"MODEL / PHOTOGRAPHER" - an ELOQUENT GRAFFITI prelude – a film by SABI

I wanted to throw up it was so good

I wanted to throw up it was so good

I promise that's a compliment. I want to know these people I want to know what they think, what drives them. Beautiful, short and to the point which was the whole point of Lossfest. Everyone wants someone to want them so wholly and you really showed that and only in 6 minutes. Kudos to all involved!!!:)
 
CLockman said:
Meh
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hahahahaha! simple. concise. to the point. would you mind if i quoted you on the poster? :beer:



i'm going under the assumption that "MEH" means you really liked Mary Elise Hayden's performance. no? :)

well anyway, thanks for checking it out.
 
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I liked this film very much. Great shot, edit and cast. This is a really honest piece, best I've seen so far. And the lead actress looked a lot like Bjork, the singer from Iceland, which was cool.
 
Zak, admire the simplicity of this one. Love the pacing, holding onto those beats at just the right moment. I could watch this one without sound and get the whole story. It's great when the visuals can feed so much. Great chemistry between your actors, well directed, well shot, and the music was excellent. So far, my favorite of the fest.

I don't think I can go into further detail than that. I simply enjoyed it :)

Lastly, I like how you choose locations based on how the light falls at particular hours of the day/night. The world itself is the most beautiful set we have. I often find myself looking at even the most simple alleyways or parks and thinking... there's a day and hour somewhere, where the rain will settle, mist'll be in the air, and this will be one of the most incredible sights on earth.
 
KTOOFRESH said:
i really liked your film.. just one question... were they together at one piont??
looked great
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the brief dialogue at the door, i hoped, would indicate a history together. she indicates the jacket he is wearing is the same one she had been searching for so she could mail it to him. she had another line in there, "I thought I'd lost it" that we cut.
 
Damn you and your ability to tell a story slowly. 6:10 clocked by and I was left going - "wha? I? Eh? Uuuaaahh." I want more. I want more. Congratulations, I want more.

You established a mood so incredibly well, although I give 60% of that credit to the music which was incredibly perfect (though part of that 60% also has to go to the sound design, fading the air in the opening, followed slowly by the city sounds, etc). I'm quite impressed with the D90's performance in low light. I mean I saw that rooftop scene, my eyes and brain KNOW what kind of light you're in, but my knowledge is saying "That's not possible, couple a high def prosumer cam with a lens adapter and there's NO WAY you could suck up THAT much light". The overblown lights of the street down below showed how much light that DSLR is really picking up.

I will say that visually I found myself irritated a bit by the constantly fully open aperture, it never allowed any characters face to ever be fully in focus or sharp, and I really wanted that to help me personalize the intimacy of the moments.

The actors were great, very real. The best note you can give an actor is this: "Some actors are very natural. Some actors, are very real." And then make sure they know to make that distinction in their own performances. Good casting. All around good work, I look forward to hopefully seeing "ELOQUENT GRAFFITI".
 
I thought the performances were very good, believable. Deklun's music really helped set the atmosphere (great job, sir!) and I loved the whole look / cinematography :)
 
Hey,

I have to say that I was impressed. I've been following your podcast's and wanted to see this film. I wasn't disappointed.

I don't really have anything more to add that hasn't already been said, but I just wanted to give the thumbs up!!!
 
i see... i was thinking that, wasn't sure, but anyways i really like the acting... and the emotion i got from them... good job zak
 
This film is a slow drink of Scotch, and ages just as well. I watched it yesterday and then got distracted from posting. All the better; the real beauty of what you're doing isn't necessarily in the film itself but in the resonance it has. You have this wonderful universal specificity to these moments you're capturing. There's no doubt that these are fully realized characters, with a very particular, specific history... but the themes and experiences are universal. It's a movie you can spend some time batting around in your head, which is always a positive in my book.
 
I was haunted by this film in the very best way. The characters stuck with me well after I finished watching it and I found myself wanting to know their stories leading up to that night. I love the description dougspice used above me about your film being "a slow drink of Scotch." Couldn't put it any better. Great job.
 
I also can't say enough about the cinematography in this film, it really is one of my personal favorites in the festival.
 
thanks guys, on behalf of the cast and crew (who are reading this thread daily) I can't tell you how much all the kind words mean to us. i've been in touch with John and Mary Elise (cast), Jamie Cobb (editor) and Deklun (music) behind the scenes and they have all been touched by the very generous praise and personal reflections on their work. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to write a few words. We value all the notes and feedback tremendously.
 
This really set a mood. Loved how you didn't use any music-didn't need any at all. Just the ambient sounds of the city. It felt like I was intruding upon an intimate moment between two people. Like reading a letter addressed for someone else.
Not entirely sure what the story was though. Maybe just two people who don't quite connect. A moment lost. The visuals and the mood were enough to carry me through though. Love how every shot is framed. Beautiful compositions that didn't feel contrived at all.
The only thing that really bothered me is the way the model was posing. Seemed a bit awkward. Almost like someone pretending to be a model. That killed the mood a bit.
 
tashlan2 said:
The only thing that really bothered me is the way the model was posing. Seemed a bit awkward. Almost like someone pretending to be a model. That killed the mood a bit.
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that's cool. don't fault Mary (the actress) for that. She does model professionally but I directed her to start with some uninspired poses and then after the whisper to keep it fairly amateurish, like you'er into it but searching for the poses and mimicking what you've seen elsewhere. and ultimately just to flirt with the camera. in my head, i wanted to subvert the title a bit -- that this wasn't really a professional model and this guy wasn't really a professional photographer. that something else was going on. but that's all meta-strategy, in the subtext, for the actors to base their choices on, not for the audience to see plainly. i'm blabbering.
 
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Beautiful images there, wow, I think I will watch again and take notes. It is definitely in need of the surrounding story.
 
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