At Least the Devil is Honest - SHORT FILM

[matt35mm]

I just finished a new short film, and I would love for you guys to check it out.



It's about a guy who can't be honest unless he's very drunk, and the deal he makes with the devil.

Hope you'll enjoy it!

EDIT:  Vimeo version with better audio here: http://www.vimeo.com/11678294

[Pas]

Nice! Quick comments:

- Really cool title art (may sound like a douche but that was the best part of the film LOL not in a mean way though, it just really looks so awesome I thought. Actually the first 25 seconds are really top-notch)
- The chick acts good, the guy is decent/good and the devil is the weakest of the bunch. Also, he really looks like a silly Devil... a young fat black dude? Threw me off a bit haha maybe that's why I thought he didn't act so well, cause I didn't buy him. I know it's intended though, that you don't think he looks like Christopher Lee or anything haha
- Some funny parts (the high heels thing really made me crack up)
- They are drinking Moosehead, pretty nice that you didn't go Budweiser or take off the brand.

Good job, I like it.  

[matt35mm]

Thanks, Pas!  Glad you liked it.  I'm surprised that you could tell what beer they're drinking from that distance.

[Pas]

Thanks, Pas!  Glad you liked it.  I'm surprised that you could tell what beer they're drinking from that distance.

Haha well it's a personal favorite

[Pubrick]

keep the chick, dump the dude. didn't get the ending cos i couldn't understand the devil voice (anyone wanna transcribe?)

the series of confessions was well done, it was the only good part of that dude's performance. and it's not really the dialogue cos in terms of motivation the chick is given LESS to work with and she makes a lot more out of it. she seems natural even at the awkward beginning where she single handedly establishes the mood of their relationship by trying hard to make it look like they're having fun. the dude at that point comes off as really annoying and whiny. if he didn't piss on a guy soon after i would hav no interest in his character.

technically the confession scene is also the best. i think it's cos it's done in close up and it just looks a bit more cinematic for this reason. the long shots are not interesting because the more you expose of their surroundings the less there is to actually see. by showing more around the actors you are filling up the screen with unnecessary information which often just kinda brings the whole thing down visually. i say be less afraid of cutting close more often especially near the start of a story to give us the best chance to relate to the characters on a more personal level.

do something with the chick next, she makes everything work.

[matt35mm]

Thanks for watching it, P.  That actress has actually been in most of my short films.

I do think that I was technically and creatively limited by being a one-man crew for pretty much the whole thing (I had a guy hold the boom mic for part of the end scene).  I was pretty much by myself in getting everyone to set, lugging the equipment, setting up the lights and the microphones, and shooting the thing.  I need to stop doing that, and I also don't give myself enough time to shoot.  I am capable of greater sophistication in terms of integrating camerawork, sound, music, and general design into the storytelling, but I tend to have to eschew any of those ideas for a quick point-and-shoot method, which is exactly what you see here.  I am getting better at directing actors, but again, more time would have yielded better results.  That said, this is pretty much exactly what I was aiming for, because I wanted it to be a quick little something to submit to a student film festival on my campus that I learned about 2 weeks before the deadline, and I only had a few hours total where I could shoot with my actors.  Anyway, I finished it in time and it'll be screening at the festival.

Next time, I want to someone else to shoot it and someone dedicated to sound, and just a larger creative team in general, so that I can allow myself to just focus on what I need to do as a director.

ANYWAY, I have sweetened the sound a bit and fixed the end bit of dialogue that the devil says so that it's actually intelligible.  For those who haven't done so, please check out the film and let me know what you think!  Thanks!

http://www.vimeo.com/11678294

[ElPandaRoyal]

It seems I can't get enough with piss jokes. That really made me laugh out loud. It was quick and fun and, well, eben though it was technically limited, it worked just fine for what it was.