2 Swirlies

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pP91HWVXLU

“We have to be cleansed of our past before we can see our future.”

It’s been a little while since I checked out this series, so I thought I’d see what’s what with it.

The fourth episode of this tense, methodical web series is long - just over 11 minutes. And it seems to meander. The Girl starts off trying to teach Brian about how to be saved, but then gets him talking about his past.

I found myself watching the editing and the framing very closely. I guess I felt the same about that stuff as I do about the story - it is like the creator wants us to forget about the bars holding the characters in. Very intense close ups - cutting back to the same, tight shots… but there’s not really much going on. I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to glean from this episode. The music is as moody as ever, but Brian seems to have accepted his imprisonment as fully as The Girl has. So… what’s next? I’m not feeling like there’s any deep character moments coming. Nor does it seem like some epic battle of wits with his captor, like I guess I expected it to turn into when I started watching. Brian isn’t being tortured, or broken down. He’s just… left there.

I think the Girl is a good actresses, but I’m sorry to say that I don’t think Brian is very convincing. I dunno, maybe it is just the role he’s given. He doesn’t really sell me on his bit about being a drummer, it feels like a line from a script.

What it comes down to is I don’t feel like this show is headed anywhere.

From YouTube Description:

Brian lashes out at his captivity, but at the wrong person, as the connection between the captives grows stronger

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The Cell Ep. 4 | A Web Series Review on the Watch List

3 Swirlies

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD_O_BntiPY

“I learned my place.”

There are things I like and admire about The Cell. One of them is the slow, deliberate, unhurried pace - it shows a confidence in the editing. Sometimes in post production, you watch your footage over and over and you really feel the slow moments and the pauses and it can be hard to resist the urge to tighten the pacing beyond what the mood of the scene requires. As an editor, no matter how many times you watch some footage, you have to put yourself in the pace of a viewer watching it for the first time. And that’s one of the many reasons why I could never be a picture editor. I get bored way before the thing is done.

And the production quality is high, the sound is nice, the music is great. The acting on the part of the woman is great. What I can’t get past is that I don’t buy how easily Brian seems to give up trying to resist or escape. I know - it is fiction, it’s a character thing. It’s not real and it’s not me there, but still… I spend the whole time thinking to myself, “Scream, shout, resist!” And I kinda can’t buy into the whole series - I can’t suspend my disbelief.

And that girl creeps me out. I know she’s supposed to - it is artfully done. But it is just not for me, in the same way the torture porn of the Saw movie series isn’t for me.

I think the ideas behind this series could be great - it raises the question, “How fragile is our sense of self?” But I feel like this series has already skipped over that, that Brian isn’t struggling to maintain his sense of self or fighting back against his captor. Again, that’s just me and it doesn’t really effect how successful this series is at meeting its goal. I guess maybe it comes down to how optimistic you are about the nature of our sense of self.

If you like being creeped out, you’ll probably like this series more than I do.

I did notice it is moving on to Chapter 2. I wonder how the mythology of it will evolve? Will there be a new person in the cage?

From YouTube Description:

Cracks appear in Brian’s defenses as the pressure of the situation reaches its breaking point.

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The award winning original series continues as Brian searches for more answers while the truth of his situation bears down on him.

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The Cell Ep. 3 | A Web Series Review on the Watch List

3 Swirlies

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezwLhIciZdo

“Next time, I burn them off.”

Despite some clunky dialogue and acting, this series rises to its challenges and manages to be better than the sum of its parts.

Part of it is the haunting, if slightly over repetitive music, and some of it is the menace conveyed by “The Woman” who has clearly been terrorized to the point that she has forgotten everything except life with “The Man.” Actually, I was liking it fine until the very last image - which was what really got to me. Just the simple shot at the end of The Woman pushing the clothes across to the other cell. A bold and effective shot, and probably the best part of the episode.

From YouTube Description:

http://www.cellthewebseries.com
@CELLwebseries

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The Cell Ep. 2 | A Web Series Review on the Watch List

A man wakes up in a cell after a night on the town. It doesn’t take long for him to realize he’s not in jail and he’s not alone.

A psychological thriller from writer/director Mark Gardner.

3 Swirlies

www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ILIfMM6NY

“You have two lessons to lean right now.”

Nice start, good first episode. We don’t really get too far into things, but  it is just the one episode. This is just the set up. I feel like what will really decide things for me is episode 2.

This series seems to be setting itself up as a psychological thriller. That means it is all about character. Can the writer, actor and director create a compelling character that thrills us as we learn more about their dark personality?

You know, I think the hardest thing in making a web series is the acting. Everything else can be handled to at least a competent level be a passionate amateur. But being a good actor… I mean combining psychological nuance, a sense of life and history, charisma and presence, and even just saying all those lines… that’s something that must be nurtured.

It’s really hard. People devote their lifetime to it. I’m not saying other jobs on film sets aren’t equally as challenging or worthy of a lifetime of devotion. I’m saying the difference between a competent camera operator and an excellent camera operator may never be noticed in a  low budget web series production.  But actors… an actor you’ll notice no matter how big or small the budget. Or more likely not notice. Good actors can take the most benign of scenes and make it compelling with the choices they make about why they’re saying what they’re saying. Not so good actors don’t even realize there are choices to be made.

Will the creative team behind The Cell be able to create a strong, compelling character? Let’s keep watching and find out.

The Cell Ep.1 l A Web Series on The Watch List