FEEDBACK SAMPLE
"CHROMOPHOBIA"
The director of Chromophobia wanted to receive honest feedback and get a deeper understanding of how the viewers interpret his film.
You can watch the film below and read a sample of the feedback the filmmaker received below, or you can read the feedback in Excel.
FEEDBACK #3
Age - 32
Gender - Male
Profession - Writer
Did you like the film?
Very much
Anything you'd like more of?
I’d just like to see more! This was a nice tease to larger story. I’d love to get more background on Dr. Haver and Arthur, and also see what happens next.
Were there any moments/scenes you particularly liked? (Please list and explain)
I wouldn’t say there was a particular moment that stood out, but overall, the scenes meshed well together and were interesting. If I did have to pick one moment that caught my interest more than the rest, then I’d say when Dr. Haver visits Arthur’s studio. I felt a great sense of mystery and some suspense during that scene.
Were there any moments/scenes you particularly disliked, or felt didn't work? (Please list and explain)
No, I didn’t think there was anything that didn’t work in terms of plot/characters, and I liked the film overall.
Were there any moments you felt annoyed or frustrated by the movie? (Please list and explain)
I wouldn’t say I was “annoyed” by this, but at around the 33-second mark (right near the beginning of the film), we see the camera pan away from a dead Edward Wilkins on the bed. However, his eyes very visibly blink twice during the shot. I wonder if that’s something that can be corrected in After Effects?
Were you confused at any given time? (Please list and explain)
I wouldn’t say I was confused, but I certainly had questions, such as: What is the significance of Edward Wilkins? Was he connected to Arthur or Dr. Haver in a significant way? In other words, why choose Edward over any other patient under Dr. Haver’s care? Additionally, I’m curious about the background of both Dr. Haver and Arthur, although I’m not particularly confused by them. Finally, I wonder what type of impact the medication Dr. Haver was prescribing to Arthur had on him.
If this film was going to be expanded into a feature film, what part of the story would interest you to see expanded most? Please explain why.
As previously mentioned, I’d just like to see the full story of Dr. Haver and Arthur. This is definitely a fascinating concept and I think it should be explored more deeply through a feature film if possible.
How would you explain Arthur's character?
It’s tough to explain him fully as there’s some background information we don’t have, but from my perspective, he’s a gifted artist/painter who suffers from a fear of colors. Perhaps there was an incident in his past, possibly related to his work or not, that may have had a colorful and potentially harmful impact on his mental health. As mentioned before, I also wonder how medication is impacting Arthur as well. I also wonder what other gifts he may possess — are his paintings able to predict the future and/or allow him a glimpse into the past?
How would you explain Arthur's powers and what part of his power would you like to see more of?
I don’t know if I’d classify Arthur’s abilities as “powers” just yet, which is why I’m curious to know more about him. I wonder if he is the one dictating what happens, or if he’s merely painting visions that will pass or have already come to pass. In other words, did he kill Wilkins through some type of “power,” or was he simply painting a vision that he saw that would come to pass (where his abilities have no direct influence on anyone)?
What do you think is happening with Dr. Haver's character?
I’m not entirely sure here, but am most eager to find out more. My thought while watching the end of the film is that seeing Wilkins’ body after he committed suicide triggered fear in Dr. Haver, as she may have recalled the moment in her childhood when her own mother seemingly committed suicide. I wonder if she fears the same fate as her own mother (committing suicide herself), which could explain why she decided to become a psychiatrist herself.
If Arthur's character were a figment of Dr. Haver's psyche and Dr. Haver was actually a patient — would you find this to be a predictable story twist?
Based on the current film, I would say no, it wouldn’t be predictable. However, at the same time, I don’t think it would be satisfying to have Arthur as a figment of her psyche without further explanation/details provided to the viewer.
Is there a direction the story might go that you would suggest would be very unexpected?
I wouldn’t say this would be “unexpected” or “unpredictable,” but it may be interesting to develop Arthur in a way that suggests to the viewer that he does have potential powers and may play a role in the deaths of others, but in reality, he just has a gift that allows him to visualize things that have already happen or will happen in the future. Therefore, in his relationship with Dr. Haver, while she’s the doctor and he is the patient, his goal may actually be to try to help her overcome her own fear of ending up like her mother. So in essence, the two would help each other overcome their fears, but to the audience/viewer, you could drum up a great deal of mystery (like you already have) by suggesting Arthur has the power to kill people just by adding color to a painting. Just a thought!
Any other comments or feelings about the film?
The only other thing I’d say is be careful with some of the drone/music tracks that are used over dialogue in the film. For example, at the end of the film, starting around the 10:30 mark, the track that’s playing seems slightly louder than it needs to be, and it makes it a tad bit more difficult to decipher the dialogue. I always feel the dialogue needs to be the most important sound that’s heard for the viewer so we don’t miss out on information. Often times, particularly in horror films, it seems like the filmmakers try to overcompensate when it comes to drone tracks, where in actuality, often less is more. This isn’t a huge deal by any stretch of the imagination in chromoPHOBIA (and it may have been an issue on my end because I listened to the film with headphones), but just something to keep in mind if you make any further edits or revisions. Great job though! This is clearly a film directed by a talented filmmaker!