ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

1 year, 3 months ago - Alexej Voronov

Hello Harvey,

Congratulations for making Under the Light! Would you be open to scheduling a call tomorrow so I can give you my feedback? Thank you in advance!

Kindest regards,
Alexej Voronov

1 year, 2 months ago - Alexandru R

Hey Harvey!

I hope you're well.

I've had a look at the film and I was quite captivated - the editing is really good and you built suspense really well. Bar from some tropes, I thought the film was nicely shot. You have some nice angles and composition in a lot of shots which was really nice to see. The way you played with sound and score was nice as well, although I have some reservations about the score at the end.

I was a bit lost in the story. First time I watched it, which is usually the only change you get as a filmmaker, I didn't really know what the story was about or what the film was trying to say. If you were going for a thriller vibe then I think you've somewhat achieved that through the edit, but the story lets it down. I'm not sure what the letter was about, why he froze when he saw his reflection in the window, why he froze at the sight of the tobacco pouch, why we see him seeing himself on the street in a hospital gown. I rewatched it. Is he a schizophrenic freaking out because of his new diagnosis? Was he recently diagnosed with lung cancer? Or something to do with his teeth? Also, the scrolls through his phone were impossible to read, if you wanted them to add to the story, as they moved too fast for the tempo of the film. I also found the dialogue bizarre and it didn't really establish any connection between the characters. I think you'll need to give your audience a lot of context before showing this film. Perhaps in an attempt to not give away too much, the film doesn't give away anything.

My advice for the future is focus on story and enhance it with your creative style. Think about the message you want to send as an artist. Think seriously on the stories you want to tell. Read out the script with your cast before filming and see if it makes sense. Ask people for their feedback on your script and get as many opinions as possible, even if you don't consider them in the end.

I hope you won't feel discouraged about my feedback. Remember that this is just one opinion.

Keep moving forward.

Alexandru R

1 year, 2 months ago - Borys Shusterman

Hi Harvey,
My English isn't very good. So I didn't understand the dialogue very well, but I think I got the point. I liked the film in general, especially if you consider that it is only your beginning. If I may make some remarks.
1. At the very beginning on the general frame where the hero stands back. First - at the very beginning his left hand is located somehow not quite well and may oszdasstvuyusya impression is not very good. Then a very close-up of the hero's profile. I think this is a mistake. It is not immediately clear that it is the same person. It would be necessary to develop this place somehow.
2. Displaying text on the screen. I counted five shots of the phone screen. Actually, in the early days of cinema, it was considered bad taste to use phone conversations to reveal the plot. Now we're dealing with the Internet. That's fine. But if you want the viewer to read the text on the screen, then firstly the text is very much and what is the main thing in this text is also not clear. So it is not good at all.
3. You have an episode where the hero is in the frame with the back of his head. It is not very good to show so long the back of the head of a person. Especially since nothing is happening. He's not being kicked in the head. I think you have three frames. Unless in the last one where he turned his head in full-face it is normal. You can see the reaction on his face.
4. Finally the finale. The frame where the face of the hero lying on the ground should be shocking, but it does not show his face. The episode is important it would be supported by an interesting sound, music kako something. But the main thing is the lamp. I understand "Under the light" means the lamp of the operating table? But if you had it, it's let's just say it's a very small lamp. In fact, it's a very short shot of that lamp. I realise you had limited resources to shoot in a real operating theatre. But you had to do something about it. Because the finale was a bit of a letdown. In general, it is not bad that in the whole film there are some sources of light in the night city and then the short circuit on the operating lamp would have turned out very well.
That's about it. Sorry if I upset you.
Best wishes.
Boris