Tesssa

A review of Crazy Love

by Tesssa on 05/16/2012

Mmmm what to add to a 4 year old submission with over 50 reviews... Dating is so hard sometimes. I thought the story was rather straightforward, with a few cool details. The 'crazy' aspects of the girls were creative, specially the first one. However, I thought it was a bit cheap that the second girl was 'foreign', and that she suddenly gained a french accent halfway the movie... read

Set-up for more

A review of Reception

by Tesssa on 05/15/2012

Very suspenseful. The story starts out and unfolds rather straightforward, with a few surprises (the decoration of the room, the person standing in the room). However, even knowing what would probably come next, the suspense is very much present in the photography, editing and music. Since the story doesn't really unfold, I assume there'll be a follow-up which I'd love to see,... read

Into the depths

A review of Scene from Macbeth

by Tesssa on 05/14/2012

Well done! Even if my knowledge on the classics is limited, I liked the performance and the choice of setting, in particular the choice of lightning and sound. I thought the performance of the actor was well done. Since I'm not a native speaker, I had some trouble understanding his English though. However what makes this movie well done, is all the small elements, all the... read

Nice conclusion!

A review of Dark Places in the Sunshine

by Tesssa on 04/15/2012

Storywise I thought this was a very nice conclusion, considering your other work. It's dramatic for sure, but there's more to it than the base premises of 'dead boyfriend'. I really liked the second layer you added, mainly the girl being, I assume, a bit schizofrenic. The way you portrayed it was nice as well. The actors did well too, allthough I feel the girl keeps the same... Storywise I thought this was a very nice conclusion, considering your other work. It's dramatic for sure, but there's more to it than the base premises of 'dead boyfriend'. I really liked the second layer you added, mainly the girl being, I assume, a bit schizofrenic. The way you portrayed it was nice as well. The actors did well too, allthough I feel the girl keeps the same facial expression all the time: she's clearly tormented!

However I feel you made some photographic choices I wouldn't have made.

I like how you used shallow depth of field in some of your previous work, but a lot of the shots here consisted of long out of focus shots of the background, and the person of interest walking in the focus for just a second. As a viewer, I found myself looking at whatever was in focus (for example, the hedge) and wait what would come out of it. When it turns out to be the girl just walking by, it's a bit dissapointing. Maybe it's unwanted, but you do create a bit of suspense that way... and the suspense leads to nothing again and again, almost as if you trick the viewer. I like the idea, but maybe the ratio in focus / out of focus is a bit out of balance.

My second comment would be on the shaky camera. I think out of all the ways of showing inner problems or changes, the shaky camera is my least favorite. But more than the estetical issue I have with it, I feel it didn't serve the purpose I believe you intented it for. If you wanted to show the violence of the scene (I don't think so), a better way would have been to contrast the use of the camera with what is happening: a clean wide shot, lasting for a long time. Inner problems could have been shown by fast cuts, changing music, etc. The shaking camera, for me, didn't convey the message.

However, you made some other shots that were really amazing. I loved the shot of the 'stalker' looking at the scene from behind a corner, the shots of him (and later her) watching the tapes, the moment of confusion when the boyfriend doesn't seem startled by the stranger in his house... those were so cool! You also made excellent and purposeful black and white shots.

Recommended. I look forward to seeing more of you! read

I just got out of bed...

A review of FOUR EMOTIONS

by Tesssa on 04/03/2012

Such beautiful images! But let me start from the beginning: the story was very good for such a short movie. Not too many characters, good setting, etc. However it was unclear to me that the different persons were different emotions until I checked the synopsis. Seeing it a second time with the clue, I see what you did and how you gave that impression. It might have been more... Such beautiful images! But let me start from the beginning: the story was very good for such a short movie. Not too many characters, good setting, etc. However it was unclear to me that the different persons were different emotions until I checked the synopsis. Seeing it a second time with the clue, I see what you did and how you gave that impression. It might have been more clear if the different emotions acted different. You wanted to show that they were all part of the same person... but they seemed to be, actually, the same person without distinction except how they looked.

I simply loved your setting! I'm a great fan of old industrial buildings turned into living spaces. On top of that I found you used the setting very well: the feet on the concrete stairs, the top of the building, the bed in the empty space... all very well chosen. I found the though looking environment contrasted very well with the very goodlooking actors and the soft looking sheets too. Excellent choice of setting and well utilized.

Your photography was nice as well. The shots at the beginning, showing the naked bodies, were very respectful and well chosen. It makes the viewer marvel at the beauty without understanding, which is something I suppose is a feeling one could have waking up in the morning, after a dream or a night with a partner. I noticed you used to different ways of showing the different emotions: by raw cuts (for example with the hand) and superimposing (the feet on the stairs). I'm more a fan of the raw cuts, but on the other hand, superimposing them gave a change of pace which probably did the movie more good than bad. I think it's a good thing to diversify.

Music and sound were lovely as well. Strange choice, to add the noise... but it worked out very well.

I recommended. This movie sets a certain atmosphere, and all the shots, music, actors and other elements are geared towards creating that atmosphere. Good luck in your work and I look forward to seeing more from you. read

Asounding

A review of See What I Hear

by Tesssa on 04/02/2012

Creative idea for a story, with a lot of potential for interesting visuals! Your actor did a good job too. I found that he showed a nice well-rounded character, a guy stuck in a lousy job (and maybe relation) but who keeps going. The loss of hearing though seems to be the drop breaking the perseverance he had so far. However I might have paced the story a bit different, with... read

Review depleted

A review of You Deplete Me

by Tesssa on 03/31/2012

Your work is truely beautiful. I love the photography, shot composition the moods you create, your actor etc... however in this movie I didn't feel it. The story was a very classic story: a guy gets dumped and we see him in all his frustration. However I didn't feel as if you added a new and interesting element to it. We know from the beginning the guy is dumped, everything... read

The infinite review

A review of The Infinite Flu

by Tesssa on 03/30/2012

I very much liked the base of the story and the atmosphere you created, with the music and the shallow depth of field. However I found it was more of a surrealistic almost experimental movie than a comedy. Firstly I very much liked the atmosphere you created in the beginning with the monkeys, the words on the fridge and the 'dead' guy in the bed. The ending was lovely too... I very much liked the base of the story and the atmosphere you created, with the music and the shallow depth of field. However I found it was more of a surrealistic almost experimental movie than a comedy. Firstly I very much liked the atmosphere you created in the beginning with the monkeys, the words on the fridge and the 'dead' guy in the bed. The ending was lovely too. However the dialogue was too extended and very predictable: the viewer knows Bob will get fired. In fact, the tagline almost insinuates it: if someone calls in sick too much with silly excuses, he or she gets fired. I was a bit curious on how Bob would react, but not too much. However Bob getting fired is almost irrelevant for the movie. The important part is that he actually is dead.

On top of the atmosphere, the constant neutral expression of the main character increased the surreal rather than the comedy. Why doesn't the guy care more? Does he really just want to look tv all day? He doesn't even seem to care about tv! I assumed at the end he doesn't care because he actually is dead. That's a very valid reason if any :).

Technically I thought the movie showed both vision and flawms.
The sound was excellent: good choice, well paced and technically perfect.
The shallow depth of field was nice, as was your shot composition. I particularly liked the shot of the bottles of beer in front of the tv and the winks towards 'Planet of the Apes'. However, the magnet words were unreadable for me. The phrase you used isn't a common phrase, so you need to give readers more time to read it... specially for non native speakers of English, such as me. Another shot you missed for me was the opening shot. I had the impression you put someone in front of the camera and then asked him or her to move away. Why not make a wipe instead as a transition, or put the person in front in focus? Now it's just an unclear blurr that could be a person or a transition gone wrong. I assume you wanted to show the second Bob from the beginning. That would have been an excellent idea, if it was technically better executed.

I liked it very much, as a surreal film. Even for a surreal film I think you need to work a bit more on some details. As a comedy it didn't do it for me so I didn't recommend it.

Good luck in your work. I'd love to see a future version of this movie. read

Details

A review of Foot in the Door

by Tesssa on 03/29/2012

I liked the idea on this movie: it's so hard to find a job these days anywhere, so it's an issue everyone can at least relate to. The actor you had picked had excellent expression, he was very good for the role. However, I find the story lacking in the details. Not providing a framework and detail the story was, for me, a lot less funny: what jobs is he applying for, why is... read

Memories of a movie

A review of Osiris Torn

by Tesssa on 03/27/2012

Cool story and well explained. I liked the pace of it, the images you picked for the sequences and the 'acting' in the animations. A small detail on the animations is that the background is often not as worked out as the characters. The effect is a bit surreal for me, as if the characters are detached from the world. This is particularly true in the parts for Osiris, less in... read

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Submissions by Tesssa

Reviews by Tesssa 57

Comments About Tesssa 5

DJBFilmz on 04/02/2012

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Submissions by Tesssa

Reviews by Tesssa 57

Comments About Tesssa 5

DJBFilmz on 04/02/2012

arcilesifilms on 03/22/2012

doonae on 03/01/2012

revendel on 02/26/2012

areelillmind on 02/11/2012

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