Creativesmith

The Lay of Lament

Thank you for the review Mista Teas.
Unfortunately this year it was a 6hr film festival haha. Very sick child at home - didn't get the Sunday. Deleted half the movie and yes tacked on that ending to give it something.

Originally my wife sung a lullaby over the film. A siren song that draws the wanderer to that hut featured in the film. We then encounter her in there and she sings of a druid cursing the woods. Druid appears. There is a 'lullaby off' between the druid and the forest spirit. Wanderer kills the spirit to break the curse the druid has over her and the forest. A bunch of greenscreen footage and 3D druid face in the can haha.

All the best.

Going Solo

Hard to fault in any way. Great performance and with clear mastery behind the camera, editing and sound capture. A very solid short film with an funny gross out ending that feels right at home in this comp. The people behind this are onto a winning formula.

Not Again

I couldn't help but grin as soon as the lead actor popped up. Alex Jones is a welcome face on the acting pantheon of ChCh 48hours. The combination of constant panic and enjoying himself protruded from his performance. I would expect a wee nod for his skills here. Like everyone, I loved the use of practical effects with the aliens. Also the hallway tracking shot was a nice little extra bit of production value for the 48hours. Location, location, location. Effort has gone into this and it has only helped your film. The only thing which was the gripe for me was indeed the use of sound. It was a nice 4th wall nod alluding that it would be an annoying element this year, however. My favourite entry of Les Cousins so far and you guys have made some goodies. Well done!

No Woman No Cry

Really well shot and edited. I was invested in the relationship. In a way it was a shame to have to include the gate-keeper as an element as the simplicity of the two characters was the strength of the film. Very well made. Such a shame it was a DQ.

Treble in Paradise

I hadn't seen this film before the finals and when the trailer was released and the boardroom sequence (incredible song) was featured in it, I was super intrigued. It certainly didn't disappoint. Very well made on all levels. I don't know Richard but what a powerhouse! The best part of the film for me was the song and jokes in the middle but also his brief performance as a hypnotic tank. Something about the gaze reminded me of Oliver Reed. (Hope he's available to hire as an actor). Very well performed. Dragon V Mouse never disappoint with their films. One of the essential Christchurch teams for me. Excited to see what they do next year.

Ghoul's Night In

Seeing Thomas Davidson lose it and give an epic enraged speech as a Demon-Lord just trying to keep his staff on the job really made me smile. Good performances from the leads and always lovely to see two Christchurch legends bleeding from the eyes and hypnotically swaying in front of the tv. This felt like the love child between Crab Crab and Jagbog. Crab Crab are an absolute staple of this competition for me and I can't wait to see what they get up to next year! Very solid short film with a fun ending.

The Immortal

Hello all. Unfortunately since we were a bit late! We are out. Since the film wont be in competition, its likely to see less viewers. Would really appreciate some reviews and feedback if you can. Cheers.

Cop Out

What a crowd pleaser! I was sure you would get best Editing. Very well made and nostalgic. The increasingly intended absurdness really struck every note well all the way to the very end. Super creative and self referential. Extremely memorable and I am sure it will be mentioned for years to come in this competition. I can't wait to see what you do next year.

Student Exchange

Absolutely fantastic. Nice wee story and great animation.

Instutution

Very believably acted from the lead. I was drawn into the micro-world and sometimes a well timed and said **** you can be an absolute tonic. Great use of whisper and a fun mean spirited twist at the end. Looking forward to seeing your next film.

Sundown

Absolutely blind sided by the gate reference. Very well earnt award for that element. The editing was very smooth throughout and the dynamic worked with the power play between the characters.

Hitman

This was an excellent experience. A simple concept executed very well. A nice play between seeing just how far the Hitman's patience will go and what the results are for when it snaps! Thoroughly enjoyed this film and can't wait to see what you do next year.

Ta Da

This had me absolutely howling with laughter. It is such a gem of a 48hours. The voice acting and writing is excellent. Pairing that with how Andrew clearly understands how to get the most out of simple models to make them sing while understanding the time crunch constraints of the competition. The 3D camera work was superb too. I would hope to see this do well in the Grand Finals. Very fine work from a highly talented veteran. 5/5

Love Machine

What a pleasure it was watching this. The musical number in the middle was superb, from the transition into the disco-like space to the music and stop motion work. You really captured the soul of the wee robot and had us all on board with his mission. Finishing with a neat ending that got a great laugh from the crowd.

What an undertaking to do stop motion. Well done to Olax. Can't wait to see what you do next year.

Out Loud

Well performed parts by the two leads. I felt invited into understanding the emotions of the characters through the close ups - which worked very well. Just a small technical note with the integration of the drone. I felt somewhat drawn away each time from the small table setting by the use of those shots, perhaps from the quality difference between the two sensors or the grading change.

Office Dispute

Great performances from the leads. The can-shooting sequence was perfectly done and had the crowd howling. The film really encapsulates the spirit of the 48hours well. It looked like the team had a heck of a lot of fun making this as it translates onto the screen. I just hope Pavlova Western is a genre next year and you get it again because I want to see more adventurers from our self doubting but ultimately, bloody-nice-guy gunslinger.

Last Christmas

Beautiful grading and cinematography. Acting was great, specially from the lead Santa. I feel like the ending story point perhaps wrapped to quickly but this may of been an indication of the 5min maximum run time which has hurt a lot of teams. Surely one for the finals and a few noms in the technical categories. Well done Little Old Lady Productions.