Comments Made During the Contest

Aaron Williams (Level 4)

Very well muted and controlled writing and performance. I thought the idea was good, although as I remarked last month on a script-- 911 stories are a tough one to tackle. I felt though that there wasn't enough catharsis or something-- I know she had the message on for a long time.. and then she sees her daughter.. still alive and realizes she can let go of her husband.. but for some reason, I feel like it happened too quickly. I don't really have any advice on how it would work better..
Overall though.. a nice piece.

Anthony Todaro (Level 0)

-Nice opening shot.
-Production is slick.
-Cinematography is warm and cozy.
-Mother's voice sounded a bit young.
-The fact that is supposed to be a message that has been played allot comes through well.
-Audio quality was good, but the very last line seemed a bit loud.
-Score was nice as well.
-Performances were fine. The lip-syncing was a bit forced.
I like the story it worked as a short and sweet beat with a vast casing.

Very good.

Brian Wind (Level 5)

SCRIPT: I gave the script a Very Good when I reviewed it. I believe I also graded this film a top score in whichever dvxfest it was in.

PERFORMANCES: Both of your actors do a great job.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Really good. The film is crisp and clear, well lit. Very professional look to the film.

SOUND: Audio levels are consistent throughout the film.

EDITING: Seamless. Good transitions. When it comes to editing, I am of the opinion that the viewer shouldn't even really notice it or think about it during the film and that's what you've accomplished here.

SCORE: Understated, but very appropriate. Nice job.

DIRECTION: I'll be completely honest.... I don't feel comfortable giving you any advice in direction since much of what I know about making films was learned here at MP. I'll just say you did a great job on this film and leave it at that. You're the man, Chris.

OVERALL: I think this film is very, very well done. All aspects of the film are professional and well polished. There are no errors that I noticed. The story is sad and I'm sure very personal to you. Most of us watched 9/11 unfold on our television sets but some of the people involved in this film could very well have watched it out their window. Excellent work. This is a very powerful film.

Nice work to all involved.

Caroline Coxon (Mod Emeritus)

I've already seen and reviewed this - so briefly...

SCRIPT:my original thoughts - Cinematographically, this wouldn't make for a very gripping watch - two ansaphone messages being played...I don't know - maybe if the Mother had visited, shouted through the letterbox and Emily had ignored her, then it would have brought more variety into what we are seeing or hearing?

I can see now that it was important she erased the first message to highlight saving the second.

PERFORMANCES: Mum - great. The girl, at the beginning, looked as though she was amused at something! It wasn't clear what she was doing when she first entered.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Fabulous quality

SOUND: On my PC it was very variable - but sure this was down to my machine.

EDITING: No probs

SCORE: Perfect for the job! A bit like 'American Beauty'

DIRECTION: I wish I could comment more knowledgeably!

OVERALL: VERY GOOD

Charlie Hebert (Mod Emeritus)

Very nice. Short and sweet. Actually, perhaps just a bit too short. Don't really know enough about her, who she is, what she's really gone through before she deletes the message. We hear it once and it's gone, would like to have seen her agonizing over it all the times she listened to it before finally making that decision to move on.

Still, very nicely done.

Chris Keaton (Level 5)

This is a complete waste of two minutes of my life that I probably would've just wasted anyway.

I liked this like I liked the script.

Music and acting is fine. A nice short piece. I did wonder since it the message was on a tape, why not just transfer to a more permanent medium. I would understand her erasing it if it was a digital answering machine. Oh, who cares it was a nice film.

Dan Lennox (Level 5)

Chris, your craft is excellent... Both on the page and on the screen.

I remember seeing this a while back, and like before, I enjoyed this. It's such a simple story, and yet it's both heartbreaking and compelling. All in two and a half minutes.

Everything from the writing, acting, sound, cinematography, and editing was well done. No major issues that I could see.

One question. On the opening shot of the answering machine. Did you dolly in or zoom in on the machine?

What I really like the most about this was the lighting. Just well done...

Very good job!

Daniel Piatt (Level 2)

I've seen this film before and it was even better the second time around! What a powerful and touching story in such a short amount of time. I think I mentioned this last time I saw this but the leads acting is nice and sublime...perfect for this piece! This could easily be one of those films that goes into cheesy territory if not treated right and you guys avoided that trap. Good job on this one Chris and team!

David Birch (Level 5)

gosh...i draw the "house horse" right off the bat...talk about setting the bar high!!!liked the script when i read it and the production was done just as effectively...congrats...

David D. DeBord (Level 5)

First thing that jumps out is that the lead actor is good. No dialog on her part (till the end) but she showed a range of emotions through her movement, eyes and body language.

Sound quality here also was good. It is so often off on low budget productions, but here it worked well.

There’s an arc to the story and of course there is a story. That’s obviously very important.

Good work. Actually, very good work.

Dawn Calvin (Level 5)

Gotta give this one an excellent because it evokes such emotion in such a short amount of time, the music was perfect, the actors were good and the tone was set beautifully for this message.

I really like this one.

Dominic Hicks (Level 2)

Simple and effective, this short moved along with a nice pace. It was cleanly shot, although it did come off as a little stagey, which made it feel a little more soap opera than filmic (the music may not have helped). The performances were strong, and really helped to bring home a good idea. Nice work.

DW Pollard (Level 4)

Excellent film quality, very professional looks and sounds and good acting. As for the story, I didn't quite get it - did her husband leave her or is he dead? It could have been a little clearer I think.

As for the overall tone of the film, it felt a lot like I was watching a Hallmark commercial. It was short and sweet (or bittersweet?), but I didn't get it.

Elias Farnum (Level 5)

Script/Story: Wow, this is so intense for a one pager, a perfect story that really shows what it means to let go. This immediately hits you between the eyes, and I believe that she might keep the tape in the machine as a constant reminder than take it out and store it as a tragic keepsake. I think you'd eventually snap if you put yourself through listening to a tape like that every day.

Performances: I thought the performers brought life to the characters. Nadja had me feel Emily's pain, and victory. The recorded message was a gut kicker.

Cinematography: Everything here lent itself to the complete, and sustain mood of the piece. Excellent

Sound: Mixed perfectly as far as I can tell.

The score was a perfect match, beautiful.

Editing: Seamless.

Direction: I believe this came out exactly as written.

Overall I really enjoyed the work everyone put in to this, a very good job from all. Thank you.

Faith Friese Nelson (Level 5)

I think that you did something to the music because it didn't distract me this time. It still gives me goosebumps. I graded this as EXCELLENT.

Felice Bassuk (Level 4)

SCRIPT: Excellent. Loved the contrast between the two voicemails. Also, loved how concern for the mother was conveyed by her mother and her daughter. Really beautiful. Made it believable that she would be able to move on.

PERFORMANCES: excellent. Mother really hit the right tone and daughter did too. Both very authentic.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: really nice. Loved the close-ups on the faces.

SOUND: at times the voice messages were a little hard to understand, but that's the way those messages sometimes are, so it wasn't a flaw.

EDITING: excellent, not an extra word, gesture, or frame of film.

SCORE: very apt, sets the tone beautifully

DIRECTION: wonderful!

OVERALL: I watched this several times and got more out of it each time. Loved it. So understated and yet so moving. Great job!

Herman Chow (Level 5)

This looks like a real professional film! There is nothing I can really complain about. Everything is great: the continuing shots, the editing, the sound, the lighting.

The actors look very experienced, especially the mom. I can feel her sadness.

The score really stands out. It fits perfectly with the theme and mood.

Excellent!

Jacob Guerra (Level 4)

I liked this one. So much meaning in so little time. It was very sad, yet sweet. Because of the length, there wasn't too much to say about acting and such, but the production seemed very well done. Great job.

James Hughes (Level 5)

The film looks and sounds very professional.

It would have been better if the mom were wearing a beret. Maybe she could have put it on her daughter's head. That would have been good.

Jeannie Sconzo (Level 5)

Sweet. I like the warm tones, the homey feel used throughout.

Good lighting and audio through the entire piece.
Good actors.
The slow steady push in as we hear the msg allows the audience to get into her head and go through the emotions with her.

When she moves to delete mom's msg, I may have chosen to just stick with a wide instead of panning with her. I think pans can be dangerous unless used very slow and steady. If they're too quick they give a clumsy feeling.

JeanPierre Chapoteau (Moderator)

I enjoyed it. I loved the sound of the answering machine. The giddiness of it all. I thought the music was a little excessive. The piano was TOO depressing. I thought you should have just saved it for the ending.

The mothers acting was on point. The daughter... she was okay.

The directing was simple but very nice. I like simple directing. No flashy cuts, or slow motions.

I thought the overall story was pretty good.

John Brooke (Level 5)

Creative and intellegent take on telling the 9/11 story in a simple and direct way, Poetic in it's touching simplicity. Certainly underplayed and sincere homage.

All very professional and flat. All that said, I found it abstract and rather boring.

I shall return when I can figure out how to critique these moving experiences. That's a promise.

Jose Batista (Level 5)

First off, I thoroughly enjoyed this script and it was a favorite of mine during the single page contest. However, I feel that the actresses here did not translate the script well into screen. I liked everything else about the film. The setting, the answering machine with the old skool Radioshack mini-cassette and the message itself. It was all beautifully shown, but the two ladies I feel weren't up to the part. The mom was good at times, but her delivery was not consistent.

The poignancy of this script called for someone who could handle the nuances of the emotions with a higher degree of physical articulation. The actress playing the mom wasn't far off the mark, and perhaps its just me visualizing it all differently. Overall, a great entry and a strong contender for this month's contest. Thumbs way up to you and your crew on putting together such a professionally executed entry.

Kenneth Hurd (Level 4)

Good job with this movie. That was a tough subject to tackle, and I really like how you handled it. The only thing about this one is that it left me wanting to know more. I think it could help to tell us when this story takes place. Does it take place fairly recently from 911, or does it take place in the present, nine years later? I had a little trouble buying that she would just delete that message after having it saved for so long. It seems like there needs to be a little something extra to help her make that decision. I noticed you followed the script very well, but I think that you could have expanded upon it just a little bit to give us a little more with the film.

That said, even in its two and a half minute run time, you can instantly connect with the characters. Your actress that plays Emily does a great job allowing us to relate to her before we hear the message and before she says anything. I think you could have really hit us hard by giving us more scenes with her. She does great in the short amount of time we spent with her, but I think seeing more of what she's going through could have really hit us. Your performances were great.

Your camera work was really good. Even though everything takes place in the kitchen, I never felt that you ran out of interesting shots. The only thing I would recommend for improvement here would be to experiment with the lighting a bit more.

Your editing is really good. I never felt bored with the film. Of course, the movie is only two and a half minutes, but I have seen shorts with that run time that felt like they took forever to finish. This one doesn't do that. Everything moves at a good pace.

Your sound is nice and clean also. Your music fit in perfectly and helped to create the atmosphere you were going for.

I enjoyed this one. I think it's really good, but I think it needs just a little more show explain why she would suddenly just delete that message.

Kevin Carty (Level 4)

OOOOh this is very very very very very effective. Even though it's short it is very powerful that she didn't speak and was just communicating with us with her expressions. I loved that part. I don't know about the music it just seemed a lil too retro. Maybe if the music was cut that might be better. I can't really explain why it bothered me but I feel like this can make it without it. No complaints other than that. I don't know why the music makes me thing of one of those just say no ads.

This is definitely my fave so far. That lady can act for sure. Excellent production. Seemless direction. I'd like to see how one without the music could work.

Khamanna Iskandarova (Level 5)

I'm sorry but I don't like it. Rephrase that - I don't agree with it. Why would she erase the message and what made her do it?

It surely elicited some emotion in me. It's just I don't agree with it.

Excellent music and the actors are exceptional, I think.

KP Mackie (Level 5)

Great title, and a sad reminder.
The actor, Jeff, doing the voice of Jack is chilling. Adding Emily "mouthing" his words as he says them is brilliant.
Nadja and Kelly did great, as did Joann in her voiceover. The picture quality and sound is good. The music is haunting and beautiful. Amazing, that a short short can relay so much in less than three minutes. One terrific writer-director.

Kyle Patrick Johnson (Level 5)

SCRIPT: It's funny how a script changes over time. :) I like the script a lot more now than I did the first time I rushed through it, but I have the funny feeling that it could even be shorter than 1 page. My new perception is that the machine messages could be trimmed just a bit. Depending on the personality of the person leaving the message, it might just be a few words with deep meaning instead of a long paragraph. Other things like "It's your mother" might properly become "It's Mom", something more likely to actually be heard. Other than these nitpicks, it's a great script.--Haha, you noticed this one before I did, because it's in the film. Nicely done.--On seeing the film, it now surprises me that the daughter asks "Are you okay?" She's been through all this, as well, and, even though she's a clueless teenager, the question sounded disingenuous.

PERFORMANCES: The woman's transformation at the end was too subtle to carry the emotion. The girl appeared too self-aware on camera, noticed especially when she first comes into the kitchen. The way she carries herself is unlike an actual teenager in her own home. Now, me? I'd look terrible on screen, so it's tough for me to say that a teenage actress should've been better, so take that for what it's worth.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: The oh-so-slight push-ins are perfect. I didn't care for the wide shot as the man finished his message though, because we couldn't see the necessary emotion from the woman. I couldn't even tell if she swallowed hard. Whenever I'm in that memory-of-traumatic-event frame of mind, at least I swallow hard. She only wipes away a half-tear on the wide shot while our attention is diverted by the sounds of the girl entering the film.

SCORE: I liked the gentle score. It set a light sad mood, nice open chords. It rose in volume and slightly obscured the man's message, though, making the words a little hard to understand around "a goddamn plane".

OVERALL: I liked it, the look and feel was carefully planned and totally clean. The emotion just didn't come through as well as I would've liked. Those of us who already know the script are likely to read the emotion into the film, because we know it's supposed to be there, but I'm hesitant to say that an "outsider" is going to be as affected.

Len Ramirez (Level 2)

The material was incredibly sad. If I have it right, the husband died in a plane crash and left that message? She is having a hard time moving on. Then, she does by deleting it. At first, the daughter seems insensitive, but then she seems to express concern that her mother erased the message...

The piano music was just right for this film I felt. It supported the solemnness of the story. Short, simple, to the point. There were no wasted moments in this film.

The wrinkling of the grocery bag kind of overrode the sound from the answering machine a bit, but not bad.

Margaret Ricke (Level 5)

I'm waiting for this to finish loading, but I already know how much I love it...

I feel a little bit like an insider on this since I've taken your class and heard some of the behind the scenes stories...

Here, again, is a film I have nothing but positive comments on. The acting and directing; the cinematography and sound; the editing and score - they're all excellent.

What I'd really like to talk about here is the artistic planning and thought you put into your work...

My experience watching your films to date has been here-and-now. By that I mean that the story never stops moving forward, and I'm not thinking about anything exept what's unfolding before my eyes. The first or second time I watch your work I don't think about the acting or the directing or the audio. I'm in the story and I'm believing the characters.

It isn't until I start analyzing the work that I start considering how much atually went into creating it. It involves so much more than writing a good story and setting up a camera. It's more than having professional actors and expensive equipment, too.

Every image is thought out and planned. Everything that appears on screen is there for a reason. You've considered every aspect of the set, the actors, the story... everything... before you started filming, and the planning shows.

Your work feels effortless, richly emotional, and layered with nuance. That doesn't happen by accident.

Excellent work all around.

Marnie Mitchell Lister (Level 5)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: I liked how you panned to the answering machine and then did a CU on the tape. It was almost like it was another character in the film.

SCORE: Just the right tone for this film.

OVERALL: Awesome to see this touching story brought to life. I usually don't care for 911 stories but this didn't focus on the event, it gave a little insight on what so many families must have gone through, years after. In just a minute too. Amazing.
Excellent work all around. :)

Marti Young (Level 2)

Very well done!
I enjoyed the writing and the casting was great. I would have liked to have seen the mother make more of an emotional decision to erase the message, however. It almost seemed robotic to me.
Bravo to the cinematographer! Lovely hues, and a good feel that we were right there with Emily.
Not too much to edit, so I can't give much on that.
The music was perfect. It set the entire mood and completely out shined the actors!
All in all, a very well done short. Great job to all who worked on it!

Martin Jensen (Level 5)

I like how you stretched out the action with beats of silence. It was very effective.

The minimal piano music was very good. It would have been very easy to overdo it. Again, the moments of silence are the most effective.

I hope I said this on the script, but the implied character progression just from erasing the message was very good.

The attention to detail is good, especially the tape being worn out. The shot roughly 1:35 in when Jenny walks in and the camera follows, keeping Emily in frame, was my favorite. It visually suggested separation between them, which was resolved when Emily came in for a hug.

Matthew Fettig (Level 5)

Obviously a very emotional concept. The title is great. A lot conveyed in a few seconds. All the components worked, but I was just shocked that she erased the message. Getting over a painful memory is one thing, but erasing the last, final memory of a loved one is something I can't imagine a feeling person doing. It's certainly a bold choice!

Michael Johnson (Level 2)

Damn Off Stage Films does it again!

Once again, as with Letters to Pentouse, I think I squeezed out a tear at the end.

I like your casting. She is very believeable. I also like the one location, minimal shot look.

As with "Letters To Penthouse", I would have handled the lighting a little different... maybe brightened it up a bit, but I'm nit-picking.

Kudos again!

ONWARD!

MJ

MJ Hermanny (Level 5)

Chris M! My first film of the month, very chuffed with that.

Loved the script. Loved the film first time round.

It's the simplicity that kills me.

The first few words of his message tell the whole story and that's so clever.

The only quibble is with the mum actor - my opinion tells me she doesn't do your work justice.

The music is subtle and moving.

It's a gem Chris, and looks great.

Nicholas Ziolkowski (Level 4)

I really enjoyed the script, and the emotions that were evoked in such a short piece of writing.

In the film, I think you did a fantastic job of incorporating the answering machine as another character all of its own. Granted, it's an inanimate object, but it still holds power over Emily's character.

I only wish that there was a closer shot of Emily mouthing the words to the recording. Or if not mouthing the words, actually speaking along with the message. As it is, I didn't automatically catch her mouthing it.

Paul Williams (Level 5)

Hey Chris, I definitely remember this script and watched this a few months ago also.

I remember the big debate with this was why today? What had happened here and now to make her erase the message? It's a valid question and your explanations are as well. I might be the type of person who keeps it forever, but what the hell do I know?

A very minor observation: I didn't comment on this when I reviewed the script, but was it a conscious decision to use the word "building" instead of "tower," so as not to be too on-the-nose? I think it might have been, but I think the word "tower" would have been appropriate. Perhaps some or many of the phone calls made by people did use the word "building." Again, it's a very, very minor point. In the end, we all know what you're talking about.

Very Good.

Philip Whitcroft (Level 5)

This is a very strong film with a clean simple story.

I like the way you've kept it moving with the editing, but at the same time it remains a movie that gives the audience time to think.

The music and sound are effective. The shots and their composition works well and I like the way you have subtly moved the camera during many of the shots.

Pia Cook (Level 5)

Quality all around, just not my type of story.

The sound is good.

Acting is good.

Music fits.

Editing is good for this type of story.

I wanted to love it because I know it's a good story. It's just not my kind. I'm voting Very Good for the quality of the production. Hope you'll understand.

Rich Keel (Level 4)

Great the first time I saw and still a wonderful movie! Very professional looking, crisp and clean.

Acting - Well done all around. The guy was awesome with his emotion.

Audio - Clean and crisp. No echoes...There was one part where she was rustling through the bag and it muffled the audio of the mom talking on the recording, but her message really isn;t that important. :)

Lighting - I don't normally comment on this but I am really blown away by the lighting. Looks so real and not setup.

Nice work - This should be a front runner.

Robbie Comeau (Level 3)

Saw this at the DVXfest!

Good job Chris. Liked the lighting.

Sweet story, and great acting from the Mom.

I'm not sure If the score FIT to the film. I liked it, a lot, but not sure if it fit to the film's theme.

Good job overall..

Robbie

Rustom Irani (Moderator)

Nothing beats the simplicity of good character development and story-telling supported by a classical style of framing and composition.

Having said that the only thing that mars this from scoring an excellent is a dramatic peak of sorts. True, the message is the crux and quite dramatic but the climax feels slightly underwhelmed. The teenager also felt a bit stiff in her acting.

Technically this was fantastic.

Sally Meyer (Moderator)

Script.
I read the script first and it has a lot of impact on me. I felt the pain that she was feeling, and keeping the message there, saving it, listening to it, was very effective. The writing was excellent. I like the story, I can identify with it and I think lots of people could too. You just wouldn't want to erase the message, as hard as it would be to listen, it would be your only connection to the lost loved one. I've done this before, with my kids who live out of town, save their message and listen to them from time to time, to feel connected.

Cinematography.
Good camera work. The man's voice on the phone was excellent. I don't know what it was about the film, but I didn't feel the gut wrenching tug that I did when I read the script.
When the girl comes upstairs, is she just coming from outside? Or is she already home? I thought it seemed odd that she came from downstairs and said "Mom, I'm home."

Performances
Both actors were very good in their roles.

Directing.
Well directed, it didn't lag, and I felt like you did a great job casting and getting good performances, like I said before, I felt a lot more when I read the script than I did watching the film. I can't put my finger on why.

Editing
Good. The pacing was good. It was pretty short and direct and I liked that.

Score
Very nice. I liked the music. It added a nice feel to the story.


Overall
This of course tugs at heart strings, and it's a very good short film. With a powerful message about love and loss and family.

Scott Merrow (Level 5)

Nicely done. Short and sweet.

STORY / SCRIPT: I liked the script very much when I read it in the "Less is More" contest (I gave it a VERY GOOD). And, although the movie sticks very closely (almost exactly) to the script, I like the movie even better. (I guess that's as it should be, given that making a good movie is the ultimate objective of a script.) Nice performances and great pacing both contribute to a very subtle and effective mood and a very nice payoff at the end.

PERFORMANCES: Really great. The actress who played Emily was superb.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Fine.

DIRECTION, SOUND, EDITING, SCORE: I don't really know enough about any of these areas to make intelligent comments. They all seemed fine. Maybe one comment about sound, but a very minor one -- a little bit of paper bag crackling when she's unpacking her groceries and we're listening to her mother on the answering machine. I cringed when I first heard it, but it turned out to be not a big deal.

OVERALL: I really enjoyed it.

MY SCORE: EXCELLENT.

Shaheryar Ahmed (Level 3)

I loved this one like anything... Chris this was fantastic... Excellent direction... Loved the performance... I could feel the emotions of the lady... Amazing... I'm speechless... Awesome sad story potrayed in just one location! Two thumbs up.

Cinematography

I liked the soft, bright, reallistic mood you set... Diffused lights bringing out the emotions and softening the picture... Nice work...

Performace

I already said that the performance was just brilliant...

The writing translated extremely well to suit the screen. One of the best shorts I've seen to date!

Stephen Brown (Level 5)

This was really nice, Chris. Very emotional but in an honest, natural way. It would have been easy to go over-the-top with this but you reigned it in well.

Good performance from the wife. Very subtle.

There's not a lot else to say with something of this length but I guess I feel the same way as I did with the script. Really liked it and thought the mood was just right.

On a side note, I've now watched this (or tried to) on my parents PC where it skipped and then froze. Managed to watched it on my laptop but it was still skipping a little. The first film to do this out of 8, so not sure if it's me or if there's something up with the settings.

Tommy Merry (Level 4)

Story: hey, is it fair for Chris to be entering his own contests LOL! Nice story, quite touching for the short screen time it owns. It takes a great story, acting and music to have us identify with the characters and the story so soon. Well played sir!

Acting: Very solid. Mom had some real depth to her instrument (as they say)

Cinematography: Very nice look and usage of the depth of field and first class lighting and blocking. Looks like a great usage of 35mm adapter on the camera.

Music: Good support. Moving. Full of heart and EQ'd perfectly.

Sound: Top notch and transparent to the action, as it should be

Overall: Nice usage of space with the widescreen. I though this was very good!

Victor Ojeda (Level 3)

If the minimum review were three letters, I would definitely raview this one with "WOW" Loved almost every minute of it. THe script is proff that you can create a good short film in five pages or less, and the excecution in acting, shooting, sound etc. Just mesmerizing.

William Bienes (Mod Emeritus)

As always, OffStage films are professional and well-done. The script is a slice of life, a small moment that packs a big punch. All aspects of this film are very well done. The only somewhat awkward moment for me is the entrance of the daughter -- it seemed as though she had to get there somehow, and arriving from the basement was the choice. I'm not sure what feels more natural with regards to her entrance?

William Dunbar (Level 5)

I'm prefacing this month's comments by stating that I really don't know anything about turning scripts into films. But for what it's worth, I thought this was a really well done super-short. The filming and production looked flawless to me. I'd like to see something longer and with more substance, but I think this is probably about as good as a one-pager can go. Good job.

Comments Made After the Contest

Margaret Ricke (Level 5) ~ 1/1/2010 1:28 AM

Congratulations on the HM, Chris. This was one of those months I wish there were more than one first place winner. A couple more...

Brian Wind (Level 5) ~ 1/1/2010 2:19 AM

This was in my top 3. Nice job Chris!

Chris Messineo (Founder) ~ 1/1/2010 9:30 AM

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful reviews.

For those that this touched, I am honored, and for those it didn't, I completely understand (the script had much the same effect). :)

A few quick thoughts:

- The opening shot of the answering machine is a slow digital push in (done in post).

- We asked our teen-age actress to bring some photos from childhood that we could post on the refrigerator. One of the photos she brought was her as a child standing in front of the twin towers (if you look very carefully you can see it on the fridge).

- We shot this film in one 8 hour day and tried to take our time with it - never repeating a shot or angle (I believe there are 15 different shots).

- The hardest part of making this film was actually doing the voice mail messages. Both were recorded cleanly and then went through extensive work to try and make them sound like answering machine messages with one having been played over and over again.

- The other challenge was finding an appropriate and working answering machine. We ended up purchasing two off of ebay.

Lastly, if anyone has any specific questions, please let me know, and I will try to answer them.