Loved the music.

Loved the music.

Score: Great

Nice music as well.

Music was right on as well, actually as excellent as the rest of the piece. You will be among the few with this one.

Erez did a great job of bringing the score back around after the feast.

a great score of Erez.

My favorite music in the fest. Its seems many of us composers are great at setting a mood, but somehow this soundtrack was unique. Seemed to have a style all its own, subtly devolving from the beautiful to the disturbed, the soundtrack was a huge part of what made this film work. Great work by Erez who created some ear catching melodies that had me "Googling" him the moment his credit appeard on the screen.

How can one composer ever thank so many kind people?

I am honored by your touching comments and find them very motivating. Thank you very much!

In an Oscar-speech fashion, I would like to take this opportunity to thank two great filmmakers: director Steve Strickland and producer Geoff Albach for creating this inspiring greatness called Teacher's Pet, and for very kindly bringing me in and making me comfortable even in the darkest moments. They are great friends, very gifted filmmakers and fantastic collaborators. I honestly cannot wait for our next films together!

And now for a small surprise...

I am proud to announce that a Teacher's Pet Symphonic Suite is currently in progress, and will soon be published internationally! The stand-alone suite, written for a symphony orchestra, develops the original score further, with more themes (for example, Ms. Storey's, Cutie Pie's) and moments which I could not have included in the original score.

To show my thankfulness for you, my friends, I invite you to hear a short preview by clicking on the following image.

The preview includes four samples presented in a chronological order and is subject to slight changes. Enjoy!

Also! I am proud to announce that "Theme From Teacher's Pet" will soon be available in printed sheet music for solo piano, and shipped internationally, yes yes! more information to follow in my website.

*Comments on the symphonic suite and/or sheet music are mostly welcome in PMs and e-mails. Let's keep this wonderful thread focused on the great film itself!

Thank you very much again for your supportive feedback!
​

 

[Steve Strickland]

That, my friends is dedication. Great job, Erez.

 

[galbach]

I am speechless... Great stuff Erez!

 

[galbach]

This is one of my favorites of this fest that I have seen so far. Also the kid was an amazing talent. I loved it from the first scene. Great job.


SPOILER




I loved the dark humor and the teacher eating the guinea pig classic.
Pauly

Thank you Pauly... it means a lot coming from you... I am a big fan of your work...

 

[Tim Joy]

After another couple viewings there are so many great things about this little piece of cinema.

- The Script is great. Prefect for a short and for a sweet (I use that word delicately ) toned twilight piece. A setup that has you thinking one thing and a surprise twist, with enough time at the end to let it sink in for a minute. (Lots of entries have a twist and immediately end, a big mistake IMO)

- The acting is really fun and well done, ESPECIALLY for kids. I would love to hear more about your technique in this area. I found it to be WAY more difficult than I thought to work with one. (Typical cocky director thinking I can break the "rules" and end up sticking foot-in-mouth)
One of my favorite moments is when she lifts the trophy. The look on her face is hilarious. Juxtaposed with the gruesome aftermath, it works fabulously.

- The production value, camera work, lighting, music, and fx are all excellent. It flowed really well. the only problem I had was the ADR, which I mentioned before. I think it could be mixed better, (add a little room verb/ambiance so it sounds like it's in that big echoey hard-surfaced classroom [was that the problem with the production tracks?] and it might be just fine. The ADR performances are pretty good, they just sound too close for the shots.

As I watched it for the 4th time, I thought the last shot was nice, but didn't quite fit the dialog, because he's saying, "I think it's love", but he's looking out the window? Shouldn't he be looking at the teacher for that line? Just a thought. ( It could be funny if she is cleaning up and has the "stuff" all over her face)

All in all, a great, funny, well done short. I look forward to more of your work.

 

[WayneB]

Great job with Teachers Pet, Just about everything you did was perfect. Camera shots and angles worked like magic, all acting talent did a superb job, Teacher and lead male child and the lead female child hit the look of hate right on the button. Clearity of story unfolded in anticipation like a table cloth in preparation of a Thanksgiving feast. Music was right on as well, actually as excellent as the rest of the piece. You will be among the few with this one. Audio was excellent too.

Wayne Beck

 

[sean90291]

If you think "Teacher's Pet" is a "flat story", I'd love to know what you think a "real story" is?

You're right. It's a very original premise. And a very original twist at the end. I guess the writing itself was flat in the delivery of that story. So I should have said it was flat writing rather than a flat story. I admire the huge effort. I liked a lot of the shots. I didn't dig the "script" aka the story, though I really like the inspiration/the premise behind it. Sounds like that's what drove the filmmaker too. And the film had all these great production values--in location and the over all look--that sort of get diluted when the unfolding story (whether because of script or direction) doesn't live up to the production values. I just think that production values cover for a lot of our weaknesses as filmmakers.

In answer to your question, I guess I think every story is a "real story," just some stories I would find entertaining and might even pay to watch, and others not so much. I shouldn't have used the words "real story" in my first criticism. My bad.

I hate to be critical of any film. They're all really hard to do well, with limited budgets. And this film is appealing to a lot of people, and DOES have great things going for it. Hey, the only reason I watched is a friend told me it was great. I would have liked it better with better writing/dialogue/VO. Teacher's Pet is my last post I'll ever make about a film I don't like though. The filmmaker was gracious about my actually pretty gentle criticsm, but others have not been. So, if I don't comment on your film, I guess I didn't like it. Hm, I bet someone as well loved in this forum as Jack never criticizes a film--he's smarter than me.

(p.s. Thank you Geoff)

 

[John LaBonney]

This is AWESOME!

I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Loved the cinematography (great use of depth of field), the music, everything! I was appropriately disgusted when she ate. Ick! Wonderful.

Sure to be a fest fave!

 

[Steve Strickland]

After another couple viewings there are so many great things about this little piece of cinema.

- The Script is great. Prefect for a short and for a sweet (I use that word delicately ) toned twilight piece. A setup that has you thinking one thing and a surprise twist, with enough time at the end to let it sink in for a minute. (Lots of entries have a twist and immediately end, a big mistake IMO)

Thanks. I really love the look CJ gives when the teacher is eating her lunch. Priceless.

- The acting is really fun and well done, ESPECIALLY for kids. I would love to hear more about your technique in this area. I found it to be WAY more difficult than I thought to work with one. (Typical cocky director thinking I can break the "rules" and end up sticking foot-in-mouth)

I wish I could expand on my technique with children, but this was my first attempt working with kids. The best thing I can say is casting, casting, casting. We knew right away CJ was the one. This was after we had already cast the part. We had a read through, and the original actor just wasn't cutting it. We made the mistake of promising the part to the first kid we met with. Bad mistake.

Caylin, the girl he argues with, had been in several school plays and was into acting. She had a pretty good grasp of the material, and honestly didn't need a whole lot of direction. She would adapt to my requests really well.

So, cast right and your job becomes so much easier. A lot of luck doesn't hurt either.

-One of my favorite moments is when she lifts the trophy. The look on her face is hilarious. Juxtaposed with the gruesome aftermath, it works fabulously.

Yeah, Ashley was into that scene. She started saying she wanted to see some blood. Maybe a little into it. ha ha

- The production value, camera work, lighting, music, and fx are all excellent. It flowed really well. the only problem I had was the ADR, which I mentioned before. I think it could be mixed better, (add a little room verb/ambiance so it sounds like it's in that big echoey hard-surfaced classroom [was that the problem with the production tracks?] and it might be just fine. The ADR performances are pretty good, they just sound too close for the shots.

Thanks for the compliments. I agree with the audio. Thanks for the input. I'll try and tweak the sound a bit. HUGE lessons learned on this one.



-

As I watched it for the 4th time, I thought the last shot was nice, but didn't quite fit the dialog, because he's saying, "I think it's love", but he's looking out the window? Shouldn't he be looking at the teacher for that line? Just a thought. ( It could be funny if she is cleaning up and has the "stuff" all over her face)

He does say the line "I never watched her do it, you know, finish it off" I thought it would be better to have him off in his own little twisted world where he thinks he's in love. Also, I needed a good closing shot.

All in all, a great, funny, well done short. I look forward to more of your work.

Thanks for the great insights. Anti De Presence was amazing. Here's to making movies.:beer:

 

[Tim Joy]

Richie. sent you a pm.

 

[Erez Henya]

This is AWESOME!

I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Loved the cinematography (great use of depth of field), the music, everything! I was appropriately disgusted when she ate. Ick! Wonderful.

Sure to be a fest fave!

Thank you, John!

I agree, Steve and Geoff have been doing a great job, as well as the actors and the rest of the film's incredible crew.

If you enjoyed the music, please make sure you check my comment on the previous page, or click the "Teacher's Pet: Symphonic Suite" button in my signature. You'll see why!

All the best,

 

[Steve Strickland]

Great job with Teachers Pet, Just about everything you did was perfect. Camera shots and angles worked like magic, all acting talent did a superb job, Teacher and lead male child and the lead female child hit the look of hate right on the button. Clearity of story unfolded in anticipation like a table cloth in preparation of a Thanksgiving feast. Music was right on as well, actually as excellent as the rest of the piece. You will be among the few with this one. Audio was excellent too.

Wayne Beck

Thanks so much for the review, Wayne. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

This is AWESOME!

I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Loved the cinematography (great use of depth of field), the music, everything! I was appropriately disgusted when she ate. Ick! Wonderful.

Sure to be a fest fave!

Thanks for compliments, John. I'm glad we could gross you out. ha ha Thanks for watching.

 

[Noel Evans]

Acting: Great
Direction: Great
Cinematography: Great
Story: Great
Score: Great
Sound: Great

Great , Great, Great - one of the best pieces I have ever watched in a DVXUser Fest. Quality all round.

 

[Steve Strickland]

Acting: Great
Direction: Great
Cinematography: Great
Story: Great
Score: Great
Sound: Great

Great , Great, Great - one of the best pieces I have ever watched in a DVXUser Fest. Quality all round.

Wow. Noel thanks so much. I just stared at your review for about five minutes with a big grin on my face.

 

[galbach]

Acting: Great
Direction: Great
Cinematography: Great
Story: Great
Score: Great
Sound: Great

Great , Great, Great - one of the best pieces I have ever watched in a DVXUser Fest. Quality all round.

I was doing the same thing Richie was doing. I am so happy you liked it...