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The other thing is that it is sometimes difficult to tell what is real and what isn’t. Now, I know that some ambiguity is intentional, but in some places (namely when things between the two guys get really tense and Mack tries to strangle Horton with his tie) it needs to be clearer. For example, since we know that the strangling incident is only in someone’s mind (although whose is debatable), it cuts away to a very brief shot of the people rushing and then cuts back to reality… Mack and Horton staring each other down as Seeger comes to the bar. If the choking is in someone’s imagination, the cut to reality should be abrupt and without transition, just like when you’re daydreaming and someone shouts your name and brings you back to reality.
Visual Look
The intro credits looked very nice. The lighting and color balance were mostly even throughout the film; there are a few instances where, during a scene, the color becomes more saturated and the lighting becomes brighter and more over-exposed (e.g. during the necktie story). This does not go on for very long, and because there’s no identifiable purpose for this shift, I assume it’s not intentional; some simple color and lighting adjustments can fix it.
O’Keefe was wonderfully creative in his use of stock footage, which was effective and added a lot to the overall feel of the film. However, there were several times when a kaleidoscope effect was used on the stock footage; while this is not necessarily a bad thing, it was a case of too much of one particular effect. Most of the footage was powerful enough by itself, and the kaleidoscope took away some of that effectiveness and made it look too “artsy”. I suspect that O’Keefe was trying to show the ephemeral, sometimes confusing nature of memories; if such is the case, a way to show that would be to (again) use transparent overlays of the footage, transitioning it in or out as appropriate.
Audio
The dialogue is pretty clear throughout the film. There is no noticeable ambient noise until Seeger enters and we hear music, people talking, and glasses clinking. The background noise is fitting and is at a good apparent-but-not-too-noticeable level; it doesn’t overpower the scene but reminds you that there are other people around. The music is good, appropriately tense or eerie in places.
The audio could be improved by balancing out the music and the background noise. As it is, up until Seeger enters, there is no ambient noise, only music; afterwards, there is mostly noise and hardly any scored music. The lack of ambient noise in the beginning gives the audience the impression that Mack and Horton are the only ones in the bar. (Which makes it seem all the more odd to show lots of people milling about to show the passage of time.) Having some slight background noises –glasses clinking, pool balls knocking together, voices murmuring indistinctly—will help the audience believe that there are other people in the bar before Seeger comes up. Also, while there are some sound effects in the second part (namely, the clock ticking), some more music would help balance it out with the first half.
Use of Budget
The budget for this project was $1,000, which covered food for cast and crew, an external drive for the downloaded archival footage, and editing fees. The film was funded by a grant from the Indiana Council for the Arts (see, it does work!). All told, I’d say this was well done and perfectly on target for its budget.
Lasting Appeal
At first, I wasn’t sure how to mark this film in this category. On one hand, it is very ambiguous, with several possible ways it can be taken. But on the other hand, it is a very good discussion-starter, which is what some of the best films do. It brings up questions not only about race, but about society, memory, and humanity in general. This would definitely be a film I’d show my friends to get a good discussion going.
Conclusion
Race Memory is short, but brings up many good discussion topics. While it is a bit too nebulous in some places, it is open enough to invite lively debate. The kaleidoscope effect needs to be toned down quite a bit, as the images are powerful in and of themselves, and a little bit of background noise in the beginning would help let the audience know that the characters are not alone. All in all, a great concept by Mr. O’Keefe, and I’d love to see what he has up his sleeve next!
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Content |
7.0 |
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Visual
Look |
7.5 |
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Use
of Audio |
8.0 |
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Use
of Budget |
7.0 |
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Lasting
Appeal |
7.5 |
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Overall
Score |
7.4
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A
powerhouse in management, Kari
Ann Morgan successfully produced a feature length film before
coming to work at Microfilmmaker as Assistant Editor. In addition
to writing for the magazine, she's been successfully working with
various distributors to get microfilmmakers the chance for theatrical
distribution. |
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