Peer Reviews
Hi blog welcome back, let's get started! Today, we'll be critiquing the initial drafts of our classmates' movie opening sequences. I'll be analyzing five different submissions, focusing on various elements of each.
Group 1: The Entity After Hours
I liked how they blurred the background at the start. The talking was easy to hear, and the background sounds were good, not annoying. We knew it was a school, and the talk made that clear. The black screen between scenes showed time had passed. The shot from around the corner was cool, it made things mysterious. The dark classroom shot let us see everyone's reactions to the weird thing.The only problem was the dark hallway. It was too hard to see, even though I could tell people were moving. The talking was fine, but it hurt my eyes to try and see. The opening was good overall and made me want to see more. Just fix the dark hallway, and it'll be perfect.
Group 2: Dr. Carter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsLQ4OGn1tU
I liked the background sounds that were added which instantly made it clear we were in a hospital. Everything – the stuff they used, the clothes, the sounds, and the talking – showed it was a hospital. The way they used things, even with not much, was clever. The black fades showed time passing, which was good. The different camera shots, like showing the whole body and then a wide view, gave us different looks. And the video got grainier and the colors changed, which hinted the doctor was crazy. The opening was good because it made me want to know more. They could have done a bit more, like use different camera angles or sounds, but the crazy doctor reveal was interesting. My main problem was the ending. The close-up on the doctor’s face felt cheap and funny, not scary. And the blood looked a bit fake.
Group 3: Mind The Gaps
This opening is about Angelina, a girl with mental health problems, trying to get help. I really liked the sounds and how they put the video together. The weird sounds and heartbeat made me feel her anxiety. The quick cuts between shots, like her picking her skin and the therapist writing, were good. The way they showed her taking pills and checking emails, where things get mixed up, was also cool. The tilted camera showed how lost she felt. The only small things I'd change are the music, which was a bit the same all the way through, and making the flashbacks clearer. But it was a good opening that made me want to see more. It mixes reality and her imagination, which is interesting. The ending, with the close-up on the therapist, was a bit confusing. Maybe they could add something to make it clearer, but I get it if they wanted to leave it open.
Group 4: Kaylana, Reinier, Rolando and Claudia
I liked the happy, romantic music right away, it made the mood nice. Showing each character alone at first helped us understand the story and where it was happening. The shots of them getting closer made me wonder what would happen. The split-screen of them walking was cool, but they talked too fast. My main problem is it felt like a whole short movie, not just the start. They showed too much too quickly, like the whole story was already done. It didn't make me want to watch more. It felt like they crammed everything in. I think they should spread the story out more, and just show the beginning in the opening. That way, it won't feel so rushed and it'll be a better start to the movie.
Group 5: Now What?
I loved the loud music at the start, it reminded me of old teen movies. The way the music faded when the guy took off his headphones was really cool and showed us it was a school. The wide shot of the classroom let us see the characters' personalities without them even talking. I liked how there was no music in the classroom, it made the scene feel serious and awkward. The cut to the teacher talking was a good way to introduce the problem. The split-screen was a nice touch, like in those older movies, and let us see multiple characters at once. The way they showed the characters talking wasn't my favorite, it kind of cut off the talking and felt weird. But it did show us all the characters. The sudden ending was the biggest problem. It felt like it just stopped, and I didn't get any idea what the movie was about. It didn't feel like a real opening. My main suggestion is to finish the opening. There were lots of good parts, and it would be a shame to waste them.
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