Dustin Bennett: "Glory at Sea" is a short film that I think does everything right. The framing and camera movement match the mood of each scene perfectly, moving slowly and calmly underwater and frantically during a street celebration. The on-location shooting is fantastic as well. One particularly striking shot I remember shows people on the beach as the greenish-brown fog makes a distant theme park in the background into a silhouette.
Maybe best of all is music. It simultaneously covers a wide range of emotions while hitting each one with impact, and it really feels like something special. I fully intend to listen to it again later on its own. (Thankfully I've found it on Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/user/shinra88/playlist/6asFl6J0yZ5JSVihtMt6p3)
Overall, Glory at Sea is a treat both to look at and listen to, and I think maybe the perfect film to close this year's screenings out on.
Cameron Panhans: "Glory at Sea" is a short film directed by Benh Zeitlin that tells the story of a group of survivors following a deadly storm. Throughout the film you can see the wreckage that this storm has left behind. The entire film seems to have a sort of low quality filter over the shots that helps further this sense of wreckage. The viewer can almost feel that something eery has recently occurred while watching the film due to the film's look and feel. While watching the film I noticed that the director could have been making a reference to the novel "A Streetcar Named Desire" with the street sign floating in the water reading "Elysian Fields". The voiceovers and narration in the film are also particularly powerful. The words coming from the pastor and the young boy are moving and help draw the viewer in and make the film even more captivating.
Alex Cherry: “Glory at Sea” explores narrative storytelling in a different, intriguing way. The main storyteller is a young boy who is never identified. He speaks with near-omniscience, as he is aware of all the figures in the town and what happens to them and how they behave. His narrative presence creates an aura of confusion and mystery, as it is unclear what exactly the boy is speaking about for a variety of reasons. He speaks with the simplicity of a child, which can sometimes cause haziness of understanding. “I went down to the bottom of the ocean where the dead people go,” he says in the beginning of the piece. However, his simplicity at other points provides clarity, and so there is a distinct balance between the two. It becomes unclear how much we can trust the child as a reliable narrator, as he seems to know a lot about some subjects and not a lot about others. He knows much about his dad and other people in the village, however, the man who washes up on shore (at least in the beginning) is a mystery. Overall, having a child tell the main narrative arc of the short creates intrigue and allows the viewer to see the story from someone else’s perspective other than their own, which in this case aids the story in its uniqueness.
Evan Price: Glory at Sea tells a bittersweet tale of loss and reunification. Subsiding on a mostly narrative structure with minimal dialogue, it manages to tell a story that I felt like I had experienced over a lifetime. Firstly, I'd like to focus on the soundtrack. The film did a wonderful job of blending the main theme with on-screen sounds, starting with trumpets or piano that we, the viewers, could see, and then melding it into the main score for the film. The tune was adventurous and bittersweet. Combine that with the imagery of a junk-boat on the ocean, and a certain aesthetic is produced that I find strangely beautiful and eye opening. There was a unique way that it made me feel like I knew every character intimately, although for some we may not have even gotten a name. I cared for each, knowing not much more than one or two quirks that they have and learning each item that survived the flood that they cared about. As such, I rooted for them, even though I put together partway through that they intended to sail to their own demise. However, I was not saddened, as much as I was relieved or maybe, like, accepting. It delivers a beautiful ode to humanity, and the lives that we control however we see fit, and how we respond in the face of disaster and loss.
Alex Smith: Glory at Sea! is a short film that centers around the victims of a horrible storm that took loved ones away from them. The plot is kicked off by a man, who was thought to have been lost in the storm, that washed up on shore near the town. He and the community began to work together to build a boat to take them to that part in the sea where the lost ones were residing. What rung out to me in this short film was the sense of community and the relationships they all had with one another. The theme of togetherness and reunification resounds in this film with the uplifting music that plays when the community worked together to find the lost ones. With the tones of the relationships and the somewhat bittersweet ending, this film gave me a sense of satisfaction and complacency, as the passing of these characters felt to them. This film deserves a watch by anyone who comes across it.
Glory at Sea! is a very inspiring short story that relates back to the horrible storm in New Orleans. We are treated with lots of emotion, anxiety, and fulfillment as we was the devastating affects of a hurricane. Some of the shots seemed to be perfectly placed overall and the camera focus was on point. Alot of the film was shot underneath the water, which can cause filter issues, but thtat made it all the better. The plot all kind of comes full circle as a man looks to go back and save his girlfriend. He takes the whole community with him so that they can also find there love ones and creates the dramatic mood throughout the film. This film kind of reminds us how the loss of family members can really impact our lives as a whole and creates the sense of urgency to always embrace the ones we love.
Phillip Spain: "Glory At Sea" by Benh Zeitlin is a very interesting and well made short film that tells a tale of loss and reunification, with a very bittersweet ending. The tone is influenced heavily by the soundtrack, which helped keep the tone from being morbidly depressing despite the subject matter, but instead gave it a touch of sweetness and satisfaction, making what could have easily been a very depressing ending instead a touching, almost joyful moment despite the circumstances. The film did a wonderful job of treading the line between being depressing and being sweet and joyful, combining tones to make it a very interesting and powerful film.
Maddie Kennedy: "Glory at Sea!" by Benh Zeitlin had a lot of powerful elements that came together to create a very moving and well done short film. I really enjoyed the film on a visual and auditory level, but for some reason the story was kind of hard for me to follow. It was interesting to see that it was created by the same people as Beasts of the Southern Wild, which I'd seen previously and enjoyed. As I think some other people mentioned, the soundtrack was really excellent and really tied the film together and was well integrated with the narration. The film had an effective aesthetic as well, with the handheld footage and the underwater shots. I can definitely see why it was so well received at the New Orleans Film Festival.
Zach Andry: Glory at Sea is the story of a group of survivors shipwrecked after a storm. It is unclear how long they have been there but based on the way they act I would venture to say a descent about of time. The survivors put value in things that make no sense a burnt out car, a bed, a bath tub. For what ever reason all of these thing had to come on the raft.
The underwater scenes i didn't really understand. From what I can tell the built the raft to go back to the location of the wreck so they can all die there too. They showed all the people down there still alive but I don't think the actually were. The scene and props were amazing the boat was awesome and you could tell where they had piled on all their precious belongings. Overall I would say it was shot well but I didn't really care for the story.
The very beginning is really interesting. The viewer has no idea what is going on, so he or she has to really pay attention to what the girl is saying and also pay attention to the visuals on screen. I really really like this short film. The devastating environmental destruction is such a real hard hitting reality in life so the viewer can relate to the chaos and hardships going on in the movie. While at the same time they are watching a love story play out and learning about this "devil" that walked out of the sea and seeing where he and the story go next. All of the supporting characters add a strange plot development that almost doesn't seem necessary to the story at first; however, since it is being told through the girls point of view, it does have relevance, and they do end up developing the story. This story shows the importance of community and how no matter what state of tragedy we are in, coming together to find the light out of the dark is the most important thing. The question of how the people underwater come to life, is somewhat distracting to the viewer, but I think it adds a cool variety to normality.
McKenzie Miller: Benh Zeitlin’s “Glory At Sea” was a unique narrative that focused on individuals that hoped to find their loved ones after a fatal storm passed through. The film started with the characters that had been lost in the storm, and they were underwater. The main character was then sucked out of the water and washed up on land. He was determined to get back to find his loved ones still lost. There were elements of the film that were aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. The sounds worked well together. The combination of the sounds Zeitlin used while they were building the boat with the water and then the soundtrack flowed very well. The people on land all had the same common goal of finding their loved ones and built a “boat” of all of their most prized possessions that had been saved during the storm. The ending of the film was touching when the characters were reunited with those lost, those that never made it out alive in the storm. Zeitlin’s portrayal of emotions throughout the film ended with the hope of seeing passed loved ones again someday.
Hannah Bynum: "Glory At Sea!" is an intriguing story about a group of people coming together to survive after a devastating storm. However, to me this is one of my least favorite shorts we have watched, the story itself wasn't as appealing to me as others I have seen but with that being said there were aspects I did enjoy. The soundtrack does a great job of establishing emotion throughout the film whether its providing a sense of hope or feelings of sadness and loss. I enjoyed how parts of the film were based on a child's point of view, I think that added a unique touch to the tone and overall direction of the story.
Mario Cirinese: “Glory at Sea” by Benh Zeitlin is a short film surrounded by the story of a ship wreck and the casualties it ensued. The apparent shaky dysfunctional camera style that is implemented by the director shows emotion of the people in mourning of their recently deceased family members. Throughout the film the resolution of the video is set along with low contrast creating a gritty filter over the film. Many of the character’s dress in dirty clothing to further this dystopian world they live in. Audio experienced during the film varies from loud and distorted to clean and auditable eliminating the original grit of the actual video taken in the short film. The overall narrative is clearly understood and causes the audience to connect with the main characters with ease. Zeitlin successfully used emotion to convey a centered message of unity within a community to overcome disaster and to love family members to the fullest.
Taylor Hendrix: “Glory at Sea” was by far my favorite film that we have watched in this class. It was so inspiring and emotional that I was crying at the end when everyone was reunited with their loved ones. The emotion behind this piece was real because the actors did an excellent job of portraying their curiosity and hope that their loved one was still alive. The only thing that confused me about this film was how the loved ones under water were able to live. The main character that was trying to find his girlfriend, Tess, was building the ship for at least 3 days. How were the characters under water able to live that long? There was no indication that any of them came up for air because they would not have floated back down. The camera movement was shaky in order to portray the uncertainty that the people of the “Church” were feeling because they did not know if their loved ones lived or died. This story is truly inspirational because even after a massive storm that killed and caused so much damage, the people came together to build the boat. The boat that would eventually save the loved ones of the people. Overall, I loved this film because it was so engaging, yet there were not a lot of words.
Krystyna Kridos: "Glory At Sea" by Benh Zeitlin was definitely one of the better videos we've watched this semester that was able to hold my interest. The soundtrack for this video fits in very well with the story of a sort of dystopian society after a natural disaster. I'm usually not one for the whole handheld camera, found footage type of look but I feel it worked very well for this short. Benh Zeitlin was able to portray the emotion of the situation without having the characters speak a lot. In all, I enjoyed this film.
Jack Beuckman: The film "Glory At sea" by Bent Zeitlin is a very interesting film. From what I believe the story is about a storm that hit a town and many people lost loved ones. They all built a boat to try and find the ones they lost and their boat eventually sinks where all there loved ones died. The props in this film were well made. The boat was great. It was also filmed well. I thought the underwater part was shot really well. The soundtrack was also well made and did a great job of conveying emotions. I really enjoyed the film I liked the story a lot and thought it was very creative and executed well.
Victoria Walker: “Glory at Sea” is a short film by Benh Zeitlin that interwines the two themes sorrow and joyful into an emotional powerful film that resonates with the audience’s. The film focuses on a group of people that survived a storm. Many of these people lost close family members and important possessions. To evoke the most emotions from the viewers, the creator starts the film started out focusing on the trails these individuals faced. It eventually turned into a film that focused on rebuilding a community. Furthermore, film gave off a bit of a grainy and low quality feel. I believed this was a brilliant technique because it added to the stormy theme.
Blake Hudson: Glory at Sea by Benh Zeitlin was an interesting short film that offered a combination of many different stylistic choices and tones. I'm not sure how much I actually enjoyed the piece as a whole, but I did enjoy the variation of choices made by the director. Right off the bat we see images of dead bodies floating under water to the tune of a floating, rather joyful melody. This is followed by other things like well framed shots cut with shaky shots, each of which served its purpose well. Even the well framed shots were filtered to look more weathered. The entire film feels like a mix of traditional narrative and abstract narrative strategically combined together to form an intriguing story. The tone of the film follows this same pattern, always going between deep sadness and some mysterious joy. It is obvious that this was well thought out and I do appreciate the meticulous effort that went into it.
Dustin Bennett: "Glory at Sea" is a short film that I think does everything right. The framing and camera movement match the mood of each scene perfectly, moving slowly and calmly underwater and frantically during a street celebration. The on-location shooting is fantastic as well. One particularly striking shot I remember shows people on the beach as the greenish-brown fog makes a distant theme park in the background into a silhouette.
ReplyDeleteMaybe best of all is music. It simultaneously covers a wide range of emotions while hitting each one with impact, and it really feels like something special. I fully intend to listen to it again later on its own. (Thankfully I've found it on Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/user/shinra88/playlist/6asFl6J0yZ5JSVihtMt6p3)
Overall, Glory at Sea is a treat both to look at and listen to, and I think maybe the perfect film to close this year's screenings out on.
Cameron Panhans: "Glory at Sea" is a short film directed by Benh Zeitlin that tells the story of a group of survivors following a deadly storm. Throughout the film you can see the wreckage that this storm has left behind. The entire film seems to have a sort of low quality filter over the shots that helps further this sense of wreckage. The viewer can almost feel that something eery has recently occurred while watching the film due to the film's look and feel. While watching the film I noticed that the director could have been making a reference to the novel "A Streetcar Named Desire" with the street sign floating in the water reading "Elysian Fields". The voiceovers and narration in the film are also particularly powerful. The words coming from the pastor and the young boy are moving and help draw the viewer in and make the film even more captivating.
ReplyDeleteAlex Cherry: “Glory at Sea” explores narrative storytelling in a different, intriguing way. The main storyteller is a young boy who is never identified. He speaks with near-omniscience, as he is aware of all the figures in the town and what happens to them and how they behave. His narrative presence creates an aura of confusion and mystery, as it is unclear what exactly the boy is speaking about for a variety of reasons. He speaks with the simplicity of a child, which can sometimes cause haziness of understanding. “I went down to the bottom of the ocean where the dead people go,” he says in the beginning of the piece. However, his simplicity at other points provides clarity, and so there is a distinct balance between the two. It becomes unclear how much we can trust the child as a reliable narrator, as he seems to know a lot about some subjects and not a lot about others. He knows much about his dad and other people in the village, however, the man who washes up on shore (at least in the beginning) is a mystery. Overall, having a child tell the main narrative arc of the short creates intrigue and allows the viewer to see the story from someone else’s perspective other than their own, which in this case aids the story in its uniqueness.
ReplyDeleteEvan Price: Glory at Sea tells a bittersweet tale of loss and reunification. Subsiding on a mostly narrative structure with minimal dialogue, it manages to tell a story that I felt like I had experienced over a lifetime. Firstly, I'd like to focus on the soundtrack. The film did a wonderful job of blending the main theme with on-screen sounds, starting with trumpets or piano that we, the viewers, could see, and then melding it into the main score for the film. The tune was adventurous and bittersweet. Combine that with the imagery of a junk-boat on the ocean, and a certain aesthetic is produced that I find strangely beautiful and eye opening.
ReplyDeleteThere was a unique way that it made me feel like I knew every character intimately, although for some we may not have even gotten a name. I cared for each, knowing not much more than one or two quirks that they have and learning each item that survived the flood that they cared about. As such, I rooted for them, even though I put together partway through that they intended to sail to their own demise. However, I was not saddened, as much as I was relieved or maybe, like, accepting. It delivers a beautiful ode to humanity, and the lives that we control however we see fit, and how we respond in the face of disaster and loss.
Alex Smith: Glory at Sea! is a short film that centers around the victims of a horrible storm that took loved ones away from them. The plot is kicked off by a man, who was thought to have been lost in the storm, that washed up on shore near the town. He and the community began to work together to build a boat to take them to that part in the sea where the lost ones were residing. What rung out to me in this short film was the sense of community and the relationships they all had with one another. The theme of togetherness and reunification resounds in this film with the uplifting music that plays when the community worked together to find the lost ones. With the tones of the relationships and the somewhat bittersweet ending, this film gave me a sense of satisfaction and complacency, as the passing of these characters felt to them. This film deserves a watch by anyone who comes across it.
ReplyDeleteGlory at Sea! is a very inspiring short story that relates back to the horrible storm in New Orleans. We are treated with lots of emotion, anxiety, and fulfillment as we was the devastating affects of a hurricane. Some of the shots seemed to be perfectly placed overall and the camera focus was on point. Alot of the film was shot underneath the water, which can cause filter issues, but thtat made it all the better. The plot all kind of comes full circle as a man looks to go back and save his girlfriend. He takes the whole community with him so that they can also find there love ones and creates the dramatic mood throughout the film. This film kind of reminds us how the loss of family members can really impact our lives as a whole and creates the sense of urgency to always embrace the ones we love.
ReplyDeletePhillip Spain: "Glory At Sea" by Benh Zeitlin is a very interesting and well made short film that tells a tale of loss and reunification, with a very bittersweet ending. The tone is influenced heavily by the soundtrack, which helped keep the tone from being morbidly depressing despite the subject matter, but instead gave it a touch of sweetness and satisfaction, making what could have easily been a very depressing ending instead a touching, almost joyful moment despite the circumstances. The film did a wonderful job of treading the line between being depressing and being sweet and joyful, combining tones to make it a very interesting and powerful film.
ReplyDeleteMaddie Kennedy: "Glory at Sea!" by Benh Zeitlin had a lot of powerful elements that came together to create a very moving and well done short film. I really enjoyed the film on a visual and auditory level, but for some reason the story was kind of hard for me to follow. It was interesting to see that it was created by the same people as Beasts of the Southern Wild, which I'd seen previously and enjoyed. As I think some other people mentioned, the soundtrack was really excellent and really tied the film together and was well integrated with the narration. The film had an effective aesthetic as well, with the handheld footage and the underwater shots. I can definitely see why it was so well received at the New Orleans Film Festival.
ReplyDeleteZach Andry: Glory at Sea is the story of a group of survivors shipwrecked after a storm. It is unclear how long they have been there but based on the way they act I would venture to say a descent about of time. The survivors put value in things that make no sense a burnt out car, a bed, a bath tub. For what ever reason all of these thing had to come on the raft.
ReplyDeleteThe underwater scenes i didn't really understand. From what I can tell the built the raft to go back to the location of the wreck so they can all die there too. They showed all the people down there still alive but I don't think the actually were. The scene and props were amazing the boat was awesome and you could tell where they had piled on all their precious belongings. Overall I would say it was shot well but I didn't really care for the story.
The very beginning is really interesting. The viewer has no idea what is going on, so he or she has to really pay attention to what the girl is saying and also pay attention to the visuals on screen. I really really like this short film. The devastating environmental destruction is such a real hard hitting reality in life so the viewer can relate to the chaos and hardships going on in the movie. While at the same time they are watching a love story play out and learning about this "devil" that walked out of the sea and seeing where he and the story go next. All of the supporting characters add a strange plot development that almost doesn't seem necessary to the story at first; however, since it is being told through the girls point of view, it does have relevance, and they do end up developing the story. This story shows the importance of community and how no matter what state of tragedy we are in, coming together to find the light out of the dark is the most important thing. The question of how the people underwater come to life, is somewhat distracting to the viewer, but I think it adds a cool variety to normality.
ReplyDeleteMcKenzie Miller: Benh Zeitlin’s “Glory At Sea” was a unique narrative that focused on individuals that hoped to find their loved ones after a fatal storm passed through. The film started with the characters that had been lost in the storm, and they were underwater. The main character was then sucked out of the water and washed up on land. He was determined to get back to find his loved ones still lost. There were elements of the film that were aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. The sounds worked well together. The combination of the sounds Zeitlin used while they were building the boat with the water and then the soundtrack flowed very well. The people on land all had the same common goal of finding their loved ones and built a “boat” of all of their most prized possessions that had been saved during the storm. The ending of the film was touching when the characters were reunited with those lost, those that never made it out alive in the storm. Zeitlin’s portrayal of emotions throughout the film ended with the hope of seeing passed loved ones again someday.
ReplyDeleteHannah Bynum: "Glory At Sea!" is an intriguing story about a group of people coming together to survive after a devastating storm. However, to me this is one of my least favorite shorts we have watched, the story itself wasn't as appealing to me as others I have seen but with that being said there were aspects I did enjoy. The soundtrack does a great job of establishing emotion throughout the film whether its providing a sense of hope or feelings of sadness and loss. I enjoyed how parts of the film were based on a child's point of view, I think that added a unique touch to the tone and overall direction of the story.
ReplyDeleteMario Cirinese: “Glory at Sea” by Benh Zeitlin is a short film surrounded by the story of a ship wreck and the casualties it ensued. The apparent shaky dysfunctional camera style that is implemented by the director shows emotion of the people in mourning of their recently deceased family members. Throughout the film the resolution of the video is set along with low contrast creating a gritty filter over the film. Many of the character’s dress in dirty clothing to further this dystopian world they live in. Audio experienced during the film varies from loud and distorted to clean and auditable eliminating the original grit of the actual video taken in the short film. The overall narrative is clearly understood and causes the audience to connect with the main characters with ease. Zeitlin successfully used emotion to convey a centered message of unity within a community to overcome disaster and to love family members to the fullest.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Hendrix: “Glory at Sea” was by far my favorite film that we have watched in this class. It was so inspiring and emotional that I was crying at the end when everyone was reunited with their loved ones. The emotion behind this piece was real because the actors did an excellent job of portraying their curiosity and hope that their loved one was still alive. The only thing that confused me about this film was how the loved ones under water were able to live. The main character that was trying to find his girlfriend, Tess, was building the ship for at least 3 days. How were the characters under water able to live that long? There was no indication that any of them came up for air because they would not have floated back down. The camera movement was shaky in order to portray the uncertainty that the people of the “Church” were feeling because they did not know if their loved ones lived or died. This story is truly inspirational because even after a massive storm that killed and caused so much damage, the people came together to build the boat. The boat that would eventually save the loved ones of the people. Overall, I loved this film because it was so engaging, yet there were not a lot of words.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKrystyna Kridos: "Glory At Sea" by Benh Zeitlin was definitely one of the better videos we've watched this semester that was able to hold my interest. The soundtrack for this video fits in very well with the story of a sort of dystopian society after a natural disaster. I'm usually not one for the whole handheld camera, found footage type of look but I feel it worked very well for this short. Benh Zeitlin was able to portray the emotion of the situation without having the characters speak a lot. In all, I enjoyed this film.
ReplyDeleteJack Beuckman: The film "Glory At sea" by Bent Zeitlin is a very interesting film. From what I believe the story is about a storm that hit a town and many people lost loved ones. They all built a boat to try and find the ones they lost and their boat eventually sinks where all there loved ones died. The props in this film were well made. The boat was great. It was also filmed well. I thought the underwater part was shot really well. The soundtrack was also well made and did a great job of conveying emotions. I really enjoyed the film I liked the story a lot and thought it was very creative and executed well.
ReplyDeleteVictoria Walker: “Glory at Sea” is a short film by Benh Zeitlin that interwines the two themes sorrow and joyful into an emotional powerful film that resonates with the audience’s. The film focuses on a group of people that survived a storm. Many of these people lost close family members and important possessions. To evoke the most emotions from the viewers, the creator starts the film started out focusing on the trails these individuals faced. It eventually turned into a film that focused on rebuilding a community. Furthermore, film gave off a bit of a grainy and low quality feel. I believed this was a brilliant technique because it added to the stormy theme.
ReplyDeleteBlake Hudson: Glory at Sea by Benh Zeitlin was an interesting short film that offered a combination of many different stylistic choices and tones. I'm not sure how much I actually enjoyed the piece as a whole, but I did enjoy the variation of choices made by the director. Right off the bat we see images of dead bodies floating under water to the tune of a floating, rather joyful melody. This is followed by other things like well framed shots cut with shaky shots, each of which served its purpose well. Even the well framed shots were filtered to look more weathered. The entire film feels like a mix of traditional narrative and abstract narrative strategically combined together to form an intriguing story. The tone of the film follows this same pattern, always going between deep sadness and some mysterious joy. It is obvious that this was well thought out and I do appreciate the meticulous effort that went into it.
ReplyDelete