The Midnight Effect (Marks & Phillips) - ID# 348
Shepard High School
Dramatic Narrative
Entry Description
While sleeping, the girl is constantly woken up by a broken tv. As she turns it off for the final time, she hears something unreal. Drama produced by Rayne Marks & Evangeline Phillips Advanced Media Production - February 2025 Shepard High School
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/30 7:50 pm - I like the intentionality of your sound design. I think this film could use more of it. The shift in sound of TV static is a great effect. It could get louder and more menacing each time the TV turns on. There are also some really interesting camera angles throughout. I think playing with some lighting would have added to this film. Really nice work, overall. Keep it going!
- 4/29 2:13 pm - Strong introduction to establish the location and time of the film. The abrupt cuts in the beginning felt choppy at first but the more the film leaned into it, the more I began to notice how it mirrors the static pattern from the television. Great use of parallels there without making it too obvious. There seems to be a hesitation in the way the protagonist is framed throughout the film. I think a decision needs to be made about if we see very little of this character, or all of this character. I can tell that there is a reason behind the low cut off shots. I would love to see you lean into this mystery more with the cinematography. I personally didn't gain anything from seeing her face until the last shot. This also has to do with deciding what role the camera is playing. Is the camera a character in this film? How does that change where you position it in relationship to the subjects in the room?
- 4/28 12:20 pm - Strengths: Strong imagery of the tv static used throughout the film. Why is unexplained tv static always so scary? Solid performance by main character. Improvements: Cut of audio at 0:05 felt a bit jarring- using some room tone could have helped smooth that out while keeping the effect. I felt that sound could have been used more to build suspense throughout the piece. We didn't really get much other than the tv static, so the story felt a bit predictable. The ending moment of the girl being shown with a hand over her mouth may have been more impactful if we saw how things built to that.
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