Gibs (28th Jul 2007 15:54)

I was very much intrigued by the title of this film, and upon watching it can concur with everyone that this was shot and composed very well. However, I also have to agree with those who have stated that the introduction of God at the end felt a little out of place. First of all, I consider myself to be a strong Christian. I certainly agree with the message you were trying to get across, and the verses listed at the end, but the transition from the "who am I" social commentary at the beginning to the God part seemed forced in my opinion. Maybe that's because I don't think you used a very good example to introduce the power of God. I mean, the thing with the girl can happen, but the fact that "any man in Christ is a new creature" can refer to a lot more drastic changes in a person's life. For example, I think it would have been better to show the guy at the end getting ready to do something dumb (like everyone else), but he sees his Bible in his bag at the last second and decides not to do it. After all, Paul had murdered Christians before he became one, so that sort of change comes to my mind with this verse. You had a lot of good ideas in this film and I'm glad you made it. I personally would like to someday make films that can show people who God is and encourage them to do what's right, and so this is the sort of project I would enjoy working on. The message was a little rough around the edges, but the experience I'm sure will help you refine your storytelling in the future. Good luck with future projects and I hope to see them here.

 

cory (29th Jun 2007 04:06)

I know that this thread has been quiet for a while, but I have had your film sitting on my hard drive for a while and just got round to watching it. I thought it was beautifully shot and edited, and well written. So much of what pops up in the cinema here is "me and my friends were bored so we made this movie i know it sux but please watch it anyway LOL" and this movie was a great example of what you can get when you put some work into it (and also, apparently, have talent). Voiceovers in general are best avoided, but in this case, the voiceover was the thing, the whole deal and it works. The fact that the voice changes from one character to another often helps quite a bit. A couple of things I would suggest, as far as the writing: The guy who was being a jerk to his girlfriend, didn't really come across. It sure looked like his girlfriend was sad, but I didn't get why. It's only because of the voiceover I had any idea that he was acting like a jerk; it just wasn't clear. If I watched it with the sound off, I'd have had no idea what was going on, in contrast to the other scenes, where I think I would have got the point without the voiceover. This is why, as mentioned before, voiceovers are best avoided, because it can be very easy to let them tell the whole story. In every case but this one, the voiceover clarified the point being made by the action. With the jerky kid, it relied completely on the VO to get the point across. I think we needed to see something a little more obvious that he's being a jerk. The ending, while I understand what you were going for, was kind of weak in the sense that the duration of the film has featured people dealing with weighty problems: drugs, suicide, treating other people poorly. Making bad choices, because they lack the guiding principles which I believe you are trying to highlight. But the guy at the end... with God's help, he... talks to a girl. Now, I can understand what you are saying, (I think) about the confidence and security a relationship with God can give, but I really think that after all the poor decisions, there could have been a weightier issue for him to tackle with God's assistance. You know what I mean? Maybe I'm too far removed from high school, where plucking up the courage to talk to a pretty girl was a MONUMENTAL task, but compared to some of the other issues highlighted by the other characters, it just seemd kind of trivial. And I think that blunts your message a bit; someone might say, "well, I don't use drugs, I'm not killing myself, I'm nice to my girlfriend and I don't have trouble talking to girls. So I guess I'm doing okay without God." Which, I'm sure, is not the response you are hoping for. And the cross... I'm still not sure if that was meant to actually be there, just kind of situated in the middle of the hallway for some reason, or if it was just a metaphor for the presence of God in his life. Either way, it kinda came out of left field. It might have made more sense to see the guy struggling with the issue and then you see him packing up his books, etc. and you see he has a Bible in his bag, which he pauses and looks at, and remembers who he is and what he is about. That might make more sense than him tripping and landing next to a cross that someone left lying around. OK, I've had some critical things to say, but let me say again that I enjoyed watching this film a lot. 5/5

 

chase (13th Jun 2007 07:47)

As far as high school romance, I didn't mean for that to be the emphasis. Instead, I wanted the character to find a confidence he hadn't had before. The cross resembles the omniscience of God and how certain things happen at just the right time and place. The kid really just slipped, but I figured by adding the symbol of the cross, it kinda gives the audience a reason for his slipping. The cross also serves as an icon for the young nerd. He is on the ground and looks up at the cross...immediately his attitude changes and he has the confidence to talk to someone (a girl). I do believe that God can give us confidence, and I think that He wants us to be able to talk to the people we admire and overcome our own insecurities. We do this by making a choice to fear, or a choice to act. Now, here is the thing that I really hope that people can come away with this film. Doing the "right thing" in todays society means to "say no" to drugs, to not drink and drive, or to save sex for marriage. Although all these are the right thing to do, what I want to present is that there is more right things to do....more than we realize. Such as insecurities... someone who can overcome their insecurities is doing the right thing. Someone who decides to reconcile a relationship is doing the right thing. Someone who has chosen to be confident in himself instead of insecure has done the right thing. There are the outer struggles we face (e.g. drugs, alcohol, sex...) and then there are inner struggles (self respect, hatred, fear, desire) and in each situation, there's a "right decision" that can be made. What I want to come across is that we all need to look into the deeper struggles of right and wrong, rather than just the surface. The surface is the manifestation of the interior being. I understand what you mean by a highschool romance being weak, but it's not the romance that's playing the part, it's the inner thoughts of that teenager, and the way he chose to react...and though small to the audience, to him, it was a big choice. The choice to be confident, and yes, I believe we were meant to be confident beings.