Virus 64 - ID# 59
Glenbrook South
Dramatic Narrative
Entry Description
A dramatic narrative about a new reporter who creates a fake virus to get views on his newscast. After he tricks the victims into believing they are positive, he brainwashes them to make crazy actions for the news and then capture more people. However, the main character catches on to his trap and figures out how to end the cycle.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/27 5:01 pm - In regards to camera, there were some great tracking shots and motivated motion. I really liked the Jaws/Vertigo shot at 1:15. Overall, the camera choices felt clear and well executed. However, in the dungeon/scary room, the lighting source doesn't quite make sense – even for dramatic effect, I would recommend having the lighting feel justified. I do really like the experimental lighting of the "reveal" at 2:15 and the halo behind the character. Justifying the lighting could be as simple as showing someone turn it on. In terms of the story, while it was clearly meant to be a metaphor, it was still difficult to understand the connection between getting a positive virus test and being kidnapped. In terms of the audio, it was well edited – just could have used some greater attention to J & L Cuts. The dialogue was a bit stiff and unnatural. You are very talented and have a strong understanding of a lot of film elements, I would recommend spending more time on the script and dialogue before filming.
- 4/21 11:38 am - Story: Interesting story! It was very effective. We see the main character develop throughout your film. What I got from the end of your film is that the main character saves the three other people from going back to the news reporter. Something that could have been added to the story is to show the main character escaping the room that he was trapped in. Sound: Overall you mix and use sound effectively throughout your film. Great job ducking the audio at 0:33. At 2:38 specifically in this scene, you can hear your audio cutting in this conversation between the two characters. You want to use J and L cuts so that we don’t “hear” the audio cuts you make in your edit. This is where you layer your audio tracks on different tracks. You then extend the beginning and ends of each track so that they blend into each other. Sometimes these J and L cuts may not work depending on when your audio starts and ends. I appreciate adding in the footsteps at 1:59. However, I don’t think it matches. I don’t think the right sound effect was used to imply that those were footsteps the character was taking. Great job with the sound mix at 3:24. Watch out for when audio peaks, like at 3:33 and 4:29. At 4:05 I appreciate the brief audio editing here and adding in sound. But it doesn’t match up with how the character turns the door knob. I would also love to hear the natural sound of the character sitting down on the couch. It’s a bit weird to not hear that. Camera: Great opening shot! You establish the scene and where the story is right away! Make sure that you are watching your focus in some of your shots. At 3:14, the shot is out of focus. The shot at 3:40 is ok. The character has a lot of head room (space between his head and the top of the frame). I would lessen the space between his head and the frame here. The shot would still have the same effect, just less awkward space above your character’s head. You have soft focus on your characters at 3:43. Great job with the POV shot at 4:21. Lighting: Throughout your film you demonstrate great use of lighting. You use lighting effectively at 1:59. This really adds to the mood in this specific scene. You also demonstrate good lighting techniques at 3:40. You use lights in this room to create shadows behind your characters. Editing: You had great pacing throughout your film. I loved the choice at 4:21 to switch to a POV camera shot. Great choice! You also made some great edits at 3:24 along with your audio. Great edit at 1:15 along with the vertigo effect!
- 2/23 1:11 pm - Camera: nice shots and variety of compositions. Lighting: even though the intent in some of the scenes was to have a dark setting, you could have used additional lighting. This would have helped your camera make a crisper image. A few of your shots had soft focus, which is likely because of insufficient lighting. Sound: sound mix was appropriate between dialogue, sound effects, and music. Editing: editing was at an appropriate pace, keeping us engaged. Really liked the whip pan from capturing the last guy into the car. Story: the story set up was done very effectively, but the ending was a bit unclear. If the main character was trying to resist the brainwashing, why did he participate in the kidnapping of the last person? Why didn’t he escape when he had the chance?
Judge 1
Positives: • The concept & vision is great- it's tricky to pull something off without a massive budget & team but you all definitely leaned into it & kept me engaged throughout. • You did a solid job establishing the world these characters live in, starting w/ the news broadcast all the way to the antagonists - it felt grandiose in scope despite the time & budget constraints.
Improvements: • Production design could have been a bit more refined, especially the location where our first character is being held hostage- though what you have works (empty room, white walls)- A more sinister location (a cellar, abandoned house, etc) would have really elevated the production design & story overall. • There's a bit too much dialogue for a film where the visual storytelling could have really taken this to another level. I tend to write more dialogue-heavy screenplays as well, but only a few filmmakers can pull it off- it's always good to start from the foundations (visuals only) then build from there so you're not spending too much time on dialogue that can be better told visually.
Judge 2
Positives: Variation is shot types nicely done; Story is well structured
Improvements: Editing could be tighter; Sound could be enhanced
Judge 3
Positives: I really liked the framing and lighting throughout the film. I liked the shadows in the interrogation type room. The opening shot of the house, although was simple, was definitely my favorite.
Improvements: Some of the transitions could have been a little cleaner. A times the dialogue/acting was a bit unnatural which made the film not flow as easily.
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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