Dead Colour

The Handsome Moustache Producers nailed the noir aesthetic whilst still letting their own flavour be present through the comic-book-style character titles. Which, rather than feeling like an avoidance or departure from the genre really breathed individuality into a heat with many black and white detective films. So great job on creating an identity which stands out!
Though, I must say, a music beat or impact sound would have REALLY enhanced those title cards. The silence felt quite uncomfortable to me.

Changing the aspect ratio to indicate flashbacks was also inspired (even if at one point the timing doesn't quite line up with the edited footage).

My big critique is that the film's energy is very mellow. I LOVE HMP's entry from last year. And the best part about that is the non-stop momentum and chaos; something which even the most slickly edited films often don't achieve (honestly, I wish my film this year would have had some more of that RED RAIN punch).
This is likely due to the genre pushing you to tell a slower, more thoughtful film but I say fedora-wearing investigators can and should be frantic and unhinged!

This is a film of deliberate contrast. Contrast through selective use of colour. Contrast of genre tropes. Contrast of different time periods through the striking use of different aspect ratios. Contrast through different video filters. Visual contrast even in black and white. This film forces you to think – about time, about art, about foreshadowing and destiny.

I loved the title cards. I loved the intense sequence at the end.

Maybe it could be fun to work out some kind of dolly, steadicam, or gimbal so you can reduce camera shake of fast-moving action shots in future films? At one point there was a distracting discontinuity in the music, but I guess it's impossible to find music that perfectly fits your edit when the clock is ticking to hand your film in.

Oh, and I loved the use of the Christchurch urban landscape!

This team has SO much potential! Love everything you bring to the competition! This film had some beautiful noir elements that should be celebrated! I was primed and ready for another hilarious murder film, and even though we didn't get that, I still thought it was fantastic work! Someone get these kids some wireless lav mics NOW! Can’t wait to see the next one.

What I liked:
Good performances in this from a young cast. Normally, I’d be like, don’t have him dressed like a detective, but it kind of works. Liked your eyeball macro shot with inverted colour – very Hitchcockian with a touch of Scorsese’s Cape Fear. Dark ending too – nice! And your original portrait is a work of art.

Take it or leave it:
Yeah, not all your aspect ratio changes are consistent, which adds just a bit of confusion at points. There’s a lot of walking from your detective too – walking, walking, then running – he needed to do more! What is he walking or running to/from!? I’m not sure.

Final hot air:
As Buddy suggests, some wireless lav mics would be useful – we have some quality sets in the Media Room at school, but damned if I’m lending them to you when you don’t even credit me after paying your entry fee – that makes me THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (haha). Seriously though, you can’t have them. Keep doing your thing in this comp and outside it. Your films are looking better and better. Just keep telling your stories. You have an advantage being a teen team, so use that!

Another wonderful contribution from Handsome Moustache! It was great to see you guys in action during the weekend. How was formal?? Hope you feel like you managed to make the most of both activites for you that weekend!

Stylistically, this is very good! You understood the assignment on tone. The music is right, the black and white is right, and there are some really good shots in here, particularly your opening interview. A couple of the performances and line readings are very solid, and the whole sequence of the detective moving through the city is properly atmospheric.

I know you guys are pretty passionate about this comp and so I hope you won't mind sharing a couple of gripes that you might consider when working on next years moustache masterpiece!

The main gripe is that we couldn't follow it as well as we needed to. There is a man walking around the city and we never really learn what he wants. He has no stated motivation, he gets hit over the head by something, he survives it, he keeps wandering, and then he uncovers that the painter is a killer. The individual pieces are strong, but the connections between them are missing. One technical note - when your detective is walking the city in black and white, the shaky camera we felt worked against you. A stronger noir vibe would keep that calm and composed, let the frame be still and ominous for setting more of the scene up.

Sound is mostly good, the cinematography is good, the performances are entertaining. It is genuinely only the clarity holding this back, which is a nice problem to have because it is the cheapest thing on the list to fix next year.

THE BEST THING: The vibes! Great tone and style.

THE NEXT THING: Give us a bit more clarity on what's going on and you'll be well on your way to climbing the ranks in the Chch comp! Looking forward to seeing next years entry!