Evaluation of Peer Reviews

 In this blogpost I am evaluating the reviews that other students have made on the first cut of the opening scene. My reply to the review will be highlighted with pink.

Anabel's Review

What specific technical elements of the film opening did you like? 

I saw a lot of extreme close ups of Angelina and certain parts of her body to emphasize her nervous behavior which I liked. There was one the camera was focused on her hand while she was picking at her nail and another where she was fidgeting her foot. Before she began telling the doctor her routine,  There was a dutch shot inserted that may have been to set a smooth transition. The therapist had some clips where they zoomed in on him to show his confusion on what the patient was telling him. I also noticed some cross cutting elements where the clip of what the patient said happened appeared and it jumped to the clip that actually happened which was really cool.

What specific technical elements of the film opening did you dislike?

Well I didn't necessarily dislike any elements. But it took me a moment to understand the meaning behind the cross-cutting and why it was used. There may have been too many close up scenes used. The film could have had more scenery or clips where you can analyze a full background like an establishing shot, but other than that, I enjoyed observing the technical elements and piecing them together. I would suggest for them to add other technical elements that are not repetitive and can still add on to the sense up thrill.

Did this look like a movie opener and did it make you want to know what happens next?

This opening film did look like a movie opener and definitely caught my attention. With every question the therapist asked, it made me wonder what was gonna happen next, if she was making up her answers or telling the truth... It was very interactive and I felt like I was with her while she was going through her daily routine. The point of view shots allowed the routine to be depicted in her perspective and how she imagined what had happened and I think that really got it out to the viewers. I didn't know what was real or fake in what moment and I do think that's how you're supposed to feel with the psychological thriller genre. 

Was there anything that left you confused?

I was a bit confused at the end, when the therapist was confused and wrote notes down from the session. There was not much context to it. He may have realized that her story wasn't adding up and that's why he made the face but, that scene was so prolonged that it made me hesitate what the doctor was thinking. It also did the cross-cutting scene, it may take people a couple tries to get it.

What suggestions do you have to make this movie opener better?

I would suggest that they reduce the ending clip where the therapist is confused and all the zoom in show. If I was confused about that cliff-hanger, I would imagine that many other people would be too because of how long it is. Also they should add the title sequence and production company so that it looks more of an opening film.

    After reviewing this we decided as a group to take some action on what was said. For example we did add a wide shot that showed the entire background with both characters in it. We also made it more clear with the cross-cutting what was happening with video editing, adding a "glitch" effect. We also added a title sequence at the start and end. 

Emily Morgan's Review

What specific technical elements of the film opening did you like?*

• The specific technical elements that I liked in this film were the dutch shot and close up shots. Firstly, the dutch shot was used when it first showed the protagonist. This created the idea that she might not be in the right state of mind. Additionally, the close up shots of the protagonist scratching her hands and tapping her feet help build up the plot and show the audience that she may be anxious. 

What specific technical elements of the film opening did you dislike?*

• There wasn’t a specific element that I didn't like, but the insert did confuse me at first. They used inserts to show that what the protagonist was saying to the therapist isn't what was really happening. For instance, she would be telling the therapist that she fed her dog, but the insert shows that the dog wasn’t really there. 

Did this look like a movie opener and did it make you want to know what happens next?  

• Although I was intruiged to see what would happen next, I would say that it looks more like a part of a movie instead of a movie opener. I would defininity say that their film caught my attention and made me want to see what would heppen next. It left the audience curious to find out why the patient was lying about her daily routine.

Was there anything that left you confused? (be specific)*

• At first, I was confused as to why there were intentional glitches in the film. For example, when she took the pills and they kept disappearing and reappearing. After I watched the whole thing, I was no longer confused about the inserts because they made sense at the end. 

What suggestions do you have to make this movie opener better?*

• I personally think their film was really good and you could clearly see the amount of effect that was put into the editing.  If i had to suggest something it would be to add more variety of technical elements.

    Reading this review we had similar ideas on what to do. We added more technical elements within editing the film. This includes more video effects but also changing the audio. I figured the audio was to static and consistent so I added more fade in and fade outs to help make the audio seem more varied. With the video effects I also believe the cutaways become easier to understand in the moment.

John Roell's Review

The technical elements within the sound design, cinematography, editing are executed very well within this intro. The background track throughout the media text gives an eerie feeling which fits the mood of the film perfectly. Also at the start, the transition from a nondiegetic ringing to slowly hearing the Psychiatrist really sets the tone of this meeting as mysterious and creepy. The camera shots and movements such as the insert cut to the patients hands, the Psychiatrist's pen, and the patients legs are well executed showing the patients fear and allowing us to put together what state their in. The editing throughout was excellent such as in the start when it sporadically cuts between different things creating tension.

The one thing I slightly dislike was probably the Mise En Scene of the intro. The costume for the Psychiatrist felt too casual breaking the immersion a bit. Also, the lighting felt kinda off because it was too bright for such an eerie scene. The location for the scene seems too 'happy', if that makes any sense. The blinds are up making the house look brighter and in return nicer and she has appliances/items in her house that make her mental state seem fine in contrast with everything suggesting it isn't. Finally, the one scene where she gets her pills is a little confusing and a little too much.

This movie opener only clues into what the situation is leaving many things unanswered. This gives the viewer many questions and makes me want to watch the movie to find put the story together. Not only that, but its concept is interesting as we see a girl who is clearly experiencing problems with her sanity making me want to watch the movie. It doesn't look like your usually movie intro, but that works in its favor. It allows the intro to feel fresh and entirely new.

The scene where Angelina goes to get her pills and it quickly cuts in maybe a delusion of her throwing the bottle or something is confusing. I don't understand whether this was to show her mental state or what is truly happening. Also the psychiatrist's face at the end is very difficult to tell what kind of expression he is giving. Like I can't tell if he's surprised or confused or both. It also is slightly derpy.

I would suggest that the creator of the intro fix the lighting, make it a little clearer, and maybe make the location seem more dreary. The lighting would look better if it was dim or maybe if it wasn't as natural looking. Some scenes are a little unclear in what they want to depict. Finally, maybe add some accents/ props to the scenes to either create a more professional psychiatrist's office or a less 'happy' looking house.

Elements of Mise En Scene were a difficult thing to change and deal with in the short. We had a constraint on the costumes, being limited to what we already own. With this what we had was the best we could come up with. Along with this we weren't able to film in another location due to scheduling. With this we did try to create a more minimalistic background to focus the audiences attention to the main character. 

Mahathi's Review

In this clip, I liked various technical elements. Firstly, we have insert, crane shots, voice overs, and more. In the beginning of the clip, we see an insert of the flickering lights. This grabs the audience attention to let us know that it is sort of eerie or creepy vibes. The background music adds on to the suspense of the clip. I furthermore liked the straight cut on the actress constantly scratching her finger, to her legs shaking. This lets us know that the actress is nervous and potentially has anxiety.

One thing I disliked is the use of type of lighting used. What would be better is if used more of low-key lighting. This would add onto the suspense. Furthermore, the types of characters used, a therapist and someone who is not mentally okay. The low-key lighting would give the audience some sort of creepy vibes. I also did not like the type of cut used when the actress is taking her pills. It is sort of unnecessary.

Overall, this did feel like a movie opener. The ending of the clip leaves us on a cliffhanger on the therapist looking confused and surprised simultaneously. The slow zoom in on the actor's face keeps the audience on the edge of the fence and to find out more. I would suggest adding an establishing shot, this can let us know on where this is taking place, whether it is in an office, the actress's house, or anywhere else. 

    We did agree that an establishing shot of some kind was necessary, this is why we included the wide shot of both the therapist and Angelina. The lighting was difficult to change, it was actual darker than how it was originally before we changed it. Since we didn't have any type of lighting to use it was harder to create that darker atmosphere. I also believe the pill taking scene makes more sense now the "glitch" effects have been added. 

Nathaniel's Review

What specific technical elements of the film opening did you like?*

    The music choice for this opening film is a great choice and it personally adds a sense of curiosity and wonder to why her parents send her to go talk to someone, and throughout the whole interview the music continues because they are trying to figure out what going on with the mind of our main character. Another thing that I like is the small jump cuts to show what happened if she didn't take the medications that one day, this would push forward the story that if she doesn't take the pills then she either becomes dangerous or a threat. The camera angles are also good choices because it allows the audience to understand how the main character is feeling, for example in the beginning of the opening film close-up shots are used to depict that the main character is either stressed about the truth or how uncomfortable she is. The mise-en-scene of the color yellow is an excellent choice because it depicts the word "caution", which is perfect for allowing the audience that the character we are currently following has a mental problem and without her medication she is a threat.

What specific technical elements of the film opening did you dislike?*

    One thing that I dislike is that sometimes the audio of the music can be overwhelming to hear the actual dialogue, and its important to hear the dialogue here because its explaining and moving forward the story being told here. Another thing is that some of the facial expressions can be a little weak and confusing to the audience especially during the close-up shots of their faces, these facial expressions would allow people to understand the emotion and feeling that should be conveyed through the screen. On the topic of the emotions, the voice acting could use a little improvement because it sounds very natural to the ears of those who would watch this opening. Voice acting allows the audience to understand the emotion a character is feeling at the moment, and it allows to capture the audience's attention on the plot of the story. These are all the things that are important to a film because it helps guide the audience about what the story being told is about.

Did this look like a movie opener and did it make you want to know what happens next?  Explain.*

    Yes, this is a movie opener because the audience is being told an event that happened before the main character had to go talk to a specialist about her problems. Over the course of the opening film, the audience is left wondering why specifically this young girl had to go visit a specialist because she is seen as an innocent person but without the help of her medication, this young girl is possible dangerous to others and possibly herself. The introduction to the opening film also gives out the message that the main character's mind was blanking out giving more information to the audience that something is wrong with her mind. Lastly the way that the film ended left the audience on a cliff hanger because we are left with the specialist looking at his patient very confused and perplexed about the results of the interview. All these element build up to a very good movie opener and deliver the message that the audience are in for a ride of emotions.

Was there anything that left you confused? (be specific)*

    The One thing that left me confused was the pacing of the plot. This is because when I was watching the movie opener, I had to deeply analyze what the small jump cuts meant and why they were included. Another thing was that specific moments felt very off to me for driving the plot forward, for example I was confused why she started to look at her computer messages. I understand that it was to show the jump cuts of her ignoring her medication messages, but why is she looking there in the first place, what is the purpose of her looking there in the first place. Another thing that confused me is what happened to the dog because yes it is used to further advance the plot of the story but, was the dog killed or was the dog all inside her head. I had this question because it is implied that she has a mental problem but was the dog killed because of her mental problems, or does the dog exist inside her head since a bowl of food is already poured out.

What suggestions do you have to make this movie opener better?*

    My suggestion is to lower the volume of the music to allow the audience to hear the dialogue that is being told. This would then allow the audience to better understand the story being told and understand the situation that the main character is currently going through. Another thing would be to improve the facial expressions when talking or no talking is going on, this would then allow the audience to better understand the emotions that the characters are feeling. This would also allow the audience to understand what emotions they are supposed to feel as well during the scene being played. Other than these suggestions this movie opener is pretty good and is an interesting movie to watch. 

    In the final cut we edited the clip's music to be less noticeable. This paired with fade in and fade out's created more fitting background music. The acting can't be changed as our actor and actress were trying their best and we were satisfied with the product. The reasons for what the character is doing is explained in the background narration that was added, stating that she check her emails as part of her routine.