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Reviews of Fight or Flight 12

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  good stuff
  A review of Fight or Flight
  by motormeat0170 on 12/01/2012
  I enjoyed the film overall. I liked the black & white affect. Pros: A powerful message delivered in the film. I liked the special affects and the various angles the main character were shot from. I also liked the silent aspect of the film, it kept me guessing as to what might be going on. Cons: The actors seemed a bit mechanical, especially the main. He seemed to be... I enjoyed the film overall. I liked the black & white affect.
  
  Pros: A powerful message delivered in the film. I liked the special affects and the various angles the main character were shot from. I also liked the silent aspect of the film, it kept me guessing as to what might be going on.
  
  Cons: The actors seemed a bit mechanical, especially the main. He seemed to be trying to hard to act if that makes sense. I also wasn't a great fan of the sound.
  
  Overall a smart project, one that I enjoyed very much.... read
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  A good exercise for the filmmaker, but not very entertaining.
  A review of Fight or Flight
  by InPost on 08/27/2012
  Good effort from the filmmaker to create a completed work and stands as a great part of their progress as a storyteller. For the casual view however, it has very little entertainment value. The acting is transient and uncompelling partly due to the lack of character development and establishment. There is also some difficulty with the technical aspects of the cinematography... Good effort from the filmmaker to create a completed work and stands as a great part of their progress as a storyteller.
  For the casual view however, it has very little entertainment value. The acting is transient and uncompelling partly due to the lack of character development and establishment. There is also some difficulty with the technical aspects of the cinematography. Some nice framing and interesting movement in the beginning, but I found it very hard to understand what this short was about. read
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  Fight or Flight
  A review of Fight or Flight
  by sal333 on 07/31/2012
  The story is a little vague so I couldn't really feel the tension that filmmakers were trying to convey. There were two points in the story that needed explaining but were left unanswered. What was the protag doing aside from putting up peace posters. What was he saw that set him running in the first place. That sequence made no sense. He was just running and we don't know... The story is a little vague so I couldn't really feel the tension that filmmakers were trying to convey.
  
  There were two points in the story that needed explaining but were left unanswered.
  
  What was the protag doing aside from putting up peace posters.
  What was he saw that set him running in the first place. That sequence made no sense. He was just running and we don't know why.
  
  As for other elements aside from story, the cinematography was decent but the choice of black and white needed to be exploited a little more.
  
  The acting was passable and the editing functional.
  
  Basically what hurt this film was a weak story line.
  
  
  read
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  That was fun.
  A review of Fight or Flight
  by BUNKER on 07/26/2012
  It had the feeling of young filmmakers who just got a camera and just decided to shoot something, the black and white seems to be more to avoid complex lighting, and the minimal sound seem to be out of necessity. Very fun for a limited crew and what I'm guessing is no budget. Would I consider this for competition no, but I would watch other videos from you, unlike tons of shorts... It had the feeling of young filmmakers who just got a camera and just decided to shoot something, the black and white seems to be more to avoid complex lighting, and the minimal sound seem to be out of necessity. Very fun for a limited crew and what I'm guessing is no budget. Would I consider this for competition no, but I would watch other videos from you, unlike tons of shorts on this site. Keep it up. read
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  Flight?
  A review of Fight or Flight
  by Deon4110 on 07/11/2012
  Hi, This is a good idea. The idea that a guy would want to promote piece, but is hunted by an evil corporation who leeches off of war, is a good idea for a short film. But the execution was a bit off: THE TECHNICAL CONS: - First things first. Why did you decide to go black and white? I get it that you tried to go nior, but it doesn't work that well outdoors. Way too much... Hi,
  
  This is a good idea. The idea that a guy would want to promote piece, but is hunted by an evil corporation who leeches off of war, is a good idea for a short film.
  
  But the execution was a bit off:
  
  THE TECHNICAL CONS:
  
  - First things first. Why did you decide to go black and white? I get it that you tried to go nior, but it doesn't work that well outdoors. Way too much light to justify the scenario. A noir scenario is usually very dark and ominous. If you were concerned with the unpredictable lighting conditions of shooting outside, all NLE Suits available today has some form of color correction. And it's not that hard.
  
  - I noticed some sound design issues. First, the wind in the Camera Mic can be heard while your main actor is running away. I noticed other crackling sounds coming from the mic as well, where your main character sticks the poster to one of the posts. That's a little off-putting.
  
  - Your camera work while moving was shaky to say the least. I understand that rigs are expensive, but, stabilizing footage in post isn't hard either and it doesn't take weeks to do.
  
  - Why would a seemingly professional assassin have a kitchen steak knife as a murder weapon? That completely threw me off.
  
  - The blood, coming from the main artery in the neck isn't that thick. It will gush out, not drip like a syrup bottle squeezed flat.
  
  - Your editing was, to my opinion - predictable.
  
  - Your opening shot was too wide. I like the idea of a wide opening shot, but not that wide. If you had a lesser wide shot and character moved forward to fill the frame, that would've been incredible.
  
  THE STORY CONS:
  
  - What's the idea with the title, I mean I get the fighting part, but flight? What's that about?
  
  - When your protagonist is introduced in a full frame, he seems disturbed already without the presence of a threat. It would've made more sense if he was calm and more determined.
  
  - When you introduce the antagonist, all he does is follow your protagonist without a sense of urgency. And to the me (the audience), without reason. It would've made more sense if he ripped the flyer off of the post with anger. That would've told the audience why he's chasing the good guy and what his position was in the film.
  
  - When you do a chase sequence, the premise is simple; A is chasing B, because... The most important thing to remember when doing a chase sequence is distance. And to me, your bad guy was always too far behind the good guy.
  
  - When your good guy runs away, he runs without a sense of urgency. I can tell he ran because you told him to run.
  
  - He stops one time too many. When you know you're being chased by a professional assassin, you don't stop.
  
  - The chase sequences also went on too long. But this is probable due to editing.
  
  - At the end, where the good guy sees the bad guy pulling the knife out, he seems to give up. He seemingly falls down on a tree trunk and invites the bad guy to kill him. He didn't put up a fight. He kicked him though. But, clearly choreographed. Your good guy's leg was up while the bad approached him.
  
  - And lastly, your good guy dies. Why did the bad guy leave only to come back and place him on the bench? It would make more sense if your bad guy stood around to watch him die and then place him on the bench.
  
  ACTING CONS:
  
  - As I mentioned earlier, your actors did everything without a sense of urgency.
  
  - When your good guy drops the roll of tape; why would he drop from chest-high? I understand he was surpised, but when you're walking, normally your hands swing beside your pelvis. Why would he bring it up just to drop it. It would make more sense if he just dropped it while his arms was hanging on his side. That tells me he was surprised.
  
  - Your bad guy seemed too happy to be an assassin.
  
  - I understand choreography, but with editing, you can make it seem more natural. Like mentioned above, where the good guy kicks the bad guy.
  
  - I didn't believe your good guy was dying. He made some gurgling noises, which to be honest, put me off.
  
  And that's it for the cons.
  
  Now what I liked about this production:
  
  TECHNICAL PROS:
  
  - You had some very interesting shot choices. Aside from the shaky shots, they were very well planned.
  
  - The music really went well with this. It added what the actors couldn't; a sense of urgency.
  
  STORY PROS:
  
  - As I mentioned earlier, this is very good idea, and with the right execution, this could be something.
  
  I'm sorry, but there's nothing good I can say about the acting.
  
  This isn't a personal attack on your production or your cast and crew. It's just my opinion and things that I thought you could improve on. Because, from the good things I did pick up, you seem like a very good natural director. You just need to work more with your actors.
  
  This production could easily be 15 mintes long, and if you looked at some of the things I mentioned above, it would certainly be something I would go to see.
  
  Thanks for the watch and good luck.
  read
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  Needs a little fine tuning
  A review of Fight or Flight
  by billbosan on 04/28/2012
  Not a bad concept for a short film, perhaps a little long-winded. The idea is OK, just need to focus more on the cinematography, shaky cam is OK in some cases but a whole 7 minutes of it is too much, use a tripod once in a while, frame your shots and take a little time to think about it. A little color/ contrast correction wouldn't go amiss, bring those blacks and whites out,... Not a bad concept for a short film, perhaps a little long-winded. The idea is OK, just need to focus more on the cinematography, shaky cam is OK in some cases but a whole 7 minutes of it is too much, use a tripod once in a while, frame your shots and take a little time to think about it. A little color/ contrast correction wouldn't go amiss, bring those blacks and whites out, add a little drama to your image. The sound needed a little polishing, I heard a lot of static in the background.
  
  Acting-wise, he wasn't bad. Perhaps a little too much, we don't have to know everything he is thinking, let the audience figure some out for themselves.
  
  Other than that good luck with your next one. read
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  Less could have been more
  A review of Fight or Flight
  by grimmfilmservices on 04/11/2012
  A guy is putting up signs when he decides to run. He then runs and runs and runs, jogs for a bit, stops, and then runs and runs and runs; never crying for help in an obviously populated area. Also, what was the point of putting the victim on the park bench before strolling away? Most murderers want to get the hell out. I like the idea of the relentless pursuer, but this... A guy is putting up signs when he decides to run. He then runs and runs and runs, jogs for a bit, stops, and then runs and runs and runs; never crying for help in an obviously populated area. Also, what was the point of putting the victim on the park bench before strolling away? Most murderers want to get the hell out.
  
  I like the idea of the relentless pursuer, but this was not suspensful. I totally would have been on board if this were a comedy, though. I'd try cutting it down to less than 2 minutes, adding shots of Mr Smith tearing down each of the protagonist's signs during the pursuit, but still ending with the stabbing and the peace sign reveal.
  
  I bet it'd be funny. read
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  Lost me
  A review of Fight or Flight
  by SaintSinnerCEO on 04/06/2012
  To make clear from the jump, I get what the point of this short was, a simple man being pursued by an ominous figure and him losing that battle. I am just trying to get why this happened in this short is why I said lost me in the heading. Usually when someones being chased in a deadly manner theres a reason given as to why this one figure wants the other dead. I did enjoy... To make clear from the jump, I get what the point of this short was, a simple man being pursued by an ominous figure and him losing that battle.
  
  I am just trying to get why this happened in this short is why I said lost me in the heading. Usually when someones being chased in a deadly manner theres a reason given as to why this one figure wants the other dead.
  
  I did enjoy the camera work, it built decent tension throughout. The score could be a bit more jarring to create tension itself with this choreography. But I get this is a little short and one thats possibly a stepping stone to more awesome work, so Ill say in closing congrats on making a cool short.
  
  Keep up the solid work. read
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  DJB's Review
  A review of Fight or Flight
  by DJBFilmz on 03/25/2012
  Just because a man wears a suit doesn't mean he's trying to destroy peace. The acting was okay, but the action was cheesy. That kick was horrible, I thought I was watching a bad action flick. And the big long chase scene did nothing for me. Dialogue would have helped this piece in a lot more ways than showing us a badly painted peace symbol at the end. This short is just... Just because a man wears a suit doesn't mean he's trying to destroy peace.
  
  The acting was okay, but the action was cheesy. That kick was horrible, I thought I was watching a bad action flick. And the big long chase scene did nothing for me.
  
  Dialogue would have helped this piece in a lot more ways than showing us a badly painted peace symbol at the end.
  
  This short is just not up to par with most others I've seen. I will say at least you were trying to convey a story unlike other pieces where there's just beautiful shots and no story foundation.
  
  - D.J. Buchanan read
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  Cool idea!
  A review of Fight or Flight
  by Tesssa on 01/30/2012
  I really liked the idea and concept of the story! The title caught my attention, because it implies that the guy has a dillema to face. He never does though: from the moment that he spots his assailant he runs. However he does fight by hanging up posters. Maybe he's unable to face the consequences of his fight, and is the message that if you embark on a fight, you have to finish... I really liked the idea and concept of the story! The title caught my attention, because it implies that the guy has a dillema to face. He never does though: from the moment that he spots his assailant he runs. However he does fight by hanging up posters. Maybe he's unable to face the consequences of his fight, and is the message that if you embark on a fight, you have to finish it? I'm not sure: instinctively I disagreed with the title, but after giving it more thought I believe it's a good choice.
  
  Techique-wise I would have a or another stabilizing device, or practise more. Some shots were shaky, where the shake had no apparent use.
  
  The forest you picked as a setting must have be really beautiful in colour and I believe a very good choice for a chase, with the narrow paths, the branches, the light throught the trees, etc. I would have made use of it in some way, if possible. With such a setting rich in colour, I wouldn't have gone for black and white.
  
  In general I enjoyed watching it very much! The story is cool, the actor engaging and there's lots of suspense to keep the viewer attached! read