High School Planet - ID# 154
Maine South
Comedic Narrative
Entry Description
Dive into the diverse tapestry of high school personalities with this mockumentary inspired by BBC’s “Planet Earth.”
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/23 12:08 pm - Awesome work all around! All technical elements of filmmaking are spot on. I think the sound design was particularly impressive. Editing is top notch. Cool speed ramps. Excellent performances. Fun idea and great execution!
- 4/22 2:17 pm - This was absolutely fantastic! You nailed the tone and style of the show you were emulating—such a spot-on homage. The execution was top-tier: the sound design, the B-Roll, the script—it all came together seamlessly. I especially loved the clever visual gags sprinkled throughout—really funny and well-timed! The B-Roll at the beginning was solid, but I think it would've been even stronger with a quicker shift into high school footage that you shot yourselves. That said, the ending totally delivered on that front—it was sharp, authentic, and wrapped things up brilliantly. Amazing work overall!
Judge 1
Positives: Wow! This is way beyond my expectations in so many ways. Absolutely nailed the Nat Geo style narration. The editing....whoever edited this is a better editor than I am, and it legitimately hurts my adult feelings, as that is my job. Seriously, masterful editing. The theater kids segment was just perfect. I had a ton of fun with that. Clearly, you had the resources available to make a high quality, professional looking film. But the best part is that you met that same quality standard in the writing and performances! I commend you all on this incredibly fun and wonderful film!
Improvements: Because this was done in the style of a Planet Earth type doc, there isn't really the same necessity for a narrative structure, character development, etc. That said, it might still be possible to work in a small arc for one or two characters, seeing them experience a small or significant change in their status. Truly great work. Be tremendously proud!
Judge 2
Positives: This was hilarious. Great integration with the existing footage. A risky move but the juxtaposition worked nicely. Interesting choice of high school stereotypes with solid casting to demonstrate each one effectively. The theater kid is the standout. The sound at 3:08 made me laugh out loud.
Improvements: I think the amount of time spent on each example could have been shortened. Either by adding one more example to throw in the mix or by making the project shorter. Not by much though, you matched the editing style of the original show well... but certain parts dragged a bit. Namely the pda couple and the bored girl. 3:14 works for a cheap laugh but it kind of distracted me from the overall vibe you had going. It got a laugh.. but a small one compared to all the rest of the laughs. But, overall, I loved it.
Judge 3
Positives: i loved the dialogue. you did such a great job mimicking the planet earth narration. this is one of my favorites in the category! you can tell you and your freinds had so much fun making this. the mockumentary tone is super clear and everyone seemed comfortable in front of the camera.
Improvements: honestly i don't have a lot of notes to improve! i think exploring with the mockumentary format, like having more cinematic cinematography with more shallow depths of field, etc would add to the comedic elements. but the camera movements and editing were clearly planned and executed very well.
Judge 4
Positives: The sound design is always on point, it highlights the visuals beautifully. Your outstanding achievement with this film is the editing, as simple shots that edit together quickly well. You had a clear idea of how you wanted the shots to edit together. The volume of shots captured is so much, I would focus on less shots and starting to up the quality of those shots with lighting.
Improvements: Going through the major stereotypes of high school is a lovely premise, I personally believe the film would be better cut down to 3 or less minutes. With the quick editing, and repeated sound effects 5 minutes begins to drag. (This is super nitpicky, be proud of the lovely work you have achieved here)
Judge 5
Positives:
Improvements: