Episode Nine

How do you fight the enemy, when you are the enemy?

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Excellent as always.

In this episode, I can really see how the story line has matured as well as the acting. It's a neat process to watch this. I've been holding back and only watching the episodes as they are released on The Escapist, it's hard to not jump ahead.

I felt like this was the best episode so far - why? Because I found the way it was tying into past episodes and the action combined to feel like a pay off. Now it has me really interested in how the story advances.

Should have listened to Douglas "Benchguy" ... and she finally did! Awesome! Hmm, still wondering if I saw Douglas use Psy-Kinetic abilities too, especially since it seems like the preview of the next episode seems to suggest the Blind Therapist has some of that too and since I know Douglas is connected to him...

Hehe, the only reason I don't like the episode is a distinct lack of Douglas power :D

I really like the musical tracks in this episode - one of my favourites for the music so far. I also thought the interaction of other people against the bondage guy pretty cool, especially the girl in the purple with the crazy arm and body motion and the guy who gets his throat slit.

It seems we keep seeing Emily break down a little more each time, so much so at this point, it seems she forgets her own defenders.. only bringing the beam to "life" to fight back the wolf.

Couldn't read what was on the page that guy picked up though.. I assume it's something leading to Emily's home?? maybe we'll find out.

Looking forward to the next episode... a blind shrink is a great concept. :)

Hi my name is Eric Rizz, and I am a student of animation.

I have been monitoring the progress of "drawn by pain" for some time. And I know feel motivated enough to make a constructive criticism of your enterprise. (Formal intro over I can finally get down to the subject matter).

Positive/negative aspects:

Drawn by pain sports an excellent cast, indeed many of the characters of this story seem uncommonly well established and there interaction is adequate and sometimes touching especially in one on one situation. I would like to commend Guy Rader for his magnificent incarnation of Douglas indeed I feel that it was that character that really acquired my interest and Guy pull's him of magnificently. However I feel the most attractive thing about Douglas is his uniquely detached and mysterious influence on the series as a whole. He is the window through which we identify with the main character.(in my personnel experience Guy was a double bay king sized bullet proof opening to a perfect view of the D B P universe).
However, I would caution the development: Mystery is a finite attribute to any character, you do not have an infinite amount of it and abusing it will cause you're character to loose credibility, once you have revealed all the aspects of a character the game is up. Feverish attempts at salvaging or rekindling "intrigue" can have truly disastrous affects e.g the Matrix trilogy (in which the directors blow there load on the ending of the first movie and then try desperately to resurrect the prodigy through a decadent series of inefficient plot twists in the two following instalments. Don't get me wrong I liked the matrix but with hind sight I do believe this to be its greatest flaw). This goes for all character in general.

In the first few episodes I have to admit that my integrity as a viewer was challenged by the performance of the heroine(not the drug, the drug was fine^^) this however was due more to the script then to the actual acting, indeed the whole traumatized child growing up to be introverted bad ass femme fatal... In my mind prompted the response "here comes another trip to hard bitch town" not that I'm sexist but no fictitious female personification needs that amount of Testosterone fuelled Ramboesque attitude, and can still claim to be taken seriously, I attributed this lack of subtlety to personnel struggles the righter must have endured during the conception of an identity for the main character. I am pleased that looking back upon what seemed to be a difficult take off that the series seems to have come into its own with best intentions for a fresh new interpretation, Emily is once again beautifully cast by Marissa Parness, so too is the evil father and the newly added villain. I'll say it again exceptional cast.

It would be hypocritical of me not to briefly mention the other conceptual weaknesses that I have noticed before moving on (bare with me folks^^).

1. Less of the EMO ranting in narrations, layoff the angst. There is only so miserable a character can get without giving the impression that the creator is projecting^^).
2. avoid chasing the heroines child hood around, it's the kind of psychological plot devise that has been abused in recent years by Hollywood psycho-thrillers and no longer arouses sympathy, and while I do understand the need to relate the heroine to her inner child the emphasis is on you to find an original way to do so, bumming of stereotypes can only be tolerated to a certain extent.
3. Avoid recycling the paranoiac running sequences; at the moment there is a definite mechanical rigidity to the manner in which you dispense action and horror, in this sense episodes are becoming much too predictable.
4. Group scenes seem to cause problems and there is a tangible drop in performance quality when compared to the very singular and griping one on one dialogs.

I come now to the greatest weakness of the series which is I must say location and ambiance:
A lot can be said of this issue... an awful lot. I believe the best scene of the series to be the one in the tube at the beginning, it's a classic, a fool proof location we can all identify with, a small capsule speeding along, timeless postponing are interaction with reality, it's poetry, underground, the ambiance suited the Rotoscoping perfectly. After that small spark of genuine brilliance I'm afraid it's all downhill, you give us a series of identical and insipid urban background to chew on all encompassing the same bland documentary still atmosphere, the park scene shimmers slightly in a feeble effort to make a statement but the only other scene I didn't need to pretend I was somewhere else to enjoy was at the end of episode 7 when Emily confronts Douglas (most original scene in the series so far) also the third person camera view(camera floating behind the character as they wonder along) is not appropriate for browsing as it makes the viewer aware of the presents of the camera and killed all attempts of installing an adequate ambiance.

I'd hate to finish one such a sour note, and so I have left some of my praise till last, Drawn by Pain is an interesting concept based on a genuinely new idea; I for one truly believe that it has potential. I don't know if this comment will be read by any of the actors staff, directors or how it will be received but I wouldn't have written over 900 words to talk about something I despised and so I would hope to get at least some form of response from the creators. Its one thing to ask for feedback, and another not to egnolage it.
I wish you all the best in your endeavor.

Teleios:
Excellent as always.

In this episode, I can really see how the story line has matured as well as the acting. It's a neat process to watch this. I've been holding back and only watching the episodes as they are released on The Escapist, it's hard to not jump ahead.

Thx Tel. I'm equally anxious to hear your thoughts on the final 3 eps. Frankly I think the last two are the strongest of the series, but maybe it's because I've seen the first 10 or so 10,000 times! :)

CanadianWolverine:
I felt like this was the best episode so far - why? Because I found the way it was tying into past episodes and the action combined to feel like a pay off. Now it has me really interested in how the story advances.

Should have listened to Douglas "Benchguy" ... and she finally did! Awesome! Hmm, still wondering if I saw Douglas use Psy-Kinetic abilities too, especially since it seems like the preview of the next episode seems to suggest the Blind Therapist has some of that too and since I know Douglas is connected to him...

Hehe, the only reason I don't like the episode is a distinct lack of Douglas power :D

Glad to see you still with us Mr. Wolverine. I enjoy this one as well for exactly the same reasons. That and watching people get pummeled of course. Thx much as always!

-Jes

Eric Rizz:
Hi my name is Eric Rizz, and I am a student of animation.

I have been monitoring the progress of "drawn by pain" for some time. And I know feel motivated enough to make a constructive criticism of your enterprise. (Formal intro over I can finally get down to the subject matter).

I read this over several times and appreciate all the feedback. I find myself at a loss as it's very hard to comment without speaking from the perspective of the whole (all 12 episodes). That said- I shall try and revisit this post with hopefully the ability to make it clear why I have done the things I have (made the choices) once the series has been released. Thanks for the well thought out review thus far :)

-Jes

Eric Rizz:

...I'd hate to finish one such a sour note, and so I have left some of my praise till last, Drawn by Pain is an interesting concept based on a genuinely new idea; I for one truly believe that it has potential. I don't know if this comment will be read by any of the actors staff, directors or how it will be received but I wouldn't have written over 900 words to talk about something I despised and so I would hope to get at least some form of response from the creators. Its one thing to ask for feedback, and another not to egnolage it.
I wish you all the best in your endeavor.

Thanks for taking the time to write such a lengthy review/critique. Regardless of how positive/negative the post is - it makes me happy that you have thought about it enough to express your views at length, means it's made some sort of impact, which is awesome. Thanks for the praise for my acting and character as well as for the rest of the cast (that's always nice to hear - thank you).

One thing I would like to point out is you refer to the actors/directors/staff - with Jesse, Erica (our animator), Marissa and myself, that's about the whole shebang, along with help from various other cast members and the ever-stalwart Victor G. But really this project was 99% the fruit of Jesse and Erica's labors. Thanks for pointing out that you wouldn't have taken the time if you despised it :) - always easy to dwell on the negative. We do appreciate the feedback.

Cheers,
~Guy "Douglas"

Another great episode.

I mean, I could go on, but I think my first sentence gets the point across.

Great work guys, cant wait to get the last few episodes :)