Another great short by Hello Stranger. I'll have to admit I was still waking up a bit for the first few films in heat 1 (it was 1:45am in Texas!) so my notes were a little thin! I may have to come back and update after I see this again at the finals screening. For now I'll just say I thought the performances were fantastic, with the young lead doing an excellent job. The cinematography, and post production were excellent, with the shots doing very well to establish things and connect us with the characters as the story unfolded.

I have found, after watching a number of films, that it's a little jarring each time the "gatekeeper" is explicitly mentioned, so that's maybe one thing that took me out of being immersed in this one as well. But otherwise, this was a lovely little mother/daughter tale that was delightfully put together and a joy to watch :)

A jewellery box ballerina gets a day of life to make the most of. I always love seeing what Muse Crew come up with and how their craft evolves year to year.

What went well:
Stunningly shot, the cinematography is awesome. The birds eye view shots were well incorporated. It was a great take on dance film, and really refreshing to see a story crafter around dance, rather than some dance plugged into a story. A variety of locations and shots used kept this film visually engaging, and music was used pretty effectively. It was really nice to watch, and the dancer was clearly talented and a huge highlight, along with the beautiful local scenery chosen. This would have been a great one to win last year's city managers award for showing off local scenery!

What could be improved/Next steps:
For me, although the use of many locations made for a very visually engaging film, I wanted a little more of a story arc and character development. What led our dancer to become human for a while? Why does she desire this? Why is the gatekeeper keeping the gate?

The literal ticking clock in the background felt like a slightly rough way to communicate this as well. We could perhaps have been shown a more figurative ticking clock through a tiny bit of backstory, clearly changing features of the day, more urgency in the character’s mannerisms, and/or a more dramatic shift in the music. These are minor things though, and this was a really great film by Muse Crew once again. Looking forward to seeing what they bring next year!

A real shame about the DQ guys! This was a solid effort.

What went well:
Great performances by all, always a delight to see Charlie performing and George was excellent too. Loved the eccentric character too :) Very well chosen location to make this film feel authentic, and there's something about a story of right and wrong, ethics, and choices taking place on train tracks--great work. The original soundtrack was also rally good.

What could be improved/next steps:
For me, I think the only thing that wasn't quite so clear, was the driver for the sheriff's emotional transformation and eventual change of heart. What led him to change his mind? It was nice to see the change, I just wanted a little more depth to that moment. Again, sorry about the DQ, I hope you guys come back next year because I'm sure what you make will be even better!

Hobbit twins, Michael and Michaela, celebrate their next birthday in a fun little middle-earth mockumentary.

What went well:
Some people hate them, but I love a good mockumentary! I think this was a great choice for the coming of age genre, one which I haven't seen in the other heats I've watched. But when you think about, it's a great idea to chronicle a coming of age moment in a character's life! This was set in a perfect location for the middle earth feel. The voice-over was well done and very engaging, and there were decent performances by the hobbits. Loved the names Michael and Michaela, and the kind of bittersweet revelation that Michael is adopted. There was a very subtle level of emotional depth added by the fact that he'd never left his 'shire' because he had plenty of time left.

What could be improved/next steps:
I think the only thing I thought when I watched this was that I guess using hobbits wasn't super original, but the actual execution of the story was well done and it was entertaining to watch, and that's the goal right? Technically, it could perhaps have been a little tighter, but I guess that's a common thing in 48 Hours! Well done team, look forward to seeing this again, and seeing what you bring next time too!

This film had a great, engaging beginning, where we were launched straight into the action. Music was used well to drive the tension. I loved the three characters and the sequence of shots showing who they would be undercover. The script was well written with some real gems and comedic gold in there. Well done team, look forward to seeing more from you in future!

An overbearing director leads a team trying to come up with a film idea through to chaos and ultimately disaster. Nice work Chai and team!

This film had great performances by the actors and a good variety of shots. I love a good meta film, and this one is super relatable for 48 Hours participants, trying to come up with an idea, and having it lead you to places you didn't expect! Thankfully, most of us don't end up burying our teammates, but then this makes for a more exciting story to watch, haha.

Editing was done well for tension, and music was also used well. Loved the "so drunk" driving moment, the inevitable accident, and brains. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the music with the visuals at the end.

I was a bit tired by the end of heat 2 at 4:20am where I was, so my notes are a little thin... Look forward to seeing this again and will add more thoughts later if needed!

Nice work team :)

I am so impressed by your animation! I may not have all the technical talk down to review it properly, but I absolutely loved it! The songs were spectacular, it was genuinely very entertaining and reminded me a lot of the She-Ra cartoons on Netflix, which I love, and I can relate to the comment above likening it to the legend of Zelda. I’d totally watch your cartoon if you made a series.
In summary, a masterpiece.

These solo animations are getting better and better by the year. The songs were pretty catchy keeping the flow of the film going, and the designs worked really well for the film. It's hard to think of ways this film could've been better without becoming extremely nitpicky.

Delectable fruit, or deadly poison?

Very fun, solid animation work, with great songs and a creative worm’s eye view shot.