I think that this is an incredibly emotional and personal story. The portrayal of music as spirits is so creative and I never would have considered that while writing my own story. I really love how you were able to portray anxiety and panic attacks so realistically. I just wish that there was a nice old person sitting next to all of those who need assistance working through a panic attack. Thank you so much for sharing this raw and groovy story!

I love the little touches you've added here like the hint of color at the beginning, fantastic job of planting the seeds early on! And what a cute concept! I love how the different music tastes are shown and the way you were able to get across emotion through zero dialogue, great job!

this is a very harmul and relatable story that i think all of us can identify with, the message and the art is very clear and the music helps a lot to understand and feel the story, great job!

If I can borrow a quote from Grunkle Stan, "Oh this...This is beautiful." There are several artistic choices in here that I love, but if I had to narrow them down, it would be how the title in the intro is gradually filled in, the out-of-body dancing spirits represented by different colors, and the panic attacks gradually coming in overwhelming waves of anxiety, be it through the background colors changing from white to grey to black, the sounds of the heartbeat subtly getting louder, and the reminders and questions appearing around Tempo in a black void, eventually encompassing nearly the entire screen.

Speaking of the notifications, this brings me to what I think the message of the short is, which is how you deal with the daily problems in your life. While Tempo does try to ignore them and focus on something she likes to do, doing so, in a way, further adds to her anxiety of having to deal with so much and stressing over how to deal with it. It isn't until she is brought back down to earth by the stranger (who I find looks similar to Garnet from Steven Universe) that she calms down and manages to handle herself. And I believe she realizes that staying away from your problems and issues will only increase the risk of them happening, potentially right in your face.

Congrats on your final reel! I love this story idea, and the conflict your character is facing. I think this is a very creative fantastical answer to combatting anxiety with the power of music, and I think your audio editing suits it well. If I had one thing I would like to see pushed further in your future work, its your overall cinematography! Many of your shots are either close up or full body, and they are always centered in frame. How can you move stuff around and make the composition feel weighted, or anxious, or fun and free to amplify what Tempo is feeling, or use the camera to do so? Great job this summer, you executed a great body of work.

Dance break on a train! I loved it. That was my favorite sequence. Congrats on finishing your reel!
The different music for each person was really fun, especially when they all lined up.

My only notes is that the panic and stress became slightly repetitive visually. Perhaps showing it in different ways?

Love your idea
Great sound choices too :)

Very interesting concept and I really liked the audio editing

Hi! First of all congratulations on finishing and delivering your reel. I think you did a great job that you can be proud of! I really like how you animated the intro and already gave a quick sneak peek in the solution of the problems shown in this short. The overwhelming effect of getting many notifications is very familiar, same as having the temporary escape from it by music. Overall I think the reel was very good to follow. I think some of the frames could use some more time, but this is a very nit-picky feedback point. Also, it would be cool to see the older lady listening to a music genre that you wouldn't expect from her (like rock or metal music) - because I think that we all find our peace in a different genre of music. I think you did a great job in telling the story. Well done! 💪

Oho, I really like Tempo! Like the story is very subtle with your use of close ups and camera shots. The music and sound effects complements the story. The main character was also very easy to read and is very relatable, a young man with a love for music trying to get his life back in balance or tempo. Overall you did great. Congratulations on completing Tempo!

This is such a cute idea for a short. That animated title card is great. Timing and music is so hard for beginners, but I think you nailed it well. I really enjoyed when a new "music person" joined the group, the music would change and add a little bit of what they had into the mix, which I thought was super clever. There were times where I had to pause to take in a scene/frame because you moved very quickly, such as the first set of rushing thoughts (00:46) and your sub train car interior (1:00)((I felt like you were trying to make a statement of some kind, but it rushed by)). Do not worry about not having a face for your villain, internal conflict is just as powerful and I feel your main protagonist's struggle. Your design for your grandma figure was pretty nice, especially hair. The only problem I have is the deep-breathe-ing animations, and it's the medium of flat 2D drawings, mixing them 3D movement with your 2D characters was really weird, and I didn't get used to it, it was jarring and broke my suspension of disbelief. I know the deep-breathes are important for your character, but for now maybe just some arrows showing the IN and OUT, or maybe make it more subtle. In any case, you have a really solid piece right here. I hope to see more from you and I hope you keep up all the hard work. May you have a great rest of your summer.

Hello,

Very cute opener, and I love the sound effects being well used. Also love the idea of how important music plays in the role of a person's life and feelings. Great Job!

Hi,

First off, great use of sound/foley to really bring this world to life. The sound choices really portray the emotions perfectly! The choices in your character movements and animations are spot on. This has a really feel good vibe for how people can use music/dance as an escape from the stress of reality. I love the scene where the stranger helps her breathe her way through being overstressed and panicked. Them sharing music was the cherry on top. Great work!