"Signal Decay" -- Shaun Patrick/Stewbottum/Wilder Works

Shaun,

Obviously high marks on the split screne section. I was hoping somebody would go there, and you exicuted it perfectly.

Also nice crane shot in the shower!

Filmmaking elements were all top notch so I'll just mention the thing that hit me a little funny or that I need some more clarification.

I did'nt get the outlet in his stomach? Please explain. I got everything else but that went over my head.

Great to see a cleaver - non alien - non computer - non future - sci-fi short.

Thanks for making it.

Kip Kubin
 
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Another winner from the guys who gave us BRAINS! in the Zombie Fest. This is no exception with regards to a quality production that still makes us laugh.

There are other gag films that have been entered, but to me, this beats them all in the gag category because of the production level involved.

Great camera work, lighting, set, props, etc .... and FUNNY! As far as story/script/dialogue goes, it felt lacking just a TAD, but might be expected for a humerous film ... also the acting may have not quite always been spot on, but again, is allowable for the feel of the film.

I hate to say this, but with your team's abilities & consistant production value, if you were to do something serious you could take a run at first, more than likely ... meaning, while I think everyone will always enjoy & look forward to your films, they'll never take the top prize, as those tend to go towards the more serious/dramatic entries.

Same thing goes for the Oscars ... comedies almost never win (or are even nominated) ... it's typically the dramatic/serious entries that get the recognition. Not always fair, but the way it tends to happen.

So in my humble opinion, if you guys just love what you're doing, keep doing it because it works VERY well. But if you'd like a stab at the prizes, try for something serious/profound.

Hope that's helpful, and doesn't come off as ragging or a slam. Really, REALLY enjoyed this film.
 
Being that I just had a tooth pulled two weeks ago, this one hit a little close to home -- LOL ;)

"Could be your uvula.. .not sure" -- funny stuff!

The look of the film was GREAT... perfect color and contrast, nice cinematography/framing... great editing. All top-notch.

Story was very funny -- I like the whole alternate dimension aspect where the patient is the dentist and the dentist is the patient.

The blood and tooth looked great... funny that the tooth was real LOL, hope it wasn't one of mine :p

Overall great job... funny and well executed. Thanks for sharing it, I enjoyed it a lot (even though I HATE the dentist, but don't we all?)
 
EditPhish said:
The blood and tooth looked great... funny that the tooth was real LOL, hope it wasn't one of mine :p
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Thanks for the comments. It could be your tooth--especially if you've had one pulled in the Tri-State Area in the last couple of months.
 
Envision said:
Another winner from the guys who gave us BRAINS! in the Zombie Fest. This is no exception with regards to a quality production that still makes us laugh.

There are other gag films that have been entered, but to me, this beats them all in the gag category because of the production level involved.

Great camera work, lighting, set, props, etc .... and FUNNY! As far as story/script/dialogue goes, it felt lacking just a TAD, but might be expected for a humerous film ... also the acting may have not quite always been spot on, but again, is allowable for the feel of the film.
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I'm glad you dug the film, man. We definitely wanted to do something a little more complex than BRAINS!! this time around and I'm really happy with how it turned out on all levels.

Envision said:
I hate to say this, but with your team's abilities & consistant production value, if you were to do something serious you could take a run at first, more than likely ... meaning, while I think everyone will always enjoy & look forward to your films, they'll never take the top prize, as those tend to go towards the more serious/dramatic entries.

Same thing goes for the Oscars ... comedies almost never win (or are even nominated) ... it's typically the dramatic/serious entries that get the recognition. Not always fair, but the way it tends to happen.

So in my humble opinion, if you guys just love what you're doing, keep doing it because it works VERY well. But if you'd like a stab at the prizes, try for something serious/profound.
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I agree with you on the comedic shorts not being taken very seriously. It's kind of a shame because I feel two of the strongest films in the competition are comedies--"A Brief Case" (definitly an outright comedy) and "The ODD Squad" (a film with a lot of comedic moments and a great ironic/retro style). It will be interesting to see where they finish in all of this.

You're right though serious films get all of the recognition (I think Annie Hall was the last comedy to win Best Picture) but, I think, on some level comedies are harder to pull off.

As for a serious entry next time--we'll see what the genre is....

Anyway, thanks for the comments. You've always been good about giving solid reviews/feedback (both here and the Zombiefest). Your film is coming up next on my "to view and then review" list.
 
In contrast to what Envision says, I feel that the reason so many of these films aren't working, is because they take themselves way too seriously. Many actors are acting too hard, and many special effects aren't fitting with the looks of some of the lesser talked up movies.
And I'm finding that in six minutes it is next to impossible to feel for a character from whom all you've recieved is a voiceover and a photon torpedo.
The three I feel really matched their tones with their movies, without taking the viewer out of it with unmatched special effects, or inexperienced acting, I have to say first are the two ever popular movies: Similo, and We Are Not Alone, but also The Sequence, which more people should be commenting on.

I say thank god you made a comedy, because it was a break from a lot of the attempts to be serious. and whether or not you win, you definitely were in my top 3 because your movie was successful.

I feel like based on your Brains! movie, you know you don't really want to make a serious genre movie like these. Do you hear what I'm saying? Your dialogue says it all.

And I know for me, with actors all roughly around the same age, it becomes difficult to branch out and get into it.
 
abraham said:
In contrast to what Envision says, I feel that the reason so many of these films aren't working, is because they take themselves way too seriously. Many actors are acting too hard, and many special effects aren't fitting with the looks of some of the lesser talked up movies.
And I'm finding that in six minutes it is next to impossible to feel for a character from whom all you've recieved is a voiceover and a photon torpedo.
The three I feel really matched their tones with their movies, without taking the viewer out of it with unmatched special effects, or inexperienced acting, I have to say first are the two ever popular movies: Similo, and We Are Not Alone, but also The Sequence, which more people should be commenting on.
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You make a good point. In all honesty, "A Brief Case" is one of the only films that I've seen so far that really works as a short film from start to finish. 99% of the films in the fest are just too big for six minutes and that includes the really popular films like "Similo", "We Are Not Alone", "CPU" and "The ODD Squad". They're all well put together and they look great but because of the scope of the ideas involved something suffers--usually character development and especially a middle act. Unfortunately, good storytelling usually takes a back seat to visuals or a gimmick in the majority of the short films that I've seen both here and on the festival circuit.

abraham said:
say thank god you made a comedy, because it was a break from a lot of the attempts to be serious. and whether or not you win, you definitely were in my top 3 because your movie was successful.
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That's a great compliment coming from someone involved with "A Brief Case", which is my favorite in the fest thus far. I'm really glad you dug ours.

abraham said:
I feel like based on your Brains! movie, you know you don't really want to make a serious genre movie like these. Do you hear what I'm saying? Your dialogue says it all.

And I know for me, with actors all roughly around the same age, it becomes difficult to branch out and get into it.
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Agreed
 
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The shot in "Signal Decay" is different as the shot starts out of focus. It's more of a stylistic flourish than an outright change in POV.
 
Is that Gabe Mckee the same Gabe Mckee that wrote "Pink Beams from the God in the Gutter: The Science Fictional Religion of Philip K Dick," available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers? :huh:
 
Oh. I'm afraid I don't know that Gabe Mckee. The Gabe Mckee I know, who wrote that book, is all about self-promotion. In fact, every e-mail he sends has a link to the page in the footer. And he even has recently added:

Forthcoming:
The Gospel According to Science Fiction: Forging the Faith of the Future

The Gabe Mckee in the film is probably a much cooler guy than the one I know, who's kind of lame.
 
You must be thinking of the Gabe Mckee from Windsor, CT. The Gabe Mckee in the movie is from East Windsor, CT. Easy mistake to make.
 
You mean this X-ray?

xray1.jpg
 
Screenshot Bandwagon: Part 1

Screenshot Bandwagon: Part 1

Gabe Mckee is Dr. Granger...

gabe.jpg


Karl Moore is Peter Plug Tooth...

karl.jpg


Emma is a cute dog...

dog.jpg
 
Very clever. I liked the hokey acting - it suited the story and the look well.

I liked the original approach to a sci-fi story. And dentist stories creep everyone out - how did you think of it?

The outlet thing lost me. Ditto for the doctor/patient reversal - maybe I'll have to watch again.

Overall, looked pretty good. I liked the lighting effects in front of the x-ray (did add light to that shot, or was that the natural light from the x-ray) and sound effects were good throughout.
 
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