Two bullets

Two bullets is an animated short film clip about a hit man (woman) who takes out two targets.
I have used after effects and fcpx in the making of it.

This is a different style of animation from your last samurai Showdown . In some ways this feels a bit more complete or like more of a finished product. However, there are certain aspects of Showdown I liked, one being the mix of real footage mixed with animation (the sky shots with moving clouds).

Here the rain is very effective, as is the kind of blurry throbbing we see in the figures. Showdown had a less polished look to the figures, but the style felt more original, this one appearing like a lot of Japanese anime. But perhaps that's your intention. Again the choice of music works well. The dividing of the screen into narrow strips, I think works here, the killer has a very narrow field of view & purpose. This technique is ideal for the shape of the gun & path of the bullets. Speaking of which, the second time we see the trajectory from left to right thru the rainbow, it feels like you skimped & used the exact same frames again. Reminiscent of the old Hanna-Barbera animations where cars would continually drive past the exact same background, I feel a bit cheated when I see that now-a-days, thus interest levels drop. Simply darkening the colors or changing the rainbow to something else (clouds, rain, both) could have breathed new life into that section.

Once again you're continuing with the theme of blood & death. Alright, I know it's a popular topic, though not the most uplifting. Don't be afraid to add some thematic contrast. For instance, this time the assassin is a woman, how about at the end of her mission, she picks a flower & puts it in her hair? A tiny touch like that can offset the single thematic track with an interesting twist, adding depth to the character. Of course it doesn't have to specifically be a flower, but you get the idea, something so small can build an entire separate dimension to your protagonist. Remember, your audience, indeed all people are drawn to things that are not instantly comprehended. We all love a bit of mystery in our interest, spice elevates bland.

About the blood. In Showdown, I liked the way you did the blood dripping at the end of his sword-fight. Here we go with red instead of black, the latter had a certain dramatic quality which fit the piece, here with the red splatters, I think we might go a bit overboard. Perhaps we don't need blood at the moment she pulls the trigger, maybe if we saved that until the moment of impact it might add something. Often times, less is more.

Sure, I get it, the actual rifle report signifies death, but if we showed that shot in a different light, we might lift out of the single track again.

Think of it this way, our hit-woman is in the dark & gray world of rain & wind, she sites her shot & as she squeezes the trigger, there is something that happens to her emotional vision. Not sure if this would work but I wouldn't mind a kind of dark smokey vignette coming in as the sound of the rifle crack fills the soundtrack. Maybe even if the smoke formed the subtle shape of a skull, sinister & dark. Yet at the moment of her kill, there is a restoration of clarity, she sees clearly again. Of course, we've slowed time, those moments of death only exist for her in the brief moment as the bullet travels. Maybe here the rainbow passage doesn't fit as well...

With the moment of impact; when we see the red splatter, I wouldn't mind if it began in that crimson red but quickly turned darker shades.

Speaking of guns, I don't like the rifle scope view, in particular all the little round circles. Preferring instead a more traditional set of crosshairs with incremental lines of measurement. As this is not my area of expertise, I had to just go & do a quick search, where I found the "mil dot" style which you depict is an actual form of the modern scope. In your film, the many dots in the scope's viewfinder are too close to the red laser dot that appears on target one, & worse still as the dots that appear on target two's cap (or whatever that is on his head).

In this picture, though the white detracts from our conceptual theme, this style scope seems more technical, with a higher degree of precision, thus emotionally colder. Also a sniper has to take into account many atmospheric conditions thus a more technical scope is their choice out of necessity. This page has many to choose from.




Wouldn't have minded some closeup insert shots, maybe an identifying photo of her target she drops in a puddle, or maybe a gun tucked in the waistband of one her her targets which would raise his danger levels & help us understand & accept why he has to be eliminated. Even a scar on a cheek, a triad tattoo on the back of his hand, all of these types of markers help the audience justify his execution.

Your work's improving, Ogrindo, thank you for sharing it with us.

Looking forward to your next project.









J. Matthew
Global•Watch•Media•Consulting
www.GWM2.com

@GlobalWatchM3

Thank you once again for your comments! Yes this is another style of animation as you said, more japanese anime style. I just wanna say that I really appreciate that you taking the time to really analyze my projects! I do learn a lot from it! Thank you Trix Trax9000!

You're welcome, Ogrindo. It's a refreshing change round here to chat with someone who can accept different thoughts & views on their work, & actually considers them. Seems these days, most just seek validation with "likes," clicks, hits, thumbs up & comments like "Wow, dude, you're awesome!"

Unable or unwilling to hear different perspectives, destroys creativity & seals a filmmaker in a cell with little chance of escape.

Our attitude determines our altitude.

The varied styles you exhibit, Ogrindo, are testimony to your flexibility.
So, naturally, we encourage you to stretch even more...