The Gathering

This was really good and one of the stand-outs from Heat 2. Great set up with our magical nerd initially out of his depth in the presence of some real magicians before managing to prove himself. This sequence was a fantastic arc shot around the table accompanied by an impressive musical choice. The acting was great, the writing good and it's all well shot and edited, with only the ball trick becoming a little unstuck as we can see the string at a couple of points. My only notes would be the over sweating was a bit out-of-place and the ending falls a little flat after such a cool build up.

Great job though and should be in the discussion for Best School film for CHCH.

Fantastic match cut here and really quite good sound had this standing out in Heat 2 for Chch. Nice dramatic question immediately presented as our lead had to earn their stripes to fit in with the illuminati-like magicians.

Amateur vs illusionists presented nicely for an entertaining romp, escalating the stakes as the film progressed leading to a well earned payoff.

Camerawork nice, really good focus and use of depth of field and closeups to highlight the action.

My main point to look at for progression might have been to drop one of the jokes/tricks and try and give us a little bit more character development, although you did clearly visually define everyone well enough.

EPIC. This film was so great. Lighting - gags - art direction - story that progressed nicely. And the spinning camera with cuts 🤌
All and all a well rounded film.

I wish I was producing anything this good while in school!

Awesome film! As others have stated, definitely was a standout amongst Heat 2 and a strong contender for best School Team in CHCH. The film was well paced, had a good story structure, and was fun to watch overall. The opening exposition, coupled with the well executed match cut was what had me hooked in the beginning. Great acting, art direction and also the arc shot sequence as well.

My main takeaway would be to spend a little more time on implementing more sound effects. In particular, the various magic tricks done by the magicians to really enhance that scene. It would've felt more satisfying hearing an effect for the magic wand or for the ball trick as it felt a lil bit empty without it added.

Overall, it was a great film to watch and I can't wait to see what this team does for the next 48 hour competition. :)

What I liked:
A fun creative idea from a team with a good sense of humour!

What I didn't like:
Not the first time I've seen something like this in 48Hours! In fact the humble tabletop board game boom has given way for many many narrative devices in 48Hour films over the years - I'd encourage you next year to take what you like about these games and weave those ideas into an independent story that's simply inspired by Magic: The Gathering.

Something else I liked:
Some genuinely impressive filmmaking going on here - the camera moving around the table showing various tricks was awesomely done.