Peer Reviews of First Cut Movie Opener

    In the film opening, the technical element I found most enjoyable was the sound. The sound effects of ringing and odd heartbeats definitely added to the phycological suspense the film seems to focus on. The background track was a great pick, as it perfectly added to the creepy and suspenseful. The sudden straight cuts also adds to the insanity and messiness, mirroring the character. 

What I found wrong with the film is the costuming of the, seems to be, therapist. Although I do recognize the attempt to make him look formal, he did not seem formal enough. The lighting  of the film was also to bright. For the idea of a suspense, the lighting should have been more darker. The scene in which the protagonist is on the computer, instead of the camera going around her, it would be better as an over the shoulder shot.

I do believe that this is an opening. It properly introduces two characters without the need of background information. You are able to figure out what is happening, yet still not knowing everything. It properly leaves you on a cliff hanger, having you wonder what is the therapist thinking.

What left me confused was those sudden back and forth cuts. The dog to his collar and the pill bottle is an example of this. I am not sure what is really happening, if it is reality or illusion. However, I do believe this is what adds to the film and makes it better. It was a good use of confusion.

My main suggestion is that the mise-en-scene needs improvement. Everything else generally has no problem. The plot was great and the use of camera angles was good.

    In this film, what I enjoyed most was the camera movements. The use of handheld and dolly made you feel as if you were part of their adventure. The tilt up to a fade in to black was a perfect transition. Also using the blurry forest for the title was clever. The dialogue is good as well.

What elements I did not like in the film was the lighting. There was a sudden change in natural lighting from day/evening to night that makes no sense as there seems to be no skip in time. The film also lacked background sound that could have been used to add mystery or suspense. The film was quiet with only footsteps and dialogue generally being heard.

This was definitely an opening scene. The scene leaves you wondering what creature was hiding behind the tree and what happened to her friend. It keeps the viewer hooked, wanting to know what happens next as they end abruptly after finding a clue. It makes it feel like the adventure just started.

The only thing that left me confused is how it suddenly turned night. I get how the darkness adds to the tone, but it was very messy.

My suggestion is to fix the lighting issue by either having the first part darker, or the second part lighter (preferably the first option). There also should be a creepy or mystery soundtrack played in the background. Overall it is a great opening, but it definitely still needs work.

    In this film, I like how they started with an establishing shot. It was a good way to let us know where they are. I loved the focus pull used at the end. It was a great way to show who they were looking at, and add to the drama. I also like the use of handheld, as it makes you feel like you are in the friend group.

There is many issues with this opening film. The changes in aspect ratio was very messy. It goes from a skinny rectangle to full screen then back. Another issue is the transition. These transitions are not proper for movies and ruins the emersion. My final issue is that during their dialogue at the beginning, there is was no transitions or change in angle. The dialogue was pretty long and we just saw it from one angle. It loses our attention to both the dialogue and the film.

This was no doubt a movie opener. The use of an establishing shot definitely ensured this. The secrets that were whispered to the friends' ears keep the audience wondering what he said, especially after it left a negative impact. This makes you want to continue watching to figure out what he said and what it caused.

There wasn't really anything that left me confused. The film was pretty straightforward.

The movie could have been better if they stuck to one aspect ratio. They also should add more diversity in camera movement and angles. Lastly, they should use different transitions. The film had great potential, but wasn't directed and edited properly.

 

    In this film, I liked the dialogue. Their conversations and humor adds to the group, showing that they are good friends. This also adds better irony to the fact that one friend betrays them. They also added foreshadowing into the dialogue ("imagined if we got kidnapped"). The use of handheld movement also was a great choice, as it felt as if we were in their friend group.

A problem I had with this opening was that the sound wasn't good. Besides the dialogue, every other aspect was empty. There was no background track to add to the tone. The sounds of footsteps and nature were unnecessarily loud. Also, it may have been better if the natural light was darker, meaning they recorded in the evening or at sunset. The lighting did not add to the emotion and tone of the film.

This is an opener. The film introduces the character as a group of friends. The sudden attack makes the audience wonder what happened to them and who/why did the guy do it. This keeps the audience hooked and ensures that they want to keep watching.

What got me confused is why there were noises, like the twig snap, if the antagonist wasn't the one to make it. If he is the one attacking, why lead us to believe that someone else was lurking.

I suggest that they fix the sound on the film. It generally feels empty, not setting any tone that it needs to. I can see the attempts they are trying to make to make a creepy, mysterious tone, but without sound it isn't working. They did a good job, it just needs a bit of fixing.

    

    In this film, I enjoyed the background track of rock music played at the beginning. It was a great way to introduce the character and set its rebellious tone. The costuming was also great. The use of black for the rebellious protagonist and pink worn by another to show "sweet" and happiness. At the end, there was also a great use of over the shoulder shot. It showed not only a conversation, but the tension between them.

The problem I had with this is the mid shot of the teacher. Half of the teachers face was out of frame and looks bad. The background track is good, but I feel like it ended too quickly. It could have been better if it ended once they transitioned to inside the classroom. Overall there wasn't much problem with this film.

This is definitely an opener. It starts with music and the title sequence. The tension starts to rise, and then the clip ends at the peak of the drama. This gets the audience to want to see more and find out how this tension plays out.

What confused me is why the teacher coughed. I'm not sure if it could have been relevant for later in the film, but it just seemed odd to my. I was also confused on how the teacher let this drama to start.

The only suggestion I really have is to extend the background track. It is a really great opening sequence.