"One Saved Message" - Off Stage Films

Great job, Chris.

To echo the thoughts I left at MP:

It didn't bother me AT ALL that there wasn't some sort of critical mass moment when she decided to move on.

It was the void of emotion that motivated...that moment when you just say "You know what, it's time to let go" and, for the first time, nothing inside you rebels against the idea.

Those moments, in real life, come at really un-extraordinary times. I thought you captured that beautifully.

You did your script proud. No small task. Outstanding.
 
I watched this a few times and it is my top 3. The way his voice sounds on that tape gets me every time.

Okay. I'm a man. I watch football. I like man stuff. Damn you chris. Damn you for this.
 
yeehaanow said:
Great first entry, Chris. The writing is great, because it triggers so much emotion to use the event we all know so well. When I heard that, I took a big gulp and my heart sank. It wasn't over the top either. Great performance on his message.

My only critique is the kitchen you used. For me, I would've liked some more space, openness, color. Some windows for looks outside, and more variety of light in the room. It looked a little flat.

It must feel good to have a 1st movie in the can, and you should feel great about this one.

-tim
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Thanks a lot, I'm really happy you liked it.

Just to be clear, this is my first fest entry, but not my first short film.

The kitchen is a little dull. It's actually my father's house but he spends the winter in Florida, so it was empty and perfect for filmmaking. I tried hard to vary the shots and keep it interesting, but there was only so much we could do in that space.

This Fest has been amazing so far. I'm kicking myself for not taking part in the earlier ones and I am definitely looking forward to whatever challenge they come up with next.
 
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shawneous said:
I forgot to add, GREAT acting on the part of whomever did the recording voice over. If that hadnt worked so well, the whole piece would have failed
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I will be sure and tell the actor, Jeff Maschi, that you dug his performance.

He came in for a recording session and totally nailed it. I let him go and when I captured the audio, I realized I had screwed up and it was recorded too hot. He had to come back a second time and go to "that place" all over again. He was great about it though and I think maybe even better the second time around.
 
preston said:
nice piece. everything looked good, lighting and photography were well done. directing and editing also- nice, simple and effective.

i haven't read through this thread yet, so forgive me if this has been covered already... i'm not to sure why she deleted the message. i think she would want to keep it, no matter how hard it is to listen to.

good job, i enjoyed this film. :thumbup:
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Thanks a bunch, I'm glad you liked it.

There has been a lot of talk about why she deleted the message. I'm sure there are people who would keep a message like that forever, but for others, I think letting go of something like that, is probably a good thing.
 
EVH said:
It didn't bother me AT ALL that there wasn't some sort of critical mass moment when she decided to move on.

It was the void of emotion that motivated...that moment when you just say "You know what, it's time to let go" and, for the first time, nothing inside you rebels against the idea.

Those moments, in real life, come at really un-extraordinary times. I thought you captured that beautifully.

You did your script proud. No small task. Outstanding.
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Thank you so much. This might be the first time I feel like the movie in my head actually made it up on the screen. I'm so happy you liked it.
 
filthrich said:
I watched this a few times and it is my top 3. The way his voice sounds on that tape gets me every time.

Okay. I'm a man. I watch football. I like man stuff. Damn you chris. Damn you for this.
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Thank you very much. I'm truly humbled by your praise.

Now, how about them Bears?
 
Chris,

Overall, I liked this piece and it got my creative energy moving with that concept...

Really like the concept, wish I had thought up utilizing something like that :) Funny because I do and have done things like that. I still have emails and text messages I don't delete and will maybe never delete even if it's just letters and a time stamp, it carries something else with it. With a voice, that's even stronger, way stronger... I can't imagine what it would take for me to delete something like that.

Acting wise, I like your lead, lots of great subtlety there in her actions. She doesn't speak much yet we need to get inside her head and I think you accomplished that. The younger girl threw me off a little... but I don't know if it was her acting or her injection into the story itself. Sometimes the performance/moments are fine by themselves but how they come into the story greatly affects that perception. I think she seemed too 'put off' for my taste... she gave her mother a strange look as she came up and then proceeded to push her away when her mom tried to hug her... maybe that bothered me, maybe because I've been in situations where I know people are hurting and I wouldn't respond that way. This is me being super subjective :)

Shot well by Timur and you both comp'd it well. Favorite shot is at 1:07, nice light, nice look, nice comp.

The music was a little much for me... I'm a fan of Herman but I think the music itself was too dramatic, too noticeable. Although simple in design, It was eliciting a little too much drama... Maybe it was just mixed too high, too dominant in the whole of the soundscape...

Overall, enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Chris!
 
Geoff, Thanks a lot for the detailed review.

It is interesting how power a voice message can possess. Honestly, that was my initial inspiration for the story - the deletion of a kind of memory.

I see what you mean about the teen. Her initial reaction to her mother and the hug was 100% my direction. Maybe I pushed for it too hard. I thought it helped give the daughter a small but significant arc, but like I said, maybe it was too much too fast.

I love that shot too. Timur and the whole crew were awesome. We scheduled 18 setups in a 8 hour day and I think we ran 15 minutes over.

The mix of the score with the sound was all me, so maybe I had it too hot. But the more I listened to it, the more I wanted it to be heard and felt. For me, it was almost like that was the music in the mother's head. I don't know if that makes sense.

Anyway, I'm very glad you enjoyed it.
 
Just to add to that... talking about character arcs...

Sometimes I feel the arc isn't so important, especially when dealing with shorts. Sometimes it's more impactful to show or highlight one simple state of being. I know we both write, and as writers I feel we're often pressured to induce change and arc within the story. And drama stems from change and conflict, resolution awarded to those who change and arc... but as directors, I think one of our greatest challenges is to capture states of being, allowing arc and change to creep in with delicate subtlety that could very well be overlooked with a casual glance.

Anyhoo, just some random thoughts you provoked by mentioning the arc notion for the young daughter :)
 
Chris, I loved your film!!! Just take I agree with every positive comment to save space... What kind of adapter did timur use on the hvx? Again.. Great job!
 
Sweet film.

I agree that the acting could've been better, but it was good enough.

Nice camera work and lighting to.

I was looking forward to this and it was what I expected!

Robbie
 
Not much more to say here that hasn't been said. Powerful stuff with a very minimalist feel. I liked the music too, and didn't feel it was overpowering but more complementary, it was very simple just like how it was shot.

It also felt like enough time had passed that it was just that moment, no real reason was necessary other than, it's time I think. Sort of like how when the towers actually went down, when would it be to use them for comedic effect like in Family Guy where Peter challenges someone to a fight on the towers on September 11. But that was years later, and not to trivialize the point you maybe trying to make, enough time had passed and while still touched by the events that rush back with the recording, it was just her time to not be so hampered by an anchor that held her so close to an abyss... if that makes any sense.

Sorry got wordy. Great film. If I could vote I'd probably help you get top 3 =D
 
lordambrai said:
Not much more to say here that hasn't been said. Powerful stuff with a very minimalist feel. I liked the music too, and didn't feel it was overpowering but more complementary, it was very simple just like how it was shot.

It also felt like enough time had passed that it was just that moment, no real reason was necessary other than, it's time I think. Sort of like how when the towers actually went down, when would it be to use them for comedic effect like in Family Guy where Peter challenges someone to a fight on the towers on September 11. But that was years later, and not to trivialize the point you maybe trying to make, enough time had passed and while still touched by the events that rush back with the recording, it was just her time to not be so hampered by an anchor that held her so close to an abyss... if that makes any sense.

Sorry got wordy. Great film. If I could vote I'd probably help you get top 3 =D
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Your explanation makes perfect sense to me. :)

Thank you for such a lovely review.
 
Chris my main problem is that you waited 5 years to get into the fest. Great work man.
My hearing is not the best and music did create a problem for me hearing the message on the tape the first time. But I knew what had to be on the tape. You could just tell. So I went back a listened again with the ear plugs in better.

I thought the acting was good. The woman really got her part down. Great film.
 
I thought "Jenny" was played wonderfully. She acted like a typical teenager -almost annoyed at her mom, sort of cold and stiff - then the realization that mom is upset. Her expression turned much softer and concerned.
 
Good little film, good little film. It's always tough to be reminded of 9/11 but this one did it in a real personal and human way. Sound, music, lighting, acting all strong, man. The voice on the tape didn't resonate with me like it did with others because i think i woulda been screaming if that were me...i don't know. Solid performances from the lead and the girl. Looking at all the comments i gotta say maybe those guys don't have teenagers at home. i have two a boy and a girl and they are always kinda in their own little world. Like the comment from plk142 it's realistic that the girl comes home probably from school and gives her mom a look like whats up with you and then goes about her business. The really cool point is when she looks up and says are you okay. As a dad that look just sorta tugged at my heart. Real solid connection between the actors. Nice work.
 
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