"Last Touch" - a Norm Sanders film

I'm also glad this film didn't bog itself down in the "swap" notion that it was hinting at. That would have simply been too much.

The film was very technically savvy and featured some solid cinematography from disjecta and the sound was captured well. I thought that the story, though cliched and overdone, still resonated a bit and kept the film from coming off as droll. The aspect of the doctor picking at the man's brain was nice to see, but I feel like it just felt too "on edge" and immediate. With little back story, it's difficult to judge the doctor character and why he felt it was necessary, in front of the woman, to tell the man how he felt.

The acting had moments of great clarity and natural heartache, but I felt that it frequently, in the second half of the film, began to peak into the stratosphere of melodrama and overcooking. But luckily, it never fully got there and the actors pulled it back down to reality. It's just that a certain amount of discomfort with the scene was visible from time to time.

I think it is a solid film, but I genuinely felt a manipulation occurring. That said, I still really enjoyed watching it and I like the moral and ethical questions it raised. Kudos for that especially! :beer:
 
Thanks folks for the continued feedback! :thumbsup:

Lawsuit_Boy said:
The film was very technically savvy and featured some solid cinematography from disjecta and the sound was captured well.
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Jon, thank you SO much for the detailed review, awesome! Mr. Dempsey knows his craft well, and was a joy to work with. On the audio/sound capture, that's actually nearly all owed to Glenn Scott Lacey, our post audio/mixer SFX guy that Steven knew & put me in touch with. Glenn's forte is as a TV/Film composer down in LA, but also does an incredible job mixing and was really able to save our audio on this!

Alan Smith, our boom operator, did a great job on set, getting the best sound he could, but we had some technical issue with the mic & to this day STILL aren't really sure what happened. While recording we could see that the bars were hardly registering on the camera, so there was some concern but we had to push forward (we used a AKG 480b hyper cardiod). When I got to post and uploaded the files, nearly all of the files were flat lined in the audio mapping section! With tons of boosting we were able to hear the dialogue, and then Glenn came in & saved it from there.

To say that the final audio sounds even 300% better than the original would be an understatement. Again, I'm very blessed to have worked with the team (meaning EVERYONE, both cast & crew) that was involved with the making of this little film.
 
Norm Sanders said:
Thanks folks for the continued feedback! :thumbsup:



Jon, thank you SO much for the detailed review, awesome! Mr. Dempsey knows his craft well, and was a joy to work with. On the audio/sound capture, that's actually nearly all owed to Glenn Scott Lacey, our post audio/mixer SFX guy that Steven knew & put me in touch with. Glenn's forte is as a TV/Film composer down in LA, but also does an incredible job mixing and was really able to save our audio on this!

Alan Smith, our boom operator, did a great job on set, getting the best sound he could, but we had some technical issue with the mic & to this day STILL aren't really sure what happened. While recording we could see that the bars were hardly registering on the camera, so there was some concern but we had to push forward (we used a AKG 480b hyper cardiod). When I got to post and uploaded the files, nearly all of the files were flat lined in the audio mapping section! With tons of boosting we were able to hear the dialogue, and then Glenn came in & saved it from there.

To say that the final audio sounds even 300% better than the original would be an understatement. Again, I'm very blessed to have worked with the team (meaning EVERYONE, both cast & crew) that was involved with the making of this little film.
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Well all of the great work they put in definitely paid off. It really was a pleasure to watch and listen to.
 
Norm Sanders said:
Alan Smith, our boom operator, did a great job on set, getting the best sound he could, but we had some technical issue with the mic & to this day STILL aren't really sure what happened. While recording we could see that the bars were hardly registering on the camera, so there was some concern but we had to push forward (we used a AKG 480b hyper cardiod). When I got to post and uploaded the files, nearly all of the files were flat lined in the audio mapping section! With tons of boosting we were able to hear the dialogue, and then Glenn came in & saved it from there.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a classic mic/line mismatch or a lack of phantom power.
 
I like the direction you took this. I was expecting the old 'switching places' story (which can also work when done well), and was pleasantly surprised by his 'solution'.

Man, I'd hate to live with that guilt. Jerk!

Nice acting, liked the makeup, liked the mysterious doctor. He added just enough push forward without stealing the show.

Nicely done.

aw


www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com



.
 
Norm, really liked the story. I thought the actors held the piece together quite well. ANd agree with Alex regarding the Dr above.

OK I expect a lot when I see your shorts, thats the bottom line. And for me there was some disappointment in this one because of that. And Ill tell you why. For me the shot angles became old. Throughout the entire piece we were looking at these people from the same angles and as the drama unfolded, I expected the intensity of the piece to rise. For me it did in the acting, but felt all the other elements that could have assisted in this werent really there. I almost felt purely like an observer watching from the same side of the bed as everything unfolded. There was an added angle - as seen at 4.49, my issue there was when I felt we need to be in tight feeling it, we were pulled away to the widest shot of the entire piece, it was fine in the final shot to let us see the end scene with all the components.

Still rated high for me and I did enjoy it. I felt like you missed the opportunity to really punch it home. I want to reiterate, my comments to you come with the utmost respect.
 
Thanks Alex & Noel. Drat, Noel, was hoping to hit it out of the park on this one for you!

I agree there was certainly room (although not time-wise in the actual day of shooting) for us to mix up the shots & add some further variety. As it was, once the action started to unfold, I added closeups & movement that wasn't originally there by zooming in on certain shots, changing framing, etc. ... because even during the action, we had limited shots/angles, mostly due to time.

Thanks again for the feedback, which I also take with the utmost respect. :)
 
Great shot film, and well directed. The doctor popping in was a nice addition to the overall storyline. But it had been fun if he was a douche like House in the series. I think the girl did a good job. And it is cool to see some quality make-up. Amen brother
 
Hey Norm.

After dealing with some amateurs in another thread, I'm pleased to come here and discuss work with a professional.

This mostly worked for me. I think the DR. blew everyone off the screen for his sheer ability to DO NOTHING.

All actors were good though. I did not mind the make-up. I mean, I did not stop long enough to wonder if it was fake, I just took it and let the story play. So it did a fine job.

Obviously all of the elements are pro and your team kicked it.

But the thing I wanted to mention was the moment where she was holding his hand.

The way that moment was shot veered away from cinema, into soap opera. The way it is, it is just this long bit of people struggling. Where to think cinematically, I think that bit called for an elongated moment. I think it would have delivered a lot more power. Right now, it almost became funny to me, as they just struggled and whined there for what seemed like forever, without any real build up for me, or weight given to the moment. I think it's something to think about.

The glowing rings are way goofy and diminish the moment I think. I think it's better off without.

Great work, as I've come to expect from you.
 
Norm,

I love the professionalism you bring to every project you do! I remember when I got your Berlin DVD a while back I could not get over how well-executed every aspect was. I think this film carries that same quality.

I like the fact that you kept the story "simple"...didn't have to show a ton of different crazy locations. Just let the story develop as it needed. As others have pointed out I loved the twist...I really thought he was gonna die (which was sad in itself). Then you realize how selfish he really is and it turns everything on its head! I was really surprised that it went where it did but I liked it because it raises a kind of moral "gray area" that I find challenging!

Overall, great job!

Daniel
 
norm,

good film! really pro looking and sounded clean and strong. some rambling thoughts as they occur to me ( forgive the spacey review!)

The makeup on the woman was great and i really liked her acting a lot. she was very believable. good lead! good directing with her too!

The other lead was okay. I think he was a bit too much at times, not sure why, maybe because he said things that, to me, in real life would be more likely to be acted out but not said. one example- " You're awake!" And then he runs to the wife. He should've just run to the wife- my opinion anways. this to me would make the story more film and less tvish. his acting was strong at the end though after the switch and this looked difficult to pull off, kudos! i didn't read the thread but how many takes did you need to get the ending?

the doctor was solid for what he needed to do.

as for the story- saw the switch and the reverse coming but it still worked. the story is sad and disturbing but so is life sometimes, right?

good film!( i said that already, sheesh!)
 
Hey you folks, thank you for the continued great feedback, and I'm really glad to hear that this film has resonated well with the majority of those who've commented so far!

Mark, regarding the hand holding ... were you suggesting to hold the hand longer, or less focus/time on it? Felt too rushed for everything to start happening once they touched? Once I understand better what you're saying here, and if I hear further of the same thing, then there could be room to make some edit adjustments (as the audio/score guys want to kill me) for the final full cut.

Hoz, I get what you're saying on "You're awake!' ... our reasoning for it was because of what he was saying on the phone, which he'd never say if he thought she was awake, listening ... so he was surprised. That said, however, I get what you're talking about .... I too don't care for it if dialogue is expository.

------SPOILER ALERT BELOW------

We took the film in chunks, specifically because we CHANGED the makeup as we went along (not sure who's noticed this yet), so as she improved her bruising lessened, and as he worsened his cut got worse, etc. By the time we got to the very end where he does the deed, he was already getting tired (on average did 2-3 takes per angle) as it was an intensely building moment that he had to jump back into time & time again (as well as Megan). By the time we did the very final portion of that, we couldn't have done it more than 3 times, max, most likely only 2x. There were plenty of times that I thought we may have had something on just the 1st take, but I love having that 'safety' take, just in case, and everyone else was on board for that as well.

You saw the switch AND the reverse coming???? Oh man! :)

Thanks again for all the thoughts, and again to everyone else who's taken the time to comment. Those of you who've commented on the film & have submitted one as well, you're my first priority to watch & comment on, and I'm working through them now!
 
Norm Sanders said:
Mark, regarding the hand holding ... were you suggesting to hold the hand longer, or less focus/time on it? Felt too rushed for everything to start happening once they touched? Once I understand better what you're saying here, and if I hear further of the same thing, then there could be room to make some edit adjustments (as the audio/score guys want to kill me) for the final full cut.
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I'm referring more to a film technique, where you actually slow down time to focus on the moment. Like the moment Indie gets up to the idol in the first scene of Raiders. Time slows down there, as he weighs the sand, the dude behind him gets giddy, he thinks, etc. Spielberg actually slows that moment down to give it dramatic weight.

Or this guy does it well in the slamdance contest I'm in. Watch his short(it's only 4 min and GOOD), at the point where the voodoo doll is going to stab itself in the heart.

http://www.slamdance.com/videos/products/740.html

You can see that in realistic time that all would take a second. But cinematically, he drew out the moment to build tension. I've often heard this referred to as the elongated moment in film.

These are only two examples. You find it everywhere.

I was saying I think your hand-holding moment might have benefited from this kind of treatment. Right now, you spend a long time on that part, but it doesn't add the same kind of dramatic effect for me.
 
Ah, I get it now. When I first started reading what you were saying, Mark, I was thinking literally slowing down the footage 50%, etc. ... but it's about the anticipation of what's GOING to happen ... making the audience cringe, feel the pressure/anxiety of the moment, etc.

However, I question that in this moment because unless we KNOW or EXPECT something of importance from when they touch & hold hands, how would there be any anticipation? Maybe if the Doctor specifically stated something like "Now go, touch your wife", etc. ... anything so that we would know or expect something of importance/significance to occur.

Thoughts? I just don't know if people would expect something to happen there or not, until we're actually showing it ... then again, I'm so close to the material I could be blind to what you're talking about.
 
You might be right, but I still think it's worth the time to experiment with in the cut and see. If you have he shots to do it.
 
------SPOILER ALERT BELOW------

We took the film in chunks, specifically because we CHANGED the makeup as we went along (not sure who's noticed this yet), so as she improved her bruising lessened, and as he worsened his cut got worse, etc. By the time we got to the very end where he does the deed, he was already getting tired (on average did 2-3 takes per angle) as it was an intensely building moment that he had to jump back into time & time again (as well as Megan). By the time we did the very final portion of that, we couldn't have done it more than 3 times, max, most likely only 2x. There were plenty of times that I thought we may have had something on just the 1st take, but I love having that 'safety' take, just in case, and everyone else was on board for that as well.

You saw the switch AND the reverse coming???? Oh man! :)

more spoiler stuff--------------------

i only saw what was coming because, to me, the doctor said what he did in the way that he did. to me, the doctor was too obvious. i read what mark harris wrote about the hand holding and to me he has a point. but i was okay with it. i think that the only thing i'd change is to have the doctor look into the patient's file or something while he spoke. that way you can have him say almost anything you want and it will look and feel realistic and smooth. doctors always look at files or something else, they're too occupied to freeze in on anything for more than a moment or two. my thoughts anyways.

i thought the end was cool, the man practically squeeled for his life! and yeah, i asked how many takes because it did look exhausting! congrats on pulling it off as well as you did.
 
WOW on your movie! It tore me up and I liked it. I hated that guy but at the same time it makes you think about your own motivations. Good stuff. -Matt Sconce
 
I also must say that I thought I knew what was coming but what actually happened twisted my brain up. It was a "Holy Crap" Moment.
 
Norm, this film was really well done but I just didn't buy the ring glowing effect. It felt so out of place to me in this drama of raw emotion. I think the score undermines the story a bit too - at one point I distinctly remember thinking that it feels like a Lifetime movie, and I think that was completely because of the soundtrack and lack of variety in shot selection.

That said, I was really glued to the film and I think it's a great concept - maybe the best story idea in the fest. Images were brilliant, as expected from Steven. Good luck to you.
 
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