Monday, May 28, 2007
OTL - THE 24-HOUR SHORT FILMS
Here are some comments and reviews from my response to the 24 hour films On The LOT (OTL):
Overall, I found that my judgement of the films was mostly formed by the extent to which I felt the basic story worked.
(Filmmakers in bold italics are among the 18 finalists.)
Out of Time 1 GOOD
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=19
Jeff Seibenick, Trevor James, Marty Martin
Drama -- Kind of a mystery.
I don't get the story. I saw it twice. It's not a coherent story. The music doesn't completely match as a whole throughout the video. Color, style & story continuity don't match from scene to scene.
Vinny's Vault GOOD
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=20
Kenny Luby, Jess Brillheart, Hannah Sink
Mob story -- Something's been taken
Story is real jumpy. Not completely coherent. The look is boring. Could use music. The narration doesn't add enough.
Time Out EXCELLENT -- BEST FILM
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=21
Zach Lipovsky, Sam Friedlander, Adam Stein
Sci-fi/drama/FX -- A confict makes time stand still.
Great! Coherent story. Nicely shot. The special effects work perfectly.
Sponsored By GOOD
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=22
Kai Soremekun, Daniel Tenkman, Will Bigham
Drama -- Suicide prevention
OK story. The bat bit doesn't work too well. The ideas of realizing the log line "Out Of Time" by "raising the stakes" with a suicide prevention is a little bit film-school-exercise-ish.
Call Waiting QUITE GOOD
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=23
Opie Cooper, David May, Justin Lutsky
Comedy -- A broad comedy short about hiring the cable guy who knows nothing.
Funny. Makes sense. Looks good. Some split screen adds a bit of interest.
Organized Crime GOOD
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=24
Mateen Kemet, Shira-Lee Shalit, Gil Krueger
Drama - Nefarious transaction
A coherent, but not quite credible story. The first scene is badly lit. The script uses "out of time" explictly, which is kind of exercise-ish. It tries too hard to tell a high-stakes story with a dramatic ending, but doesn't quite make it.
Wilted QUITE GOOD. THE FIRST SCENE IS EXCELLENT
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=25
Jarrett Conaway, Jason Epperson, Tamila D Amico
HORROR LIGHT - He is coming for you.
The script has good and bad moments. The first scene starts out great and looks great. The film kind of goes a bit downhill from there, and some of the acting is a bit off. The music works.
Reverse OK
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=26
Phil Hawkins, Hillary Skarl, Shanna Baca
Drama - Murder mystery
I don't really get this story. At first it seems contrived, then just confused. The "flashback" scenes are interesting. The rest doesn't work so well. Another badly lit indoor scene. Continuity? There's a girl on the train tracks, then a train goes over the tracks. Where's the girl?
Random Acts Of Kindness QUITE GOOD
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=27
Brent McCorkel, Hilary Graham, Carolina Zorilla De San Martin
Comedy - A woman is determined to be kind
This is cute. It is simply photographed and directed. The narration carries the burden of making the story a bit more complex. I liked the other entries in the woman's notebook. The ending is a bit forced, and her behavior at the end is too simplistic and unnatural.
Ding OK
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=28
Tamika Miller, Randy Slavin, X Dean Lim
Drama - Gambling problem
This doesn't really make sense. The first scene is too explicly "out of time" though it starts OK. The scene with the other gambler and with the woman are unconvincing.
Smile QUITE GOOD
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=29
Phil Allocco, Shalini Kantayya, Jeff Speed
Drama/Romance/Horror - A photographer discovers a beautiful modelSimple. Spooky. It works.
Out Of Time 2 QUITE GOOD
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=2&vd=30
James Breese, Claudia La Bianca, Andrew Hunt
Drama/Romance - Can he save the relationship?Carries a lot of story in 2 min.
The only film with this tone. Unfortunately, while the main character's story makes sense, the behavior of the other characters does not. Well shot and edited. Good music.
Labels: OTL, short film
