TELL Blu-Ray Review
Ryan Connolly's impressive short film is a testament to DIY filmmaking.
A few years ago, I came across a Revision3 show called Film Riot. It is a show all about DIY filmmaking and is hosted by Ryan Connolly. The show covers everything from lighting and sound to special effects and editing. If you want to make a film on a budget, check out the show. Back in May, Ryan released his short film TELL on YouTube. It is a horror-thriller inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart and it is awesome! At the same time, he started taking pre-orders for the DVD and Blu-ray. I was lucky enough to get my order in before they sold out and I got my copy just in time for the weekend. Firstly, it was nice to watch the movie in full HD on my television instead of compressed through YouTube. It is a brilliantly shot movie with some very impressive camera work. And the main actor, Todd Bruno, delivers a stellar performance throughout the film. In addition to the movie, the Blu-ray also includes several bonus features. My favorite is the unique director's commentary. Instead of the standard audio commentary, you actually watch the movie with the director. He introduces the film and occasionally pauses or rewinds the movie to point out performances or camera shots and gives some interesting behind-the-scenes information. And since he was also the writer, he has insight going back to the inception of the project. It's a great watch. Other bonus material includes a behind-the-scenes featurette that takes you through the week-long shooting of the film, a Q&A session with Todd Bruno and much more. And people who pre-ordered the movie also got a signed shooting script that does differ from the finished film in a few noticeable ways. You can still watch the film online, but if you want to add the movie to your DVD collection, you have only one more chance. It was recently announced that a small amount of DVD and Blu-rays will be made available for sale on September 27th through their online store. So don't miss your opportunity to own this great film and support an up-and-coming filmmaker. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGgRH7-Qs9g