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Final Critique: Pantomime, Pg. 3

Use of Budget
This film was shot over two days for £150, which is approximately $270 US. That's an awfully small budget, even for a movie with such a simple premise as this one. These days, gas prices alone will run you far above that. Of course, the style of this movie almost demands a small budget just to get the look right. However, even if they shot in a friend's apartment, slept on the floor in sleeping bags, borrowed all the equipment, and grabbed people off the street to be extras, one still has to consider travel expenses, two (or probably more) days off of work, time and money spent in the editing room, and - most importantly - Kraft services expenses.

Even with a movie as simple as this, it seems as though these filmmakers managed to squeeze a pretty good production out of just £150 - unless there's something they're not telling me.

Although the final demo reel
pokes fun at the main 'star'...
...it looks a little too polished for
an
£18 production!

Lasting Appeal
I've already told several of my friends about this movie, and they all sounded eager to see it. Even with the few minor issues that I have mentioned, this film is still very audience-worthy since any minor mistakes only serve to enhance the style of the movie.

I'll definitely be watching this film again.

Conclusion
Every kid who grew up with a video camera has, at least once in their life, attempted to make their own movie. Usually the idea is made up on the spot, as is all the dialogue, and the result is a very haphazard-looking creation. This "run and gun" style of guerilla filmmaking was made popular by movies such as "The Blair Witch Project," and Hollywood studios love to capitalize on it. The expense to make such a film is very low, giving them higher profit margins, but yet it has the look of an indy film that audiences seem to gravitate toward. The only problem is finding such a movie that doesn't look like a couple of middle schoolers decided to play around with Mom and Dad's camcorder for an afternoon.

It appears to me that Pantomime could be one of those golden eggs that studios love to get a hold of. It has a the definite look of an indy film, the premise is simple and easy to understand, the look fits the concept very well without going over-the-top, and it has a lot of really funny moments that I think audiences will certainly enjoy.

 
Content            
      9.4         
Visual Look            
      8.4         
Use of Audio            
7.3         
Use of Budget            
9.7         
           Lasting Appeal            
           9.5         
Overall Score           
  8.9         

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