Reviews for internet friends

[drakke125]

the ending felt rushed but the issue is still there. or rather the message and question we must consider asking ourselves and of society.

The feeling of meeting someone online. People aren't as they may seem online compared to in person.

But people aren't what they seem in person compared to in person either. People act differently in situations when its face to face too. How people still change over time face to face is still the same.

The feeling of wanting to help someone but you can't because of distance or other.

The feeling of meeting someone with a personal life issue, whether relationships with friends, bf/gf, family, or a life threatening health issue.

How real are people on the net?

But sometimes you have to think like that girl wearing the hood in the house staring outside.

HOW REAL are the people outside the window in person anyways? Not everything is as it seems and not everyone are who they are in person whether its online or in person.

Even still, the internet is a place where people can bare themselves so to speak.

It's a special place like an in b/w world or another dimension where people can meet.

[alphonso-elm]

This is so true, people have forgotten what it's like to interact with others and have deserted physical connections for cold, digital relationships.

I recently had breakfast with my sister and observed 3 girls who were together and not once did one of them set aside their phones throughout the entire meal. Not. Once.

That said, I kinda like the style you chose for the piece, I actually wish it was a bit longer. The music was perfect.

[ADR3-N]

Pretty good work, and good music. Wasn't sure of the message at first though until I read the description. Might just be that I'm slow to pick up on symbolism. Nice animation for such large lines, by the way. Frame by frame is rare!

JellyJubJubs responds:

I doubt that you not understanding the message was because you're slow to pick up. The scenes did move pretty quick, too fast actually, even for me. I actually had trouble on how to portray my ideas here. I'll work on making my work more understandable. Perhaps making the pasing a bit slower. Thanks for the feedback!

[Imprez]

this was pretty good, I like the art style and animation, although the lines might have not been so neat. I feel like it could've been a little longer, I feel like the part where she chats with the person online could have been longer, I felt that part went a little fast for me. But otherwise this was great, and very emotional, and I understand this to being I'm always in this situation.

JellyJubJubs responds:

I feel very much encouraged to hear that you like the artstyle and animation! I have been struggling to make clean and polished lineart, its one of my weaknesses honestly. As for the scenes where she chats someone online, I rushed production just so I could finish it. My motivation was depleting at that point. I guess I should have finished it until after I slept haha!

[maddude13pt2]

You have more than a valid point here. What a lot of people are missing (and largely due to the lust for the nuance of digital social life) is reality based, meaningful, social interactions. Yes, that includes real flesh and blood friends and even the half-ways and fakers (posers?) out there. It's all part of the natural growth of a human social experience. We (human beings) need that, and while hiding behind silver screens and daring to blast and share and favorite just anything on a whim, we're seriously beginning to lose the abilities to interact and "read" each other for the communications that aren't words. It's only just beginning to cause dysfunctions.
That said, your drawing style is NOT weak. Don't beat yourself up on a minute point of stylistic approach. There are many very good animators who simply don't worry about using 'refined lines' in much of anything, Technical Dave for instance. So you are working largely with the influence of a 'rougher style' and approach. Fine.
The music was good, but you could've added depth with a few other sounds in the audio, a 'hum-drum-esque' sigh from the girl as she stared out the window... maybe the muffled distant chatter of the two people outside (indicating a story, a joke and laughing, or even an argument) without truly understandable words to make sense of... if that makes sense.
Finally, and it's been said before... the text parts just don't seem to stick around long enough to be easily read. Well, it happens. I'm sure you'll figure out a means to stretch that stuff out. The rest of the short went fluidly, so you're definitely building on your skills as an animator.

The best advice is to take your time. Relax and breathe, and the project will be there tomorrow to get finished. DO NOT EVER rush 'genius'. You are an artist, and good art never comes quick, and quick art is never good. I certainly hope you will consider a revisit to this one in the future (okay, not tomorrow since there are other ideas swirling your head, I'm sure)...
That will give you a chance to watch this one, think about what to build onto it (or if you should scrap the whole animation sequence and start it again from a storyboard) and then put inn the real time to build it as something that will say what you want to say... what you mean to say. In and of itself, that will show you later on down the road, just how far you've really grown. It's a good exercise from time to time. And yes, in case you missed it, I did mention a storyboard to help you keep track of where you are on a project when you have to set it to the proverbial 'back burner' for a while.
For future projects, this advice might just 'bleed' over and help you put in the least adjustments to yourself for the greatest returns and results. I'm just hoping to give constructive in the critique.