Credits:
Written, Edited, Produced by and Featuring: Ben Davis, Alannah Burr, Jon West and Nathan Fumberger
Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Fretless” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
“Carpe Diem” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
“Gathering Darkness” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
This was a lot of fun to watch – and I can obviously tell you guys had a lot of fun making it. You created a very convincing and immersive video game environment through those awkward cuts, the looping soundtrack and many other silly, unrealistic elements found within a game.
That immersive-ness was constantly interrupted by cutting to the player by the close-ups on their hands, and their own immersion was later cut off by the ‘glitch’ in the video, as they throw their hands up in exasperation. Those close ups showed us the players own immersion within the game – their intense focus was displayed through their finger movements and the impression that they were hunched over their controller. The disconnect between both worlds was very clear, and left a strong impression of the draw and power of escapism. Awesome job!
This was awesome!!! I’m so intrigued by this idea, guys, seriously. Was super cool to see something so creative.
POSITIVE:
-NAILED the camera movement when it was following Ben. Especially in regards to the console joystick movements, it really felt true to a game.
-Super impressed by your acting Ben! Your body movements were fantastic which not only emphasizes that section of the brief but highlights the game concept of the entire film.
-Sound was really great and hit the beats of the narrative well. The music changing according to whether we were in game or outside it was really impressive attention to detail.
CONSTRUCTIVE:
-Such a minor detail, but it would have been nice to extend that first section with the joysticks a bit longer just to really give focus to the joystick moving.
-Continuing from that, the lighting of the Dualshock controller footage was really dark and contrasted too much with the park. I think this was jarring to me because I felt like the Dualshock sections felt almost sinister and I was expecting a story to come with that.
-Just a suggestion if you had more time to play with this idea, but it would have been cool to glitch out Alannah when she was on screen. Like if there was a rendering special effect that made her seem like she wasn’t rendering properly, that would look dope. But that’s more of a suggestion if you wanted to take it further 🙂
I love this concept (it’s really cute) and it was very immersive to me (though at times, it was broken away by certain shots – the glitch, I understood because gaming experience). The contrast between the gamer and the game itself transitioned/mixed well with one another to create a relationship of different movements (the hands on the controller, the characters walking.) Interestingly to point out, I felt like there was a story I was following via dialogue boxes and shadowing the character (just like a video game) so I was highly impressed. Great job ✨
This concept was super cool and hella creative!! It was such a genuine joy to watch. The editing was amazing and really mimicked the videogame feels. It was a super unique idea. The controller scenes were a little bit too dark but besides tht awesome work!!!
This was super immersive and enjoyable to watch. I think the sound effects and music really made this feel like a video game. You guys ended up with a really unique approach to the brief and I think it paid off. Not only do you have the movement of the player’s hands on the controller, but you’ve explored the stiff and unnatural movements that characters in video games often make. While I love what you’ve done with the game, super convincing by the way, I think it would have been nice to spend some more time with the player and their human movements/reactions. The shots of the player were also quite dark, I’m not sure if that was intentional, but if they had been lighter it would have really highlighted that human movement. Other than that, awesome work.
That was so cool. Choreographically, Ben nailed his movements as a video game character. Totally a simulation. Also really loved the cuts back to the remote to remind us. Not to mention the talking cutscene and the glitch.
I would’ve enjoyed more of the game environment and Ben’s role within it. I think that could have done wonders for the choreography element of this brief. But you guys totally nailed it!
So creative guys 🙂 What I love the most about this is you seemed to make the most of your skills & interests to make something fun & I can sort of see where each person has contributed either on or off screen.
Definitely wouldn’t have thought “dance film” & “glitchy game” to be in the same ball park but I think it works? I feel like the glitches are an unintended choreography in a game where a coder has literally decided what each movement and step of the way should look like. In the same way as other films have been pointing out imperfect nuances in simple activities, you’re pointing out imperfect nuances in a digital technology.
You’re kind of readjusting what “dance” can be defined as haha.
I feel like this could have taken a Black Mirror turn and I would have been there for it tbh. Where the user’s POV is emphasised more. That’s my only suggestion.
This would fit more into a narrative film genre and as such it’s successful; the video game world meshing with the real-life playing out of the story. Is it a dance-film? I was trying to think of the ways to observe the moments that would fit into the dance film genre and I can see how the computer games and the action figures are in fact performing a kind of a dance. There is definite energy and movement and agility to playing video games, as well the fact that it is about mobility, physical gestures within the space. The transposing of the game into a real-life situation helps ground it and whilst there is no obvious ‘dancing’ the edit cuts have a very playful, Jacques Tatti-like energy to it, lending the piece that child-like, comic quality. I definitely engaged with this piece in a comedic-like manner and that gave it rhythm, movement and dance-like quality. Really good work!
I loved this! I especially loved how much you guys captured the FEEL of a video game through your movements and the way you filmed it – the behind the walking character POV that’s so ubiquitous to rpg’s. It really felt like a Skyrim game with really good graphic (and that also explains the presence of the glitch.) the jerky movements of the ‘glitch’ and how she didn’t ever really MOVE, just ended up in different positions without taking the time to move to them, was also an excellent display of physical movement and the uncanny valley and how Film can manipulate the senses of the audience – the music, as well, both matched the travelling motion of the character and the vaguely horror movie motion and appearances of the glitch (the bit where she appeared behind him t-posing actually gave ma a jumpscare.) Also, the humour was excellent – I freely admit that I loved the part where the main character jumped the fence, because of years of playing pokemon. Well done!
Loved how it reconfigures our fundamental assumptions of dance within a set of game rules. The glitch’s visual and sonic disturbances provide this ‘improvised space’ for the game stage. In some respects, there’s even two choreographers: the ‘glitch’ and the gamer. Their relationship is conflicting but also constructive. It’d be interesting to see how resetting a console might change the dynamic.
I noticed at one point the game kept playing by itself, even after the gamer had left the controller. It seemed as though the character’s had their own agency. Was this a part of the glitch? Camerawork definitely immerses viewer in the gamer experience.
Absolutely incredible job. I loved the camera mobility, especially those swing around movements- what were you using for that sort of steady cam, or was the footage just stabilized? I tip my hat to whoever was involved with the editing, the little details such as the screen narrowing for the encounters etc. you all just completely nailed it. I think the movements of the actors were spot on and the rhythm and pacing of the whole piece, with the end having a crescendo of sorts, was just excellent and definitely somewhat dance-like. Especially in regards to the glitch aspect, it reminded me of like pop-and-lock dances, where dances isolate certain movements and it looks glitchy and disconcerting. Good on you all for trying something different and fun!
This was very cute. My favourite bit was the fence jumping. It felt like it ended abruptly before it had time to develop. I think you had a complex idea that perhaps hasn’t quite been realised in this cut. A number of comments use the word ‘immersive’ to describe the experience. It would be interesting to talk about how you’re using that term and what elements of the work inspire that for you, especially because the work plays on the ‘fake’ aesthetics of video games. Again, I think that playing with the idea of ‘choreography’ could be really interesting here and a potential way to develop this work; and Mya’s suggestion around ‘improvisation’; and the connection to pop-and-lock choreography. Great comments on this from others, you guys hit a nerve!
This was an awesome film guys!
I do also feel like it was cut a little short and I would have loved just another couple of shots perhaps back and forth with the glitch at the and then the frustration before giving up to really end it but it was still great!
I do think it would be really interesting to hear how you guys fit it into the ‘dance’ part of the brief. Others have mentioned a few ways and interpretations already that I agree with but would still be interesting to know how you guys came to this from this brief.
Great work!
HHAHA I really loved this idea; at the beginning I was a bit hesitant towards the choice of music and what I was watching, but when I realised what it was going for, the elements of music, camera and body movements really delivered a strong piece and idea! It was really entertaining and props to the cameraman for having the steadiest of hands.
This was hilarious. Loved the attention to the stiff, repetitive movement of video game characters and how they’re pretty weird in a real life scenario. So many little easter eggs for people play games which is great, especially the difference between cutscenes and gameplay. The cuts to the hands really held the piece together and especially with the soundtrack.
The bit at the end with Lani’s terrifying glitching t-pose stuff was so good I was pissing myself laughing. I think you guys, given the time constraint, skimmed over some parts in those that could be developed into bigger bits which I would just love to see.
Awesome work!
This was really funny, the stiff movements of everyone in the game is so uncanny and kinda creepy in real life and the glitch was terrifying. I loved this I can’t see anything to improve other than to make more