No Matter What - ID# 86
Glenbrook South
Dramatic Narrative
Entry Description
Two brothers, John and Adam, decide to create a YouTube video finding the infamous "Shadow Snatcher" in the local Nightwood Forest after a string of local disappearances. Their search for fame leads to them both venturing into the forest but only one returning. With Adam still having the camera, what will he do with the footage?
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/27 5:25 pm - Great establishing shots in the beginning. Very great use of J & L Cuts throughout. Loved the attention to detail in regards to sound design and props. In terms of camerawork it is very intensional and professional. The "found footage" style during the forest scene worked well and was quite tense. The justification of the warm key light at 1:16 and the cool dramatic key light at 4:06 were both cool and effective. The dutch angle at 3:43 was a bold choice and I fully support the ambition and thought process. I would actually suggest bringing down the highlights a bit to match the dark room in the following shots. In terms of the story – very solid dialogue and a clear plot. The characters have personalities that are developed in an impressively short period of time. Overall, you have written a very compelling story– love the building of tension on whether or not he would publish it. That internal conflict brings this to a much higher level often missing in student short films. Excellent work.
- 4/21 10:55 am - Story: It’s clear what the story was about and what the motives were from each character. At the end, we see the character contemplating if he should post the video or not. Great job with this story! Sound: You effectively mix sound effectively. I like how you blended the music at the beginning and the sound of the ball being thrown up and down at 0:17. At 1:10 I would love to hear the page turn of the notebook since we do hear the page rip. Would also be great to hear the paper being hung up on the desk at 1:28. Great use of a sound effect here at 2:15! It really helps amplify the uneasy feeling at this point in your film. Camera: Overall, you demonstrate a strong understanding of camera composition. Great opening shots with the drone to establish where we are. I think we really only need to see the first two until about 0:10. At 10 seconds we end on a shot of a neighborhood which implies the scene is set there. Considering that the next shot we see is a ball being thrown in front of a window, the drone shots can end in the neighborhood. How the film is set up now, the last drone shot we see is a shot of a forest from up top (0:11). This makes me assume that the next shot will be in a forest. Great framing at 0:24. Love how you frame your shot within a frame here. You utilize great rack focus at 0:40! Great use of a different camera angle at 3:36. Helps make this scene feel uneasy. You have a great closeup shot at 4:31! Lighting: At 0:40 the character at the desk chair is a bit dark. You’re already getting some light from the window and the small lamp on the desk in this scene. I would suggest adding in a fill light onto the character at the desk. At 4:00, this is a really really dark shot and it’s hard to see that your character is holding. Even if you want a dark shot, it still may be helpful to have some kind of light on your character at the lowest setting. In this shot, all the blacks are blending in with the background so it’s hard to make out where your character is in the frame. Editing: You had great pacing. I love how you had cuts between the character at the laptop and the photos of the friends on the desk. Your editing flowed nicely! I like how the style of our film changed. We go from a film look to a youtube looking video. It fits the story and our overall piece nicely. Great choice!
- 2/23 12:44 pm - Camera: great camera work. Strong understanding of composition, use of different angles, and smooth movements. Lighting: your camera could clearly handle low light pretty well, but you still could have used some additional lighting in some of the darker scenes. Even if it was your intent to have a darker mood, you still need more lighting for your subjects. Here’s how I know that I’m correct; at 4:03, when the kid is sitting in front of the laptop, you had a light illuminating him from below, to enhance the light coming off of the laptop. This means you recognize the need for additional lighting. So, in the future, be awesome and bring in more light. The night scenes could have had some lights with blue gels on them to give the appearance of moonlight. If you pursue a career in filmmaking, you’ll come to understand that what I’m telling you here is absolutely true, and you’ll thank me later, even though you have no idea who I am (unless your teacher tells you, which is fine). Expensive cameras only go so far; they all need light. Sound: the majority of the sound was clean and well mixed. Some of the exterior scenes were a bit noisier, but you mixed the ambient music and sound effects well to cover it up. Editing: Yes, you can edit. The pace fit appropriately, and all of the scenes flowed well. Story: The story was clear; you set up the characters, introduced the plot, and conveyed the climax effectively. The ending was a chilling reminder of the sacrifices that people make for fame.
Judge 1
Positives: • Some excellent camera work and lighting here- I can tell a good amount of thought and inspiration went into a lot of these shots- and the drone shots are sick; Great way to start the film & establishing the scale of our character's endeavor. • Some really funny moments in the dialogue between the characters- which is a testament to the writer / director's vision- solid casting choices as well! Kept me engaged throughout- Also I dig the commentary on achieving internet fame despite his friend being [presumably] eaten- nice touch.
Improvements: • Being that this is a drama (with comedic elements), the backstory could have used a more emotional foundation- it's probably the only element missing from this. Rather than just simply wanting to achieve fame, perhaps they had a deeper reason to go for it (trying to impress disappointed parents, lost love, revenge etc) •
Judge 2
Positives: Variety of shots are nice; Great consistent style and themes
Improvements: Careful with filming in the dark, sometimes too hard to see anything; Plot could be deepened with more action
Judge 3
Positives: I thought the quality of this film was really fantastic!! I also really liked the framing and movement of shots throughout the film.
Improvements: The trunk shot towards the beginning I don't think was needed. Although the pacing throughout the film was really good, the "hiding" in the forest from the monster could have been shot a bit different so that it wasn't cut together with jumpcuts in the middle.
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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