«Unfortunate that this would inevitably suffer from being slapped with the "You Know Who" brush, which is a shame, as it's a great movie with some really good performances. Some great technical work (some REALLY nice chromakeying work, especially... you can't see the join ), which does, unfortunately, suffer a significant loss of enjoyment due to the quality of the vocal tracks. Get that licked, and this is a winner.
Some really nice work here, both from a writing AND a directing perspective. Definately worth keeping an eye open for »
«Very good work Squirrelygirl! I was looking forward to this and I was not disappointed! Some of the voice acting in this was exceptional, in particular that of Tom in the lead role and Blaze as Andreas the werewolf. Like Jazz said, you can hear the humanity in Tom's acting which makes it seem that bit more engaging and convincing. And Blaze is so calm and such a soothing presence, I hope to see more of him! And Professor Peachbroom! Jorge was the perfect choice for this character, loved his section. The way Iclone and Moviestorm are integrated works really well and is absolutely seamless! Well done! And from what you were saying it sounds as if you may use footage from The Movies as well, which is all very exciting The spell effects were a joy to behold, really well done and they also fitted in seamlessly, unlike in some films I've seen where it looks as if they were pasted on top. Also, the music was great. Really good choices that gave the scenes just the right kind of emotional impact. I enjoyed the opening titles as well.
However, there were a few small errors. The most noticeable for me was that in turning up the volume for the VOs there was a noticeable drop in quality, especially in Blaze's lines, where I could tell you had silenced bits of it to cut out the background noise. Dunno, I always feel noise removal does the trick better for me, doesn't seem so choppy. If you need any help with that, I'm always available. Also, the point Jazz made about the silences. Not a huge thing but using either background noise or music can really help to fix that. Or, like I suggested to Chris62, tightening up the pacing in the conversations so the pauses are less noticeable. The delayed reaction in the action sequence was a minor problem but one that really should have been tightened up I think. If you are to put a lot more action in the coming episodes I think it would be wise to heed Jazz's advice concerning action sequences as it will really help engage the viewer a lot more and will remove the awkward feeling the viewer gets when watching it in almost slo-mo.
Overall, this was a thoroughly entertaining 22 mins which had me glued to the screen and now I can't wait to see the next episode. Excellent and witty writing throughout makes this dialogue-heavy first episode engaging and charming. Great performances by the cast (myself excluded) really bring the characters to life and each seems to have a very realistic and human presence to them, in particular Sam, played excellently by Tom. Occasionally scripts adapted from novels can tend to be a little short on action and visual explanation, in other words boring, but this was anything but! You did a great job to keep the viewer entertained and those 22 mins flew by. I can now see that all the hard that went into this has paid off. Well done! There are a few minor technical flaws but not enough to seriously affect my viewing pleasure.
«This journey of two kids who find themselves in magic school was such blissful fun to watch.
I watched Harry Potter 6 last Tuesday and, though I enjoyed the film, I believe "Ring of Time", on roughly the same subject, achieves a lot more and in 2 hours less running time.
There are technical flaws - I thought the opening action scene needed to be edited faster. It suffered from the "shoot gun - wait two minutes - guy falls over" mistake. A director shouldn't be scared of cutting as fast as possible - unless it gets to the ridiculous extremes of "Quantum of Solace" where I challenge anyone to know exactly what was going on in some key action scenes which seemed shredded rather than edited. But generally - action is about capturing very fast moments in a way that the viewer can understand, but not so fast as they don't know what is going on. Most cinematic action is slower than in real life - but by only fractions of a second which sells the event as genuine. I say this because there's lots of action to come in this series.
But in the more "soapy" moments, this was great. Once we got to this school - we were introduced, like the principal protagonists, to a completely alien environment and interesting characters. It was great to see the two main characters making friends, losing friends, and kissing and making up etc. I think it was in the writing that this film scored very highly - drama and humour were shown in abundance. That is what matters the most - and this film delivers it.
Iclone and Moviestorm were brilliantly put together in making this, seamless to the untrained eye.
Strange characters - and a very good magic lesson:
TUTOR: "Good - but you don't have to shout. Especially when you're standing right next to it!"
Four voice acting performances of note -
I liked Andreas, the werewolf (BlazeLeeDragon). So calm and unlike a werewolf.
Sam (TFoster) was very well voiced - occasionally, he got the wrong emphasis on certain words, but the director must take the blame for not correcting him on that as he was great for the rest of the film. He has an unmistakable humanity in his voice which carries the narrative forward. He is an excellent casting decision for this film!
Sarah (QueenofHearts) was a revelation - I listened to all of her rushes, some were more "British" than others - but there's no doubt that this is a wonderful young actress who did several takes for most lines - and retakes for the rest. I have lots of time for such dedication. A new star is born - no mistake.
Dean Aldwinkle (Luxaeternam) was perfect in her role as the kindly teacher - I hope to see more of her. Warmth and kindness seemed completely natural to this character. It's the first time I've seen her and she's terrific!
I am so proud to be associated with this project, and I agree with most commenters - 22 minutes is not enough! »
I used a program to boost up some of the vos. Unfortunently it also boosted up a bunch of background noise that I then had to fix.
I will not be using that program again!
As for Jorge's character, Professor Peachbroom, this is just the beginning of strange outfits and outrageous behavior! Tune in for other episodes to find out just how strange he can be. »
«A great adventure pulled off nicely by an ambitious vision and a convincing cast.Nice blending of the two engines.
I'd like to see more variety and originality on some of the camera shots and angles. On the audio side, maybe watch the "p" pops on Sam for next time. Pad the mic or do those" P "words off-axis.
«Good start too your series a few little problems the vo of the werewolf was a little tiny not a big deal and i agree with moonlight with background sounds when there's no vos i have the same problems sometimes. Very good beginning I'll be watching for the next one.»
«absolutly incrediable, I am titckeled beyond believeto be a part of this great work! now if we can only get people to give it a chance...
so everyone who reads this, the 22 mins is NOT ENOUGH! it seems like alot but it's well played loveable characters brought to life by great voice actors, and well written story the flows very very nicely.
There were a few glitches that I just couldn't work out. I knew others would catch them because I had and it disheartened me to leave them in, but rest assured future episodes will not have them.
That aside, thank you so much for your kind words and constructive critisism. We can not learn unless we are told.
It is a blending of Moviestorm and iClone and I'm glad you feel I've pulled off the combination. I'm toying with the notion of adding Sims3 to my list of animation programs. If I decide to that will begin with the second episode.
Yes, the beginning does seem Harry Potterish, which is the problem I've been having in getting the novel published, but though it may start out similar the ending is far different.
«Summary: Despite some flaws and its relatability to the Harry Potter franchise, this certainly opens the door to a new magical world that kept me intrigued and wishing to know more by the time it ended. This definitely has the potential to pan out to be a great series powered by some smooth software meshing, good writing, and certainly some quirky characters.
What worked: I will be honest and say that this is the first time I have seen a squirrelygirl film and I was hesitant to watch when it had a duration of 22 minutes. Nevertheless, I was thoroughly entertained until the very end.
I could be wrong, but it looked as if she used iClone in combination with Moviestorm and it didn't conflict with eachother at all. I was impressed with the intergration.
At first, it seemed that it was going to replicate the foundation to the Harry Potter story, Nevertheless, It was nice to see it spread its roots in a different direction and left me curious to see what was going to happen next.
What didn't work: There were a few things that I noticed that may make the film more enjoyable in future episodes. I noticed squirrelygirl used alot of panning shots with the camera, and while some worked well, there were a few where it took me out of the story.
While everyone turned in some good voice-overs, there were scenes where there needed some background noise. There were instances where the actors would talk, then everything would go silent, and the conversation would continue. By adding a little background noise like a clock ticking, or outside wind, it should clear that up.
Bottom Line: A great start to an intriguing series that I will definitly keep bookmarked and that I recommend to anyone who is craving a little bit of fantasy and magic. Film on squirrelygirl!
You have earned a Waxing Gibbous Moon (4/5 stars)»
«Nice work, kept me engaged. Many good VO performances as well. It's always inspiring to see authors realize their vision with machinima.
-S»
«Nice work, kept me engaged. Many good VO performances as well. It's always inspiring to see authors realize their vision with machinima.
-S»
«Unfortunate that this would inevitably suffer from being slapped with the "You Know Who" brush, which is a shame, as it's a great movie with some really good performances. Some great technical work (some REALLY nice chromakeying work, especially... you can't see the join
), which does, unfortunately, suffer a significant loss of enjoyment due to the quality of the vocal tracks. Get that licked, and this is a winner.
»
Some really nice work here, both from a writing AND a directing perspective. Definately worth keeping an eye open for
«Thank you for all of your suggestions and support.
»
«Very good work Squirrelygirl! I was looking forward to this and I was not disappointed! Some of the voice acting in this was exceptional, in particular that of Tom in the lead role and Blaze as Andreas the werewolf. Like Jazz said, you can hear the humanity in Tom's acting which makes it seem that bit more engaging and convincing. And Blaze is so calm and such a soothing presence, I hope to see more of him! And Professor Peachbroom! Jorge was the perfect choice for this character, loved his section. The way Iclone and Moviestorm are integrated works really well and is absolutely seamless! Well done! And from what you were saying it sounds as if you may use footage from The Movies as well, which is all very exciting
The spell effects were a joy to behold, really well done and they also fitted in seamlessly, unlike in some films I've seen where it looks as if they were pasted on top. Also, the music was great. Really good choices that gave the scenes just the right kind of emotional impact. I enjoyed the opening titles as well.
However, there were a few small errors. The most noticeable for me was that in turning up the volume for the VOs there was a noticeable drop in quality, especially in Blaze's lines, where I could tell you had silenced bits of it to cut out the background noise. Dunno, I always feel noise removal does the trick better for me, doesn't seem so choppy. If you need any help with that, I'm always available. Also, the point Jazz made about the silences. Not a huge thing but using either background noise or music can really help to fix that. Or, like I suggested to Chris62, tightening up the pacing in the conversations so the pauses are less noticeable. The delayed reaction in the action sequence was a minor problem but one that really should have been tightened up I think. If you are to put a lot more action in the coming episodes I think it would be wise to heed Jazz's advice concerning action sequences as it will really help engage the viewer a lot more and will remove the awkward feeling the viewer gets when watching it in almost slo-mo.
Overall, this was a thoroughly entertaining 22 mins which had me glued to the screen and now I can't wait to see the next episode. Excellent and witty writing throughout makes this dialogue-heavy first episode engaging and charming. Great performances by the cast (myself excluded) really bring the characters to life and each seems to have a very realistic and human presence to them, in particular Sam, played excellently by Tom. Occasionally scripts adapted from novels can tend to be a little short on action and visual explanation, in other words boring, but this was anything but! You did a great job to keep the viewer entertained and those 22 mins flew by. I can now see that all the hard that went into this has paid off. Well done! There are a few minor technical flaws but not enough to seriously affect my viewing pleasure.
***** - 5 stars»
«good fantasy film, remembered me of lotr and harry potter.
Great film»
«Well done.»
«This journey of two kids who find themselves in magic school was such blissful fun to watch.
I watched Harry Potter 6 last Tuesday and, though I enjoyed the film, I believe "Ring of Time", on roughly the same subject, achieves a lot more and in 2 hours less running time.
There are technical flaws - I thought the opening action scene needed to be edited faster. It suffered from the "shoot gun - wait two minutes - guy falls over" mistake. A director shouldn't be scared of cutting as fast as possible - unless it gets to the ridiculous extremes of "Quantum of Solace" where I challenge anyone to know exactly what was going on in some key action scenes which seemed shredded rather than edited. But generally - action is about capturing very fast moments in a way that the viewer can understand, but not so fast as they don't know what is going on. Most cinematic action is slower than in real life - but by only fractions of a second which sells the event as genuine. I say this because there's lots of action to come in this series.
But in the more "soapy" moments, this was great. Once we got to this school - we were introduced, like the principal protagonists, to a completely alien environment and interesting characters. It was great to see the two main characters making friends, losing friends, and kissing and making up etc. I think it was in the writing that this film scored very highly - drama and humour were shown in abundance. That is what matters the most - and this film delivers it.
Iclone and Moviestorm were brilliantly put together in making this, seamless to the untrained eye.
Strange characters - and a very good magic lesson:
PUPIL: "RESARCIO CABINET!!" [the wardrobe slams shut]
TUTOR: "Good - but you don't have to shout. Especially when you're standing right next to it!"
Four voice acting performances of note -
I liked Andreas, the werewolf (BlazeLeeDragon). So calm and unlike a werewolf.
Sam (TFoster) was very well voiced - occasionally, he got the wrong emphasis on certain words, but the director must take the blame for not correcting him on that as he was great for the rest of the film. He has an unmistakable humanity in his voice which carries the narrative forward. He is an excellent casting decision for this film!
Sarah (QueenofHearts) was a revelation - I listened to all of her rushes, some were more "British" than others - but there's no doubt that this is a wonderful young actress who did several takes for most lines - and retakes for the rest. I have lots of time for such dedication. A new star is born - no mistake.
Dean Aldwinkle (Luxaeternam) was perfect in her role as the kindly teacher - I hope to see more of her. Warmth and kindness seemed completely natural to this character. It's the first time I've seen her and she's terrific!
I am so proud to be associated with this project, and I agree with most commenters - 22 minutes is not enough!
»
«Thank you all!
»
I used a program to boost up some of the vos. Unfortunently it also boosted up a bunch of background noise that I then had to fix.
I will not be using that program again!
As for Jorge's character, Professor Peachbroom, this is just the beginning of strange outfits and outrageous behavior! Tune in for other episodes to find out just how strange he can be.
«A great adventure pulled off nicely by an ambitious vision and a convincing cast.Nice blending of the two engines.
I'd like to see more variety and originality on some of the camera shots and angles. On the audio side,
maybe watch the "p" pops on Sam for next time. Pad the mic or do those" P "words off-axis.
I look forward to the next.»
«Very interesting 22 minutes Squirrel. Jorge's character's wardrobe had me wearing sunglasses. LOL Pretty good first episode. :-)»
«Good start too your series a few little problems the vo of the werewolf was a little tiny not a big deal and i agree with moonlight with background sounds when there's no vos i have the same problems sometimes.
Very good beginning I'll be watching for the next one.»
«absolutly incrediable, I am titckeled beyond believeto be a part of this great work! now if we can only get people to give it a chance...
so everyone who reads this, the 22 mins is NOT ENOUGH! it seems like alot but it's well played loveable characters brought to life by great voice actors, and well written story the flows very very nicely.
enjoy!»
«And so we are off on a wonderous adventure for these two teens! What will they learn! What discoveries await? Interesting development!
K4»
«Thank you, Moonlight Pictures.
»
There were a few glitches that I just couldn't work out. I knew others would catch them because I had and it disheartened me to leave them in, but rest assured future episodes will not have them.
That aside, thank you so much for your kind words and constructive critisism. We can not learn unless we are told.
It is a blending of Moviestorm and iClone and I'm glad you feel I've pulled off the combination. I'm toying with the notion of adding Sims3 to my list of animation programs. If I decide to that will begin with the second episode.
Yes, the beginning does seem Harry Potterish, which is the problem I've been having in getting the novel published, but though it may start out similar the ending is far different.
Thank you again!
«Summary:
Despite some flaws and its relatability to the Harry Potter franchise, this certainly opens the door to a new magical world that kept me intrigued and wishing to know more by the time it ended. This definitely has the potential to pan out to be a great series powered by some smooth software meshing, good writing, and certainly some quirky characters.
What worked:
I will be honest and say that this is the first time I have seen a squirrelygirl film and I was hesitant to watch when it had a duration of 22 minutes. Nevertheless, I was thoroughly entertained until the very end.
I could be wrong, but it looked as if she used iClone in combination with Moviestorm and it didn't conflict with eachother at all. I was impressed with the intergration.
At first, it seemed that it was going to replicate the foundation to the Harry Potter story, Nevertheless, It was nice to see it spread its roots in a different direction and left me curious to see what was going to happen next.
What didn't work:
There were a few things that I noticed that may make the film more enjoyable in future episodes. I noticed squirrelygirl used alot of panning shots with the camera, and while some worked well, there were a few where it took me out of the story.
While everyone turned in some good voice-overs, there were scenes where there needed some background noise. There were instances where the actors would talk, then everything would go silent, and the conversation would continue. By adding a little background noise like a clock ticking, or outside wind, it should clear that up.
Bottom Line:
A great start to an intriguing series that I will definitly keep bookmarked and that I recommend to anyone who is craving a little bit of fantasy and magic. Film on squirrelygirl!
You have earned a Waxing Gibbous Moon (4/5 stars)»