A musician takes the stage with his cousin Steve at the open mic night at the Egg & Sparrow; the audience is not the most receptive perhaps but there is an even bigger obstacle to Tom's performance – his own self- doubt and fear.
This short film works very well on both the levels it sets out on. The content of the short is simple but very effective as we see a very believable and convincing internal battle between two voices, both of which are Tom inside his own head. As one voice tries to find positive the other is brutally factually about the unimportance of Tom's life and his failure thus far as a singer. This discussion is well written and engaging and also heads to a nice conclusion which is small but perfectly formed. The content itself makes the film good but the delivery cements it as one worth seeing. The stop motion animation is as creative as it is simple – we don't have great backdrops or sets, we have the internal blackness and character-focus of memories and thoughts. Visually it works really well and compliments the material.
The characters themselves are very good looking models with plenty of expression in their eyes and very smooth movements; you really can see the doubt in Tom's body posture and in his eyes, neither of which is easy to do when you are essentially working with a doll that is being moved millimeter by millimeter. I loved the animation of their hair as well, with its movement and life, which added to the characters. The fading in and out of characters and memories and the easy transition between internal and external was also well done – technically and in terms of the narrative. Mackenzie Crook deserves credit for supporting this small British short (he is getting regular film work now) but to be honest his credit should really be for a very good performance since he is convincing as both the awkward nervous Tom and the impatient and dismissive Tom. The voice of young Tom isn't credited here on IMDb but the credits on the film list him as Jude Crook (Mackenzie's son) and, although he only has a few lines he sells the timid look of his character with an equally timid and unsure voice. A very enjoyable short film from Henderson that is well worth checking out.
This short film works very well on both the levels it sets out on. The content of the short is simple but very effective as we see a very believable and convincing internal battle between two voices, both of which are Tom inside his own head. As one voice tries to find positive the other is brutally factually about the unimportance of Tom's life and his failure thus far as a singer. This discussion is well written and engaging and also heads to a nice conclusion which is small but perfectly formed. The content itself makes the film good but the delivery cements it as one worth seeing. The stop motion animation is as creative as it is simple – we don't have great backdrops or sets, we have the internal blackness and character-focus of memories and thoughts. Visually it works really well and compliments the material.
The characters themselves are very good looking models with plenty of expression in their eyes and very smooth movements; you really can see the doubt in Tom's body posture and in his eyes, neither of which is easy to do when you are essentially working with a doll that is being moved millimeter by millimeter. I loved the animation of their hair as well, with its movement and life, which added to the characters. The fading in and out of characters and memories and the easy transition between internal and external was also well done – technically and in terms of the narrative. Mackenzie Crook deserves credit for supporting this small British short (he is getting regular film work now) but to be honest his credit should really be for a very good performance since he is convincing as both the awkward nervous Tom and the impatient and dismissive Tom. The voice of young Tom isn't credited here on IMDb but the credits on the film list him as Jude Crook (Mackenzie's son) and, although he only has a few lines he sells the timid look of his character with an equally timid and unsure voice. A very enjoyable short film from Henderson that is well worth checking out.