Portrait

A really nicely shot film, with excellent use of shadows.
The tone is really communicated; beginning warm, and becoming sinister.
The colour grade is absolutely stunning at times; dust bunnies in sunbeams adding some tonally cohesive texture.
I really enjoyed how the drawings were woven into the narrative, and how the drawings varied stylistically character to character.
All the performances were really strong. Robert Rae brought real Stanley Tucci energy to the Father role. The children were also very convincing; riding the line effectively between understanding the situation, and using play as a shield. Really great work.

The narrative of this film plays with something that I bet a LOT of blended families have had to go through...yet another unwanted adult parasitically attaching to their family energy. I loved the simmering hatred from the youngest daughter. That was very real. Great acting and great directing. The adults were played well too, and relatable. I liked the use of music and sound with this piece. Well done team!

The one thing that really carries 'Portrait' is the acting. The acting really captures the complex relationship structure of blended families. Also, whoever drew those pictures, just want to say that you're a really good portrait artist!

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!

A simple story told well! I appreciated your choice to wrap up with a subtle move from the teenagers to get their message across to dad rather than and outrageous prank or childish behaviour - the money over the eyes was a really thoughtful choice - kudos!

The biggest drawback story wise was probably the news article, it sort of pulls away from this idea that this is about the family and more about a bigger scandal that felt hard to believe - no way that the kids could find this online and not the father, and if it is public knowledge that this lady is some sort of stealer of artists hearts, surely they'd just show him the article in private instead of paint a couple of money symbols on his eyes? The more interesting tale here is the one of the relationship between the father and the daughters, and the feeling that they aren't being listened to by him.

THE BEST THING: A strong concept with a great reveal at the end, lovely artwork!

THE NEXT THING: A bit of audio work would probably help elevate this team :) story wise, you're on the up, from last years egg tale to the 24hour comps unwanted visitor to this, the strengths in this team are increasing! looking forward to next years entry.

Lighthouse Productions has put together a nice little family drama about a father introducing his new fiancée to his 2 daughters, both of whom are immediately suspicious of her. The film is mostly really well shot with great use of light; I particularly liked the backlight in the second half of the film. The sound was also clear, with music that worked well with the short. Overall, I think it's a simple idea well executed, leaving only minor details to nitpick.