Finally, effects come into the mix in the visual look section. The effects used in this film came in the form of an introductory fly-in shot and the actual black hole. The intro shot starts with a 3D model of the world and then zooms in on Australia, until it comes to rest on a house. While it’s clear that this was created through a combination, composite of 3D artwork and Google maps, it works pretty well and establishes the extra-terrestrial feel of the film. The actual black hole is a bit on the sketchy side, but it actually works pretty well, also. As mentioned before, most of the shots in the film are actually from the black hole’s POV, of different people sitting around looking at it. While the skit-like feel of the short was more of a negative as far as content goes, it is actually a positive in the visual look department; as it helps both of these special effects sections work seamlessly.
Use of Audio
Reading like a complete behind-the-scenes article of the film, Mick’s almost two pages of notes (as compared to most filmmakers, who include a single paragraph) explained that they had serious issues with the mic setup, as the GS-400 has a mini-mic jack and started to develop a hum just before the shoot. Luckily, he was able to switch out his GS-400 for a friend’s identical model and make a go of, it using a Rode Video Mic on a boom pole.
I list his ingenuity as an inspiration for other low-budget filmmakers, but had he not mentioned his mic issues in his two pages of notes, I would have been unaware of his problems, since he was able to get an impressively clean sound out of the very inexpensive Rode mic. Plus, most of the dialogue was fairly minimal, which probably covered any other issues that arose. The only issue I would make note of here is that the dialogue could stand to have the volume raised a little bit, as it's a bit soft in comparison to the music and effects. (Most dialogue or music without dialogue is mixed to about -12 Db, while music underneath dialogue is often mixed to -18 Db and sound effects are often mixed to -6 Db.)
The whimsical music was composed by Paul Witty and has a fast, building, familiar beat that made the humorous situation of the film even more enjoyable.
Use of Budget
Considering they made this film for $400, with a full $200 going for an extremely good deal on lighting gear, and the rest going for food, costume, media, and gas, they used their budget very nicely. This production was planned and executed very well.
Lasting Appeal
I watched this short film through once and then wanted to watch it again. I laughed more the second time than I did the first time. Now, I've watched it two more times wtih Assistant Editor, Kari Ann Morgan, and am going to have to show it to the rest of the staff at MFM. All this to say that Mick managed to make a successfully rewatchable film. (Perhaps we can persuade him to host the short here at MFM, now that the film festival is over, so that our readers can watch it here in its entirety.)
Overall Comment
When I reviewed Wannenmacher’s last film, I said that he was a filmmaker to watch out for and that I was really looking forward to his next film. Well, despite the cramped shooting schedule of his next film, he managed to do a great job on it. Now that he’s managed to make two successful short films, with improving scores on each one, I really want to see him tackle a feature length concept. (And move to America, where his last name will be appropriately bastardized to, “Wannamaker”, which is much easier to spell!)
