Nice Shot - ID# 529
Shepard High School
Dramatic Narrative
Entry Description
"Nightmare Director" takes on a whole new meaning in this dramatic film.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/17 1:56 pm - Very strong story with great performances. Great opening sequence with the wide shot, the mirror, and then the car parking. The sound issues take away from an otherwise polished piece. For example, the mic is clearly scratching against something at :32 (this could have easily been re-recorded as ADR in post since we don't see the character's lips moving here). The ringing sound effect was an unnecessary addition that added to an already rough sound mix with clearly unintentional ringing. Sound issues aside, very impressive vision. And make no mistake, there is some great use of sound as well, such as in the slapping jump-cut sequence and the off-camera sound in the end that communicates the gun not being a prop. The shaky camerawork doesn't always feel intentional, and some of the composition could have been more polished. But in general, very thoughtful decisions on what to show and when to show it. The switch from 4:3 to 16:9 works very well. The story's tackling of abusive bosses and directors is profound and believable – clear beginning, middle, and end. Look forward to seeing more of your work!
- 3/14 8:27 am - This film does a great job at showing us how NOT to run a set (it would make a great PSA for film set safety!). I think it does need some adjustments in terms of story and structure. Who is the main character? Who are we supposed to empathize with? We have a lot of close-up shots of the director, but it seems like the story is leaning more towards focusing on either the actor getting slapped or the actor doing the slapping. These two seem to have the most character development, whereas the director is a pretty static character. I think picking one to focus on and sticking to it would help you tell the story you are trying to tell. Nice use of aspect ratios. The change in format when the director says "cut" lets us know exactly where we are and who these characters are. It completely flips our understanding of the story - we are led to think the beginning is real, but this simple change in aspect ratio immediately changes our perspective. We know we're seeing behind the scenes now and that this is real life and not the perfectly aesthetic 4:3 movie world that had been established earlier on.
- 2/28 8:32 am - Great idea - and a great metaphor. Directors can be sadistic. If, however, your film is about the Director, we should see the film through his eyes, his POV. Right now, your focus is all over the place. Also, the character who wants to quit: who is he? What job does he perform? You started the film with a 4x3 aspect ratio - which was a great way to introduce the film-within-the-film idea- but then you drop it. I wish you were consistent.
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