Meatloaf
150 Reviews
Reviews
Be One
It started out looking like the Fad was going to be kids posting their camera videos of school yard fights, but then it morphed into this awkward turtle / awkward giraffe / awkward balloon / awkward ... anything (even wire)! thing. Have to admit that I had to get my teenager to explain this to me and I'm assured that all the kids will get it as it's a current school yard thing. So if "being awkward" was the goal, then you managed to portray that well with your main characters. Some of the camera work was great. Loved the little red mini shot and the reference to Good Bye Pork Pie by the teacher - not trying to win the Road Trip prize by any chance were you? And what is the four letter word for zebra by the way? Story could have done with a bit more in it in terms of establishing what the two groups were about, but I liked the underlying message of making your own choices and the "Be One/B1" linkage to the classroom door. Nice flashback and voice over use. FXs and music also seemed to fit OK. I thought the editing was probably the highlight. It looked pretty smooth in terms of transitions and jumping between speaking characters, except for that one small blurry bit in the classroom pan. And no, I didn't see a camera reflection in anyones glasses. Agree with Mark M - it was a good starter for the heat and I'm sure you'll be back next year having learnt from this years experience.
Sticks and Stones
Scene and costumes were great. I most liked the bit with the young boy hiding. Didn't really get what the story was or where it was going - it had lots of 'middle' but could have been stronger when it came to beginning and end. Was the sound out of sync in a lot of places or was that just sluggish buffering by my pc/internet?
Parasite
Everyone else has already said it all. The acting needed to be a bit more relaxed at times. A couple of small hints early on that the android was causing the health issues might have been useful, unless they were already there and I just missed them. And I am left wondering what led the android to wanting to assume Vic's life? For the boyfriend? Hmmm.
Hira's Tree
It had a promising start, and a middle of collecting herbs, but where was the end? Or ... why was the end (just breaking a plate)? Who was the new guy she was wanting to protect and did it work out for her? Sorry, I'm left with too many questions as a result of plot holes.
Sleepless Ambition
Now that was clever and thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Well done. I've watched at least 50 films from this year and I have to say congratulations on being one of just a very small number where "Meyer" was pronounced correctly. Some nice camera work and angles, I like the positioning in the lift and the use of the rear mirror. You looked as though you had a lot of fun making this little gem.
Consulting Victor Meyer
Clever lyrics and an OK storyline although it never really went anywhere - sort of maintained a single level from start to finish. Good political satire, it just that politics in general is a bit of a turn off. Did adhere to the genre so well done for that.
Dub Tee Eff
You had a good idea in terms of your story line and packed plenty in to your 7 minutes. Brush up on the editing skills for next time around - there were bits between shots where there seemed to be a random "flash". If you take a look at the biggest expanded mode of your time line you might see the odd stray single frame or two, it's easy to get them! Take care not to get any recognisable faces in your backgrounds ... unless all those people at the Oriental Bay playground signed consent forms then you probably shouldn't have included that shot. Good luck for next year, use what you learnt as a stepping stone to bigger and better.
The Hand You're Dealt
Even with the poker scene, I'm still not sure how the story lines converged (sorry). It felt as though they were going to come together on some big thing at the end, but they didn't. I found myself wondering during the poker scene if they were speaking in the right directions given where they were each sitting - I know, it's only a little thing and I should have been listening more at that stage. Thought the acting from the banjo player was good. Little bit of tweaking was needed with sound levels in a couple of places but overall quite a polished piece.
The Red Door
Nah, sorry, not a musical at all, was more of a road trip movie. Just a bit cheesy and odd. Almost thought you were going to use Happy Birthday To You as a song but just as well you stopped since that song is copyrighted (hard to believe, I know!)
Insomniacal
You certainly had plenty of lyrics in your songs, maybe a little too much at times. Good idea using the same song to carry things from start to finish, it's just that it wasn't very catchy, sorry. I realise that he was tired and sleepy and this was obviously reflected through that song. Sound was a bit up and down at times although reasonably well in sync. Thought the "self relief" scene wasn't necessary.
Roots and Romance
Enjoyed the lyrics and music. I got to around the 5 minute mark and started wondering how much longer it had to go - it wasn't taking me up or down in terms of the storytelling, just ... along. I got a little focussed on the wrinkled shirt since I'd already read the other reviews, which left me thinking that he should have started out pristine and crisp then deteriorated as the accumulated lack of sleep affected him more. Watch out for continuity issues (pretty sure the next patient wasn't a "her" named April), little kids playing on roads in the background, and stray director voices not removed during the edit.
Return Of A Nightmare
Man you sure did pack a lot into just 7 minutes! Loved the annoying hyper girl who probably deserved to get stuck in the fence - shame on you two others who left her there! Good story line in the recreating of a previous set of murders. Nice work with the reflection in the mirror of the hung girl. The guy peering out from the urinal wall was a laugh. The Reporter almost spoiled it but you saved it by doing the freeze and zoom finish on the figure in the background. Bit cliche but still suited your story line to end that way. I gave you some of my voting points because I enjoyed it and you obviously put in a lot of work and effort to make a short that kept the viewer watching until the end. Good job guys.
Ctrl + Alt + Dream
At the start I thought it was just a continuation of the team intro, but then you got going with the story. Never realised until now how I dislike the use of fake wigs, although I guess that part called for something crazy. It was a bit all over the place although I get the general plot line (I think). I liked the rubbish bin scene and wondered if this would have been a good place to start and maybe even end back up on. The dream scene was, ummm ... definitely dreamy. I wasn't tempted to Ctrl+Alt+Del at any stage during viewing so that's a plus.
The Sleeping Plot
Absolutely LOVED this! Actually, I should say that I really "DIG" it. You so deserve the win, until your movie played I thought that Pour Moi was the winner or possibly Climatic. Nova's acting was brilliant - well done young lady, you're already better than any of the teenagers on Shortland Street and I'm picking you're only half as old as most of them. The hand into the handbag shot was genius and the ice cream gag was very devious (was that the Titahi Bay shops?). My family twigged a lot sooner than I did as to what the twist was going to be and I think that was because I missed a bit of the soundtrack near the start so that's my only reason to not going for a 5 star. I could easily see it as a 15-20 minute version with a little more back story.
Hypnagogia
Nice work. Thought you "nailed" (small hammer joke there) the genre and the style that it entails. I wouldn't be surprised to see you get a mention in other award categories next week. OK there may not have been a huge storyline development going on, but it didn't need it with all that authentic looking blood everywhere! I thought your premise for the lead/story was smart and acting was very believable. Good job team. PS the only thing I missed a little was a sound effect on the first swing of the hammer.
Hush Little Baby
Liked the cinematography and the plot idea but you did side step the whole Musical genre by using Hush Little Baby as the only song. Happy Birthday to You is indeed copyrighted therefore can't be used in 48Hrs without permission of the copyright owner. It was funny though and using the departed guests as returning singers in support of the "pent up" Dad was good thinking. I would have liked to have seen the Mum character a bit more developed in terms of having more song lines throughout to build the an.. tis.. i...pay-tion.
2 GUYS 1 SLUT
Story: 1 girls dates 2 guys while another nerdy guy tries to win her as his girl. Good story and quite funny. You pulled off the Rom-Com genre well. The lead character was a likeable nerd, I especially loved the falling out of tree scene. Honestly though, mate, I think you can do better than that girl! The fireworks piece was a crack-up! I like the use of the lame challenges that the two tough guys went through to win the girl, but be careful of the copyright aspects though (not sure if all those name branded games would qualify). I would have marked you a bit higher if you sound quality had been better, so that's an area for you to work on for next year. I gave you some of my votes at the heat. Well done for putting up a memorable film.
Flat Note
That is an impressive quantity of vinyl. As others have mentioned, it would have benefited from a stronger conflict-and-resolution component to give the storyline a lift, with more happening than just sitting in one location (sorry). I was reminded of Flight of the Concords in terms of the style you took. You have to be careful with unauthorised copyright and logos appearing in your film (V was the beverage sponsor, not Coke). You had a decent go at the genre and stuck to it throughout so well done on that front.
Be One
It started out looking like the Fad was going to be kids posting their camera videos of school yard fights, but then it morphed into this awkward turtle / awkward giraffe / awkward balloon / awkward ... anything (even wire)! thing. Have to admit that I had to get my teenager to explain this to me and I'm assured that all the kids will get it as it's a current school yard thing. So if "being awkward" was the goal, then you managed to portray that well with your main characters. Some of the camera work was great. Loved the little red mini shot and the reference to Good Bye Pork Pie by the teacher - not trying to win the Road Trip prize by any chance were you? And what is the four letter word for zebra by the way? Story could have done with a bit more in it in terms of establishing what the two groups were about, but I liked the underlying message of making your own choices and the "Be One/B1" linkage to the classroom door. Nice flashback and voice over use. FXs and music also seemed to fit OK. I thought the editing was probably the highlight. It looked pretty smooth in terms of transitions and jumping between speaking characters, except for that one small blurry bit in the classroom pan. And no, I didn't see a camera reflection in anyones glasses. Agree with Mark M - it was a good starter for the heat and I'm sure you'll be back next year having learnt from this years experience.
Pussy
I'm glad I didn't pay to watch this. Not a musical. Not a story. Not a lot of point in watching it in my view.
LUVSUX
Conflict of interest on this one (the team I’m supporting). Team Intro was appropriate. You know already where the bits are that could be improved. It would have gone up a notch with a really great closing number just so that everyone would have left the theatre with that song in their head (and toes tapping). Maybe in the re-mix later in the year? It had a traditional three-act story approach and you produced a short that stood out from everyone else in the heat because it was different. You’ve built really well on the learning’s from the previous two years and produced a little gem which could end up with a small cult following. Not a bad result from 40 hours of awake time (for two of you). Rating 4.5/5 (probably a bit generous, but in my heart you actually get a 5). PS. Can I get my Credit Card back now?
Made Maid
Up until the drowning scene I was almost ready to stop watching as my attention had wandered (sorry Mike). The voice of the Android was a bit flat and monotone - you could have fiddled with the audio profile in order to make it more machine-like. I know that takes a reasonable amount of time and precision during the edit stage, so isn't always something that can be achieved. Loved the box of floppies, there's a whole generation or two out there that would have never seen these. Acting from the kids was good, especially Rose. Sound has been noted already as varied, and hearing the directors voice at the end of the drowning scene was a bit of an oops for the editor(s). I didn't get the end - 30 seconds of walking into the Plimmerton ocean ... there would be no reason why a robot would take that action. PS. Do you know that you've got two and a half minutes of black at the end of your clip?
Lush Leaves
Good attempt girls. Watch out for the motion becoming a bit choppy by editing out little chunks - it's probably better to take a larger piece out in order to speed up movement into the scene/path but don't use that technique it too often. It would have benefited for a bit more dialogue at times to help the viewer get why things were occurring. A good starting point for you to build on for next year.
Vigil
Like others I got a bit confused. A bit more storyline development would have helped things in that regard. Good looking blood and bullet hole but the strike with the stick could have been done better (e.g. change the camera angle so you don't actually see that it misses by a long way). Watch out for unintentionally picking up large company logo/brands in the backgrounds. I thought you could have filmed the message actually playing on the small camera screen itself as that would have given a better reality to it. I'm not sure it fits the genre brief ... maybe just. Great effort and I'm sure you could improve on it if you did it all again with the 48 hour clock ticking down. Stay together as a team if you can and we'll see you again next year.
Android and Friend
Umm ... don't know where to start with this one. The sound was just terrible. There were stray arms and legs and cellphones in shot towards the end, along with crew voices. He's naked from the waist down when the bike comes along then he asks for clothes but he's already wearing pants in that same shot. Too many visible copyrighted beer logos and I spent a lot of time looking at the static clock on the wall and wondering if it was consistent throughout.
BROKEN SILENCE
Totally loved your film guys. Was the best "oh my god, I did not see that coming!" moment from any of the films I've watched this year. I can't flaw it.
Roots and Romance
Enjoyed the lyrics and music. I got to around the 5 minute mark and started wondering how much longer it had to go - it wasn't taking me up or down in terms of the storytelling, just ... along. I got a little focussed on the wrinkled shirt since I'd already read the other reviews, which left me thinking that he should have started out pristine and crisp then deteriorated as the accumulated lack of sleep affected him more. Watch out for continuity issues (pretty sure the next patient wasn't a "her" named April), little kids playing on roads in the background, and stray director voices not removed during the edit.
Blade of Insomnia
Everyone else has already said the major points. The Dojo being a room in a Lockwood house had me unconvinced from the start so it was hard to shift from that original perception (for me). Onesies are just wrong, especially on characters who are supposed to be the baddies, but that was the subject already of a whole different Forum thread. I guess to sum it up, in my view there just wasn't enough that was believable in the context of the genre.
F*ck It
Wow, wow WOW! "Such Fun" as Miranda's Mum would say. I am in awe at your genius and skilled actors. IMHO without the DQ it would have been a contender for Top 12 National final. You must be gutted, ah well, there's always next year aye.
Poesy
It was watchable to the end and whilst I thought the poetry words were good (you did write these yourself presumably?) I found myself tuned out to them by about half way through. Which meant I spent most of the time watching but not listening. Good camera work and editing. It's just not a musical though and after all that was the challenge that was set.
Computer Crimes
I admire your animation (5 out of 5 for that aspect), loved the character voices, first two minutes set us up for something good but the ending was, well, just a bit awkward in terms of the outcome and the jail clichés. I'm left with a bunch of questions ... why did the computer carry on after the power plug came out? How did he get back in the office building with the police cordon already outside it? With such a big knife at his disposal in jail why did he hang himself, when he could have just stabbed himself, or used the knife to defend himself against attack. I know, animation can perhaps get away with more plot holes but in my view a good storyline is important regardless of the delivery method.
Tinder Surprise
I thought it was a clever idea to use the "Undo" feature on a phone app to go back in time in order to then take a another go at saying the right things during a rather long date. I'm older, so didn't realise that Tinder was an existing app until my teenager told me . No, no, no ... surely that will get you DQ'd? Sorry but there were times when I couldn't understand the lead actor - do a little work on being a bit clearer with your speech for next year. It seemed long and the first rapid Undo segment was the best bit for me. Didn't like the close-up shot sorry - seemed like an idea you would have had at 3am Saturday morning after a few beers. OK, many beers probably. On the positive side, I did know which character was Morgan and he was clearly a creative liar. There were a lot in this heat where that aspect didn't get established very well - this wasn't one of those. PS Never, ever, ever , use or make fun of Rape Crisis in another film.
Vigil
Like others I got a bit confused. A bit more storyline development would have helped things in that regard. Good looking blood and bullet hole but the strike with the stick could have been done better (e.g. change the camera angle so you don't actually see that it misses by a long way). Watch out for unintentionally picking up large company logo/brands in the backgrounds. I thought you could have filmed the message actually playing on the small camera screen itself as that would have given a better reality to it. I'm not sure it fits the genre brief ... maybe just. Great effort and I'm sure you could improve on it if you did it all again with the 48 hour clock ticking down. Stay together as a team if you can and we'll see you again next year.
2 GUYS 1 SLUT
Story: 1 girls dates 2 guys while another nerdy guy tries to win her as his girl. Good story and quite funny. You pulled off the Rom-Com genre well. The lead character was a likeable nerd, I especially loved the falling out of tree scene. Honestly though, mate, I think you can do better than that girl! The fireworks piece was a crack-up! I like the use of the lame challenges that the two tough guys went through to win the girl, but be careful of the copyright aspects though (not sure if all those name branded games would qualify). I would have marked you a bit higher if you sound quality had been better, so that's an area for you to work on for next year. I gave you some of my votes at the heat. Well done for putting up a memorable film.
Yes I Can!
Our young actress decides to swim around the world, encountering some weird and wonderful things along the way. The Odds are definitely against her! There is so much to love about this film. Totally low budget (or should that be "no" budget) but you fully embraced it and produced a film that is truly an example of the 48 Hours / NZ DIY mentality. I enjoyed the seagull attack and the banter between the sharks. On the down side - it was a bit low res looking and there were bits when the sound could have been better. I liked it and I hope it gets a mention somewhere in the Wellington Final list. Will probably get Audience Fav, especially as we saw it last.
Wolfgang
It was watchable and I enjoyed it. Started out well in terms of camera work and editing choices. Good attempt at singing - OK it wasn't pitch perfect but the songs fitted in and added to the storyline. So many this year have gone to the pill jar, coffee would also have been an option at that point in the storyline. One small thing, just watch for continuity/flow issues when it comes to clocks. When the dark haired girl is about to sing the time jumps an hour in the space of a couple of seconds. I'd happily watch this film again.
F*ck It
Wow, wow WOW! "Such Fun" as Miranda's Mum would say. I am in awe at your genius and skilled actors. IMHO without the DQ it would have been a contender for Top 12 National final. You must be gutted, ah well, there's always next year aye.
A Song For Mum
Well combined visual and voice-overs, although I did think you needed some variety between the voices for the babies and a feminine voice for the girl(s?) would have helped with the mix. Had a bout of de je vu though remembering back to 3 Men and a Baby and the sequel. Very enjoyable film and absolutely wonderful to see none of the over-used stuff that so many others resorted to (beds, pills, running in forests or dark streets, etc).
SuperHero Musical
Great songs and music - 4.5 out of 5 for that component. I'm knocking off the half point because I don't enjoy random bad language just for the sake of it (yeah, I know ... I'm a prude). It was really just one big music video. Well done for doing all that by yourself. It was certainly quirky.
Ace of Hearts
Liked the opening song, it was well sung and had a good tune. I was waiting for some relevant flash-backs during it rather than just filming everyone sitting around the table as that could have added another dimension to that scene. As others have mentioned, sound levels needed some work to ensure consistency across the numbers. Think about whether the story line is believable for you as a group a young teens/adults - wife, kids, and real estate didn't fit in my view but you could have easily substituted these things with items that would be part of your life/environment given your age. I didn't mind the band appearing, it was quirky. Opening was good but watch out for continuity aspects (e.g. rain or no rain, dry cars or wet?). You probably needed to make a tough choice at edit stage in order to drop out something in order to wrap it up better within the 7 mins. Decent attempt though and definitely a musical so well done for that.
Sleep Shepherds
Needed more original songs - singing existing nursery rhymes doesn't count sorry. The puppet shadows were distracting for me, I thought the lighting change at the end would have been a better light level to have used throughout. It was a bit tacky in my view, reminded me of a kids puppet show where half way in the performers run out of things to do so they bash the puppets into each other in the hope that the kids in the audience will laugh. And don't get me started on the suggestion that a hammer is an appropriate tool with which to induce sleep!
Awake Like An Egyptian
It was just odd. I got stuck on the question of why it was in black and white? For 1210 BC, yep, I could see that, but not when it crossed to more recent times. It felt like that the whole premise was driven by having access to an appropriate casket for the main prop. The mummy aspect was too clean and pristine.
Blue Genes
Yeah, baby. Austin Powers would be proud. The concept was good but it didn't quite translate into something that could be sustained throughout the film. Some of the technical aspects let you down a bit - sound quality was up and down, as were lighting levels at times, and you needed to improve the transitions between many of the shot changes. It's always good to have things to practise on before next year. Also sometimes it might be interesting to ask: OK, we have a large animal suit ... now do we really want to use it?
Gift-Wrapped
Enjoyable watch but a tad predicable in terms of the outcome. It was always going to be tough following up the brilliance of last years' entry. Was that a script I saw under the brick in the copper ring?
Keith's Belief
Great little film, loved the ending. Agree that the over-acting needed to be turned down a bit. For next time think a bit more about what the camera might also be seeing in the background - there were a lot of identifiable people (so you'd need release forms from them all), a few logos, number plates on cars ... if you can eliminate the more obvious of those things you'll increase your changes of progressing further (IMO). Think about little details too, especially when you are going to do a close up on something - the glasses didn't look as though they had any glass in them. It's just a tiny point I know, but they can all add up in leaving a good impression on your viewer. See you next year.
The Choices
I think this is a film that you need to think about after viewing it. I had to freeze frame at the end in order to take in what was being shown on the split screens - nice job with leaving me wondering as to which life she choose. It would have helped to have held those split shots for a little longer in order to allow the viewer to make the comparisons. I thought that perhaps all the options should have been signalled earlier in the story ... thinking back she actually had 3 choices to make - Lotto, Dubai, or Brother. The sound needed some work in places and I'm pretty sure there were a few copyright issues with brand use, but overall an enjoyable watch that didn't ever make me wonder how long it had to go (which is a good thing!).
Job Security
I liked the banter between the robot and human, it was best when it was in a mocking manner but like others I thought you could have halved the amount of bad language. The reaction of the robot at the end didn't make a lot of sense for that character. Loved the ear movement and self-shave feature. Really tiny thing: the sound seemed a bit inconsistent between robot and human at times - the robot's lines were cleaner in terms of less background hiss. I would have been impressed if the security outfits were made up and for a fictitious company, but they obviously weren't. I'm not saying there was anything wrong using Recon's outfits, but you would have got another star out of me for original costumes.
Computer Crimes
I admire your animation (5 out of 5 for that aspect), loved the character voices, first two minutes set us up for something good but the ending was, well, just a bit awkward in terms of the outcome and the jail clichés. I'm left with a bunch of questions ... why did the computer carry on after the power plug came out? How did he get back in the office building with the police cordon already outside it? With such a big knife at his disposal in jail why did he hang himself, when he could have just stabbed himself, or used the knife to defend himself against attack. I know, animation can perhaps get away with more plot holes but in my view a good storyline is important regardless of the delivery method.
Scraps
The lead actor was well cast and believable. Finished a bit odd though with the couple appearing everywhere and him handing over his stalkers book then … actually, that was the end. Maybe there’s going to be a sequel, in which case well done for making me want to find out what happens next. Rating
Rant!
I don't believe I'm going to say this about a Musical, but I think there was too much singing. Singing by Paula at the end, and that final song itself, was good but we had to endure a lot to get to that point. The shot selections at the start were interesting and made the most of a long period of "filming a DJ' which in itself isn't that exciting. The story had merit and I'm wondering if the handling the DJ's side would have come over better if the music choices hadn't been so bouncy and light-hearted.
Headline Hunters
The end rap battle was your strongest song and vocals by far. Found the out of sync a bit distracting at times. Sorry but the over-lay on the newspaper was just corny. You could have done so much better for those shots even by just creating items to glue onto the actual pages rather than using the editing tool and a big white-out. You did stick to the genre from start to finish though so well done for that. Many others have definitely dodged the genre but having just one song (or less). You certainly embraced it and gave it a decent go.
Yes I Can!
Our young actress decides to swim around the world, encountering some weird and wonderful things along the way. The Odds are definitely against her! There is so much to love about this film. Totally low budget (or should that be "no" budget) but you fully embraced it and produced a film that is truly an example of the 48 Hours / NZ DIY mentality. I enjoyed the seagull attack and the banter between the sharks. On the down side - it was a bit low res looking and there were bits when the sound could have been better. I liked it and I hope it gets a mention somewhere in the Wellington Final list. Will probably get Audience Fav, especially as we saw it last.
Nicky
Story: Weegie Board season goes astray. Creepy ghost-like person ends up possessing the lead character with the inevitable loss of blood later in the movie. Good on you for trying to do Erotic Thriller! It was a bit more Thriller/Horror with a couple of awkward bits thrown in, but in my view you did a better job at horror than the actual horror team in the heat. It was interesting and had some twists to it, which you should be pleased with as it kept me watching to see where it would go.
Strut Your Stuff Vic Meyer
That opening guitar number had so much promise! But like all the other "songs" you cut them short after just a line or two. You could have taken that first song and used it to tell a back-story then tied it in again later when Vic was looking at the gun (which was a tad random by the way, didn't really fit with the story progression). Watch the lip sync alignment and as noted but others the sound at the end was low and drowned out by street noise. You obviously had a lot of fun making it though.
Cutting Shapes
You had an OK concept, a start, and a middle ... but then it stopped. For next time think about doubling the length and work out what each two minute segment is going to be about and where it's going to take the story. You needed a bit of adventure in there somewhere that would have lead to a conclusion.
The Fairy & I
Story: Girl gets knocked out by door then crosses into a fantasy word where she has to catch a leaf to return home. Helped by a Fairy along the way, while a witch/villian tries to stop her through a cryptic gypsy. A classic simple story. Had some funny moments that made the audience laugh. I liked the opening of the door into the forest, the fairy arrival flash and his flying scene. The gyspy voice was consistent throughout and it must have taken a bit of work to modify the villians voice but not those she was speaking with. It was a little bit hard to understand at times though so just be careful that you retain clarity when you tweak things. Some good use of sfx and vfx, and the music selection was OK. The journey kept moving forward. As with most V48 entries, there is always something that you could imporve on with more time and a second go at it, and I'm sure you can see a couple of bits that could be tweaked. I gave you some of my points for the heat. I enjoyed not seeing anyone get murdered for a change and I think you gave it a good shot at sticking to the genre.
Parkour Boys
You obviously had fun and the rapping/singing was OK. There's a few things you can work on for next time ... the sound levels and quality was all over the place so watch that, and wind noise is an absolute curse when you are filming outside so try a wind shield or cover. Be careful that you don't film random people when you're in public places - some in the background is OK if you can't distinguish them but a few that you caught were a bit close and therefore should have signed release forms. Take care with continuity (e.g. the card) and avoid brands where you can (card, hats, signs on buildings). I applaud you for giving it heaps and not holding back in your acting or singing.
The Fairy & I
Story: Girl gets knocked out by door then crosses into a fantasy word where she has to catch a leaf to return home. Helped by a Fairy along the way, while a witch/villian tries to stop her through a cryptic gypsy. A classic simple story. Had some funny moments that made the audience laugh. I liked the opening of the door into the forest, the fairy arrival flash and his flying scene. The gyspy voice was consistent throughout and it must have taken a bit of work to modify the villians voice but not those she was speaking with. It was a little bit hard to understand at times though so just be careful that you retain clarity when you tweak things. Some good use of sfx and vfx, and the music selection was OK. The journey kept moving forward. As with most V48 entries, there is always something that you could imporve on with more time and a second go at it, and I'm sure you can see a couple of bits that could be tweaked. I gave you some of my points for the heat. I enjoyed not seeing anyone get murdered for a change and I think you gave it a good shot at sticking to the genre.
All In
An OK film guys. Bit of humour and some typical 48 Hours acting. I liked the training segment and the character background words were a good idea but I had to pause the movie in order to have a enough time to read them. Some of the edit cuts were a little rough and the poker playing went on for a bit too long in my view. Nice end - what was all that black stuff on the Loan Sharks back?
Hush Little Baby
Liked the cinematography and the plot idea but you did side step the whole Musical genre by using Hush Little Baby as the only song. Happy Birthday to You is indeed copyrighted therefore can't be used in 48Hrs without permission of the copyright owner. It was funny though and using the departed guests as returning singers in support of the "pent up" Dad was good thinking. I would have liked to have seen the Mum character a bit more developed in terms of having more song lines throughout to build the an.. tis.. i...pay-tion.
9.00am BOOM!
Hi Guys, Great effort and good use of locations. You had a start/middle/end to your story which is a lot more than many other teams have done. Good use of adults you did have, maybe one more as the Principal would have been useful. When you watch it back yourselves think about the things that don't look too convincing and see if you can figure out how to improve those aspects. I'll give you a couple of starters: The background wasn't moving much when the "Principal" was driving to school (are you sure you have a driving license young lady?), the cars parked up on the verge probably needed to be on the road itself, and the Clock only moved in the very last shot (you could have filmed it for a while and then sped it up for each time we saw it, which would have made it look like time was whizzing by). Your story had merit although there were a couple of random aspects (like the hi-jacking and the hobo). See if you can better incorporate the required elements, for example: the lead character could have been Vic who couldn't sleep because he was worried about what would happen on Monday morning. It's easy to come up with ideas after the weekend is over but not always easy when the 48 hours start ticking down. With sound - wind is a real enemy for all film makers. How could you have reduced the wind noise in some shots? A big Cardboard box over the camera & operator can work, or you could have put the camera in the car to film the sound then when editing used the film part from the outside take and the sound part from the inside-car take. Well done to you all for a great effort - you must be the youngest team in the comp. Now it's time to start thinking about ideas that you could use for next year ... (get a little book and write them down so you don't forget them).
Meet The Movement
I liked it! Made me smile, the interaction between your two Bufflers was good and felt spontaneous (presuming it was actually scripted of course!). The shots and editing worked well for a real-life doc style. Was that really McDs that you were in? Ooops!
Teddy Bear Repair
Our sympathetic lead devotes his time to rescuing and repairing the damaged soft toys of the world. It was charming and likable, right up until the moment you shoved your fingers up the @#$e of the elephant during the autopsy and pulled them out covered in ... (***insert sheep shagger joke here***) That was just gross and completely out of character with what had happened up to that point. Watch out for things in the backgrounds that shouldn't be there, like posters of the Wizard of Oz and Wolverine X-Men, or Minion toys from Despicable Me. It could have been a contender, but it didn't really deliver on the actual Revenge aspect of the genre and drifted off a bit at the end instead of finishing with something memorable.
The Imaginary Crime
It had some potential. There was a crime (or was there?) and some characters that in other approaches would have had school kids re-enacting their earlier passion for biscuits, or even themselves dressed a school kids perhaps in order to fill out the motive aspects. Playing cards was a bit cliché though, with so many other teams using that same method to deliver the element. It just needed a bit more rounding out in terms of story development in order to lead the viewer to a compelling conclusion reveal.
Full House
I was prepared to dislike it more (sorry for the pre-judgement) but it wasn't as bad as some of the other reviews had lead me to believe. Geez, I can't believe I actually admitted that! The start had me watching intently ... then the dialogue started and it turned into four minutes of playing cards, with a very new-looking deck by the way (should have been a lot more dilapidated than it was). It would be easy to miss the absence of the 'V' from the mailbox at the end, it could have been a little more obvious to spot that it had been "rubbed out". It maintained a sad approach right throughout which left me a little sad as a result - I'm personally not comfortable with films that portray mis-treatment that does unfortunately occur in some people regular life, but that's just me.
The Sleeping Plot
Absolutely LOVED this! Actually, I should say that I really "DIG" it. You so deserve the win, until your movie played I thought that Pour Moi was the winner or possibly Climatic. Nova's acting was brilliant - well done young lady, you're already better than any of the teenagers on Shortland Street and I'm picking you're only half as old as most of them. The hand into the handbag shot was genius and the ice cream gag was very devious (was that the Titahi Bay shops?). My family twigged a lot sooner than I did as to what the twist was going to be and I think that was because I missed a bit of the soundtrack near the start so that's my only reason to not going for a 5 star. I could easily see it as a 15-20 minute version with a little more back story.
A Song For Mum
Well combined visual and voice-overs, although I did think you needed some variety between the voices for the babies and a feminine voice for the girl(s?) would have helped with the mix. Had a bout of de je vu though remembering back to 3 Men and a Baby and the sequel. Very enjoyable film and absolutely wonderful to see none of the over-used stuff that so many others resorted to (beds, pills, running in forests or dark streets, etc).
9.00am BOOM!
Hi Guys, Great effort and good use of locations. You had a start/middle/end to your story which is a lot more than many other teams have done. Good use of adults you did have, maybe one more as the Principal would have been useful. When you watch it back yourselves think about the things that don't look too convincing and see if you can figure out how to improve those aspects. I'll give you a couple of starters: The background wasn't moving much when the "Principal" was driving to school (are you sure you have a driving license young lady?), the cars parked up on the verge probably needed to be on the road itself, and the Clock only moved in the very last shot (you could have filmed it for a while and then sped it up for each time we saw it, which would have made it look like time was whizzing by). Your story had merit although there were a couple of random aspects (like the hi-jacking and the hobo). See if you can better incorporate the required elements, for example: the lead character could have been Vic who couldn't sleep because he was worried about what would happen on Monday morning. It's easy to come up with ideas after the weekend is over but not always easy when the 48 hours start ticking down. With sound - wind is a real enemy for all film makers. How could you have reduced the wind noise in some shots? A big Cardboard box over the camera & operator can work, or you could have put the camera in the car to film the sound then when editing used the film part from the outside take and the sound part from the inside-car take. Well done to you all for a great effort - you must be the youngest team in the comp. Now it's time to start thinking about ideas that you could use for next year ... (get a little book and write them down so you don't forget them).
Case #23
Story: A murder has been committed and the 2 Detectives have to solve it with the help of a lab tech and the janitor. Well done with the full storyline that you had, just be careful not to leave your scripts on the tables in front of you. Sound can be a tricky to get right though, especially when you're outdoors and there's buses and cars going by, so thing about how you could improve on that for next time. The use of the leaf from the plant had me for a moment - I thought the cause of death was going to be as a result of poison from that leaf, but no. Nice twist with one detective thinking the other was guilty, then it turned out to be the girl, with that leaf tattoo being the tell.
Dub Tee Eff
You had a good idea in terms of your story line and packed plenty in to your 7 minutes. Brush up on the editing skills for next time around - there were bits between shots where there seemed to be a random "flash". If you take a look at the biggest expanded mode of your time line you might see the odd stray single frame or two, it's easy to get them! Take care not to get any recognisable faces in your backgrounds ... unless all those people at the Oriental Bay playground signed consent forms then you probably shouldn't have included that shot. Good luck for next year, use what you learnt as a stepping stone to bigger and better.
Scooter Girl
It could have been lot more watchable if something had been held back until closer to the end, in my view. We find out pretty early that she's obsessed with the scooter. If the owner had been an Ed Sheeran look-alike (or just a good looking guy) and the audience was led to believe the obsession was with him, only to get near the end and the "Ahhh ..." moment as we realise it's the scooter that she is interested in, well, it could have had a different outcome rather than just sort of petering out. Thought the bedroom scene was a bit awkward and not needed. Good acting from the lead, good film work, just needed a stronger story and progression path.
Dreamgirl
Good music although in my view the lyrics didn't need to be quite as crude as they were in places. It could have gone somewhere greater with a storyline that had a bit more in it than just hanging out with a mate.
Sleepless Ambition
Now that was clever and thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Well done. I've watched at least 50 films from this year and I have to say congratulations on being one of just a very small number where "Meyer" was pronounced correctly. Some nice camera work and angles, I like the positioning in the lift and the use of the rear mirror. You looked as though you had a lot of fun making this little gem.
Compotion
I enjoyed the final song and the associated scene, it made me smile. I did think the wrap number was the wrong style compared to the rest of the movie. Thought the acoustic bits when Vic was moving around were well done. The rhythms in the Medicine Man song were a bit cheesy though - tune was good, vocals were OK, but it didn't need to rhythm on every third word. Overall quite likable.
Ace of Hearts
Liked the opening song, it was well sung and had a good tune. I was waiting for some relevant flash-backs during it rather than just filming everyone sitting around the table as that could have added another dimension to that scene. As others have mentioned, sound levels needed some work to ensure consistency across the numbers. Think about whether the story line is believable for you as a group a young teens/adults - wife, kids, and real estate didn't fit in my view but you could have easily substituted these things with items that would be part of your life/environment given your age. I didn't mind the band appearing, it was quirky. Opening was good but watch out for continuity aspects (e.g. rain or no rain, dry cars or wet?). You probably needed to make a tough choice at edit stage in order to drop out something in order to wrap it up better within the 7 mins. Decent attempt though and definitely a musical so well done for that.
Awake Like An Egyptian
It was just odd. I got stuck on the question of why it was in black and white? For 1210 BC, yep, I could see that, but not when it crossed to more recent times. It felt like that the whole premise was driven by having access to an appropriate casket for the main prop. The mummy aspect was too clean and pristine.
The Choices
I think this is a film that you need to think about after viewing it. I had to freeze frame at the end in order to take in what was being shown on the split screens - nice job with leaving me wondering as to which life she choose. It would have helped to have held those split shots for a little longer in order to allow the viewer to make the comparisons. I thought that perhaps all the options should have been signalled earlier in the story ... thinking back she actually had 3 choices to make - Lotto, Dubai, or Brother. The sound needed some work in places and I'm pretty sure there were a few copyright issues with brand use, but overall an enjoyable watch that didn't ever make me wonder how long it had to go (which is a good thing!).
LUVSUX
Conflict of interest on this one (the team I’m supporting). Team Intro was appropriate. You know already where the bits are that could be improved. It would have gone up a notch with a really great closing number just so that everyone would have left the theatre with that song in their head (and toes tapping). Maybe in the re-mix later in the year? It had a traditional three-act story approach and you produced a short that stood out from everyone else in the heat because it was different. You’ve built really well on the learning’s from the previous two years and produced a little gem which could end up with a small cult following. Not a bad result from 40 hours of awake time (for two of you). Rating 4.5/5 (probably a bit generous, but in my heart you actually get a 5). PS. Can I get my Credit Card back now?
Case #23
Story: A murder has been committed and the 2 Detectives have to solve it with the help of a lab tech and the janitor. Well done with the full storyline that you had, just be careful not to leave your scripts on the tables in front of you. Sound can be a tricky to get right though, especially when you're outdoors and there's buses and cars going by, so thing about how you could improve on that for next time. The use of the leaf from the plant had me for a moment - I thought the cause of death was going to be as a result of poison from that leaf, but no. Nice twist with one detective thinking the other was guilty, then it turned out to be the girl, with that leaf tattoo being the tell.
Chasing Alexis
So many copyright violations! Song, backgrounds, bottles, clothing. And I'm pretty sure that slandering a big name rugby player is a definite No, No (regardless of whether he was guilty or not). I've never seen someone's water breaking but why do I think it would look nothing like that? It was an OK concept and story progression/regression was good, but the crass bits left me felling that it was caught between styles rather than nailing one particular approach.
Bags
It just didn't do it for me guys. It was a bit tame all round and missed the mark in terms of horror. Needed more blood and suspense, you know? There was never a point where I had to look away because it felt as though I was about to get the fright of my life or that what I was seeing made me want to not look - that's what horror is about. Good cinematography, great location, appropriately creepy acting by the young fellow, but put it all together and it kind of ended up sort of ... well, nothing.
Fifty / Fifty
Well I watched it to the end, which is good thing as it's very easy to stop some films half way through. You had a conflict (at home), a nice nod to Nicky Brick, a brief bit of confusion over exactly who was Vic, and a couple of songs. I like the lead singers' voice on the first number and thought you could have made more of her nice tones. I suspect too many specific brands featured, like the very recognisable beer bottles and the array of products in supermarket scene. The friend-when-in-need's house looked very much the same as the home location so some clear differentiation would have helped there. In the end, I wasn't sure what the end was. Was she going to jump, or just trying to decide whether to gamble more? If you were aiming for a open ending, you achieved it.
Return Of A Nightmare
Man you sure did pack a lot into just 7 minutes! Loved the annoying hyper girl who probably deserved to get stuck in the fence - shame on you two others who left her there! Good story line in the recreating of a previous set of murders. Nice work with the reflection in the mirror of the hung girl. The guy peering out from the urinal wall was a laugh. The Reporter almost spoiled it but you saved it by doing the freeze and zoom finish on the figure in the background. Bit cliche but still suited your story line to end that way. I gave you some of my voting points because I enjoyed it and you obviously put in a lot of work and effort to make a short that kept the viewer watching until the end. Good job guys.
Tinder Surprise
I thought it was a clever idea to use the "Undo" feature on a phone app to go back in time in order to then take a another go at saying the right things during a rather long date. I'm older, so didn't realise that Tinder was an existing app until my teenager told me . No, no, no ... surely that will get you DQ'd? Sorry but there were times when I couldn't understand the lead actor - do a little work on being a bit clearer with your speech for next year. It seemed long and the first rapid Undo segment was the best bit for me. Didn't like the close-up shot sorry - seemed like an idea you would have had at 3am Saturday morning after a few beers. OK, many beers probably. On the positive side, I did know which character was Morgan and he was clearly a creative liar. There were a lot in this heat where that aspect didn't get established very well - this wasn't one of those. PS Never, ever, ever , use or make fun of Rape Crisis in another film.
Lets Be Honest
Girl wakes up the morning after a rather red-lit party and wonders who's scanty undies are in her bedroom. Is her cheating boyfriend, Morgan, somehow to blame? Nope turns out that ... oops can't tell you that, it'll spoil it. I thought the camera work was good but the party scene was a bit long. I would have liked to have seen more of the other girl. Let me rephrase that - I thought that character had a bit more of interest but that wasn't explored, and she had more camera presence (no offence to your lead actress, you were fine). I can't remember where the ball was, which is probably a good thing as you obviously didn't shove it in the face of the audience like so many others did. All up a pretty good film.
SuperHero Musical
Great songs and music - 4.5 out of 5 for that component. I'm knocking off the half point because I don't enjoy random bad language just for the sake of it (yeah, I know ... I'm a prude). It was really just one big music video. Well done for doing all that by yourself. It was certainly quirky.
The Lost Samurai
I liked some of the cinematography choices e.g. the B&W with red on the TV although you needed to use a solid tripod shot for that so that the TV frame didn't move while the on-screen image stayed static (better yet, use a second camera hooked up to the TV to play the image rather than putting it in at edit time). The lyrics were good but the music rhythm pretty much stay on one level throughout, rather than rising and falling more with the storyline. Good attempt with trying to make one set of stairs look like many, if you had changed the camera angles while the hero was climbing them we might have been more fooled. Well done for sticking strongly to the genre.
Made Maid
Up until the drowning scene I was almost ready to stop watching as my attention had wandered (sorry Mike). The voice of the Android was a bit flat and monotone - you could have fiddled with the audio profile in order to make it more machine-like. I know that takes a reasonable amount of time and precision during the edit stage, so isn't always something that can be achieved. Loved the box of floppies, there's a whole generation or two out there that would have never seen these. Acting from the kids was good, especially Rose. Sound has been noted already as varied, and hearing the directors voice at the end of the drowning scene was a bit of an oops for the editor(s). I didn't get the end - 30 seconds of walking into the Plimmerton ocean ... there would be no reason why a robot would take that action. PS. Do you know that you've got two and a half minutes of black at the end of your clip?
Insomnity
I like it but some bits didn't quite fit together IMHO. Well done for the care taken in not showing brands on bottles, ciggies and bankcards - so many teams don't pay that level of attention to those details. The flashbacks of the villians might have come off stronger if you'd shrunk them down and had them appearing on the TV screen (yeah, I know ... it's easy to think of these sort of things now!). When the saw blade started up I thought: Oh no, not sure if I want to watch what's going to happen next! The wood screams were a clever addition and the scene itself was nicely done, just not sure how it related to the rest. All that said, I think you did a good job of delivering on the genre and at no time did I want to stop early with the viewing of it.
Travellin Boozeman
It was kind of just one long song and ok it did match what was happening on screen but it held the film to one level. It was cool singing and guitar, just needed some variety at various points. I didn't get the end and use of the line seemed to be a last minute tack on because it was mandatory. I appreciate that many would have enjoyed the naked shot but I thought it would have been more believable if he'd been standing there in his whites. I'm not sure if the left-channel only use for actors speech was intentional? If so, then it came across more as though you had an issue. If you'd played with both left and right channels for the characters depending on their on-screen position then that would have been clever. Beautiful film work.
Daylight Horror
Story: Agrieved Fencer (sword, not farming) takes out his vengence on a bunch of semi-drunk teens in a concrete bunker. More of a revenge theme than horror. Think about what kind of sfx will enhance the scene (some sqidgey noises during stabbings would have been cool). I'm not sure the daylight part helped you - it would have been more convincing later in the day when the light was naturually a bit more freakier. You could have really gone to town with some fake blood, especially with the first dead guy who looked a bit like he was more asleep. But then, if someone has just pee'd on you ...
R.A.R.O.
Watch out for including copyrighted brands and logos (Adidas, Panadol. and even the Raro itself). The sound needed some work and as already mentioned the songs didn't really integrate with the story and progress it. You gave it a good go and the concept had merit.
Cut Up
You did some good stuff here team. The dog bark was brilliant as was the startle in the toilet scene - I didn't want to look at that point, so well done for building that kind of tension for the viewer. Good twist at the end, had me fooled about who the killer was. I appreciate that you were going for that out of focus look on many occasions so my only comment would be at it was almost over-done at times, but in the end it didn't matter. You made a damn good film, well done.
YOLO
Story: Boy with uncureable disease does some weird things but eventually saves someone else, and presumably dies as a result. I did have a few "what the heck" moments with the scenes but I suspect that was what you were aiming for (so well done, I think). You almost dipped into comedy-only then pulled it back with the inspirational stuff at the end. Nice play with the title becoming the "aaaahhhh, I get it" moment later in the movie. I thought you had a good story line. Edit: Hmmm ... Media Studies teacher is the first name up in the Wrap-Up list for Writer, Editor, & Cinematography. Plus was an actor. What's with that? Sorry but I've revised my rating to reflect what appears to be a reasonable level of non-student input.
Zleepers
Nobody can say that you didn't make a musical, since you had music from start to end and you were consistent with the music style, so well done for that. The lyrics were quite good and the music fitted with them - good job if you made that music yourselves, but if you found it from BBF then fair enough. I would have been interested to see some credits that clarified that aspect. The costumes were ... ummm ... (how can put this nicely?) ... a little weird. Dairies are probably somewhere to avoid in terms of the copyright aspects, although well done for focusing on V and for re-covering the can that was taken from the fridge.
Wonderful Me
I slightly missed that a virus was causing people to not sing anymore - had to go back at the end and re-watch the TV interview clip in order to go "ah, I see". I think this was important to the rest of the storyline but it only briefly gets a mention at the start. Your lyrics were good and the music fitted OK. Biggest thing to work on for next time is having consistent sound levels between live recordings and in-studio overlays. Wind noise is something that some covers and screens can help to minimise and be careful when syncing up with mouth movements, it's hard to align (I know!). You stuck to the genre so well done for that, and I thought your POV shot was well done.
Nicky Brick and the Funkys Licks
Story: To get the girl off the cool guy, the geek has to learn to dance with the help of a master with questionable taste in clothing. At the start I thought: oh, no, this is going to be bad. But, damn it all, it wasn't. Or maybe it was, and that's what made it good. The characters were certainly cliche and the story line was tried and true. I'd be interested in what rating you picked in your wrap-up form - M hopefully. What was that going down the inside of those tights? Best joke of the heat with the Family Tree reference. The guitar beat got a bit dominating at times but everything else worked OK. A little bit of tweaking with the sound alignment in spots would have taken it up a notch. I gave you some of my votes at the heat. Well done on producing a short that tackled both musical and dance.
R.I.T.A
Great little film. You thoroughly deserved your spot in the Wellington final - you are in my top 5 in terms of the ones I remember for enjoyable reasons. Clever script and well acted by RITA and Vic characters. Enjoyed the unpacking scene and the user manual was a nice touch. That whale joke is unforgettable!
Incarnate
It was in need of a decent twist in the storyline to bring it all together in a conclusion, rather than just ending on a few guys being revenge killed. E.g. One of the thugs turns our to be the Revenger. There were a lot on non-sponsors product logos everywhere which you probably need to avoid next time, in order to be a contender.
Dreaming of Love
It was a reasonable attempt at the genre. A bit slow getting starting and the lead actress was a good notch or two above the others in terms of believability and comfort with the role. Sound and film quality needed some work in places and a couple of bad edits during the picnic were in need of a transition. I'm pretty sure the occurence of a prominent fizzy drink brand would be a no-no in terms of copyright though.
All In
An OK film guys. Bit of humour and some typical 48 Hours acting. I liked the training segment and the character background words were a good idea but I had to pause the movie in order to have a enough time to read them. Some of the edit cuts were a little rough and the poker playing went on for a bit too long in my view. Nice end - what was all that black stuff on the Loan Sharks back?
One Last Game
In the end ... it was kinda sweet (as in warm fuzzy). Wellington wind, actually any wind, is a bugger - would have given you another star if you had looked after that aspect better. It was a bit wooden at times but definitely had an charm of its own.
This Is A Fork
Nice little twist and reveal at the end, extra star just for that part.. The human card got very close to actually singing a song, I felt you could have pushed that from just speaking to song with some more lyrics and rhythm. As it is there's not quite enough "musical-ness" in there. It was a bit odd being a robot although I can see that it was a working bot, a down-trodden person would have been OK too.
R.I.T.A
Great little film. You thoroughly deserved your spot in the Wellington final - you are in my top 5 in terms of the ones I remember for enjoyable reasons. Clever script and well acted by RITA and Vic characters. Enjoyed the unpacking scene and the user manual was a nice touch. That whale joke is unforgettable!
I'm A Horse
I'm not sure whether this was a converging story line or not. We saw the same story twice, once from Vic perspective and then from the Horse's, and in the end Vic busts into a studio and shoots the horse and singer (thank goodness!). Maybe it's one of those situations where it's so bad that it's good. Yes, I can see that people would love it for it's craziness and that darn repetitive song that I can still remember clearly (damn it all!) a week after the final. It just didn't blow me away though.