Score: 8
"Nice job."
date: January 9, 2005
I know a little about vision quests in shamanism and some Native American cultures, so I have a bit of background on what's going on. ;)
I really like how you made your artistic style unique. You also did a good job on making this uniqueness uniform throughout the entire flash. However, the characters were not portrayed in a dynamic fashion, which took a lot of life out of the flash. I'm not saying your flash is dead and unfeeling, and it's definately not. You're learning, and you show a lot of potential. :)
Your beginning was okay. Its strength came when the boy and his father were sitting around the campfire in the longhouse, but it really hit home as soon as we found out he was going to his vision quest. The middle was strong and very well organized... we first see the boy trying his best to survive, making fumble after fumble. Then, the turning point in the plot comes: he receives an inspiration and an important message from the great spirit (in the guise of an eagle), that changes his entire life. He succeeds at hunting, builds a warm fire, and carries himself with the certainty and dignity of an adult. Excellent job with your storytelling! I feel the ending was the most powerful; not only do we see how he is welcomed at home, but we get a short epilogue with his son's vision quest. Very inspiring. :) :) :) Style = 8
I really didn't know Enya did this song, but it worked fantastically with the plot and style. Your timing was good, and it really brought out the cultural flavor of the video.
Not being intensely bloody with heads popping off, the violence score is low, and the few acts of violence that did exist were tastefully done. Violence = 4
Since you had a preloader to start the video, you get a 1 for Interactivity.
I was a bit amused upon watching the boy eat poisonous berries (nightshade?). But overall, his inner strength to overcome the harsh wilderness is very emotionally moving, especially at the end, with the initiation of his future son. :)
This is one of the better flashes I've seen. You get a 4/5 :)
Author's Response:
Heylo,
From my frist impression, I am assuming you are a creative writer because you wrote an extensive review that was well crafted and made me as the artist appreciate what I have done. Thanks for your warm words of encouragment and compliments.
It is true I am learning so this is a stepping stone becuase in this movie I experemented with a new art style and got to try new things with animation and flash.
Yeah, the ending was one of the key elements that came to me frist. To show it is (the vision quest) a tradition. The main element was to show the native spirituality and to show that the vision quest is an experience of maturity and growth.
Ooo.. yeah Enya did this song, I learned about it when I saw Gladiator, one of my favourite movies.. I thought it would fit well.
I am glad you enjoyed my little movie, thanks for your great review, take care and God bless.