GREEN EYES - Short Film

Here you go: Green Eyes, my first ever short film!

Warning, this description is gonna be very long. I want to give some more context around this project, so if you care, here are some things I wanna share about this:

Firstly, a huge thank you to Nora for starring in this, she’s hugely talented; look out for her in the future! She also put up with me trying to make a movie for the first time which didn’t always go 100% smoothly, and she was always happy to go along with whatever happened, she was an absolute delight to work with, so again, thank you so much Nora. Secondly, speaking of acting, I will personally be eagerly awaiting my Academy Award for that brilliant voice acting performance I put in.

I wanted to make a movie about how anxiety plays into procrastination, a lack of motivation, how that can put you in a seemingly endless loop and how the hardest but most crucial part is taking the first step. I've mentioned it before but anxiety and mental health in general are topics I care a lot about and that's why, even if it is obviously a simplified portrayal, I wanted to make a short film with that underlying theme.

I also wanted to make something on a small scale after trying something a bit bigger and having it not go well, to put it mildly.

For some further context, this movie was 100% independent, as independent as it can get. I wrote it, I directed it, I edited it. I’m not part of a film school yet, I didn’t have anyone backing this financially, this was made with my own money and the resources I could get, but I was more than happy to do that because it’s something I've been really passionate about doing for a while. Now on that, I’m totally aware that there are some big technical flaws with this film, the sound design being one of them (also some visuals in the dark look a little weird because of some YouTube compression issues). This was my first time trying this, but I learned a huge amount through this process, both technically and in terms of writing a narrative. So yes while there are definitely lots of flaws in here, I am still extremely proud of this movie. I’ve worked on this for months and months, it’s been so much fun (and occasionally not so fun), but I’ve loved it. And this short film is 100% me, as in this is the best thing I can make right now. I know my projects in the future will be better just because of what I learn as I go (I mean you can see it with my YouTube videos, I’d like to think I’ve improved since Top 5 US Presidents), but this is 100% the best thing I could make right now given my knowledge of filmmaking, my budget, my experience, all that. And I’m very proud of it. Whether people end up loving it or hating it, I know I put my all into this, and I'm honestly really happy with how it turned out.

There’s definitely a stressful element to putting out something like this, there’s the thought that a few days after this I’ll see a video titled “BHL HUDSON JUST MADE THE WORST SHORT FILM OF ALL TIME (extreme cringe must watch)”, but that’s a risk you gotta take with this kind of stuff. I don’t want to get too cheesy or too preachy after making one short film, but the reason I think about this stuff is because I want to pursue a future in creative work, specifically filmmaking. So for me, even if this seems quite insignificant, this is my first step towards that, and that's a big deal to me. So my point here is, don’t let the fear of people not liking what you make stop you from making it. Even if it sucks, you just have to take that step to get to the next step, which hopefully will suck a little less. I am hoping that this short film doesn’t suck by the way, just to be clear, but you get what I mean.

Anyway, I’m starting to ramble. I’ve been working on this for a really long time now so I’ve just got a lot of thoughts I want to get out of my system here. But all in all, I hope you enjoyed this! It was a really exciting project to complete, had its ups and downs, and I’m really happy to finally put it out there. All feedback is welcome, good and bad. I’ve already really appreciated the support from you guys and I'm also more than open to constructive criticism, that's how you get better.

And...there you go, there’s my first short film. Not quite sure how to end this, so I’ll just go with the classic: thanks for watching and I’ll see ya next time!

Also huge thank you to Yassin, Freddy, Leilei, and Muba for supporting me throughout this whole process in all kinds of different ways. Love all you guys so much.

[bhlhudson]

Thanks for watching, hope you guys enjoyed! If you want some more in-depth context, I’ve written an arguably way too long description, but in short: this has been a very fun, new, challenging type of project to work on. I’ve learned a ton, and even with the flaws of this short film I put my absolute all into it and I’m really proud of the final product. All feedback is welcome, good and bad. This was the first step of hopefully many, and I really appreciate your guys’ support and/or critiques! And finally a huge thanks to Nora for starring in this, she’s extremely talented and was a joy to work with!

[OpinionRepellent]

I have a soft spot for low budget independent short films like this. They always feel more intimate and this makes watching them such an enjoyable experience. I have been watching your videos for years now, and seeing you make something like this puts such a big smile on my face, I'm so happy for you! As for the film itself, I particularly liked the unsteadiness of the camerawork at certain points. It felt like it was giving an insight into her mental state, all without being too in your face. And major props to Nora! Acting is already hard enough, but playing a role with very limited dialogue can feel impossible. Her attentiveness to detail really blew me away. Just with subtle changes in her expressions it immediately showed the audience exactly how she is feeling in that moment, whether it be anxiety, fear, or just simply being overwhelmed. Great work you guys, I can't wait to see what you do next <3

[fdkgaming]

Petition to get Steve as the new voice for Jarvis and/or deep sensual ASMR videos?! Bloody amazing short film. Editing, acting, music - all an up-and-coming proffesional director worthy <3 #Thwaitesisproud

[dougiefresh]

This Short Film is one of the best that I've ever had the pleasure of watching. It's a crime that this doesn't have millions of views within the hour. If you want to, please keep making this, I very much so enjoy them and they look like so much fun to make and film.

[ajinc.]

Wow wow wow. Outstanding work especially for a first go at it. I like how it takes a simple idea, and one that most people have gone through, and makes you care and find appreciation in her actually completing the tasks. Again very well done!

[TheSantiagoYT]

The one thing I love about film is it has a story to tell but like all art is a subjective. Throughout the film I was beginning to think she was struggling with anxiety and depression. Something that I've severely struggled with so it made it extremely relatable. I thought the end would be much worse. It had me invested from the beginning. This was absolutely amazing. Can't wait to see more!

[TheAwesomeAlan]

As someone with ADHD, this really speaks to me due to my constant procrastination and executive dysfunction. I can't work on assignments in an effective manner and I typically don't even start them until, depending on the size of the assignment, a day or hour before they're due. Wanting to do the work but not being able to do the work because you have no motivation is crippling, which leads to severe anxiety and depression. It just sucks.

[joshuagibbs]

Great sound design, great visual and auditory depiction of anxiety, procrastination and lonely, everyday mundanity.

I haven't related to something as exactly as the edit from describing a busy schedule to someone else to lying sideways in bed watching Nathan Zed on your phone in portrait mode in a while.

Impressive debut, Benedict. Please keep up the good work.

[cinemageek]

This reminded me of that scene from Spongebob where he has to write an essay and all he has written is "THE"

On a serious note though, this is incredibly well done. This short feels very relatable (like hkw I procrastinate instead of making videos oof), the camera work and directing feel very cinematic, the performance is great and the editing makes everything flow together very nicely. Great work. Hope you're making feature films someday.

[SaurianStudios]

I relate to lot of this....
Anxiety, addiction/temptation, lack of motivation or achieving your goals and fatigue is what I'm struggling with and i feel like you captured it all here.
Awesome short film and Nora's acting performance here is much better than actors today! I also love the sense of dread and atmosphere. You inspired me to make my own live action short films.

[fioqw]

Read your description, and have no fear BHL, this film did not suck.

This felt very personal, the moments of looking at the work which you need to start and staring into the void while everything else blurs out is so accurate. The sound design druring the scenes of tension and indecisiveness were very well done.
Props to Nora for portraying that indecisive state of mind wonderfully.

I am sure there are many places you can improve moving forward, the only place I had a problem was the camera shake during close up of the phone screen. I ended up unintentionally laughing during that point.

All and all, I really liked the film, felt very personal. I felt awesome when she finished the essay and drawing in the end..

Loved your cameo as well.

[conorbarber]

This is great! Its lovely to see how much can be accomplished with just a few locations, minimal dialogue and a few very clever and intentional editing choices. Great visual storytelling skills on display here, especially given that this is your first short film. Huge congrats, man.

[theoutluke]

Bravi!!! Terrific direction, and terrific acting from Nora - y'all have some bright futures ahead :)
Hope to see more of your short films and eventually not-so-short films in the future!!

[petetalksmovies]

Nice man congrats on making a film! First of many hopefully love the content!!!

[fromyourbed_tunes]

Was a very engaging viewing experience, thankyou for this!

[gcgreene]

Congrats on the film BHL! This was so great, and I'm thrilled to see what else you've got planned. I really was not expecting this film to hit so close to home for me. Being a sophomore in high school I know exactly what it feels like to be drowning in assignments and tasks yet not being able to even think of starting any of them. At this time of year it is especially tough, with final exams coming up in the next week or so. Sometimes I have way too much on my plate, and just feel like breaking down because of it. This film captures high school and teenage life so perfectly. I can't count how many times I've cancelled plans or avoided hang outs because of my workload, only to end up procrastinating said work. The only real way to get through the stress is to breathe, and take everything one little step at a time, and that is something that this short captured flawlessly. Nora Krogsgaard did a really great job with her acting, and a lot of it was done through her facial expressions as there wasn't all that much dialogue, which only highlights how talented she is and also how well you directed her. Some really cool shots in here as well, and the editing was great, even adding to some comedic elements like with the broken television. Really terrific work, especially for your first film. With a bigger budget down the line you'll make something groundbreaking.

[andir]

Love how the camera and the acting conveyed all of the emotions so well

[movieguy]

This is a brilliant first film. Beautiful performance by Nora. She gave a very simple but realistic performance. Most of the film had no dialogue and was just her facial expressions which shows how talented she is and it was displayed nicely through ur lovely direction. Some of the shots were just stunning like the close up shots of Nora which perfectly captured all her emotions and the shot of her by the lamp post is wallpaper material. Also the performance from Steve was really good. (The voice sounded familiar).

This was very relatable and real, it wasn’t exaggerated and everything felt real. This is what I usually do during my homework and watching the ending made me want to stop procrastinating. It showcases some of the emotions that a teenager feels realistically and it wasn’t cheesy as some popular movies that come out today.

I also loved the little Easter eggs like the woodys cafe tab and the UFC tab. The Edgar wright style quick cut shot at 8:41 was rlly fun to see.

Overall, it was a great film, I really can’t find any major flaws. If I was to nitpick, one or two shots of the running scene was a bit shaky however this is amazing and considering this is ur first film it’s impressive. I can’t wait for more BHL. You and Nora both have a good future ahead of you. Well Done to all of you who have made this.

[PorterSays]

This was great, I honestly relate to this a lot. Like I procrastinate and don’t have much motivation to do anything but I always get there in the end and complete what I am meant to do. So awesome job man I look forward to more of your future videos.

[jacksoncihamovies]

Loved it. Just finished up another school year yesterday, which is a good feeling. I bring that up to say that I connected with this short film way more than I thought I would. Really well done. I hope you make more stuff in the future 👍