Tell

First of all: This movie has been done on a very low budget. This hardly ever shows and I rated it like I would rate any other Hollywood-backed movie on IMDb, which might almost be a little unfair. Still, I have to give this movie high praises. It has a very simple story yet easily keeps you entangled for over 30 minutes (a very long runtime for a short-film).

The story is based on "The tell-tale heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. The movie itself shortens it even further. It contains very little dialog and can be considered more of a mood piece. From the very beginning, the music, acting and cinematography keep the viewer at the edge of his seat and deliver suspense in an amazing yet not obvious way. The main character Taylor (Todd Bruno) carries the movie brilliantly, without his outstanding performance it would not have been the same. The same way would a lesser composer or cinematographer have left this movie boring and lifeless. As it is, this movie is very close to a perfect thriller and I can recommend it to anyone.

Some minor things that bugged me: All the main actresses were not as convincing as I had hoped. There were some very slight focus issues at times. In very few places, I would have liked the score to be a little more quiet or non-present, to release the tension for just a second.

Over all, I am very pleased with the movie and found it entertaining at least and brilliant at best. In comparison to big commercial films, I am rating it at 8/10 stars. For a very low budget film, I would easily give 10/10.

The first thing I want to say is that I might be a little "prejudiced" about this movie, because I am a real fan of the FilmRiot you-tube show and I'm watching it for a really long time. I'm really impressed about this movie Tell, they created. It has a fantastic script (my opinion) and it's very well acted. I think the cruel storyline really succeeded along with the background music. But you won't lose any sympathetic for the main character, even after all his murders. I don't want to say too much about this movie, you have to watch it for yourself.... which can't be a problem since it's free to watch! The You-tube broadcasts quite exploded in popularity the last few years. The, not too long, free to watch movies, are a good way of wasting time for almost every one. This community has grown so much, that the quality is increasing to a high level. It's showing us you don't need a Hollywood budget to make a good film.

The internet is really competing against the high budget films in cinema's and on DVD's. Projects like Tell, witch are almost getting to the "cinema" quality, will make "buying" films superfluous. I think projects like Tell, can really gain popularity in the future. People are looking more and more for ways to watch films cheap, like Netflix or even illegally downloading them.

Hopefully this will be our future. At least TELL is one step in the right direction...

I've been watching Film Riot for a couple years now, and only recently did I stumble upon this short directed by Ryan Connolly.

This was his first short apparently and I have to say, I've seen a lot of first time shorts... this one is pretty good among the others I've seen. Very rarely will you see a GREAT short film done by a first timer; that's rare if even possible. To be clear, this short film is good, not great.

Some people might have issues with the picture quality, but that's because the camera they used is a very old model/simple type of camera. Nothing too fancy at all. Basically on the same level as a Canon T2i. To me, that's not a problem. If anything that's inspiring to other indie filmmakers to still go out and make movies and not let the lack of stellar equipment stop you from doing so.

The acting was okay... passable.

The story is pretty good, and I'm 99% sure based on Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. I say that because it has similar elements and it's title is "TELL". I actually find that pretty cool that someone adapted Poe literature into a short film, set in modern times.

And as I recall, I have no issues with the editing or sound design. The lighting and color grading seemed to fit the short well.

Overall, a pretty good diamond in the ruff and highly recommended; especially if you're into indie filmmaking, it might inspire you.

Personally, i have been a fan of Film Riot and Ryan Connolly for years now. So when i heard that this movie was to be released online - free of charge - i was mega excited. The simplicity of this film with the combination of perfection really makes it stand out from other horror films. At a tight budget and a small crew, they have managed to pull off Hollywood standard material through Ryan's many skills from directing to editing.

He is "The Man" and with great co-operative actors, this piece has really out-shined a lot of other horror films that have had millions spent on them.

Full kudos to Ryan Connolly and the team, massive fan of your work, and i look forward to seeing your films on the big screen. It will take you no less than an hour to watch, so i suggest that everyone goes over to the website and watches it now. You will not regret it. Just make sure you have a pillow to hide behind!

I will keep "TELL" and film riot separate because when i watched it i wiped out the name of their youtube super hit show. First thing the story got me totally and by saying that i mean it was nicely interactive between the story and the audience. I found this 33 (waw) minutes short film very well paced(somewhere something very little was missing). In terms of camera angle and a little shakiness turned me down a bit but hey considering the budget and the crew that's the best one can get for sure. But, if i compare this film to other big budget short film, guess what, it will still make a big impression on them. One fact can do it all, "TELL"'s soundtrack was extremely catching and it kept me in tense most of the time. Last but not least a well graded film. I am no guru in terms of any of the issues i just talked about but i know what is comfortable and fun to watch and what is not.

Good job Ryan connolly.