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Use of Audio
The dialogue and ambient sound for the film varied in volume and quality throughout. In some scenes, the sound quality would change with each shot, due to the differing reverb in the various takes. (Reverb is how noise sounds as it bounces off of walls and objects in a room.) Because a lot of the indoor scenes tended to be in locations with bare walls (e.g. the law office, the hallway outside the party, Rodney’s apartment, etc.), this made the sound more “echo-y” and the reverb more pronounced. During shooting, this could be alleviated by trying to absorb as much of the reverb as possible: hang curtains, put big pictures on the walls (Goodwill is a great place to find inexpensive, generic-looking pictures!), move some furniture, and you can even use area rugs and/or blankets to absorb sound on hard floors. In post-production, this can be corrected by… you guessed it, ADR. Check out our article on the basics of ADR here. While it is time-consuming, it is often the only way to fix audio problems like these after the fact. In addition to shifting sound quality due to excess reverb, there were several places were the dialogue was either too quiet (Rodney’s exchange with the prostitute) or too garbled and indistinct (the stepdaughter’s conversation with Tamika). Again, ADR is needed to correct this.
While the audio was too soft in some places, it was non-existent in others. In some of the outdoor establishing shots (including the shot of Rodney playing craps on the street), there is absolutely no sound. These are perfect spots to place some prerecorded ambient noise such as cars driving by, kids playing, people talking or laughing, planes flying over, etc. While music can also be used, ambient sounds help give the viewer a feel for the atmosphere and the location. One last thing to be careful of: in several places (e.g. in Tamika’s apartment), you can hear the camera and/or mic being fiddled with. Obviously, this is a big no-no; try to make sure that when you’re recording, none of the crew members move unless they have to, especially if they’re around the camera!
Use of Budget
On a financial scale, this film is right on target. The $1,000 budget was spent on obtaining a camera, food for cast and crew, and miscellaneous expenses. However, as far as a time budget, this film needed a lot more time spent on it in post.
Lasting Appeal
I believe that this film has a lot of promise. The way Benton presented his story is both interesting and original. However, the technical issues (audio quality, aspect ratio, shaky camerawork) end up distracting the viewer and make it harder to fully appreciate and understand the film. For this reason, I would not really watch this film again or show it to my friends as it is currently. If some of the suggested improvements were made, I would definitely be willing to give it a second look.
Overall Comment
Brown Paper Bags does a great job of presenting us with a unique perspective not only on society and culture in the black community, but also with people in general and what defines us. Although the technical aspects (specifically camerawork and audio quality) need improvement, Mr. Benton shows a lot of potential and insight as a writer and a storyteller. I very much look forward to what he has to show us in his upcoming projects.
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Content |
7.0 |
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Visual
Look |
6.5 |
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Use
of Audio |
6.5 |
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Use
of Budget |
7.0 |
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Lasting
Appeal |
6.0 |
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Overall
Score |
6.6
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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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