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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Pretty Happy - Short film shot on RED

Hey Seth, really enjoyed your short. The characters are great, especially the husband. And the story is rock solid. I think you have a great festival-worthy piece on your hands. Aside from some soft focus and sound mixing bits at the beginning, I'd say it's a great great job for a first timer. My only suggestion is to try and cut the piece down to 8-10 minutes if possible. Shorts under 10 minutes have a much greater chance of getting programmed into festivals from my experience. Otherwise, awesome work!
 
Thanks for the feedback, Jonathan! If you think those soft-focus parts are conspicuous now, they're gonna be brutal on the big screen!

Cutting off another 3 minutes gets difficult when so many critical scenes were shot with no coverage (the plastic bag, the kiss, the end, the audition). It's down from a first cut of 16+ minutes. So I'm pleased.
 
Seth Fisher said:
Thanks for the feedback, Jonathan! If you think those soft-focus parts are conspicuous now, they're gonna be brutal on the big screen!

Cutting off another 3 minutes gets difficult when so many critical scenes were shot with no coverage (the plastic bag, the kiss, the end, the audition). It's down from a first cut of 16+ minutes. So I'm pleased.
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Cool. I was actually going to suggest that you could even cut OUT the kissing scene. It's a nice moment, but even the gesture of the man "bringing" her the flowers and apologizing could be enough for her character-change at the end. But it's not a big deal. It's got great pacing and solid performances, so I'm sure you'll still hit plenty of festivals.
 
I really really really liked this allot Seth (so much so that I made this account to tell you). I think the kissing scene is great because of her reaction to it "summer camp", it was innocent and brought her back to a time in her youth for a moment. Just my two sense.
 
Brad Sayeau said:
I really really really liked this allot Seth (so much so that I made this account to tell you). I think the kissing scene is great because of her reaction to it "summer camp", it was innocent and brought her back to a time in her youth for a moment. Just my two sense.
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Great point... I agree
 
This short film made me smile twice. So I think that this is a good thing. Overall, this was pleasant to watch. Good work for a first short film. Here are my words of advice:

1. try and take out the soft focus parts
2. see what you can do about the noise in the kissing scene
3. im not stoked about the titles/credits. in particular a good free and fast fix would be at the least change your font type. you have some pretty decent production value for your film and these titles really don't do your short justice imo. this is kinda picky but it wouldn't hurt to experiment a bit.
 
Great work! I love when she tries to kill herself with the poop bag! Funny. Some really nice composition in here as well. I really liked the shot of her walking on the phone. Some really stand out stuff. Good luck.
 
Geez! You really are talented. So rare to see such a high level of acting and character creation. I mean man, even the dog's performance was spot-on.

If you do not have a bright future, the world is not fair.

1 comment; The cut-away of the bag scene whne the gay dog walker is at the door reduces the comedy, in my opinion - you don't need it. The laugh here is character based, so stay with your character in her moment.
 
Thanks so much for all of the constructive feedback. I'm thrilled that you guys dig the short. Your comments and encouragement go a long way.

The soft focus stuff and the noise issue are being worked on, but they might have to just be a lesson in guerilla filmmaking.

I had a camera tech to help with setting up the camera, but no real "AC" per se. That meant that I was left to pull focus while dp-ing while directing while watching the clock while pushing a furniture dolly. Hopefully, some day when I can afford to pay real professionals to do this stuff, I'll know what I need and how to collaborate with my crew (because I will have screwed it up myself before!)
 
What a lovely little film. Very nice job by everybody. Thoughtful and funny. Nice pacing. Nice music. Very human and touching.
Rob
 
Thanks, Rob. Music will be mixed down a little more, especially in the kiss scene. Might be a couple more tweaks along the way.
 
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