Les Œufs - ID# 59

Wheaton North
Dramatic Narrative
Entry Description

This Wes Anderson inspired short film follows the main character on a short adventure to acquire eggs for her breakfast. The music is Fiasco by Gus Viseur.

Copyright Info

Recent Teacher Comments

  • 4/15 11:55 am - Delightfully topical and reminiscent of the French New Wave. Fun performance, measured pacing in editing. Very cool POV shot with binoculars. I can appreciate the "French New Wave / Indie Style" of the occasional shakiness. Nice use of sound design throughout. You certainly have a strong grasp of style, tone, and composition. It's often difficult to judge a short without dialogue against ones that have it, but you use visual storytelling effectively. My biggest piece of advice is in regards to the story – find a way to heighten the stakes. If the audience felt very invested in the need for eggs, the payoff in the ending would be stronger. Hope to see more of your work!
  • 3/13 2:25 pm - Your static shots, symmetrical compositions, and choice of when to use close ups vs wider shots all contribute to this "simple life" concept. Same with the music - it's fun and playful just like this film. I liked the use of subtle sound effects for small things like pouring coffee. By imitating Wes Anderson's famous techniques, you immediately let us know what the vibe of the film is going to be: lighthearted, cutesy, a little comedic. Very simple and easy to follow! One suggestion for improvement - I think it would have been helpful to see the character's face a little more to get some personality out of her. I wanted to know more about who this character is, not just what she did this morning.
  • 2/26 12:22 pm - Perfectly lovely idea. The full circle structure is working to your advantage. Your parody of Wes Anderson is very effective. I also appreciate how deadpan your character is. I love the careful composition and timing of your film not to mention shading - Anderson is very particular about the colors in his films.
Judge 1

Positives: I can really see the inspiration in this piece. The style can be seen in multiple ways, not just through camera composition, which I like a lot. In terms of camera, there are some good, bold camera choices like with the binoculars and the sweeping camera move for the last shot. The character movements are also very solid and that outfit is on point. Nicely done!

Improvements: I wish the storyline were more motivated. We show the empty eggs at the start, but it is not quickly apparent that this is a problem that will need to be resolved in order for the story to resolve and conclude. In the empty egg carton shot, it is hard to tell that it’s empty due to the camera angle, which can lead to confusion of what this shot means for the story and for the character. She then continues with breakfast as if it’s not an issue. So, we don’t know where she’s going or why. The story would benefit from a clear indication that the empty carton of eggs is a problem for her breakfast that requires immediate resolution. This could manifest as a reaction shot of the lead actress in distress. The making coffee and bacon sequence should come before the egg reveal so that then once the conflict is introduced, the breakfast making process comes to a halt until the quest for eggs is complete. As it stands now, there doesn't appear to be a conflict, and therefore isn't a clear story other than our character making breakfast with their eggs and then going shopping.

Judge 2

Positives: The framing of each shot was done well and I think it was great that there was movement within each shot. I thought the binocular shot was really unique!

Improvements: I think some shots could have been used with a tripod instead of handheld. It was a pretty quick film, so I think you could have incorporated a little more within the storyline. I also think that you could have made the colors for vibrant by adding some saturation to make it more Wes Anderson esc.

Judge 3

Positives: The character development is well crafted. You show the temperament and personality of the main character when she is faced with a very annoying situation. The editing is very effective. Through the pacing, you set up the overall situation just right. She is taking everything in stride and even has time to birdwatch.

Improvements: Here are some ideas that I feel would make your story a little better. At about :11 the main character discovers there are no eggs. It's hard to see the box is empty though. Most of the content area of the egg carton is hidden by the flap on the side of the carton. find another angle of that shot that will show the audience for sure there are no eggs. The calmness of the girl as she realizes that she will have to go to great lengths to purchase another dozen eggs is very funny. Along the way, she stops to view birds in a marsh. Think about adding one or two more events like that. It adds to the humor, but it will also make a statement about her as a person who knows how to live in the moment and find positive things during an annoying time.

Judge 4

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Judge 5

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