Overall I loved this short, I felt the message was sweet but also had a hint of humor with the little kids cursing to the teacher and at the end of the day children just need to laugh together to get along. My favorite thing the director did is when he would cut back to Josephs life in Africa. It gave us his feelings of a cultural shock when it came to the way he was used to learning. It also gave us insight to his hard past. The director also gave great angles so we can see from the angle that Joseph could see and what the students could see from their desk. I think this movie had a power message with a light humor because its the story of little kids.
Allen Miller: I enjoyed this short considerably more than the last one. A big reason for that was the actors were all great. Usually, it's kind of hard for child actors to act quietly - and this was a very quiet film. The flashbacks were integrated very well and helped to draw parallels between the two schools while also shedding light on the main character's background. I didn't really get why that one kid was immediately so horrible to the new kid, but I liked how at the end really all it took was them to joke around together to be cool. This worked very well as a short. It told a small story that was still engaging enough that I was interested for the entire time.
I thought that this short was done extremely well due to how effectively the story was told through the choices of shots, focus, and character development. Right away the camera focuses on Joseph and not much else is seen of the classroom, the other students or the teacher. Throughout the short the shots make the children seem at eye level giving a deeper perspective from their point of view as opposed to the teacher who is viewed from a low angle thus making her appear larger and commanding. I thought it was interesting with each shot how the focus keyed on a person or object so to guide the audience's attention. Above all, I thought the story was very well done with giving Joseph an antagonist in Christian, and a friend in Hazel while the teacher remains a generally neutral character. The story develops in a way that does a good job at presenting Joseph's current situation in the Irish school and shows flashbacks to his life in Africa to give insight to his backstory. I also appreciated how at the end of the short it was a clear ending of the story arc with the boys becoming friends.
To start out I liked this short a lot. It has a positive message and is not hard to follow like the last short we were assigned. I liked how the director flashed back to his previous school to show the main character having a fun time in class with his father as the teacher. I also felt the music was very fitting when he would flash back and at the end when the main character and the bully start to get along, because it is very upbeat symbolizing happiness. I think the director did a great job overall with this short film and I liked how the ending turned out positively.
This was a really entertaining short film. The way the story kept switching back and forth from something as innocent as a first day at school to the death of the main characters father was very interesting. I particularly enjoyed the transition from a milk carton being thrown at Joseph to the gun being shot at his father. That really brought the whole Rwanda side of the story to its peak. Other than the story itself, the child actors did surprisingly well. I especially enjoyed Hazel in the final scene.
Miranda Donato: I loved this film! I really like how they cut back and fourth to his Joseph's old life to his new one. It really shows how much of a different world he is now living in. All the different camera shots really add to the overall feel of the film. You can tell what everyone feels about Joseph. While his expressions are hard to read in his new life. I like how the new teacher doesn’t make her students feel happy about learning in a private school ; while Joseph’s father had his whole class laughing and smiling in a seemingly poverty stricken place. He obviously has had a rough life and his new school isn’t helping much. I like how the camera is eye level to the children, makes there life in focus.
Overall I loved this short, I felt the message was sweet but also had a hint of humor with the little kids cursing to the teacher and at the end of the day children just need to laugh together to get along. My favorite thing the director did is when he would cut back to Josephs life in Africa. It gave us his feelings of a cultural shock when it came to the way he was used to learning. It also gave us insight to his hard past. The director also gave great angles so we can see from the angle that Joseph could see and what the students could see from their desk. I think this movie had a power message with a light humor because its the story of little kids.
ReplyDeleteAllen Miller: I enjoyed this short considerably more than the last one. A big reason for that was the actors were all great. Usually, it's kind of hard for child actors to act quietly - and this was a very quiet film. The flashbacks were integrated very well and helped to draw parallels between the two schools while also shedding light on the main character's background. I didn't really get why that one kid was immediately so horrible to the new kid, but I liked how at the end really all it took was them to joke around together to be cool. This worked very well as a short. It told a small story that was still engaging enough that I was interested for the entire time.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this short was done extremely well due to how effectively the story was told through the choices of shots, focus, and character development. Right away the camera focuses on Joseph and not much else is seen of the classroom, the other students or the teacher. Throughout the short the shots make the children seem at eye level giving a deeper perspective from their point of view as opposed to the teacher who is viewed from a low angle thus making her appear larger and commanding. I thought it was interesting with each shot how the focus keyed on a person or object so to guide the audience's attention. Above all, I thought the story was very well done with giving Joseph an antagonist in Christian, and a friend in Hazel while the teacher remains a generally neutral character. The story develops in a way that does a good job at presenting Joseph's current situation in the Irish school and shows flashbacks to his life in Africa to give insight to his backstory. I also appreciated how at the end of the short it was a clear ending of the story arc with the boys becoming friends.
ReplyDeleteTo start out I liked this short a lot. It has a positive message and is not hard to follow like the last short we were assigned. I liked how the director flashed back to his previous school to show the main character having a fun time in class with his father as the teacher. I also felt the music was very fitting when he would flash back and at the end when the main character and the bully start to get along, because it is very upbeat symbolizing happiness. I think the director did a great job overall with this short film and I liked how the ending turned out positively.
ReplyDelete-Cam Klinger
This was a really entertaining short film. The way the story kept switching back and forth from something as innocent as a first day at school to the death of the main characters father was very interesting. I particularly enjoyed the transition from a milk carton being thrown at Joseph to the gun being shot at his father. That really brought the whole Rwanda side of the story to its peak. Other than the story itself, the child actors did surprisingly well. I especially enjoyed Hazel in the final scene.
ReplyDeleteMiranda Donato: I loved this film! I really like how they cut back and fourth to his Joseph's old life to his new one. It really shows how much of a different world he is now living in. All the different camera shots really add to the overall feel of the film. You can tell what everyone feels about Joseph. While his expressions are hard to read in his new life. I like how the new teacher doesn’t make her students feel happy about learning in a private school ; while Joseph’s father had his whole class laughing and smiling in a seemingly poverty stricken place. He obviously has had a rough life and his new school isn’t helping much. I like how the camera is eye level to the children, makes there life in focus.
ReplyDelete