Storyline could use some work. The long pauses made me wonder to much. Also, the ambient sound during the pauses sounded like being inside an airplane. Otherwise the technical parts are good. Thanks for showing your process.
YES i thought exactly the same He needed more ambient sound maybe some sizzling and cooking(the kitchen isn't always quiet) The long pauses made it seem like something bad (suspenseful) was going to happen but it was a bit anticlimactic. I think that this could be cut down 1 minute. I love the characterization because you get to sort of dislike the guy but I feel like the point of the whole story is the chicken falling. In my opinion, less introduction would actually benefit the film as a whole and give it more flow and naturality.
I was thinking the same, 0:05 after she spoke my eyes followed the chef on the left, it was an awkward long pause especially when the chef was not in the frame.
To answer your question about the ambient sound. That was the extractor fan for the gas burners. The extractor fan had to be turned on for the gas burners to be on.
Yeah I agree it was sort of hard to watch pace wise. A real operational kitchen is way more face paced and loud. I love the story though Ive been in his shoes
More cutting, more movement, more shaking. A calm camera shot makes the environment feel calm. You never see a shaky scene at a tranquil lake and you never see a motionless camera in a fist fight.
I think the cinematography, blocking and acting were all excellent, not sure how I feel about the story, definitely had me hooked but felt like it could have had a stronger message and ending. Great work though Simon 👌
doubt it, in a cinematographers prespective the blocking was quite repulsive. it needed better angles and the color science was off. I love dslr guide and his teachings, but the audio and storyline weren't that convincing.
I felt like I was there. No communication. Head chef with no control on service. Chefs who can't be arsed or no urgency or not trained. Highlights a lot of elements from a real kitchen. Good stuff.
Simon - you need to start being much more self critical. This honestly felt lazy film-making. And that's nothing to do with the constraints you had - it's not technical laziness, it's creative laziness. Your shot choices didn't seem particularly motivated or thought through, and they did not tie together at all in the edit. And I think the edit is honestly a large part of the issue for me. I know this is a character piece, not a plot piece, but you had 6 minutes of a film, and about 13 seconds of interesting character exploration. If it was a stressful rushing environment, we needed to feel that. You could have played a lot more with the juxtaposition of him being slow and disinterested, with everything around him being swift and precise. We could have dived right in at the 40 second mark with all the chaos, chef shouting the orders, hurrying the cooks up etc. Could have opened with the 'how long have you worked here' conversation, that way we already know this guy is new here. The whole half a minute between 'You've got 10 minutes on that chicken' and him taking the knife could have been reduced to about 10 seconds. 20 seconds between dropping the chicken and picking it up could have been 5. You can still keep the vibe of the slow and boring grind that our character is working in, without boring your audience to death at the same time. Don't let the edit be an after thought. You have a very large influence as a guide in film making, particularly to younger aspiring filmmakers. And so if you're going to have that responsibility (insert spider-man reference), you can't let yourself off the hook with pieces like this. You're capable of an awful lot better. I hope this is useful.
@@drimdrimz agreed! felt inspired by the bts with the collaboration. this piece is ok, it's slow enough to really notice the amateur parts and be distracted by them
Wow, Simon. I enjoy your DSLRguide videos so much, I think each and every episode is excellent, well thought out and delivers so much useful information and lessons on filmmaking in an enjoyable way. Having said that, I'm sorry Simon but I really didn't like this short film. The story was pretty flat, no ups and downs or any real point to the story line at all. Also, the dialogue audio volume seemed quite low compared to the ambient sound throughout the video. The ambient sound is so loud in comparison it was almost distracting. Also, you should have made the part where he dropped the chicken more predominant and emphasised it with audio and a close up shots of the drop, fall and it hitting the ground. You could almost miss the point when he dropped it because it happens so quick in a relatively wide shot. Lastly, I think the long empty pauses in dialogue could be cut out to make the film more captivating. However, even with this I don't think the story itself was strong enough. I'm really sorry that I'm being so critical of this but it's just my honest opinion. Although, I absolutely love all of your work over at your DSLRguide channel, your videos are so enjoyable and have helped me a lot. So, thank you for that. P.S. Well done on directing this film, you've demonstrated in the BTS videos that it is anything but easy to do.
Great job Simon and TEAM! I cooked aboard three nuclear submarines and work in several restaurants in America and Europe; and you really captured some of the tension in that kind of working environment. Brilliant job on using the bare essentials for this production... I tip my hat to you and the entire TEAM. Be well and stay encouraged!!!
Loved what you were able to do with such little time and resources! I do have some constructive criticism, however: 1) I feel like the pacing was off. The message (at least to me) was that the expectations of a new line cook and how fast orders come in and out of the kitchen in the end are what causes him to serve chicken that was dropped on the floor. But there was a lack of intensity in the cuts, framing, and in the acting of the lead actor...which leads me to my 2nd point; 2) I feel like the lead actor wasn't right for the role. He came off very standoffish and unlikable (to me, at least) and would have been better suited as a seasoned line cook with a chip on his shoulder and annoyed at the newbie asking a lot of questions. I would have switched the roles and have the younger line cook be the lead - as he had that look of intensity and urgency - and had your lead actor play a secondary character as stated before. That said, I really admire what you've done in this film, as well as your past films! Best of luck for the next one!
The lead wasn't supposed to have intensity. That was the point. That said however, the character had zero growth. We didn't learn anything new about him that we didn't already find out in the beginning. A better ending in my opinion would be him stopping the plate right before it went out and being honest with the chef about his mistake. This would drive the "Yes, Chef" title home, and would harken back to the "You need to communicate" line.
This short was great! I don't agree with the other people with their criticism here. I used to work on a kitchen, and i felt like i was back there again. I remeber i dropped the pizza and served it like that lol. And my coworkers were idiots too.
Honestly, I expected the "production quality" to be better (yes, I know the whole idea was using just the camera and nothing else). I guess I just expected you to be able to work a little more magic with the "camera only" approach and come up with clever solutions to the obstacles. However, I do like the story.
I'm not sure it was mentioned but there was definitely some of that going on when we were on set. For example the dish washer (seen in the first shot on the right with the big handle) was blocking a window and reducing light. We had to keep it up for continuity sake but for the shots where you couldn't see it - we would lower it down so that we could get more light in from the window. It's only a small thing but it shows that the team were still thinking creatively despite the lack of lighting gear.
This is coming from a sound engineer. The background loop of kitchen sounds destroys the ambience. Just giving feedback. Can't focus on the characters and conventions.
Pros: I liked the color for the most part. Cons: The writing/ acting was rough. The editing could have been sharper, kitchens are busy and fast paced. The delay between dialog seemed odd. And yes the story was weak.
@@combofriend4461 The chief put him up against the wall (don't let her down, or she'll let him go) - so at the end he wasn't honest with her. I mean, the main themes are pretty clear to me... Doesn't mean they were executed at their best, but I don't see how anyone can really be totally confused as to the point of this short?
Congrats sir on completing your short with such minimal equipment! It's not easy to create a short, let alone collaborate with a crew and be restricted to just a camera and some basic audio equipment so kudos to you! I won't even comment on the audio because I'm not an expert in the field and it didn't look like you had a lot of equipment to work with. I will only comment on the pacing/editing. And take this with a grain of salt, please! I felt that at certain times the pacing seemed a little slow for the mood. The idea is that this guy is in a new kitchen and struggling to cope with the way they do things (EDIT ABOUT THIS BELOW). Kitchens are hectic, stressful places so I think a little bit more energy would help. A few cuts feel "off" to me. Mostly the cuts in between dialogue. At 0:15 seconds for example the cut to Olivia doesn't feel right. I think it's because all of dialogue stops in that moment and we just have an awkward cut to Olivia. The chef says her line, then you cut, then you cut back and the chef says "okay". I think the flow would have been better if the cut happened just before the chef finished saying "need anything" and then you had her saying "okay" while the camera had cut away to Olivia, then start to say "excellent let's get started..." then you can just cut back to the protagonist nodding at the chef as she finishes saying "on that omelet" and walks away. Then he almost bumps into Olivia and she rounds the corner with the giant pot. Right now the chef stands there awkwardly as that near miss with the pot happens. The interaction between the protagonist and the chef cooking the noddles felt a little awkward as well. Mostly too long between lines. To be fair it does probably more accurately reflect the way people talk to one another but it just feels a bit awkward on film. And again I think it's a moment where a bit snappier editing would help the pacing a bit. My favourite moment was the tracking shot of him putting the pan in the sink and walking at 2:25. The motion added a bit more energy which I think the rest of the short could have benefited from. Final example I'll use is at 2:40 when the character off screen calls out the order. You have the protagonist and chef standing there listening in a wide shot whereas I think you would benefit from a quick cut of the person calling out the order, again just to add some more energy instead of those two standing still. Overall though, like I said, well done. It's SO hard to shoot a film. Most people don't realize until they try to do it themselves. The planning of each shot and figuring out your composition, lens choice, how the cuts will work, whether you're crossing the 180 line etc it's very hard and takes time and practice, so good job! I'm sure you'll look back on this film in years to come and laugh at yourself. If you don't it means you're not improving and this is all part of the learning process :) EDIT: It just occurred to me that perhaps you were telling the story of an experienced, jaded cook who has worked in many kitchens and perhaps doesn't like where he's ended up. In that case HIS pacing makes sense as he's somewhat lethargic and uninterested. As a result perhaps you could have drawn a bigger contrast between the energy and pace of the other chefs in the kitchen with him. Again, this is all just my two cents so take with a grain of salt!
@@filmtips6983 Despite what you may think, this was "minimal equipment". No professional audio equipment, no lighting, no stabilization. To any working professional that would constitute "minimal". And yes, it is hard to make a short film. Liking or caring about it doesn't make it easy. That's like saying "if you like soccer and care about the sport then it's not hard to become a professional." It takes practice, hard work, a lot of knowledge and a certain amount of natural talent/instincts. Out of curiosity have you created any short films? Entered them into festivals?
@@jasonwellings8896 Yes I have, but not in festivals. For me, minimal equipment means, a camera, an actor (even yourself), one or two locations (your house, or other public places) and a tripod. I believe that if your project is not that big, you need a very simple story, with not a lot of locations and actors, if you want to challenge yourself and make something big, then you better have a little more equipment. Also, no it's not that hard if you know how to write something simple. Nothing can magically become easy, but if you like the process of making films, you will have the disposition to overcome every obstacle that will stand in your way.
Hi Simon, Pros: simple story, it keeps you hooked till the end, nice resolution, good acting, easy to produce, nice script, credible and solid Constructive feedback: message? I would expect him to revenge on her. What he did was a bit pointless right? Keep the good work!
I think the message was, because she was being so strict and hard on him, things got sloppy. If she was nicer, he probably would have told her about the chicken being dropped on the floor and it wouldn't have been a problem, but he was afraid she'd get mad so he didn't tell her.
"When he says first kitchen actually", and the water comes out the end of the tongues I started to laugh because ever chef knows not to do that when grabbing pasta from a pot for that same reason.
I think what most people don't account for is that producing a film while simultaneously producing a TH-cam show about producing a film, is really tough. Congrats to you Simon, I'm loving what you're doing.
Spencer Lupul yes it’s tough, but does that make something immune to critique because of the context it was made in? Does knowing that it is hard to make a short film and run a TH-cam channel give the film better editing, sound or a more solid story structure?
the way I see it simon is only making films for his thought of "love filmmaking" Hes actually alot better at making philosophical videos on his other channels rather than videos like this
Fortune Finder But why does one challenge themselves when making a film? The challenge should not be in the equipment but in the quality of the story. I don’t understand why setting technical boundaries is important. If you want boundaries to challenge you, set them before you write a script.
I could feel what working in that kitchen is like. Full of sounds, not conversations. The guy next to you still feels like a stranger. And you do that for hours.
Generally pretty good - especially the sound design and blocking - impressive given the constraints. Main bit of constructive feedback is that I think the framing could have been a lot tighter - there were quite a few shots with unnatural framing and tilted horizons for no clear reason. Overall though I'm impressed.
Keep up the great work Simon. Filmmaking is not easy, and I admire your determination to not only create a film, but take us along for the process. Looking forward to seeing how your career progresses as you continue to create more
Another commentary agreeing that expected more from you and found the story quite dull and non creative. Wouldn't watch more than 1 minute if I wasn't following you for the last 3-4 years.
Well done. I like the long pauses --- omelette/chicken dude won't be rushed. It's just his "training," as he would say. That and he's oblivious to the others' presence (they don't matter, their tools don't matter, their food prep doesn't matter, unless he wants to use it) in "his" kitchen (the way he moves in it). I knew the moment it plopped on the floor that he would plate the chicken. I didn't know he would put it back in the pan and so delicately picking off wee bits of floor stuff. I loved that. I loved it when he did. I loved his smug, self-satisfaction at not getting caught- yet. But he will. I want to see that scene, too.
There is a point where too much criticism gets in the way of progression, get what you need to know from this, what works, worked, what didn't, dismiss the pessimism riddled all over these comments, and continue. This isn't about creating your best work, this is about succeeding in your intentions. Everything is relative, including criticism. After re watching I loved the nice touch of foreshadowing and how the dialogue is written carefully to set the tone and details of the film. Is this a great job or "poor" blah blah, whatever, whats important is you take what you learned and continue, art is in the process, it is an inevitable endeavor and one we need to remind ourselves and be aware of when it comes to it. Thank you for your work and inspiration - Jon.
Yeah the criticism can be tough but the film industry is a million times worst. you just need to have thick skin, take it on the chin and grow which Im sure Simon will.
Wow, I can't believe this comment section, suddenly filled with "film experts" lol. Made the mistake of reading the comments before and expected something totally bad. This was seriously amazing. I loved the story, definitely got a laugh out of me. The sounds made me feel like I was there. I could feel the main characters emotion. I loved the color grading! This was excellent, can't wait to see the next one. I wouldn't even say "this is good for what he had to work with." This is actually GOOD regardless.
By no stretch of the imagination was this "amazing." It left a lot to be desired and people are correct to point that out. Technical critique aside, the story had no resolution. All we learned was that this guy was a bad employee and that was already clear in the beginning.
Doesn't sound too unreasonable, if one doesn't want to have the brown diner-style kind. (But the end product did look like the diner-style kind, so you have a point...)
i know i'm late to the party, but it can easily take FAR longer for a good omelet. they are really...really annoying unless you want the diner style (as mentioned by alvincura) the really good ones are wroth the wait, though.
I really don’t get all the negative feedback...everyone seems to believe that this is a Spielbergs film with million paid actors...this is what it feels shooting in a budget.Filmmaking is more complex than you think...for me it was a very good effort and idea for all the team especially Simon...some people who have worked inside a kitchen can understand the pressure of the work ... keep up Simon the good work some of us will follow your filmmaking path,after all it’s just a projected fantasy not the end of the world good job again 👍👏👏
My first job was as a dishwasher about 7 years ago, and this really captured the tension of entering a new kitchen environment.I actually said, "Oh fuck." out loud when he grabbed the knife off of the other station. On a second viewing, I wish there'd been a closeup of the chicken hitting the ground, though I do enjoy the setup and payoff with his first time missing the "behind" call. I also feel that while there was good dramatic tension between the characters, I didn't feel like the intensity of the kitchen matched up with the story. We were supposed to be entering a rush, but orders weren't actually coming in very quickly. I would have loved to see the kitchen team working on a few more orders simultaneously. That said, you did some solid work. It was an interesting little slice of life production.
I actually quite enjoyed it. You can feel the tense working environment seeing everyone is trying so hard not to have a shouting match with your boss. The small room and the heat from the stove, knives being cut, this was quite clever and very, very believable. Great, great job.
The Sound Design / Story / Pacing had some short-comings but to create a film with limitations imposed on you by Nikon and to simultaneously create an advert to their specification in a tight time-frame isn't easy at all, so well done Simon.
I acutally love a lot about this short, its so plain simple and builds great tension without pointing that out too hard. The acting and blocking is on point, the cinematography is also very simple and fits the general tone very well. I only think the soundediting should have been done more exaggerated, because I couldnt experience the whole rush of the kitchen in that way. It felt to calm sometimes. Also the pacing of the short didnt develop, I think it should have been faster in some moments, wich would have made the slow moments all the more powerful. The whole scenario is well thought, character driven and I like it very much, even if its not a hundred plotpoints (5min short btw)
I love Simon's work ethic and all his bts vids and tutorials. But unfortunately this short is an example of, bad writing, bad sound design (didn't feel busy) and poor acting. Editing, colour grade, continuity are all on point. But man, I'm surprised there was even a script here, didn't feel like any kitchen I've worked in. Anyway as he says, he's learnt some valuable lessons and I'm sure the next one will be better! Keep it up Bro
Interesting that you think the sound design didn't feel busy enough - as the commenter above you thought it was trying to sound too busy. What makes you think that it didn't feel busy? (I'm just curious, I don't normally do sound design for projects so this was all new to me!)
@@jamie9926 It didn't feel busy because of a few reasons - Faked dynamics of the kitchen being the main one...Also the weird, forced urgency because he took more than 15 seconds to make an omelette etc. But in sound design terms, for example, you would have more 'Walla' which is like the indiscernible background chatter/crowd noise, in a busy kitchen you would generally hear that from the restaurant floor, plus people talk all the time in kitchens and it felt silent. Also you would have the noise from the KP washing up and stuff like that, the lack of those things didn't help. Also there's the fan, really loudly the whole way through.
Sound design: 10/10 Tension/relatability to the protagonist: 9/10 Conclusion: 6.5/10 Camera work: 10/10. Grading is great. Felt like the only thing lacking was the “feel” of a busy kitchen, which could be due to dialogue pacing. Thanks so much, Simon!
I actually quite liked this film. The scenes were quite dense in that every actor was always in action, even off camera. The sound effects reinforce this nicely. It gives the feeling of Jeremy being only a small part of the kitchen. Jeremy is seen by the other chefs as entitled, irritating, maybe apathetic. But Jeremy feels surrounded by amateurs. With Olivia's garnish, Jeremy sees his efforts to improve the food quality is met with scolding, and his disregarding meaningless kitchen etiquette, a threat of being fired. Of course, this is all shown, not told. The dropped chicken is a character defining moment, in which Jeremy sacrifices the pursuit of quality in his work, feeling that such an effort is pointless. The consequences of his action are not relevant; the damage has already been done. The colors are unsaturated, with the most colorful object in any scene often being Jeremy himself. The shots are neutral, not favoring either side of the conflict. The pacing is slow and deliberate, and I feel that most all of the scenes had to be included to charge the impact of the climax. Just my personal thoughts.
The shots and dialogue captures are good. The story is very nice also. The only thing I could see to improve is tightening the editing and flow. A bit too much dead air. Not a bad thing going forward because all you have to do is trim. With your permission, may I take the footage and edit it down further and send it to you?
If a film tells more than it shows, its a good film. Especially the short films must have different format than feature films. If we adapt the components of feature format to short, the film becomes a shortcut of a feature format. As a result this was a really good short film in my opinion. I watch it again from time to time and every time it makes me feel something different. This time i thought about ''why its seems impossible to fix problems'' If the chef hadn't acted oppressive, the chicken that fell on the ground would not go to the customer. By the way the focal length of the majority of the shots made me feel the pressure the cook felt. I congraduate the team. As for the director: You have style Simon Cade!r
At least he has the grit and determination to actually create something and put it out into the world instead of leaving hateful comments on TH-cam all day.
@@ZachAshcraftPhotography I feel like you're forgetting that they were paid to make this. Many people have done a lot better with zero compensation and far less crew. Also, being a content creator does not make you immune to criticism from the average viewer.
@@ZachAshcraftPhotography there are tons of constructive comments on this video. Even the irony pointed out by this comment is pretty spot on. Simon made lots of how-to's before he ever actually completed a short. When he finally did it was clear that he didn't have as much of a handle on this stuff as his advice suggested.
seeing the short film after the bts added so much more layers and passion too it. those kinds of short, but long tense emotional, films guide me to my path as a future filmmaker
Keep up the work Simon. You're miles in front of many people who are commenting on here including me. I do have my criticisms however it's key to remember that you're ACTUALLY DOING IT and not just dreaming it. Grant
I think a lot could have been cut. We did not need to see him prepare an omelette from scratch for the audience to figure out he doesn't like his job. In fact, you did not need to have the actor to say that he won't be staying long, we get the vibe. You could have started with him finishing up on the omelette rather than making it from scratch and just with that small interaction, you can tell that both him and the head chef don't get along very well. When the chicken falls on the ground, if you were able to put a close up of his reaction, I think that would have been a bit better. And when he handed the chicken, I think it would have added a bit more if you had a close up of the head chef looking at the chicken and back at the main character (I don't know his name in the movie, but I know Olivia's name). I feel like if she stared at him for just the right time one second to two maximum would engage the audience just a tad bit. "Does she know he dropped it?" "Will she say anything about him dropping the chicken?" "What will happen?" As for technicalities, I think visually it 'looks' pretty good in terms of lighting and color balance. As for composition, I think it would have been great to think twice about composition of some shots. Sound is definitely something you should work on. Yeah, I know in real life kitchens are way too loud but at the end of the day, it's a film, not real life. As in, you could have dialed back on the ambient noise and put more emphasis on the audio. There are cases where an inaudible dialogue works, like in the movie Prisoners. Another solution to the audio problem would be to have the actors yell, but given the tone it doesn't seem like a fit, unless you go for a more tense tone that is. Finally, editing: I feel like some scenes drag and other cutaways are too short and in some cases unnecessary. In short: This felt more like a tutorial on how to make an omelette rather than just a short piece about a person who had just given up and stopped caring.
Well done Simon. I wish to see a feature film directed by you. I am an amateur screenwriter myself and learned a lot from your other channel DSLR guide about narrative art. Thank you for your wonderful tutorials.
about the film : yes it's short, simple and worth watching . but what i liked the most is how you projected the whole build up, challenges and work experience. it's like we were all crafting the movie with you at the same time and felt so lively. I may the not person to tell you how better you are as a filmmaker, but i can certainly tell you are one of the best teachers ☺️ Thank you ✔️
I think I get what you were going for with the plot; that belittling an employee makes them decide to take shortcuts. I didn't know who I was supposed to empathize with, but I ended up rooting for the main character. I feel like you could have told this story better in like a minute or even less. The way he's being treated could just be implied quickly with just a few subtle visual cues. Think of how certain commercials get us to empathize with characters.
I loved the long pauses, it really built tension for me. I was half expecting the guy to lose his shit with her, but was pleased to see he didn't. Overall good short film
Well done Simon and Team !! I liked the film and thought it had me guessing and feeling anxious, which I loved ! I watched the entire film at 1.25x maybe that can help with the comments and audience feeling it was a slow pace. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK
I know everyone is being critical because it is, simply put, not as intricate as a Hollywood picture, but this is very genuine and honestly very well done. The atmosphere (colors and sounds and the people) in combination with the tension the cook must have felt against a disagreeable temperament, we cannot help but sympathize. If anything this reminded me of Il Posto, those little situations we have to confront inevitably. I had a nice laugh, and it was worth my 6 minutes! :)
I think this hit a little harder than it should have. My girlfriend has PTSD from throwing up so much as a child after having a meal that wasn't cooked properly at a restaurant. It affects her to this day, and she's filled with constant anxiety, always worried about what she's eating and trying to eat as little as possible. She's developed depression, anxiety, PTSD and body dismorphia from something so small as an undercooked chicken, and this will be with her for the rest of her life. Ignorance is never bliss.
Lol. Stop commenting about the story line, or how creative it was. Thats not the point of this short film at all, the whole point is to make a cinematic short film using only just a camera.
I don't get it. You make movies for like what - 10 years or so? It still looks very amateur. As a dop i'm talking about the cinematography only. Yeah, sure - there are lots of good shots as well, but you are certainly lacking some close-up's when they clearly should have been there. Also, dynamic scenes are not combined with the static one's very well. For an example 2:25 - talent is quickly heading somewhere, suggesting the viewier, that he will follow the action to the next room, where something unusual is probably going to happen(because of the shaky camera movement), but instead we are given a static shot in a completely different place. Too many wide shots, not enough shallow depth of field to separate the actor from the background. Apart from that - good framing/cropping(?), this part was done very well :) Overally - not bad, there are some things you need to work on, but I can see the progress and that's the most important thing. I'm sorry if I messed something up in terms of grammar mistakes - english is not my first language :P
Exellent storytelling. The fallen chicken gone to the customer. Whose fault was that? A good short film creates questions. What i watched was a short film that made by a mature director. Good work.
Hi Simon, I have always liked your work and approach. This must of been a difficult film to block. It was well shot and acted, lovely look to the film. You set up the conflict early and we all wanted to see how the story panned out. Just my personal opinion A 30 second back story on the chef, e.g. doing community service, or had a child to support would have given some depth to his personal plight. and why he needed the job to succeed. Maybe a co-worker seeing him drop the chicken but keeping quiet to support him would add some empathy and emotion. This is another lovely film from Cade visuals Well done. If I am also like any of your fans we hang out for every video you post. Your tutorials have helped me enormously in my filming career, 5 years in and I have the knowledge and skills of a filmmaker of many more years, all thanks to you.
Really enjoyed the ending of this. As a cook for the last 10 years I can definitely relate to being barked at by the chef for an order only to have some new guy bump into you and it hit the floor. That being said though I felt things could've been more accurately portrayed. The speed and intensity for instance. The cooks all seem far too calm and slow for this. While I did enjoy the story I felt that more research and time spent in a kitchen such as this would have helped showcase the intensity and aggressiveness of working in one.
I am a keen follower of your inspiring works. If i may make a suggestion, about the film, how about slowly building up the tension and pressure of a kitchen, especially the new chef, and how about ending the film at the exact moment of dropping the chicken to the floor, at the peak of all the tension? with a close up of the character's frightened face? How about keeping the audience guessing? about the climax?
I hope this comment won't get lost in the overwhelming number of negative criticism (some constructive) and that you'll get to read this Simon!:) I understand some people's frustrations with this short but I also feel that it may be easy for us to say this and that about technique/pacing/script/etc. I can't say for sure but most of us probably haven't had the chance to try making and directing a short film ourselves. I personally think that the script and main character are well done. You really feel that the protagonist is not in total love with his job, at least not in the rush of it and the teamwork aspect. He doesn't care enough to communicate or follow etiquette and thinks of this as a passing job, probably just like the numerous previous occupations he has held. (And personally I imply a sense of surprise on his face when his co-worker said that this job is his first and that he has been here for 2 years, as if that's impossible). I think that you've done a great job and that this massive amount of negativity wasn't fair.
Well donde Simon! However, I think a there's lot of wide shots. You could have used some close ups or medium shots and a higher pace in the editing to highlight that felling of disgust between the main characters. Sorry english is not my natal language haha. You should watch Café Paraíso by Alonso Ruizpalacios it 's very alike your short film.
Really good short film Simon. I did like the story but was expecting a bit more on the production quality as well. Still very good though. The end was really well thought and give quiet of a nice message in my opinion. You can't obtain anything positive from people by threatening them and being agressive. About the sound ; maybe next time you could add some extra sounds (sometimes I can barely hear footsteps or stuff like that when I expect hearing them a bit louder). Still really good job on the sound recording tho, just a detail :) Great job!
😳 Where was that place? 😉 Love the minimal gear approach and demonstrates a story can be told without a lot of gear. Btw, way to go with blending a short story BTS and product review. Great job by the crew and extra props to the prod assist. When you need milk, you need milk!
Wasn't going to comment as I'm no expert film maker and the one short film I helped make (wasn't my own) was terrible. Wanna start of with a colour grade trick I like to use and that's to use a LUT called W-9270. You can search it on TH-cam and download it. I like to add an adjustment layer above the video then apply it to that then I colour grade on the actual footage or another adjustment layer to finish the grade off. It does something to the colours that make the video look like it came from a high end cinema camera like the Alexa. Sometimes though it can be over powering depending on the footage hence why I like to put it on it's own adjustment layer then control the opacity if needed I also sometimes like to cool the white balance a bit too depending on the original shot. Try it with this film it'll look way more cinematic. Some constructive criticism though, the acting seemed a bit off. Again I'm no acting expert by any means but just didn't get the feeling from the head chef that it was urgent, the kitchen itself didn't seem that busy either not entirely sure if it was the acting or something else. Think some of the camera angles could have been a little better too in some shots as just didn't feel cinematic I'm still trying to figure out what truly makes a film seem cinematic unless it's just the magic of Alexa cameras but then It's most likely a mixture of lens choice, lighting, set design, sound design, costume design, acting etc etc. I'm yet to find a DSLR short film that feels like a hollywood movie something is always missing and I can never quite put my finger on it. Hats off to you though for completing it. Story line was engaging as you wanted to see where it lead however the ending could have been stronger imo was hoping that he gets sh*t on by the head chef and nagged but then manages to make a really good meal and the head chef realizes that actually he's a good asset to the kitchen or something along those lines. Be interesting to see how much better this would look with lighting as I think the challenge itself is a bit stupid. Sure they're trying to show off the camera's capabilities but it'll never look as good as when you set up the lighting. Even Alexa camera's will look crap without proper lighting and they use stupidly expensive lighting setups (probably why it's hard for amateur film makers to make a film feel/look cinematic). Keep up the good work though Simon, I've learnt a lot from your videos and enjoy watching bts videos of you making your short films.
Really promising premise here, yet feels very empty. Is this supposed to be dramatic, funny, intense? I lacks any energy. The pauses in between lines felt very unnatural and awkward. also the shots lingered just too long. There are a couple interesting shot choices here, but they could have been expanded upon much more. The shot of the camera following the main character into the back room would have been a lot more interesting if it followed him all the way in and back out, instead of stopping suddenly and killing the energy. Also, you really shouldn't have used a wide shot to show the chicken getting knocked onto the floor. Come in close with the camera. Make the audience feel cramped and uncomfortable like the chef. Show the chicken actually hitting the floor instead of just showing us the chef's back. Audio definitely needed some fine tuning as well. Background ambient noise shouldn't overpower your dialogue. Would have been an inspired choice to slowly have the background noise get louder as the film progressed, increasing the discomfort of the main character and your audience. Lots of potential here, but I just don't get the point. Could have used much tighter editing, but it definitely isn't horrible or anything. Keep working at it!
There was no story, no character development, and camera work did not feel professional. I know you couldn’t use tripods etc. This was just not that great, sorry man.
I've been watching Simon for years and I have to agree. I didn't know what the whole thing was all about. What was the theme? Work-related stress? I don't get it. For a film which was meant to portray the frantic pace and environment of a kitchen, the editing was slow and dull. Yeah?
I loved the pacing. I felt the tension through-out the film even though I didn't get the payoff I expected. I quite like that though. I think often times our criticism of new media arts is warped in our conception of how the art form exists in other spaces. as a true appreciator of the art of video as time art, I appreciate this. thank you for sharing.
Storyline could use some work. The long pauses made me wonder to much. Also, the ambient sound during the pauses sounded like being inside an airplane.
Otherwise the technical parts are good. Thanks for showing your process.
YES i thought exactly the same He needed more ambient sound maybe some sizzling and cooking(the kitchen isn't always quiet) The long pauses made it seem like something bad (suspenseful) was going to happen but it was a bit anticlimactic. I think that this could be cut down 1 minute. I love the characterization because you get to sort of dislike the guy but I feel like the point of the whole story is the chicken falling. In my opinion, less introduction would actually benefit the film as a whole and give it more flow and naturality.
This was a challenge for the person who make this short film. To use only a camera and basic equipment.
@@weil46 Why would that inhibit Simon's abilities to make a better story and flow? A lot of it had to do with post-production and good writing.
I was thinking the same, 0:05 after she spoke my eyes followed the chef on the left, it was an awkward long pause especially when the chef was not in the frame.
To answer your question about the ambient sound. That was the extractor fan for the gas burners. The extractor fan had to be turned on for the gas burners to be on.
All good but the pacing is slow. Cant feel the dynamic enviroment, the rush. Think you can cut a lot more! Great job though!
pimeto this.
pimeto ikr, working at a kitchen is way more stressful and “messy” than that, i say that from my own experience, but still a very good shortfilm.
Yeah I agree it was sort of hard to watch pace wise. A real operational kitchen is way more face paced and loud. I love the story though Ive been in his shoes
You need some of Gordon Ramsay vibe 😂:
th-cam.com/video/BxMM8ZEe0KU/w-d-xo.html
More cutting, more movement, more shaking. A calm camera shot makes the environment feel calm. You never see a shaky scene at a tranquil lake and you never see a motionless camera in a fist fight.
I think the cinematography, blocking and acting were all excellent, not sure how I feel about the story, definitely had me hooked but felt like it could have had a stronger message and ending. Great work though Simon 👌
Felt the same way
I think that the cinematography was a level below than the other videos
Same, I felt like the audio carried this short. Missed people talking in the restaurant tho. Nice work man!
doubt it, in a cinematographers prespective the blocking was quite repulsive. it needed better angles and the color science was off. I love dslr guide and his teachings, but the audio and storyline weren't that convincing.
I felt like I was there. No communication. Head chef with no control on service. Chefs who can't be arsed or no urgency or not trained. Highlights a lot of elements from a real kitchen. Good stuff.
Storyline is quite flat, but still good stuff.
Simon - you need to start being much more self critical. This honestly felt lazy film-making. And that's nothing to do with the constraints you had - it's not technical laziness, it's creative laziness.
Your shot choices didn't seem particularly motivated or thought through, and they did not tie together at all in the edit. And I think the edit is honestly a large part of the issue for me.
I know this is a character piece, not a plot piece, but you had 6 minutes of a film, and about 13 seconds of interesting character exploration. If it was a stressful rushing environment, we needed to feel that. You could have played a lot more with the juxtaposition of him being slow and disinterested, with everything around him being swift and precise.
We could have dived right in at the 40 second mark with all the chaos, chef shouting the orders, hurrying the cooks up etc. Could have opened with the 'how long have you worked here' conversation, that way we already know this guy is new here. The whole half a minute between 'You've got 10 minutes on that chicken' and him taking the knife could have been reduced to about 10 seconds. 20 seconds between dropping the chicken and picking it up could have been 5. You can still keep the vibe of the slow and boring grind that our character is working in, without boring your audience to death at the same time.
Don't let the edit be an after thought.
You have a very large influence as a guide in film making, particularly to younger aspiring filmmakers. And so if you're going to have that responsibility (insert spider-man reference), you can't let yourself off the hook with pieces like this.
You're capable of an awful lot better. I hope this is useful.
Thank you for your constructive criticism. It might genuinely help Simon. On behalf of Simon Cade, I thank you. (Maybe Simon will read this?)
The bts video on his channel was more interesting
Very insightful... I think you've hit on some important points here!
@@drimdrimz agreed! felt inspired by the bts with the collaboration. this piece is ok, it's slow enough to really notice the amateur parts and be distracted by them
Kenji Gunawan Jesus fucking Christ shut up
Wow, Simon. I enjoy your DSLRguide videos so much, I think each and every episode is excellent, well thought out and delivers so much useful information and lessons on filmmaking in an enjoyable way. Having said that, I'm sorry Simon but I really didn't like this short film. The story was pretty flat, no ups and downs or any real point to the story line at all. Also, the dialogue audio volume seemed quite low compared to the ambient sound throughout the video. The ambient sound is so loud in comparison it was almost distracting. Also, you should have made the part where he dropped the chicken more predominant and emphasised it with audio and a close up shots of the drop, fall and it hitting the ground. You could almost miss the point when he dropped it because it happens so quick in a relatively wide shot. Lastly, I think the long empty pauses in dialogue could be cut out to make the film more captivating. However, even with this I don't think the story itself was strong enough.
I'm really sorry that I'm being so critical of this but it's just my honest opinion. Although, I absolutely love all of your work over at your DSLRguide channel, your videos are so enjoyable and have helped me a lot. So, thank you for that.
P.S. Well done on directing this film, you've demonstrated in the BTS videos that it is anything but easy to do.
Great job Simon and TEAM! I cooked aboard three nuclear submarines and work in several restaurants in America and Europe; and you really captured some of the tension in that kind of working environment. Brilliant job on using the bare essentials for this production... I tip my hat to you and the entire TEAM. Be well and stay encouraged!!!
Loved what you were able to do with such little time and resources!
I do have some constructive criticism, however:
1) I feel like the pacing was off. The message (at least to me) was that the expectations of a new line cook and how fast orders come in and out of the kitchen in the end are what causes him to serve chicken that was dropped on the floor. But there was a lack of intensity in the cuts, framing, and in the acting of the lead actor...which leads me to my 2nd point;
2) I feel like the lead actor wasn't right for the role. He came off very standoffish and unlikable (to me, at least) and would have been better suited as a seasoned line cook with a chip on his shoulder and annoyed at the newbie asking a lot of questions. I would have switched the roles and have the younger line cook be the lead - as he had that look of intensity and urgency - and had your lead actor play a secondary character as stated before.
That said, I really admire what you've done in this film, as well as your past films! Best of luck for the next one!
Your feedback might genuinely help Simon. Thanks!
The lead wasn't supposed to have intensity. That was the point. That said however, the character had zero growth. We didn't learn anything new about him that we didn't already find out in the beginning.
A better ending in my opinion would be him stopping the plate right before it went out and being honest with the chef about his mistake. This would drive the "Yes, Chef" title home, and would harken back to the "You need to communicate" line.
This short was great! I don't agree with the other people with their criticism here. I used to work on a kitchen, and i felt like i was back there again. I remeber i dropped the pizza and served it like that lol. And my coworkers were idiots too.
Honestly, I expected the "production quality" to be better (yes, I know the whole idea was using just the camera and nothing else). I guess I just expected you to be able to work a little more magic with the "camera only" approach and come up with clever solutions to the obstacles.
However, I do like the story.
I'm not sure it was mentioned but there was definitely some of that going on when we were on set. For example the dish washer (seen in the first shot on the right with the big handle) was blocking a window and reducing light. We had to keep it up for continuity sake but for the shots where you couldn't see it - we would lower it down so that we could get more light in from the window. It's only a small thing but it shows that the team were still thinking creatively despite the lack of lighting gear.
Fixed the title for you. ‘Nah, Chef”
RunningFromAdults “this aint it, chief”
@@RudyAyoub ...
combofriend My grandmother is on her period how dare you
Yes lol
I've never been so bored watching a film and so disappointed with the outcome. I want my 5 minutes back
exactly, it sucks
The emotion comes across well. You can feel what the character is feeling. Great job Simon.
This is coming from a sound engineer. The background loop of kitchen sounds destroys the ambience. Just giving feedback. Can't focus on the characters and conventions.
That's the most real feeling I have seen in a film. It's so organic and makes me fell like that's what it would be like. Really dug it Simon!
Pros: I liked the color for the most part.
Cons: The writing/ acting was rough.
The editing could have been sharper, kitchens are busy and fast paced. The delay between dialog seemed odd. And yes the story was weak.
It's a 5 minute short, did you expect the story to be about an alien invasion? ;)
@@timothebouchard679 No but with that amount of time, you'd expect it to have at least a point
@@dariushcreates I thought the point was pretty clear...
Timothé Bouchard what was the point then. because like 0% of the comments agree with that statement lol.
@@combofriend4461 The chief put him up against the wall (don't let her down, or she'll let him go) - so at the end he wasn't honest with her.
I mean, the main themes are pretty clear to me... Doesn't mean they were executed at their best, but I don't see how anyone can really be totally confused as to the point of this short?
Congrats sir on completing your short with such minimal equipment! It's not easy to create a short, let alone collaborate with a crew and be restricted to just a camera and some basic audio equipment so kudos to you!
I won't even comment on the audio because I'm not an expert in the field and it didn't look like you had a lot of equipment to work with. I will only comment on the pacing/editing. And take this with a grain of salt, please!
I felt that at certain times the pacing seemed a little slow for the mood. The idea is that this guy is in a new kitchen and struggling to cope with the way they do things (EDIT ABOUT THIS BELOW). Kitchens are hectic, stressful places so I think a little bit more energy would help.
A few cuts feel "off" to me. Mostly the cuts in between dialogue. At 0:15 seconds for example the cut to Olivia doesn't feel right. I think it's because all of dialogue stops in that moment and we just have an awkward cut to Olivia. The chef says her line, then you cut, then you cut back and the chef says "okay". I think the flow would have been better if the cut happened just before the chef finished saying "need anything" and then you had her saying "okay" while the camera had cut away to Olivia, then start to say "excellent let's get started..." then you can just cut back to the protagonist nodding at the chef as she finishes saying "on that omelet" and walks away. Then he almost bumps into Olivia and she rounds the corner with the giant pot. Right now the chef stands there awkwardly as that near miss with the pot happens.
The interaction between the protagonist and the chef cooking the noddles felt a little awkward as well. Mostly too long between lines. To be fair it does probably more accurately reflect the way people talk to one another but it just feels a bit awkward on film. And again I think it's a moment where a bit snappier editing would help the pacing a bit.
My favourite moment was the tracking shot of him putting the pan in the sink and walking at 2:25. The motion added a bit more energy which I think the rest of the short could have benefited from.
Final example I'll use is at 2:40 when the character off screen calls out the order. You have the protagonist and chef standing there listening in a wide shot whereas I think you would benefit from a quick cut of the person calling out the order, again just to add some more energy instead of those two standing still.
Overall though, like I said, well done. It's SO hard to shoot a film. Most people don't realize until they try to do it themselves. The planning of each shot and figuring out your composition, lens choice, how the cuts will work, whether you're crossing the 180 line etc it's very hard and takes time and practice, so good job! I'm sure you'll look back on this film in years to come and laugh at yourself. If you don't it means you're not improving and this is all part of the learning process :)
EDIT: It just occurred to me that perhaps you were telling the story of an experienced, jaded cook who has worked in many kitchens and perhaps doesn't like where he's ended up. In that case HIS pacing makes sense as he's somewhat lethargic and uninterested. As a result perhaps you could have drawn a bigger contrast between the energy and pace of the other chefs in the kitchen with him. Again, this is all just my two cents so take with a grain of salt!
Man, you don't know what "minimal equipment" means, also, it's not that hard to create a short film if you like and care about what you do.
@@filmtips6983 Despite what you may think, this was "minimal equipment". No professional audio equipment, no lighting, no stabilization. To any working professional that would constitute "minimal". And yes, it is hard to make a short film. Liking or caring about it doesn't make it easy. That's like saying "if you like soccer and care about the sport then it's not hard to become a professional." It takes practice, hard work, a lot of knowledge and a certain amount of natural talent/instincts. Out of curiosity have you created any short films? Entered them into festivals?
@@jasonwellings8896 Yes I have, but not in festivals. For me, minimal equipment means, a camera, an actor (even yourself), one or two locations (your house, or other public places) and a tripod. I believe that if your project is not that big, you need a very simple story, with not a lot of locations and actors, if you want to challenge yourself and make something big, then you better have a little more equipment. Also, no it's not that hard if you know how to write something simple. Nothing can magically become easy, but if you like the process of making films, you will have the disposition to overcome every obstacle that will stand in your way.
@@filmtips6983 people and locations are not equipment. He had a camera, and sound. That's as minimal as it gets.
@@marleymvm Alright, you have a point there.
Hi Simon,
Pros: simple story, it keeps you hooked till the end, nice resolution, good acting, easy to produce, nice script, credible and solid
Constructive feedback: message? I would expect him to revenge on her. What he did was a bit pointless right?
Keep the good work!
I think the message was, because she was being so strict and hard on him, things got sloppy. If she was nicer, he probably would have told her about the chicken being dropped on the floor and it wouldn't have been a problem, but he was afraid she'd get mad so he didn't tell her.
@@GoldenWolf248 wow how awe inspiring
"When he says first kitchen actually", and the water comes out the end of the tongues I started to laugh because ever chef knows not to do that when grabbing pasta from a pot for that same reason.
That was great for 1 camera and 1 mic. Definitely inspiring and helping the confidence. Thanks
I think what most people don't account for is that producing a film while simultaneously producing a TH-cam show about producing a film, is really tough. Congrats to you Simon, I'm loving what you're doing.
Spencer Lupul yes it’s tough, but does that make something immune to critique because of the context it was made in? Does knowing that it is hard to make a short film and run a TH-cam channel give the film better editing, sound or a more solid story structure?
Is this 24fps 1/48 ? Seems weird. Also lack sharpness noted. Finally why not using a more cinematic aspect ratio?
He said he wanted a more natural feel, and 2:35 aspect ratio would give a more 'hollywood' vibe
Its upsetting how poor this is.
Wachu mean by "poor"?
;(
the way I see it simon is only making films for his thought of "love filmmaking" Hes actually alot better at making philosophical videos on his other channels rather than videos like this
I'm pretty impressed with the result when the challenge was to use no lights, no bipod, no extra and no post with only a Nikon kamera.
Fortune Finder even if he had better equipment, but the story and pacing are the same. Its still gonna be crap
Fortune Finder But why does one challenge themselves when making a film? The challenge should not be in the equipment but in the quality of the story. I don’t understand why setting technical boundaries is important. If you want boundaries to challenge you, set them before you write a script.
The difference between being you tuber and being filmmaker is evident in this video
I think it’s evident as this is on TH-cam, and not in theaters.
The difference between a youtube commentator and a film critic is evident in your comment.
@@surfmunky7551 please explain your assumption and then I'll show you my big website about cinema
@@antoniesb4330 you don't see the irony in this?
@@surfmunky7551 The irony is that I'm a critic
I could feel what working in that kitchen is like. Full of sounds, not conversations. The guy next to you still feels like a stranger. And you do that for hours.
Generally pretty good - especially the sound design and blocking - impressive given the constraints.
Main bit of constructive feedback is that I think the framing could have been a lot tighter - there were quite a few shots with unnatural framing and tilted horizons for no clear reason.
Overall though I'm impressed.
Keep up the great work Simon. Filmmaking is not easy, and I admire your determination to not only create a film, but take us along for the process.
Looking forward to seeing how your career progresses as you continue to create more
Another commentary agreeing that expected more from you and found the story quite dull and non creative.
Wouldn't watch more than 1 minute if I wasn't following you for the last 3-4 years.
yeah sorry but it was a bit boring :o
Well done. I like the long pauses --- omelette/chicken dude won't be rushed. It's just his "training," as he would say. That and he's oblivious to the others' presence (they don't matter, their tools don't matter, their food prep doesn't matter, unless he wants to use it) in "his" kitchen (the way he moves in it). I knew the moment it plopped on the floor that he would plate the chicken. I didn't know he would put it back in the pan and so delicately picking off wee bits of floor stuff. I loved that. I loved it when he did. I loved his smug, self-satisfaction at not getting caught- yet. But he will. I want to see that scene, too.
There is a point where too much criticism gets in the way of progression, get what you need to know from this, what works, worked, what didn't, dismiss the pessimism riddled all over these comments, and continue. This isn't about creating your best work, this is about succeeding in your intentions. Everything is relative, including criticism. After re watching I loved the nice touch of foreshadowing and how the dialogue is written carefully to set the tone and details of the film. Is this a great job or "poor" blah blah, whatever, whats important is you take what you learned and continue, art is in the process, it is an inevitable endeavor and one we need to remind ourselves and be aware of when it comes to it. Thank you for your work and inspiration - Jon.
Yeah the criticism can be tough but the film industry is a million times worst. you just need to have thick skin, take it on the chin and grow which Im sure Simon will.
great job! I could feel the tension form being in the kitchen reallly well
Wow, I can't believe this comment section, suddenly filled with "film experts" lol. Made the mistake of reading the comments before and expected something totally bad. This was seriously amazing. I loved the story, definitely got a laugh out of me. The sounds made me feel like I was there. I could feel the main characters emotion. I loved the color grading! This was excellent, can't wait to see the next one. I wouldn't even say "this is good for what he had to work with." This is actually GOOD regardless.
By no stretch of the imagination was this "amazing." It left a lot to be desired and people are correct to point that out. Technical critique aside, the story had no resolution. All we learned was that this guy was a bad employee and that was already clear in the beginning.
Surprise 😲 ending. I thought the chef would kicked out. Excellent acting and direction.
5 minutes for an omelette?!?!!
Doesn't sound too unreasonable, if one doesn't want to have the brown diner-style kind. (But the end product did look like the diner-style kind, so you have a point...)
i know i'm late to the party, but it can easily take FAR longer for a good omelet. they are really...really annoying unless you want the diner style (as mentioned by alvincura) the really good ones are wroth the wait, though.
i hope you dont mind but there is too much background noise
I really don’t get all the negative feedback...everyone seems to believe that this is a Spielbergs film with million paid actors...this is what it feels shooting in a budget.Filmmaking is more complex than you think...for me it was a very good effort and idea for all the team especially Simon...some people who have worked inside a kitchen can understand the pressure of the work ... keep up Simon the good work some of us will follow your filmmaking path,after all it’s just a projected fantasy not the end of the world good job again 👍👏👏
everything looks great and all, good production etc. , nothing wrong with this film but I feel like you are better than this
Simon i have a question. Did you use manual focus?
I know the lens you used has focus by wire, I find it very uncomfortable
.
re-watched this recently, loved it. Good work Simon, again love the world cinema/documentary type feel/pacing, that's what I got from it.
As someone who works in a restaurant kitchen, I found this very relatable. I want to get into film and animation.
My first job was as a dishwasher about 7 years ago, and this really captured the tension of entering a new kitchen environment.I actually said, "Oh fuck." out loud when he grabbed the knife off of the other station.
On a second viewing, I wish there'd been a closeup of the chicken hitting the ground, though I do enjoy the setup and payoff with his first time missing the "behind" call. I also feel that while there was good dramatic tension between the characters, I didn't feel like the intensity of the kitchen matched up with the story. We were supposed to be entering a rush, but orders weren't actually coming in very quickly. I would have loved to see the kitchen team working on a few more orders simultaneously.
That said, you did some solid work. It was an interesting little slice of life production.
I actually quite enjoyed it. You can feel the tense working environment seeing everyone is trying so hard not to have a shouting match with your boss. The small room and the heat from the stove, knives being cut, this was quite clever and very, very believable. Great, great job.
The Sound Design / Story / Pacing had some short-comings but to create a film with limitations imposed on you by Nikon and to simultaneously create an advert to their specification in a tight time-frame isn't easy at all, so well done Simon.
Well done short. Not over done, feels like a slice of a kitchen crew I got to know.
I acutally love a lot about this short, its so plain simple and builds great tension without pointing that out too hard. The acting and blocking is on point, the cinematography is also very simple and fits the general tone very well. I only think the soundediting should have been done more exaggerated, because I couldnt experience the whole rush of the kitchen in that way. It felt to calm sometimes.
Also the pacing of the short didnt develop, I think it should have been faster in some moments, wich would have made the slow moments all the more powerful.
The whole scenario is well thought, character driven and I like it very much, even if its not a hundred plotpoints (5min short btw)
Nobody cares about color and cinematography unless Story comes first, Story is everything
Exactly......
Damn Simon I love the quality what camera and lighting equipment have you used?
Cadevisuals
Muito bom seu canal!
Adorei as dicas!
🔝🔝
Weird suggestion but I feel like improv would work well for a hectic kitchen
Been a long wait since your last proper short - worth it.
I love Simon's work ethic and all his bts vids and tutorials. But unfortunately this short is an example of, bad writing, bad sound design (didn't feel busy) and poor acting. Editing, colour grade, continuity are all on point. But man, I'm surprised there was even a script here, didn't feel like any kitchen I've worked in. Anyway as he says, he's learnt some valuable lessons and I'm sure the next one will be better! Keep it up Bro
Interesting that you think the sound design didn't feel busy enough - as the commenter above you thought it was trying to sound too busy. What makes you think that it didn't feel busy? (I'm just curious, I don't normally do sound design for projects so this was all new to me!)
@@jamie9926 It didn't feel busy because of a few reasons - Faked dynamics of the kitchen being the main one...Also the weird, forced urgency because he took more than 15 seconds to make an omelette etc. But in sound design terms, for example, you would have more 'Walla' which is like the indiscernible background chatter/crowd noise, in a busy kitchen you would generally hear that from the restaurant floor, plus people talk all the time in kitchens and it felt silent. Also you would have the noise from the KP washing up and stuff like that, the lack of those things didn't help. Also there's the fan, really loudly the whole way through.
Sound design: 10/10
Tension/relatability to the protagonist: 9/10
Conclusion: 6.5/10
Camera work: 10/10. Grading is great.
Felt like the only thing lacking was the “feel” of a busy kitchen, which could be due to dialogue pacing.
Thanks so much, Simon!
I worked in a kitchen a long time, I think you did a great job.
Worked with a lot of people like that guy.
I actually quite liked this film. The scenes were quite dense in that every actor was always in action, even off camera. The sound effects reinforce this nicely. It gives the feeling of Jeremy being only a small part of the kitchen. Jeremy is seen by the other chefs as entitled, irritating, maybe apathetic. But Jeremy feels surrounded by amateurs. With Olivia's garnish, Jeremy sees his efforts to improve the food quality is met with scolding, and his disregarding meaningless kitchen etiquette, a threat of being fired. Of course, this is all shown, not told. The dropped chicken is a character defining moment, in which Jeremy sacrifices the pursuit of quality in his work, feeling that such an effort is pointless. The consequences of his action are not relevant; the damage has already been done.
The colors are unsaturated, with the most colorful object in any scene often being Jeremy himself. The shots are neutral, not favoring either side of the conflict. The pacing is slow and deliberate, and I feel that most all of the scenes had to be included to charge the impact of the climax.
Just my personal thoughts.
Thanks you My chef 👌🏻💯
get some good story first
The shots and dialogue captures are good. The story is very nice also. The only thing I could see to improve is tightening the editing and flow. A bit too much dead air. Not a bad thing going forward because all you have to do is trim. With your permission, may I take the footage and edit it down further and send it to you?
I've already completed an edit an hour after I posted this comment. Managed to take 45 seconds off.
The cast has potential in acting even though the storyline fairly lacks it. Great work on every other aspect btw. Props for Simon!
great work, loved it. I think the pacing was quite refreshing, as it felt like what I would see in a world cinema film.
If a film tells more than it shows, its a good film. Especially the short films must have different format than feature films. If we adapt the components of feature format to short, the film becomes a shortcut of a feature format. As a result this was a really good short film in my opinion. I watch it again from time to time and every time it makes me feel something different. This time i thought about ''why its seems impossible to fix problems'' If the chef hadn't acted oppressive, the chicken that fell on the ground would not go to the customer. By the way the focal length of the majority of the shots made me feel the pressure the cook felt. I congraduate the team. As for the director: You have style Simon Cade!r
The film is now on IMDB :) www.imdb.com/title/tt10409892/
And this is why you don't hype yourself up
Yeah..
At least he has the grit and determination to actually create something and put it out into the world instead of leaving hateful comments on TH-cam all day.
@@ZachAshcraftPhotography I feel like you're forgetting that they were paid to make this. Many people have done a lot better with zero compensation and far less crew. Also, being a content creator does not make you immune to criticism from the average viewer.
@@samvalentine9243 There is a difference between helpful criticism and just being a jerk
@@ZachAshcraftPhotography there are tons of constructive comments on this video. Even the irony pointed out by this comment is pretty spot on. Simon made lots of how-to's before he ever actually completed a short. When he finally did it was clear that he didn't have as much of a handle on this stuff as his advice suggested.
seeing the short film after the bts added so much more layers and passion too it.
those kinds of short, but long tense emotional, films guide me to my path as a future filmmaker
Most politest kitchen ever.
Keep up the work Simon. You're miles in front of many people who are commenting on here including me. I do have my criticisms however it's key to remember that you're ACTUALLY DOING IT and not just dreaming it.
Grant
would love to see this filmed in a super nice, big kitchen and more time for the preperation, but still very impressive!
I think a lot could have been cut. We did not need to see him prepare an omelette from scratch for the audience to figure out he doesn't like his job. In fact, you did not need to have the actor to say that he won't be staying long, we get the vibe. You could have started with him finishing up on the omelette rather than making it from scratch and just with that small interaction, you can tell that both him and the head chef don't get along very well. When the chicken falls on the ground, if you were able to put a close up of his reaction, I think that would have been a bit better. And when he handed the chicken, I think it would have added a bit more if you had a close up of the head chef looking at the chicken and back at the main character (I don't know his name in the movie, but I know Olivia's name). I feel like if she stared at him for just the right time one second to two maximum would engage the audience just a tad bit. "Does she know he dropped it?" "Will she say anything about him dropping the chicken?" "What will happen?"
As for technicalities, I think visually it 'looks' pretty good in terms of lighting and color balance. As for composition, I think it would have been great to think twice about composition of some shots. Sound is definitely something you should work on. Yeah, I know in real life kitchens are way too loud but at the end of the day, it's a film, not real life. As in, you could have dialed back on the ambient noise and put more emphasis on the audio. There are cases where an inaudible dialogue works, like in the movie Prisoners. Another solution to the audio problem would be to have the actors yell, but given the tone it doesn't seem like a fit, unless you go for a more tense tone that is. Finally, editing: I feel like some scenes drag and other cutaways are too short and in some cases unnecessary.
In short: This felt more like a tutorial on how to make an omelette rather than just a short piece about a person who had just given up and stopped caring.
Plot twist: The new chef is married to the head chef. 😂💀
the cating is perfect, and loved the performance from the main lead. Could feel every emotion of all the characters
Could anyone tell me what the name of the font is, used in the short?
Well done Simon. I wish to see a feature film directed by you.
I am an amateur screenwriter myself and learned a lot from your other channel DSLR guide about narrative art.
Thank you for your wonderful tutorials.
about the film : yes it's short, simple and worth watching . but what i liked the most is how you projected the whole build up, challenges and work experience. it's like we were all crafting the movie with you at the same time and felt so lively. I may the not person to tell you how better you are as a filmmaker, but i can certainly tell you are one of the best teachers ☺️
Thank you ✔️
This film is so deep and philosophical, it changed my worldview, now my life is divided into before and after ...
I think I get what you were going for with the plot; that belittling an employee makes them decide to take shortcuts. I didn't know who I was supposed to empathize with, but I ended up rooting for the main character.
I feel like you could have told this story better in like a minute or even less. The way he's being treated could just be implied quickly with just a few subtle visual cues. Think of how certain commercials get us to empathize with characters.
I loved the long pauses, it really built tension for me. I was half expecting the guy to lose his shit with her, but was pleased to see he didn't. Overall good short film
Well done Simon and Team !! I liked the film and thought it had me guessing and feeling anxious, which I loved !
I watched the entire film at 1.25x maybe that can help with the comments and audience feeling it was a slow pace. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK
I know everyone is being critical because it is, simply put, not as intricate as a Hollywood picture, but this is very genuine and honestly very well done. The atmosphere (colors and sounds and the people) in combination with the tension the cook must have felt against a disagreeable temperament, we cannot help but sympathize. If anything this reminded me of Il Posto, those little situations we have to confront inevitably. I had a nice laugh, and it was worth my 6 minutes! :)
I think this hit a little harder than it should have. My girlfriend has PTSD from throwing up so much as a child after having a meal that wasn't cooked properly at a restaurant. It affects her to this day, and she's filled with constant anxiety, always worried about what she's eating and trying to eat as little as possible.
She's developed depression, anxiety, PTSD and body dismorphia from something so small as an undercooked chicken, and this will be with her for the rest of her life. Ignorance is never bliss.
For what you had and constraints, this was excellent!
Lol. Stop commenting about the story line, or how creative it was. Thats not the point of this short film at all, the whole point is to make a cinematic short film using only just a camera.
I don't get it. You make movies for like what - 10 years or so? It still looks very amateur. As a dop i'm talking about the cinematography only. Yeah, sure - there are lots of good shots as well, but you are certainly lacking some close-up's when they clearly should have been there. Also, dynamic scenes are not combined with the static one's very well. For an example 2:25 - talent is quickly heading somewhere, suggesting the viewier, that he will follow the action to the next room, where something unusual is probably going to happen(because of the shaky camera movement), but instead we are given a static shot in a completely different place. Too many wide shots, not enough shallow depth of field to separate the actor from the background. Apart from that - good framing/cropping(?), this part was done very well :) Overally - not bad, there are some things you need to work on, but I can see the progress and that's the most important thing. I'm sorry if I messed something up in terms of grammar mistakes - english is not my first language :P
Exellent storytelling. The fallen chicken gone to the customer. Whose fault was that? A good short film creates questions. What i watched was a short film that made by a mature director. Good work.
man the boss lady really struck close to home lmao, great short film :D
Hi Simon, I have always liked your work and approach. This must of been a difficult film to block. It was well shot and acted, lovely look to the film. You set up the conflict early and we all wanted to see how the story panned out. Just my personal opinion A 30 second back story on the chef, e.g. doing community service, or had a child to support would have given some depth to his personal plight. and why he needed the job to succeed. Maybe a co-worker seeing him drop the chicken but keeping quiet to support him would add some empathy and emotion. This is another lovely film from Cade visuals Well done. If I am also like any of your fans we hang out for every video you post. Your tutorials have helped me enormously in my filming career, 5 years in and I have the knowledge and skills of a filmmaker of many more years, all thanks to you.
Really enjoyed the ending of this. As a cook for the last 10 years I can definitely relate to being barked at by the chef for an order only to have some new guy bump into you and it hit the floor. That being said though I felt things could've been more accurately portrayed. The speed and intensity for instance. The cooks all seem far too calm and slow for this. While I did enjoy the story I felt that more research and time spent in a kitchen such as this would have helped showcase the intensity and aggressiveness of working in one.
I am a keen follower of your inspiring works. If i may make a suggestion, about the film, how about slowly building up the tension and pressure of a kitchen, especially the new chef, and how about ending the film at the exact moment of dropping the chicken to the floor, at the peak of all the tension? with a close up of the character's frightened face? How about keeping the audience guessing? about the climax?
honestly, i dont feel anything,I think you wanted to add background music.
I hope this comment won't get lost in the overwhelming number of negative criticism (some constructive) and that you'll get to read this Simon!:)
I understand some people's frustrations with this short but I also feel that it may be easy for us to say this and that about technique/pacing/script/etc. I can't say for sure but most of us probably haven't had the chance to try making and directing a short film ourselves.
I personally think that the script and main character are well done. You really feel that the protagonist is not in total love with his job, at least not in the rush of it and the teamwork aspect. He doesn't care enough to communicate or follow etiquette and thinks of this as a passing job, probably just like the numerous previous occupations he has held. (And personally I imply a sense of surprise on his face when his co-worker said that this job is his first and that he has been here for 2 years, as if that's impossible).
I think that you've done a great job and that this massive amount of negativity wasn't fair.
I was definitely feeling the heat from the kitchen, good job mate!
Well donde Simon! However, I think a there's lot of wide shots. You could have used some close ups or medium shots and a higher pace in the editing to highlight that felling of disgust between the main characters. Sorry english is not my natal language haha. You should watch Café Paraíso by Alonso Ruizpalacios it 's very alike your short film.
Really good short film Simon.
I did like the story but was expecting a bit more on the production quality as well. Still very good though.
The end was really well thought and give quiet of a nice message in my opinion. You can't obtain anything positive from people by threatening them and being agressive.
About the sound ; maybe next time you could add some extra sounds (sometimes I can barely hear footsteps or stuff like that when I expect hearing them a bit louder). Still really good job on the sound recording tho, just a detail :)
Great job!
Absolutely love films like this. Realistic and tell a relatable story. All leading up to a smile at the end! Well done! Hello from Minnesota!
😳 Where was that place? 😉
Love the minimal gear approach and demonstrates a story can be told without a lot of gear. Btw, way to go with blending a short story BTS and product review.
Great job by the crew and extra props to the prod assist. When you need milk, you need milk!
Wasn't going to comment as I'm no expert film maker and the one short film I helped make (wasn't my own) was terrible. Wanna start of with a colour grade trick I like to use and that's to use a LUT called W-9270. You can search it on TH-cam and download it. I like to add an adjustment layer above the video then apply it to that then I colour grade on the actual footage or another adjustment layer to finish the grade off. It does something to the colours that make the video look like it came from a high end cinema camera like the Alexa. Sometimes though it can be over powering depending on the footage hence why I like to put it on it's own adjustment layer then control the opacity if needed I also sometimes like to cool the white balance a bit too depending on the original shot. Try it with this film it'll look way more cinematic.
Some constructive criticism though, the acting seemed a bit off. Again I'm no acting expert by any means but just didn't get the feeling from the head chef that it was urgent, the kitchen itself didn't seem that busy either not entirely sure if it was the acting or something else. Think some of the camera angles could have been a little better too in some shots as just didn't feel cinematic I'm still trying to figure out what truly makes a film seem cinematic unless it's just the magic of Alexa cameras but then It's most likely a mixture of lens choice, lighting, set design, sound design, costume design, acting etc etc. I'm yet to find a DSLR short film that feels like a hollywood movie something is always missing and I can never quite put my finger on it.
Hats off to you though for completing it. Story line was engaging as you wanted to see where it lead however the ending could have been stronger imo was hoping that he gets sh*t on by the head chef and nagged but then manages to make a really good meal and the head chef realizes that actually he's a good asset to the kitchen or something along those lines. Be interesting to see how much better this would look with lighting as I think the challenge itself is a bit stupid. Sure they're trying to show off the camera's capabilities but it'll never look as good as when you set up the lighting. Even Alexa camera's will look crap without proper lighting and they use stupidly expensive lighting setups (probably why it's hard for amateur film makers to make a film feel/look cinematic).
Keep up the good work though Simon, I've learnt a lot from your videos and enjoy watching bts videos of you making your short films.
Really promising premise here, yet feels very empty. Is this supposed to be dramatic, funny, intense? I lacks any energy. The pauses in between lines felt very unnatural and awkward. also the shots lingered just too long. There are a couple interesting shot choices here, but they could have been expanded upon much more. The shot of the camera following the main character into the back room would have been a lot more interesting if it followed him all the way in and back out, instead of stopping suddenly and killing the energy. Also, you really shouldn't have used a wide shot to show the chicken getting knocked onto the floor. Come in close with the camera. Make the audience feel cramped and uncomfortable like the chef. Show the chicken actually hitting the floor instead of just showing us the chef's back. Audio definitely needed some fine tuning as well. Background ambient noise shouldn't overpower your dialogue. Would have been an inspired choice to slowly have the background noise get louder as the film progressed, increasing the discomfort of the main character and your audience. Lots of potential here, but I just don't get the point. Could have used much tighter editing, but it definitely isn't horrible or anything. Keep working at it!
There was no story, no character development, and camera work did not feel professional. I know you couldn’t use tripods etc. This was just not that great, sorry man.
I've been watching Simon for years and I have to agree. I didn't know what the whole thing was all about. What was the theme? Work-related stress? I don't get it. For a film which was meant to portray the frantic pace and environment of a kitchen, the editing was slow and dull. Yeah?
@@maiasdad just sponsored by nikon for this short film i guess
Jankiest kitchen ever, renovated spare room
Love it! Well done!
I loved the pacing. I felt the tension through-out the film even though I didn't get the payoff I expected. I quite like that though. I think often times our criticism of new media arts is warped in our conception of how the art form exists in other spaces. as a true appreciator of the art of video as time art, I appreciate this. thank you for sharing.
I really enjoyed this. That end shocked me. But I really was pulled in the whole film.