Q.1
Budgerigar:
I thought the cinematography of this film was truly exceptional. It was this aspect of the film that made it truly stand out above the rest. The scene which stood out to me especially was when the main character becomes fixated on the brother eating the chicken, as the lighting takes a dramatic blue change. I thought this heightened the comedic element of the film excellently and also had some great shots, especially the perfectly disgusting close up of the brother eating the chicken. Also great job on choosing the location, while the unique dining room didn’t necessarily add anything to the plot it was quite a beautiful space and definitely enhanced the visually pleasing quality of the film. One critique I have for the film is that the plot got a little confusing at the beginning as to what was supposed to be happening between the lead males and why the brother was so intimidating, a better conclusion could have been reached as well. Other than those critiques a really great film!
MILK:
MILK definitely took the spot as my favourite film of the night, I though it was absolutely hilarious! The pacing of the film was very well done as it was not tempted to become overdrawn and was a very simple and contained film. I truly admire how they used such a simple plot and managed to execute it in such an entertaining and fresh way. The acting was executed brilliantly, especially that disgusting roommate.
I couldn’t review this film without mentioning that brilliant shot of the milk on the ground, it featured such great use of sound with that soundtrack to achieve a high sense of comedy through exaggeration from the get go. I also really loved the tracking shots of the guy running to the shop, they we’re captured really well. All together a really great film.
The Paper Boy:
I thought the Paper Boy was a very charming film, which proved to be successful in it’s ability to make a very simple plot a humorous affair. First of all I really like the way the film relied on a lot of visual tools to convey the story as it did not rely heavily on dialogue. Overall what really made this movie was the great acting by the two leads, Oliver was perfectly awkward yet likeable and the girl played her aloof character spot on. The two also had great chemistry. I really enjoyed the ending of this film with Oliver realising he took the wrong magazine, I think this punctuated the film perfectly. I also really liked how Oliver’s character was established through the shots of him outside the news agency and his puny bike, these features really helped embellish his character. This only fault I see in the film is that I found the interactions between Oliver and the girl a bit illogical once she finds him inside her house as she doesn’t seem to express any panic or confusion at all, however this is salvaged by the ending. Overall a really entertaining film.
Q2.
“My goals that I hope to achieve from Film and TV this semester overall is to obtain a good grasp over the entire production process of a creative short film. I have a particular desire to achieve this as I have never actually completed a creative film from start to finish, as I usually focus on one part of the process (usually screenwriting) and then giving up, so I think it’ll be incredibly valuable. I also hope to finish this course with a renewed sense of ambition and motivation as it has been severely lacking lately.”
Looking back at my initial goals of this course I can definitely say without a doubt that I have achieved both of these. In regards to the first, I have obviously now undergone the whole process of creating a short film. I don’t think I ever would have been able to fathom how difficult it is and how much effort is required to make a film if I had not actually gone out and made one, instead of being debilitated by fear and just dreaming of films I’d like to make.
I too have also definitely seen a huge increase in my motivation and dedication. I can truly say that I’m so proud of the work and effort I put into this film as I was working every day on it, most nights staying up till midnight doing something for it. It feels like such a great conclusion to this ordeal that I have ended up with a film which I am extremely proud of, as it just made all the work and tears (of which there were plenty) so worth it. I can also confidently say without a doubt that this is the field in which I want to work in.
However, while I’m proud that I achieved the goals that I set out for myself, there have also been many profound and unexpected lessons that I have learned along the way which have proven to be much more valuable. They are the importance of how you work with other people, in my group I worked with people who have become extremely good friends and I worked with people I couldn’t tolerate and who didn’t pull their weight. In doing this I have really grasped how important reputation is in this business and to always treat others with respect no matter what and to always do your task at your absolute best ability.
Throughout the course of my groups production we were riddled with complications and things not going our way. While at the time
I thought it was the end of the world, now looking back I cherish all these mistakes as they really only enhanced my resiliency as well as pushing my dedication to it’s absolute limits only for me to realise that I am not one to ever give up and fought on through every issue.
Lastly I have also learned to NEVER FILM WITHOUT A PERMIT!