The Walk Back

This was another "WOW" film for me... I loved it. Great story, great acting, great camera work....everything about it was quality.

Excellent film.
 
I really liked the film. I also was missing the piece of the puzzle in the plot that a car would have helped with. Not trying to tell you what to write... But, you could have added a bruise to his head, and had the car off the road in the background of the last shot, right near to the area of the bike. One of her lines could have been, "You... smell like booze..."

You had him change in the short profoundly... Owning up to his mistake and even sitting with the possibly dead body to take his consequences at the end. I love character development, and you really did a good job with the male lead.

One of my favorites in the fest! Good work!
 
Whoa, what happened? I am very confused. So I get that he hit her...did that total his car too? If he hit her that hard, she should be dead or very mangled, she seems really okay to me (maybe a broken bone or two, if that).

Good acting! Solid direction, a bit more clarity would be nice.
 
shawneous said:
Whoa, what happened? I am very confused. So I get that he hit her...did that total his car too? If he hit her that hard, she should be dead or very mangled, she seems really okay to me (maybe a broken bone or two, if that).

Good acting! Solid direction, a bit more clarity would be nice.
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SPOILER:








I think she is broken on the inside.
I think that she is bleeding inside.
 
Really, really like this one. You had me thinking the guy was deaf, which could have been quite a twist, but alas, he speaks and hears.

I too wondered what happened to his car.

Your banner fits really nicely with the film. Good job.

Actors did an excellent job as well.

Not sure why he didn't go to the house he saw, or why he decided to go back to the beginning. Seems maybe he was really confused about what to do.

Love the time lapse via the burned down cigs. very nice.

Definitely one of my faves.

alex
 
I really enjoyed this one.. the music carried it beautifully.. I love how these two characters are forced into such a close and intimate position. The ending shot is very strong.. great cinematography, story, editing, music.. all around a very good piece. One of my favorites from the fest.
 
Hey, this was definitely a strong piece. Like some others have said, a bit confusing, but the performances were strong and I felt caught up in the story even though I didn't know exactly what was happening.

Also, best use of the required insert of a watch or clock that I have seen in the whole fest.
 
I too liked this. Thought the acting and shooting were particularly good. But I too was a bit confused.

She says: "Why did you drive off?" Which led me to believe he hit her, then drove away and then came back for her out of guilt. But I was unsure why he walked back to get her.

I read some posts above about what might of happened to his car, but I'm not sure.

I thought the opening shots were notable, in terms of using exactly the right amount of shots to get the story in motion. That is what I really loved. Within three shots, I knew that he had caused her accident. Really well done.
 
Thanks for all the kind words and comments, guys.

Helen and Justin are amazing. They came into this with no rehearsals and got the script literally the night before. They are both very talented and I can't wait to work with them again.

I'm going to experiment with a car shot in there somewhere to make it a bit clearer that either he doesn't want her to know it was his car that hit her, or that the car is trashed.

Mark: your film was great! Your control with the camera is amazing. I can't wait to see what you do next.
 
First thought.. “Stand by me”

Ok, so he was just a passerby that saw the wreck? He picks her up and walks her back? The cigarettes in their mouths while walking was classic. As for story, I’m not sure I got much more than that. It was simple, to the point, and well executed. Just not much there for me. Visually, It was stunning. Well acted and the sound was superb. All around a well executed short. Just not much substance in the characters

Congrats on entering the fest.
 
Edgen said:
First thought.. “Stand by me”

Ok, so he was just a passerby that saw the wreck? He picks her up and walks her back? The cigarettes in their mouths while walking was classic. As for story, I’m not sure I got much more than that. It was simple, to the point, and well executed. Just not much there for me. Visually, It was stunning. Well acted and the sound was superb. All around a well executed short. Just not much substance in the characters

Congrats on entering the fest.
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There was a little more to it than that and I think the character's do have more substance than you give them (hidden motive, redemption).

I'm not a fan of short films and see it strictly as a way to experiment and learn. I guess all films are like that. I tend to explain things too much and wanted to go the other way for this one... I am trying the middle ground for the next one. Definitely a comedy too.

I'm glad you liked the visuals, acting, and sound. The sound was tricky as there was quite a bit of foley work, but the dialogue came out amazing much to my surprise. Boom ops are going out of fashion imo... all you need is duct tape and a willingness to lose circulation in one arm.

:beer:
 
Great movie visually and I loved the tone. Your actors were very on point and subtle with their performances. I enjoyed it.

The one thing that bothered me has already been said. It would be great to have a shot of the guy’s car wrecked or in a ditch. It would clear up a lot of the confusion I had with the short. Some of the subtleties of the performances were lost because I kept wondering if this guy had some hidden motive or what was really going on. But after reading this thread it’s clear that he was just confused and racked with guilt. A shot of the wrecked car and maybe an additional line by her about what happened would make this short that much better.

Great short overall.
 
The story is a little bit simple to me. Maybe you could add some details explaining what happened between them. The acting is nice. I like the DOF. The music suits the theme well. Great job!
 
Hey,

Just caught the flick and thought it was an amazing film. I like that it was a character piece, simply told but complex in it's understatement. I really appreciated the way you got the story across and the dialogue exchanged felt real. The bits of story that came out through dialogue felt natural and unforced (acting and story-wise).

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
















I hope I'm not wrong here but as I understood it he hit her (hit and run) and then took off only to feel guilty about it and come back. Later he's torn about whether or not to save her (even after picking her up) but when she thanks him it gives him that extra boost to try and save her so much so that he is actually there, in the end, when someone else arrives. For my money, he'll probably admit it and deal with the consequences. How did I do?

Fantastic. The foley work was a little weird for me at the beginning. Not sure I think the water works in a few shots, or thought it should have been different (not sure how. I think there was one shot where it was gone or quieter and then comes back and I thought it should just be consistent). Everything else was remarkably fantastic. I just felt this was a simple story masterfully told through actions and editing. Bravo. Can't wait to see more from you.
 
I really thought this was a great film! I loved how from the beginning of the film you were stuck in wonder and as the film progressed you saw the characters and story develop. I also felt that the angles and music really added to the story! Great job overall and I can't wait to see what you come up with next!
 
Thanks for the comments

Been busy preparing for a music video and school has been bombarding me with loads of useless work.

Interesting note on the water sounds... people have been commenting on that and I'll definitely re-edit it when I have time. I just put a room-tone track in and cut it on his first "oh-****" close-up for added effect. Should the rhythm of the river sound change from shot-to-shot slightly?

And Justin probably carried her for a good 4-5 hours.

Back to work :(
 
I really thought this was a great film. Great acting and cinematography and the pacing, though slow, fits the subject very well. Above all I thought the script was very well written. I (think) I realized what was happening at just the right time during the film, and it was all said with minimal messages.

SPOILER ALERT

I'm sure this has all been said earlier in the thread but, to discuss with Daniellus, the way I see it is that he did a hit and run and then came back to kill her, or leave her to die, some place off the road. He won't speak to her or give her a cigarette. Then when she thanks him for coming back for her he changes his mind and walks back again. Now he speaks to her and offers her the cigarette. Then when all seems resolved for the better, she dies and he is left with her thankyou singing in his ears.

Thanks for this, it was a good one.
Jason
 
LloydC said:
SPOILERS
The car is something we chose to leave out because it's so much more interesting when you have to carry someone. He went back hoping she wouldn't know who he was. But a car shot is needed somewhere to answer that question for the viewer... so that'll be something I'll be putting in for the extended cut.
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SPOILER

Me again. I just read your message quoted above. The lack of car didn't worry me. I really thought he had gone back with the idea of getting rid of any evidence of his hit and run, so that leaving his car elsewhere seemed to make perfect sense. Not giving her a cigarette would also have been a logical choice so as not to leave any evidence of his contact with her. Certainly, he could have come back hoping she wouldn't know who he was, with the idea of rescuing her, and then have decided to get rid of her when she did recognize him. In this case too though, leaving the car out of sight was perfectly logical since he wouldn't have wanted her to recognize the car either. Personally, I don't think I'd put the car in, or at least not parked on the empty road.

Jason
 
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