Looks Good
Some really strong production qualities here. That's what stands out. Camera work is right on, lighting and composition looks great. There was definitely a little time taken on this one and that is hard to find on TS. I would say that the story itself was predictable. I sort of new what was going on the whole time. But the strong production quality kept me watching. The acting was ok, nothing fantastic or terrible, right about in the middle. I've never been a fan of narration in a film, of course with the exception of documentary film. It just seems to get in the way here, and most of the time, she's saying things that we the audience already knows, or is about to find out. Loose half of the VO, and you'd have a lot stronger piece. The production qualities are so good, let them speak for themselves.
Other Reviews by cptmorgan
89
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I was really interested in what these 2 soldiers had to say. You could obviously tell that their experiences were honest and true, and that they were truly affected by what they both had been through. The statement this film is making is very clear. However, the production qualities in this film are really poor and look amateur. This didn't take away from what they were...
I was really interested in what these 2 soldiers had to say. You could obviously tell that their experiences were honest and true, and that they were truly affected by what they both had been through. The statement this film is making is very clear. However, the production qualities in this film are really poor and look amateur. This didn't take away from what they were saying, but it's quite a shame that the filmmakers didn't take the time to do anything about it. It seemed thrown together, just so they could compare these 2 stories and get it done. The 2 interviews don't match at all. You have one pretty nice shot of the soldier from iraq, but then you have a not so nice shot of the soldier from vietnam. The back light on his head is almost starting a fire. I found that I wanted to read the text and things behind him, and it was distracting. When compared to the soldier in iraq, his setting was outside? Where's the parallel there?
The b-roll was weak and poorly edited together. I couldn't tell if the pictures where of the soldiers, or in iraq, or vietnam. Next time try scanning your pictures in at a higher resolution. Then maybe you can blow them up a little better in post. And loose the shots of the lines on the road. The "parallels" are in what they are both saying and how they are telling their stories. We don't need to constantly be reminded with an obvious and poorly thought out metaphor every 30 seconds.
It's unfortunate that you can win awards with subject matter alone and no attention to detail. Because the production qualities in this film scream community access television.
Good subject matter, poor delivery. Good luck.
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This film has absolutely no pay off. I found it meaningless after a couple of views. On the second view, I tried to find something that could tie in the sand and everything else in this guys life. Nope, makes no sense. This might have been clever and witty to those invovled in the production, but the story, or point, or plot are not there. It was 6 and a half minutes...
This film has absolutely no pay off. I found it meaningless after a couple of views. On the second view, I tried to find something that could tie in the sand and everything else in this guys life. Nope, makes no sense. This might have been clever and witty to those invovled in the production, but the story, or point, or plot are not there. It was 6 and a half minutes of some nice shots and someone talking about how long they've been eating sand.
On a lighter note, there is some really nice camera work here. Composition, shot structure and production were all really pro. I enjoyed seeing the dolly shots and nice long shots. It's mainly what kept me watching this. Unfortunately, they are waisted in my opinion to a film that's more of a stretch than an a story.
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I'll tell you, because this film was REALLY predictable. Playing on the "first kiss" cute little kids theme, this film doesn't really do much to expand my imagination. I also didn't see the point of shooting this in 8mm, unless the creator just wanted things to look cool. Or maybe it was all supposed to trigger our own memory of our first kiss when we were young? I doubt...
I'll tell you, because this film was REALLY predictable. Playing on the "first kiss" cute little kids theme, this film doesn't really do much to expand my imagination. I also didn't see the point of shooting this in 8mm, unless the creator just wanted things to look cool. Or maybe it was all supposed to trigger our own memory of our first kiss when we were young? I doubt it. Use 8mm film for effect, not for the entire piece. I thought the acting was actually really good for young kids. Usually the weakest performances in indie film come from the kids, but these actors seemed to pull if off nicely, which in turn, is good direction. Well done there. The only other flaw I have to point out is the ending. It should have ended with the kiss, not with the two brothers. Why? Because we the audience already know the main character was making his own moves, he didn't have to tell us. All in all, this has some good and bad parts, and was just ok for me.
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