"Mahlen" by: Justin R. Durban

Thanks Robert and Stephen! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Brandon... Thank you! I'm glad you liked the score. That was actually the easiest part of this process. :) Overall, i felt the dialog worked and I'm very happy with the way it turned out. With every film, i learn new things... and the crits I've gotten so far will most definitely help me with my next film.

Keep em' rollin.

/j
 
Justin, it wasn't that the dialog was necessarily bad... but it was a bit melodramatic for my taste... and spot on in moments I felt needed more subtlety...

I am glad you're pleased however :) First and foremost YOU have to be happy with your work! So that's what counts :)

Thanks for the watch!
 
Hey, Justin. Just watched this one.
Pretty freaking amazing special effects!! Nice job on that.

I felt that there was just a bit missing during the doctor's entrance. Maybe a few more angles would have helped? Smashing a family picture, who knows. :)
He just needed to seem a bit more menacing.

The music was very cool, as usual. Excellent work.
Soldiers looked pretty wicked as well.

I think the dialogue was alright, might have just been overacted a tad. Hard to say. It was a little hit and miss.

Pretty cool entry. Very polished.

MAH
 
What a production quality - wow! There was a really good attention in the film and very nice ideas, but I didn't really get the story. Your last film had the better story and this one the better special effects. Mix them both up and it will be perfect :)

Susanne
 
Special effects were great in this piece! I need to definitely get with you, because that stuff is great. I liked the story and the movie. There were few problems I saw. The acting in the cpu room with the couple didn't seem to have the same urgency the match the situation at hand. The guy's acting initially wasn't strong (from his first words), but I did feel like it got better in the scene. There was another part with the Dr. (gas mask guy) was talking to the wife - the voice sounded bad or wrong or something. I think you could add that typical sort of gas mask talk and breathing that we always hear and that will fix that. I've never done that before, so I don't how to do it, but I just think it would add more to that scene.

Other than that, I did like the cinematography, editing and the music. This was very ambitious and I'm impressed to know you shot it on the HV20. I'll PM you with more questions. Good job on this.
 
Everyone has said it. Solid technical, good acting and the score really does its job. I also noticed the issue with her back in what appears to be their house, though it seems like somewhere else in the final shot over her shoulders?

I was waiting [hoping] for one of those huge ships to come lumbering up through the proscenium created in that final frame, but you kept it off in the distance. Oh well!

e
 
Brandon Rice said:
The acting was a bit unbalanced in spots... and IMO it is due to poorly written dialog. I think you (as a director) capture some terrific moments, but I think you would do really well to team up with someone as a scriptwriter, specifically for some of the dialog. Again, your stories are also terrific and compelling, but the dialog just wasn't there for me.
Click to expand...

Muaha. Grammar Police are on your trail!! Just messin'...

Dialogue.

Edgen said:
Thanks Robert and Stephen! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Brandon... Thank you! I'm glad you liked the score. That was actually the easiest part of this process. :) Overall, i felt the dialog worked and I'm very happy with the way it turned out. With every film, i learn new things... and the crits I've gotten so far will most definitely help me with my next film.

Keep em' rollin.

/j
Click to expand...

Dialogue is probably the hardest part of a script to write. It's rare to hear anything that isn't written by a seasoned professional (aka paid and produced) that sounds right. No worries, we live and learn. Keep going, dude.
 
Little hijack here, but I saw a memorial statement in a blog today and the author used the word "greatful" about a dozen times. It was about all I could do not to comment on that. Yikes.

Hijack... concluded.

e
 
Hey! This was very slick - very professional. And wow the location is amazing - looked great - sounded great - technically I couldn't fault it. The last shot was particularly easy on the eyes - reminded me of the final scene in Fight Club somewhat - just visually of course.
The dialogue, although not my cup of tea, suited the genre and style and worked in the context of this movie. It was a little bit 'sci-fi by numbers' but you certainly hit every beat.
Would like to see this dirtied up a bit I think - it's all so pretty and polished - you could take it to another level by taking a risk or two - maybe if you actually involved the kid in the story? If we actually saw him then it would be more affecting. I did feel for the female protagonist though - you made the right choice concentrating on her.
So yep - really good job but don't be afraid to play with genre - take more risks and mess with expectations - you've obviously got the technical stuff down so just focus on the heart of the film and what you're trying to say and you'll really be onto something!
 
Incredible VFX, great story, wonderful score...and it was shot on a HV20....how cool is that?

Really good job on this one Justin. I liked it better than your last fest entry & I liked that one too! If you twisted my arm, I can see what others were saying about the acting, but to be honest, it worked for me. You put together a great team to work on this one and it shows. Keep up the good work and.....

Congratulations!
 
Justin, this is my favorite work I've seen from you by far. The VFX were excellent and well thought out in regards to their subtlety and mixture into the story. I'm on a little on the fence with the story and performances...it's very dramatic in the dialogue which took me out of it at times, perhaps a little too preachy? It might just be me, but the only time I can relate to characters speaking in 'epic' finite terms in when I've been with them for a long time or they're communicating that message through simple, non-dramatic acting. (Think of when Bruce Wayne decides to leave Gotham in Batman Begins, he just hands the guy that coat and says "be careful...they're going to come looking for me...who?...everyone") I think that's the best way I can explain my point there.

The VFX rock and it's awesome how you did some of these set extensions. The bridge/walkway was amazing as is that final shot of the woman looking out that wide window... but I feel like those set pieces contrast so heavily against the kitchen and this guy's office... the kitchen, even with the holographic monitor, appears very out of place for me and takes me out of the world. With his office, it was a similar blow... he had those old CRT monitors and it just didn't feel real to me compared to the rest of the world and the scope of what was apparently happening. I'm sure the majority of this boils down to budget and time constraints... the VFX are insanely time consuming and I know good locations are often never free.

All in all, enjoyed this film man and it's in my top three. Keep up the good work.
 
Hey Justin - Great job. I think this one was your best one yet. Always makes me want to drop everything, roll up my sleeves, and submit a 'Fest film some day.

Again, good job.

Oh, and I think we've found domestic distribution for The Blackout. ;)
 
Okay, so I watched this last night and pen and inked some quick notes. Nothing too long, just something...quick.

I first want to say that beyond the 3D stuff, I think I have tried every tutorial online that shows how to do some of your effects, lol. I'm a tutorial junky. But I love the way you worked the special effects into the film vice making the film about the special fx.

For an Indy Short, your 3D team did an awesome job.

I agree on previous reviews about the Mahlen entrance, but you've gotten the point by now. Oh, and awesome costume. We used the 'old gas mask' look for one of the supers in Blackout for Lossfest. :)

On the whole, this was a good visual piece, though the story wasn't all that gripping. Not being negative, but the six minutes seemed like fifteen, and not in an overly good way. Don't get me wrong, I totally dug the film on the whole. It was a superior film in every regard. Just maybe a little more action.

So Kudos on a job well done!
 
Fantastic movie! It's films like this that get me excited about these fests. What indie filmmakers are capable of nowadays is amazing and so encouraging. Great job! :thumbup:
 
Making use of a flashforward, foreboding narrative technique, "Mahlen" starts the viewer off with an intriguing situation--a woman seemingly held at gun-point with a disconcerting message from an unknown source.

The title screen was quite a neat graphic. The film--a sci-fi/near apocalypse genre bender--exhibits a number of smoothly composited visual effect shots establishing a distant future in an exotic, land-locked location demonstrating a sense of isolation. Unfortunately, I did not find the film embellishing this sense of isolation at all. Throughout, the cinematography and production design teeter between good and serviceable, but never quite transport the viewer to a visionary new world of technological advancements mixed with idyllic, traditional structures and discourse. There is certainly some strong visual effects work done with the holographic telecommunications screens, which help to legitimize the production. But, as said before, these gadgets, coupled with the fair attempt at developing future-like weaponry and armored suits, just does not provide enough vision to create a believable atmosphere. The atmosphere in a film like this is one of the most crucial elements. Of course, it's a six minute film for a free film festival, so nobody expects a crew to turn in a six minute version of Children of Men. So, don't sweat it.

To touch on the cinematography just a little more, I felt that it was fair but suffered far too much from a lack of sharpness, clarity, and blocking. Some shots did not quite set up a location or situation well (such as the kitchen scene in the beginning and the conflict between the woman and the rebel leader). One nearly gets lost in the geography of each situation because, once again, the atmosphere isn't quite realized/revealed. In the end, we realize that she's obviously in some sort of bunker, or possibly even another corridor connecting parts of the house. But it just isn't clear enough, and this is most likely a budgetary or location security problem. But that's to be expected since, as said, nobody is expecting Children of Men. On the images themselves, as I said, some of the images yield a bit of hazing/softening almost like an unintential Deakinizer lens. It is somewhat distracting because it tends to demonstrate a lack of precision in the shooting instead of a conscious, thematically influenced decision. I'm really just picking and prodding here. The images are in no way, shape, or form bad, but they just don't pop leave much of an impression. An occasional shot renders a nice horizontal lens flare, though.

The success of a film is also extraordinarily contingent upon good sound design, especially in a sci-fi. I thought the sound design was well mixed, crisp, and developed unobtrusive and realistic sounds for the viewing screens and other foley areas.

I feel as if this film could be something really intriguing and engrossing if it were developed a little more, given more money for mis-en-scene/cinematography enhancements, and a longer script to flesh out the situations more. The last shot finally opened up the scope of the film a bit (as did the external visual effects shots I mentioned earlier, which are terrific) and put a lot on the character's shoulders.

As for the performances, they were average with hints of true dimensionality. The actors were all charismatic enough to carry the film, but for some reason the dialogue felt weighted and burdening coming out of their mouths. If high emotional impact is what the production is going for, the actors really need to be playing the parts up enough to match the presumable chaos occuring outside of the house and to match the highly dramatic music during the two leads' kiss.

In summation, the film goes through some ups and downs, but by the end, it was at least an enjoyable piece that certainly demonstrates some intriguing, although vague, images that could be developed into something even more arresting. Nice work overall. :thumbsup:
 
Hey Justin congrats !! It's the first time I watch something yours as filmmaker and I'm really impressed, It's AWESOME!!! I really liked the story and the VFX are simply perfect.

No comments about the score, what can I say about Justin R. Durban... You know I love your work. ;)

Good luck !
 
DUDE! I would completely expect to see this on TV or something! If this is a prequel, I can't wait for the full film! I thought your VFX were very well done and the story flowed. A couple of quick edit cuts that I caught (i.e. the 'pouring' of the tea water), but those were just for time I would assume and were just fun things to notice, not anything that took away from this great piece. I LOVE SCI-FI, so the ships zooming in, the costumes, all of it I was digging! The sound was great and the score was epic sounding, great job on both. Whoever did your sound and music deserve much kudos!

Anyways, this was a great prequel and I can't wait to see the rest! Thanks for sharing!
 
Good job! I enjoyed your film, but I've watched it twice and I'm still not sure what's going on. It feels like part of a much bigger story, and there's some key pieces missing.

Production values were top notch as usual, and the music... that was pretty good too. :)

Congrats on getting another film made, especially one as ambitious as this.
 
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