Customer Reviews

Broken

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well first off I think the first two reviews are written by the creators... Who in the normal public writes THAT much like that about a movie? *cough* no one *cough*

Roger Ebert has it right.. a "demonstration" theres no good story. All this is, is just a technically well done movie... yet 0 story or background etc... Some of the editing is really bad and there are huge jump cuts that dont match up to anything and look really off....
I really dont think it is as good as people are making it out to be.. and people i've watched it with say the same.

Some of the bonus features are a joke... but some are pretty cool.
IF you want to kill an hour or so get this and run through it. At least you can get inspired to do something yourself after watching it. Interesting to see it after all the hype etc.

The value of this product isn't the story or the quality of the production. It's the marketing. What these guys have done is take a pretty unremarkable story, dressed it up to look pretty, and marketed the crap out of it. I learned nothing from the DVD extras. I'm not saying that this is a crap product, though. I respect what they've done and look forward to broken the feature length movie.

I am not a professional film critic, so this is just my lowly indie film maker opinion (I believe most other comments on this site are from the filmmakers themselves, no proof, just a hunch)

FILM

Poor plot, poor acting, low end effects, GREAT MARKETING!

SPECIAL FEATURES

definitely worth the money if you are an aspiring weekend indie film-maker with your teenage friends...

...but if you are serious about learning how to pull off effects, or enjoy watching short films, well...you know that feeling you get when you're falling back in your chair and you catch yourself, and then still fall anyways? it's a lot like how you feel after you watch this DVD, and then glance at your wallet.


Regards,

From a technical standpoint I'd give this 3.5 to 4 stars: the direction is good, the costumes are great, the action (the 1+ minute gun battle) is on par with many Hollywood movies I've seen, and the overall sound is impressive. What killed it for me is the complete lack of story.

A gun goes off. Bonnie (Samantha Jane Polay) awakens with a start. She goes to the kitchen and is taken captive by a creepy man named Duncan (Paul Gordon) and a smokin' hot female assassin named Marquez (Amber Crawford). Cut to a debris-strewn basement, where the bulk of the film takes place. Up to this point I was into it. But rather than explain why Bonnie has been taken to this place, Duncan torments her while delivering a drawn-out analogy of a broken harmonica. I wanted to know more about why Bonnie was abducted. Heck, if Duncan planned to kill her anyway, why not enlighten us by discussing Bonnie's misgivings? Is she an agent gone rogue? Did she hit the wrong target? Is the decrepit hospital (a cool location, by the way) where Bonnie's experiments and training took place years ago? And what's with her glowing blue eyes?

I realize this is a short film, but at 19 and a half minutes, you have time to tell a story. The way 'BROKEN' is laid out, it feels like everyone is simply marking time and checking their watches (I know I was checking mine) as they impatiently await the ensuing gun battle. And 'BROKEN' truly is at its best when the bullets start flying. Using gas-powered Airsoft weapons that boast a blow-back feature, the automatic handguns look very real as the hero and the thugs blast it out. The digital muzzle blasts (courtesy of effects specialist, Dan Cregan) range from eye-popping to a little over-the top, but anyone who's never fired automatic or semi-automatic weapons will be blown away. (I've handled my share of both and I was very impressed with the effects.)

As for the special features, I was most intrigued by the 'GUNS, GUNS, GUNS' chapter and the visual effects, since, as I've said, the whole film feels like a setup for the gun battle. The DVD explains the importance of 24p and good lighting to some degree, it touches on how the visual effects were done, and offers a few ideas on how to market the finished product. The creators are decent enough to admit they don't have all the answers (try to find that in Hollywood), and that their aim is to share what they know and what they've learned. For those just starting out, "Rebel Without A Crew" by the one and only Robert Rodriguez is a must-read, and I'd also highly recommend "The DV Rebel's Guide" by Stu Maschwitz for more insight on action-based films on a budget. Another low-budget Indie with a sci-fi slant and some cool visual effects is a film called 'RADIUS', which also includes extensive special features on its creation. ('RADIUS' was shot on film, but much of the information is still useful to DV filmmakers -- do your homework before attempting green screen work, though.)

All in all, despite the lack of story, I still think 'BROKEN' is well worth the money -- there's plenty of good stuff here.

I first heard about Broken from videoforums.co.uk. I think all you posted was some info and the trailer. I remember watching the trailer (this is before I had a dvx100b) and thinking to myself, "man, this looks so damn good, i wonder how much his camera was". I have watched it a bunch of times and showed a ton of people it as well.

Until I saw it, I never knew the possibilities that can be had with a dvx and the small amount of money you had for the project. I also think the bonus stuff on the disc was well worth the 20 bucks, if not more. I just wanted to let you know that Broken was an inspiration to me and how I viewed digital film making.

Thanks for sharing you knowledge with us.

Steven Bogda

I originally borrowed the DVD from a friend and then got my own, I was very impressed with the DVD and everything the filmmakers did to make it happen. They story wasn't great, but it was GOOD! The editing was excellent, fast-paced, and the film is really well-made and shot. Alex and his team did an awesome job.

Talented director Alex Ferrari and his hard-working team ought to be going places, so long as they stay clear of mindless gun play with dudes with steroid-fed arms and tight Ts to show off said inflated arms. This is the sort of thing a young kid might be into. Really. Don't waste your talent and life making John Wayne-type junk with posturing young males who think all they have to do to appear cool is play with guns, etc. It's been done before & way too often. Audiances are not impressed.

Find projects, if you can, with a degree of substance, otherwise you're likely to get pigeon-holed (like so many directors out there who showed potential once).

Re: Short. Fine job, basically--with the exception of your two leads: the guy in the dark mask and the chick in the chair. Just not convincing. I understand; low budget--and good actors are not easy to find.

Re: Editing/music/sound/camera/lighting & just about everything else: excellent. Truly professional.
Re: Story. Not plausible at all. There is no way this sort of thing would be going through any woman's mind, not in this fashion or manner. Trust me on that one. (Should have interviewed a few women prior to committing pen to paper.) This is some type of (immature) male fantacy jammed into a woman's head.

Good writing is the toughest thing of all to pull off. If you find it is nearly impossible to write something that will truly resonate with audiances, well, then, find a script or writer who can get it done, someone with the ability and talent.

If you're hooked on doing films with guns...check out something called SHOT THROUGH THE HEART, directed by David Attwood. (Not that anyone would expect you to pull off something this complex on a budget of 8K, but the point is the people and the situations are real and totally believable and what takes place on screen ultimately tugs at the viewer's heart. Why? Because we give a damn and we give a damn because the material is about SOMETHING and there is SUBSTANCE.)

You and your co-writer of Broken might also want to check out a couple of intelligently-made movies (directed by Billy Ray) entitled BREACH (starring Chris Cooper) and/or SHATTERED GLASS, starring Hayden Christensen (because you won't find any fancy gun displays in it.)

My point being: a movie can be suspenseful as well as interesting without all the ridiculous gun-twirling and fireworks.

Bottom line: Swell overall package and worth every dime.

Best,

from this reviewer.

If it were not for the fact that the star of this video is a close friend of ours I would have never purchased this film. Let's say its interesting, but not Oscar material!

An independent feature can now be seen as both a work of film art and a video resume. Enter Broken, and aggressively promoted, twenty minute short with style and enthusiams to spare. But is it any good as a film, or does it only work as a demo piece? Ah, there in lies the rub.

Broken is the story of Bonnie Clayton who is abducted after awakening from a reoccurring nightmare one night by "a sadistic stranger and his colorful entourage" (quote from the video box). As she's held captive, it becomes obvious that her abductors know things about her that even she didn't know about herself. While they question her, a black-clad soldier guns his way into their hideout in an attempt to rescue her. Mayhem ensues.

Fortunately for us, director Alex Ferrari seems to know what he's doing, or at least he's very good at faking it. Broken does not suffer from any lack of visual flair, which is especially commendable considering its budget and the inexperience of all involved. What it does suffer from is weak and kind of derivative writing. Think Long Kiss Goodnight meets The Matrix, written ten minutes after reading Fight Club. The good news for Ferrari and producer/writer Jorge Rodriguez is that the story elements are easily ignored for the oodles of eye candy on display. Does the plot really matter that much in a twenty minute short meant to show off the technical skills of its creators? No, not really.

Though it would be unfair of me to overlook any negative aspects in light of the films budget and length. Broken is no genre classic. The biggest problem was that it actually would have worked better as a full-length feature. The final "twist" doesn't get enough build up time to be shocking. If Ferrari were allowed the time to slow burn the feature as needed, plot elements would seem less random, and the film more complete. Here's to knowing he's getting the chance.

Audio Broken's Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation is second to none in the indie world. I've never heard such aggressive surround from such a small feature. The Matrix inspired soundtrack is very rich and deep, gunshots have punch, and even the dialogue gets in on the surround effects. Of everything presented on this disc, it is the audio that speaks the praise for modern independent DVD production. Also included is an equally impressive Dolby 2.0 surround track, which is the menu default.

Extras There are literally hours of making of features to be found on this disc. There are so many extras, in fact, that I find it unrealistic to list and describe each of them here, while still expecting my readers to continue reading. Whatever shortcomings the actual short may have, the DVD is unprecedented in its informational resources. People who enjoyed the film can learn all there is to know about its production, including everything from the conceptual art to the promotional campaign. Those with plans to make an indie film of their own can learn just about everything they need to know from these features.

The extras are broken down into categorical menus. These include: pre-production, production, post-production, after the short, and cast and crew bios. From a critical standpoint, I found that some of the sections were quite short. Had they been edited into one featurette per menu option, they would've been less frustrating to navigate, as the curser defaults to the top selection with every return to the main section menu. This is, of course, just nitpicking, but perhaps for future DVD releases the filmmakers will take my advice to heart.

It has six audio commentaries and hours of interview footage and talented people, and despite the consonant salesmanship, their true colours do shine through.

The willingness to share their film-making secrets with anyone who picks up this DVD is quite generous. From the extras I learned what editing and effects software is most reliable and effective, what brand of camera creates the most professional look for the lowest price, even where to get cheap air soft weaponry. On top of this, I was given several alternate options, in case I found myself unable to locate any products used on this particular production. Wannabe filmmakers unwilling to read a book on the subject would do well to watch this DVD.

Overall I've scored the actual short as a 6 out of 10, but wish there was an option for feature length potential and effort, because I'd have scored it an 8 or 9 in these fields. I recommend the DVD for its features and as a perfect example of what can be done with a mere eight thousand American dollars. Those who purchase the DVD can think of themselves as ghost producers for a larger project, as the more attention these guys get, the more funding the feature-length version will get.

Author: DVDanswers - Greg Ferguson from United States

Reviews on here are definately written by the makers of this film. The film is unoriginal and not even that great production value. Found it really corney, and the special features are just the makers sitting in a chair giving advice that I had already known and I haven't even made a film yet... Could have been so much better, dissapointing.