• Home
  • About Us
  • Submit Article
  • Write for Us
  • Contact Us
Indie Shorts Mag
  • Home
  • Premieres
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Hall of FameNew
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Live TVBeta
  • Submit Short Film
No Result
View All Result
Indie Shorts Mag
  • Home
  • Premieres
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Hall of FameNew
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Live TVBeta
  • Submit Short Film
No Result
View All Result
Indie Shorts Mag
No Result
View All Result

Town Hall: Going The Unorthodox Extra Mile For The Greater Good

Sristi Gayen by Sristi Gayen
25 Sep 2019
in Reviews
0
Town Hall - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Town Hall. Casey Lock styles this story of townspeople affected by corporate greed like a courtroom drama. In a small town, the city councillor is retiring. A kindly man with a booming voice, Carl (Steve Herson) is being replaced by his colleague, Olivia (Robyn Coffin), a woman on the Vinci company’s trail with the certainty that they are strategically displacing the townspeople to develop according to their own agenda. 

The drama unfolds in the town hall at their meeting. Present are the aggrieved and the curious locals, and a representative of the Vinci company, Jackson Taylor (Sam Guinan-Nyhart)– the perfect setup for a tense courtroom drama (all the more gripping for its realistic treatment). Michael J. Weldon’s cinematography is particularly remarkable. He stages shots in a way to signify power dynamics; the trial-like setup is also the product of mindful staging– Carl is even positioned such as to overlook the procedure while Olivia and Jackson argue and present their sides in front of a sceptical gallery. The prelude to the ensuing drama is composed with great thought and skill as well. Establishing shots are kept to a minimum letting the film jump to hint at both their history and the future. 

Town Hall - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Without any music, the film feels sharply real. Lock, who has also edited the film, displays a fine understanding of what makes a viewer tick, both visually and audially. Here, one is especially reminded of the closing sequence. Using a mundane sound as a carryover to the credits leaves the audience heavy with the after-effects of Carl and Olivia’s conversation and the mind-boggling twist (particularly remarkable for the nonchalant delivery). 

ConversionAILeaderboard - Indie Shorts Mag ConversionAILeaderboard - Indie Shorts Mag ConversionAI - Indie Shorts Mag

Coffin herself delivers exceptionally well. Both unassuming and forceful, she plays Olivia with a naturalness that both befits the film and elevates it. As her opponent, Guinan-Nyhart’s Jackson is written to be the quintessential corporate lizard-devil’s advocate, and he emanates just the sort of oily politeness that is nearly beguiling and simultaneously infuriating. Herson’s Carl ends up as the unlikely father figure– alternating between warm and disappointing. Herson starts off well, but as the drama begins to peak, he goes ever so slightly overboard; it is not particularly jarring and almost believable, but not quite. 

Town Hall - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

While the characters are written with skill and insight, the plot itself required some fine-tuning in the middle. Yet Town Hall is an exceptionally well-crafted short. Only 22 minutes long, the plot does not feel rushed or half-developed. Characters are developed with a naturalness, while balancing each other out and further still, playing up thematic elements of the story.

#ShortFilmReview: 'Town Hall': To defeat the enemy, think like the enemy. Right? Click To Tweet

Watch Town Hall Short Film

Tags: ReviewShort Film Reviews

Get real time update about this post categories directly on your device, subscribe now.

Unsubscribe
Previous Post

Vengeance Runs Red: Classic Tale of Exacting Revenge

Next Post

Look!: The Loneliness Of Combating Loneliness With Self-Reliance

Sristi Gayen

Sristi Gayen

Related Posts

I AM - Documentary Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

I AM: Strong Tribute To Pioneering Queer Artists

11th April 2021
Geronimo - In Flight - Documentary Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag
Reviews

Geronimo: In Flight: Documenting The Results Of Transformation

10th April 2021
Next Post
Look! - Short Film Review - Indie Shorts Mag

Look!: The Loneliness Of Combating Loneliness With Self-Reliance

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

From Editor’s Desk

Editor’s Picks: 2020’s Flashback In One Go!

Editor’s Picks: 2020’s Flashback In One Go!

Sponsored

  • Recent Reviews
Facebook Twitter Instagram

About Indie Shorts Mag

Indie Shorts Mag is a publishing agency that works within the ‘short film circuit’. We review short films, documentaries, music videos and web series, amongst others. We stand out amongst the short film review sites for being multi-diverse & global in our platform and reach.
Our team works tirelessly to help promote, publicize and market your short films that deserve the shout-out! Besides reviews, we host film festival news as it’s a known fact that the film festival buzz is unmissable and we ensure you aren’t left behind!
We aspire to form a niche for ourselves as the ‘short film magazine’ that remains the hub for filmmakers & their audience.

Popular Topics

  • Announcements
  • Articles
  • Crowdfunding
  • Editorial
  • Film Festival News
  • Film Festivals
  • India Edition
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • Marketing
  • News
  • Online Premiere
  • Post-Production
  • Pre-Production
  • Reviews
  • Short Film
  • Short Film Competition
  • Short Film News
  • Tutorials
  • Web Series

Indie Shorts Mag on Instagram

Follow Us On Instagram

© 2015-2021 Indie Shorts Mag

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Premieres
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Film Festival News
    • Short Film News
  • Reviews
    • Short Film
    • Documentary
    • Web Series
  • Hall of Fame
  • Tutorials
    • Pre-Production
    • Post-Production
  • Live TV
  • Submit Short Film

© 2015-2021 Indie Shorts Mag