Microfilmmaker Magazine - Film Critiques - Rough Film Critique: Everything Means Nothing, Pg. 2


	Final Critique: Everything Means Nothing, Pg. 2

Use of Audio
This film has so very many interesting things to say that it's a tremendous pity that there are times where it's difficult to hear what's being said. Audio levels spike and drop unpredictably during some of the dialogue, making you scramble to find the volume button on the remote. There are also some scenes where the music almost overrides the dialogue entirely. These things can be fixed with audio correction in post and/or ADR. I know it's a huge pain in the butt; however, a movie isn't worth much if you can't hear it. (Unless of course, it's Metropolis, but that's because it is a silent film that was intended to be a silent film!)

Also, a film that deals with such deep issues in a suspenseful atmosphere needs to have music that complements it accordingly. The music present in the film is too reminiscent of 80's electronic loops or cookie-cutter music from a generic soundtrack cd. Music is one of the biggest factors to having the audience interpret your film the way you intend; a complex movie needs to have appropriately complex music.


There are lots of nice shots that use forced depth of field...	...or unusual angles to keep the small set from becoming claustrophobic.

Use of Budget
For a $10,000 movie, Everything Means Nothing was an even film, and is right on target for its budget, in terms of production cost. However, I think that the film would have benefited from a better time budget: more time and attention given in post to the audio quality and music, and less to the flashy editing and visual effects.

Lasting Appeal
As I said before, this is a great discussion movie. Like Donnie Darko, Fight Club, Memento, and Requiem for a Dream, it's one of those films that you can talk about with your friends for hours afterward. It brings up a lot of issues about people, interaction, and life in general, and presents questions to the viewer. In this sense, it truly reflects what great movies are all about.

However, the over-the-top visual effects make it extremely difficult to watch. There were times that I found myself closing my eyes because of some of the spastic filters and jumpy editing. I understand that the point of such effects is to add to the characters' tension and conflict (both external and internal); however, they were used to such a degree that it detracted from the story. For this reason, I would wait until these visuals are toned down greatly before I showed it to my friends. (After that, though, I'm definitely inviting them over to watch it!)

Overall Comment
Great content. Great ideas. Great acting. Creative scene setups and shooting style; effective lighting, coloring, and use of filters. However, jumpy editing, feedback loops, camera shake, and other visual effects, combined with uneven audio and ill-fitting music take away a huge amount of this film's power. I would love to see this film again with the changes I suggested. It would not change or compromise the story or the writing at all; rather, it would hugely improve a movie that I believe has a lot of potential.

[Note to writer/director/producer/editor Chad Hendricks: Please, please, please consider taking the time to make these adjustments and re-submit this film for a secondary critique! I truly believe that this can be an awesome movie!]

Content

      8.0

Visual Look

      6.0

Use of Audio

6.5

Use of Budget

8.0

           Lasting Appeal

           6.5

Overall Score

  7.0