: I don't mind at all giving a critique. That said, I don't often at all like giving bad news. I had to give bad news today, though it was expected by the recipient. Eliot finally got a final cut for the movie of his that was sabotaged by hustlers that conned him into co-producing and directing over a year ago. They made a pig's breakfast of the thing, not to mention caused much drama. -- He wrenched back all the drives and set to salvage, and he did as best he could, with the help of some...
: ...real crackerjack editors, one we hired and the other that's a friend of E's wife. But damn.
The hustler-director rewrote a third of the script, didn't bother much with lighting interiors with anything other that Kliegs, didn't either block or frame shots beyond "Stand here" and "Camera over there", didn't devise/use a shot list, didn't keep a shot log, and had actors with mics or booms only maybe 75% of the time. - They rogered Eliot but good.
He asked for me straight-up opinion, and...
: ...I gave it to him. They made the film much shorter (83mins. instead of 1hr. 3mins.) than the as-per-shooting-script cut, and that improved it a lot. But when things are poorly shot, have poor sound, and all, it's like trying to make a house our of bad lumber. - What E and his editors managed was yeoman's work, I think they call it. He knows better going into the next production. That said, its good he had this experience on his first picture. It's a pain he'll remember and be careful for.
: All that said, I am so stinkin' proud of him. Not many people wade through hell voluntarily.