TIED - A Short Film - ID# 38

Wheaton North
Dramatic Narrative

Entry Description

TIED is a short film written, directed, and edited by Nathan Abon. All of the music featured is entirely original and produced by Bradford Taylor. The film features performances by Nathan Abon, Lewis Vanderschoot, and Bradford Taylor.

Copyright Info

Recent Teacher Comments

  • 4/15 11:49 am - Strong cinematic credits. Things to work on: unclear plot and twist in the end, the eyeline of the camera is sometimes off (too low in the opening conversation). Things that work well: effective and dynamic cuts on the sound (such as at :50), strong performances – especially inside the car, nice use of music to support the story and sequence at 3:27. The thing working against this the most is the vagueness of the story. Often for short films, clarity is more effective than twists and subtle symbolism.
  • 3/13 2:16 pm - I like how the suspense is built up throughout this film. The cinematography & sound are working together to heighten the drama as it goes on. I was wondering about the characters' motivations though - why did they tie up the other guy? I think it needs some sort of reasoning or background. Regarding technical elements: Nice shot composition throughout. The framing of your subjects and the unique angles you have are a strength of this film. The low angles looking up at the two guys, the ominous shots from the backseat of the car, the slow zoom ins at the end - great stuff! My main concern here is lighting. Is it necessary that this story takes place at night? There is a lot of grain and color noise on your footage, especially in that first scene. Some of it might be able to be fixed in post-production. The shot at 0:23 looks like maybe the lamppost was positioned directly overhead, so watch out for that next time. It's a little hard to see his face, and you're also getting a blue glare.
  • 2/26 12:16 pm - I love the setup. Totally got my attention. Music is great, and I love how you use it to create and heighten the mood and tension, but the resolution leaves me puzzled. So did the main character use the disappearance act to disappear from his life? A variety of camera angles works, although I could not quite figure out why the low angles at the beginning. Sound of the wind is distracting, but your recording and mixing are pretty even.
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