<p>After much last-minute work, I finally submitted my portfolio to Tisch and my application to NYU. Does anyone want to check out my short film and tell me what they think? It's too late to make any changes, but it'd still be cool to see what people think.</p>
<p>Here's the link: The</a> Phone on Vimeo</p>
<p>I liked it. It looked very good and your cinematography is very good. However, I thought the video was somewhat roughly cut; there were several shots that hung several seconds too long. I know some of this was intentional, but it gave the film a slow, dreary feel, that, while well-suited to the topic of the film, made the film almost uncomfortable to watch. The story was interesting, but im not a fan of the ending. I feel like death or suicide to end a project like this is just melodramatic. There could have been a much cooler, interesting, and creative ending to a project like this I feel.</p>
<p>Most of the long-lasting shots were done like that intentionally. Having said that, I was in a big rush to finish this for the deadline. I’m very new to filmmaking, so I didn’t have any samples to send with my application. But since I want to focus on film production, I didn’t want to send a piece of writing. As a result, I had to make this this film last minute. However, looking back, the only shot I wish I had trimmed is the low-angle shot of the grass; I think it needs to be trimmed back by about a second. The others I’m satisfied with. </p>
<p>I know some people won’t like the ending, but for me, the ending is the most important part of the story. Almost all of my planning and shooting was directed at making the ending work. In the first cut of the film, things were much less explicit than they are. I ended with a wide shot. I wanted the viewer to have to search the frame for clues. But since too many people failed to understand the story this way, I added some shots to make things clearer.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, I still think the ending is ambiguous. Originally, I was going to add the sound of a gunfire after the second or third ring of the phone, but I ultimately decided not to do this. Throughout most of the film, the phone is a total annoyance, but its final ring can be seen as hopeful. Perhaps this person is one phone call away from redemption. </p>
<p>You could be right that the film is melodramatic. This was a major fear of mine. But I tried my best to embed the film with an actual character such that the events wouldn’t be contrived or purely manipulative. </p>
<p>My favorite films are (to a lesser or greater degree) bleak in their outlook. I didn’t want to end this film with a happy ending, but I also didn’t want to show a stereotypical suicide. I’m hoping the way I shot the ending elevates it above pure melodrama. </p>
<p>All that aside, how do you think the adcoms will like it? Haha.</p>