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 Red Princess Blues tells the story of a young woman out of her element and in trouble. She is in over her head and tries to escape, but will fail if not for an unexpected rescuer. Loosely connected to Little Red Riding Hood, Red Princess Blues is a bit darker than the tale we remember.
The loss of innocence stood out to me as the theme of this short. The young and the innocent who think there is something appealing, even glamorous, about a life they have only observed from a distance, or at least have only seen one facet of. What once seemed fascinating and glamorous from a distance isn’t nearly as attractive up close.
Upon my first viewing, I wasn’t sure if Red Princess Blues was just trying to be cool and edgy, or if there was a strong theme there. After watching it a second time, I decided that I was right on both counts. This short is very cool and edgy, but as mentioned above, it does carry this theme of innocence versus innocence lost. Perhaps it is open for interpretation by the viewer? Perhaps my opinion is one of many possibilities. Two people could probably debate this issue endlessly, which is part of what I like about this short film.
Now, “Run along to grandma’s house, little girl, before another wolf tries to eat you.”
Every good film has to start with solid writing, an interesting premise, colorful characters, and a good character arc in at least one of the main characters. This is an 11-minute film so we can’t expect everyone to have an arc, but the protagonist who goes from being drawn to the “after hours” life of carnival folk to feeling threatened, realizing that it wasn’t at all what she expected, was well done. Also, the dialogue (an element of writing where a lot of independents miss the boat) feels natural and non-stilted. Good dialogue is not the easiest thing to write, but Red Princess Blues succeeds in delivering believable dialogue.
Acting is the second most common place where independent films fall short. If you’ve seen enough films you know that poor acting can take away from a good story, while good acting can sometimes save a mediocre story. I say this to emphasize how important good casting is.
For the most part (maybe completely), professional actors were used for Red Princess Blues. These actors took a good script and made it even better and more entertaining to watch, creating characters that were interesting to see.
Everyone out there who makes films can learn something from Red Princess Blues. Don’t skimp on the talent, folks! It really can make or break your film. As mentioned above, Red Princess Blues had a little bit of money behind it, but not too much. Here’s the thing: if you will take the time to do your casting properly (auditions, etc) and not simply cast your best buddies, you can greatly improve the quality of your work, assuming you’re dealing with a decent script to begin with. You may not get professional-level actors, but you’ll find talented people. Yes, they are out there, and the casting for this short is a prime example of how good casting helps tell the story, making it enjoyable to watch as you see the characters interact with one another.
There is an old adage, “There’s the film you write, the film you shoot, and the film you edit.” It’s true. You can write a good script, shoot amazing footage with great performances, and if the editing detracts from the story rather than enhancing it… well, it will pull your audience right out of the movie. If you don’t know how to do basic editing, get someone who does. Director Alex Ferrari knows what he’s doing and it shows in this masterfully-edited short film. Nothing super fancy, as far as cuts go, but it tells the story in an interesting and engaging way. There is nothing about the editing style here that took me out of the moment. I was fully engaged for all 11 minutes. The continuity looks good, the cuts (even in the fight sequences) felt right, and the overall pacing and flow is on the money.
The very end of Red Princess Blues is great. It contains a moment of levity that makes you smile after a rather intense and sometimes uncomfortable (in a good way) ride, which is a good thing in my book. It offers you a cathartic release without feeling out of place, or doing a disservice to the rest of the film.
Starting with the opening credits and the opening shot of the carnival you know you’re watching the work of people who know what they’re doing and have done it before. Alex Ferrari’s eye and Ricardo Jacques Gale’s lens create a world that is fully realized and immerses the viewer immediately. The audience is taken into this dark world, feeling much like the innocent girl in the film, to find themselves in a world they don’t understand and where they feel out of place and uncomfortable.
My favorite shot, preceding the wicked awesome fight, is of the film’s heroine as we see her face, for the first time, reflected in a spoon. My description doesn’t quite do it justice, but trust me, it’s great.
Speaking of great, the fight choreography is outstanding and over-the-top in all the right “action film” sort of ways, but it’s not cheesy. Most importantly, it is executed well. It looks real and feels even more real, not liked staged combat. There’s no cringing as you watch someone throw a haymaker that is clearly ten feet away from the recipient, and, best of all, there’s no laughing at it. You can’t laugh because they did it right (haven’t I said that before?).
The sets were fantastic as well. Real and functional, I felt like I was watching people in a real environment as opposed to actors on a set. The sets are complimented by the great cinematography that I mentioned earlier. So, from lighting, to framing, to set design, and to the overall finished look of the film, Red Princess Blues is a winner in the visual look category.
The most important piece of the audio puzzle is your dialogue. Red Princess Blues nails it here too. The dialogue and ambient noise is clear, crisp, and consistent throughout the film.
Sound effects are added to the scenes in post-production (as they should be) rather than using wild sound recorded on location. I know it sounds obvious that sound effects should enhance the film, but too many time people get caught up in how “sweet” a sword “swishing” sounds while filming, for example, that they never stop to consider the E.Q., or the balance. The sound might be the right one to use, but if it is not balanced and E.Q.’d properly, it won’t sound right and will draw attention to itself. And having a sound effect take your audience out of your story is always a bad thing.
Score. Four words: Big…Budget…Hollywood…Feature!
Chris Velasco, my hat’s off to you. Great job. The score works with the film and moves things along. It adds emotion without making it too obvious. The score helps draw us into the visual images, and thus the world, that has been created for us.
Once again, I give huge kudos across the board to the entire audio department.
The budget seems to have gone to all the right places and is appropriate for the film. Alex and his team obviously have a good handle on how to stretch a little bit of money a long way. Money was spent on talent and on the score (two very good places to put your money), and other hard costs. The budget was also used (wisely it would seem) on building materials for the sets as well as on food. I think I say it in every critique but, regardless of your budget, you must feed your cast and crew. They will like you much better.
Would I re-watch this film? Heck yes! In fact, I have viewed it several times, showed it to my wife, sent a link for the trailer to a friend, and plan on showing it to some other filmmaking friends of mine.
I know what you’re thinking, “Eric had to watch it more than once to write this.” You are correct. However, it wasn’t a chore to watch it more than once! I liked it better with each viewing and I’m very excited about sharing this film with others.
My only complaint in this department is that Red Princess Blues is a short. However, it is my understanding that the short was created as something of a precursor to a feature film. So, my complaint about only having 11 minutes of this film to watch will hopefully be short lived, and Alex will be able to get the money and support he needs to turn this into a full-length feature.
As you can imagine, I get to view many films, some short and some feature length, that come through MicroFilmmaker. Many times they are films from first time filmmakers and I have to watch them through that “lens,” if you will. I do my best to offer honest and constructive criticism and use my experience to help others learn and grow. Some films are more difficult to sit through than others and it’s not easy to watch them over and over. Once in a while I get to see a piece of work like Red Princess Blues that makes me sit up and take notice.
I feel pretty confident that my previous comments have established that the director did everything right, and I would be hard pressed to find something that was wrong and could be improved upon. This film showcases a talented writer/director and I look forward to seeing this short become a feature. Well executed in every way, Red Princess Blues was a treat to watch and a joy to share with others.
What follows is something that I’ve never written in one of my critiques before: All new filmmakers out there need to view this film. Even if you don’t have the same kind of budget, you can learn a lot about lighting, framing, shot selection, story telling, and acting by watching this short. All those points I just mentioned can be accomplished even if you don’t have an expensive camera or thousands of dollars.
Red Princess Blues may be purchased as an app at the iTunes Store and is compatible with the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and the iPad. Here’s the best part: it’s only 99 cents! So, there’s no reason not to get a hold of this film and learn from it.
Red Princess Blues is an example of good filmmaking. Get it, watch it, and keep getting out there and making your films!
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Content |
10 |
Visual
Look |
10 |
Use
of Audio |
10 |
Use
of Budget |
10 |
Lasting
Appeal |
9.5 |
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9.9 |
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Eric Henninger is the founder of Bald Brother’s Studio Productions, an independent film company based out of Versailles, KY. Bald Brother’s is currently putting the finishing touches on its first film, Collide, which E. Russell wrote and co-directed with MFM Editor, Jeremy Hanke. He is currently in pre-production for his next project, a feature length film, tentatively titled, Angela: A Vampire Story. |
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