camagill
19 Reviews
Reviews
New Flat
A very solid, and original concept. A great use of the genre. Clues and twists fairly well executed. Mandatory elements were a little on the weak side. This could have done with a little more exploration. Otherwise, great work.
Trigger Happy
Story is everything. I think that's the moral of the story here (pun sort of intended). You had a great concept for this film, but your story really collapsed upon itself. From small things like kids drunk off V, to vampires standing in the daylight (none of that Twilight sparkling shit). Then there were bigger things like, who was that dude in the mask who came in and started shooting people? The ending was madness, but not the best kind of madness. Also, exposition is a killer. Work on the subtleties of the medium. Use of mandatory elements was weak also, felt like it was pasted on top of everything you had written and didn't really fit with the flow of the film. The fact that you had to highlight who Nicky was in the credits is not a good thing. However, the promise in your team is extraordinary. You clearly had a lot love for this film, and will to try new things, which is key in film making. Writing and choreographing a shoot like this is hard, and you did well to pull off what you did. Well done.
The Solution
If 'Brothers' is anything to go by from last year, this is a team that tries it's best to twist technical storytelling conventions to create something as out there as possible within the time frame. 'The Solution' carries on this tradition. A dystopian future, a mysterious website where you can download 'the solution' to your sickness or troubles, a mind trip 3D sequence (glasses were handed out at the door, by masked characters), great use of sound and score, as well as a clever use of prop. This team has really embraced the idea of creating more of a visual experience than a short film, though perhaps the experiment may have been lost on a few punters. Something a little different to distance themselves from other teams, if a bit too much for some to connect to. Still, a stand out in the heat. Techno thriller was a genre this team saw to do something out of the box, and dived in (for those who saw this, pun was intended).
The Solution
If 'Brothers' is anything to go by from last year, this is a team that tries it's best to twist technical storytelling conventions to create something as out there as possible within the time frame. 'The Solution' carries on this tradition. A dystopian future, a mysterious website where you can download 'the solution' to your sickness or troubles, a mind trip 3D sequence (glasses were handed out at the door, by masked characters), great use of sound and score, as well as a clever use of prop. This team has really embraced the idea of creating more of a visual experience than a short film, though perhaps the experiment may have been lost on a few punters. Something a little different to distance themselves from other teams, if a bit too much for some to connect to. Still, a stand out in the heat. Techno thriller was a genre this team saw to do something out of the box, and dived in (for those who saw this, pun was intended).
Bricks & Mortar
I think everyone here has covered the execution with the action scenes, the slow motion usage and the other techniques. Your biggest problem was pacing. The film felt it could have been half the time, and twice as good. Some of this problem is in the way the confrontation with the film's villain was written and cut. However, what you did with the resources at your disposal was great.
Blinded
This was probably one of my favourites of the night. You guys really tried to do something interesting with your given genre. Playing with the form here was seriously great. A very adaptable team, making the best use of the few resources you had. Some of the other teams should have taken notes from what you guys achieved with your budget and level of experience. Your issues here were nothing that any team starting out film making would experience. But even then, you tried a lot of great things, as unsuccessful as some of those things might have been. However, you seem to have a will to keep getting better. It's great to see such a young team do such interesting things. Please continue film making.
Threesome
Visually, this was one of the best films of the heat. It also had good intentions with it's sound design. However, story wise this is a film that left a lot to be desired. Vic's situation was very strange: a largely unhappy man in a somewhat odd relationship with two young women, which is pretty much unexplained. The film only gets stranger from there, and still remains rather shallow. This team clearly understood the need for visual storytelling within the non-dialogue genre, unfortunately there was not much of a story to tell here.
Hush Little Baby
For a musical, it took a while for the music to start. The use of pre-existing songs was a pretty safe option, and as 'me myself and i' stated, more mature humour would have set this apart. However, it was a well shot film, and very well paced. Very good use of character, though. A strong story, though not much of a musical.
Mis-take
First of all, I liked your use of character. I liked your set up of the story as well. Actually, your story wasn't all that bad. A nice twist on the plot. However, what the...bleep...was up with all the swearing? There are other ways to come off as intimidating or frightened than swearing. Nothing wrong with an f bomb, but pick your times carefully. It just came off as weak dialogue writing.
Vic Meyer: Neighbourhood Crime Watch
Started off very strong, sticking a few big laughs with the audience, which was good. Despite being limited technically, this team embraced what they knew and went with it, with varying results. The aerial shot, for example, didn't quite fit with the doco style film they were creating. Thought the use of character in this one was one of the strongest. However felt that after the halfway point, the film lost a bit of it's 'just go with it!' charm, and the ending was a bit stale. However, this was one of my favourites of the heat, and showed great comedic potential. A team to watch, in my opinion.
string
Nice use of genre, though the string motif felt a little on the nose. A clear story, if a bit cliched. The bleeding in the bathtub was all a bit silly though, same with the downer of an ending. Well intended cinematography with some great shots, and very good soundtrack choices as well. Also, a good laugh with the Jehova's Witness characters. A fair film.