Beast Mode

A social media addicted DJ struggles with his monstrous addiction. Hilariously funny and well done. I'd expect to see this in the audience faves at least. It got one of my votes.

Dirty 30 are all but guaranteed a spot at the city finals (if not the nationals) with this entry. A technically excellent and thoroughly polished short that parodies the ill-effects of social media most of us know all too well. Points for an original twist on the werewolf myth, and impressive make-up, cinematography, and editing. It's possible that this same story could be told in a 20 second skit - but what it lacks in depth, Beast Mode more than makes up for in execution.

a very smooth and flashy wee film this one. The team know how to get good shots and edit the dickens out of it. a simple story well told that the audience really enjoyed.

First off, your team intro was one of the highlights of the night for me. Second off, the production value in this short was fantastic, the makeup was awesome and there was some super slick editing. The end felt like you maybe pushed the agenda of the film a little too hard, but the inherent awkwardness in doing so added to the film’s charm. Great job. Really enjoyed this one.

Some pretty slick production values going on here which I suppose is to be expected from this team. It was a pretty interesting take on the monster movie genre in that they have a radio host turn into a monster when he doesn't get enough likes on social media. There's all sorts of social commentary going on here. The tone I thought was a reasonably good balance, sort of going for that Horror-Comedy style which is apparent from the title card. The silhouette shot was particularly good in how it was executed. I guess if there was a critique to be had its that it's a bit of a set up punch line kind of a movie which didn't have quite as big a punch line as the film seemed to call for though that doesn't mean that the ending was bad. Oh yeah, and the makeup effects were quite good too.

So, as has been mentioned above a radio DJ succumbs to the social media beast inside. Cleanly shot, edited and nice use of on-screen graphics for the Instagram pics and likes or lack there of, which along with text messages popping up on screen, seem to be the go to these days for showing the audience these social media. Personally, I'm not a fan of this as I think it really does say "we're watching a film here" and can become intrusive. That said, once the transformation begins we don't get too much more it. Make-up is effective and I'm sure the comedy worked in front of a large 48HR audience. Again, personally I wish you'd played it straight instead of falling into comedy as I didn't really buy into his personal turmoil. That or really going bigger with the monster aspect. I imagine this came very close to the Auckland shortlist and given a recent forum post it is definitely one of those shorts that will have its loyal supporters. It may have missed due to simply having a similar tone to others in the shortlist which is why, once again, it is sometimes good to not play it safe.

Really slick effort this one with nary a frame not looking great and crystal clear quality sound and music, this took a lot of beats from cult classic horror film THE BEAST WITHIN but played for laughs, and unfortunately (as I've been a huge fan of Alan Morrison's work in this comp over the years and see he wrote this) I didn't really buy it as as radio DJ went through a monster transformation all the while staying actively engaged with social media. I get that this was meant to play as a meta commentary on instagram/facebook etc but the payoff genuinely came too late in the piece for my liking. I also think that texts as an on-screen graphic have been a tad overdone in this comp especially when Chess Club did their drop the mic film in this area a couple of years ago. However I'm pretty inspired by what you guys pulled off from a technical pov. The camerawork in some of this was absolutely exquisite from the fish eye lenses examining the man's soul and body transformation through to the dramatic VAMP-like neon lighting. The makeup was freaking marvelous for a 48hours film too!

Wow, this was a production feast. Some superb grindhouse-y lighting (that cubical!), great camerawork (that night-day transition!), and a sound-score combo that's too slick to fault. Unfortunately, it over-promises and under-delivers once the actual beast mode kicks in. Up until that point, the film did a great job making you wonder how far this guy would transform if he didn't receive his social media fix. The result, however, isn't really all that different from who he was. He's not dangerous. He doesn't completely lose his mind. He just goes from being kinda pathetic to being kinda pathetic but as a werewolf. Having the monster squad explain the whole situation also felt needless since the visual storytelling already did a great conveying the concept. Overall, because it's so well made, it makes me ache that the script didn't received a couple more passes, for this could have been a legendary 48 film. As it stands though, I still had fun watching this and the lead + makeup squad deserve big golden kudos for their efforts.

Fantastically shot and edited, I really loved the pacing of the build up as the guy was heading into beast mode. The shots in the bathroom were great, the lighting really reinforced the tone, and the editing especially that night to day transition was smooth as butter. I, too, felt that the explicit mention of "another victim of social media" line detracted from the story as it was already being told so well, but then I know that in 48 hours it can be really hard to judge how much the audience needs to be told, especially when we're all quite used to easily digestible films. By the time you're in the Nth hour of writing, and then again at editing, it is hard to judge how much others can read into it, and many films suffer from the opposite of having some deeper subtext that's really not apparent to anybody but the team. So, all in all, I enjoyed watching this, it was entertaining and well put together :)

A slick production from a well oiled team. The elegant title animation was a great way of summarizing the plot using two emojis, but unfortunately we never got much more depth as it played out. The premise is decent, but I would have loved to see more exploration of why social media turns us into monsters, and fewer gags lifted verbatim from What We Do in the Shadows. The tone also shifts wildly between the acts, to the point where it feels like three different films. Overall an entertaining film that sets a high bar and doesn't quite reach it. I look forward to seeing what this talented team does next.

Good social commentary on the mental perils of social media. The main character is an immigrant to 'life' online, due to his age, and quickly becomes reminiscent of Bill Bixby. Very well acted, and great imagery in the bathroom. The make-up is outstanding and enjoyed the humour. Good short!!!!