"PHANTOM" -- a film by AJ Brooks

Hehe, I will give you a hint. The Shins have a song with that word in the title.
 
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I liked this little flick. I can't say I totally understood it as I watched. Sure, when you think about it afterwords it makes perfect sense. That opening was fantastic. Good work.
 
Sorry, I read the last page and then answered. :)
I've read quite a bit about that. There's a great scene in HOUSE that deals with a phantom limb. A guy who lost his arm holding a grenade if I recall.
 
I loved House! I must watch that again. (im not talking the TV series) such a guilty pleasure from childhood. I rented it when I was 14/15 and tried to copy it from VHS to VHS with an RF cable. How antiquated!
 
"tried to copy it from VHS to VHS with an RF cable. How antiquated!"

what are you saying there's a better way for me to copy my VHS's? VCR to VCR dude!
 
yeh if you need to get round that copy protection on your Fox VHS releases. Im the man to talk to!

EDIT :Yes Sorry AJ! I'll leave alone now.
 
Wow AJ. This film is top ranking material for sure! It looks and sounds great, the acting is very good, story pulls at the heartstrings, etc. I can't give constructive criticism cuz this one is too tight. :)

Great work!
 
Damn. PHANTOM is so great. Where do I start?

I enjoyed there being almost no dialogue at all. You told your story in pictures, not in words. Bravo good sir. At first I was trying to figure out things, like wait how is the father dead if she was the one caught in the tracks? Things didn't make sense. Apparently I was in good hands because you tied everything together and the pieces fitted like a puzzle. Her hitting the piano key with no sound resonating, then showing why in the end, was brilliant. Unless it's something near and dear to your heart, I'd try coming up with a different title.

This is my favorite short thus far. Good job.
 
This was a good one. I like the little hints along the way.

This going to be crappy feedback but I wonder if there is a better edit to really tie everything together. I'll need to watch this one again. I can't quite put my finger on it. To me you beat a dead horse with the hints, to my gf I had to explain it to her, then she was like ooh. I'm a writer so I pick up on subtle stuff. She is a non filmmaker. So maybe more hints or a reflection back to the piano. I dunno, now I'm rambling.
 
The lighting was great. I liked the separation from the background, the moonlight in the entryway, and even liked the red light at the end. It was a great way to separate reality from her imagination through lighting rather than editing. There was however a bit much of the flash back sequences. Starting on the flashback was wise but her waking up by the pool in her underwear felt unrealistic. It would have been better if she had woken up off the couch with the TV going or something even though I take it this isn't her house. I liked the slomo in the flashback but a shot of a train would have added to the suspense. It was ridiculous to not only switch the position of her and her father at the end, but also to take away her arm. You should have shown a foot in the tracks out of focus and close ups of their faces so we as an audience do not know who is stuck. The arm being gone should have been removed all together, this creates a few things that are not consistent like how she got out of the pool without struggling. The main issues I have with this film are the music, and the robbed figures. I was not scared by either, I had no reason to be. You should have had shots showing the evil of these robed things, for all I know they just want to give her a hug, specially the one in pink that is reminiscent of Casper the flaming ghost. Good shot composition and lighting. I enjoyed watching your film and look forward to seeing more of your work.
 
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Another good film, AJ! What can I say. I like what you did here. This was a really good and emotional film and you pulled off the fx makeup great. I also like the story and the flashback and the ending was totally unpredictable to me too. Good job.
 
That opening is so tense. Actually everytime you cut back to the tracks, damn, it's quiet and just beat after beat works so well. The story is really tight, it's well shot, acted. At first it's a bit confusing but you tied it together nicely in the end and I like the reveal. You've crafted a very tragic thriller with great quality, kudos!
 
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