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Use of Audio
Because of the documentary style and because he couldn’t find an audio person, Mr. Gilbert strapped a Sennheiser 66 shotgun mic to his DVX100A. While this is not a recommended method for many reasons, much of the audio in the film was actually pretty decent. Of course, because of the lack of control over the positioning there were issues related to it in different parts of the film. The single most noticeable issue came during some wide shot sequences of the aforementioned Cable Access Show skit, where a lot more room tone was part of the recording. This might have been able to be written off as part of bad equipment at the Cable Access Channel, except that the audio didn’t match the close-up shots in the scene. Additionally, throughout the film, there were occasions when the main characters would get a little too soft to hear or loud enough to spike the audio. This wasn’t distractingly often, but I would definitely recommend that the filmmaker use wireless lavaliers in the future if he can’t find a shotgun operator for this type of movie. (Granted, this isn’t a real substitute for having someone monitoring the levels to make sure they don’t get soft or spike, but the overall recording will be cleaner.)
The music in the film was quite whimsical and suited the subject matter quite well, reminding me of the director’s previous film, The Coatroom, which also featured very quirky music.
Use of Budget
Less than $3,000 for an 83 minute film isn’t bad, especially considering costumes, the number of locations that had to be shot in, food for the cast, and the cost of having the score composed for the film.
Lasting Appeal
As I stated earlier, this film isn’t for everybody; it’s best suited for people who like verbal, esoteric, stream-of-consciousness, random humor. If this describes you, then you will most likely enjoy this movie. I would definitely watch it again as well as show it to similarly-humored friends, but I’d probably only watch about 2/3 of all of the skits.
Overall Comment
This is definitely a unique and original film, in a similar feel as Gilbert’s previous film The Coatroom. Those who like Monty Python’s Flying Circus or the random comedy of Eddie Izzard will likely enjoy this film the most. It could stand to have a few more “connectors” between some of the sketches, and some of the longer, rambling pieces could stand to be trimmed.
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Content |
7.0 |
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Visual
Look |
8.7 |
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Use
of Audio |
8.0 |
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Use
of Budget |
8.5 |
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Lasting
Appeal |
7.5 |
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Overall
Score |
7.9
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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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The
director of two feature length films and half a dozen short films,
Jeremy Hanke
founded Microfilmmaker Magazine to help all no-budget filmmakers make
better films. His first book on low-budget special effects techniques, GreenScreen Made Easy, (which he co-wrote with Michele Yamazaki) was released by MWP to very favorable reviews. He's curently working on the sci-fi film franchise, World of Depleted through Depleted: Day 419 and the feature film, Depleted. |
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