'AT LAST' - a Michael Anthony Horrigan Short

Thanks, Charli. Glad you liked it.
As for thriller... this is a direct quote from the rules.
Thrillers are mostly characterized by an atmosphere of menace, violence, crime and murder by showing society as dark, corrupt and dangerous, though they often feature a happy ending in which the villains are killed or arrested.
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I think the story of this (and history) is filled with violence and menace. We're taking about the Holocaust here. As for the last bit of that quote above... that's up to you. :)

PS - I get that its more heavy on the drama and less on the thriller. :)

Cheers,

Mike
 
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Nice story. It's getting tough doing WWII stories, since the survivors are getting rather old. I'm kinda getting sick of one room films though. There's only so much you can do and only so much emotion you can pull. Besides films are a visual medium and there is nothing usually visually appealing in one room. This was a real good film that's bound to do well. Good Job.
 
Chris_Keaton said:
Nice story. It's getting tough doing WWII stories, since the survivors are getting rather old. I'm kinda getting sick of one room films though. There's only so much you can do and only so much emotion you can pull. Besides films are a visual medium and there is nothing usually visually appealing in one room. This was a real good film that's bound to do well. Good Job.
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I've shot in real world war bunkers. I don't mind shooting a piece in a room and just letting the story and actors take over. This was one of those times.

Glad you liked it.

MAH
 
Richard J. Johnson said:
so was he right man? you secretive bastard.:cheesy:
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Was he the right guy? That's really up to you. Was he lying or telling the truth?
Did he recognize those words... "How long can you hold your breath?" Or was he simply confused?

It's really up to you but I'll tell you this... The writers and actors all have varying opinions on this. :)

MAH
 
I would just like to add that i enjoyed the simplicity of this films production, it allowed for an appropriate focus on story, characterisation (superbly played by your elderly gentleman in particular.) I like the question of doubt that remains over the old man's guilt - it places us with the other character in the role of would be executioner - who like him in the most part - leap to conclusions of guilt lol.

Subtly reminding your audience that there prejudices are stupid takes the skill of a true artist (and a particularly good writer.)

I just hope for a third film with your old actor, to complete the great ww2 linked trilogy!
 
Hey Mike,

I liked the simplicity of this also. I've seen you play with form and be very stylish and so it's a welcome departure, and as you say, learning curve to venture into this.
I'm really glad he got shot at the end. Not because I'm sick, but because I think would have fallen into a very generic patch of films if he had backed down. We've seen that so many times before.

The old guy was really convincing, but alas I didn't quite believe the younger man's performance. However I think the old man carried this through and made the short work. I have been wondering whether it was a good thing that the room was so bare, and I think it probably was because not only were you limited to one room, but because it was so blank it meant more than ever the film had to get by on the acting as there was literally nothing else to look at. Brave move.

Very well done and I'll be surely taking a leaf from your book in the future.
 
lawriejaffa said:
I would just like to add that i enjoyed the simplicity of this films production, it allowed for an appropriate focus on story, characterisation (superbly played by your elderly gentleman in particular.) I like the question of doubt that remains over the old man's guilt - it places us with the other character in the role of would be executioner - who like him in the most part - leap to conclusions of guilt lol.

Subtly reminding your audience that there prejudices are stupid takes the skill of a true artist (and a particularly good writer.)

I just hope for a third film with your old actor, to complete the great ww2 linked trilogy!
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Lawrie! Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed it. Johni surely is superb and I would be more than happy to work with him again. As with John as well. Thanks again.

MAH
 
Darkline said:
Hey Mike,

I liked the simplicity of this also. I've seen you play with form and be very stylish and so it's a welcome departure, and as you say, learning curve to venture into this.
I'm really glad he got shot at the end. Not because I'm sick, but because I think would have fallen into a very generic patch of films if he had backed down. We've seen that so many times before.

The old guy was really convincing, but alas I didn't quite believe the younger man's performance. However I think the old man carried this through and made the short work. I have been wondering whether it was a good thing that the room was so bare, and I think it probably was because not only were you limited to one room, but because it was so blank it meant more than ever the film had to get by on the acting as there was literally nothing else to look at. Brave move.

Very well done and I'll be surely taking a leaf from your book in the future.
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I'm really glad you liked it. Yes, it was tough using an empty place but we really didn't want any distractions. Brave is a nice compliment. Stupid might be more accurate. :)

I think they both had great chemistry on screen together. One really needed the other to play off of and they did that well. Thanks for the compliments. Movies like the last one I did (Hostile Destination) are all about style over substance. I really wanted to see if I could shove two guys in an empty room and make it interesting. Hopefully I succeeded in that.

Just wanted to add that Doug Sinclair really worked over the story I had and helped to create an amazing script. Just wanted to give him some extra credit here. :)

Cheers,

MAH
 
MAH - you funny. You state me the rules then agree with me, ha ha. It's really quite the drama. I think it's harder to pull off a true thriller or suspense film without falling into the drama category. Probably one of the reasons there were less entries on this fest than in past October fest. I really, really loved hearing "At Last" as the title credit popped up. Now that I look at it, not sure the quote did anything for the movie. Still, nice that it's in there.
 
Hey Mike,

I'm sorry man, but this one just really missed the mark for me. I think ultimately, it's not the fault of the actors or even the directing, but rather it's the script that causes this film to suffer.

The ultimate struggle in writing for the visual medium is figuring out what to show versus what to tell. In this movie, the actors are forced to tell us everything and on top of that, they have to act too. Their actions are stiffened by the burden of being explanatory and as the viewer, I'm left completely removed from the situation without ever having been pulled in.

Comparatively, if we look at your film "Fuhrerbunker," I'm pulled in by your lead's actions. His journey as he uncovers the mystery of his workplace entices the viewer. The most explanatory sequence in the film is when he finds the SS soldier's name in a history book. And even then, you SHOW us the book with his picture, instead of having your character tell us.

But yeah, thanks for sharing with us. I know you hadn't initially planned on being apart of this Fest, so I'm happy to see anything you have to submit. But ultimately, I think it's a step backwards from your earlier work.

Cheers!
 
Charli, just wanted you to know that I was within bounds. :). Lol!
The quote is the inspiration, for sure. It also helps set the mood and let's you know what era we are talking about here.
A very terrible time in history.

Cheers,

MAH
 
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I'll have to agree that this film has a captivating simplicity about it. The acting was top notch, which helped to engage and make me believe.

I often think simpler is better for a short. For me complex short stories just distract and (too often) confuse. When I spend most of the time trying to figure out who, why, and what the heck is going on, the film has lost me. You didn't do that. Thank you.

While I'm pontificating, it's interesting to think about how a film like this would be seen if it hadn't been in ThrillFest where you (mostly) know that something bad is about to happen. If it hadn't, would I have been expecting the old guy to be in trouble the moment he turned his back? I dunno.

Anyways, great short! Thank you for sharing.
 
Thanks, Mike. Sorry it didn't work for you.
I have to disagree of course, this was a huge step forward for me. I did this naked if you will, not an easy task.
Not saying I nailed it or anything, just saying that it was challenging and that I learned a lot from this one.

I wouldn't change this experience for anything.

Cheers,

MAH
 
kurtmo said:
I'll have to agree that this film has a captivating simplicity about it. The acting was top notch, which helped to engage and make me believe.

I often think simpler is better for a short. For me complex short stories just distract and (too often) confuse. When I spend most of the time trying to figure out who, why, and what the heck is going on, the film has lost me. You didn't do that. Thank you.

While I'm pontificating, it's interesting to think about how a film like this would be seen if it hadn't been in ThrillFest where you (mostly) know that something bad is about to happen. If it hadn't, would I have been expecting the old guy to be in trouble the moment he turned his back? I dunno.

Anyways, great short! Thank you for sharing.
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It was definitely something I wanted to try. Happy it worked for you.
Thanks so much for the generous comments.

Cheers,

MAH
 
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