hey john, it's me, julian, or at least my youtube me.
is that the faust book i sent you?
i love how you used it as an allusion to bearskin's packt with the devil.
i also loved how you transcribed the story and set it in a modern world, which is very much unlike most transcriptions of even experienced writers. most stick to the plot and just use cars instead of coaches and horses and so on. but you also turned the whole story around, adding a psyche to theprotagonist - he seems consumed by ptsd
- and psychologically acting human beings are quite (well, there is some exceptions, for example freud once remarked that shakespeare was far ahead of his time in this aspect) modern. i liked it very much how you pretty much changed the point of departure on which the story starts out: in your explanation to the video, you said: "a young man comes back from war and finds himself of no use to society". saying it like that it is in keeping with the original story and your version.
but this "no use of society" gets a whole different meaning in the story you are telling, since he only is no use for society, because he hasn't defeated his deamons yet - being war and his trauma. he seems to have his destiny much more in his own hands than the bearskin in the grimm tale does. grimm's bearskin has trouble finding back into life because of a dull lack of money and only a literal devil can get him out of it, of course not without ulterior motives. your bearskin's devil is his
trauma - symptomized by his use of drugs (i know this verb probably doesn't exist, but is just want to use it ;-) ).
your version is also much more romantic in way, since you have the girl helping him, overcoming obstacles for a dirty, smelly and unshaved man. so the girl is not just the return of some favor, who only falls for bearskin when he changes his outer appearance, but she is kind of the favor herself and she is giving it without expecting to get it back.
actually i cannot agree with studioven on the tripod part either. having watched most of the dogma movies, i am used to much more gritty-fauxness than that, and the dogma movies still have some great camera work and even when the image is almost unrecognizable it does not derogate the plot.
but i kind of have to agree with him on the ending: it is a little cheasy. well, i think the ending doesn't need to be "open" concerning the plot (e.g. the two don't find together), but
i think it should leave you hanging not literally, but figuratively, in an artistic kind of way that could be achieved by good camera work or else... (how that would look concretely is something i still need to think about). sound-tracks are ok, editing is very good, and close ups are fine with me, too. just make sure that you don't have that many close ups on the actors, cause, don't get me wrong, they aren't robert de niros, or jack nicholsons, or kinskis ...
there are some shots and sequences i don't quite like (which for the biggest part is due to your lack of proper equipment and money), like the war scene at the beginning, (i would have done it differently because it is so obvious that it is set up - you have done it better in your video about the mother getting a letter about how her son died on duty - if i get the plot right).
the pepper spray scene isn't very plausible either ...
Studloven, actually I didn't want to use a tripod for most of this movie because it is supposed to have a gritty faux documentary feel as it is a gritty story. But thank you for the other comments
Don't get me wrong though: 4/5 stars, but everything I mentioned could use improvement. Though I know you wanted gritty faux, there were a few instances where attention is lost due to camera direction, maybe medium shots would have fixed it instead of a tripod.
Where's the devil?
JakobDailes 7 months ago
Great job, I subscribed.
TotalDefenseSystem 1 year ago
Loved it well done to a great classic fairy tale
Lilalbertus 1 year ago
Very well shot. Great story, I'd have done a few things differently, but good job.
filmcritic11 3 years ago
idda shot the bank up like
bitches!
Simon8051 3 years ago
John this is amazing!! Props to the actors. Now when can I see your cop flick?
jennisitalocke 3 years ago
hey john, it's me, julian, or at least my youtube me.
is that the faust book i sent you?
i love how you used it as an allusion to bearskin's packt with the devil.
i also loved how you transcribed the story and set it in a modern world, which is very much unlike most transcriptions of even experienced writers. most stick to the plot and just use cars instead of coaches and horses and so on. but you also turned the whole story around, adding a psyche to theprotagonist - he seems consumed by ptsd
jackewiebohne 3 years ago
- and psychologically acting human beings are quite (well, there is some exceptions, for example freud once remarked that shakespeare was far ahead of his time in this aspect) modern. i liked it very much how you pretty much changed the point of departure on which the story starts out: in your explanation to the video, you said: "a young man comes back from war and finds himself of no use to society". saying it like that it is in keeping with the original story and your version.
jackewiebohne 3 years ago
but this "no use of society" gets a whole different meaning in the story you are telling, since he only is no use for society, because he hasn't defeated his deamons yet - being war and his trauma. he seems to have his destiny much more in his own hands than the bearskin in the grimm tale does. grimm's bearskin has trouble finding back into life because of a dull lack of money and only a literal devil can get him out of it, of course not without ulterior motives. your bearskin's devil is his
jackewiebohne 3 years ago
trauma - symptomized by his use of drugs (i know this verb probably doesn't exist, but is just want to use it ;-) ).
your version is also much more romantic in way, since you have the girl helping him, overcoming obstacles for a dirty, smelly and unshaved man. so the girl is not just the return of some favor, who only falls for bearskin when he changes his outer appearance, but she is kind of the favor herself and she is giving it without expecting to get it back.
jackewiebohne 3 years ago
actually i cannot agree with studioven on the tripod part either. having watched most of the dogma movies, i am used to much more gritty-fauxness than that, and the dogma movies still have some great camera work and even when the image is almost unrecognizable it does not derogate the plot.
but i kind of have to agree with him on the ending: it is a little cheasy. well, i think the ending doesn't need to be "open" concerning the plot (e.g. the two don't find together), but
jackewiebohne 3 years ago
i think it should leave you hanging not literally, but figuratively, in an artistic kind of way that could be achieved by good camera work or else... (how that would look concretely is something i still need to think about). sound-tracks are ok, editing is very good, and close ups are fine with me, too. just make sure that you don't have that many close ups on the actors, cause, don't get me wrong, they aren't robert de niros, or jack nicholsons, or kinskis ...
jackewiebohne 3 years ago
there are some shots and sequences i don't quite like (which for the biggest part is due to your lack of proper equipment and money), like the war scene at the beginning, (i would have done it differently because it is so obvious that it is set up - you have done it better in your video about the mother getting a letter about how her son died on duty - if i get the plot right).
the pepper spray scene isn't very plausible either ...
jackewiebohne 3 years ago
holy fuckin shit balls
kcor 3 years ago
Studloven, actually I didn't want to use a tripod for most of this movie because it is supposed to have a gritty faux documentary feel as it is a gritty story. But thank you for the other comments
ledhed1488 3 years ago
Don't get me wrong though: 4/5 stars, but everything I mentioned could use improvement. Though I know you wanted gritty faux, there were a few instances where attention is lost due to camera direction, maybe medium shots would have fixed it instead of a tripod.
studioven 3 years ago
Yea, I can see that. Again, thank you very much for the comments.
ledhed1488 3 years ago
Improvements: better sound track, tripod, less extreme close-ups, abrupt ending.
Acting was ok for a good decent script, good editing.
reported to postmaster for spam e-mailing students.
studioven 3 years ago
wow! this was a student film?
kacieotto 3 years ago