The Confabulators

[JG]

What up yall, here's a short I did a couple of weeks ago on the 7d. Its called "The Morning After" and its the first of several shorts that we'll be posting onto that there vimeo page over the next couple of weeks in attempt to raise money for a feature my friends and I are trying to shoot. Compression could've been better, and will be, on subsequent videos. Let me know what y'all think. Wordaap.

[Pubrick]

hey that wasn't bad.

i thought it was going to be just because the film started with someone waking up which usually signals amateur hour, but i think the performances saved it. the story obviously is non existent and i guess it's adequate to call it a "short"... just not a short film, more like a short couple of scenes. it worked as an introduction to the characters but i am more certain now it's because the chick has a very unique face that's great on camera.. the guy not so much, but he looks like he could be funny.

only shot that didn't look good was the establishing shot when they're out on the street. it looked cheap and not glossy/cool like the usual 7D footage.

so what role did you play in this production?

[JG]

Thanks for taking a look. I agree, its a slight movie that wouldn't work without out the wonderful performances by our actors..

I co-wrote and co-directed..

[Stefen]

I thought it was really cute. So is this kind of a mini-prequel to the eventual feature?

[JG]

So is this kind of a mini-prequel to the eventual feature?

yeah. here's our second movie, something like a teaser.

[Pubrick]

again it was surprisingly not bad but you gotta stop calling them movies. teasers are more appropriate.

the other thing is the title. does it have to be so bad? not even the voice over guy can pronounce it properly.

it also doesn't tell me anything about the film. the teasers are establishing a cool view of some small characters in a big city but what does that have to do with the title? i'd much prefer something that is in line with what the teasers have shown, which is a movie i'd be interested in giving a chance. but all the hard work of the teasers are wasted when the irrelevant title appears, it's a total disconnect with what you're establishing. if it's meant to be mystifying or enticing it ain't working.

i really like what you did with the observation of people like it was a nature documentary, it's a great tease but the title makes me think of something that is trying way too hard to be interesting.. whereas the footage has a laid back approach that feels natural and unforced. the title just goes against everything your creating.

[JG]

once again, thanks for taking a look. i like the title, and am confident that its a good one that fits in with the feature itself. i could talk about why i think it works, but you might be right that these teasers (which, i agree, is a more appropriate term) fail to do it justice.. that is certainly true of this week's tease which certainly has nothing to do with the title..

check out "winding down." thanks so much for watching!

[Pubrick]

saw the new one and it's good.

i like that they've all been different kinds of teasers. this one suggested a darker film which was interesting and the actor reminded me of a dirty dirty porn star. i was not comfortable seeing his boner in one of those last shots.

on the subject of the title, it's still hard to see the connection between that and these characters. i like the world your creating so i will continue watching the shorts, and maybe steal the final product when it's available.. and i have no shame in saying that cos frankly, we all know the first film is not for profit, it's for cred.

finally, you cannot tell me the narrator pronounced the title correctly in the second teaser. he said "conFOObulators" and not "conFABulators".. was that meant as a joke? it didn't help to make sense of anything.

[Alexandro]

the second one is particularly great. I hate how it looks because it looks so fucking great it makes me jealous.
congrats!!

[ElPandaRoyal]

Liking so far. The last one "Out of Gas" looked a little amateurish, but still, it was kind of funny.

[JG]

yeah, "Out of Gas" is definitely my least favorite of the bunch.

Here's one more. Its most likely the last one we'll do before we shoot the movie proper in January.

[JG]

so i finished this a little while ago, check out the trailer here. we're putting it online monday if anyone's interested. its a weird movie.

[Just Withnail]

Looks wonderfully absurd. Love the score!

[JG]

all 75 minutes of this movie is now online. here it is if you're feeling adventurous.

[Just Withnail]

Hey, I enjoyed the hell out of this!

Some thoughts:

SPOILERS

The waking-up-Ted scene was hilarious, as was the long take when Ted brings in his stuff, which shows your great eye for comic staging. And I love that you even stage things! There’s no run-and-gun stuff here. The actors are really well-tuned to each other’s performances, especially the scenes with a lot of things happening at once.

And the small details: the way the boss pisses, the way Scurble (?) touches Walters hair when she walks away, the way the cousin mouths something after saying ”c’mon Walter she’s happy for you”, that little laugh the older guy has after saying ”personal reasons” and miming the drinking, the elevator shutting while they hug. You’re good at keeping the laughs coming, no matter how small. It could list many more.

Sometimes the cuts seem a little unmotivated. Maybe to cut around performance?

How did you work with the actors to acheive that weird tone?

Good work!