Sente Sente -- a film by AJ Brooks & Ken Kupelian

This is a wonderful film which really captures the atmosphere of East Africa. Congratulations on getting a film done there at all especially one as good as this and in such a short time. The guys must have been great to work with and a lot of help too - looks like you all had a great time.

Edit: "which really captures the atmosphere of East Africa." - I realize this might be misunderstood: I wasn't referring to the fight or the plot, but to the location, the energy, the people - as soon as the film opens you know you are nowhere else in the world.
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Alex and I will be finishing up the sound design for the the festival run (we didn't get much finished in time). Also, I will include the subtitles for the money man scene, to clear up some confusion and misconception that maybe the subtitles weren't "working" in the showing.

I really appreciate everyone's comments.

And thanks Callaghan and Susanne, you both made my day!
 
What a great display of technique and soul. This feels very cinematic. So open and real. The fight was cut perfectly, although I thought it was a bit long. My only confusion was what the bag was all about. I didn't really understand why it was thrown or what was in it. I figured it was valuable and guessed that the younger kid was reflecting back on how he got the dough to attend school. Even not knowing and partially confused, it still worked.

I re-watched the beginning and saw the guy gathering the money this time. It went by in a flash. If you could extend and accentuate that piece a few more seconds and trim the fight a tad, I think this would work better. After I watched it, I went to your page I then read the logline and understood everything. My entire review was based on a cold viewing not having seen the poster or log. The sound was really captivating and I felt the visuals were just amazing. This is a model short. Great work guys.
 
Yikes. I wish it was shot with a better camera but I got over that after about half way through. I have 2 more to watch. This is #1 for me so far.

Best wishes man.

//Edit: My votes are in. Good luck.
 
Last edited:
cameraw.jpg


THIS is why he didn't trust me with his camera. :)
 
randin said:
Hey AJ, are any of the guys in Uganda online? Do you have any reaction from them yet?
Click to expand...

This is a quote from Morgan, the lead -- this is what he posted on my facebook wall the other day.

"am i dreaming! are ya sure am not dreaming? pliz make sure ya noooo kidding man or is it a dream man...."

He loved it, in other words. I haven't had a chance to talk to him on the phone but he's back in school currently. I'm hoping he can show the video to as many people over there as he can (and I'm sure he will) :)
 
Hey there AJ Brooks! Well happy to oblige request for feedback!

This film expresses very much a sense of intellectual curiousity on the part of its director and the writer. You see, I have often critised the lack of such curiousity - ie. films with nothing to say, nothing investigatory on the part of the artist for the story being told or its characters.

In a sense this marks an overt maturity imo from earlier works that while quite accomplished technically, were (with the exception of some nice arty production design and cinematography) a little lacking i felt in meeting the full potential your work hinted at.) This film thus is a very positive step forward.

First of all the unique location/setting for your story, marked realism, appropriate choice of soundtrack and some exciting cinematoraphy all lend to quite an experience. The moral in our story gives it some purpose that adds more deepy to the relevance of the sacrifice and brutality of the world they live in. Yes the ending is a little sentimental and its not too subtle, but the unique quality of the rest of the film lets you get away with it.

Imagine the same story told about a kid in the USA who in the passing shot wanders into Yale (we'd be puking in a bucket right?) - not so here.

So nice work - could the fight at the start have been a little shorter? (yes) we get the idea that this is Uganda and well, and that in your setting for the story life is a bit crap for our dude (but 1min in and counting were still getting whak and thumps!)

The chase is great - love it. The sudden attack and subsequent killing - was perhaps a little too unclear - but who cares, i guess we can gather that one man lives and one dies from it. After all its the set up for the ol' bag hand over that counts.

I love the passing shot of the dude, up on top the building looking over - reflective. I love there is no dialogue and it works. (Normally a non-dialogue film in a dvx fest requires some parochial piano music, ending with a guy grinning cutely (yet apolagetically) holding a sign hehe. (okay maybe not but it surely has!)

In any case, i'd consider shaving off 40 secs off this movie, de-kung fu ing some of the hits, but this is a winner. It might not win here - but its a winner :) Well done
 
Another great effort AJ. I think this was really well shot and conceived. The whole short flowed and felt very natural. Often hand-held can bug me if it isn't done right or edited to show 'chaos' rather than tell the story. Here it all blended well and I don't envy you having to co-orindate that amount of people, especially with a translator.

This might seem like a negative but it isn't - it felt like a little story, nothing too over the top, complicated, or in your face. But I think I liked that, it's nice to see the smaller ideas done well. Props for little dialogue too. I love to see a story told visually. The whole piece felt very authentic, and that comes from getting every aspect spot on.
 
Thanks for the review Lawrie! And Shawn shared your shortfilm with me, Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date -- really enjoyed it!

Thanks Darkline!

And Andrew, glad you were able to get to the website! I gave Morgan the mission to make sure all you guys got to a computer to see it. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top