"Silence is Golden" - a ZazaCast Film

Well done Joe, you put this together nicely. I loved the set design, it was very real and worked great for the actors and scene that played out.



My main issue was dialogue. It felt awkward at the beginning, like they were trying to hide something from the audience. Despite that, I saw where this was going from very early on. The editing was a little bit back and forth too much for my liking – I liked it when you hung onto one actor for a little longer, you did it sometimes, I just wanted to see that more. Good music, nicely shot, thanks for putting this in.
 
Finally, it downloaded and played! Great, great work, Zaza! I have seen a steady growth of improvement in your films and this was still a big leap forward. Your opening shot was just great! I liked your lighting. She could have been lit a tad bit better, but it definitely worked. The acting was pretty good for the most part. Your only minor problem here was that she ended up with a stronger performance than her counterpart. The acting was still good, however, and did propel the story forward. You had some good angles - nice cinematography. You kept it simple and it worked so well. The only thing I would have liked to have seen was a wider shot of their dialogue thrown in here and there (like from the side that would incorporate both of them at the same time). I'm going to watch it again, but the last few shots seem like they would have worked better on a tripod. Oh, there was a really stellar dolly shot to her too that I really, really liked.

Like I said, I've seen your films get better and better, so I knew your film would be good, but I was most certainly impressed with what you did here. GREAT job!!
 
4100xpb - thanks for watching and commenting. I totally agree. This was a REALLY tough one as I explained in previous posts. I almost didn't even finish it, it wasn't anywhere near what I had planned.

Marlon- You're such a nice person & thanks for taking the time to download (many, many times), watch & comment... I really appreciate it. Again, there were so many problems with this one but I wanted to be sure to finish it for Charli and the actors, they all worked hard for me. Beside the health problems, I ran out of time and lost light in the tiny kitchen I was shooting in...which reminds me, I still own that couple a dinner as payment! I had this great shot planned for the ending...bummer I couldn't get it...so i'll save it for another film.

I have to say... I love this community. The support received and great advice from all you talented filmmakers makes each film, good or bad, an amazing learning experience.
Thank you DVXUsers...and you too Lawrie (as I await your ripping and truthful review)!:happy:
 
Hi ZaZa,

I loved the acting of the woman - I think she was really good. He seemed a bit rigid. You put their whole life in the conversation of these both - I felt that it was a bit too much for a short. I think you chose a very serious and complex theme what is not easy to handle. Compliments for it!

Susanne
 
Susanne G! So glad you had a chance to watch & comment....we miss you around here.
Still waiting for you to enter a fest again. :happy:
 
Wow Zaza, thats not what I was expecting!

A very dramatic, powerful and engaging short. Very well executed.

I felt that the ending was a bit over the top. The cameras wandering about to push home what had happened a little too distracting.

This was excellent. Well done.
 
ZazaCast said:
I don't know if that's a good thing? :Drogar-Shock(DBG):
...but thank you so much for watching & commenting.
There was a lot that was distracting about this one to me too.
Click to expand...

All I meant was that your previous films have had a more light harted take on things. This was an enlightenting example of what great films you can make.
 
Zaza! I always picture Andy Garcia dressed as a cop and on a horse when I write that... Wait, this is starting to sound like an Old Spice commercial... Uh, eject, eject, eject...

All kidding aside, You stepped up your game with this one. She knocked it out of the park. He was a little less relaxed I felt. That red/orange backlight was good stuff. My only suggestion is to break up the one on one with some exteriors and cutaways. It might help to intercut another story thread using only visuals to add depth. They could be random cutaways too. That might work better. I want to see that lake and some metaphorical imagery in this bad boy. I did feel the raw passion coming through so it still works. The music was a little sad in places but in others it was perfect. That opening shot was clean, straight off the big screen. All in all a delicate piece and a commendable short.
 
ZazaCast said:
Susanne G! So glad you had a chance to watch & comment....we miss you around here.
Still waiting for you to enter a fest again. :happy:
Click to expand...

This is really nice from you to say this - thanks a lot! We still have it mind to come back with a new short and enter in one of the fests. Until it will happen, we are a faithful audience and enjoying the shorts here around. After that long time it is very interesting to see how filmmakers like you or Mike or other 'oldies' :), who did some shorts, are developing their skills. Even if we didn't do another film, we are watching with great interest the shorts and learning from them.
Recently we did a casting video for our main actor of 'Red Shoes'. The producers were very impressed of it - so he get the part in a feature film, even if there were well known actors who did the cast for this part. This was a nice little success for us. So we still not leave the world of film.

All the best

Susanne
 
Joe! I finally got this to work.

This is by far your best yet. The opening shot is just beautiful! Framing was great there.
I wish you backed off with the camera a bit more often once they got going but that's a nitpick.

This sounded and looked great overall. I loved the actress. She was awesome! Reminded me of my Mom a little.

My only issues were a few scenes with the pacemaker and what seemed like a heart attack midpoint that she recovered from immediately. Might have been better if it was more subtle at that point. Some of the dialogue didn't work for me either. Especially his last line.

I really think you might have been able to cut this down a little but I can see why it didn't fit. It's a big story. I really enjoyed it though. The music crept in nicely near the end and her acting was phenomenal.

You've really improved with the camera. Big time!

This looked very professional and is a big step up, not just a little one.
You should be very proud of what you accomplished here.

Really nice work. I think you would have been in the second round had you managed to squeeze this in under time.
 
See, See, told ya Joe!

MAH I honestly don't think Joe knew what he had here. When I saw it for the first time I knew. Oh well, it was really fun working with Joe.
 
Simple and evocative little kitchen sink drama - filled with a good hint of kitsch sentimentality and melodrama!

It's an engaging conversation piece that does get a little slow in parts - we get the idea that both characters struggle to overcome events from there past, that we should see these prove so overwhelming that they result *spoilers* in the mega-death pact, is unfortunate as anything less subtle might have involved pulling giant curtains or slamming the end in our faces!

So not such a fan of the simplistic ending. What we have to consider is - what is this story about, what is the story searching for - or as importantly the artist - the filmmakers themselves.

Its not difficult (though it might seem it) to present sentimentality. Get two old folks, make em' cry, make em' die and we're going to feel something. Throw in a back story of 'what happened that one stormy stormy night' and yes, we can imagine expositional past tragedies. But it needs more!

What it has (that is more) is the cookies! The recipes - the small details are what shines in this film, not the clunky emotional fists. Which makes all the worst when we get emotionally fisted at the end!

So definately a superior drama, among your best work zaza, but it falls uncomfortably between being 'authentic' and 'melodramatic' - id even consider a blunt re-edit to make this a more subtle work.

Beautiful cinematography and good work from your actors :)
 
Thanks for the review, Law! Not the same if you hadn't given your two cents, or two pence in.
 
Mike- Thank you for the review and comments! This is what helps us to become better filmmakers (I still don't think I deserve that title yet). You are a valuable resource here and I appreciate you taking the time and effort, sorry for the problems getting it downloaded.

Lawrie- What can I say...a festival isn't complete without your thoughtful reviews/comments/critiques. You always seem to be spot on. All really good observations and you can be sure I'm working on getting better, thanks to you. I really appreciate you taking the time as I know you're a very busy boy yourself. Cheers. I look forward to your film:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...Lawrie-Brewster-film-Doomsday-Drama-set-in-UK

... and I blame you for the snow today (the first day of spring) in the northeast! :tongue:
 
BTS in how I got involved with this project. So Joe and I are skyping and it went something like this:

JOE
Charli, I want you to write something for me for the Fiction Fest.

CHARLI
Cool! Will there be a chase scene?

JOE
No.

CHARLI
Shoot-out?

JOE
No.

CHARLI
We blow something up?

JOE
No.

CHARLI
Uh, what do you want me to write?

JOE
We'll use one location-

CHARLI
-where?

JOE
Kitchen.

Dead silence from Charli.

JOE
Uh, then I'll have two actors.

CHARLI
Two. What's the demographic?

JOE
Elderly.

CHARLI
Uh, you want a one location scene with two old people?

JOE
Yeah, gut wrenching, heart-felt story.

CHARLI
You know I write action flicks, right?

JOE
Yeah, but that doesn't mean-

Charli disconnected from Skype.

JOE
Hello?

***

It went something like that, uh, kinda, yeah, sort of. Thanks to Joe I wrote my very first one location short without a shoot-out or uh, cops or thugs. How could I say no? It's Joe.
 
@ZaZa - lol, well I can't tell them about the "skin & lace" now, can I?

Joe was very good in conveying what he needed. He did actually have to convince me to get out of my "action box" and write a drama. I"ve written mostly crime action, thriller shorts so the drama was new to me. I have Joe to really thank for the success of how well the film came out. He was very supportive and very helpful throughout the process. He's a gem to work with.


@ Keaton - one supernatural action, one crime action, one family screenplay. I have three full features. I had a guy who worked on "Shanghai West" who read my first action script. He wrote three of the fight scene in the movie. He told me my "action scenes were very streamlined." I grew up watching martial arts films back in the 70s. Loved Crusader sword fighting films. I just enjoy action. The next script I'm outlining in my head is an action/comedy. I think I can sell it on the title alone, but I need story to back it up.
 
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