'AT LAST' - a Michael Anthony Horrigan Short

This is all around a really good film. It is beautiful to see how more and more professional you get. It is exceptional that you have created, with only one location and the dialog between two actors, a film which hold my attention the whole length. It is much more difficult to make a good work with less as with lots of amazing locations (for example). I am impressed by the simplicity of it. Both actors were very professional and convincing - in particular the 'gunman' actor had a lot of charisma. I absolutely love the score and the editing of the score is perfect. When the music started again at the end, I thought that the gunman gave up on that point and the film will end there, but then very unexpectedly the thrill turned back. It was very clever of you to start with the music before and let the audience already feel relaxed. This film works perfectly like a short, but I also could imagine that it is the end of a feature film or every where in the middle of a feature film. I thought about the question, if it is important that Aldo is the killer of the gunman's brother or not? I think it doesn't matter. The fact that he was there and didn't do anything against the death of the brother is sufficient. I also feel that the important part of the film is a psycologal view on the gunman. He waited his whole live of this possibility, all his thoughts for years, the energy he put in to find Aldo - he needed to conclude it even if he maybe won't feel better afterward and maybe did a mistake. His weak human moment at the end, before he shot couldn't win - he must kill him! The key sentence 'How long can you hold your breath?' reminded me of Charles Bronson with the harmonica in Sergio Leone's film 'Once upon the time in the West'. The melody of the harmonica was the reminder of the past like your key sentence. I actually have still the melody from the beginning of your short in my mind. I think that is one of this films which I still would remember later on after more time. For me it is one of the higher qualitv films in this fest and one of the first two places. Many compliments and much luck!

Susanne
 
Susanne! Thanks so much. Your description of the characters and what they may have been thinking/feeling is really what this piece is all about. John will love your comments as well. These guys really poured it out that day.

Your comments on the music and story are dead on perfect. I really wanted to go out on a limb, so happy it worked. Great praise to be mentioned in the top 2.

I really hope you and Jason come back soon!

Cheers,

MAH
 
It is good to see you doing a simple scene after your recent "high-tech" entries, Mike. There is nothing wrong with either but I think it takes some courage to go back and forth and must be the best route to improving and continually challenging yourself. Both actors gave really accomplished performances - and they needed to with just the single scene where your camera was merciless in following every expression. There is a great attention to detail - things like the dogs barking just after the gunshot. This is really nitpicking but I do feel that the house is a little too empty and clean for the end of a day moving out - the position of the boxes is maybe a little too perfect. I feel that the subject of the film is on a well-trodden path but it holds the viewer's attention so nothing wrong with that. It might be interesting for you to know that one thing Susanne and I discussed was whether there was something that Aldo said as he was offering a glass of wine that made the gunman realize who he was. We watched it again and came to the conclusion that no, he knew all along, but I needed the second viewing to understand that. There remains the question of whether Aldo actually was the killer of the gunman's brother. I think the film, and the way Johni Keyworth plays Aldo, gives the idea that it actually was him, but I think you leave it sufficiently open-ended which is good.
This was a really good entry - you set yourself a limited task but got it just about perfect I would say.

Jason
 
Horncastle said:
There remains the question of whether Aldo actually was the killer of the gunman's brother. I think the film, and the way Johni Keyworth plays Aldo, gives the idea that it actually was him, but I think you leave it sufficiently open-ended which is good.
This was a really good entry - you set yourself a limited task but got it just about perfect I would say.

Jason
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Jason! Great to hear from you as well. Just wanted to touch on this as it was what we wanted. Was it him? Who knows. We really wanted the audience to question and struggle with this.
The dog barking was a simple but effective addition. Glad you picked up on the little details.
It's really great to hear the discussion you two had over this. Makes it all worthwhile.

Thanks so much for dropping by.

Mike
 
That was an incredible story. The turn-about was beautifully done - I was convinced that the gunman was going to walk away. The effect during the credits of letting the record needle scratch was a lovely detail - kind of a reward for watching till the bitter end.

Thanks for sharing that!
 
elsmama said:
That was an incredible story. The turn-about was beautifully done - I was convinced that the gunman was going to walk away. The effect during the credits of letting the record needle scratch was a lovely detail - kind of a reward for watching till the bitter end.

Thanks for sharing that!
Click to expand...
Thanks so much! Im glad I got you with the turn-about. :)
Thanks for taking in the little details at the end as well.

Cheers,

MAH
 
Im always a fan of one location shoots. Its harder to keep people interested and you need a good story and acting, which you had. Great job.
 
Well done MAH, definitely a different direction than your WestFest entry. I think my favourite component of this was actually the music – great choice of song, and your singer really pulled it off.



I think this film delivered what it aimed to. You said this was more of an actor/character piece, and it definitely is. The actors did well in this, which is necessary as that’s all there is to go on. I particularly liked Johni. Everything else was invisible, and just allowed the viewer to focus in on the actors, so there’s nothing to say about it. You executed well as usual, Michael, well done.
 
Don't know what I can say that hasn't already been mentioned. I think it was a great, tense character/actor piece. More drama than suspenseful thriller--and let's face it, I believe most of us are expecting or merely hoping for lots of tension-filled suspense in what we think of as "thrillers" in this fest. I think really believable, edge-of-your-seat suspense is much tougher to pull off than most other genres. It takes a great setup, great acting, and great execution. I know I am still just learning and I am still unsure if I will have pulled it off with our piece. Who knows, but it's fun giving it a go and learning from mistakes.

I felt like the gunman was going to do it right from the get-go. The older actor was truly great, and I thought the gunman was pretty good, but a little overshadowed by the other actor.

I appreciate the different approach you took and I think it was great. Cool stuff.
 
MAH!
What more praise can i give you that others have not yet said? Well here goes:

1. dialogue - A

just the words coming out of these guys mouths were so well written and believable.
a tough feat considering the weight of the subject matter, but you handled it tastefully.
the 'How long can you hold your breath?' was a great choice because it makes you envision the horrors
of the gas chambers, just with that sentence alone.

2. acting - A

honestly, some of the best acting i have seen here in these fests.
they had a great script to work with, and they went all out for their roles.
actors love getting scripts like this where they can really chew on the dialogue and build character,
and these guys really gave it 110%. The intensity of the acting makes your entire film so strong!
it all came across so natural and didn't feel forced at all.

3. cinematography - A-
the one man army continues to rock the T2i! nice change of pace for you with the hand held look.
a perfect choice to add to the intensity of the acting, you could have done it no other way.
although i do like the one or dolly pushes you did to mix it up. nice natural light (you know i hate big shadows on the wall)
and good simple location. the empty apartment, with it's white walls, probably gave you a lot of light "bounce"?
it looks great, you kept the color correction clean and realistic looking, it really suits the story.

4. editing - A
this is actually the strength of the film for me. ok you got a great script and great acting, but you chose the right takes and perfect
cut points to play these guys off each other. that's the secret weapon here.

5. music - A
the song is the clincher. using an old school (30's?) song from that era adds so much weight and dimension for the rest of the material. an inspired choice for sure.
many movies (Jeepers Creepers) and videogames (Fallout 3) use music like this nowadays and it just works so well.
i also want to point out your lack of score, smart move, it makes this short feel much more real than if you had some whiny piano or something.

6. overall concept - A
was i thrilled? yes! it was intense for 5 minutes straight! you wrapped up WW2, revenge, loss, murder, gas chambers and Ann Frank all up into one concept, and i loved it.

great work, per usual Mike.

ps i did not plan on giving you such high grades, i figured i'd throw you a few "B+'s" but as i analyzed your technique, it was pretty much straight A's
from me. you are at the head of the class.
 
4100xpb said:
Well done MAH, definitely a different direction than your WestFest entry. I think my favourite component of this was actually the music – great choice of song, and your singer really pulled it off.


I think this film delivered what it aimed to. You said this was more of an actor/character piece, and it definitely is. The actors did well in this, which is necessary as that;s all there is to go on. I particularly liked Johni. Everything else was invisible, and just allowed the viewer to focus in on the actors, so there’s nothing to say about it. You executed well as usual, Michael, well done.
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Thanks! I'm very happy with the responses I've been getting. Not too many people have mentioned the song. As Matt mentioned it's quite an oldie. :)
Glad you thought it fit well.

Elton said:
Don't know what I can say that hasn't already been mentioned. I think it was a great, tense character/actor piece. More drama than suspenseful thriller--and let's face it, I believe most of us are expecting or merely hoping for lots of tension-filled suspense in what we think of as "thrillers" in this fest. I think really believable, edge-of-your-seat suspense is much tougher to pull off than most other genres. It takes a great setup, great acting, and great execution. I know I am still just learning and I am still unsure if I will have pulled it off with our piece. Who knows, but it's fun giving it a go and learning from mistakes.

I felt like the gunman was going to do it right from the get-go. The older actor was truly great, and I thought the gunman was pretty good, but a little overshadowed by the other actor.

I appreciate the different approach you took and I think it was great. Cool stuff.
Click to expand...

It's more drama thriller but I find that many people have said they were surprised by the outcome so I hope that had them hanging on a bit. Thanks, Elton. Glad you liked it.

Matt Harris said:
MAH!
What more praise can i give you that others have not yet said? Well here goes:

1. dialogue - A

just the words coming out of these guys mouths were so well written and believable.
a tough feat considering the weight of the subject matter, but you handled it tastefully.
the 'How long can you hold your breath?' was a great choice because it makes you envision the horrors
of the gas chambers, just with that sentence alone.

2. acting - A

honestly, some of the best acting i have seen here in these fests.
they had a great script to work with, and they went all out for their roles.
actors love getting scripts like this where they can really chew on the dialogue and build character,
and these guys really gave it 110%. The intensity of the acting makes your entire film so strong!
it all came across so natural and didn't feel forced at all.

3. cinematography - A-
the one man army continues to rock the T2i! nice change of pace for you with the hand held look.
a perfect choice to add to the intensity of the acting, you could have done it no other way.
although i do like the one or dolly pushes you did to mix it up. nice natural light (you know i hate big shadows on the wall)
and good simple location. the empty apartment, with it's white walls, probably gave you a lot of light "bounce"?
it looks great, you kept the color correction clean and realistic looking, it really suits the story.

4. editing - A
this is actually the strength of the film for me. ok you got a great script and great acting, but you chose the right takes and perfect
cut points to play these guys off each other. that's the secret weapon here.

5. music - A
the song is the clincher. using an old school (30's?) song from that era adds so much weight and dimension for the rest of the material. an inspired choice for sure.
many movies (Jeepers Creepers) and videogames (Fallout 3) use music like this nowadays and it just works so well.
i also want to point out your lack of score, smart move, it makes this short feel much more real than if you had some whiny piano or something.

6. overall concept - A
was i thrilled? yes! it was intense for 5 minutes straight! you wrapped up WW2, revenge, loss, murder, gas chambers and Ann Frank all up into one concept, and i loved it.

great work, per usual Mike.

ps i did not plan on giving you such high grades, i figured i'd throw you a few "B+'s" but as i analyzed your technique, it was pretty much straight A's
from me. you are at the head of the class.
Click to expand...

Wow, Matt. Thanks so much. Like you and so many of us here, it's tough doing it all by ourselves. You really nailed all the little details in the dialogue, acting and even the different approach while shooting. It's VERY different from my usual style and it was nice to walk out on a limb with this one.

Now I want to combine this with what I normally do.

Cheers,

MAH
 
"Now I want to combine this with what I normally do."

I was literally going to say the same thing. i was gonna say: take this great style of writing and acting, and go make Hostile Destination 2! lol.
 
Excellent, excellent film! There's alot of substance here, but what else is new with a MAH film. The story was a good one with a back story that HAS to be represented by the actors words and actions and I thought they pulled it off on a top-notch level. I see you did something different here by sitting back and letting the actors do their thing. There's probably a hundred different ways you could have shot this, but I think you chose the right one. I can see that you stepped outside the box a little bit by doing that and from what I've read, you've learned alot and that's the purpose of doing these short films, IMO. We have to keep challenging ourselves and doing things in film that represent ourselves and some of the things we've always wanted to do and tell some of the stories we've always wanted to tell. I really liked how the film started and how it ended. Yes, for a minute there I didn't think the guy was going to make that decision, but he did. The gunshot effect was on-point as well.

Congratulations on another finalist film I'm sure. I haven't watched all the films, but as of now this is one of my top pics. This was a nice change of pace and a nice step forward!
 
Marlon Ladd said:
Excellent, excellent film! There's alot of substance here, but what else is new with a MAH film. The story was a good one with a back story that HAS to be represented by the actors words and actions and I thought they pulled it off on a top-notch level. I see you did something different here by sitting back and letting the actors do their thing. There's probably a hundred different ways you could have shot this, but I think you chose the right one. I can see that you stepped outside the box a little bit by doing that and from what I've read, you've learned alot and that's the purpose of doing these short films, IMO. We have to keep challenging ourselves and doing things in film that represent ourselves and some of the things we've always wanted to do and tell some of the stories we've always wanted to tell. I really liked how the film started and how it ended. Yes, for a minute there I didn't think the guy was going to make that decision, but he did. The gunshot effect was on-point as well.

Congratulations on another finalist film I'm sure. I haven't watched all the films, but as of now this is one of my top pics. This was a nice change of pace and a nice step forward!
Click to expand...

Thanks, Marlon. High praise.

It was nice to try something different with the actors. I really felt like I accomplished something with this one.
Two actors, one (mostly) empty room and less than 4 minutes of actual screen-time.
They are actually only on screen together for about 3:30 seconds all told when you remove the opening with the quote and the closing credits.

Tough sell I know. Glad it worked for you.

Missed you this Fest. Get that Feature done and jump in the next one!

Cheers,

MAH
 
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