The Oblivious - ID# 516
Oak Park River Forest
Seven Day Challenge
Entry Description
The Oblivious is a psychological thriller about a dads weird obsession towards his autograph photo of Patton Oswalt, and his daughter who hates his relationship with his photo. Written By: Simon Gutierrez Audio: Aiden Collins and Josh Bonds Camera and Lighting: Jake Dimaso Directed and Edited: Sion Clay Daughter: Isla Gordon Father: Ben Bonick
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
Judge 1
Positives: 1. This genuinely felt like a look into a real and terrifying experience of an obsessive father's downward spiral after some kind of breakdown. Nit only did the choppiness of the movement from the frame rate and shutter speed feel reminiscent of a real horror movie, but the soundscape made this feel genuinely unsettling. Brilliantly done. 2. The actors' expressions and the way they were captured on camera were done beautifully and made this father/daughter relationship feel truly strained. The use of dark shadows made this feel like a household that could have a blowup or meltdown at any moment. Well done.
Improvements: 1. Be cognizant of your lighting choices. There was a scene where the father stepped towards the girl while in the bedroom and the light was obviously turned upwards towards his face. Either do this ahead of time and place a practical light like a lamp or something nearby to make it seem natural or do it quickly while he steps forwards so it isn't as obvious that a light is being shined upon his face. Pay attention to background lighting too, because it is obvious from outside that this scene is being filmed over a long period of time despite the scene only lasting a few minutes at most. 2. The story felt a bit thin. It is obviously about a father who is oddly obsessed with this photo, but the strained relationship between father and daughter was not explored much and the permission slip segment did not feel as important as it could have. I wish that conflict had been explored more, such as the father coming back in at the very end to see the photo on the ground and losing his mind.
Judge 2
Positives: This concept is absurd and I'm for it. I think you had two solid actors in this. Not only did they act but they reacted. In the very tense scene where he's towering over her is menacing. I really liked the choice to use less light and have his face underexposed. That- mixed with the performance and the eyes being obscured by the hair all worked really well. The camera movement in this really stood out to me. Each movement was motivated by action or information for the audience. When the daughter breaks the photo we see her stomp it. Then you pause for a beat before lowering us down to the level of the picture as she is walking out and we only her feet walking out in the background. It looked really good. It was bit shaky but I imagine you went handheld for this. Using the tools that you had access to I am impressed.
Improvements: I could be wrong but it looks like you only had one light source. At times it works but at times it didn't. When it worked was when we see the main character going through the crisis. It didn't when the we are first introduced to the roommate. One option if you only have one light to work with is to make it ambient. Turn the head away from the actors and point it up to the wall. This will use the wall as a bounce and help to spread the light more.
Judge 3
Positives: The use of lighting and shadows worked well to convey the mood throughout the piece and keep the viewer's attention. The actors were very expressive and dramatic in their acting and dialogue which emphasized the story.
Improvements: The lighting temperatures were inconsistent in several of the shots and could have been adjusted. The overall pacing was slow and could have benefitted from quicker cuts or the use of additional audio to add to the tension of the piece. The story also ends abruptly and could have benefitted from a clearer resolution.
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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