«The first thing that floored me was the beautiful sets and backgrounds you created for this movie. Now that I'm using MovieStorm, I am astounded and bewildered by the wonderful textures and atmosphere throughout. Is this the same program I have?! The lighting is also wonderful (something I always try to focus on), so that's greatly appreciated. As usual, this looks like a professional production, with perfect camera angles, perfect timing for the scene cuts, and inspirational use of color and light.

But enough with the technical matters. The meat of this piece is the message (again something I often like to incorporate into my films), which I summarize as the "require vs. desire" quandary. In this case, the protagonist can't make money with his "gift" of music, yet he can't live without it. I would imagine this touches a chord with many of the machinima viewers who are in a similar situation--we love our filmmaking hobby, yet must devote most of our time to ekeing out a living.

A good drama, to be sure, but I think what's missing is a neat resolution to the issues presented. We spend most of the film learning about Phil's problems (and Emily's), but at the end we never find out how they're resolved. We only know Emily's happy since she saved her Knight in Armor and are now living happily. However, what about Phil? Is he still in the firm? Perhaps it'll be nice if he started his own law office at home (so he can spend time with his family, but still live well enough). What about his hearing loss? Is he now unable to play the piano? Perhaps he is almost deaf, but the film ends with him teaching his child to play (and thus play vicariously through him)? I realize sometimes it's nice to leave things up to the viewer to "fill in", but I don't think this film works as well without a more conclusive epilogue. »

«the musical score is very beautiful and huge kudos to you for the performance and making it all work seamlessly. one thing i also commend is the sound editing - moments of silence augmented by everyday sounds then punctuated by the score helped sell a lot of the scenes »

«You guys did a fantastic job on this, I really enjoyed re-watching it tonight. Killer music, wondrous cinematography, a complete production with elite standards on all levels of execution. The theme resonated with me.

Proud to be a small part of it. Bravo Les Chats!!»

«Beautiful work AS ALWAYS! It was my pleasure to be a part of this masterpiece.»

«...a near perfect movie! See the full review here: http://members.webs.com/manageapp/blog/show/8087535-the-gift-by-chatnoir-studios»

«amazing! A very touching story. It had some of the best writing I've seen in a movie on tmu, just incredible. The plot and dialouge... it was just amazing. The directing was excellent as well, some really beautiful shots. I have so much to say and yet I don't know how to begin, so I'll just say this: Bravo! One of the best movies I've ever seen on tmu.»

«Really well made movie this, nice set and lighting, really good script and execution!

Enjoyed this alot, well done!»

«Another beautifully executed slice of cinema-worthy machinima from Sherwin and Kate.

Wonderful story pieced together to near perfection...an excellent showcase for Sherwin's musical talents too...brilliant, I might add.

My usual congrats to the fantastic VAs on this project too.

The attention to detail in all aspects of Chatnoir movies is what elevates them to the heights they so deserve.

Outstanding stuff.»

«Great film! This movie had all that one expects from a Chat Noir production. The script, directing, and score were all delivered at the highest level seen in machinima. The musical aspect of the film was more integral then ever with the main character himself being a musician and the construct of those scenes was extremely well done. As usual you gathered a top notch cast and they all performed superbly.

I don't want to go too far into the specifics of the plot but I'm with thebiz in thinking tht the ending might be a little more nuanced then one might think at first glance.

So with all the greatness in this film the one thing that my thoughts kept straying to while watching it, and this is partly due to being a Moviestorm user myself, was the sets. They were full and flush with props that made it one of the most realistic environments I've seen in a Moviestorm production. It's obvious great time and effort when into building them. Well done!»

«very good script great work by the cast.
Great camera work and editing also nice work with sound design.
Great movie all the way around.
»

«You guys dont play fair.
Well done, all the way around.»

«Great cast. Wonderful direction. Beautiful camera work. The story was engaging. Another Chatnoir masterpiece. Well done Kate and Sherwin. »

«POSSIBLE SPOILERS.

This is an amazing film. Vivid, stunning, and inspiring. Not only because of the direction but also the writing. For some reason, the first time I watch a new Chat Noir movie, I convince myself that it's not as great as the previous one. Then it stays in my mind for a while, so I watch it again and realize its genius. I must have watched Incubus at least 15 times, so I'll be watching The Gift a ton over the next year.

The Gift is a prime example of what machinima is capable of. It's an astounding production. It gets in your head and stays there. The surrealism is used lightly alongside amazing direction and an amazing score. The balance of these three things made this movie fantastic.

I didn't understand the role of Marie's ghost until my second viewing. During the first viewing, I had assumed Marie was dead. But the actual role of Marie really added to the imagery of Phil's self-destruction. It shows how he's holding onto the past, both in love and in creativity. What I loved most about The Gift was how everything tied together: Marie, Emily, creativity, career, and music. The loss of some and the gaining of others is part of Phil's struggle and his relief.

Phil's dream in the gear and machinery-based metropolis is brilliant and I love how you tie together dreams and reality in such a short span of time. The atmosphere is beautiful-bordering-dreamscape and haunting. The more you delve in, the more you find. There's so much depth.

The ending, I felt, was too simple. The film built up Phil's problems and his inner struggle to the point where he was tearing himself down so much he was turning into Keith. By uniting Phil and Emily, Phil was supposed to be "saved". It's a beautiful ending, but I would have liked to see a little more depth to it.

I'm always looking forward to your next production, and always wish it could be next summer today. But diving deep into your films over and over again has to do. This film has so much to say. If machinima was eligible for Oscars, this has everything going for it. Awesome work.»

«There are very few who inspire me to open my script book and get back to work. Kate and Sherwin are at the top of the list.

Beautifully written, meaningful score and a great cast. The sets were noticeably detailed, as was the lighting and camera work.

Inspiring and captivating is what Chatnoirstudios is all about and this wonderful piece solidifies that standard.

Bravo my friends. Bravo!»

«I enjoyed it; definitely enjoyed it. I loved the cinematography, the color correction, lighting, blocking, and defintely the acting. Marvellous.

I love it when a film really makes me think, not just the whole picking it apart and what makes it work or not, but what really makes me think about life itself. Machinima films rarely do that, but this one is an exception. It got me thinking about the future and where I'll be.

All that said, the ending for me... at first I really felt like it was empty, until I took a second look. I don't want to go into details for spoiler reasons, but definitely worth writing. »

«Good lord. I am absolutely floored.

That was just a spectacular film. Not just because of the flawless editing or the well-rounded screenplay or the perfect casting, but also because of the way everything beautifully encapsulates a philosophical idealism that sticks with the viewer long after their first viewing and only becomes more poignant with each subsequent view. Phil's inner struggles are so vividly rendered. The way his musical talents slowly erode away with the banality of routine is a theme that sticks with all of us, as is the way that this routine is contrasted with the vast expanses of universe and time. That beginning sequence alone is a tour-de-force of cinema; the way that eye constantly fades out with shots of the universe and nature, both restless and calm and underscored by turbulent music that is somehow also beautiful in its dissonance, and smoothly ceding into that uneasy ringing sound (which I believe represents Phil's growing deafness, although I could be wrong). I knew I was watching something special.

What I really love about this film is the way everything flowed so smoothly together. Those continuous tracking shots of Phil's morning rituals were great, and the way you use music and sound is quite masterful in underscoring Phil's dilemmas. And my god, the cast was great, so great that I never thought of them as actors for one second, only the characters they played. Despite having worked with GP several times in the past, I didn't recognize his voice until several minutes in, a great testament to his versatility. Everyone else played their characters terrifically as well, especially Dulci, who has the tricky job of highlighting two different sides to the same character. The lighting and cinematography works so well in creating this oppressive atmosphere that Phil inhabits, and I have to say that the shot of Phil standing in front of the lamp, silhouetted with shades of uneasy blue around him took my breath away. And the music! Wonderfully written with a great performances of classical pieces to boot, but what I really love is Sherwin's balancing between melody and dissonance in the score, an intelligent choice that mirrors Phil's musical angst.

Although I hate to say this, though, I'm not quite convinced about the ending. I was intrigued by the interactions between Phil and Emily and would have loved to see how they eventually intersect, but the ending almost feels too easy. So many themes engages in a complex battle with each other, and in the end Phil's ennui with routine and despair in his own failings is solved by true love. Despite my pickle with the ending though, this is one of the most unique and well-crafted films that I have ever seen, and in fact it was one of the few times that I completely forgot I was watching machinima and just enjoyed the story. Such a confident cinematic vision, I applaud this film. It will make you think and challenge your view of life. »

«I'm going to be watching this again, a. Because it's a great movie and once doesn't do it justice and b. Having just read 'thebiz' comments I realize there is a fishbowl in the 25 minutes I somehow missed!

As always with your movies it is the smoothness of the scenes and the subtle touches in this that help to make it exceptional. I loved the parrot, the silhouette lighting when Phil was expressing his angst and the faceless guy in machine dream sequence.

The story itself and VA's of course were exceptional. A couple of standouts for me here were the character of Marie who for most of the story I assumed was dead. Sweet bit of misdirection you played there. Also Keith Mandelbrot who was played to perfection by Ricky Grove and had some of the best lines in the movie!

This is a wonderful movie well up to the high standards of Chat Noir Studios. The only complaint I have about it, and I know this is scraping the barrel, is that the guy who ordered the small coffee to go would probably have preferred a large cappuccino ;-)»

«I've watched this 3 times (once sober even) to try to get my thoughts gathered into words. Visually and technically it is a marvel. Well shot, sets are wonderful, interesting and nicely realized so that there's always something new appearing (the goldfish bowl was great). Voice acting was superb and sound editing was money. I absolutely love Phil's story and was captivated by his struggle with holding onto his art and his passion as it was being ripped from him on multiple fronts. I loved his relationship with Marie and his devilish boss (I have 3 novels in my drawer...great line). Phil captivated me for 25 minutes (3 times through).

What I did not like was Emily. She was played perfectly well by Sonya but she came across to me as a weak character waiting for things to happen to her (and indeed they do). The prince charming adolescent dreams didn't seem balanced by other character traits that could have made her more likable. And the meeting of the two ended up with a focus on her dreams and aspirations which I thought was weird. We spent the majority of this excellent flick focused on Phil's struggle with his career and his art and then suddenly its all about love (it was hinted at my the Marie apparition but it wasn't focused on enough for me to think it was in any way his goal). It just didn't play out quite right for me. I'm assuming he gets the gift of love in the end but then we get the final sequence. Phil is still running (I run and run... and for what). This hints to me that he is not satisfied and the slightly ominous music adds to this vibe. It's a nice bookend but ended up confusing me a good bit.

The excellence of the production causes me to think critically with my own frame of reference (one that admittedly could be completely wrong) but do not think I didn't enjoy the hell out of watching this. Phil was fascinating, wonderfully real and relate-able and I will probably end up watching it a fourth time before its all over. One of the best releases I've seen.»

«Excellent job! Love the script and top notch filming as always! »

«Wow. Wow...

Wow.

Yep, just when I thought you guys couldn't get any better... you go and raise the bar another notch. This was just incredible in every way. Where I loved Death in Venice for its drama and tension, I thought the realism and thought-provoking emotions displayed here puts The Gift on a whole new level, above any other machinima film I've seen. The cast was absolutely superb, with each person adding something unique and endearing to the film.

One thing that really impressed me was that rather than sounding like a group of lead actors competing for attention, the cast here all seemed to be on exactly the same level, with subtle nuances rather than big dramatic moments defining their performances, adding a sense of realism which made the story all the more powerful. Usually I pick out at least one actor who strikes me as particularly outstanding but here the whole cast was equally impressive. The music was excellent, blending into the scenes perfectly - never overwhelming but always appearing as a vital part of the scene, becoming almost a character in itself.

I also have to say this is probably the best "happy" ending I have ever seen on TMU. I really didn't expect it (even though there were plenty of clues and foreshadowing throughout) and it rounded the film off nicely for me. I felt that had there been a tragic ending (as it seemed there would be), it would have come off as a bit depressing and predictable, but the twist really tied things up superbly well. I also loved that we never did find out what happened to Phil, whether he continued as a lawyer or decided to pursue his dreams of being a musician. Sure there are clues there but it is never explicitly revealed, and as you know I am a massive fan of subtext and open endings, so this was right up my alley.

I have really tried to think of constructive criticism but I got nothing... this was just so good on every level.

Perhaps the best part of this was listening to Goofparade's heavy breathing over the end credits. Man, that's getting downloaded for sure

Overall a simply superb movie with one of the most thought-provoking stories I've seen. It was a long time coming but this was definitely worth the wait. I think I have a new favourite TMU movie

***** - 5 stars»

«"Did they live happily ever after"?

The Good:
Great set design and set direction.
Crisp, clear vocals. A superb cast with great acting abilities.
The music, ambient sounds and effects were all done in a way that flowed smoothly.
Wonderful visual and special effects.

The Bad:
I can't really say I saw any one thing that was bad. I had to watch it twice to really understand it though.

Overall:
A very complicated story that seems to pull you in 3 different directions but ties it all together eventually. I can definitely relate to the character of Phil, what he is dealing with and how he feels. Made me feel as if I was actually part of the story.

Once again, Chat Noir Studios has delivered a film worthy of praise. Great job.»

«Beautiful movie, the writing, music, voices, effects, everything. You guys are incredibly talented. Thank you for letting me be a part of it.»

«A very nicely put together production. A pleasure to watch.»

«This film needs more stars than we're allowed to give here. I started out marveling at the technical elements in the opening scene, but quickly got too wrapped up in the characters and story to pay attention to that stuff anymore. In many ways, this was a very uncomfortable film for me to see. But I just watched, and squirmed sometimes, and cried (more than once).

It's no small irony that I watched this in my makeshift home office, surrounded by musical instruments I never have time to play -- twice interrupted by my wife and kids, whom I adore (and yet, I still cried more than once watching this.)

I'll have to see it a few more times so I can marvel at all the technical goodness too.
»