Dispatch - a Fat Monster film

The acting was good with the woman at the beginning. Acting with something stuck in her was very good. Your zombie effect was really good. The film was just to short and didn't tell me enough that I wanted to know.

Edit: Ok from watching a 2nd time, I loved it. Went to fast the first time. I completely missed the 2nd shot of the picture showing they are husband and wife. But over all awesome job!
 
Last edited:
this was awesome. it looked like it was actually shot on film. i'm considering buying the GH1 after seeing it. i'd love to hear your thoughts on the pros/cons of that camera setup. you were smart to not try and cram too much story into 6 minutes... what it lacks in plot it makes up for in mood / suspense. great job!
 
Time for the full review.

I gotta say I was massivley impressed with this film from the first time we see the girl and then the reveal of the stake in her chest. Immediately reminded me of a conversation I'd had with my co-writer about wooden stakes: They work remarkably well on humans as well.

That's the hook right there for me and it's really what the entire movie is about. The uncertainty of her origin. Was she a human staked by accident or a victim of a failed staking attempt? Right there, that got me and I would have been content watching her struggle to get that stake out. That scene was interesting, it was intense and it was more than anuthing else entirely human.

En media res has always been the best place to start the best kinds of stories, with the action in full progress. There is not always a need for "once upon a time" or to see everything that happened before. You crafted the images to bring us into the film slowly. Establish the rural setting.. far from anyone else... establish the people in the house, relationship, the kind of house... then the fact that there's something wrong.... and then you show us what it is. Excellent story-telling, with solid visual themes that resonate all the way through.

The choices your actress made were note perfect including her original call to 911. It may be seen as a mislead or even a "wtf" moent from the people who saw immediately that she was a vampire. But at that moment, we don;t KNOW that she is a vampire yet. ANd besides we all get wrappe dup in the fact that she's a vampire and she can;t dide. But vampires were HUMAN FIRST. Still human reactions and that includes panic. Besides I doubt very many vampires survive being staked. So totally pefect reaction in my opinion. Call for help.

And then you up the ante with a bit of realism of her physiological condition: the inability to speak or even breathe properly becasue of all of the blood.

What can I say? I loved it. Even the reveal of the deputy coming to the rescue.. He was real and very human.

This is a movie I wish I could have made. A story I wish I had even thought of and that's really my highest praise.

Actually thats a lie. This is my highest praise: I ****ING LOVE THIS MOVIE.
 
watched a few but this is the first one I am commenting on. This is really well done and I love being thrown into the middle of a story. This would make a great opening to a film. The actress doesn't hit a false note throughout and it's difficult to convincingly play being in the throes of a mortal wound like that. As far as shot selection, this is a good example of being cinematic in the confines of a small area. The shots of her on the floor are very well executed. The score is pitch perfect and doesn't try to do to much. Thoroughly enjoyable. Cheers!
 
Wow! This short was amazing! I was pulled into it right from the start. The way you set everything up was excellent. The visuals and audio worked really well. I was pretty sure that she was a vampire once I saw that she had a wooden stake in her, but I liked that you left it open until the very end. The only thing I'd like to know is what happens next. My favorite so far!
 
Dig the simplicity. Love the lack of dialogue and how it's very heavy on just being a visual piece. Your lead actress did an excellent job. How long was she covered in all that blood? Must have been a fun mess to clean up afterwards ;)

I thought all the performances were solid and fit the bill for what was happening. I've read some comments about the cops performance but I think his manner and tone is good for the piece. I like how he is trying to project an atmosphere of control and a sense of calm. It contrasts nicely with what 'we the audience' already know and helps build to your final moment.

Well shot, well put together. My favorite so far.
 
Far and away my favorite film in the festival. It was visceral, thrilling, tragic, and it felt very professional. Everything was spot on: the acting, sound, lighting, camera, everything. Congrats man for putting something like this together for the festival. Blown away.
 
Rodney V. Smith said:
Time for the full review.

I gotta say I was massivley impressed with this film from the first time we see the girl and then the reveal of the stake in her chest. Immediately reminded me of a conversation I'd had with my co-writer about wooden stakes: They work remarkably well on humans as well.

That's the hook right there for me and it's really what the entire movie is about. The uncertainty of her origin. Was she a human staked by accident or a victim of a failed staking attempt? Right there, that got me and I would have been content watching her struggle to get that stake out. That scene was interesting, it was intense and it was more than anuthing else entirely human.

En media res has always been the best place to start the best kinds of stories, with the action in full progress. There is not always a need for "once upon a time" or to see everything that happened before. You crafted the images to bring us into the film slowly. Establish the rural setting.. far from anyone else... establish the people in the house, relationship, the kind of house... then the fact that there's something wrong.... and then you show us what it is. Excellent story-telling, with solid visual themes that resonate all the way through.

The choices your actress made were note perfect including her original call to 911. It may be seen as a mislead or even a "wtf" moent from the people who saw immediately that she was a vampire. But at that moment, we don;t KNOW that she is a vampire yet. ANd besides we all get wrappe dup in the fact that she's a vampire and she can;t dide. But vampires were HUMAN FIRST. Still human reactions and that includes panic. Besides I doubt very many vampires survive being staked. So totally pefect reaction in my opinion. Call for help.

And then you up the ante with a bit of realism of her physiological condition: the inability to speak or even breathe properly becasue of all of the blood.

What can I say? I loved it. Even the reveal of the deputy coming to the rescue.. He was real and very human.

This is a movie I wish I could have made. A story I wish I had even thought of and that's really my highest praise.

Actually thats a lie. This is my highest praise: I poo pooING LOVE THIS MOVIE.
Click to expand...
This is pretty spot on.

Maybe I should fly you out the next time because we seem to see things exactly the same. This is pretty much verbatim some of the conversations I had with my friends about the story.

Thanks so much, it means a lot.
 
NOBELO said:
Maybe I should fly you out the next time because we seem to see things exactly the same. This is pretty much verbatim some of the conversations I had with my friends about the story.
Click to expand...

Glad I could see where you were coming from. It's not hard to see it at all and it's really something that stays with you without getting hung up on the technical side of things. Technique is solid so that just makes it even better, but the simplicity of the story makes it even more accessible. It's this kind of storytelling that can help people view vampires differently instead of repeating the same old stories and legends and I love it. "Yes vampires can die... they just don't stay that way, oh and by the way: it poo pooing HURTS."

My next question is this: when's the feature? You can definitely fly me out for that. :thumbsup:
 
This is a terrific looking film Nobelo. Its solid and simple, and that's the beauty of it. You allow the audience to slowly assess the situation and draw a conclusion from the clues that you lay out. I don't think the situation is the strongest part, but the way you involve your audience as you slowly reveal information through wider shots and character action.

I like the fact that you had the woman call 911 with a stake through her chest. Sweet.

I'm a sucker for venetian blind shadows and florescent green lighting in the background. Who isn't? Professional production all around right down to the state trooper's uniform. I also appreciate your ability to know when to use handheld shots. This is one of the most abused techniques in filmmaking today.

This one is on the top of my list.
 
BEST F-ING THING TO EVER COME OUT OF A DVX FEST!!! EVER!
Brilliant job, everything about this film is sooooo good! The acting, the plot, the direction, the cinematography and the makeup are all spot on. I felt her f-ing pain man and rooted for her all the way even when it started to become obvious she was what she was, which for me was pretty early. Once I saw the steak I thought awesome, this what happens after Buffy leaves. This ***** better get her ass up, pull that steak out and find somebody to suck! YOU GO VAMPIRE GIRL!

Giving this a 10 makes me regret all the other 10s I've given in past fests! LOL
 
awesome flick!!!!


simple yet strong as hell. even the blood looked right. way cool. way way cool.

congrats!!!
 
Felt the need to elaborate on my previous comment. Impressive just doesn't do the film justice.

This was the one film that I totally forgot I was watching and judging another short film in the DVXuser Monster Film Festival. Literally ten seconds in, I was no longer focusing on the same old technical issues, stilted dialogue and/or bad acting, and numerous other problems, I was totally immersed in the story.

The simplest way of describing this film is that it felt like a real movie. A real, big budget, Hollywood movie.

Technically, near flawless.

Backstory?! The first two shots is it. Succinct. All you need.


Great SPFX makeup! Pro? The blood in particular really sealed the deal early on. Was it store bought? If so which brand? If it was good ol' karo and food coloring, please share your formula.

In my top three. Foshizzle.

Great job! :beer:
 
Holy $&%*! Guy this was awesome! The lighting, sequences, story, ect... I haven't had a chance to go over this thread but what cam did you use? I know it's not the cam but the user... but damn this looked great and didn't seem to suffer from the compression! Excellent! Let me know when you finish a feature so I can see it at the theater.
 
Who are you? I presume you are someone we all know and that I have met.

Very well done, I dont know how this is eligible to be in the contest since you broke the basic rule of credits, you dont have them. Which makes me think this is an anonymous entry by someone we'd otherwise recognize, I have my guess.

But regardless, it's good filmmaking so I salute you.
 
The credits fulfill the festival requirement. At a minimum, we want to see authorship attributed in some fashion. As in "a film by BLANK" or "a BLANK film". the level of detail is up to the filmmaker. The line is drawn between this and simply having a card that reads: "The End". As that does not credit anyone with anything, it would not fulfill the requirement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top