Bonnie Gross: I really enjoyed “New Boy” by Steph Green. Although the plot line at first was very predictable, new kid in class gets bullied; it took a different approach on it. I thought that the little boy actors were pretty good. Overall the short kept me interested and feeling connected to the main character. The flashbacks really added to the story, and made it interesting.
I really liked the cinematography of this short. There were many scene were really good depth of field. This added to the feelings of alienation that the main character felt being the new kid. They also did that thing were they focus on one characters face and shift the focus to another character’s face in the middle of a shot. I thought this really added to the cinematography of the film. This was one of my favorites this year.
I thought this film was very well shot and had an endearing storyline although I didn't quite get a full punch of an emotional effect from it. The child actors were wonderful although the teacher bothered me a bit, it seemed like she had almost too much dialogue to say and it would have been more effective if there was less.
I enjoyed the differences visually of the African schoolhouse compared to the one Joseph was at now. It seemed to be brighter and more saturated. I thought the flash backs were at very appropriate times. My favorite scene was when the two boys were about to fight ans exchanging so much with their eyes.
I felt a few things for this film although they were sort of scattered and I didn't get a clear sense of what it was trying to say except that Joseph finally found some happiness in this new place with laughter. Overall, I enjoyed the film but it didn't have a lasting effect.
Kaitlin: I really enjoyed, New Boy, by Steph Green. It’s probably one of the best short films we watched this semester. I believe this short had great storyline, although at sometimes it was predictable. My favorite part of this short, is the flashbacks to Joseph’s old school in Rwanda. This really helped to communicate the story to audiences and explain Joseph’s character because Joseph is very quiet and we finally figure out why. The set designer did a great job making sure both schools looked different; poor vs. wealthy. I believe this short was about Joseph finding happiness, because it seems like he has become very upset and depressed since his father’s death. So, the last scene with the three boys was my favorite because Joseph is finally laughing again. I thought the acting in this short was very good, especially the teacher who becomes very annoying towards the end. The cinematography was good, including all the focus shots on the boy’s faces. In my opinion, short like this could be turned into a feature length film because we want to know why the dad was killed in the first place, and why Joseph was brought to this particular school. So, they are many ways you can expand this story, which I would be eager to see.
Joel: New Boy was a good short. Wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to finish watching it if Joseph would have just keep taking all the picking. I like how the ending showed how sometimes the most unlikely people can become your friends. Without the flashback scenes this short would have just been about school kids learning how to overcome differences. With the flash backs It's more of a overcoming the loss of a father and finding the same joy joseph had before. Over all it was a very well shot short.
"New Boy" was such a nice and fluffy piece. Even though it was made in another country, all people who have gone through school can relate to this story of being the new boy or girl in class or meeting a new boy our girl. I liked how they used the different ethnicities to further emphasize how new Joseph is. The two best characters were the little girl and Christian. They both gave me an emotional reaction. The little girl was very cute and open-minded and I wanted to punch Christian, he needs a good old-fashion butt whooping.
In terms of camera work, they used depth of field in almost every shot. From changing from character to character in the classroom and even in the playground area. When Joseph walked by the brick wall into the playground area, it was a little fuzzy to me but that was because I could see that the focus was on the brick wall. The production crew also executed the flashback very well, it fit well with the movie and helped move it along.
The most touching scene was when Joseph had a flashback of being in the classroom with his father when the rebels came and executed his father and how they transition into the thrown milky substance . That was really good. Overall I enjoyed the piece it made me smile at the end.
New boy was a short but a sweet video. It followed the story of a young boy, Joseph, from Rwanda trying to fit in and get along in a school in Ireland. It cuts back and forth between the classroom in Ireland and a flashback of Joseph in a class with his father teaching. The other kids at the Irish school treat him in a mixed way, mostly making fun of him, while the teacher just isn’t sure what to make of the new student. He comes into conflict with another student, who menacingly tries to provoke him. They have a confrontation outside the school that ends in a standoff, with Joseph ominously holding the other boy’s finger, as if to break it. The teacher breaks it up, and tries to discipline them outside the class. A girl tries to intervene on Joseph’s behalf, and ends up have a short but amusing back and forth with the teacher. This causes Joseph and the other boy to laugh, flashing back to a scene with Joseph laughing with his father, which seems to indicate that he will get along and be happy in his new home, despite sticking out. The cinematography is actually quite powerful, using a subtle low-key lighting scheme that reflects off of different characters’ faces. There is also a good display of backlighting, and other shots that maintain a strangely emotional quality, despite the simplicity of the shots. The voices have accents, Irish and Rwandan, that are noticeable and mildly distracting, but don’t break immersion in the film. The music is mostly from a strange string instrument playing a wistful sounding song that sounds possibly Rwandan or something similar. The acting was good, though I felt that the teacher was a little wooden. The child actors were excellent. Overall, it was a good film, and I’m glad that I watched it.
Bonnie Gross: I really enjoyed “New Boy” by Steph Green. Although the plot line at first was very predictable, new kid in class gets bullied; it took a different approach on it. I thought that the little boy actors were pretty good. Overall the short kept me interested and feeling connected to the main character. The flashbacks really added to the story, and made it interesting.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the cinematography of this short. There were many scene were really good depth of field. This added to the feelings of alienation that the main character felt being the new kid. They also did that thing were they focus on one characters face and shift the focus to another character’s face in the middle of a shot. I thought this really added to the cinematography of the film. This was one of my favorites this year.
Lauren Musgrove:
ReplyDeleteI thought this film was very well shot and had an endearing storyline although I didn't quite get a full punch of an emotional effect from it. The child actors were wonderful although the teacher bothered me a bit, it seemed like she had almost too much dialogue to say and it would have been more effective if there was less.
I enjoyed the differences visually of the African schoolhouse compared to the one Joseph was at now. It seemed to be brighter and more saturated. I thought the flash backs were at very appropriate times. My favorite scene was when the two boys were about to fight ans exchanging so much with their eyes.
I felt a few things for this film although they were sort of scattered and I didn't get a clear sense of what it was trying to say except that Joseph finally found some happiness in this new place with laughter. Overall, I enjoyed the film but it didn't have a lasting effect.
Kaitlin: I really enjoyed, New Boy, by Steph Green. It’s probably one of the best short films we watched this semester. I believe this short had great storyline, although at sometimes it was predictable. My favorite part of this short, is the flashbacks to Joseph’s old school in Rwanda. This really helped to communicate the story to audiences and explain Joseph’s character because Joseph is very quiet and we finally figure out why. The set designer did a great job making sure both schools looked different; poor vs. wealthy. I believe this short was about Joseph finding happiness, because it seems like he has become very upset and depressed since his father’s death. So, the last scene with the three boys was my favorite because Joseph is finally laughing again. I thought the acting in this short was very good, especially the teacher who becomes very annoying towards the end. The cinematography was good, including all the focus shots on the boy’s faces. In my opinion, short like this could be turned into a feature length film because we want to know why the dad was killed in the first place, and why Joseph was brought to this particular school. So, they are many ways you can expand this story, which I would be eager to see.
ReplyDeleteJoel: New Boy was a good short. Wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to finish watching it if Joseph would have just keep taking all the picking. I like how the ending showed how sometimes the most unlikely people can become your friends. Without the flashback scenes this short would have just been about school kids learning how to overcome differences. With the flash backs It's more of a overcoming the loss of a father and finding the same joy joseph had before. Over all it was a very well shot short.
ReplyDeleteNia Barnes:
ReplyDelete"New Boy" was such a nice and fluffy piece. Even though it was made in another country, all people who have gone through school can relate to this story of being the new boy or girl in class or meeting a new boy our girl. I liked how they used the different ethnicities to further emphasize how new Joseph is. The two best characters were the little girl and Christian. They both gave me an emotional reaction. The little girl was very cute and open-minded and I wanted to punch Christian, he needs a good old-fashion butt whooping.
In terms of camera work, they used depth of field in almost every shot. From changing from character to character in the classroom and even in the playground area. When Joseph walked by the brick wall into the playground area, it was a little fuzzy to me but that was because I could see that the focus was on the brick wall. The production crew also executed the flashback very well, it fit well with the movie and helped move it along.
The most touching scene was when Joseph had a flashback of being in the classroom with his father when the rebels came and executed his father and how they transition into the thrown milky substance . That was really good. Overall I enjoyed the piece it made me smile at the end.
Hampton:
ReplyDeleteNew boy was a short but a sweet video. It followed the story of a young boy, Joseph, from Rwanda trying to fit in and get along in a school in Ireland. It cuts back and forth between the classroom in Ireland and a flashback of Joseph in a class with his father teaching. The other kids at the Irish school treat him in a mixed way, mostly making fun of him, while the teacher just isn’t sure what to make of the new student. He comes into conflict with another student, who menacingly tries to provoke him. They have a confrontation outside the school that ends in a standoff, with Joseph ominously holding the other boy’s finger, as if to break it. The teacher breaks it up, and tries to discipline them outside the class. A girl tries to intervene on Joseph’s behalf, and ends up have a short but amusing back and forth with the teacher. This causes Joseph and the other boy to laugh, flashing back to a scene with Joseph laughing with his father, which seems to indicate that he will get along and be happy in his new home, despite sticking out.
The cinematography is actually quite powerful, using a subtle low-key lighting scheme that reflects off of different characters’ faces. There is also a good display of backlighting, and other shots that maintain a strangely emotional quality, despite the simplicity of the shots. The voices have accents, Irish and Rwandan, that are noticeable and mildly distracting, but don’t break immersion in the film. The music is mostly from a strange string instrument playing a wistful sounding song that sounds possibly Rwandan or something similar. The acting was good, though I felt that the teacher was a little wooden. The child actors were excellent.
Overall, it was a good film, and I’m glad that I watched it.