Grae

Brunch Solstice

Guy goes to brunch at his girlfriend's house for the first time, and gets more than he bargained for!

I loved the use of 'holiday' for this, I've never been to a brunch solstice before, but this has affirmed I never will! What a fantastic and quirky premise!

While I didn't entirely understand everything about the film (What was this cult's purpose? Did the sock transport him to another dimension?? Turn him to ash??) I didn't feel I needed to know entirely in order to get the mystery of the cult.

Absolute highlight for me was your main actor, fantastically goofy, awkward, and charming all at once! Even despite letting the sacrifice get, well, sacrificed because his girlfriend was hot I just felt worked because of how charismatic he was, so kudos!

Great work team, looking forward to seeing more going forward!

The Mob

A detective goes out in search of a missing man and ends up in a baaad situation (couldn’t resist the pun!).

With an unconventional villain taking the spotlight you have brought a completely new twist to a classic genre! Setting this film noir tale on a farm rather than in amongst the city-slickers was a great choice, the editing was tight and the lighting, particularly in the barn, was gritty, moody and brought a real tense energy to the story! Oh my gosh, we LOVED the moment of talking about the mob, and seeing a mob of sheep - I cackled!
The grandiose reveal of the Boss was inspired! The swell of the music, the cloven hoofs stepping out from the shadows, “No one ever suspects the sheep.” Absolute cinema!

We love being able to give constructive feedback, and our one suggestion would be to look at what dialogue is vital to telling the story. Some lines of dialogue could potentially have been told more through actor’s facial expressions rather than needing to say it aloud, but that’s just a tiny element of an otherwise solid film!

A worthy followup to your Nationally Award-winning film! We can’t wait to see how far this goes!

Misplaced Death

Death tries to kill people, misplaces his scythe, antics ensue!

Hands down this for me was the strongest film of the heat (watched it online last night as we couldn't make it in person!)

When it comes to a lot of 48 Hour films, so many folk (myself included) get caught up in telling over complicated stories - what Death Misplaced excels at so brilliantly is telling a short, simple, compelling story beautifully! With a concise beginning, middle and end this story was clear and engaging throughout.

The visual storytelling was sharp, concise, and informative all at once. Cinematography was sharp, Death's actor handled the physical acting fantastically, and WOW that slow motion shot of Death running, cape billowing, absolutely cinematic.
I'd also put this forward for best use of miniature, love how integral it was to the plot, and how panicked Death was when he lost it.

One thing I'd suggest for a film with this, it would've been cool to see this film go totally without dialogue - for me while it was enjoyable to see, it may have benefitted from purely physical storytelling. But that's just a little note!

Overall: Brilliant story, handled excellently team, this feels like city finalist material! Cannot wait to see what you create in future!

A Delicate Situation

Dave learns that loneliness is a choice that we make... by listening to his washing appliances.

This was such a fun concept for Man vs Machine! As a genre, Man vs Machine often invites more aggressive and brutal representations of AI turning on humans, but this was a delightful subversion that focused on a more homely and emotive heart!

I particularly liked how Bubbles was never a true villain in this piece, but driven by her desire to make Dave understand how much Dryden means to her, that she'd do anything to have him back, and that maybe Dave ought to push more to reconnect with Sarah.

One suggestion for this film may be to focus a little more on story elements that can hit more of that emotive heart - what happened between Dave and Sarah? Why is it he can't bring himself to call her? This part of the story could have pulled in a nice parallel with the relationship Bubbles and Dryden have, and how the subsequent unplugging of Dryden could be representative of what happened in Dave and Sarah's relationship.

Overall, this wee film had a lot of heart, and I'm excited to see what your team does next year! :)

Fools Gold

Following the guide of an online influencer, one man’s journey to enrich himself leads to unexpected treasures.

There was some absolute gold in here (pun intended)! The visuals here are great, and I love a good excuse to shoot out in the stunning locations Canterbury has to offer! Panning for gold with an actual pan too was inspired, and the music getting slower and more discordant as our hero fails to find any actual gold was brilliant. Love me a good drone shot too!

As has been mentioned already, tightening the pacing of the story in the edit I think will help bring more polish to the film! Shortening the phone scrolling sequence and the digging would help keep the pace, and stop any moments dragging on too long.
The use of genre as well I worry may have departed a little too far from the conventions of found footage. Love the subversion of interpreting it as going out to actually find things, but judges have been sticklers for genre in the past, so it may be worthwhile veering a little closer to home on the genre front!

Overall, really fun film, pulled together with great flair and some beautifully dynamic shots! Well done!

Chaos Cabin

A couple reach their rental cabin for the night only to find their entire world shaken..

WOW, tackling an animated film with this level of detail and scale in 48Hours is impressive, but also reading that the director used just one motion capture suit and an iPhone just blows me away!
As a blender absolute-newbie (I've made the stock standard tutorial donuts) the level of craft and skill you've utilised to pull this film together I can't see as anything short of (as Meesh.M has noted) magic! The shot choice, sound, foley and reveal at the end were all absolutely fantastic, you clearly have a very skilled, talented and creative team!

My one suggestion would be to build out the world's story a little more. It's been a hot minute since I've seen this in the heats, so I'm relying on my rather poor memory here, but I didn't quite understand who the folk were that were already in the cabin, why were they there? I understand it helped build the lead up to the end reveal, but just understanding why might help build the immersion a little more in future.

All in all, what an INCREDIBLE effort with this film team! Amazing work, and absolutely deserve that spot in the city shortlist!

Hi Santa, it's Charlie

Charlie calls Santa to make sure his model train order is correct, before calling back again, and again...

This little film blew me away. With such a simple premise that could be construed as comedic, I found this short a beautiful, heart-wrenching character study on one man's loneliness and search for connection, a search he can only find in calling the Santa hotline.

The use of just a singular shot for the majority of the film was a bold choice, but one that absolutely paid off - just reinforcing that isolation, that desperate bid for connection, and as an audience we get sucked in to the loneliness of Charlie. I simply just couldn't look away despite how much I wanted to!
Charlie absolutely knocks it out of the park with his acting here too, with only one shot this film needed to be carried by the actors, and my god did he hit the mark!

Judging by the reviews here this film could be seen as divisive, but for me this film absolutely hit the mark, it's bold in its storytelling and its choices, and I think this is perfect for the city finals!

Emergency Key

A man is on the run to find the emergency key, and unlock his *true* destiny. Hopefully.

What an energetic film! Right from the get go with that opening shot I knew we were going to be in for a fast-paced time! What a move shooting in the night too! Was that on the Friday or the Saturday night?? Loved the end reveal of what they were running for too - and like Meesh.M noted, that shot of the opponent suddenly light up in the shadows, absolutely gripping!

One suggestion that might be worth considering could be in developing the story a little further - as some other reviews have noted, there isn't a huge amount of change in variety in the tone or pace of the film, it's go-go-go from the start, and doesn't let up. Allowing for a bit more story elements to bleed through the high-intensity may help to build in some ebbs and flows of the story, and help slowly reveal the context of WHY he's running! I had that 'oh of course!' moment in the reveal at the end, but you could have slipped in some subtle story hints in earlier that may have helped build that audience intrigue and investment.

Overall, a fast-paced race against both time and the limits of the human bowel system, great work!

Glove Box

In the midst of their getaway, a couple of criminals fight over opening the glove box...

This film was just so expertly pulled together! The shots, lighting, sound, performances were all fantastic! I loved how natural the banter and arguments flowed between the two criminals, and leaving the audience on tenterhooks over exactly WHAT was in the glovebox was brilliant. I really enjoyed the fact that we didn't get to know what was in the polaroids, although it may have been good to see something in them rather than black, to insinuate something that may help the audience's imagination.

One suggestion I might add to this, which I believe has already been noted by other reviewers, but it's literally the only thing I think that held you back from being city finalists this year, which was the story. We were dropped into the middle of the action (which I ALWAYS love when we immediately get thrown into a film like that), but considering your short run time, the film may have benefited a little more from learning more about these characters - what did they do before we see them in the car? What's their motives, their choices that led them to this situation? Learning a little more about why the driver had locked the polaroids in the glove box - or at the very least, giving a little more nuggets of information that really just enables the audience's imaginations to run wild!

Overall, this film was an absolute winner! Creativesmith, I'm sorry to hear you're going to be taking a break from 48Hours for a while! You and your team have a whole heap of talent here, and I look forward to your eventual return to the competition!

Reputation

A man confronts his arch-nemesis who has been ruining his life, but his nemesis doesn’t see things the same way.

This was so much fun to watch! Your lead pulled off the role as a disgruntled detective-type-while-not-actually-being-a-detective so well, and in particular I loved when he got more and more erratic, losing it as his story was being picked apart by his captive. Your shots looked great too, beautifully lit for black and white, contrasting nicely!

I loved the story, your lead grasping at straws as his theories fell apart and he was exposed for the delusional madman he is, however I was a little confused at the end as to where him fighting the other guy was in the timeline. Was he remembering how it actually happened, or was it in his imagination?

Overall though, solid entry and a great step up from last year’s film! Congrats on the shortlisting, and really excited to see how far you go in the comp this year!

A Helping Hand

Despite his protests, a boy reluctantly goes on a walk with his brother, which leads to fatal consequences.

This film looked so beautiful, and I'm devastated to see that you missed the deadline! The cinematography was absolutely stunning, everything felt clean, tight, and beautifully balanced. The edit was seamless, we just glided through the story effortlessly, all with a beautiful, haunting tone, which hit its mark all throughout, building that sense of reluctance, loneliness, and even a hint of dread foreshadowing what is to come!

My one suggestion for next year would be aligning with what our lovely city managers have already noted, this year's film is a tad light on story, and I would absolutely LOVE to see what this team can do with a stronger storyline. Honestly with this level of technical skill and a tight story you could make city finals next year easily!
Great work team!

Between Us

A story of distance, love, and the limits of magical household appliances!

This story was so sweet and horrifying all in one, in the best possible way. The performances were earnest and endearing. I loved her short pieces-to-camera, it felt like being invited into her world, adding a level of humanity to her while also keeping the story’s tone light and sweet. The shots and editing were so skilfully designed, the two-shot cuts between two separate kitchen spaces felt so seamless and it both captured the distance of separate living situations and the closeness and ease of their relationship. I really loved the magic nature of the fridge! It was such a unique idea as a connective building device and a really cute, quirky item that felt perfect for the nature of the story! And of course the ending, oh my stars the ending! The rising tension, her last ditch attempt to save him, what a beautifully horrifying way to twist audience expectations and round out this story!

I always love to give a bit of feedback, and this story I feel could have been improved with some stronger dialogue/story beats to give more context to what was going on. It was only partway through that it became clear to me they were in a relationship and currently living in separate spaces but connected by the magical fridge. Some clearer dialogue/story elements may have made this more overt from an earlier point.

Overall though, this was a really enjoyable watch! It was heartfelt, sweet, and terrifying all in one! I’d be surprised if this didn’t make the city finals, y’all killed it with this film!

404: Adrian Not Found

In hunting for what happened to her father, a young woman assembles a crack team of professionals to find any hint of what might have happened to him, starting with his laptop.

This story really felt like the start of a bigger series! The tunnels, tunnel-man, what happened to Adrian, all these big ideas hinted at, and left me curious to know more! You really started pulling us into your world, which makes it feel bigger than what’s presented on screen here, brilliant! Technically, I loved the shot with all five members of the team looking at the laptop - a classic shot pulled off beautifully here, and you had some lovely ECUs in the fold of this piece too!

I loved how you built this intrigue and serious questions of what happened to Adrian. However I do wish you had leaned more into the seriousness of the genre, as opposed to the humour. I do love a good laugh, however the elements without the jokes felt stronger for me!
On a different note, what happened to Adrian?? I wanna knoowwwwww! This story felt like part of a larger puzzle, and as other reviewers have pointed out, just as the story turns to more action it’s over. I’m intrigued to see if we’ll maybe get a part two next year!! (please??)

Overall, great work team - your filmmaking shows real promise and I’m excited to see what you all bring to the competition next year!

Hacked Off

With their disability funding cut, a group of hackers decide to take matters into their own hands, taking on -dun-dun- The Government.

WOW Inclusive Performance Academy you have blown it out of the park, with what may be your best film yet!! I absolutely loved this concept, as many in the reviews have pointed out, your scathing attack on the government in and out-of-universe with this story is INSPIRED! I love seeing this kind of political commentary in the competition, and it was an absolute joy to watch!
Pulling off both a hacker AND a heist movie all in one, I loved seeing how you utilised all that old tech (and that y’all HAD access to all that stuff!), pulling off cartoon levels of hilarity while ALSO having that moment addressing the elephant in the room - I got chills!

One lil story thing I might just comment on is where the time pressure was coming from. There wasn’t any clear indication of why they’ve only got this one moment and one chance to hack in, which may have helped give more context to the stakes. A tiny thing though, in an otherwise absolute delight of a film!

Inclusive Performance Academy, you keep going from strength to strength, and you ATE with this film! I can’t wait to see how far this goes, no doubt in my mind we’ll be seeing this at the city finals!

The Mis-Take

As a take goes amiss, a runner learns the hard way just how chaotic a day on a TV show set can actually be.

Beautiful work NZBS students! This was a whole heap of chaos that just put a smile plastered across my face! Fantastic use of the Broadcasting School TV studio (and what a great way to use that children’s show set in the off hours of your study ((I work at Ara and mayyyy have borrowed some lighting gear this year and was told what was going on in TVBlock haha))), you really used what you had available to you to your advantage. The camerawork was slick, and transitioned from scene to scene near flawlessly, my gosh capturing your lead’s feet as he ran up the stairs, shifting back into the control room, beautiful movement!

My only note would be echoing what others have already brought up - the story is lacking. Having a bit more of a narrative, allowing for some quieter moments to mix in with the loud chaos may allow for more dynamic energy levels than simply ‘sheer madness’ and could help elevate the film even more so. But in saying that, the sheer chaos you’ve created is so well crafted - it’s clear every beat was planned for and nothing felt unintentional in its delivery, so well done there!

A great polished entry already proving your skills for the industry! Congrats on getting shortlisted, I hope you all make it to city finals!

A Silence In Sam's Town

In the midst of his grief, a man ventures to the beach with a note and a necklace for his deceased wife.

This was an emotional hardhitter from start to finish! In amongst a sea of comedies, I LOVE seeing stories like this that don't shy away from laying those heavy emotions bare on the table, that aren't afraid to be bold in their storytelling!

Your lead actor just blew it out of the park, with a performance that I think may be the most emotionally captivating out of the whole of the competition- he felt all of that emotionally brutal heartache that comes with loss, and was pulling us along as an audience with him. Bravo!

One suggestion I might add would be to the story - we felt a lot for this character, but it could have heightened even further if we saw some flashbacks of when the couple were together, alive and happy, to really visually illustrate who and what he has lost, that might help twist that emotionally gut-wrenching knife even further!

We were in a team this year that also touched on death and grief, so maybe I'm a smidge biased, but like I've said before, I love, love, LOVE seeing this kind of emotionally confronting content in this competition. It's a beautiful point of difference, I can't wait to see if you make it through to the city finals, and what you make next year!

Back to the Drawing Board

A wannabe animator accidentally frees his inspiration, with cartoonish level results.

The fact that you managed to blend live action and cartoon magic almost seamlessly is just incredible! That moment Fred and Frank fell out from the TV was absolute peak cinema, and their designs and animation style playing off of old Looney Tunes/Hanna-Barbera cartoons felt both nostalgic and fresh! The fact you managed to pull this together in 48hours, fully animated and filmed is an absolute triumph to your skills!
After the joyous absurdity that was The True Story of Billy the Horse last year, this feels like a worthy followup!
Congrats on the shortlisting and I can’t wait to see how far this goes!

Unforgiven

A group of friends try to discern their new friend’s vibes through his social media, but he isn’t all what he seems…

The film really pulls you in with the friend group’s reactions to the social media, we never see it - but the reactions and disgust really lets you paint a picture in your imagination! I really loved the twist reveal at the end, your team have a clear physical advantage that allows for this punchline to land perfectly! I love the shots that you’ve pulled in as well, a good amount of shot variety helps keep the pacing and energy moving forward.

A couple of suggestions I might add would be to consider a little more structured dialogue, and scene variety. Some of the lines spoken by your characters felt off the cuff, and a little wordy. It’s not bad by any means, but it can come across as a bit rambly at times. Possibly adding in a bit more scene variety could be fun too - to help create some more dynamic and interesting visuals than sitting in a flat and in a car.

Overall though, great job on a fun story with a fantastic twist to boot!

Portrait

When Dad’s girlfriend visits the house for introductions, not everyone is stoked about the newest addition to the family.

Tackling a very real situation so many families experience was a great set up for a revenge story. The daughters’ performances felt believable and full of disdain, exactly what was needed for a film like this, that relies so heavily on actors to carry it! Some of the shots were gorgeous as other reviewers have mentioned, the dust particles catching the light made the scene feel warm and inviting! Dinner scenes like this are always tricky to film too, as they can be quite static, so it was great to see a good amount of shot variety to keep the visuals engaging!

One suggestion I’d make would be around story motivations - the daughters seemed convinced that their Dad wouldn’t believe them that his girlfriend is only dating him for money, but there’s an article online and a track record to prove that she’s done it before? A small beat acknowledging this, or having another reason why he wouldn’t believe them may have helped increase the stakes of the story.
A good piece overall and I look forward to what you create in future!

The Last Course

A hitwoman out of the game receives a new target, and has to figure out how to fight back lest she get taken out herself.

This really hit some good 80s action vibes. The music, the classic ‘training montage’, that old school 80s filter over the footage really added to the energy! Also how did you manage to gain access to 3 katanas for a dining room fight scene?! I’m guessing you just had those lying around?? Absolutely wild, love it! Was definitely the highlight of the film for me. As well as the blood effects when her neck gets slit, that looked so authentic!

Some suggestions I have would be to try using some more scenic locations, the majority of the action taking place in a flat tends to be a bit, well, flat at times. Having a few more shots in amongst the fight scene too may help it feel more dynamic.

Looking forward to seeing what you pull together next year!

A Product of My Imagination

When generating ideas keeps falling flat, one man makes a decision to source his ideas externally…

Another incredibly tight, polished and hilarious entry from An Evening With! All the compliments I could give have either been already spoken about by other reviewers, or you know already! I shall try anyway - you guys nailed it! Technically there is nothing to fault here, it’s beautiful, fantastically acted, story is hilarious and on point, the colours in the office space are so bright and engaging, and the noir sequences felt perfectly attuned to the inner workings of his mind!
I also absolutely loved getting that subversion in there around a woman stealing a man’s ideas and claiming them as her own! Honestly that had me cackling! (yes let’s steal ALL the men’s ideas).

Congrats, this is gunning for top of the city finals, and I wouldn’t put it past y’all to be headed straight for nationals again with this delight of a time! Love ya work!

Road 2 Revenge

Just as Larvae Girl is ready to move onto a new phase of her life, a tragic, unforeseen murder pulls her back into her old vigilante ways.

You wild humans! I have no notes, y’all have DONE IT AGAIN! Pushing the envelope further on what viewing a film ought to be! I heard rumours of smellovision, but never believed it could be done, until now!

In all seriousness, y’all have your niche and boy howdy do you all hit it on point every time! Any kind of feedback I could give here would be redundant, all I can say is you do you do boo with the utmost respect for your craft. Also, was epic seeing renowned king of Ōtautahi Tony Chestnut making his Larvae Girl saga debut (and sudden untimely demise).
Although I must admit, with four films under her belt, and Larvae Girl’s seeming death marking the end of her saga, I am quite intrigued to see what’s next for Herms Heroes! Does this finale invite a new saga of wild, literal explosive driven action that only Herms Heroes can provide? We wait with baited anticipation, some popcorn, and a lil yaas finger clicking in the corner!

MASHED

A man wastes a banana, and the bananas aren’t happy.

This was all kinds of hilarious and horrifying! The shots were fantastic, and really helped build that sense of tension and dread as the film goes on. The way you used lighting really helped sell the passing of time, and the sheer horror of the banana-fueled frenzy of the night. I loved how you shot/edited the banana man, you never see his face, and then, it’s mashed. Absolute cinema.

The only comment I have is that the audio at the beginning of the film felt a bit echoey, I’m guessing the mic was used from on-camera rather than a boom? A closer mic and a lil sound processing can go a long way. It didn’t detract from the story too much, but it did make some moments a little hard to hear.

Overall however, this film was a horrifying delight, and really makes me weary to engage with any fruits that may harbour resentments upon not finishing completely. Congrats on the shortlisting and making sure I get my five fruits and vege a day properly!

Nadir

A mysterious box, seen only by those with exhaustion behind the eyes, opens and unleashes something incomprehensible.

What a fantastic way to tackle found footage! Utterly creepy, and the fact we never see the monster or the box itself leaves SO much to the imagination, in the best possible way. Monsters in the dark that are never revealed to the audience always feel SO much creepier than anything seen, it’s clear you all have gone into this shoot with such intentionality, and it’s all the better for it! Your lead actor’s performance got better throughout the film, and my god he sold that sleep deprived paranoia well! And that final scene in the hospital afterwards - holy hell the final reveal’s makeup, costume and performance is horrifying!

My only note would be, as noted by other reviewers here, that the end hospital scene largely departs from the found footage genre. I mean you really showed off your cinematic chops in this final moment, it was beautiful, haunting footage! However, that departure may hurt your chances getting further in the comp (judges have been sticklers for genre in the past), but in saying that - you guys wanted to put that together, and creatively it landed in every sense!

Overall, an absolute creeper of a film that is worthy of its place on the shortlist! Well done!

2025 national 48 hours winner

A documentarian battles against nature... and his interns!

What a hilarious concept, and my god what a way to round out the heats this year! Toot Toot's brand of comedy is so unique, absurdist, and always feels so very 48Hours!

I loved the performances here, so dry, deadpan and yet also just delightfully ridiculous! I loved that this film played so much with breaking the fourth wall, it was a delight to see the AI camera + interns wreck our documentarian's sensibilities, all while drawing attention to the fact that this was a 48Hours film!

My suggestions for next year would be to structure your film a wee bit more on the technical side - Toot Toot's wonderfully absurdist humour with a bit more technical flare and polish I think would enable Toot Toot-City-Final-Domination!

Also what a shot to end three days of heats on. Y'all knew you were gonna be last and my GOD you aimed high, and delivered!

EOD

When a man makes a mistake during his presentation, his anxiety manifests in strange and unusual ways.

This was horrifying, in the most hilarious and disturbing way. I was sitting in the theatre watching this during the heat and all I could think of was “wtf did I just watch??” The costuming of this piece left me so disturbed, it was absolutely fantastic! Those long arms and weird face masks hit a real sense of uncanny valley, almost slenderman like vibes. The editing of this was frantic, manic, absolutely inspired! What started out as a funny word fumble led to quite frankly, the most hilariously disturbing film I have seen in all of the Christchurch heats!

The only thing I would note is that the energy ramps up to a hundred really quickly, and then just stays there for close to half the film. The energy could have potentially built up slower, or you could have ended the film a bit earlier, as that may help its pacing hit without dragging on too long.

An absolute wild ride of a film, what a joy and a horror to watch! I’m honestly shocked this didn’t get shortlisted!

G.P. Taylor

After many years hidden away, an omnipotent AI reveals itself to our heroes, Ru and Lou, and makes them participate in a games show that knows alllllll about them...

Such a fun film team! And great work with only three of you pulling this off!
I really loved the switch between the 'normal' world and the cassette's 'game show' - the lighting, close ups, and moustache were all absolutely brilliant and really added to the sense of another place!
Also your styling of costumes gave a really fantastic flavour to your characters, giving that real funky kind of aesthetic!

One suggestion you may want to consider for next year would be to (as Creativesmith has already mentioned) add in more angles, different shots to help with honing that visual interest and intrigue for the audience! Another possible idea to consider would be tightening your story elements - in this story our AI cassette comes in almost halfway through the film - with only 5 minutes that's a good chunk of the run time! Consider introducing your key story action right near the top of the film - that way you can bring the audience with you for the action while also feeding them that backstory and greater context!

Overall though, what a fun film! I had such a blast watching this, and with this kind of funky aesthetic and creativity, I can't wait to see what you pull together next year!

Cover Your Ears

An eager new recruit is willing to do whatever it takes to get inducted into his favourite cult.

This was such a different take on the cult storyline, and I had so much fun with it! It was silly, over the top and mildly unsettling all throughout! That bootlicking sequence got such a visceral response from the audience in the heats on the night, which is a testament to how engaged you got everyone with this story! The shots were also great looking, and those ECUs of Chris contemplating whether to infiltrate the sermon, mixed with that unsettling music underneath really painted him well as a crazed fan doing whatever it takes to get ‘in’.

My one suggestion to look at for next time would be setting - the location you had for the cult didn’t feel like a secretive cult trying to hide away from society. I think if you had found somewhere that suited more of the vibe than what looked to be a classroom, you’d be away laughing! But as far as detracting from the story goes, it was minimal, as the rest of your execution was so on point!

A great fun romp of a watch, and excited to see how far this goes! Congrats on the shortlisting!

Come Die with Me

Dine Hard, the next reality TV cooking show with a host that's a ghost and the guest does the rest!

This was such a fun concept, I loved Mabel's upbeat energy, despite being dead, and Jerry's awkwardness and ineptness in the kitchen was such a fun counter-balance! Amazing work managing to pull off the translucency throughout the entire film too, having worked heavily in VFX for a 48Hour project a few years back, I know it's no easy task to have nearly every shot being a special effect!

A suggestion I'd make would be to focus on your technical setup. Add in more shots, and maybe expand the world outside of the kitchen! I can see your vision with the reality TV set up, lovely wide angle capturing the kitchen action (also a handy trick to 'ghost up' your lead!), though oftentimes these reality shows have two-three cameras rolling at once - which you could potentially fudge if you've only got one camera with extra takes from different angles. Sometimes reality cooking shows go elsewhere too, like explaining where the food comes from - it could've been fun to see Jerry have to go out and kill the chicken for the meal!

Overall though, a really fun time with this one, what a wonderfully quirky take on the ghost genre, and it's clear you all had a great time making it! I can't wait to see what you pull together next year :)