"The Perfect Fit" - a film by AJ Brooks
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John LaBonney
Well-known member
I've just completed my second viewing of this film. My conclusion: a third viewing is necessary. Stand-by.
Okay, I've just completed my third viewing of this movie. I'm going to watch it for a fourth time. No, I'm not kidding. What is it about this film that's got me watching it repeatedly?
Okay, I've just completed my third viewing of this movie. I'm going to watch it for a fourth time. No, I'm not kidding. What is it about this film that's got me watching it repeatedly?
John LaBonney
Well-known member
I surrender. I'm going to have to come back and comment on this one later, it's got me all twisted up.
Geoff_R
Veteran
I liked that you just had music playing... treating this more like a visual montage.. that we didn't hear the dialogue and just had to interpret visually mostly. It's simple and wonderful in that regard. I like the film but did feel that it suffers from length.
It's short... but I think it could be even shorter... it feels like one of those sweet moments of time... I know how hard it is to cut and lop off huge sections of a movie. I can't do it myself.. but I feel this would seriously be more impactful running at 2:30 or so... because you have a lot of good material here... good beats... some strong intimate moments but they are too spread out.. too thin. If they hit more in succession, I think I'd get more from it. You could also keep the music more consistent then and not change it up into a sad tone. I think it'd totally work with a subtle shift in tone, but right now, the musical shift is a little forced IMO.
This reminds me of those not too long ago kodak commercials about capturing moments... I forget the name of the run but they highlighted the idea of preciousness in a moment and preserving it... this piece feels like an extended version of that and compliments the notion well. Nice work overall and thanks for sharing!
It's short... but I think it could be even shorter... it feels like one of those sweet moments of time... I know how hard it is to cut and lop off huge sections of a movie. I can't do it myself.. but I feel this would seriously be more impactful running at 2:30 or so... because you have a lot of good material here... good beats... some strong intimate moments but they are too spread out.. too thin. If they hit more in succession, I think I'd get more from it. You could also keep the music more consistent then and not change it up into a sad tone. I think it'd totally work with a subtle shift in tone, but right now, the musical shift is a little forced IMO.
This reminds me of those not too long ago kodak commercials about capturing moments... I forget the name of the run but they highlighted the idea of preciousness in a moment and preserving it... this piece feels like an extended version of that and compliments the notion well. Nice work overall and thanks for sharing!
orchidsofwrath
Active member
cool. Didn't understand it the note. Some nice shots. Music choice was dubious imo, especially when it just cross faded to a different song made it seem like some musical compilation thing instead of a narrative.
Dalton Boettcher
Active member
Very nice! I liked this one quite a bit. As others have said, the color grade didn't work the greatest for me; would have preferred black & white or all blue tones with no red.
I liked your choice to cut the dialog and make it a silent flick. I have mixed feelings on the music. At times I thought it worked, sometimes I didn't.
Finally, I thought the acting, direction, and editing was really well done!
I liked your choice to cut the dialog and make it a silent flick. I have mixed feelings on the music. At times I thought it worked, sometimes I didn't.
Finally, I thought the acting, direction, and editing was really well done!
Chris Messineo
Veteran
I liked this.
I thought the actors were great and had a wonderful chemistry together.
I was also a little confused by the note, but overall, I thought this was very sweet and it worked for me.
Best of luck in the fest.
I thought the actors were great and had a wonderful chemistry together.
I was also a little confused by the note, but overall, I thought this was very sweet and it worked for me.
Best of luck in the fest.
AJ Brooks
Well-known member
Yeah Geoff R, I agree I could have made it quite a bit shorter. I think a lot of the "visual exchanges" between the two characters were unclear, so I could have tightened it up there.
The note was tough because I never planned on doing a version without dialog, so I didn't cover the letter very much since he had a V.O. where he explains why he is writing it.
The music does feel incongruous at times. One of those things that sounds good at looks right at 1am, but when you look at it later it doesn't work.
Thanks again everyone.
The note was tough because I never planned on doing a version without dialog, so I didn't cover the letter very much since he had a V.O. where he explains why he is writing it.
The music does feel incongruous at times. One of those things that sounds good at looks right at 1am, but when you look at it later it doesn't work.
Thanks again everyone.
Lawsuit_Boy
Veteran
Hi AJ. Just saw A Perfect Fit.
First off, I was a little concerned about the secondary color adjustments and general grading, but because it was consistent, it really helped to build the film's identity, and it worked very well in that case.
I thought it was fantastic that you tackled a project with no dialogue. I did something similar with my film (only for half of it) but took it in a different direction. I always appreciate those who can genuinely tell a story visually, and you pulled it off. The story was endearing, warm (despite the cold aesthetic), and pleasing.
I do think that it pushes on sentimentality just a hair, but not too much in a negative manner. I guess after doing films like this yourself (ring loss, two young lovers in the throws of love, etc), and seeing it done more times, it gets a little worn and jaded. But you kept it interesting, kept the drama and soft, subtle humor heightened, so nice job there!
The music was comforting, but at times distracting. It might have been the vocals of the song, but on a second viewing, it's not nearly as distracting for me. It really does play out like a modern silent film but without title cards of dialogue.
The actors did a fine job. I could critique a couple of things, but that's simply critiquing just to have something to pick at. No more nit-picking.
You made a pleasant film and I enjoyed it. :beer:
First off, I was a little concerned about the secondary color adjustments and general grading, but because it was consistent, it really helped to build the film's identity, and it worked very well in that case.
I thought it was fantastic that you tackled a project with no dialogue. I did something similar with my film (only for half of it) but took it in a different direction. I always appreciate those who can genuinely tell a story visually, and you pulled it off. The story was endearing, warm (despite the cold aesthetic), and pleasing.
I do think that it pushes on sentimentality just a hair, but not too much in a negative manner. I guess after doing films like this yourself (ring loss, two young lovers in the throws of love, etc), and seeing it done more times, it gets a little worn and jaded. But you kept it interesting, kept the drama and soft, subtle humor heightened, so nice job there!
The music was comforting, but at times distracting. It might have been the vocals of the song, but on a second viewing, it's not nearly as distracting for me. It really does play out like a modern silent film but without title cards of dialogue.
The actors did a fine job. I could critique a couple of things, but that's simply critiquing just to have something to pick at. No more nit-picking.
You made a pleasant film and I enjoyed it. :beer:
John LaBonney
Well-known member
Okay, so what was it that grabbed me about this movie? I think it was the emotion in it, and it reminded me a lot of IFHY, for that reason and also because of the choice of color cast. After debating about it back and forth for a while, I think that when all is said and done, I really like the blues, but the red highlights didn't strike me as nicely; they're just distracting in my opinion. And this was a film where I really wanted to concentrate on the characters.
But what's really curious is the fact that the film was originally planned to have a standard colorization and dialog and was intended to be told in a more traditional way, and I think when I read that I was really twisted up and didn't know what to think about the movie. I thought, wow, here's something really creative, this really took some deep thinking to produce something like this, way beyond my ability and skill-level, okay, it didn't flow together 100% perfectly, it was more like 90%, but still, that's pretty amazing, and then I was like, wait a second, okay, he didn't plan it this way, but this is what he came up with using the material he had on hand, that's pretty amazing on it's own. So what reaction is he going for here? But what if he had told it more traditionally with dialog and a more standard color choice, what would the film be then? It would certainly be something completely different...so was this the right choice? Or was it the only choice because of the footage and time available? Or what if there was a combination between the two vehicles? Would that even be possible, and if so, how would that turn out. Or am I completely out of line by even be asking this questions as a mere observer, or am I simply going for LossFest's most rambling post here? Hmmmm....Did any of what I'm saying here make any sense at all?
I really liked the film and I think if I was a short film festival programmer that this would be one that I would like to put into a schedule for people to see and I think it would prompt some interesting discussions. I thought the acting was well done and that the film could have been cut down in length some. But I'm big on getting human emotion expressed well in film, especially if it makes me a little uneasy in my chair.
But what's really curious is the fact that the film was originally planned to have a standard colorization and dialog and was intended to be told in a more traditional way, and I think when I read that I was really twisted up and didn't know what to think about the movie. I thought, wow, here's something really creative, this really took some deep thinking to produce something like this, way beyond my ability and skill-level, okay, it didn't flow together 100% perfectly, it was more like 90%, but still, that's pretty amazing, and then I was like, wait a second, okay, he didn't plan it this way, but this is what he came up with using the material he had on hand, that's pretty amazing on it's own. So what reaction is he going for here? But what if he had told it more traditionally with dialog and a more standard color choice, what would the film be then? It would certainly be something completely different...so was this the right choice? Or was it the only choice because of the footage and time available? Or what if there was a combination between the two vehicles? Would that even be possible, and if so, how would that turn out. Or am I completely out of line by even be asking this questions as a mere observer, or am I simply going for LossFest's most rambling post here? Hmmmm....Did any of what I'm saying here make any sense at all?
I really liked the film and I think if I was a short film festival programmer that this would be one that I would like to put into a schedule for people to see and I think it would prompt some interesting discussions. I thought the acting was well done and that the film could have been cut down in length some. But I'm big on getting human emotion expressed well in film, especially if it makes me a little uneasy in my chair.
AJ Brooks
Well-known member
Hey John, thanks for the comments.
Actually, I am working on the "dialog included" version of the film to give the actors, since I feel I owe them that version.
The ultimate reason for the no-dialog cut was because I did not get what I wanted/needed from the actors during the shoot. This was due to my poor direction and casting decisions.
My vision for the film was to incorporate a really dark subtext layer that happened underneath the domestic problem of a couple looking for a ring and bickering. It was a romantic-comedy for the first half, then this dark layer comes out.
Again, this dark layer is all in the subtext, and would be conveyed by the actors experiencing tremendous pain of their past. However, I was not able to effectively communicate that to the actors and get them to that place during the shoot.
If you are interested I can let you know about that version when I finish it.
btw, I really enjoyed Barn Dance.
Actually, I am working on the "dialog included" version of the film to give the actors, since I feel I owe them that version.
The ultimate reason for the no-dialog cut was because I did not get what I wanted/needed from the actors during the shoot. This was due to my poor direction and casting decisions.
My vision for the film was to incorporate a really dark subtext layer that happened underneath the domestic problem of a couple looking for a ring and bickering. It was a romantic-comedy for the first half, then this dark layer comes out.
Again, this dark layer is all in the subtext, and would be conveyed by the actors experiencing tremendous pain of their past. However, I was not able to effectively communicate that to the actors and get them to that place during the shoot.
If you are interested I can let you know about that version when I finish it.
btw, I really enjoyed Barn Dance.
John LaBonney
Well-known member
I agree that expressing the vision I have in my head of what the film should be to others is a difficult task, one I still need a lot of work on. I've found that actors are totally willing to follow my direction, but it's my direction that's lacking more than their ability or willingness.
Most definitely, I would be interested in seeing it.
Thanks, I appreciate that. I think Saint Anthony was a step backwards from Barn Dance for me in some ways, but I learned some important filmmaking and life lessons from it and I'll keep on making films and try to get better.
alex whitmer
Veteran
Pardon any rehashing ...
There is an old challenge/adage amongst writers to tell a complete story with just actions, characters, and environments, and once complete, only go back to add words/dialogue if any one element needs further explanation.
This didn't. The acting pulled off the needed 'dialogue'.
Well done.
aw
There is an old challenge/adage amongst writers to tell a complete story with just actions, characters, and environments, and once complete, only go back to add words/dialogue if any one element needs further explanation.
This didn't. The acting pulled off the needed 'dialogue'.
Well done.
aw
Norm Sanders
Script Wrangler
Hey AJ, for not having any words, this was a cool little stylized little film. Interesting cc choice that at first really stood out, but then I got used to it & it flowed.
I enjoyed the song you had with it, as well as the facial expressions on the talent, and their chemistry/love they had on screen.
My only quip would be that it seemed to drag a bit in the middle, and I didn't know what he was referring to with the brushing his teeth move, especially since neither of them really seemed to act on that (i.e. looking down sink drain, etc.).
LOVED the shot at him staring at something with foreboding, only to see it was the toilet. Priceless.
I enjoyed the song you had with it, as well as the facial expressions on the talent, and their chemistry/love they had on screen.
My only quip would be that it seemed to drag a bit in the middle, and I didn't know what he was referring to with the brushing his teeth move, especially since neither of them really seemed to act on that (i.e. looking down sink drain, etc.).
LOVED the shot at him staring at something with foreboding, only to see it was the toilet. Priceless.
abraham
Well-known member
Hey AJ , some pretty good stuff.
While I will say that the CC choice was interesting -- it definitely had me distracted for the first half. By the middle, I was used to it -- but still wishing it wasn't there.
I'm sure you've addressed this already, and to each his own.
A story well told, and a cute couple of actors.
She has a great smile,
he has a good frown.
Cheers.
While I will say that the CC choice was interesting -- it definitely had me distracted for the first half. By the middle, I was used to it -- but still wishing it wasn't there.
I'm sure you've addressed this already, and to each his own.
A story well told, and a cute couple of actors.
She has a great smile,
he has a good frown.
Cheers.
Brandon Rice
Distributed Producer
Cute short. I thought some of the acting came off a LITTLE "pantomimeish" is that makes sense lol. But, it was supposed to be that way, so in that sense it worked.
This one fit the theme very well, and was cute to boot.
This one fit the theme very well, and was cute to boot.
Sprocketboy
Well-known member
Good work. It had the makings of a music video. Music with lyrics. Stylized look. No sync sound. Yet, it felt better. I also like the music. Excellent.