Former Student Work

 Good afternoon everyone! Today, I have the opportunity to look back at some of the projects submitted by past students in my school. I’m gonna watch these projects and give my critiques on the strength and weaknesses of each film, hoping that I can learn a thing or two that I can later use in my groups very own film.

________________________________________________________

Roll Call

While Roll Call is a good Film Opening, it does have some glaring issues and weaknesses that could have easily been addressed. For instance, while the camera's shakiness at times could heighten the realism of the scene, here, I believe it takes away from the seriousness of the opening; the group behind the opening should have used a Tripod to keep the camera still during the different shots. 

Additionally, while some actors did an excellent job in their roles, some could have been more enthusiastic about filming, with their tone of voice not exactly lining up with their spoken dialogue. If some of the actors just played their roles a bit better, the opening would be leagues better.  Lastly, something that confused me is that when the actor gets out of the police car, it's late at night, but when it transitions to the shot of the police headquarters, it's bright and early in the day.

On the topic of transitions, those used in the film's opening actually work very well, with it fading in at the beginning and later fading out, marking the end of the introduction. Along with this, I think the visual effects of the text and logos were done very well, although some could use some improvement, such as the film's title during the establishing shot of police headquarters. In the end, though, the introduction could have been done better if the team had perhaps had more time and resources.

________________________________________________________

New Everything

Although New Everything is a good introduction, it does leave a lot to desired. Firstly, some of the sound effects used throughout the video don't exactly match what is being shown on screen, with a good example being the sound of the new student walking indoors having the sound effect of walking through gravel. 

Additionally, I feel that the lack of music in the introduction doesn’t do any help for the project. While I do understand that it's meant to be the motif of the music only coming on when the protagonist puts on the headphones, it doesn’t exactly help the introduction. The music choice doesn’t exactly match the surrounding atmosphere and doesn’t help explain the plot of the film.

On the other hand, I like how the project subverts the viewers' expectations. I went through the whole project thinking that it was just a normal day at school for the student until I realized near the end that it was actually the student's first day at school, explaining why he seemed so shy and gloomy while walking in.

________________________________________________________

Dreamland

In my opinion, this introduction is a huge improvement from the past two. The whimsical and warm lighting at the beginning of the intro allows the viewers to instantly understand that something almost otherworldly is occurring in the scene. This is only enhanced by some of the shots in the sequence playing in reverse, adding to the mysterious tone of this segment.

In addition, the scene uses non-linear storytelling, jumping back and forth between the events of this dream-like sequence. The slowness of each shot ties nicely with the fast jumping between the different shots shown in this one short scene. My only real issue with this project is that I don't feel that the slow transition from the tranquil beginning of the introduction to the loudness of the car horn could have been done better is done more suddenly.

Additionally, I love how significant the contrast is between the surreal beginning of the project and the bland reality of the main character. The character's discontent is shown in the intro without them even saying a word. As a whole, the project allows for a lot of self-interpretation from the viewer, making them interested in how the story would continue afterward.

________________________________________________________

Dear Lover

It's clear to me that a lot of thought and care went into this project. For starters, I like the first-person narration from the interview being used throughout the intro. The narration allows for the main conflict of the story to be shown clearly, allowing audiences to get an understanding of the plot of this film early on. 

The slow piano heard throughout the whole project and the quietness of each scene help and amplify the plot even more, with the sorrowful music adding to the emotional tale being told. 

I have just one slight issue with the project: I think it may reveal too much of the plot for just the film's introduction. Of course, because the project only has an introduction, it limits this group to needing to fit the information in the introduction. Still, if they had just made some of the details a little more subtle or ambiguous, it would've given the audience more room for speculation to the readers, and it would have allowed the project to feel more like a legitimate introduction. 

________________________________________________________

Dare to Thrill

I really like Dare to Thrill. The project is clearly the opening to a movie; it's clear that it was also trying to be similar to a music video, with the loud music throughout the intro adding more intensity to the exciting journey the group of teenagers is driving through. I love the way that the music of the intro slowly builds up until the teenagers go on their joyride, suspension for the viewers until the climax of the highspeed driving is shown off. 

Another thing I like is that even though the music is playing loudly, the voices and dialogue of the characters are heard just enough to make out what they are saying. This allows viewers to enjoy the music of the video while also getting a glimpse of each of the characters' personalities. 

The surprise ending of something being hidden in the car's trunk is good, but it could've been executed better. I like the level of mystery and suspense that it adds to the end of the video, but upon first viewing the project, I hadn't heard the loud thumping that made the characters step out of the car to investigate, and I felt very out of place. 

Upon rewatching, I can hear the thump just fine, but making it louder and more noticeable would make it more ear-catching, which would help the scene a lot more. Additionally, I think hinting earlier in the video that the car was not as inconspicuous or normal as it seemed could help create a build-up to the reveal, allowing the audience to question and speculate about what could be hidden in the strange car.