The Cross - ID# 347
Batavia
Dramatic Narrative
Entry Description
A demonic presence surrounds us all. Would you fall into its trap?
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/28 12:12 pm - What worked: The editing was masterful. I loved the overlay of the transparent cross at the beginning. The suspenseful shooting into frame and matched action early on, juxtaposed with the occasional jump cut brought an energy to the edit that really added to the suspense. Especially loved the hard cut at 2:06 - excellent transition. The smooth and stable footage throughout made the shaky clip at 2;24 stand out in a way that really worked. This was very professional made at every level. What needed work: Overall, the audio was clean and dynamic. One issue I noticed was the audio cut at 1:44. My guess is you are aware of this, but just know that the issue was noticeable. The cut at 2:42 did not work quite as well as the hard cut at 2:06. I would suggest re-inserting the same dramatic musical crescendo from 2:06 at 2:42. As it is, his demonic transformation is an intellectual twist, not an emotional one. If you introduced the character that appears at 4:42 into the start of the film, his change and the final moment moment of her returning home would have hit harder. Establishing a connection between the main character and this secondary character would have created a sense of loss at his demonic transformation that the audience would have felt. Final thoughts: From a technical perspective, this was absolutely excellent – even at the collegiate or professional level. Dialogue and more character development is the one thing that could have brought it to a higher/emotional plane. Truly excellent work. I hope to see your future projects!
- 4/28 9:23 am - Works Well - Nice cinematography and moving camera shots. Well-paced editing. Great-looking night shots by the fire. Good job telling a story visually without dialogue. Good sound design and music. Needs Work - Cool concept, but some of the details of the story are a little unclear. There’s no real danger explained, just yellow eyes. It might make sense to foreshadow the evil that he’s about to do. The overhead drone shots weren’t really necessary. It felt like you were just showing off your drone.
- 4/26 1:02 pm - You have a good use of SFX that really help tell your story! You have a variety of camera shots and angles. Your shots are clear and crisp. You also used a drone! I thought your drone shots really helped transition to the next cut, especially when going from inside to outside the house. There is significant color grading which is a creative choice. The color grading you did helps set the overall mood of the film. Your editing also has a good pace. I don’t think there are any shots that feel rushed. I would say that the shot of the dog at 3:04 is a bit random since we never see the dog sooner in the film. The first day we just see the dog bowl being filled, which I think would still work with the character on his second day. You have a great story, I am just a bit confused on the character’s motive. Why does the character get so captivated by this cross? I know the cross is flipped, after seeing his cross, does the character now have nightmares or weird thoughts? Just something to think about… Please see some of my feedback below: 0:12 - The camera here looks like it is moving on the tripod. Always make sure that the camera is secure on the tripod. I’m not sure what editing program you use, but Adobe Premiere has a warp stabilizer. You could try and see if this gets rid of that shaky-ness. 0:14 to 0:19 - Personally, I would choose to use a tripod during these shots here. The camera shake is almost distracting. 1:08 - This is a great shot with some great framing! Well done! 2:10 - Again, I would use a tripod here. The shaky-ness does feel distracting.
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