Bright Lights, Nothing's Alright

Trucci

Trucci

Well-known member
A narcoleptic from the United States exposes his new life in rural China as an English teacher.
blnapostersmall.jpg


Behind the Scenes:


grab1.jpg

grab6.jpg

grab2.jpg

grab3.jpg

grab4.jpg

grab5.jpg
 
Last edited:
Trucci, just in case you missed it - check your personal messages - awaiting your response :)
 
Don't know if you got my PM, but the BTS video is up now in this thread. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Having spent time in China myself as an English teacher (but not a narcoleptic!) from the United States I am really looking forward to seeing this!
 
Really liked the feel of the location. I think you got across some of the day to day things you guys face well. (Former resident of Tokyo, I can relate to some of them).
 
I really loved the opening of the movie - the idea of being a foreigner with everyday struggles compounded with narcolepsy is really interesting. Then it got even more interesting in the middle with the girl-friend.

But then, for some reason, it felt like you abandoned those story-lines in the ending. It ended up feeling more like a funky travel documentary than a traditional story with a character arc and I was really intrigued by that character.

In any case, I love stories about foreigners in strange lands and I hope you continue to explore these kinds of situations.
 
I agree with Chris M. on this one. It started out good and then just stopped. Real nice location, I bet no one knows you shot that in Cleveland.
 
Yep, I loved the opening and in general love seeing a nice character study rather than the normal big dramas. It did however seem like it lost its way. I was waiting for him to fall asleep on his date or something, but it was like the narcolepsy was the opening joke and that was it. Anyway, I liked it, gave it high marks and would like to see more.
 
Thanks for the comments and constructive criticism. This was shot in Taigu, China which is in Shanxi Province. It's basically a farm town with a University. Chris: Funny you mention Cleveland since the writer and main actor both went to Oberlin University. We've actually had some debate whether the character actually had insomnia, but it wasn't clear since he had symptoms of both haha.
 
This was wild, it came off very honest, i dug it. Great locations of course, interesting lead, and some clever voice over.
I think it could have been more focused to follow the narcolepsy plot that you set up in the beginning, but i took it all in as a
a pseudo fish out of water concept. I think you should do more stuff with this character, just tighten up the story elements a touch.
 
Somehow, I feel this is the story of your life as it is today...not fiction. Really liked the opening and the title treament, but like others have said it lost steam as it progressed.
I found myself waiting for him to fall asleep more often and at the most inconvienent times. Seems he was just tired because of the trains and lack of sleep.
I grew-up with train tracks not even 75 yards from the house and when I moved away, I could sleep...it was too quiet and nothing shaked!
Yes, the story needed a little work, but great job on the camera work, editing and music. Congratulations for getting a film made...and having some fun doing it.
 
You had a tremendous amount of locations, most so far I think of all the films I saw. I do like the "slice of life" storyline, but I too felt you lost your way. Still I give props in engaging us into the guy's life. I don't like voice overs much, but this one was okay. I would have liked more layers. More meat to the story. For the story to stay on track as well. I give you props for locations.
 
Chris Messineo said:
I really loved the opening of the movie - the idea of being a foreigner with everyday struggles compounded with narcolepsy is really interesting. Then it got even more interesting in the middle with the girl-friend.

But then, for some reason, it felt like you abandoned those story-lines in the ending. It ended up feeling more like a funky travel documentary than a traditional story with a character arc and I was really intrigued by that character..
Click to expand...

Chris actually said it really way... and I couldn't agree more.

My criticisms: Technically, I found the dialog a little hard to hear in some spots.
And it felt like two films. It started off SO strong... I was so intrigued on how it would play out. But then it completely fell flat and turned into somewhat of a boring story of just some guy who sleeps a lot making his way around town. The whole film started with a great idea that didn't end living up to it's potential.

My compliments: I really enjoyed your cinematography and the music felt perfect for the overall mood of what the film could have been. Some of the shots, especially at the beginning, were amazing. The problem with the positive stuff is that it just ended up reminding me of what a huge amount of potential your film had but didn't reach. If I saw the first minute of the film as somewhat of a "preview" for more to come I'd go see this film in a heartbeat. Almost like "Lars and the Real Girl" it could have had that bizarre "you can't make this stuff up" kind of feel that would have been awesome.

I know my compliments don't sound like compliments... but really they're meant to be... Even though what you did wrong took away from the overall experience of the film, looking at what you did right makes me think you could have ended up with something really amazing. I'm not sure where it fell down, but worth thinking about... because you ARE obviously talented.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top