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Final Critique: How to Disappear Completely, Pg. 2

I found the ending to this film to be quite good. In some ways, I found it somewhat reminiscent to the ending of Memento, even though the final understanding is actually virtually the opposite of Memento. This film ends with the main character realizing how dangerous isolation is…how much it can take from a person, despite it's promises of safety. It is in this way that I see the most understanding for other filmmakers, for, while filmmakers record humans all the time, there is a very real isolation that exists behind the eye of a lens that can separate them too readily from those around them. (We can all think of famous filmmakers who haven't managed to stay grounded and have become isolated from the actors, crew, and 'normal' people they work with.)

In the wild, there's a peace and
tranquility that descends...
...which makes it much easier for
the photographer to disappear.

Visual Look
The visual look was absolutely amazing. The colors were bright and sharp, with excellent saturation of the sunny areas he roams through. There are a few really nice shots in this film that show off depth of field nicely, usually timed to correspond with narration about zoom lenses, which have a very narrow depth of field. In addition to these other elements of camerawork, the camera motion was very stable and really professional. The editing was clean, with some rather clever flash dissolves, designed to look like color photo snaps, timed to intersect with the motion of the sun through the trees as the main character walks underneath the forest canopy.

The short looked so lovely and detail rich that I thought that an HD camera had been employed. As such, when I found that they had used an XL1, I was shocked at how much color range and clarity they had been able to finesse out of Canon's rather unwieldy camera. Very impressive, indeed.

Use of Audio
The narration was clean and easy to understand, with the right amount of bass for a good voice over and the right amount of warmth to really make you listen to it.

The sound effects are good, though always kept soft to give the film a somewhat dreamlike feel which further shows the main characters separation. However, I would have liked to have seen a few of the sound effects louder at times, specifically when he's nearly bowled over by the rushing car. As it is right now, it's too soft and over too fast to carry the sort of peace-shattering intensity that it would have for someone who hates the sound of man-made noises at any time. An increase in the duration of the car's Doppler effect and its volume would solve this problem.

The single song that was used in the film worked well, creating an almost dirge-like intensity that mirrored the bitter-sweet feel of the entire film.

However, when he's confronted with a
beautiful woman, he finds that...
...he no longer knows how to interact
in any way but behind the camera.

Use of Budget
Considering how clean and well orchestrated this film looked, and how much time they spent color correcting it, I have to say that Steve Piper and Coffee Films did a really good job with their £500 budget (which translates to a little over $750 US.).

Lasting Appeal
After watching it a few times, I intend to watch it a number of more times and share it with some friends who will quite like it. The more times I watch it, the more I like it.

Overall Comment
This is an amazingly strong short that manages to feel very genuine and very heartfelt in showing the danger of isolation. Not only is it excellent as a short, but it has an intriguing enough premise that I believe it could actually be successfully adapted to a feature length film.
(If you're interested in seeing this short, it is currently on tour in America with Independent Exposure Spring Edition 2006, hosted by Microcinema International.)

 
Content            
     9.0         
Visual Look            
      9.0         
Use of Audio            
9.0         
Use of Budget            
9.0         
           Lasting Appeal            
           9.0         
Overall Score           
  9.0         
How do we critique films? Click Here To See.

JeremyHankePicture The director of two feature length films and half a dozen short films, Jeremy Hanke founded Microfilmmaker Magazine to help all no-budget filmmakers make better films. His first book on low-budget special effects techniques, GreenScreen Made Easy, (which he co-wrote with Michele Yamazaki) was released by MWP to very favorable reviews. He's curently working on the sci-fi film franchise, World of Depleted through Depleted: Day 419 and the feature film, Depleted.


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