Ten variations on a Son coming out to his Father.
This is the second film I made with Matt Brown and Hot Pink Tux. This time we had two cameras and shot over several weekends in multiple locations. Our two actors, Bobby Funaro and Tim Eulich, were fantastic to work with. They worked wonderfully together, especially considering the intensity of some of the scenes.
Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think.
David Simpatico, Dramatist 
David my man–
Talk about honing your art! You and your cohorts have brought WISH FULFILLMENT to a fully-accomplished short film. It is wonderfully refined yet sustains a rawness with which it began. I have only one question–when are you and Robert going to take a moment to experience TWILIGHT’S GRACE? My congratulations to you and your entire staff on this project–it is moving, genuinely amusing and very well accomplished. Thanks for sharing it with me.
Wayne
First, I’d like to say that I’m very frank. If you didn’t want honesty, or honesty softened with flattery don’t read this. I’ve been told that I can be extremely rude and hurtful when someone asks what I think, about something arts related.
1st Impressions
The first actor seen is acting. I don’t want to be able to see him acting. I shouldn’t be able to see him acting.
The Dad was good, came on seeming like a dad, the way he was seated didn’t look like a dad, didn’t seem natural. The crying definitely wasn’t.
I liked the little clips that cut in sort of randomly, I wasn’t expecting that.
The opening credits were cute.
The second one started better than the first. The son isn’t “acting” as much as in the first one. The way the father was sitting matched the way he was acting as well. Like in the first version the immediate reaction of the dad seemed really phony (sorry). It would have been more awkward, more weird, and possibly more humorous if it was more believable. And real doesn’t mean it has to be small either.
The third one:
I liked the way the dad was sitting so much better it read as natural. The son isn’t “acting” as much in the beginning (as he’s coming out) but then his reactions to his father is “acting”. I like how the dad faded out.
The fourth one:
The son wasn’t “acting” (At least you couldn’t hear it in his voice. Again the Dad’s reaction didn’t seem genuine.
The same goes for the fifth.
There were awkward patches for both in the sixth.
Loved the Dad in the seventh. The lighting on the son didn’t match what else was going on; though, overcast sky worked well for the father. (and yeah I know, outdoor lighting is can be a real b****) The ending moment was lovely, btw.
Eighth: I loved the angle looking up at the son; the angle looking down at the father could have been a bit lower. I don’t know if there are directions for such a physical altercation in the script but the whole premise of the physical fight seemed very awkward. Possibly, because there wasn’t a proper moment or shot establishing the type of relationship the two had, before the fight started.
Ninth: Again w/ the violence. It didn’t escalate it just happened. The lighting change was interesting but could have been more subtle. The son checked to see if there was blood, held his hand as if there was blood but there was no blood. Checking for blood was good, but if you aren’t going to use it acting like its there takes the audience out of what’s going on. The dad’s high-pitched noises as he punched his son (to death?) were very odd. Usually fights are more gutteral even if the person is crying or upset, and the constrasting noise of the crying/whimpering and the grunts that go along with punching could have been amazing.
That bit before the closing credits was just odd.
Overall:
I liked it. It was well thought, and for the most part had extremely smooth editing. Sound was great, too. There could have been some changes in direction, but other than that, the script and acting is in the hands of the actors.