So what needed some work? The overall pacing of the piece needs some improvement. At times, the story seemed to drag, because it bore so much more resemblance to a stage play than a film that the pacing needed to be adjusted more than it was. In a film with as many visual issues as Fvoyer had (which we’ll get to in a minute), the pace is very important. Many times, the only image the audience has to focus on is an empty foyer. Also, in the dialogue, there are several breaks in which the audience only hears sound effects like a fax machine, breathing, chips crunching or pouring water. Although some of this is necessary, some of it felt like filler where more visual content should have been.
I can note one instance in which sound effects occupied over one continuous minute of the film with no action. Detective Sam Spencer (played by Derek Dwyer) is casing the area and the other detectives are relaxing in the van. Soon after this gap, the grand finale culminates with a shootout. This would have been an excellent opportunity to speed up the pace of the film and have the detectives seem caught off guard by the other character’s actions. However, it ends up looking as if the cast took a break before finishing their film.
Finally, the ending either needs to be shortened or more video added. For three minutes viewers see nothing but snow on the screen after shots are fired outside the apartment building and police close in. Although the audio is compelling, there’s just not enough video to hold the viewer’s attention. (Not to mention, I don’t know anyone who can stare at a snowy screen for three minutes without going crazy.)
The overall visual look of the film was rather poor. The film from the security camera looks grainy and lacks depth of field. So unless the actors were very close to it (on the inside of the lobby) very little detail could be perceived. Given the angle of the camera, there was not much physical space to be acted in inside the lobby. With most of the action taking place in the foyer and outside the building, I had to try very hard to make out most of what was going on. Although being unable to see what was happening added to the suspense and mystery at times, it’s not a very good method to build an entire feature length film around.
It was also very frustrating to hear some of the actors, like the detectives, and not be able to see them. Having an establishing shot of them would have been extremely helpful. Throughout most of the film, my focus was split between what was happening on screen and trying to visualize the actors who were off-screen and where they were. I found that to be very frustrating and it detracted from my overall viewing experience.
Although the setting and concept worked very well, there needed to be far more shots and angles than Fvoyer provides. (This was really where it felt like a great initial idea ended up preventing the film from being as good as it can be. When a great idea cripples the rest of the film it ceases to be a great idea and, instead, becomes a gimmick.) Cut-aways, establishing shots, reaction shots, close-ups, medium shots, etc. would have helped tremendously. As the movie played, I began to lose interest in what was happening on screen because the shot never varied. The familiarity gave me the feeling that I knew what was coming next even when I didn’t, and caused me to miss some of the story the first time I watched it. While I went back and rewatched it a second time, most viewers will be unwilling to do so.
This part of Fvoyer shines…..and it should. Director Nathan Fleet is a musician and has scored commercials and TV programs. Fvoyer’s musical score is very compelling and effectively supports the tone of the film. It’s particularly effective in a scene where Brandon tries to dismantle the video camera. Since Brandon enters the frame from the side, the audience doesn’t anticipate his appearance. The sound in that scene is both sudden and foreboding. It ends up foreshadowing what happens shortly afterward in the film’s ending. The score also helped carry the film when there was no action on-screen. It helped direct me and give me an idea of what could be coming.
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