I watched a few of the Hillman Curtis short films and my favorite by-far was the “Bridge” film. I like how I didn’t know at first the two were just friends — I assumed they were dating. When they were first talking, I like the way the camera almost had a handheld feel. It seemed like the audience had a hidden view behind a curtain or something. It made their conversation seem even more intimate and real.
My favorite part of the short film was when the friends were trying to do the bridge exercise and the camera made a semi-circle movement from the guy to the girl. Then when they tried again, the camera was moved the opposite direction from the girl to the guy. The camera seemed to line up amazingly to when their hands would cross over their face — it was perfection.
The ending was just too cute. I was rooting them on and hoping they would realize that they wanted to be more than friends! It was so well-acted and real that I forgot that I was watching a short film. I ended up watching it again and said “ahhh so cute!” at the end (sigh, typical girl response).
The lighting was spectacular too. I wish we could cover lighting again in a workshop or class, because I still do not get how to do it and it completely makes or breaks a film!
Last, I like that the simple music didn’t come in until they started trying the exercise. It added more of a beautiful emphasis to the movement of the camera in a semi-circle. It reminded me of a dance, and there was definitely a figurative dance the friends were doing around admitting that they had stronger feelings for each other.