A short film I did, inspiration by the man QT

So I wrote this short film, tell me what you think. I try to think of QT during my writing as an inspiration. I can take criticism, so just let me know what you think…thanks





Gloom - YouTube

The writing and general idea is kinda cool man. It’s actually better than just cool, I really like it.

I don’t really see the connection with Tarantino though, it only made it more enjoyable to me actually :smiley:

well the writing i tried to think of QT. But the directing I was trying to make it more like his style. But it is hard with one camera.

I want my 5 minutes 38 seconds of my life back! >:(

Was that a PSA?



Here’s some criticism:


  • never use music from another film. everyone makes that mistake, it is distracting, particularly if it’s recognizable and entirely out of place like in your film. i mean, wasn’t there some other way you could make his world seem completely mega-sad without swiping a Nick Cave tune from a depressing western?


  • why black and white? i understand some people like it and maybe for you it was a way of portraying the world as “gloomy” but as i said, isn’t there an original way to do that? but the reason most films are black and white are cost things because it costs a lot of money to colorize celluloid film but since the invention of DV and camcorders, that’s no longer a problem and a lot of the time black and white is just a pretentious amateur trying to play noir on his audience.


  • best advice: try your best to shut out thinking about other writers when writing a film. let the influences (both your own and others) come out naturally. writing isn’t about counting references and littering your script with them, that’s smug. if it’s there, it’ll come out. just like your own fears, neuroses and values.


  • handheld is a risky and only works best with the right camera. use more stationary shots when working with digital video.




  • idea wasn’t brilliant but clever enough. but what’s the point? “imagine a world without laughter” was that the title? otherwise i don’t get the point of the title card at the end. was it a kids film? is your audience retarded? i don’t think you need to spell out the “moral of the story” themes and ideas and “morals” will come out naturally. don’t spoon feed your audience, offer them the meal and let them decide.

Thanks for the Input they helped alot. Everyone has to start somewhere, and be told how things are done ;D

I offer no criticism, nor do I wish it could be more of this or that, or maybe you should of done this. What I will say- “what would the world be without laughter”…PSA, short movie, inspiration from QT- whatever you want to deem it…I cracked up…and if a short or movie objective is to make the reviewer laugh. Well then you guys did your job O0

And if it helps I like to reference Clerks 1- shot in black and white and such a funny cult classic it had a sequel ;D

Well I did black and white, (actually called Gloom on my friends editing program, hints where the title came from) to give the viewer a feeling of the depressed state the character was in. His addiction towards the drug (laughter) was bringing him down, and the only way to relive the depression was to laugh. So at the end, after the character watched the short cartoon, he became relived, happy, as if he took a hit of something illegal. And if you noticed color was brought into the ending scene, as if the characters self being was finally relived, extinguishing all depression.



The way QT inspired me was to act different then any other writer/director out there. Trying to do my own thing. Being unorthodox about filming. My first film I have ever seen from QT was Kill Bill. There I knew I loved this director/writer because he sets himself aside from the norm of film. He was different. I wanted that, I didn’t want to be that writer/director that was like everyone else. I made this film so when viewers watch it, they can have any reaction they want from it. Hate, love, funny, sad…anything. I didn’t want to make a film where I forced the viewer to feel what I want them to feel. Sure, my feelings played a big part during writing/directing, but that didn’t mean I wanted the viewer to feel what I did. I want them to choose. Thanks again for the criticism. It will help alot for my next film



Oh by the way…this short film was actually longer. I had to cut alot of it out for this festival.

solid student film. i like how the title & the way its presented (b&w) compliment each other. i think your directing is more inspired by the man than your writing. keep it up.

[quote=“F.W.”]

  • handheld is a risky and only works best with the right camera. use more stationary shots when working with digital video.
    [/quote]

personally i think stationary shots are more restricting. you’re more free to do as you please handheld. a lot of filmmakers just starting out make that mistake. it really only becomes a problem if you don’t like your finished project looking like it was shot on video, but nobody is going to judge if your vision is on point, sometimes.

[quote=“Narrator”]solid student film. i like how the title & the way its presented (b&w) compliment each other. i think your directing is more inspired by the man than your writing. keep it up.

[quote=“F.W.”]

  • handheld is a risky and only works best with the right camera. use more stationary shots when working with digital video.
    [/quote]

personally i think stationary shots are more restricting. you’re more free to do as you please handheld. a lot of filmmakers just starting out make that mistake. it really only becomes a problem if you don’t like your finished project looking like it was shot on video, but nobody is going to judge if your vision is on point, sometimes.[/quote]

I didn’t see he should do one or the other, I’d just like to see more stationary shots with D.V. because D.V. filmmakers appear to be afraid of them. Who says you can’t make a tripod shot look like a crane shot? It takes more creativity and talent to pull that off than hold the camera and move it around.

We actually used the tri on alot of scenes. Even to make it look like a crane shot. But like I said it was our first short film.

i think it was nice for first short film but I must determine that so you can develope yourself with these cricitizes.



Music choices is the most important thing in the film , I am writing my film script while listening the film soundtrack cause I inspired from the musics. You should use unfamiliar musics or original musics.



Composotion is another important thing too. Black and White , Noir , Sepya , other color effects. These effects are used when the director wants to make his film in its real mood. For example I shot the gangster film and I used noir effect for that film that makes the film more attractive. But For The Clasic and Simple short films i think you should use real colors and you should use black and white or sepia for flashback scenes.