War Games

[Ryan E. Walters]

Great locations / set. I enjoyed the opening shot- lots of production design and great moments in there. I like how that told a lot of the backstory without needing to have any expositional dialogue, text, or voice over. It was a good story telling element.

If I were to critique anything, it would be that the story felt a bit rushed and cut short. I know this is only 6 minutes, but the beginning was setup so well, that I was expecting more from the plot and story as a whole. It felt like it was going somewhere and then it cut to credits.

 

[Gulroc]

Even though I wasn't a big fan of some of the lighting, I thought the set design was magnificent. Some decent choreographer too.

 

[Tequilawoo]

Love that opening. Very cool. And the hard work on the set speaks for itself. Very nicely done.

 

[zucked]

Nice opening shot -- goes on maybe a little long? But gets you right into the story. Hands down my favorite part of the piece was the 2nd shot, beginning over the light hanging down and craning down behind the guy tied to the chair. Such a great shot. I'll agree with the prior post that I wanted some more depth to the story -- nothing really happened that shifted my expectations, and I didn't really have any reason to root for the guy tied to the chair. I'll also echo that the set was obviously sweet -- all your hard work on that paid off. Nice job

 

[Noel Evans]

Sheesh Im going to sound like a parrot here. Set this up nicely. The whole time I was in the basement I was aware of the bigger picture of where they were based on how you set it up. Well done.

Such a nice set you built and the value of that really shone through. The location felt authentic and real. Good stuff team Zach.

 

[Zach Olson]

Where'd you film all the weapons?

That shot was in the same warehouse that I built the set in, just a different part.

Great locations / set. I enjoyed the opening shot- lots of production design and great moments in there. I like how that told a lot of the backstory without needing to have any expositional dialogue, text, or voice over. It was a good story telling element.

If I were to critique anything, it would be that the story felt a bit rushed and cut short. I know this is only 6 minutes, but the beginning was setup so well, that I was expecting more from the plot and story as a whole. It felt like it was going somewhere and then it cut to credits.

Thanks Ryan! I have been making a list of notes for future shoots and will definitely add your input.

Even though I wasn't a big fan of some of the lighting, I thought the set design was magnificent. Some decent choreographer too.

Love that opening. Very cool. And the hard work on the set speaks for itself. Very nicely done.

Nice opening shot -- goes on maybe a little long? But gets you right into the story. Hands down my favorite part of the piece was the 2nd shot, beginning over the light hanging down and craning down behind the guy tied to the chair. Such a great shot. I'll agree with the prior post that I wanted some more depth to the story -- nothing really happened that shifted my expectations, and I didn't really have any reason to root for the guy tied to the chair. I'll also echo that the set was obviously sweet -- all your hard work on that paid off. Nice job

Sheesh Im going to sound like a parrot here. Set this up nicely. The whole time I was in the basement I was aware of the bigger picture of where they were based on how you set it up. Well done.

Such a nice set you built and the value of that really shone through. The location felt authentic and real. Good stuff team Zach.

I appreciate all of your feedback. Thank you guys!

 

[Zach Olson]

Zach! Woohoo! I love it! Excellent short, the intro really works, your set looks fantastic and there's some good acting in here. I'll have some critique but I need to watch it again, the most obvious is you needed better sound fx on the hits (you should still add these before putting this up on vimeo or youtube). All in all a super solid entry, I hope everyone watches it!

Thanks Shawn! Sound FX are so important! I will work on that. =)

 

[Chris Messineo]

As expected, your set was awesome! It really helped create a cool mood and atmosphere.

Awesome opening shot. Very cool idea and I thought you pulled it off really well as we moved through that warehouse.

This was an ambitious short, lots of action and fighting. I think if you cut it a bit tighter, more angles and shorter cuts, it will pack more punch.

Best of luck in the Fest!

 

[taylormade]

Echo most of the above. I thought the fight lacked impact. The actors were moving too slowly and the cutting and SFX needed to be ramped up. The fight needed intensity and it just wasn't there.

Great job on the set, costumes and props.

 

[Matthew B]

Nice one Zach. Just to echo everyone else, your production design was phenomenal. Opening shot was cool. Sound needs a few tweaks and there were some slight continuity issues with the blood, but no big deal. Overal a solid entry.

 

[krestofre]

The set you built was really top notch. It looked great on camera and were it not for the behind the scenes posts I never would have believed that it was built and not found. Excellent work.

My critiques of the film have already been said in earlier posts. Some sound design during the fight would have given the whole film a much greater overall impact.

Thanks for entering the fest. I enjoyed watching your film.

 

[ZazaCast]

Everything has been covered...set was KILLER....I loved the opening set-up....over the head crane shot....fighting could be cut tighter and needed sound design.
The film left me wanting more and that's a good thing. Very well done!

Congrats to cast & crew. :beer:

 

[Russell Moore]

Last film I got to watch, so most of my critique has already been stated.

It looked great, kudos on staging a fight scene. I'd expect it's scary trying something like that and trying to make it look realistic and for the most part it worked.

The dialogue was a little stiff at times. I really didn't have anything personal invested in anyone character so it probably lacked some of the dramatic punch or tension it may have had otherwise.

The set looked great. I liked the moving shot through the warehouse. Nice. Overall I enjoyed your film.

I like the setup and reversal.

 

[Ryan P. Kelly]

Nice job Zach! I really enjoyed the opening scene, especially using the drain as a transition instead of just cutting...really nice touch.

The thing that held me back the most was the Interrogator. He seemed a bit too stiff for that particualar role...not entirely believable.

Small gripe aside I really enjoyed the whole thing. Good luck!

 

[AJ Brooks]

Good work dude!

Opening shot, very cool.

Set was very ambitious and you pulled it off well.

I'd like to see it pushed farther, as in the bad guys being even more nasty so that way the switch is a bigger payoff.

Solid work. Glad you made it!

 

[EJBinSD]

Good opening shot and excellant set. A little sound design would have helped.

 

[Hawk Teflon]

As always, here's a SPOILER-Y review.

I haven't read previous comments, so please disregard duplication:

What I liked: The set. From the first shot of the dam, to the inside single sweep of everything moving around, it really built it up. The lead was pretty solid. Very good acting. REALLY like the shot into the room. Looked really nice. I really liked the close on this one. Well done.

What I didn't like as much: I think the sound design could use some work. The audio in the fight fell flat, and it felt too choreographed. I know it was, but it felt like it was. I didn't feel pain when he was hit or fell. It felt a bit cushioned to me. The first shot of the handcuffs seemed out of place, too.

Overall, good short.

 

[bluemanrocks]

Loved how this short delivered us a situation we could understand instantaneously - the torture/death scene we've all seen so many times before - but then took it somewhere new. A simple idea but fun and well executed!! Would've liked to have known more about who was good and who was bad, or to somehow be told cinematically that it didn't matter. Good job!!

 

[Zach Olson]

As expected, your set was awesome! It really helped create a cool mood and atmosphere.

Awesome opening shot. Very cool idea and I thought you pulled it off really well as we moved through that warehouse.

This was an ambitious short, lots of action and fighting. I think if you cut it a bit tighter, more angles and shorter cuts, it will pack more punch.

Best of luck in the Fest!

Echo most of the above. I thought the fight lacked impact. The actors were moving too slowly and the cutting and SFX needed to be ramped up. The fight needed intensity and it just wasn't there.

Great job on the set, costumes and props.

Nice one Zach. Just to echo everyone else, your production design was phenomenal. Opening shot was cool. Sound needs a few tweaks and there were some slight continuity issues with the blood, but no big deal. Overal a solid entry.

The set you built was really top notch. It looked great on camera and were it not for the behind the scenes posts I never would have believed that it was built and not found. Excellent work.

My critiques of the film have already been said in earlier posts. Some sound design during the fight would have given the whole film a much greater overall impact.

Thanks for entering the fest. I enjoyed watching your film.

Everything has been covered...set was KILLER....I loved the opening set-up....over the head crane shot....fighting could be cut tighter and needed sound design.
The film left me wanting more and that's a good thing. Very well done!

Congrats to cast & crew. :beer:

Last film I got to watch, so most of my critique has already been stated.

It looked great, kudos on staging a fight scene. I'd expect it's scary trying something like that and trying to make it look realistic and for the most part it worked.

The dialogue was a little stiff at times. I really didn't have anything personal invested in anyone character so it probably lacked some of the dramatic punch or tension it may have had otherwise.

The set looked great. I liked the moving shot through the warehouse. Nice. Overall I enjoyed your film.

I like the setup and reversal.

Nice job Zach! I really enjoyed the opening scene, especially using the drain as a transition instead of just cutting...really nice touch.

The thing that held me back the most was the Interrogator. He seemed a bit too stiff for that particualar role...not entirely believable.

Small gripe aside I really enjoyed the whole thing. Good luck!

Good work dude!

Opening shot, very cool.

Set was very ambitious and you pulled it off well.

I'd like to see it pushed farther, as in the bad guys being even more nasty so that way the switch is a bigger payoff.

Solid work. Glad you made it!

Good opening shot and excellant set. A little sound design would have helped.

As always, here's a SPOILER-Y review.

I haven't read previous comments, so please disregard duplication:

What I liked: The set. From the first shot of the dam, to the inside single sweep of everything moving around, it really built it up. The lead was pretty solid. Very good acting. REALLY like the shot into the room. Looked really nice. I really liked the close on this one. Well done.

What I didn't like as much: I think the sound design could use some work. The audio in the fight fell flat, and it felt too choreographed. I know it was, but it felt like it was. I didn't feel pain when he was hit or fell. It felt a bit cushioned to me. The first shot of the handcuffs seemed out of place, too.

Overall, good short.

Loved how this short delivered us a situation we could understand instantaneously - the torture/death scene we've all seen so many times before - but then took it somewhere new. A simple idea but fun and well executed!! Would've liked to have known more about who was good and who was bad, or to somehow be told cinematically that it didn't matter. Good job!!

Notes for me: Sound design, tighter cuts, badder bad guys. I also gathered that having a little bit more before the KO kick at the end would have helped. Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback!

 

[Charli]

Everyone liked the opening sequence, I wasn't too fond of it because it took a whole minute before anything happened. This is a "war fest" and seeing guys prep for war in a 6 minute short film, well, it's not going to bode over well for any "paying audience" and that's just my opinion.

Guy hit on head with a "metal" wrench. Now, unless the attackers is a sissy, that hit should have knocked him out cold as well as given him a huge gash, cut the skin open, etc.

Fight scenes, eh. Looked so rehearsed and slow. I didn't care about the outcome. I wasn't emotionally invested. Sorry, didn't do it for me. Film is more than building a really cool set. It's about the story! Don't get lost in set design and forget to add a story with conflict/drama.