"Facade" - Off Stage Films

[SonicStates]

Chris, finally a chance to comment on Facade.
First of all, I really appreciate any artist that makes legitimate social commentary through their chosen medium. Facade does this powerfully and in no small part because of your lead. Like others have commented here, the simplicity allowed for us to become involved in your character and story.
Like you, I enjoy 'silent' movies. It seems these days I am enjoying them more and more. A lot of the time I feel like there is a constant drone of badly written dialogue waiting for me when I turn on the TV, so Facade was refreshing. The music was great; complimented the movie beautifully.
Thank you.
Sam.

 

[vnguyen972]

what can I say... great performance from the actress... are those cuts real? okay, that isn't a question but it does look painful... kudos for that... great job over all!

 

[Chris Messineo]

First of all, I really appreciate any artist that makes legitimate social commentary through their chosen medium. Facade does this powerfully and in no small part because of your lead. Like others have commented here, the simplicity allowed for us to become involved in your character and story.
Like you, I enjoy 'silent' movies. It seems these days I am enjoying them more and more. A lot of the time I feel like there is a constant drone of badly written dialogue waiting for me when I turn on the TV, so Facade was refreshing. The music was great; complimented the movie beautifully.

Thank you very much. I'm so glad you liked it our silent film. This is the fourth silent film I've made and I like the challenge of trying to tell a story without words.

what can I say... great performance from the actress... are those cuts real? okay, that isn't a question but it does look painful... kudos for that... great job over all!

Thanks a lot. I have some stories to tell about the cuts, but I want to wait until after everyone has had a chance to see the film. Anyway, I'm really happy you liked it.

Well done, Chris. This is an issue I know very little about.

Have you considered using it as a PSA? I'm sure that some national organization could make great use of it.

Thanks for the suggestion. For the moment, we were just trying to complete it in time for DVXuser. I have no idea what will become of it after that.

I thought this was very moving- kind of simple but really effective. Probably one of the most emotionally involving films of the fest. Well shot and edited. I liked the jump cuts and the music was very good as well.

Thank you. I'm touched that you found it moving.

 

[EVH]

Really stunning, Chris.

Here's what I love: You came to a contest begging for treasonous plot twists and turncoat antagonists, and waded in with an absolutely heartbreaking statement on the inner disappointment that tons of people see in the mirror every morning.

That's brave and I DIG that. Congratulations.

Erich

P.S.
My wife walked by while I was watching it and said "Wow, that looks great. Who did that?" So there's the technical side of my review...

 

[Homunculus]

wow man..that was hard to watch. heart breaking and visceral.. amazing performance by this young lady. very hard hitting I still have chills in my spine from this. one of the only 3 films or so I'd say so far that really chilled me emotionally and struck a chord.
only minor gripe is that to me personally not sure if the music, it's in that sort of generic modern/current style that makes the film sound/seem more like a skin-care advertisment/info-mercial of sorts whereas something a little more traditional oriented (less electronic/synth elements) perhaps would have suited the emotional impact of it better..just my opinion though.

 

[dre83]

Very nice story.. simple... and very nice.

I do miss some of the handling sounds though...

 

[4100xpb]

Thanks for your honest critique. That's cool that you liked those last shots. We shot them at regular speed and slow motion, but the slow motion just felt right in the edit.

I agree this is an unusual story, especially for betrayal, but honestly this is the kind of film I am drawn towards and the kind of story I like to tell. I realize it may not be for everyone, but I'm not sure I could change my voice (even if I wanted too). I hope that makes sense.

Thanks Chris. Definitely don't change your voice (particularly based on anonymous critiques from the internet ), you have a very strong one. While this wasn't my particular cup of tea, you clearly touched a lot of people with this. Keep making films that you are passionate about. Not everyone will get it, but it will be worth it for the ones who do. All the best.

 

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

wow, this was tough! Which is a big compliment, because it felt so real. Great acting and direction. Amazing score by Herman which really sells the emotion.

I felt the cinematography was a little underinspired. It could have been more interesting to have her just having gotten out of the shower (shooting around stuff, clever blocking, etc to not show anything), though I dont know the age of the actress so that probably was a no go.

Well done, difficult, a good film

 

[Chris Messineo]

Really stunning, Chris.

Here's what I love: You came to a contest begging for treasonous plot twists and turncoat antagonists, and waded in with an absolutely heartbreaking statement on the inner disappointment that tons of people see in the mirror every morning.

That's brave and I DIG that. Congratulations.

Erich

P.S.
My wife walked by while I was watching it and said "Wow, that looks great. Who did that?" So there's the technical side of my review...

Very cool. I'm thrilled that you dug it.

wow man..that was hard to watch. heart breaking and visceral.. amazing performance by this young lady. very hard hitting I still have chills in my spine from this. one of the only 3 films or so I'd say so far that really chilled me emotionally and struck a chord.
only minor gripe is that to me personally not sure if the music, it's in that sort of generic modern/current style that makes the film sound/seem more like a skin-care advertisment/info-mercial of sorts whereas something a little more traditional oriented (less electronic/synth elements) perhaps would have suited the emotional impact of it better..just my opinion though.

Thanks for the great review. I will be sure to tell the actress what you thought of her. It seems like people other love or hate the music - at least it inspires strong reactions (and that is always a good thing).

Very nice story.. simple... and very nice.

I do miss some of the handling sounds though...

We recorded sound, but during the edit there was something about the absence of sound that I really liked for this film - but, I'm strange like that.

Thanks Chris. Definitely don't change your voice (particularly based on anonymous critiques from the internet ), you have a very strong one. While this wasn't my particular cup of tea, you clearly touched a lot of people with this. Keep making films that you are passionate about. Not everyone will get it, but it will be worth it for the ones who do. All the best.

It's all cool. As I said, I truly appreciate the honest feedback. I don't know that it's possible to make a film for everyone - so I will definitely try to stay true to my inner voice (that makes it sound like I'm hearing voices). But you know what I mean.

wow, this was tough! Which is a big compliment, because it felt so real. Great acting and direction. Amazing score by Herman which really sells the emotion.

I felt the cinematography was a little underinspired. It could have been more interesting to have her just having gotten out of the shower (shooting around stuff, clever blocking, etc to not show anything), though I dont know the age of the actress so that probably was a no go.

Well done, difficult, a good film

The actress is 17. For me, the character is so "naked" emotionally, I felt like that was enough. Anyway, thanks for the compliments, I'm touched this felt real and that it effected you.

 

[dougspice]

I think this is first of the fest I have seen where the betrayal is entirely internal to a character. For that matter it's certainly the only one I've seen where there IS only one character! It certainly stands out.

You really took a difficult subject matter head-on. That did make it hard to watch, but here's to making that choice! I thought your casting was great, and since that's 80% of the movie in this case, it held up.

I found myself wanting just a little bit more from the ending. What you have is lovely, but what I wanted to see was the outside world. We've spent the whole film up until this point in this character's secret world. Her ugliest place. And now at the end we have her stepping out into the glamorous facade world – so I found I wanted to see that world. Wanted to see the reverse shot of mom and dad looking so proud of their beautiful daughter, not having a clue about the lie she's carrying.

Having said all that, I'd actually like to hear your thoughts on what the betrayal was to you and to the actress.

 

[seanmcleod]

Thanks for the review. I'm not sure anyone could deal with "cutting" in three and half minutes. I just wanted to show one young woman's moment of self betrayal - although I realize that makes for a bit of an unusual story.

I agree it's a very complex issue and trying to "solve" it would be impossible, especially in such a short time frame. And the way you described it there, one young woman's moment of self betrayal actually makes it work a lot better for me. You weren't trying to comment one way or the other, but rather show that this occurs. And that for me makes the film work now. This is definitely a film that will affect everyone in a very different and personal way.

 

[Nemesis TS]

The story isn't my cup of tea. The acting was nothing short of genius. The girl showed us some raw emotion, which I would like to have heard. The music was oddly fitting so that was great. I feel that great acting is from great directing.

The only misstep I think was the end. The way she was revealed, I felt like you were going for sexy, which didn't feel appropriate for her age. I don't think you needed to give her a black dress and black pumps to make her look good. I think we get the point if she just heads off to school dressed normally with a smile on her face, books in hand.

 

[ChrisHurn]

Fantastic opening shot. Great actress. Really good look about her. No dialogue but the film carried itself perfectly well. By the way I really like your off stage films logo, that’s simple and effective.

What I like about this was the transition from curiosity to all the other emotions that come with that. Nicely shot, has a very close, personal feel to it. This is a very honest film. I really like that about it.

Herman’s score is excellent - one of the best of the fest IMO. Like how it builds to the 2:15ish mark, those aggressive sounds work really well. Lovely ending shot.

Memorable Moment
This whole film was memorable to me, the opening shot was my favourite, I liked the light in the left hand side. I like how it transitions with the final shot, that’s nice.

In my top 5, one of my favourite films of the fest. Congratulations.

 

[Geoff_R]

Enjoyed this one, Chris. I like that it gives us nothing but a simple moment and it's up to the viewer to interpret it however he or she wishes. The music is haunting and well fitted to the rest of the piece. Your actress did a good job of keeping my attention and I believed in her performance. I think you managed to capture an authentic moment of self-study... and the ending to me is the most interesting bit of all... she doesn't appear to be looking off screen at someone, but rather at 'us' the audience. If she were looking off camera, I'd say she's searching for acceptance or looking to impress for the short term... but to 'us', I feel like she's addressing society as a whole with a much longer train of thought.

There is a theory that we gain identity through others' perceptions in society, that ultimately how others see 'us' will eventually shape our development. We see a struggling teenage girl sorting through some issues within herself, but to society, she appears to be a confident, beautiful young woman.

Which leads me to believe that you might be illustrating that the facade is in fact the girl in the bathroom and not the girl on the stairs... the girl cutting herself is the superficial and temporary face of her nature... especially if I go along with the theory that society shapes identity... not sure what you intended This is where my own interpretations come into play...

Anyway, thanks for sharing. Enjoyed the film!

 

[Chris Messineo]

I think this is first of the fest I have seen where the betrayal is entirely internal to a character. For that matter it's certainly the only one I've seen where there IS only one character! It certainly stands out.

You really took a difficult subject matter head-on. That did make it hard to watch, but here's to making that choice! I thought your casting was great, and since that's 80% of the movie in this case, it held up.

I found myself wanting just a little bit more from the ending. What you have is lovely, but what I wanted to see was the outside world. We've spent the whole film up until this point in this character's secret world. Her ugliest place. And now at the end we have her stepping out into the glamorous facade world – so I found I wanted to see that world. Wanted to see the reverse shot of mom and dad looking so proud of their beautiful daughter, not having a clue about the lie she's carrying.

Having said all that, I'd actually like to hear your thoughts on what the betrayal was to you and to the actress.

Thanks for the detailed review and for sharing your thoughts on the ending. I do have an opinion about the "self betrayal" that is portrayed, but I almost hate to talk about it. I think it either moves you or it doesn't and I don't think my words can help.

I will say this, before we shot, Alex and I spent a little time alone talking about the character - we didn't focus on details, we talked instead about pain, emptiness, despair, and betrayal. We talked about cutting as a means of escape. I couldn't tell you how it defined her character - that was a personal decision she had to make, but hopefully you can feel it all in her performance.

I agree it's a very complex issue and trying to "solve" it would be impossible, especially in such a short time frame. And the way you described it there, one young woman's moment of self betrayal actually makes it work a lot better for me. You weren't trying to comment one way or the other, but rather show that this occurs. And that for me makes the film work now. This is definitely a film that will affect everyone in a very different and personal way.

Thanks for thinking about it and sharing your second thoughts. I haven't had a chance to get to your film yet, but I definitely will and I'm really looking forward to it.

The story isn't my cup of tea. The acting was nothing short of genius. The girl showed us some raw emotion, which I would like to have heard. The music was oddly fitting so that was great. I feel that great acting is from great directing.

The only misstep I think was the end. The way she was revealed, I felt like you were going for sexy, which didn't feel appropriate for her age. I don't think you needed to give her a black dress and black pumps to make her look good. I think we get the point if she just heads off to school dressed normally with a smile on her face, books in hand.

I truly appreciate your honesty. I knew this wouldn't be for everyone and I was actually surprised at how many seem to like it.

Fantastic opening shot. Great actress. Really good look about her. No dialogue but the film carried itself perfectly well. By the way I really like your off stage films logo, that’s simple and effective.

What I like about this was the transition from curiosity to all the other emotions that come with that. Nicely shot, has a very close, personal feel to it. This is a very honest film. I really like that about it.

Herman’s score is excellent - one of the best of the fest IMO. Like how it builds to the 2:15ish mark, those aggressive sounds work really well. Lovely ending shot.

Memorable Moment
This whole film was memorable to me, the opening shot was my favourite, I liked the light in the left hand side. I like how it transitions with the final shot, that’s nice.

In my top 5, one of my favourite films of the fest. Congratulations.

Thank you so much! I am a big fan of your music and I am honored that this made your top five.

I will be sure to pass along your compliments to Herman, Alex (our actress), and Mark (our DP).

That's cool that you like the logo - you wouldn't believe how many designs we went through before we settled on something so simple.

Enjoyed this one, Chris. I like that it gives us nothing but a simple moment and it's up to the viewer to interpret it however he or she wishes. The music is haunting and well fitted to the rest of the piece. Your actress did a good job of keeping my attention and I believed in her performance. I think you managed to capture an authentic moment of self-study... and the ending to me is the most interesting bit of all... she doesn't appear to be looking off screen at someone, but rather at 'us' the audience. If she were looking off camera, I'd say she's searching for acceptance or looking to impress for the short term... but to 'us', I feel like she's addressing society as a whole with a much longer train of thought.

There is a theory that we gain identity through others' perceptions in society, that ultimately how others see 'us' will eventually shape our development. We see a struggling teenage girl sorting through some issues within herself, but to society, she appears to be a confident, beautiful young woman.

Which leads me to believe that you might be illustrating that the facade is in fact the girl in the bathroom and not the girl on the stairs... the girl cutting herself is the superficial and temporary face of her nature... especially if I go along with the theory that society shapes identity... not sure what you intended This is where my own interpretations come into play...

Anyway, thanks for sharing. Enjoyed the film!

I simply love your review.

We talked a long time about that last shot (it actually was our last shot of the evening). We talked about all that had occurred before - the weight of it - and yet the importance of keeping that inside and letting the audience bring their own voice to it.

Hearing you think through the meaning of "self betrayal" and the "facade" makes me feel like it was all worthwhile.

I can't wait to share your review with the cast and crew. Thank you very much.

 

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

The actress is 17. For me, the character is so "naked" emotionally, I felt like that was enough. Anyway, thanks for the compliments, I'm touched this felt real and that it effected you.

I wasnt in ANY way suggesting we should have seen the actress naked, just that it might have been more powerful for the character to have been evaluating herself under those circumstances, plus the steam could have been more cinematic in piece that isnt really cinematic per se. Just to clarify.

 

[Chris Messineo]

I wasnt in ANY way suggesting we should have seen the actress naked, just that it might have been more powerful for the character to have been evaluating herself under those circumstances, plus the steam could have been more cinematic in piece that isnt really cinematic per se. Just to clarify.

I totally understand and never thought you were suggesting anything inappropriate.

 

[preachason]

That's cool that you like the logo - you wouldn't believe how many designs we went through before we settled on something so simple.

Yeah, fan-TAST-ic logo.

The music is exactly what I imagined. Well done all around.

 

[Bigmagic]

I loved the cinematography, I missed the sound of her sobbing and the ambient sounds from the room itself. Overall very well done.

 

[Tunnelmen]

Thank......God.........This was awesome Chris. I'm going blind because I've read so many, "I am a robot, the future is coming, here are technical aspects that weren't right, you should be expelled from film school" posts.....Ok, I'm half kidding, I realize the need for technical criticisms. Its just nice to see something like this. I loved it. I would have liked to see her really slap the crap out of herself, seemed like she was pulling up a little. Overall though man, you knocked it out of the park. I loved when she went back to blow drying and combing her hair. Great Job!