“Bastards” seems to have made good use of its budget. There is nothing that made me ask, “Why did they waste their money on that?” So, that’s good. They took care of your cast and crew, which is the priority, and they had to make some purchases (it happens whether we want it to or not) and they had to rent some gear. All in all, they spent under $1000. Good job. I love that although they couldn't “pay” their talent they were still decent actors. I’ve seen entire budgets go to pay “talent” who couldn’t act at all. High fives to the lot of you.
There is something about the characters that makes you hate them for not doing more to change their circumstances, but at the same time makes you empathize with them. Their “inability” to act to change their circumstances resonates with most of us because either we are there or have been there. The themes explored in “Bastards” are not subject to change with time. The way we dress will inevitably change and we will, of course comment on things like that in all movies after enough time has passed, but our struggles, triumphs, and basic human condition will remain universal themes.
So, yes, I would most certainly re-watch these episodes and I would show them to my friends. While there’s room for improvement, there is something inherently identifiable and endearing about the characters and their struggles.
To sum up, “Bastard’s” writing feels honest and real, the themes have a good dose of universality, and for the most part the pacing feels right. For the future, remember to watch some of those shot selection/edit choices to avoid jarring your audience. Keep a sharp eye on the camera’s focus (pun intended…I make myself laugh). Experiment with different lighting arrangements (even if it's just using work lights and bouncing them off the ceiling) and make sure there’s no dialogue happening when the actors aren’t adequately mic’d.
There are always areas that we can improve in and we should always look to our next piece to be our best one so far. Overall, “Blue Collar Bastards” is a fairly solid offering and shows a lot of potential to be both a dramatic and comedic piece. While some would argue that a film/short can’t be both, I would say that life itself contains both, and they often intertwine inappropriately around one another.
So, all you people behind “Blue Collar Bastards,” keep up the good work.
