VENGEANCE "Award Winning Short Film"
Вставка
- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- ➡️ FREE Trial for the BEST UA-cam Music - goo.gl/NFxSwT
MY RECOMMENDED CAMERAS
🚁 *BEST Drone*: amzn.to/2BZiY6b
🎥 "HIGH END" 4k Camera: amzn.to/2POcfio
📸 "MID RANGE" Camera: amzn.to/2CaZN9N
📷 "BEGINNER" Camera: amzn.to/2PNcDO0
MY RECOMMENDED LENSES
FAVORITE Lens: amzn.to/2GMnByi'
➥ Budget Favorite Lens: amzn.to/2PmtsP1
PORTRAIT Lens: amzn.to/2EupWfz
➥ Budget Portrait Lens: amzn.to/2PMkxXX
Telephoto Lens: amzn.to/2uWs6Fd
➥ Budget Telephoto Lens: amzn.to/2PKKYNT
WIDE Lens: amzn.to/2rimDEr
➥ Budget Wide Lens: amzn.to/2PQCxAH
MY RECOMMENDED ACCESSORIES
ND Filter: amzn.to/2JxlSim
ALL PURPOSE Tripod: amzn.to/2IzutQk
STABILIZER: amzn.to/2Nu6nJA
📱iPhone Stabilizer: amzn.to/2BYwpDd
Lighting:
💡LED 3 Light Kit: amzn.to/2JusnSZ
💡DOME LIGHT: amzn.to/2ohXXtA
💡MINI LED Light: amzn.to/2BYVY7b
Diffuser: amzn.to/2GLWkw0
Diffuser Holder: amzn.to/2JuNxjV
Audio:
🔉Audio Recorder: amzn.to/2v2jHzQ
🔉Budget Recorder: amzn.to/2PfFcT6
🎤Lav Kit: amzn.to/2ICCbsU
🎤Shotgun Microphone: amzn.to/2GHGV3P
🎤On Camera Mic: amzn.to/2PfFoli
🎧 BOSE Headphones: amzn.to/2NsNqqI
Watch in HD, turn up the volume, and enjoy!!
Winner of the 2013 CYFF Film Festival, receiving Best PICTURE, Best DIRECTOR, Best CINEMATOGRAPHY, Best EDITING, Best SOUND, & Best SCORE! Nominated for Best Screenplay, Actor, Production Value, & Spiritual Theme as well.
Watching over his Aunt and Uncle's house for the weekend, James gets far more than he bargained for when he encounters unexpected guests. Will vengeance take its toll or will forgiveness prevail? After almost a year in the making, the short film made for the 19th Annual Christian Youth Film Festival is here! With a small crew of only the director and actors on set, we managed to pull off a short film far past our expectations and anything we ever hoped for! It was an adventure indeed making it, but it's sad the Film Festival has come and gone. We won last year with "A Soldier's Savior", and took the title for the second year in a row with "Vengeance". Look forward for uploads on the "Behind the Scenes" and "Making of Vengeance" in the near future! Written, Directed, Shot & Edited by Ben Hess. Starring Greyson Stewart, Dan Bligh, and Kail Rogers.
For business inquiries/questions, send me a message and I will do my best to respond as soon as possible. Thank you!
The film was so well shot, but the acting literally could not even be any worse. This would actually be such a great film, had the acting been even bearable.
For reals doe. The acting is BEYOND terrible, it looks like they are literally reading the script for the first time AS they are filming , and the person hand wrote the script but has horrible handwriting and the guys have a sleight seeing problem. Damn. But good concept.
My thoughts exactly. AMAZING cinematography and editing though. I think the score gets a bit too intense, given the situation, but thats not the real issue. I've worked with bad actors before, but I've at least been able to squeeze some actual emotion out of them.
I am glad someone else said it. Considering it's an award winning film, I was expecting more on the acting side as well since even though everything else is done amazingly, I simply cant sit through and finish the film. It's rather sad because it seemed like a well written story, the delivery was the issue.
Sagien I think that the problem is more with the rerecording of the dialouges, The soundmixing makes everything sound so pasted on.
Simon Mortensen
No, trust me, it's bad acting.
When he opens the safe and says, "Bingo." Man, that's my favorite part. That word never goes out of style. Ever.
As many have pointed out the sound and acting is bad, but the camera work is solid. Here are some notes on the story:
1) When the protagonist first reacted with immediate terror to the door unlocking I didn't believe it. Wouldn't he assume it was his aunt or uncle who forgot something? There was no visual reason for him to know it was intruders.
2) Once the men are in the house, all the tension dies. They begin a dialogue that is heavily expositional and sucks all the drama out of the scene because it disconnects us from the protagonist. Expositional dialogue explaining why they are there is the last thing an audience wants from mysterious intruders. The less they talk, the more menacing they are. They also become more attractive to watch the longer you withhold their motivations because the mystery behind them leaves an audience with a desire to know more.
3) If one of the major turning points in the narrative is the realization that the two guys know each other and share a history, that might be better delivered if the intruders wore masks to hide their identities and if the protagonist identifies his friend by his voice, a scar, or a tattoo, etc. There isn't anything that happens that informs the realization to the audience as it stands.
4) Consider playing into tension rather than alleviating it too quickly. If the antagonists tie up the protagonist and debating about whether or not to kill him the tug of war created is more dramatic than speeding over the dilemma.
5) When delivering a morality tale be careful not to be preachy. The actions have to deliver the message. If you have to sum it up in dialogue, you haven't written the right story.
6) You have a passive protagonist. The guy who goes to jail, in the end, is the actual protagonist of the story you are telling. He acts upon the world, and his decisions shape the narrative. The guy on the couch only reacts to what happens to him without being proactive making him a weak protagonist.
On the subject of acting and working with non-actors, avoid heavy dialogue. Untrained actors can't deliver lines they had to memories. Focus instead on their actions and the narrative will dramatically improve.
Hope this is helpful. Keep going.
wow. That was the greatest piece of constructive criticism EVER. Great. Freaking. Job.(I'm being legit, not sarcastic.)(earned a sub)
everyone is getting their panties in a bunch over the acting. it is a short film done by amateurs with really good equipment. the cinematography is very good. obviously these guys are not actors and surely they are the directors friends. you want to see professional actors? go see a hollywood film.
I was 17 years old and in high school when I made this and am self taught. I did all the research and studying possible to make this film from scratch. The actors were my cousin and two friends, the only ones who had even a clue of what to do in front of a camera. Obviously we aren't professionals, but we tried hard and were proud of what we made. Everyone starts from somewhere right? Everyone is posting about how bad it is, but I would like to see what they could have done at 17 years old. Thanks for watching! :)
Ben Hess you guys did great...there will always be jealoushaters. I see it all the time here on UA-cam... while we are at it, what type of camara did you used to shoot this?
Ben Hess What did you use for a dolly? Did you make one yourself, buy one?
Criticism is necessary for them to improve on what they lack. The acting was horrible. Everything else was fine. It's a lesson they need to follow from their audience in order to progress in their careers.
+ Ben Hess: You should be proud of your film. you did really good. It's been two years later and I don't know what you've done in your career, but this was a great short. Obviously, you know something about filmmaking, especially not being professionals, but I was impressed with your entire production. Even the lighting was really quite impressive. Sound was solid. Camera shots, angles, panning, etc, were stellar. The acting, however, made it hard to watch. But at least it gave me a chance to be more immersed in your production.
Forget people feeling this was bad acting...for the message is the highest quality and the seen by the water was beautiful. the time used to bring all this forth is what's important to me. Fantastic!
The fact that a panel of experienced professional judges gave this short film BEST SOUND IS A DISGRACE!
"How did you know my name?"
"We used to be best friends."
"James?"
Omg....😂😂😂
Besides the acting, this was GREAT! Everything about it was so professional. The cinematography, the editing, and especially the story all rival any big blockbuster today. Great job!
Thank you very much!!
Thank you very much for your constructive criticism, this is only the second short film they acted in and i put them through a lot and they gave it their best with what short time we had lol. Glad you liked the film!!
I hate how so many people are so negative. This films story is superb, as well as the cinematography itself. Obviously it's an amateur film, but it didn't claim to be otherwise. Those of you who are being so rude have no idea what it's like to make a short film like this. If you are so critical go see a movie that cost billions of dollars and took years in the making as well as thousands of people to make It possible. Perhaps you will find less things to complain about. How about instead you admire and respect this directors work and compliment on a job well done. I agree the acting was a little funny at times lol, but I'm no actor myself and can't possibly judge someone else's acting when I know I couldn't do any better. Appreciate the art here, people. And appreciate the story. High five to the director, wherever you are. This short film shows a lot of hard work.
The first boy looks like he was time warped from the 1950s :).
Bro, for 17 years old, this photography is pretty AWESOME. I dont need to say about the acting, everybory already said.
You say you brought 20 guys to Christ, call me the 21st!
A rare, rare film in these days, and all courage to the writers and especially Jamie (Greyson Stewart) and his friend. I do not share other with other viewers that the actors were not good. The most important thing is that you had to courage, in this hopeless and faithless world, to make this little bit of redemption. Thanks so much!
Good Job....for just 17 Years old....Thanks
This was really well done and it looked so professional the acting could use a bit more work but it was still great and the message at the end was so powerfull your going places my friend . Great work .
+Marvelous productions Thank you very much!! I'm working on some new stuff, and acting will definitely be better!
its not even the acting thats that bad, its the voice over specifically.
03:30 the kid sounds like batman when he yells out kane
instead of giving you unhelpful hate comments, I'd like to give some constructive criticism
Decent...theres a lot of ways to get around that acting though. For instance, you could have made the cuts tighter, leaving out that awkward pause in dialogue that did not need to be there. Also, when directing, don't settle for an "ok shot". I could tell there were a couple shots where you wanted the actor to do something but it didn't follow through long enough. Like the shot where he was peaking his head over the counter and the buff guy walked by and looked at the counter then kept moving. I could tell you really wanted that actor to really stare for a good few seconds. This is where room tone really comes in handy, because if you have your room tone recorded, you can actually speak out loud and tell the character what to do in those silent moments, and just edit the room tone in later.
Next...(this is more than I thought XD), some of the film didn't make sense. How did he run into the guy? Where did the buff guy go? The placement in the house doesn't make a lot of sense. For your shot choice, try getting away from the close ups. Add variation shots to your dialogue scenes, don't just stick to two. And make them run through the entire scene in each camera angle, that way you get real time reaction in your dialogue and you can be really creative in editing. The one shot where the kid recognizes the robber is a little weak, there was no "realization" from the kid which is important. Also, a handheld shot where the robber questions the kid would have made that scene better. So like the aperture is all the way open, super shallow depth of field, all we see is the robbers face, then it moves to the side and focuses on the kid. That would've been sweet!
next, you had some KILLER shots. Like holy crap, amazing shots bro! However, some shots seemed rushed. EVERY SHOT COUNTS, don't settle for less, go for your shot and don't stop until you get it. Don't stop making films cuz you got a good idea on how to do it. Best of luck to you from one filmmaker to the another ;)
Andrew Gordon Thank you very much Andrew! It't nice to hear some constructive criticism, because everyone seems to be just hating on it but not giving me any real advice on how to make it better. It means a lot and I will take definitely listen to what you had to say! I wanted desperately to make the shots a bit better, but we only had one day to shoot and that day was the shortest day of the year which made it very difficult to get lots of takes. Again, thank you my friend, means a lot :)
Ben Hess Definitely enjoyed watching this. Tighter editing would take this thriller up another notch or two in tension. All the elements are there; consider experimenting with it.
The musclebound guy was sort of terminator-like in his facial expressions, and the incidental music appeared to reflect that -coincidence, I'm mostly certain. :-)
Congrats on the award!
I liked it,not complaining about the acting,I am not very religious,the ending really got me. You had the short that almost brought me to tears. The forgiving thing of the Bible verses, wow! You nailed it.
Simple things such as L cuts and J cuts would have made this 10x better. LITERALLY
This was a great piece. You offered a disclaimer at the beginning that you made this when you were only 17 -- I don't think any such disclaimer was needed, because I think this was a well-done short film for any beginner in the craft. Well done.
+Christopher Schmidt Thank you Christopher!
Surely they’d take the cuffs off him in his cell 😅
Don't listen to the negative people, this was amazing. Yes the acting wasn't the greatest but the film as a whole was great. It won an award for a reason
And how they won and were nominated for all these catogories is absolutely beyond me.
the director clearly is talented.The way the cut works is amazing and I like the rythm
Hahaha that big muscly dude acting like the terminater sent from the future or something...
Well, that took a turn I didn't expect.
It wasn't the acting,the ending which made it clear.
For a 17 year old as a first artistic endeavor, this was really well done. Hope to see more of your work.
This was not made by professional actors so all of you that are criticizing the acting should remember that. It was a really good film and I applaud a 17 year old that could do such a good job. Well done!
The camera work, equipment level, video effects, props, and sound effects was fantastic.
The acting just made it not so convincing. The actors weren't very expressive and their reactions seemed false. Troy's voice sounded cheesy.
The ending part where Troy shoots Cain was predictable because we knew that the good guy wouldn't die for some reason we didn't even know and the feel of the film didn't feel right with it.
The dude was 17 yo and had a camera that no other teen could afford... Fucking nice. And Im stuck with my shit smartphone
Apsolutly amazing the story is so well written that u don’t even notice the acting
A:"I worked for him about a year ago" B:"So where is the safe at?" B who never`s been inside the house found the safe 10 secs later... 74 secs later... Voilá... B:"The safe is in the garage"...
I bought something from an ad on this video lol. Master Class! Hell yeah!
This is def a solid technical effort for such a young filmmaker. Aside the already noted wooden acting. The cast is very attractive however.
Dude... this was actually really good for a student made film! Was this your first? The cinematic shots made the ending really powerful, and the fighting choreography was actually pretty well done. Did not expect the part where the table was broke in two. Yes, I'm sure you've been told enough that the acting needed some work, but I did like how you gave connection and depth to the characters. Overall, well done. :)
this is why professional Directors and Actors make really good money!
Very well put together film. The story was very well put together and very structured. The scenes were beautiful and I just enjoyed knowing it was done by a 17 year old. Very good job!
this movie freaks out me whenever I watch. True friendship is always winner and appreciated by God. Anyway, friendship is eternel. Thank you very much for this movie.
Better than 80% of what ever other short films I've seen
looks like someone just took their slider out of the box.
The actors are all literally so beautiful,love the film!
I don't know about anyone else, but even if the acting was bad, I liked it, I would give it a 5/5. It's not to often you see Christian messages inside action/suspense short films. In studio works they did it with Walker, Texas Ranger, but that's about it.
+Brennan Rasmusson I slightly disagree, as I would like to have a more emotionful ending or action. You don't see it used often as the masses could be from another religeon or would just want good story/action/diolauge like me.
That won an award? You're kidding right?
woah... that was AWESOME,
didn't wanted to mention it but, it felt like DKR, that voiceover, gave me chills.
Great work,
the Protagonist acted well.
Thank you very much for the kind words! It means a lot. I've found that the films that talk about God from beginning to end are not the way to go, as it feels like were trying to shove the message down their throat. I opted for a more subtle approach, trying to make the camera work, plot, cinematography and screenplay the best it can be so that it will attract a wider audience but then still tie in a message while still making it feel like a movie rather than a preacher on sunday morning :)
One of the best high school short films to date
That's true
One of the best Short Movies ever Seen!!!
Wow , that was amazing !!
I read some comments before I watched and I was expecting something horrible , but I was pleasantly surprised , I absolutely loved it !!!!
The acting was very moving , I enjoyed it so much , and loved the message also !!
great stuff man, I loved... yes acting needs work but great message and great mind you have
I think am going to go into an empty room & cry for a very long time. Dire
I've seen better acting in elementary school plays.
i dont see how your comment is appropriate, maybe you should try and be part of something
mac ruiz I get that it seems offensive. But nice cinematography doesn't make up for cringey acting. Really took me out of the story.
majorcinnamonbun should of he casted out of Hollywood and payed for solid indi actors?
He is shooting at the level that he is at. No reason to be harsh, it's called CC not trolling
mac ruiz If this was a college project, then fair game. But if this was a project you are actually passionate about, you would at the very least have asked your actors to deliver their lines at different paces or add some emotion.
You literally upload shitty music bruh
Troy ........"how do u kno my name " ....we used to be best friends.../////// Bull shit....lol
A good message and cinematography but because of the emotionless acting I almost couldn't get through it.
if the acting was even half decent, this would be oscar winning, but holy fuck, if the acting was any worse I'd have to barf
are you all taking vengeance on the audience with the acting?
Why does the muscular guy looks like a game character.
Why so many dislikes? The filming and editing is good, that's why it probably won too.
Well made, but acting is awful
+Parker Zimmermann Lol, it's indeed awful
NOT TO MENTION THE FOLEY, BUT I DO LIKE TO FILM SHOTS.
You are a pro a this. Your sound and video quality is like in the Hollywood films, and your screen play and camera movements are awesome!
I have no professional degree (however I have studied in filming classes for the past 3 years) And I overall love this film, the concept, the biblical touch, and especially the filming. The shots were done very well, the only critique that i would add is the audio instead of using such focused audio on the dialogue (apart from the TV in the beginning) make audio seem more spaced. If people are talking from a "somewhat" distance, Give it some background noise as well, but minor background noice. Overall though this was an extremely well executed film. Great Job!
the cinematography is ballsack
I'm wishing I was the one shot after watching that...
That was so well filmed, better than some movies
the cinematography is just outstanding
The acting wasn't great but the directing writing and filming was A-MA-ZING!!!!!! I loved it
the acting may not be the best, but the message of the Gospel is the most important message that stands out! at seventeen you weren't afraid to share your beliefs; thank you! THE BEST IS YET TO COME!
It's nicely made but the Acting is worse than cancer.
Agreed
so effing true tho lmao
+Fryd Luk
i think the everythings good but the acting is not good he has to get good people for your parts 90% of movie is casting!
my words exactly
If they were gonna talk like robots, they should of just used Siri 😂
I'm an actress and I loved this christian short film!!! If you ever come to Georgia I'll audition
And so it is....We are ONE.
Acting could have been better, but that's alright. This looked like a hell of a lot of fun to make! XD
Well done, you did a good job with the limits imposed on you. I'm sure you know where you made your mistakes and you'll do your best to improve with each project you take on, ignore the rude people online they're too scared to do anything for themselves so they attack you. Best wishes to you
Troy and his Batman voice
No wounder this won a award .
I could almost even. But then I just couldn't.
When he shot him I started laughing
Great movie man! lots of respect by putting this together!
idk what these comments are about, the acting was immaculate!
Omg the color correction in this whole thing is perfect :O
oh god the acting
That guy must piss steroids
The bare bones of this movie is awesome!
Acting a little rusty but overall really gurd
Thank you! :)
Very very rusty... LOL Dont say your lines like you r in a hurry...
Sup_ Dog not home alone again
Sup_ Dog jusus lives go god number one
Good job on the film. Was a bit tough in the beginning with the acting, but it was a cohesive story and way you told it with your footage (angles, lighting, ect) was really good. Hope you put something else out.
Terrific job Ben. Shows a maturity well past 17 years of age.
Thank you very much!! My friends acted in it for me, which would explain why the acting is a little rough, but we had a blast making it!
i love the concept of this video, and the filming and video quality is spectacular (which is always something i love and appreciate in short films). yet i definitely think the acting and sound could have been improved. although this was an overall good short film that i enjoyed :)
Things I didn't like:
-acting
-the religious message
-acting
Things I did like:
The beach scene
Obvious you're not actually a film or creative person
I occasionally come back to this short film. I find it fascinating because the acting is awful yet the quality is professional. how does this even happen?
Thank you! We were just high schoolers when we made it with no acting experience haha
Is it just me, or did his aunt and uncle call him "Grayson" at the beginning of the film, and by the end, when his friend was writing him the letter, he was called "James"?
The acting proved that there is no god. But besides that, it looked great visually.
background score 10/10; Story 7/10; Dubbing 6/10; Screenplay 4/10; overall good job for a noobie. Keep it up.
Good work. Keep pushing towards your goals. See you at the top!
DUDE no need for the disclaimer. I wouldve thought a professional did this!
even though the acting wasn't good, this was really well done. I love the message that it's sending. great job.
I'm very impressed. Keep up the awesome work!
Oh and I was waiting for the gay kiss at the end with the sunset. Please revise film, waiting for the sequel. LOL.
Amazing work guys! You all have done a great job here, and I hope you continue to do so!
Not bad at all. I like it, great camera work!
A perfect short film with a glory end and backround!!! :-)
all that religious shit in the end destroyed it
Lmfaoo
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC ANYTIME YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE A POSITIVE MESSAGE THERE WILL BE SMART MOUTH PEOPLE TALKING CRAP!! DON'T LISTEN JUST KEEP DOING U!!! & THANK U GOD'S BLESSINGS
the acting could use an upgrade, besides this is amazing