Winter Lilacs

Hey,

Just caught the piece. And watched it again. Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Acting, direction, amazing lighting, camera, performances (I know, I already mentioned, but thought I needed to mention it twice), pacing, music. All upper tier. I really hope you go other places with this sad, funny, and simply beautiful piece.

However, I hate to rain on the overwhelmingly good responses (for which I also think the piece and you guys deserve all the praise you get) but I had a slight issue with the story. Bear with me and please tell me where I missed something and I'll gladly go back through this film again to find it.

So Chet is having his picture taken at the beginning for a personals ad. Does he actually want to get a date or is it just to show his mother? Then, when the elderly home people call we can only assume that he wanted, at some point, to put her in there. Is this the moment, when the guy calls, that we discover that maybe he doesn't want to put her in there afterall? Finally, when he does leave (for his date) he seems torn outside. If he wasn't going to actually go would he be that distraught (as it seemed to me) and wouldn't he just go somewhere and wait?

I think I see the character development and love the way this ends. The love is there and the sacrifice that a son is willing to make for the mother he loves. I see and believe that. I was just wondering where we see him change, or if he ever wasn't the son we see him as.

But despite that a lovely and unnerving piece that I that is just outstanding. Can't wait to see your other pieces, DVX or otherwise.
 
80 replies... 1458 views... The little engine that could?

This entry is secretly the best submission in the whole damn shootin' match... in my humble opinion.

I bow to you... man... incredible.

How anybody could express anything less then utter amazement at the quality of the festival entries this round is... uh... I'm speechless.

OK... I'm trying to put in some element of criticism on every entry that I comment on... so my only niggle here is I would have liked to HEAR the commercial audio change when he's telling her about his date. That's it man... pretty tiny thing to come up with huh?

What I liked? The casting is perfect... I actually like that he lost his temper early on because that's a very intelligent way to grab the audience attention early... and it makes sense anyway... it belongs... it's not merely a device, but rather an interesting element of the story to better define how hard it must be to be that man.

The lighting... WOW... the lighting! Probably the best lit short in the fest... artistic and motivated... stunning... the little fork shadow? That's how much I look at details... and you provided a feast for the eyes. You must have ND'd the heck out of those windows to get that ratio when he goes out for his date... and he's outside of the window mustering up the will to continue the facade...

I'm in absolute awe of you man. Truly. This is absolutely spectacular... the sound was fantastic... both environmentally atmospheric and simultaneously intimate. When he yells in the beginning I got goosebumps at how well that was handled sonically. This was just flat-out excellent.

I can't get over the two actors... this one was just amazing. I think you just got my top slot.

The Rodent said:
My only real critique, and I saw someone said this earlier, is that the idea of the nursing home was brought up but then not really referred to again. Once the credits rolled, that particular string to the story still felt like it was hanging.
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I hope I got this right, but is he really hoping to meet a girl and have some kind of life? He really DID plan out the nursing home thing, but since he was right in front of her he couldn't talk about it at that time... AND more impressive is that it furthers the whole persona of that person who is really fighting a duality... I didn't see that as a story element hanging at all. She's going in a nursing home in a few days... and he will hopefully be able to have some elements of a normal life, but I don't see him forgetting about her either.
 
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I agree with Matt that this is excellent. I've already said so but I've watched it 7-8 times already. Great job.

I wish my lighting would look like that.
 
Hello everyone, I was the writer/director on this piece. i thought i'd jump on here and take the load off of wartez and answer some of the questions about the story.

First I just want to thank everyone for watching the movie and providing incredible, intelligent feedback. I'm brand new to this forum, but it was immediately apparent that it's a terrific community with amazing talent.

Regarding the phone call/nursing home part of the story...MattinSTL just responded with a spot on approach to the story (and an insightful review, thanks Matt!)...

MattinSTL said:
I hope I got this right, but is he really hoping to meet a girl and have some kind of life? He really DID plan out the nursing home thing, but since he was right in front of her he couldn't talk about it at that time... AND more impressive is that it furthers the whole persona of that person who is really fighting a duality... I didn't see that as a story element hanging at all. She's going in a nursing home in a few days... and he will hopefully be able to have some elements of a normal life, but I don't see him forgetting about her either.
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My intentions were to show that no matter what, Chet will soon have to put his mother into a home. A decision that is always looming over Chet's head. Ironically, instead of a woman calling him, he get's a call from his main concern in life - his mother's health. And due to his mother being right there he can't speak about it, so he comes up with a quick way to sidestep that problem while also impressing his mother.

So the effects of this decision -
He has delayed putting his mother into a home. He will certainly have to do some explaining to the home. Most importantly though, at this point in the story Chet is hellbent on showing his mother that he can get a girlfriend and isn't thinking realistically about things.

And finally, excuse this long rant, but to clear up Danielleus' comment about when Chet actually goes out on his date and waits outside. I never thought of it as Chet contemplating the nursing home decision. Instead, he knows his mom is forgetful, so he was just wasting a moment before returning. I suppose the nursing home would be on his mind, like it always is, but at this moment it's not on his immediate thoughts.

I hope this sheds some light on the story. All of the feedback is great and the critique's are valid and helpful. Some people on this forum and friends/family have shown some confusion on this particular aspect of the story. And while it was a goal to make a subtle movie, it was never a goal to confuse. So it's good to see where that is happening and is definitely something to address in future stories.

Thanks again!
 
Winter Lilacs
I didn’t think I would like this one based on the poster, but was pleasantly surprised. Really good composition and color. Great editing.

The acting was fantastic. Both characters were believable. The relationship between the boy and his mother was a very unique perspective and there was depth of character with both even for a 6 minute movie. My favorite line ‘I want some milk’. Favorite shot was near the end through the window and lace curtains.

I’m curious, near the end, when she says ‘That sounds nice Chet’, and then smiles, is she just fooling him or what was that smile for?

Great job with this. Definitely in my top 12.
 
RobertE said:
I’m curious, near the end, when she says ‘That sounds nice Chet’, and then smiles, is she just fooling him or what was that smile for?

Great job with this. Definitely in my top 12.
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Chet has left the room to prepare for WHATEVER... maybe it's dinner... maybe go to the bathroom... maybe put his head in his hands and try to muster up more composure, most likely as he has to do throughout every day of this "adventure".

The mother isn't all there anymore... so it's frustrating for Chet to deal with it and the mother has little self awareness... but she can sense that Chet's efforts are in the spirit of love and while she may have low awareness of her surroundings she can still appreciate Chet's efforts to show her love and attention... in her "broken" way.

I think this short is borderline too smart for the average audience... I think it is to this genre was Arrested Development was to sitcoms... it was too good for TV... and that was sad also.

I've watched this at least a half dozen times in the past day and my girlfriend and I just watched about 12 more shorts in a row... starting with this one... and ENDING with this one... with my statement, "do you see WHY this one is so good?"

And she agreed... it's her favorite also.

The short is friggin' brilliant... probably too smart for it's own good.

The front porch flower throw was AWESOME... how you see the contrast of Chet's reluctantly defeated nature... and his mom's total lack of environmental and time awareness.

Man it's just so freakin' good... I can't say enough about it. While I loved some other shorts that are more "fun" then this one... the time flies by just the same. It's extremely entertaining as a filmmaker's film.

PS... tell that lady she is a hero... man, how did you find such a character? Chet is perfectly cast and she is just an amazing find.
 
sanzrigel said:
My intentions were to show that no matter what, Chet will soon have to put his mother into a home. A decision that is always looming over Chet's head. Ironically, instead of a woman calling him, he get's a call from his main concern in life - his mother's health. And due to his mother being right there he can't speak about it, so he comes up with a quick way to sidestep that problem while also impressing his mother.

So the effects of this decision -
He has delayed putting his mother into a home. He will certainly have to do some explaining to the home. Most importantly though, at this point in the story Chet is hellbent on showing his mother that he can get a girlfriend and isn't thinking realistically about things.
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Ah, ok, that clears things up. I just watched it again, and I see what you're talking about. Much of the storytelling was subtle enough that during the initial viewing I could justify Chet's motivations/intentions in multiple ways (e.g. on the phone was he more embarrassed about not being able to get a girl, or was he mainly trying to hide the nursing home from his mother).

Overall I give you kudos for making an excellent example of how to show a story rather than tell it. It expects more from the viewer, and if the viewer is up to the task, there's an excellent payoff.
 
To be honest the weakest part of the film for me was the first 10-15 seconds. Compared to the rest it just isn't as interesting. I see how it makes sense in the story but it doesn't grab me right away. I think the spots on the mirror he is looking into sort of looked like compression errors and that's honestly the only bad thing I can say about this.

I love how you cross the line for the close-up of Chet when he is telling her about his date, whether that was intentional or not.
 
MattinSTL said:
I'm in absolute awe of you man. Truly. This is absolutely spectacular... the sound was fantastic... both environmentally atmospheric and simultaneously intimate. When he yells in the beginning I got goosebumps at how well that was handled sonically. This was just flat-out excellent.
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i thought that was awesome also. i would like to know more about how you guys did the audio for this film.
 
My guess is that it was simply a good boom job.

When I listened through the 280s I was blown away... when I listened through my regular computer speakers it sounded more "normal". The mix could be pumped up a bit.

I'd still take a good boom job over the very best ADR any day. Another great flick is Remember When... and the audio is very "there" but the problem through my cans is that it's TOO there... many of the entries suffer one of two audio problems... either weak, sporatic boomed/location audio, or else totally fake mono-perfection. This flick sounds good but I'd like them to pump up the mix... there are times where computer speakers are about to struggle, but fortunately it's more then good enough.

On my most recent viewing of this I do think the location sound isn't AS good as I first said, but it's very good.

Listening again I think the opening yell was simply a split channel controlled mix. Meaning... the yell came through OK because you heard a low setting to prevent a blown peak (on that channel). That was a fairly isolated event... it wasn't like a whisper to a scream in the same line.

About the first 10 to 15 seconds... this young man is almost broken. He's been raised in a religious house where you honor your parents, but he is awkward. Let's face it... this actor is really too good looking to be awkward, but there are plenty of real people who fit that bill... we see the photo of Jesus, and the dingy look of the house right from the start... the son is getting ready to take a photo to hopefully meet a girl, "checking his teeth" (he is insecure), and within his current situation he probably has trouble smiling... which is reconfirmed when she keeps asking Chet to smile and he says he is while he clearly isn't... pleasing his mother, yet again, we see in the new picture that he smiled, and the smile looks real, but most likely it was just the next shot after he felt bad for yelling, so he got his courage back to fake a smile that happens to look good. I think the first opening scene does more to set the feel then you realize.
 
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I'm referring to the few seconds before he walks over to his mother to take the picture.

It's great looking back and maybe that was intended, but it didn't hook completely. Luckily most peoples' attention spans are at least 10 seconds.
 
Drew Ott said:
I'm referring to the few seconds before he walks over to his mother to take the picture.

It's great looking back and maybe that was intended, but it didn't hook completely. Luckily most peoples' attention spans are at least 10 seconds.
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Wow. Right off the bat I was interested in what I was seeing.

I hope this one places well.
It was as perfect as I could imagine. I have zero issues with this one.

:thumbup:
 
I brought my laptop to a pre-pro meeting tonight... I've been to a bunch of read-throughs with some actors that don't seem to be "bringing it"... and I've tried to convey how good they need to be if we're to do what they THINK we can do with the project.

Anyway... showing everybody this short felt like I was aiming the Death Star at planet Basket Ball.

"Let me ask you guys a question? How good do you think you are at this craft we call... film making?"

*hits play*

Zzzzzzttt.... BOOM!
 
Matt, I can't say how much we appreciate your comments regarding this movie. It's a huge payoff to have someone respond to our movie like you have. I mean, you get it. You can answer questions on here as good as, if not better, than any of us can. And that says something.

We really appreciate it.
 
to all that viewed,

you rock.

mattinstl you're awesome.

so is the guy talking about shortstops.

sanzrigel you're a master. believe that stuff.
 
Beautiful, loved it, fantastic. I can't add/detract from any of the other comments, so I won't even try.

This film and Remember When both took me into the world of the film and left me believing I was watching something real, as opposed to watching a story be told.

Fantastic job guys. Looking forward to more from you ... why don't you guys move to Northern California and help me with my projects? :thumbsup:
 
Everything about this film says, 'look, I'm telling the truth as I see it.' There's this beautiful, beautiful honestly about Winter Lilacs. And when you're honest about the drawbacks of life, that's a beautiful thing. When you try to make everything pretty, it ends up seeming really shoddy.

Superb filmmaking. (Four Stars)
 
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A couple of people have asked about the actors in the movie.

The part of Chet was written with Greg in mind. Greg completely understood the script. He knew that the humor in it and sincerity of it was in downplaying the actions. Simplicity was key for both of the actors. Greg is a hilarious stand up comic, he has great comedic instincts so he knew when to take the comic bits a little further - while maintaining the character's believability.

As for the Mother, I had never met Carol before she showed up to read through the script. Our producer Rachel tracked her down, she knew what we were looking for. Carol, like Greg, is a comic. So again, she wasn't scared to show herself in what some would think to be an unflattering light. And she was great. Again, a very understated performance - when I asked her to sit in the recliner for the fifth time and watch the weather channel, she joked that her job had gotten too hard and she wouldn't do it. To be honest I may have just made that up, but it is something I could see her saying. We all loved working with Carol and her slight performance here comes across as heartbreaking and genuine. That was all her.

Thanks to all that commented on the actors. In my eyes they made the movie. And I plan to pass along the comments throughout this thread to both of them.
 
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In a weird, cool way, this film rocked. One of my favs. Thanks for sharing you film with all of us.

/j
 
I think there is not much left I can say about this movie! It is just great! I really really enjoyed it! Definately in my top3 :)
 
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