FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

B

Barry_S

Moderator
Post your comments on the January DVXfest Shorts here.  Please don't read the posts before you vote.  I've included a film list you can cut and paste to make it easier to comment on all the films.  Thanks.

Love is a Devil


The Last Kiss Goodbye


Homeless Hearts


Luper


Feelings


The Morning After


Romance is Dead
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

I haven't placed my VOTE yet; but here are my reviews.  This contest just gets better and better!  :D

Love is a Devil   [Adult Content]
Submitted by user Stas Tagios

At first glance I was wondergin what this was about other than the obvious montage of couple shots.  I suspected a payoff might come and did it ever.  It hits home.  This was sombering.  Once I realized what had happended and where we were being led I just sat there quietly comtemplating life; no really.

The manner in which the story was told was revealing and enlightneing.  How sad; very powerful film.  

The last Kiss Goodbye
Submitted by user Vitaly Bokser
Special delivery.

Nicely done; you have a flair for comedy writing.  The dialog had me laughing throughout and your talent performed very well. I literally laughed out loud during the disco theme sequence whereas he delivers the message.  Well done; I look forward to more work from you.

Homeless Hearts
Submitted by user thartley

Very nicely done and a pleasant surprise! I wasn't sure what to expect from you as I had not seen your work.  This was very well done.  The interior lighting for the forune tellers place worked very well.  Also, the use of multiple locations really served this piece and has me thinking about my next short.  Locations really open up the world.  I was somewhat confused about the chocaltes; the woman appeared to be sick from them or didn't like them and then the next couple were cool with them; maybe I'm thinking too much.  I am stoked you submitted and expect more work from you in the future.

Peer offering? Something I am guilty of is leaving the camera on the sticks or forgetting I can adjust the tripod for higher and lower framing.  Visually, I think that would have helped this piece.  


Feelings
Submitted by user LuzCruz
Sometimes love is calculating.

I really liked this, This is a feature waitng to happen.  Repeat; this is a feature film waiting to happen. You need to write this.  A human falling in love with a robot.  Loved the concept.  You told a nice story in such a limited space.  The scenes of the robot stumbling around were great.  The simpolicity and absurdity of the robot costume made this work for me.  Brilliant.

Peer offering: Where was the box of chocalates?


The Morning After  [Adult Content]
Submitted by user antOmic
The future ain't what it used to be.

Antomic.  You are the man; I enjoy your work; this was superb.  The actors (especially dude) were top of the line; really, the male lead was such a talent; tell me this guy is a working actor? You know how to make films.  You write excellent dialog.  The monologue by the male lead was not only perfectly performed but it was interesting to listen too.  The comment "At least you dont have a dick..." had me ROLLING.  Awesome work.  Damn.

Peer offering: I have none it was perfectly executed.


Romance is Dead
Submitted by user P.K. Gillock

PK's narrative work is always a treat to watch. What gets me is that I know the man is running around literally as a one man crew; if this doesnt motivate you, I dont know what will.  This is the best one I have seen from you yet; it was poignant; comical and did one thing I think the others (including my own) did not; it said something.  Nice message and touchingly done.  (EDIT -Stas said alot!)

Peer offering: Damn ,isn't there anyone who can help you?  A small HAitan child for example.
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

Good deal.
I really enjoyed this months fest. Excellent work by all (as expected)...
I was really looking forward to seeing some more work by PK, Hudson, and Antomic... and I sure wasn't let down. I was also very impressed by the others this month. We had a wide variety of great work... jeez. Ranging from The Undead to Fortune Tellers... what-the.
Fantastic.
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

[quote author=John Hudson link=board=movies;num=1109739448;start=0#1 date=03/01/05 at 22:34:50]Antomic.  You are the man; I enjoy your work; this was superb.  The actors (especially dude) were top of the line; really, the male lead was such a talent; tell me this guy is a working actor? You know how to make films.  You write excellent dialog.  The monologue by the male lead was not only perfectly performed but it was interesting to listen too.  The comment "At least you dont have a dick..." had me ROLLING.  Awesome work.  Damn.

Peer offering: I have none it was perfectly executed.
[/quote]
WOW! Thanks John. Those are very kind words. I am humbled. What a great first review. So believe it or not, that guy has never acted in his life. He was nervous that he was going to let me down. But I told him the same. I guess it helped that there was really Jack in the bottle, and take after take just became easier for him. :D

Actually, he's a professional studio musician, and he plays backup for Glen Frey, Don Henley, and Dwight Yoakum. He threw me a huge bone and underscored the music for me on this one at the last minute.

What's with YaBB turning the D to an S in the word *ick, but people drop the F bomb here all the time?

I will post my reviews after I get some sleep. But I wanted to say, I was cautious with the PG13, but glad to see I was outdone with the "adult content" by Stas. ;D
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

Thanks Tristan.

Oh, and WTF? Where's BLUESPIDER's entry?! Spidey, you keep dangling that carrot, and droppin' the ball... :D
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

DUde has never acted? Tell him he just found a new career niche. Then again, playing studio gigs with '2 Parts Eagle' aint so ****ing bad is it? (Oops, theres that F BOMB again) :D
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

I watched em all, very impressed with u all keep up the good work, but I loved "The Morning After" the best.... I'm an actor, what can I say!? ;D
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

Holy flying shitweasels, the guy in antomics video is fantastic!
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

Well, this was the first time I actually watched all of them (never voted before either)
But heres my 2 cents

Love is a Devil
This pretty depressing. Good though. My only complaint would be the flashbacks, they aren't treated as flashbacks and the first time I hit one I thought that we had zoomed forward in time, not back. with some blur and color correction you can fix this pretty easily.

The Last Kiss Goodbye
Miami Vice. Oh yeah. I liked this and it kept my attention throughout the whole thing. not too shabby at all.

Homeless Hearts
Nice little heartfelt piece. The dude needed dirtier pants :)

Luper
Big surprise, lets taint valentines day with the undead. Not that I'm complaining though ;) I liked it. You did good. The main actor did great, it must be fun to kill the late delivery driver for making your food cold. Its nice to see some horror for love.

Feelings
The most convincing robot ever! I really liked this story, I just wished it went just a little bit further, i wanted to see the romance of machine blossom. But its to be continued so I guess I'll have to wait.

The Morning After
What can I say, its fantastic, top of the line DVXuser quality. Perfect and hilarious.

Romance is Dead
Wow. the one man extravaganza does it again. I love your stories PK their fun to watch. Everything about this oozes with charm. And out of all of them, this had the best title sequence ever.

OVERALL
I have only seen two DVXfests, and this is the first time I watched ALL of them. I'm fairly impressed. Its nice to see people making stuff, inspires me to get off my ass and do it myself. Ahh, someday I will, when I find a good story to tell.
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

I was floored by all of the entries... well, the entries and the bottle of Old Heaven Hill I took a huge dent out of while watching them. Masterful work, everyone!
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

wipes tears out of eyes..

oh man... that was great... funny as hell... LuzCruz... killer stuff man..

I shall report back on the others when I finish...hehe..still laughing

the real feedback:

Feelings:
gold. hilarious.

Homeless Hearts:
Cute. Touching.

Last Kiss:
Funny. Comically Entertaining.

Luper:
Twisted. Right up my alley.

Morning After:
Insightful. Funny stuff.

Romance is Dead:
Monks! hehe

Love is a Devil:
Interesting. Sad


Quick and too the point.. now to decide on which to vote for..
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

Man I love these fests! Great work by all and a blast to watch! 8)

Stas Tagios

You dirty bird!

Interesting style and time manipulation. Nice job.

Vitaly Bokser

Hilarious! – Great job. The actor was awesome.

thartley

Loved this one. You are truly a storyteller! [As I suspected]

John Hudson and ExFilms

Leave it to you two to bastardize Valentines Day! Outstanding job. Loved it.

LuzCruz

Very cool. You have a warped sense of humor man! [In a good way]

antOmic

Man have I been there! Cool to put in the outtakes. Excellent work. [as always]

P.K. Gillock

Your skills just get better with every clip… Well done!


Congratulations to all! :D
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

Well! I was definately encouraged to start making some stuff for future runs. I enjoyed each one of the submissions... I personally am always looking to see everyones progress and this Feb. competition clearly states there is a lot of talent flowing around here.

:)
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

This months LOVE fest is REALLY tough. Each entry is solid. Having the box of chocolates (or bolts - clever) is a great change of pace too. It brings all of us together, with a common prop. It's like a BIG group hug. Excellent stuff, everyone.

Love is a Devil:
Never seen your stuff before, but I must say, you got me. Very moving. I too wasn't sure where you were going and then you hit us smack in the heart. I won't say anything about the premise, because I don't want to ruin it, but we've all thought about the "good times," the "bad times," the "first-times." The lead actress did a great job. Good work. Complaints: The male lead wasn't convincing at times. The lighting and colors varied a lot. Some of the dialogue was rough. But you didn't need any words. The visuals spoke for themselves. Even with the audio turned off you could tell what was going on and I think that's a sign of a great video. Excellent.

The Last Kiss Goodbye
Once again, I don't know who you are but this was a pleasant surprise. The main characters personality was genuine and his timing was perfect. I wouldn't be surprised if you only gave him an "idea" of what you wanted him to talk about and then just recorded his improv. It's real. He's got talent. Yours kept my attention because we knew there was a punchline coming. Where's he going? What's he doing? And the title sequence was great! Complaints: The candle sequence, after the title, went on too long. The punchline could have been "delivered" better. It blended in with the rest of the shots and dialogue and got lost. We've been waiting for it, so hit us with it! But overall I enjoyed yours alot and I could watch it again and again.

Homeless Hearts:
I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say it was great to see thartley's name on the list of entries. Your first narrative was superb. I said it once before, a great video is one that speaks to you without words. Play this one back, without audio, and you still understand it and feel it. Excellent! Complaints: Speaking of audio, I couldn't hear what the fortune teller said. And I too didn't understand why she got sick (maybe the fortune teller said something about it). But, again, it didn't matter, it's a great video and speaks for itself.

Luper:
Finally I get to see something from John Hudson and ExFilms. You didn't dissappoint. Nice job you guys. The lighting and camera work were excellent. The zombie was great too. The mood you set was creepy. Everything was really well done and professional. Complaints: 7:45 min run time? Click "Full Contest Details." I call DO OVER!!! ;D

Feelings:
Once again LuzCrus hits us with an unusual tale of star-crossed lovers. This time between a woman and robot. But, you must admit, LuzCruz has style and he puts you into his alternate universe, almost immediately. Having the robot be an obvious man in cardboard boxes is touchingly brilliant. Our heart thinks of him as a misunderstood robot but our brains tell us he's a "man in box." The way he interacts with the roommate and girlfriend is great. (I laughed out loud a few times.) He's quiet, cute, mysterious, and just a nice robot. Which is why she likes him. Women dig that in robots. The bed scene was perfectly executed. And the actors did a great job. They were mellow and not over the top. (The actress reminded me of the girl in Napoleon Dynamite.) Very clever video and I have watched it a few times now. Complaints: Maybe it was a little slow at times. You've got editting talent, don't be afraid to use it! The lack of music makes the pace slower and very creepy. But that also makes it great!

The Morning After:
You got my vote 2 months ago so I was prepared to give you my vote (sight unseen) for this video too. Your videos are usually smart, witty, professional, well lit, and you're an obvious perfectionist. You could be making movies right now, if you weren't busy with work and taking your dogs for walks. Complaints (and you don't know how much this hurts to say): As most have already mentioned, your lead was the star of this show. You even acknowledge this by having 30% of the movie be out-takes of him goofing around. Yes, the out-takes were fun, but should you get my vote because you accidentally captured some funny moments on camera? Actually, the out-takes prove the guy is a "real life" character. He isn't much different from the character he was playing in bed. So I disagree with everyone else (sorry John), your lead was great in this role, but I don't consider him an actor (I don't think he would either - Nor am I.) Tony, I wish I had your talent and skills. You're an excellent filmmaker. With "Poker Night" it was obvious. Every frame was Tony and you should have won. With "The Morning After" I'm not sure where Tony is, because your lead actor and out-takes stole the show. If you do get my vote it will be for the first half of your movie and because you always make the DVX look good. With or without my vote, you'll probably win this, so let me be the first to congratulate you. (By the way, the female lead did very well. She should get some praise too.)

Romance is Dead:
What can I say about PK. His insecurity and self-esteem issues are obvious in every shot. He can't act but he continues to put himself in front of the camera month after month. At least this time he included other people (wow, one even had a speaking part). Who does this guy think he is? He should just stick to teaching ...and get a better haircut. Complaints: I am 34 years old, unemployed, and speak in third person.

The DVXfest is the best time of the month. Unfortunately it coincides with paying rent. Good luck everyone!
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

Hey antOmic,

I'm having trouble playing your movie. It will only load up to the part where the guy grabs a bottle. Is there something I am missing or need to play it? ...all the others worked fine, so I'm not sure whats a matter.
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

[quote author=NickMilo link=board=movies;num=1109739448;start=0#14 date=03/03/05 at 00:21:00]Hey antOmic,

I'm having trouble playing your movie.  It will only load up to the part where the guy grabs a bottle.  Is there something I am missing or need to play it?  ...all the others worked fine, so I'm not sure whats a matter.[/quote]
I have had a couple of Windows users tell me that too. One guy said he cleared his cache and reloaded it and it worked fine. Maybe set Quicktime to not play it automatically, or finally, try right clicking and saving it instead of clicking the link.

Sorry. Mac guy here.
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

Love is a Devil
Heavy piece. I like the raw feel of it. I am a big fan of rapid fire editing, but I felt the stylistic cuts were a bit overdone for my taste. I love the shot of her at the end when she glances at the camera, but it's impact is lessened because this shot is included in the middle as well. I would like to see it only at the end for the first time. One last suggestion is to switch the final hallway scene with the kiss at the headstone scene. I realize the edit was to end the film with the door closing, however, I feel more closure as she kisses him for the last time. The fact that this piece has no music makes it all that much more cool. Any reason you chose 4:3 over 16:9?

The Last Kiss Goodbye
Comic genius! You've GOT to love the 2x4 holding the trunk open! Excellent character. So sure of himself. A hardcore nod to your actor as well. Only two things stand out to me. There's a little too much lag in the time he spends dressing up like Miami Vice, just to later change into his other costume. This could be tightened up in my opinion. And when the girl opens the door, you hear him start to speak, but his mouth isn't moving yet. Excellent entry!

Homeless Hearts
So proud of you T! Thanks for submitting! I agree with the other comment that if the first girl got sick from the chocolate, why were the other people enjoying it? Is there a hidden message there? Like maybe she's too bitter to understand true love? Dunno. Overall, a nice story, but I would like to see a little more color correction and balancing of the shots to one another. The outdoor stuff looked great though. I have a short attention span, and I wished the pace were picked up slightly. I agree with Hudson that you could have lowered the camera a little in some shots. A little too much head room. And in such an intense scene with the fortune teller I would have loved some extreme closeups on the two ladies faces in addition to the medium shots. 4:3 instead of 16:9? Maybe I'm just picky that way. I'm spoiled with my widescreen tv.

Luper
John and Ex! I jokingly thought how funny it would be if you somehow made a zombie movie. You guys did NOT disappoint! Undead has begun! It's official. First off...Great soundtrack and ambient sound effects. And great Hudson cameo on the phone machine. Funny it's a zombie story and your lead actor resembles Bruce Campbell from Evil Dead. The lighting is excellent and the colors are brilliant! I think the beating scene could be mixed up a bit. The fade to red works only if you cut there instead fading back out and going in for the second swing. And with the power of those blows that guy would be out cold. You should show his reaction before the second hit in my opinion. I know this was for fun, but every time I watch this, I see how clean and pretty the zombie girls teeth are even under the blood. Hollywood has made me want to think their teeth should be all nasty and decayed. Finally, I've got to call you guys out on the carpet here...it's a 5 minute contest limit, and you guys hit 7:45. Sorry. But believe it or not, I think you could have cut that 2:45 out and still had a great piece.

Feelings
Oh man! Luz, you've done it again. Your humor is right on. This is nowhere near as disturbing as your last entry, but I do miss the teddy bear theme you've started. Two technical things that stand out. It appears that your image is stretched a bit too much, and it looks like you ran magic bullet over your letterbox. Overall this piece was very funny to me, but my short attention span kicked in again. I think this could have been tighter. And the three shots of the girl getting up felt a little disconnected to me. Almost as if she did them all in one take and they were edited in at the different points. This should win in the "Best Costume" category.

The Morning After
(no comment)
except for "Best Use of the DVXUser Logo in a Short Film"

Romance is Dead
Good story PK. Loved the Thai box of chocolates. That had to be a hard one to find. This had great pacing, and it moved fluidly through. Great locations too. I wasn't prepared to see you speak. It startled me. It was as exciting as meeting a celebrity for the first time. How cool was that guard? Are you going to be burned at the stake for sacrilege whilst desecrating the temple and slandering the words of a monk? You should win for taking that risk alone! The title was awesome. And even the establishing shot of that wall as you walk through the frame was art. But, technically I would like to point out a few things, if I may. The opening voiceover from the clock radio just didn’t work for me at all. It was too loud and had too much reverb on it. It would have been nice to run a different filter on it to make it sound like it was coming from that little speaker. The animations of the heart shaped sun and moon are too linear. It would be nice to see them ramped in speed. The girl on the phone could have used some ambient noise behind her, not giving away the punchline, but to later help it work. I liked the animated clouds and sun, however the two shots leading up to it show a blown out white sky, but your animation has a rich dark blue sky. Is it possible to adjust both toward a middle ground? Finally, I assume you did voice over for the guard shack scene, but your voice is completely out of sync there. Once again, it goes without saying, for a one man crew, you sure can pull it off with nice results.
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

I will be a bit tougher on you guys and myself… than most people… sorry but I was beaten as a child and figure tough love is the only way to fix sh*t.

Love is a Devil [Adult Content]
Submitted by user Stas Tagios
Not much to say except this was told brilliantly. At first I though he just got dumped when he’s remembering so it was a real surprise and you kept escalating the audience’s feelings! Nice job. Very nice way to mess with our heads… exactly as good writers/directors should do to draw us into the film and feel for the characters. I agree that the previous comment that the girl was a better actor than the guy… but he did the job… so no real complaints. My biggest critique is that the sound should have been more coherent between cuts… especially since your whole film is many jump cuts intertwined. And some might say that its kind of good that its this jarring cut from cut to cut… but I feel it takes away from me paying attention to the story and images on the screen and now I’m concerned with the sound changing every second from shot to shot. Was this on purpose?


Homeless Hearts
Submitted by user thartley
Firstly, I like your intro a lot… no words at all and all the mystery that follows when no one talks. But then I kind of get lost in what was said.. “ A sweet to the heart as the one obeys it” (I think). Then when the story actually takes a turn to love for the homeless couple (sorry if I’m killing it for someone who hasn’t see it… but you shouldn’t be reading this anyway:)) that’s a weird transition but that was a more powerful part of the story where once again its told with all visuals and music. So my biggest criticism is what was that first part about? Was she trying to get someone back and the box of chocolates fromt eh fortune lady were going to do that… but she tasted it and it was bitter so love wasn’t meant otbe for her??? Anyway I have more crazy ideas… but I’ll wait till you tell us.

Luper
Submitted by user John Hudson and ExFilms
Humans in love with zombies…Oh My! Great lighting and I think you used some of that Magic Bullet already for post (am I right?). I love when he’s laying on the bed, and the blue streak of light shines in and the green tint on parts of the film… nice colors and composition. My major critique is actually of the dialogue in the garage screen … it seems you took the audience for granted a bit and had to explain away why he’s giving her chocolates an that they were always together on valentines… I think maybe less is more in this case and he should have said nothing or very little and just fed her a chocolate. And also when he’s beating that food delivery guy I think you shouldn’t have shown a shot of that guy… I think let the audience imagine what happened to his head etc while your crushing it with that coat rack… and going to red was a little too classic cheesy… but that could have been the effect you were going for…? Other than that the short was great…Once again… nice job on lighting and composition… and a funny zombie love story! What no one wants a dead living corpse? :)


The Morning After [Adult Content]
Submitted by user antOmic
This guy gets my vote for lighting and composition! Hands down. Do you want to DP my next film? I’ll feed you pizza and beer. So lets get that good stuff out of the way… the actor was ok, but I think there wasn’t much story to be told here… I wanted to see more and felt cheated when it went to credits and outtakes of the actor for 1 minute… and too much guy a** in there for sure… not that there’s anything wrong with guy a**! ;) So please do more… love your lighting and composition… great job… maybe we should have separate categories in these fests… what do you think guys??? More prizes! Maybe some free batteries, DVX books, and Magic Bullet… man I’m getting greedy.

Romance is Dead
Submitted by user P.K. Gillock
The man the myth the legend… well I also don’t now you… as I’m the new kid on the block… but I love this community of filmmakers helping each other out. I liked your film and the best part at least visually was when he walked by the white wall and the title spelled itself out… was that just using the white wall (as your “green screen” … “white screen” in this case???) Also it was told very funnily so I didn’t mind the acting being Robert Deniro caliber… I know you are a one man show… as I hear on this board... but who isn’t here? I would advise though that you do use actors for you next project, as I would like to see more camera movement in your piece… I assume you just hit record and jumped in front of the camera… am I right? I love the monk scene… just wish you had better sound on it. Also when your sitting next to that guard its fairly obvious you did some looping (but only because the words don’t match your lips properly) otherwise that sound was pretty clean… I actually had the same problem in my short that’s why I cut out a lot of it until I can fix that sound problem. Anyway… enjoyed your stuff… you’re a funny guy…I hope you found some love this valentines! Cant wait for the next fest… although I suck at zombie effects.

Feelings
Submitted by user LuzCruz
Oh man a robot and a girl getting it on… at least almost. Reminded me of Bicentennial Man! But what made this stand out is the fake that he’s obviously a man inside a box suit… which was funny as hell. Your lighting is great and shots are great… The main problem is that it moves along at a slow pace… you need to speed this thing up… and maybe add some more music or ambient sound and more effects. And I wish they got it on. But I’m a pervert dude. But it still would have been nice. I love when he asks “Is this sex?” Great!

The last Kiss Goodbye
Submitted by user Vitaly Bokser
What can I say about this man… he makes me laugh… he makes m cry. But let me tear into him a bit. The editing was definitely rushed at the end, and the punch line was not delivered like I wanted (you are right PK)… I actually have a different version which is the LOTR extended version with a longer better punch line but worse sound… so I cut it for the benefit of sound… but that said… it def took away from the piece. Another problem was the car shot was too long… I will def cut that down… this is what happens when you are too close to the material… crap that’s boring to everyone else you leave in because of its sheer beauty and you cant believe you shot that with digital (or at least I think its beauty :) ) And the actor had scripted dialogue for everything except that intro scene to him where he was given an “idea” and told to go with it and improv… you were right once again PK… good eye/ear! I appreciate all the nice comments but please tear into this little piece as I only want to improve it. Don’t be afraid to tear into it… my feelings wont be hurt... as my girlfriend says… its because I don’t have feelings. Anyway thanks for all your kind words guys and gals (maybe some gals here??? I hope).


Sorry that was so long guys… but hell you didn’t have to read it!
;D
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

Well, thank you for everyone's wonderful feedback on Homeless Hearts. I have comments on all the others also, but its 5-something in the a.m. and I am only coherent enough to explain the chocolate thing in my video right now. The woman goes to the Fortune Teller seeking something that will get her and her man back together. Hence the chocolates. But the audio, which I screwed up completely, states "As sweet to the heart as the one that bears it"...meaning, Love is something you have to give away in order to get back, in equal measure. Basically. That was my point. But the woman takes the chocolates and eats them herself thinking they would change something about her to make the magic happen. And they were bitter and backfired. But the homeless guy does with them what they were designed for...giving away. And they were sweet for those two people.

So, my storytelling translation skills need honing, alot. haha!! But thanks to everyone for the feedback. You guys wouldnt believe the week I've had, and the comments are uplifting. ;D Will be back later to post comments on the others. But they were all really well done!
 
Re: FEBRUARY DVXfest DISCUSSION

I've only just started watching the DVXfest this year, and I must say I've learned much from all the films so far.

Love is a Devil
I like the idea of visiting past love.  We all do that in one way or another, whether outwardly or inwardly, some time in our lives.  We remember the good times and the bad, because we love them as a whole package.  The only thing that threw me was the jump cuts, which rather than provide a rhythm to the dialogue (as some jump cuts can), were more on the distracting side.  I did like the kiss at the cemetary, although I would've liked to not see her move out of screen, but cut to a wider shot of him standing alone again, and ended it there.  Personal choice really.
 
The Last Kiss Goodbye
You really have a character there.  I think the writing, the music and the actor together gave that character a soul.  I believed.  The music choices worked really well with the scenes.  Certainly enchanced the comedic value for me.  Love the shots through the peeper of the door.  Hilarious.  The costuming deserves a special mention too.  Suited the character to the bone, although the striped shirt did flicker enough to make my eyes go all funny. Well done all round.
 
Homeless Hearts
Sweet sweet idea and a lovely message.  As soon as I saw him leave the choc to the girl, it totally shot me through the heart.  I too missed the fortune teller's line, but it didn't tarnish the piece too much.  The message was delivered through action, which does speak louder than words here.  Even though I thought the homeless could've been a bit scruffier, I like this one a lot.
 
Luper
Disturbing piece.  Well lit, especially the overhead bed shot.  Great blood and gore.  Eerie music worked a charm.  The beating and reaction shot overlay did its job too.  I thought the girl performed well as the zombie.  The only thing I would've liked to see is probably a swifter paced edit.
 
Feelings
I like this one in a similar way as Homeless Hearts.  I really enjoyed the robot house mate character, who seemed to carry a shy human character inside.  In comparison the boyfriend is more cold and robotic than the robot.  This character contrast worked well for me.  Each character is essential.  Not a wasted line or a wasted moment.  The acting was understated, which I enjoyed.  In fact, well acted by all and well directed to provide the focus as a whole.  The bed scene is priceless.  The subtle costume colours were well chosen to keep with that style.  Nicely lit too I thought.  Again subtle and understate.  Appropriate for the feelings you were getting across.  A well rounded short with understated emotional depth.  This is right down my alley.
 
The Morning After
 The male actor had a good presence in his voice.  A great radio voice as well as a great movie voice.  I didn't quite click with this one as I wasn't quite sure what it was saying to me.  Sorry.  I did enjoy the out takes through the credits though.
 
Romance is Dead
Another witty and well observed piece from Mr Gillock.  The title on the garage door but behind the walking was cool.  The heart shaped sun was delightful.  The silent gate keeper scene had me smiling.  Classic comedy.  Well paced, well written, well edited and well done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top