My first college film

I liked this and thought some shots could have been helped by stabilizing them or using a stabilizer when filming them. The premise was great and a necessary message for people who are hurting. Music is NOT a cop out and is in fact one of the universal ways to reach peoples emotions. I thought it worked for the piece. Keep on shooting and enjoying that camera. -Matt
 
Thanks Matt, i appreciate the feedback. I could have done better with stabilization. I will be sure to do better with that on my next film. Thanks! Stricken looks great by the way...
 
Sorry, I still disagree, music is a cop out, and in this particular case it has a cheesy tribute type effect. Same as other cop outs, like voice over and flash backs. Please show us, don't tell us.

Also, the opening shots make it seem like an action flick. There has to be purpose and function for every shot. It shouldn't be just to look "cool."

I mean, if this were truly an honest piece about grief, I would have appreciated more silence. Just my two cents.
 
Untitled04 said:
Sorry, I still disagree, music is a cop out, ...
Click to expand...

Really? Music in general or just the way it was used here? If you are suggesting all music is a cop out, John Williams, and James Horner must be real losers and tricking the masses into being quite moved by their worldwide cop out scam.:)
 
I mean the way the music is used. Like is this is a music video? Because that's a totally different medium.

But I don't think in a narrative, music should overtake the story. And yes, I do think those are great composers, but at the same time, music is used as a crutch in today's filmmaking. Watch any action/adventure movie, and you'll hear that **** driving the action rather than the scene.
 
Hmm, to each his own I guess. I believe music is just as integral a part of a movie as the dialogue or lighting...as opposed to how you reffer to it as "that shi*" Music is another character in a film that dances within and carries emotions along the story. And music videos are not the only place music (instead of dialogue) is used in narrative work. All the narrative works in existence can attest to that. If someone is leaning only on music, I can understand your point, but you are mistaken if you see music simply as a crutch in filmmaking and not the powerful and integral tool it is.
 
I think the music worked fine. Especially at the beginning. I thought the playing shots were a little to fuzzy, but overall good concept and good execution.

The first few shots in the church are really nice looking, but after that you get kinda shaky and its difficult to keep your eyes looking through so much shake.

Still, good for a first film
 
Thanks Jon I appreciate it. I am actually recutting somethings on the film and i am using the "SmoothCam" Video filter on FCP to fix some of the unstable shots. Also, I picked up on that fuzz on the playing shots and I am re-editing that scene. I am going to post another version of the film back up on this thread. Would you mind telling me what you think when i post up the second version?
 
to better understand the film:

The reason why i made this film is because i felt as if the death of andre created negative energy in the yale environment, especially for students. I found myself a victim of this negative energy and it got me down first with the death of annie lee. The idea of the film came after her death, it was pretty vague and i didn't know exactly what the theme or ending was going to be. Then, after Andre passed, i found myself really down. I did not know neither annie nor andre but there was this melancholy sadness that was overwhelming me. I came to think, over and over again, what would i do if i was a very close friend of andre, even a family member. I was convinced that if i was in that position nothing could ever be pleasing to me again. But then, as i continued to work on my film I came to a realization, and a phrase came to me that i wrote down on my white board, "the only way to go is back up." I then realized that no matter how hard you get kicked down in life, truly "the only way to go is back up." With this film i wanted this idea to be more than just a message to those who have lost loved ones, but to touch everyone who experiences this negative energy in any aspect of life. Whether it be a death of a fellow student, family member, or something as little as failing a test. The theme can reach out to anyone in any situation.

The film was shot mostly in black and white particularly to symbolize those who have not come to this realization. They see things as black and white, bland and unhappy colors stuck in a world of depression. But I believe everyone has some sort of a gift, some sort of happiness or color they bring to the world. Even if that gift is something as small as a good smile. That gift should not be shut down from the world because of negative energy. This is not to say to forget about loved ones when they pass, but to cherish the memories with that person. Use the memories, and the love to bring out the warmth in yourself. I dedicated this film to Andre because with his passing, he helped me come to the realization. In this particular film, the main character comes to the realization as well, transforming his black and white world into color.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top