After the Giving Review
After the Giving is a 2020 short film directed by Kay Maker.
An ethereal but ultimately listless short film that intrigues while also playing a game of leaving too many breadcrumbs along with way, After the Giving, exhibits deep emotions but cannot connect us to the main protagonist throughout.
Perhaps it should be noted that according to the description of the video that this is a story that is merely part of a series and for that this entire review may need to be taken with a grain of salt. This is the only short from the series seen here so take that for what it is.
The biggest note that will always be mentioned in any narrative film is using the right frame rate in your production. Nothing carries one out of an experience like seeing a short film (in a narrative sense, documentary is different) that is filmed in either 30 or 60 frames per second. Narrative fiction should always be shown with a 24fps look; it always lends the right starting point for a more cinematic appearance.
That soapbox moment aside though this short film truly feels like a part of a bigger series. As an outsider from the series, it is hard to measure the film on its own merits. There are story bits delivered here, but it mainly feels almost like a visual poem that sort of flows in and out of locations with little impact.
With that note the number of locations used for the piece are varied and vibrant. They certainly provide a bit more life to the otherwise melancholic tone of the main character.
The framing and blocking of the piece are also worthy of praise as they emphasize a handheld style but one that has clearly had some thought put into it. The moves and zooms all seem to have reasoning behind them and there is a nice bit of shot variety as well.
Where things falter, though would be in the delivery of the voiceover, which from an acting standpoint is not bad but from a technical stance the quality leaves something to be desired. Of course, with DIY filmmaking what we have is what is used, and it is probably very true in this case but even with such hurdles it would seem as if more steps could be taken to get clearer audio recorded.
Overall, After the Giving has some tender moments to show and feels very emotional. The problem being the emotionality doesn’t go far past just being that way for the sake of it. Again, perhaps this is all due to not understanding the series but as one piece of the puzzle it feels as if there is a lot more that needs to be explored.
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Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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