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Visual Look
The visual look of the film was very good. The lighting was even and balanced throughout the film. There were several interesting shots, for example the downward crane-like shot on the scientist as he's explaining his maps at the table. Zymet also used some first-person perspective shots (such as Marjorie opening the door to her visitors) and a few well-placed wide-angle shots that added to the humorous, quirky feel of the film. Most of the special effects for the wormhole are simple but effective. We never actually get to see the wormhole itself, just a blinding blue light that washes over Marjorie as she stares transfixed. The perspective then shifts, and we see her walk into the light, which suddenly flares up, and she disappears, leaving only a small, brief distortion swirling in the air. Although the effect is understated, anything more would've been overkill, so the subtlety really works here.
Use of Audio
The audio quality is excellent; all of the dialogue is clear and distinct, with no tinny quality, and no hissing or popping. All of the audio elements (dialogue, ambience, score) were belanced very well, and none of them overwhelmed the other. The added ambient noises (particularly the rushing wind and rumbling sounds of the wormhole) were very effective without being over-the-top. The score was very well done and fit the overall feel of the film perfectly; it was lighthearted and quirky without sounding corny. And even though it played under much of the dialogue, it was quiet enough to add a nice subtle touch.
Use of Budget
At first glance, $5,000 for a 4-minute film seems like an enormous amount to spend on a microcinema film. (For the math geeks out there, it comes out to $1,125 per minute!) However, Zymet had assembled a professional team, because this project was for a major competition; he couldn't afford to cut corners on quality, and he didn't have the luxury of time to find less-expensive alternatives. Most of the budget went for food, paying key crew members, art direction, and equipment rental. When taking into account the tremendous time and personnel limitations Zymet was working under (he had two DPs bow out before shooting even started!), I'd say that he did a very good job with his budget, especially considering the overall quality of the resulting product.
Lasting Appeal
This film is definitely one that's worth watching again. You don't have to be into sci-fi to appreciate it, because it's more comedy than actual sci-fi. It's short, but sweet and to the point, and its quirky humor is widely appealing.
Final Comments
Wormhole Chasers is a great example of what can be accomplished in a very short amount of time. The acting and writing were good, although I would definitely would've liked to have seen more reaction on the part of Marjorie, to assist in the character/story development. The visuals were creative and the audio quality was very good. Although the budget was rather high, it was easy to see that the money went almost exclusively to great production quality, which was all the more essential given the extremely limited time frame. If this is what Mr. Zymet can come up with in just six days, I would really like to see what he can do with even more time!
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Content |
7.5 |
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Visual
Look |
9.0 |
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Use
of Audio |
9.0 |
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Use
of Budget |
8.5 |
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Lasting
Appeal |
8.5 |
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Overall
Score |
8.5
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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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