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It's hard to tell that Moon Ring is an indie movie.
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It's OK, but the dialogue needs a lot of work.
I liked the story SO much more than the movie itself.
The better parts were probably the summer of '69 scenes, not the current day scenes.
I felt that the dialogue got the point straight, but the dialogue wasn't as real as people are, if you know what I mean. it seemed very unreal. The ghost was great, though the skin on ghostly skin looked awkward because the ghostly gray looked weird next to the human skin. The story was so predictable sometimes, and the characters weren't as great as the script allowed them to be, as some reviewers have said, the acting is being, not pretending to be, which can be confusing, but it's very true. Acting is really more than pretending to like the character your character likes, it's feeling as though you DO like them, and showing that temporarily.
otherwise the technical elements were all in place. i say that in a lot of my reviews, and it doesn't mean the same thing each time. when I say they 'were in place' I mean they were there, not they were great. the sound design was noted, and had work put in to it, but it wasn't something that I liked particularly. The light actually seemed too natural, because the actors were in annoying shadow sometimes. especially in the scene where everyone other then Maddy and David, the shadows were obvious, also the actors Moved. To fix those shadows I would suggest getting a light to just use as a key light, preferably an external light that doesn't attach to the camera. There are some really nice small fresnels that are battery power for less than $200. though if your budget is less then that, I would just use a desk lamp or something.
The shots were all put together well, but there were some pans that were hesitant. As one of my favorites George Lucas once said, "finish your shots. Don't start moving and not finish the pan." Industrial Light and Magic runs many movie workshops across the country, so if you have time for that I would look into it. Editing was superb. there was no hesitation there. Every shot went together consistently with the next, and the angles were all ones that came naturally. the few things I thought able to be changed were the titles at the beginning, which threw off the sadness of the first scene, the overhead shots looking through the leaves, which I am all for, though it took a while to figure out what was going on, so I would try and make the angle a little less steep, or use that shot less.
I do look forward to another test movie with a little more work, there ARE some ways you could make that better without re shooting it fully.
Good luck in the future!
,Jared Jacknow
The better parts were probably the summer of '69 scenes, not the current day scenes.
I felt that the dialogue got the point straight, but the dialogue wasn't as real as people are, if you know what I mean. it seemed very unreal. The ghost was great, though the skin on ghostly skin looked awkward because the ghostly gray looked weird next to the human skin. The story was so predictable sometimes, and the characters weren't as great as the script allowed them to be, as some reviewers have said, the acting is being, not pretending to be, which can be confusing, but it's very true. Acting is really more than pretending to like the character your character likes, it's feeling as though you DO like them, and showing that temporarily.
otherwise the technical elements were all in place. i say that in a lot of my reviews, and it doesn't mean the same thing each time. when I say they 'were in place' I mean they were there, not they were great. the sound design was noted, and had work put in to it, but it wasn't something that I liked particularly. The light actually seemed too natural, because the actors were in annoying shadow sometimes. especially in the scene where everyone other then Maddy and David, the shadows were obvious, also the actors Moved. To fix those shadows I would suggest getting a light to just use as a key light, preferably an external light that doesn't attach to the camera. There are some really nice small fresnels that are battery power for less than $200. though if your budget is less then that, I would just use a desk lamp or something.
The shots were all put together well, but there were some pans that were hesitant. As one of my favorites George Lucas once said, "finish your shots. Don't start moving and not finish the pan." Industrial Light and Magic runs many movie workshops across the country, so if you have time for that I would look into it. Editing was superb. there was no hesitation there. Every shot went together consistently with the next, and the angles were all ones that came naturally. the few things I thought able to be changed were the titles at the beginning, which threw off the sadness of the first scene, the overhead shots looking through the leaves, which I am all for, though it took a while to figure out what was going on, so I would try and make the angle a little less steep, or use that shot less.
I do look forward to another test movie with a little more work, there ARE some ways you could make that better without re shooting it fully.
Good luck in the future!
,Jared Jacknow
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Ah, love... Such a beautiful feeling.
I liked it. Not quite a masterpiece, but pretty good none the less. I'm not one to critique, but just giving my honest opinion. I mean, overall you have a good movie, and one that people would pay to watch... However, there were a few turn offs. The story was neat, and I really did enjoy it. The dialogue, not too bad, but I do believe this movie is meant more for teens and adults, rather than children. It could be a family film, but I'm afraid anyone under 11 or 12 may find it a bit boring. Not to mention, some of the parts weren't exactly appropriate for kids. I would have to say everything else was spot on, and I was amazed at some of the lighting and shooting. I gave this movie 4 out of 5 stars, and can't say that I wouldn't watch this again. You did a fantastic job, and I hope that you aren't offended by my opinion. I would definitely watch more of your films. Thanks for sharing your talent.
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Moon Ring great little Movie
Great movie teens will love it.
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Loved It!!!
I thought it was amazing. Those are the words that i would describe it.
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A great movie for all ages!
I thought this was a great movie for all ages. It's a great love story. I loved the suspense blended in with the romance. Great actors & storyline. I also thought it was clean enough to even show a younger age group. It also followed the book nicely! Would recommend everyone to watch this while it is available now!
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Great!!!
I really enjoyed the movie. I especially enjoyed the first act, with Cody Hallford. He did a great job.
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Don't Wait, Call!
Nice, basically predictable story and well made test/indie movie.
You mention the terrible car wreck to explain Lizzy’s memory loss, but what you didn’t explain, unless I missed it, was what happened to Gabrial’s body after the so-called accident that would explain why no one was looking for him/it; after all, we know he wasn’t buried. Did the car go off the cliff into the river, body lost, Lizzy made it to shore? That would be a good cover story.
It bothered me when Maddy tells David to hold off calling for the police/help. BS! If he wasn’t 100% sure grandma was dead, he’d be calling for help, not waiting. It isn’t like the police would be there before the ring was restored. Other than a couple scenes like that, it was a very entertaining movie.
You mention the terrible car wreck to explain Lizzy’s memory loss, but what you didn’t explain, unless I missed it, was what happened to Gabrial’s body after the so-called accident that would explain why no one was looking for him/it; after all, we know he wasn’t buried. Did the car go off the cliff into the river, body lost, Lizzy made it to shore? That would be a good cover story.
It bothered me when Maddy tells David to hold off calling for the police/help. BS! If he wasn’t 100% sure grandma was dead, he’d be calling for help, not waiting. It isn’t like the police would be there before the ring was restored. Other than a couple scenes like that, it was a very entertaining movie.
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Moon Ring Fan
Moon Ring moved me so much! I just about cried. Just thinking about now, after watching it, I want to cry!!! It's an amazing movie!!!! Thank you for sharing it with me for the month! I've only seen it once but its a new favorite of mine!
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Acting is DOING, not PRETENDING to do
If we are to understand that "acting is doing", then this "test movie" (as it were) fails to uphold that principle. I stress this thought, because the poor acting does not allow me to get hooked; to suspend my disbelief and really follow along.
What I experienced, in the 15 minutes of the movie I actually sat through, was a bunch of aspiring actors/individuals reciting lines and doing whatever the director told them to, on the basis that the director told them to do it. What does this equate out to? Poor acting, poor directing, poor movie. It seemed that the older actors (the adults) did a bit better than the younger cast, but no one in this cast really stuck in my mind as being fantastic.
There was some amazing cinematography and photography work, but it seemed spoiled by the this thought that the actors failed to use it appropriately. Another thing that I found overly distracting was the full-length soundtrack playing under the dialogue. The music scores are an element of spectacle, used to enhance the emotion of a scene. They are not supposed to be used to turn the scene into some pseudo music video. I'd say that the production and post crews did pretty decent work.
Another concept I learned in my Undergraduate studies (BA: Theatre - Acting & Directing) is that there is nothing new under the sun, and that's true. Every concept a writer or director could possibly come up with has already been used either on stage, screen, or both. That said, I don't feel that the storyline in this test movie was worth its weight in gold, at all. I did throw in an extra star for the structure, because it did seem like there was a direction to it, or a build of some sort- weak or otherwise. It DEFINITELY shouldn't have been rated "everyone". This was clearly a PG-13 storyline!
Overall, I would not invest a dime or a moment of interest in this one. It needs a whole bunch of work before it should even be recognized as a test movie!
What I experienced, in the 15 minutes of the movie I actually sat through, was a bunch of aspiring actors/individuals reciting lines and doing whatever the director told them to, on the basis that the director told them to do it. What does this equate out to? Poor acting, poor directing, poor movie. It seemed that the older actors (the adults) did a bit better than the younger cast, but no one in this cast really stuck in my mind as being fantastic.
There was some amazing cinematography and photography work, but it seemed spoiled by the this thought that the actors failed to use it appropriately. Another thing that I found overly distracting was the full-length soundtrack playing under the dialogue. The music scores are an element of spectacle, used to enhance the emotion of a scene. They are not supposed to be used to turn the scene into some pseudo music video. I'd say that the production and post crews did pretty decent work.
Another concept I learned in my Undergraduate studies (BA: Theatre - Acting & Directing) is that there is nothing new under the sun, and that's true. Every concept a writer or director could possibly come up with has already been used either on stage, screen, or both. That said, I don't feel that the storyline in this test movie was worth its weight in gold, at all. I did throw in an extra star for the structure, because it did seem like there was a direction to it, or a build of some sort- weak or otherwise. It DEFINITELY shouldn't have been rated "everyone". This was clearly a PG-13 storyline!
Overall, I would not invest a dime or a moment of interest in this one. It needs a whole bunch of work before it should even be recognized as a test movie!
The sound is great. It's easy to overlook the importance of non-visual elements during production, but sound is held to the highest standards in Moon Ring. The music both fits and amps up the mood in certain shots with gusto; case and point, the driving scene with Maddy and David, which blends the stunning visuals of the mountains with the carefree nature of the teenagers having a good time. And the subtle use of ambient noise really breathes even more life into otherwise intriguing scenes, especially the dreams or flashbacks.
The acting is a mixed bag. On the one hand, you have characters such as David who seem to be portrayed by relative amateurs and whose performances are, unfortunately, easily forgotten. On the other hand, supporting characters such as the bumbling gardener Darryl light up their scenes with an ease and fluidity that smacks of natural talent. I think there are more positives than negatives in this regard.
The style and pacing of Moon Ring, combined with the intrigue associated with the mysterious link between Maddy and the phantom of Gabriel, make it easy for a viewer to sit back and just be entertained. There's definitely room for improvement, but isn't that how it is for any film?