FLOWER a flyin' monkey films production

It took you over a minute to get through the credits, which for a 6 minute film I found frustrating.

I never really understood the story, the audio in the beginning seemed weak, the acting was okay but the story very generic.

I'm sorry, but I just didn't quite get into it.
 
With all the obstacles you had to endure - you still show what it takes to get something done against insurmountable odds. Your concept is clear and intact, but the story feels a bit scattered. Your editing has an excellent pace and rhythm. You also have a lot of ingenuity. You found a way to introduce a monster without the means. Congratulations.
 
Edit: Ok so re watched it and I started understanding more by listening to the opening credits and not watching them. Good score and acting was good. I couldn't hear the guy at the end very well with the music running over it. The crawling monster was really freaky. I liked the shot with jessica and the monster in the house when she is in the circle of candles. That was a cool shot. Still didn't quite understand the ending.
 
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rodney!

first off i think the woman's acting is great! in every scene she was in, she was spot on. the story was okay and i like the ending and the way you left it. the monster was cool too esp with what you had to work with. i think the chase in the city was a bit off in only that no one else responded to them, and that is believable too but i guess a bit of backstory is needed to pull it off. in 6 min, not sure how to pull it off, but the ending seemed to suggest that they were being chased by a man controlling the monster so something in the beg referring to why or who could have been more than enough.
that said i love your chase shots and how you used the house to your advantage. great use of the circle on the floor too. made it look santaria like almost. the song at the end is trippy and cool and although the credits take some time they are really well done. hey, maybe even work in from the credits into the floor right in the house, like make the credits burn and then cut to the woman trying to light the next candle next to her while the monster is breathing down her neck. eh, just trying to work in the awesome credits into the story, because both are cool.

i think it is so awesome you pulled this off. great job!
 
i gotta add something... one of the things that sticks with me most about your movies is the use of color. and that is so cool. it is original. the house had such a bent of color esp when the man comes in and wrecks the circle. i suppose some people will not like it but i love the way you use color!
 
Thanks for all of the critiques guys. Keep em coming.

And yes I know we wanted to see more monster. We actually spent about 4 hours in makeup with my brother and then in the end I decided to not even show any of the major closeups. Go figure. I think he hates me now. :grin:

Bring on the reviews: if you didn't like it, just be sure to tell me why.

BTW: the long credits are a part of the story, part of the ritual for stealing the flower in the first place, so don't look at them as credits but as a full part of the movie.
 
POSSIBLE SPOILERS

The opening credits to this were fantastic. I had no issue with their length, because you used them to reveal so much plot. The score is great, esp. over the credits, HOWEVER it is far too loud. With headphones I could hear the dialogue, but just barely.

The ground is distractingly blown out at 1:44, especially since the shot that follows is so muted. i would have preferred more running shots, rather than the slow motion shots, personally.

Sometimes I could see the mattes over the images.

Your actors are strong. I really like both their performances on "****, Dave had the keys." They underplay it perfectly.

I didn't really care for the cutting back and forth between her on the stairs and the window. Maybe if there had been more smoke and the motion of the camera had been moving away from the window, it would have worked for me. I kept expecting some big reveal of what's outside the window - the monster, the guy's dead body, something. And then nothing comes.

For some reason, that guy pushing the candle with his foot is super badass. Not sure why, but it is.

You always take on so much with your films, so many challenges. I feel like there's always some flaws, but that if you had a larger crew, you could really knock 'em out of the park.
 
Damn you Jason: you just nailed the one VFX shot I missed due to my issues in the last days. There was supposed to be a reveal of the monster in that window shot (and that shot was an insert, filmed after) but it was supposed to have had a bigger reveal of the monster in there, previously shot on greenscreen. My failure for building your expectation there. Should have just taken the shot out..
 
Hey, Rodney. Sorry about all your troubles during this production. Frankly, I'm surprised you managed to enter anything!

First off, I liked the credits. Lots of good back story/info there. Gives us an idea of what we are getting into. The music was far too loud though.

The acting was quite good. Everyone involved did an adequate job, no real issues there. What I didn't love was where the story went. It started well but there was no real ending to speak of and it felt unfinished. Probably due to me reading the script ahead of time and expecting more. That and the problems that you ran into. A few shots seemed blurry and muddy as well.

I really wish you had all your gear with you for this one since it seemed like you had plenty of time.

You have a very distinct style/look. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do next fest. Hopefully your troubles are behind you. Now get that passport!

Your brother also did a very nice job. I liked the attitude he displayed on screen. The monster was also very cool, which is important.

MAH
 
Another nice film. There was some lighting problems that made it hard to see. I did think it was strange that they ran from the woods directly into a city. Not sure what they were doing or where she went. Piqued by interest. I won't go into the whole scene from a larger piece argument. Good Job.
 
We actually shot in Prospect Park which is in the heart of Brooklyn. Should have done a better establishing shot or something transitional so you see that within a mere 500 feet you have a bustling city. I'd wanted to shoot the carousel in the park (very loud durng production) but kids were on it that day and I really didn't want to deal with that issue.
 
Your film was fun, I didnt take your script :) no werewolf's for me. I thought this was an interesting concept. Some good camera angles and fx. It an amazing task to make a movie with lots of VFX shots in it, some lighting issues and kinda hard to follow, but over all great job. :)
 
You're good with dialogue and getting actors to do it convincingly. Not sure if you're doing a slight mixture of improv with written lines, but whatever you do, it works pretty well. A lot of actors get stuck 'talking' and forgetting to be physical. They're saying lines vocally but standing still in their bodies... your actors speak with both their mouths and their faces/bodies.

Storywise, I felt it had bit off a little more than it could chew for the short film format. I couldn't really enjoy it... I had to constantly try to figure out the 'why' to certain events. There's a flip side to that coin... as an audience, we do want to figure things out for ourselves and draw our own conclusions (but to a point). If it goes too far and I have to think too hard, then the film becomes too much of a puzzle and I think some of the personal enjoyment decreases. I should also mention I'm hard of hearing :) so maybe there are some things I just couldn't hear towards the end... I tried watching it again but couldn't make out some of the things that were being said between the girl and the guy who suddenly attacks her.

Lastly.. long opening credits in the beginning are distracting for me. For a feature, fine, but for a short film under ten minutes, I feel it's unnecessary and just takes away from story time.

So, to sum my thoughts up... I think you're strongest asset is working with actors, getting the performances you need. And I feel like if you aim to tell more simple stories, (like Joey Davis), you'll reach a bigger audience. Thanks for sharing man.
 
Rodney,
First off, I know a lot of people had issues with your title sequence and I think they may have a point in that they might be a bit too long but boy do they look sweet. The titles seem like the opening of a Tony Scott movie to me. The title burning in the ash tray but then also a little revolving graphic to go a long with it looked awesome.

It seemed like there was a focus problem. Was this a 35mm setup of some sort (It could also be compression)?

I thought the editing was pretty tight, maybe shorten the scene where the camera is going towards the window as she is coming down the stairs a bit. Also maybe speed up and shorten the shot where the camera is pulling away from the candle/flower on the ground.

I thought your idea of using color grade to symbolize the monster's presence was a pretty original idea although some of it was a bit dark on my screen.

Overall I had some problems with some of the technical aspects that sort of drew my attention away. I read that you didn't have all your proper gear with you so I'm guessing that hurt you guys as far as being able to do what you want with the lighting. I thought the actors were good and did a solid job and props for being able to finish anything especially with all the setbacks.

Any chance we can see a pic of your bro in his makeup?? :)

BTW: I really appreciate all the good feedback you are offering other films. I enjoy reading your reviews.
 
No comments on the music? Damian Sanchez has once again done a phenomenal job on he score and I'm sure he's waiting for any comments related to the score...
 
"Although I thought the soundtrack was excellent, it was way too loud at times and some of the other sound work and dialogue got lost."

That was in my original review...
Despite the overall sound mix, the soundtrack was great... very professional and fit the whole film extremely well. Damian Sanchez can pat himself on the back :)
 
Man, downloaded you film about 5 times now and still it seems that it is broken. Artifacts all over the place... unwatchable..

What should the filesize be? And in which of the zip files is yours? So I will download this and give it another try.
 
I wanted to be absolutely clear on the music side is all. Damian did a phenomenal job and the actual mix may have distracted from some of his work.
 
Marlon Ladd said:
Okay, was finally able to watch it. I liked the story and the cinematography and the music...
Click to expand...

TMerry said:
...Solid music score and the vibe of the film all around was solid...
Click to expand...

jasonthewho said:
...The score is great, esp. over the credits, HOWEVER it is far too loud...
Click to expand...

EditPhish said:
"Although I thought the soundtrack was excellent, it was way too loud at times and some of the other sound work and dialogue got lost."

That was in my original review...
Despite the overall sound mix, the soundtrack was great... very professional and fit the whole film extremely well. Damian Sanchez can pat himself on the back :)
Click to expand...

Thank you every body !!! :2vrolijk_08:
 
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