Visual Look
I very much liked the look of the 16mm film. The lighting and filters worked well and added to the gritty feel of the 16mm stock. The filmmaker used dark shadows and shading to hide cuts from a knife the protagonist received. This was very effective as it was a less expensive way to hide what would have been a very expensive make-up job. The filmmaker allowed the blood to carry the feel of the wounds, instead of having to create actual open flesh. I also thought the use of hand held camerawork and tracking worked very nice to keep the piece fluid.
The florescent lighting makes everything green. While this is normally a lighting problem that would have to be solved in post, in this case, the green hue didn’t bother me. It felt intentional and I think it worked for the overall feel of the film. Perhaps the green was symbolic of our greed and thirst for more sensationalized violence and horror. It worked for me. I especially enjoyed the contrast between the greens and the red blood. Nice job.
Use of Audio
The audio was very well done. Sound is one of the most difficult things for independent filmmakers to conquer. The dialogue was easily heard and the limited use of sound effects was effective.
The choice of music pads was very effective, though I thought they could have been pushed up a little. I think this would have given the dialogue more of a base to stand on. What I liked most about the music is that it did not get in the way of the story. In this genre of films, many times the filmmaker’s use of music is rather heavy handed. In this case, I would have liked it to be brought up a few decibals. Overall, I think the audio was very well done.
Use of Budget
I understand the expense that goes in to shooting with film stock. I think the filmmaker made good use of the budget. Plus, the physical effect of ripping off the fingernail during the torture scenes was done quite well, which is normally costly and its impressive that they were able to make it realistic on a lower budget. Also, the cutting of the back and face was very effective and well hidden with the use of shadowing, which clearly saved money in place of costly prosthetics. Good job.
Lasting Appeal
I must have watched the film seven or eight times and spot-checked it many more. Each time, it still delivered on the suspense and anticipation, with its interesting comment on our society remaining intact. This short film was very well done. With that said, I didn’t see anything really new that would make me want to show this to everyone, except in the context of the quality of the production, which I thought was pretty good. I would not likely pay to see this film.
Overall Comment
Apathy Breeds Contempt takes an interesting look at society's desire for the demise of a fellow human. The overall production value was pretty good. The use of lighting and music were very effective and the sound was excellent. I think with a stronger concept, this filmmaker shows a lot of promise. I look forward to seeing future projects from this filmmaker. One last comment, the views expressed here are simply from my perspective. I hope I have left the filmmaker with some useful criticism that can be used in future projects.
