Seize The Carp {Directed By: Jerry J. White III} - {Cinematography: Kenny Keeler}

 

Seize The Carp 

(An Improvised Feature Film)

Director: Jerry J White III 

Cinematographer: Kenny Keeler

Actors: Jane Paul McCarron & Charles Parks 

Written By: Jane Paul McCarron, Charles Parks, Jerry J. White III

Synopsis From IMDb : 

In death comes life and it couldn't be more true for childhood friends, Casey and Rachel. After Rachel's brother passes away unexpectedly the two of them come together and take a road trip in his memory. Different paths still end the same, enjoy the trip. 

Review: 

Firstly, want to specify that the reason of watching this film was because of  its cinematography, When I watched the trailer, the mix of cool and warm muted colors caught my eye,  the shots were very well placed, and the composition was particularly appealing. As for the dialogue, I loved the way their casual conversations flowed. Additionally,  it being an improvised film intrigued me. 

(Pictures Taken From YT, Trailer)

There are many flowery words we use to describe things in my language, and this reminded me of something my acting teacher used to say: ''the best written dialogue is the kind that flows like a river.'' I always took those words to heart and tried to imitate that kind of writing in my own work. As much as my acting teacher liked some of my writing, I never felt that I had truly captured what she meant.  considering the fact that this was an improvised film, I can proudly say that these dialogues really did flow like a river and I think my acting teacher would have loved them and even show it to us as an example. 

I was very fond of how the film used light and colors. The use of deep cool and warm tones during their more emotional conversations, while shifting toward brighter blues and yellows when they are outside having fun, talking, and being silly. Whenever they touch on topics of loss or regret, however, the atmosphere becomes noticeably gloomier, with deeper shades of blue and yellow that seem to reflect the weight of what they are discussing. 

Now to get onto the story and characters themselves, at the start both of them are lost, a little awkward and closed with each other.  Neither of them seem entirely sure of what they are looking for, Rachel wants more from life and Casey is rushed by it,  yet both of them are clearly searching for something that might fill the space. The loss might have left them stuck between the life they had before and I think such behaviors and certain topics of conversation throughout the film comes from that uncertainty.

If we go beyond what was shown on screen and allow ourselves to speculate a little, I think Casey's constant sense of urgency could have been caused, at least partly, by the loss of his friend. It didn't seem like in last few years Sammy and Casey still communicated but losing someone we love and suddenly having to experience life without them can completely alter the choices and routines that felt normal to us. We begin to doubt things we were once certain about, and lose confidence in decisions we previously never questioned, simply because we had never experienced losing a part of ourselves before. I think his conversation with Beasie opened up another perspective for him, gave him a sense of peace and, in a way, for me as well.

It was refreshing to see the main character’s growth begin to take shape during his final conversation with her. You can see the changes in his behavior and expression as the ending sequence progresses. He becomes calmer, loses that ''serious'' aura and appears even more silly with Rachel. More at ease. By the end, he seems almost ACTUALLY content.

Rachel's character was particularly interesting to me. At first, I got the impression that she was looking for something more than friendship with Casey, but as the story went on and I tried to look deeper into her character, I realized that she was actually trying to resurrect the friendship and sense of closeness she had experienced with him before Sammy passed away. Both of them longed for Sammy, grieved him, and missed him, but they had also shared those moments together for half of their lives. I think what she was chasing was not necessarily him, but the life she had once experienced with both Sammy and Casey. Simultaneously wishing to move forward and look for something bigger from life.

I especially want to point out the actress's mannerisms when she hears about the engagement. At first, she appears shocked, almost in disbelief, but then we get a slight zoom toward her hands, where she begins playing with them. I interpreted these small gestures as signs of nervousness and disappointment, and I think she had a hard time accepting that someone had moved on or actually took a step towards something. the actress portrayed that uncertainty remarkably well. 

 the performances were truly an organic display of acting. At times, it felt as though I was actually there, watching two people behave and speak naturally rather than watching two actors performing for a film. The natural, unforced pauses, the heavy stumbles over words when a topic became confusing or painful, and the small mannerisms throughout the conversations all contributed to that feeling.

I used to watch a lot of improvised theatrical scenes, and I even took part in some myself (I was  terrible at it.) To the viewer, improvisation can seem like a fun and creative experience, but in reality, it is one of the hardest methods of acting. You cannot lose sight of who your character is, what they think and believe, or how they would naturally behave and speak. At the same time, you have to keep the story moving without saying or doing something that contradicts the character, the plot, or everything that has already been established. You have to maintain their mannerisms, their way of speaking, their emotions, and their perspective, all while creating the scene in the moment. Seeing all of those elements come together so naturally in this film made the performances especially impressive to me. I always loved watching improv in Theatres but have never seen a whole film being improvised.

Overall, I think Seize the Carp is an spectacular work with stunning visuals and a creative crew that successfully carried its beautiful message. Such a delicate way to show the struggle of loss and life after it. I also loved the creative choice of having the actors attach microphones to themselves throughout the day and film whenever they wanted. The creativity in this film is outstanding in every aspect, gives the impression of whole movie having been shot in one continuous take which speaks volumes about the talent and coordination of both the actors and the director. 

Mesmerizing performances and relatable characters because I too try to avoid everyone from my high school. 

Jerry J White III (Director Of The Film) Is a filmmaker and educator that runs a free film school on Youtube - @BronsonCreative   This year he will also be licensing films from self-distributed artists and splitting the ad revenue with them. 

If You Want To Share Your Work With Jerry: https://www.bronsoncreative.us/vhf21 

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Author's Note: I apologize for any grammatical or structural mistakes my sentences might have, English isn't my first language and never have I ever before attempted to write reviews in professional way. If some of the sentences are over descriptive or complicated that's because It's directly translated from Georgian to English. I will try to improve my style  of writing in every post. 

Have a peaceful day <3 

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