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watch Beautiful Sketches
- Thread starter Ernest Worthing
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Simply gorgeous.
Thanks for the kind words, guys!
Anyone care to tell me what they thought the story was? There is a definite order and answer to it with enough signs pointing to it but i wanted to leave it subjective as well.
Id love to hear what everyone takes it as.
Anyone care to tell me what they thought the story was? There is a definite order and answer to it with enough signs pointing to it but i wanted to leave it subjective as well.
Id love to hear what everyone takes it as.
Not what i personally had in mind but if that is the feeling you get from it then that is what it is for you
That was fantastic. So glad to see this come to fruition. Every frame was a picture. Every frame told a story.
On a whole. I'd say it was about the latter stages of illness? Death. Making an appointment in Samara. It was all about the essence of time. The time lapses, drifting clouds, spinning wheel, the clock at the credits. There was also an emphasis of the white at the ice rink. Especially the close up when it seems to gleam from her skin.
The bench would be somewhat of a "waiting room", perhaps the chap who sat beside her was death, or another patient. The sketchbook being a momento, or rather catalogue of her life?
That's my guess at 08:39am.
Really enjoyed it.
On a whole. I'd say it was about the latter stages of illness? Death. Making an appointment in Samara. It was all about the essence of time. The time lapses, drifting clouds, spinning wheel, the clock at the credits. There was also an emphasis of the white at the ice rink. Especially the close up when it seems to gleam from her skin.
The bench would be somewhat of a "waiting room", perhaps the chap who sat beside her was death, or another patient. The sketchbook being a momento, or rather catalogue of her life?
That's my guess at 08:39am.
Really enjoyed it.
Awesome short, Ernest! You included some really beautiful and artful imagery. I wasn't a fan of the first few B&W shots as they looked a bit blown out, but all the color shots were spectacular.
If I had to guess about the story, the girl used to be a skater and is now on crutches from an accident of some sort? Maybe she can't skate anymore?
The sky shots were just gorgeous.
If I had to guess about the story, the girl used to be a skater and is now on crutches from an accident of some sort? Maybe she can't skate anymore?
The sky shots were just gorgeous.
My guess is that it's about nature (girl) vs urban life (businessman).
Very nice, great job.
I often gripe at people about their color correction, image quality, etc. But this, this is right on the mark. Excellent.
I often gripe at people about their color correction, image quality, etc. But this, this is right on the mark. Excellent.
the timelapse of those clouds......pretty orgasmic imagery.
Good stuff.
Good stuff.
Really beautiful, Ernest. I especially dug the time-lapses, the stars (was that a bit of northern lights or just some clouds in the one shot?) in particular. It was cool how the rotation of the constellations made it look like a super smooth pan/circular dolly.
If I had to take a guess on the story, though it seemed pretty abstract, I'd say it's a girl reliving some memories through her sketches. She was a skater (most of those shots are blurry which maybe shows her current disconnection to that activity, due to the crutches?).
Not sure about the guy on the bench, though. At first I thought she was looking at his briefcase to steal it. But then in the end, he takes her sketchbook? If we go with PTP's suggestion that this short has to do with death, is the man a sort of 'Saint Peter,' with the bench being the 'Pearly Gates?' By looking at the sketchbook is he judging her life?
Nice job
If I had to take a guess on the story, though it seemed pretty abstract, I'd say it's a girl reliving some memories through her sketches. She was a skater (most of those shots are blurry which maybe shows her current disconnection to that activity, due to the crutches?).
Not sure about the guy on the bench, though. At first I thought she was looking at his briefcase to steal it. But then in the end, he takes her sketchbook? If we go with PTP's suggestion that this short has to do with death, is the man a sort of 'Saint Peter,' with the bench being the 'Pearly Gates?' By looking at the sketchbook is he judging her life?
Nice job
That was fantastic. So glad to see this come to fruition. Every frame was a picture. Every frame told a story.
On a whole. I'd say it was about the latter stages of illness? Death. Making an appointment in Samara. It was all about the essence of time. The time lapses, drifting clouds, spinning wheel, the clock at the credits. There was also an emphasis of the white at the ice rink. Especially the close up when it seems to gleam from her skin.
The bench would be somewhat of a "waiting room", perhaps the chap who sat beside her was death, or another patient. The sketchbook being a momento, or rather catalogue of her life?
That's my guess at 08:39am.
Really enjoyed it.
Thanks, Dan! Very high compliments coming from you! Appreciate them!
Oh and do u often think about death at 8:39am?
Some amazing shots there! I enjoyed it a lot, although I wasn't a huge fan of the song- although I suppose thats more objective. But, I found it really, really well shot, especially for a first short
Danke! Ive actually been making films since i was 13 or 14, cant remember which. But they were just skits and stuff with friends. Then went to college and after that started doing photography while making some more films with friends and a ahndful of commercial projects but now im at the stage where i can focus on my personal films more and start showcasing them.
Thank you, Jeff!!! The b&w shots were shot in colour and exposed well and i turned them into b&w in post and fiddled with curves till they were slightly blown out. I guess it didnt come off as i planned. Will keep it in mind for the future!
Btw, was it an accident or could she never skate to begin with?
That is definitely a part of it!
And i was going to ask u for help for next short. You circumvented it quite conveniently. Nice move, sir!
Seriously, thanks!
Muchas gracias, amigo!
Really beautiful, Ernest. I especially dug the time-lapses, the stars (was that a bit of northern lights or just some clouds in the one shot?) in particular. It was cool how the rotation of the constellations made it look like a super smooth pan/circular dolly.
If I had to take a guess on the story, though it seemed pretty abstract, I'd say it's a girl reliving some memories through her sketches. She was a skater (most of those shots are blurry which maybe shows her current disconnection to that activity, due to the crutches?).
Not sure about the guy on the bench, though. At first I thought she was looking at his briefcase to steal it. But then in the end, he takes her sketchbook? If we go with PTP's suggestion that this short has to do with death, is the man a sort of 'Saint Peter,' with the bench being the 'Pearly Gates?' By looking at the sketchbook is he judging her life?
Nice job
No, sadly no norhtern lights! Alaska is on my bucket list! That or the northern countries in europe. Just a bit of clouds.
But yeah, i love stars and the night sky and do love the circular dolly effect it produces! Glad you enjoyed it as well!
The out of focus shots definitely show a disconnection from that activity. I feel like almost every comment got a part of it and it just needs to be put together.
However, i did leave it somewhat subjective so that everyone could get different things out of it.
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Good question. The fact that she's just on crutches makes think she could skate or was a skater and had an accident because crutches are mostly for temporary injuries. If she were in a wheelchair I'd be inclined to think she could have grown up with MS or some permanent injury. But there is gray area here for sure and that's OK. Leaves something up to the imagination.
I'll hazard a complete interpretation based on what everybody has said.
It's an allegory. The girl represents nature, the businessman industrialized societies. At the beginning the girl is healthy. She can skate, the crutches aren't present. She becomes progressively crippled through contact with the businessman, like nature through industrial extraction.
The leitmotiv of time passing reminds us that there aint much time left for us to save nature. Actually some climate scientists like James Hansen seem to think it might already be too late. (That's the part I like most in the short: the timelapses and music instill a sense of urgency in us)
I have 2 explanations for the ending where the girl leaves her sketches for the businessman to see. It could mean that the most effective way for nature to plead her case is through the work of artists. As someone who has come to pay attention to trees after seeing them through the works of Cezanne, this makes perfect sense to me. The other interpretation I can think of is that after we have destroyed nature, the only thing left will be pictures of her.
It's a bit far-fetched but it's the nature of works of art to generate very diverse interpretations. I was listening to George Huang's DVD commentary of "Swimming with sharks". He said he found interpretations of his movie refreshing because it made him look at it from renewed perspectives. He was particularly fond of one from a French magazine, Les Cahiers du Cinema. It basically said that the movie was about 2 gay guys who had to kill the woman between them so they could be together. It sounds absurd but there are actually elements in the movie that support this view. For instance at some point Kevin Spacey grabs and holds Frank Whaley's hand, which is weird for 2 straight men.
It's an allegory. The girl represents nature, the businessman industrialized societies. At the beginning the girl is healthy. She can skate, the crutches aren't present. She becomes progressively crippled through contact with the businessman, like nature through industrial extraction.
The leitmotiv of time passing reminds us that there aint much time left for us to save nature. Actually some climate scientists like James Hansen seem to think it might already be too late. (That's the part I like most in the short: the timelapses and music instill a sense of urgency in us)
I have 2 explanations for the ending where the girl leaves her sketches for the businessman to see. It could mean that the most effective way for nature to plead her case is through the work of artists. As someone who has come to pay attention to trees after seeing them through the works of Cezanne, this makes perfect sense to me. The other interpretation I can think of is that after we have destroyed nature, the only thing left will be pictures of her.
It's a bit far-fetched but it's the nature of works of art to generate very diverse interpretations. I was listening to George Huang's DVD commentary of "Swimming with sharks". He said he found interpretations of his movie refreshing because it made him look at it from renewed perspectives. He was particularly fond of one from a French magazine, Les Cahiers du Cinema. It basically said that the movie was about 2 gay guys who had to kill the woman between them so they could be together. It sounds absurd but there are actually elements in the movie that support this view. For instance at some point Kevin Spacey grabs and holds Frank Whaley's hand, which is weird for 2 straight men.
Wow! I'm sort of drunk right now and can't really piece together a story from the abstract imagery, but it was incredibly beautiful! I look forward to seeing more from you, you have some fantastic skills!
My only gripe would be that there seems to be a vast difference in terms of how well done the black and white shots are to how well done the others shots are. But seeing as it's obvious you've tried to make those scenes vastly different, that may actually be some sort of artistic choice that I don't understand right now.
Seriously though, well done! Fantastic short!
My only gripe would be that there seems to be a vast difference in terms of how well done the black and white shots are to how well done the others shots are. But seeing as it's obvious you've tried to make those scenes vastly different, that may actually be some sort of artistic choice that I don't understand right now.
Seriously though, well done! Fantastic short!
Thanks, bird! Im really glad to hear you say that! Though i was doing about 40 jobs on the short and lacked in a lot of them, im happy that the main focus of being a director is coming thru.
Good question. The fact that she's just on crutches makes think she could skate or was a skater and had an accident because crutches are mostly for temporary injuries. If she were in a wheelchair I'd be inclined to think she could have grown up with MS or some permanent injury. But there is gray area here for sure and that's OK. Leaves something up to the imagination.
If you look at my notes, most of the relevant parts say wheelchair/crutches. I couldnt decide for the longest time.Thanks so much for taking the time look into it in such detail! I really appreciate it and feel great that about all the work i put into the different details is not going unnoticed! You have a very good eye and you've got most of it! I did not want to make the whole thing abstract. I wanted the short to be grounded in some reality and that reality is in the black and white scenes. Those scenes are the little story around which the abstract part occurs. As for the abstract part, that is where a lot of it left up to you. All interpretations are valid and correct. However, i did not want to be blamed for creating art for arts sake and just putting beautiful images out there without a reason. That is why, my own interpretation of the abstract scenes is in there as well. And actually, you've discovered more than half of it anyway. The clues to the rest of it and the slight timeline issue that is in the short can be found if you look closer at the sketches the girl was drawing.
I'd love to explain it all, i mean who doesnt like talking about their work
, but as you said, there is something in discovering ur own short in different ways through everyone else's interpretations. And i fear if i explained myself already, ppl would look at it my way and not theirs. So many wonderful things to think about are coming out of everyones comments!Thanks again!
I'll be how you are in about 4 hours from now
so save a drink for me!Thank you for all the kind words, they motivate me and keep me filming!
About the b&w vs colour scenes... were u thinking abt anything in particular when you say how well done they were? If you'd like to discuss it, i would be pleased to. I can take criticism and learn from it.
Shot Comparisons - the left hand side are the ones I thought were bad, and the right hand side are the ones I think were good. I don't have the time right now to list all of the shots (the last time I did that for a short it took me a good couple of hours or so), but really the vast majority of the film is fantastically done.
The more I look back at it I don't think there was really that much wrong, just the narrative style change (?) threw me off a lot (the majority of the video is pretty abstract but in the black and white sections it's mainly character focused). Saying that, the "off" feeling that I had was probably directed at shots like the second on the left in that picture. You'll notice that the wide depth of field (?) has managed to catch the entirety of the background (car, etc.), whereas shots like the one on the top-right haven't - this draws the attention from the main subject and makes the thing feel flatter. The shot in the top right is one of my favourite shots of the entire film, along with the one towards the end where she spins (but my delayed reactions right now just won't let me stop it on the frame I liked the best - the last one), because they keep the attention solely on the woman.
One of the things I always successful short films and films do is they always have the scenes written and shot as if from a single character's perspective. Occasionally that might change for some reason, but really it has to be a fantastic reason otherwise it just doesn't feel right at all, especially for narrative pieces. One of the main things that is really putting me off about that shot where you can see the car in the background, and I think the whole scene, is that the girl is clearly focused on her sketching, and yet you have the car in focus and are keeping things like the man as main shots. Imagine the whole first part as one scene - you have the girl, sitting on the bench, sketching, and the guy comes along and sits next to her. It feels off that the audience is introduced to the man before the girl has even taken notice of him - we see him walking well before the girl takes her eyes off her sketchbook.
Really though I think this may be a subjective thing, and anyone here can feel free to say I'm wrong.
It was really a fantastic piece though, and to make a video that fits so perfectly around such a unique musical piece is truly something to be proud of!
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And I've just realised that it was probably a technical limitation with your camera's depth of field (?) that caused the problems I thought were there, which is totally understandable.
Edit:
Watching it for the fourth time now, is that guy that sits next to her the same guy that she's been drawing and is in the shots? I have the feeling that she was someone close to him and something happened to change her perspective of him. From a couple of the shots (like the fact that she's dressed in teenager-esque clothing and he's very formal and business-like) I have the feeling that he's the father, and if he was the one she was drawing then perhaps she didn't like the way her father had strayed from his younger life of being a lot more free and instead chose profit over enjoying life? Or perhaps she just didn't like her father at all and was drawing the way she wanted him to be.
See, this shot in particular got me thinking about that.
Is that someone there in the background? Because if it is, and they were meant to be there, then I think it's a pretty important point that you don't see them again in the ice rink shots and from that point on she seems very lonely and isolated. It lends to my theory that someone close to her changed into someone she didn't like anymore, at least.
If that ends up being a sign in the middle of the arena, I'm going to feel like an idiot.
Edit:
And now I've just read your reply to the other guy and I've realised I'm completely wrong. You know, I don't mind, because this short film is still amazing.
The more I look back at it I don't think there was really that much wrong, just the narrative style change (?) threw me off a lot (the majority of the video is pretty abstract but in the black and white sections it's mainly character focused). Saying that, the "off" feeling that I had was probably directed at shots like the second on the left in that picture. You'll notice that the wide depth of field (?) has managed to catch the entirety of the background (car, etc.), whereas shots like the one on the top-right haven't - this draws the attention from the main subject and makes the thing feel flatter. The shot in the top right is one of my favourite shots of the entire film, along with the one towards the end where she spins (but my delayed reactions right now just won't let me stop it on the frame I liked the best - the last one), because they keep the attention solely on the woman.
One of the things I always successful short films and films do is they always have the scenes written and shot as if from a single character's perspective. Occasionally that might change for some reason, but really it has to be a fantastic reason otherwise it just doesn't feel right at all, especially for narrative pieces. One of the main things that is really putting me off about that shot where you can see the car in the background, and I think the whole scene, is that the girl is clearly focused on her sketching, and yet you have the car in focus and are keeping things like the man as main shots. Imagine the whole first part as one scene - you have the girl, sitting on the bench, sketching, and the guy comes along and sits next to her. It feels off that the audience is introduced to the man before the girl has even taken notice of him - we see him walking well before the girl takes her eyes off her sketchbook.
Really though I think this may be a subjective thing, and anyone here can feel free to say I'm wrong.
It was really a fantastic piece though, and to make a video that fits so perfectly around such a unique musical piece is truly something to be proud of!
Edit:
And I've just realised that it was probably a technical limitation with your camera's depth of field (?) that caused the problems I thought were there, which is totally understandable.
Edit:
Watching it for the fourth time now, is that guy that sits next to her the same guy that she's been drawing and is in the shots? I have the feeling that she was someone close to him and something happened to change her perspective of him. From a couple of the shots (like the fact that she's dressed in teenager-esque clothing and he's very formal and business-like) I have the feeling that he's the father, and if he was the one she was drawing then perhaps she didn't like the way her father had strayed from his younger life of being a lot more free and instead chose profit over enjoying life? Or perhaps she just didn't like her father at all and was drawing the way she wanted him to be.
See, this shot in particular got me thinking about that.
Is that someone there in the background? Because if it is, and they were meant to be there, then I think it's a pretty important point that you don't see them again in the ice rink shots and from that point on she seems very lonely and isolated. It lends to my theory that someone close to her changed into someone she didn't like anymore, at least.
If that ends up being a sign in the middle of the arena, I'm going to feel like an idiot.
Edit:
And now I've just read your reply to the other guy and I've realised I'm completely wrong. You know, I don't mind, because this short film is still amazing.
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