"Picture" - A film by Amy Beth O'Brien

Hey Amy. Just wanted to stop by and show some Thread-Love. Great BTS. I really enjoyed your film Four and I'm definately looking forward to this one as well. :beer:
 
Hey,
Been meaning to drop by this thread for awhile. I really liked the look and feel of your TimeFest entry, so I'm eager to see this one.
 
Amy,

I won't be commenting on all of the films this fest. Just too many and not enough time. That having been said I would really love to comment on the films that I really enjoy and strike me. Your film is one of them. It was the first film I watched (after watching through at least 15) that actually moved me. I thought the story was fantastic, your visual style of storytelling was great. The editing was good as well. Some things I think that could be improved was some of the acting toward the end when the woman talks to the little girl. That really came off forced to me, a little over the top. Your actress did a great job of selling it with looks and without speaking, might have been a stronger choice to rewrite that scene and do it without dialog. It's important to know the strengths and weaknesses of your performer on set. Again, just some food for thought, and the reason I give it is because I saw a ton of potential in the short and really enjoyed it. Also, great choice in getting Justin for the score, it sounded great. Thanks for the great short.
 
Hey Amy,
I have to agree with Brandon. Your film is clearly one of the best in the fest.
The style and tone are right on the money and I was so engaged the entire way through.
And as Brandon also said, the only issue I had is the acting when the woman finally starts talking. The film is so effective up until that point, and then her delivery isn't on par with the rest of her performance. It's really a minor issue in the scheme of things, because you have such a wonderful film. But learn from it, you're very talented and I think you should be very proud of this film. Congrats!
 
woooooooooooow. amy. this was fantastic. and i have to say it displayed some of the best editing i've seen so far in this fest. the rhythms of the cut were just perfect.
 
Thank you for your feedback, guys. I hear what you are saying about Laura's performance. That scene may not be as strong as it could be, and I own that as the director. Directing for film is the area I have the least experience in (okay, well, directing people who aren't my kids :) ). Your notes on her performance will give me something to work on for next time around. Thanks.

And Zak, as someone who fancies herself an editor above all else, your comments are music to my ears. Very kind.
 
Hey Amy,
I see you are improving so fast. This is your 3rd film and it looks like you have been doing this for years. The editing, the lighting, not too much dialog, the camera moves all were on point. It was a little hard to hear the answering machine but we went back and watched that part again cause I felt like I missed something and I wasn't sure why she went back. The machine cleared that up for me. Great work and hope to see more from you. Was that you making a debut?
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you liked it.

As for the "debut" question, if you are referring to the actress, that wasn't me. That was Laura McGreevey and she was awesome to work with. She's also an accomplished singer/songwriter. I'm gonna brag on her a bit and pimp her site: lauramcgreevey.com.
 
*****SPOILERS BELOW****


Wow Amy. Wonderful piece. The part that sticks in my mind is the diffused light from the hospital doors. How was that achieved?
I have to commend you for such great direction of a kid. I learned that it 'ain't so easy!

You really fooled me and creeped me out along the way. Awesome work.
 
Very nice! Your DOP did a really great job. The acting was quite good as well. The little girl was also spot on. Great direction.

Like Beat, I kind of missed something first time around but I got it clearly after the second viewing. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

Very solid work!

Mike
 
Nice job AmyO! Really enjoyed the fim. The score, the 'look', the camera movements...all worked for me. I just couldn't buy the story totally, having had to spend 3 weeks in the neonatal ward with my wife and first child. When it's your kid, wild horses couldn't drag you away. (hey, that should be a song!)

Now she's grown, off at college and only calls me when she needs money...go figure!

Great job on the film...I've seen your last two now and both involve children. Am I seeing a pattern here?
 
Hey Amy! I enjoyed watching this. Absolutely beautiful to watch, I didn't understand what happened. I thought the girl was a ghost, but then she goes to the hospital, and then you end on a shot of a living premature baby, so not sure what the point was. The bummer for me was that you spent 6 minutes on one setup: mommy, take a picture. And then you didn't pay it off. I'd have loved to see less repition of 'oh look, ghost girl saying the same thing again' and more payoff about what happened.

That said, i think you are growing tremendously as a director. You have a strong sense of vision, big bravo.
 
The girl was her baby who was in neonatal care... she was depressed about the situation and hopeless her baby would come out alive... she hadn't taken any pictures of the baby... and then at the end she decided she needed to...
 
Brandon Rice said:
The girl was her baby who was in neonatal care... she was depressed about the situation and hopeless her baby would come out alive... she hadn't taken any pictures of the baby... and then at the end she decided she needed to...
Click to expand...

Seems plausible, but the movie does not convey that information to me. I like that idea, that would be a cool direction to go.
 
I'm not meaning to pick on Amy, it's just equally plausible, based on the movie, that the girl is a premature baby who died and she took one last picture to remember her by. Also possible that the ghost girl is an earlier baby who died and the mom is now dealing with a second one. The first one (now the ghost), she never took a picture of. She's now racked with guilt and the dead soul of her first child convinces her to take a picture of her second baby who is near to death herself.
 
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