Jog Your Memory

Batavia

Seven Day Challenge

Entry Description

A jogger is questioned by the police for a crime he says he says he did not commit.

Judge 1

Positives: The cut between the insert of the flash drive being plugged in and then the close up on his eyes works really well. It quickens the pacing and tension of this moment. I also really like cutting out to the wide to see his reaction without showing us the screen - it keeps us hooked and wondering what he's looking at. The montage of him attempting to hide the body is really effective. The sequence of jump cuts at the start between the same frame in the sand pit are also pretty funny. The reveal at then end with the pan over to the other person watching him dump the body is also great. Good cutting for comedic timing here.

Improvements: Watch your continuity with camera direction. The 3 shots of the dead body at the start of the film are all showing the same exact thing on screen and cutting between the two static shots from different angles and then the slight pan up doesn't work super well. Using just one of these shots would have been stronger - cutting to all three is unnecessary here and the difference in angles that are all from about the same distance is jarring. If one of these shots was a close up on maybe his face (or any body part) then this could have worked much better. After the reveal of the other person watching him, you cut from the main character looking at the dumpster to then a very similar, but slightly tighter frame with the second body in the dumpster. This cut felt too jarring and jumpy for me - it would have worked better to go from the wide that you have, and then to a closer shot of him wiping his hands from a different angle, then pulling back to the wide to reveal the second body.

Judge 2

Positives: The editing juxtaposition of voice over by the lead character and his explanation of prior events seen visually is effective in creating an engaging story. The exterior camera work is very well done and the filmmakers have a good sense of camera coverage needed to effectively convey a scene.

Improvements: The location of the interrogation room could be improved upon to better sell the story. Perhaps a generic office or blank wall could be employed to more effectively convey the space. The end of the narrative is slightly confusing What happens to the character?

Judge 3

Positives:

Improvements:

Judge 4

Positives: Good outdoor shots, and attempts to get rid of the body. I like that you add a comedic side to what can be a non comedic situation. Great edit when you change the outfit of the killer. Very creative script for this project.

Improvements: The lighting could be better when in the room. The audio is different from the room to when he goes into his story. Try to make them the same. I am not a fan of the profile shots, I would like to see more of the face. You need to watch audio, it can make it hard to follow a fun story. Watch the angles of your shots. At times you are high angle then you are low in the next edit.