"Checkmate"... A short comedy film!

Howdy FanFilms Forumers!

Over the summer I made a short comedy film. It's the story of how one man's obsession with winning board games threatens to tear apart his relationship with his girlfriend. In order to win her back, he must learn that winning isn't everything. The film is 6:10 minutes in length.

Without further adieu, here's the link!

"Checkmate".mov - 41MB

(And here's a "download only" link: Click here to download "Checkmate".mov - 41MB)

My bandwidth is limited so please be kind and save the file to your hard drive!

Of course, I'd love to know what you think of the film!

 

Hmm... after much thinking I finally put my finger on it. That plot sounds exactly like an episode of Hey Arnold.

 

one man's obsession with _______ threatens to tear apart his relationship with _______. In order to win ______ back, he must learn that _____________.


That sounds like every cartoon on Nickelodeon I ever watched.

 

WELL VAPORTRAIL, in this specific string of episodes, one man lost his fiance due to his overwhelming need to win, and then blew a game of air hockey, despite the inner pain it caused him, to get her back.

 

Everyone knows original ideas no longer exist. That said I loved the film.


Awesome.

 

I really really loved this! Well done, Sithman. Funny concept, really nice editing and pacing, great acting, great lighting and camerawork. Was this shot on 16mm? I want to learn about this project - what's it for (is this a student film?), how long it took you, how much it cost, etc.

I'm really impressed!

--Colin

 

Twas cute.

 

That was cute and childish at the same time. Great use of non verbal communication.

 

Everyone-- thank you for your comments! I was hoping a few more people would be able to screen it and comment on it, but maybe more will come. Okay, time for some responses to the questions and comments!

---

"[i]Hmm... after much thinking I finally put my finger on it. That plot sounds exactly like an episode of Hey Arnold.[/i]"

"[i]That sounds like every cartoon on Nickelodeon I ever watched.[/i]

In regards to the comments regarding the plot: First, I acknowledge them. However, creating a quickly-paced, three-act structured film with a dynamic plot curve, conflicting characters, and a clear resolution is not easy to do without dialogue, but it's something that everyone is forced to do at my school. The teachers want students to learn to tell stories visually. They don't want us to rely on dialogue to tell stories (as so many beginning filmmakers --including myself-- often do). It's easy to have a character say, "I'm angry that my girlfriend left me, but now I have nobody here to play board games with and hang out with," but [i]showing[/i] that without any dialogue is a challenge. Being forced to tell a story without any dialogue has stretched and improved myself as a filmmaker in ways I never thought that it would. I would definitely suggest it to any beginning filmmaker.


"[i]I really really loved this! Well done, Sithman. Funny concept, really nice editing and pacing, great acting, great lighting and camerawork. Was this shot on 16mm? I want to learn about this project - what's it for (is this a student film?), how long it took you, how much it cost, etc.[/i]"

The movie was shot on 16mm film using a Bolex camera. As an interesting side note, because the Bolex doesn't have a crystal sync motor, it's obviously impossible to shoot sync sound. Thus the entire film was shot MOS and all the sound effects recorded in post with a Nagra.

It [i]is[/i] a student film. I think the class fee was about $600 for the cost of six rolls of negative film stock, processing at the lab, and telecine transfer. I spent about $120 out of pocket to pay for props, extra lighting equipment, and to feed my crew and actors. From start-to-finish (the day I committed the first line of the script to paper until the day that I turned in the film to my teachers) was just under 10 weeks.

As another interesting side note: because I legally licensed and signed for all the music from my school's music library (a single-drop license), I own all the rights to the film-- picture and sound. Thus, distribution to festival circuits and stuff is not a problem. I highly suggest [i]not[/i] using copyrighted music. It only handicaps you in distributing your film. (And music libraries often have very affordable single-drop licenses for quality music).
[hr]

Thanks for your comments, everybody. :) I'd love it if a few more people were able to see it and comment on it!

 

Technically wonderful. Had several cute moments. I grinned at "Sorry!"

But, what? Was there something more to this that I missed, or is it just "these two play games, she's into him, he's not into her, she leaves, he apologizes, she comes back, the end"? All that can be said about the colors and the acting and stuff is true, it's quite nice, so don't take this the wrong way - but that was a fluffly waste of my time as a viewer.

To be honest, it wouldn't have been a waste of time had Jack been the one to offer Twister, simply because the connotations of Twister as a physical, intimate game would denote a change in his character, in that he learned to figure out a way to enjoy games and Sara at the same time. As it stands, nothing changes in the story, and the best thing you can say about it is that nothing bad happens.

Good technical skills, good buildup, no payoff. Next time be sure to have the story arc set in place, and with this same skillset you could make a really solid, funny, worthwhile short film. I look forward to seeing more from you.

 

Haha, Sithman. I wasn't commenting on your plot. I was commenting on the Hey Arnold remark.

I just watched this, and thought it was hilarious.
I can't believe you ripped apart a Sorry! board. I don't think I'd have the heart. Plus, the final game choice was just awesome.

I don't know if I agree with you Fig, in saying it wasn't worthwhile. Perhaps the conclusion could've been different, but I think that as it stands, since she's the one who left it only makes sense that she's the one who would have to come knocking on his door.

Believe me. It's a great day when a girl you've angered comes knocking.

EDIT: I just read you did the sound in post? I'm very impressed. I was thinking that some of those sounds just had this crispness which was very appealing. Listening to the recorded sound of crinkling paper just sends shivers down my spine.

 

Very nice. Fun. I could see the ending coming, but I expected that the last game would be 'Bingo!'

 

My one-and-only bump! If anyone else would like to watch the film and comment on it, I'd love it!

Everyone-- thank you for your comments thus far!

FruityTooty, your criticism is appreciated. Thanks for being honest!

 

I liked the movie. I have to say, I did like the use of the Sorry game. And I really liked it when she tore it up and shoved it back under the door.

 

i thought it was excellent, really enjoyed the nonverbal communication part of it. i think you got exactly what you were going for in this film. nj.