APRICOT — A Short Film by Ben Briand on Vimeo

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1. APRICOT — A Short Film by Ben Briand

by Moonwalk Films

2 years ago

Winner :: Community Choice Award
Voted Best Narrative on Vimeo by it's users
============================================================================

Do you remember your first love? ... Do you remember your first kiss? ... Do you remember? ...

Like it on Facebook : tinyurl.com/apricot-fb

Written & Directed by Ben Briand
benbriand.com
twitter.com/ben_briand

Produced by Matt Dooley, Michele Bennett, Alexis Bensa, Gaspard Chevance
moonwalk-films.com cherubpictures.com.au

Cast
Ewen Leslie, Laura Gordon, Alice Zahalka, Joshua Rozzi

Cinematography
adamarkapaw.com

Music
basilhogios.com.au

Credits

Moonwalk Films
Production Company
Ben Briand
Director, Writer, Editor

13,409 Likes

Dries Van Schevensteen
25 minutes ago
Sacha Claes
26 minutes ago
Mert Mayda
1 hour ago
Felix van den Broeck
3 hours ago
Christian Serge
5 hours ago
Tino Schmidt
7 hours ago
Shivesh Mishra
10 hours ago
Sarah Wallace
10 hours ago
Lynsey Weatherspoon
11 hours ago
Jordan Peltz
12 hours ago

Tags

BumKi Cho 2 years ago

I absolutely loved this beautiful piece. Love the script, scenese were beautifully shot, and acting/dialogue was great. Welcome to Vimeo!
HYPEMUCH 1 year ago

AMAZING FILM MAKING. Absolutely love it...

Blogged here: hypemuch.com/
Ibrahim Awara 6 months ago

Couldn't agree more, in 10 short minutes this film had sucked me in completely.

vimeo.com/25944913
Abhishek Galshar (ACAAI) 5 months ago

AMAZING FILM MAKING. Absolutely love it...
Nick Keating 2 years ago

Beautifully done, incredible cinematography.
Gabriel Mariscal 1 year ago

AGREE! I loved it. Beautiful. Could say this is my favorite video I ever seen. LOVE LOVE the soundtrack!!
Alex beaudreau 1 year ago

This piece makes me think of Where The Wild Things Are, the music, the filming, the writing, the colors.
Absolutely loved it!
Johannes Greve Muskat 1 year ago

My thoughts exactly!
Mitchell Weholt 11 months ago

incredible.
Nick Keating 2 years ago

Alright I've watched this over a few times and it just keeps getting better. Score fit beautifully and I love the cascading bokeh before and after the transition at 3:18! Very inspiring.
Regis Hervagault 2 years ago

masterpiece
Camille Marotte 2 years ago

I am... speechless.
Benjamin Reece 1 year ago

When I saw that Camille responded "speechless"...I knew this thing would be awesome.

And yes, it is amazing! Best narrative film on vimeo by far
DuckDuck Collective 1 year ago

Agreed on both counts!
jd brick maynardCowboy 11 months ago

Yup. I with them.
beauty driven by story. amazing.
Gunther Gheeraert 2 years ago

It's rare to watch a work with so many qualities.
I'ts really impressive. A huge like!!!
Jeff Wood 2 years ago

At 2.07 you know you're in for something special, inspiring!
Jet Kaiser Films 1 year ago

I thought the same thing :)
Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka 3 months ago

Even I thought the same thing ....:)
Matt Cordy | U.W.Productions 2 years ago

Oh yes, beautiful :)
Zach B 2 years ago

gorgeous cinematography, especially in the flashbacks, impressive soundtrack and great story telling, but as soon as she stands up, the camera movement is far too distracting. My only complaint.
limonesvarios 1 year ago

Sorry Zach B. I`ve to desagree. I think that the movement brings the opportunity to convert the scene in something else.
Sorry about my english (i`m from argentina!) :)
Best regards,
Mario
Flavio Azm Rassekh 1 year ago

I totally agree with Zach. When the "movement" takes you out of the scene... it is too much.
Apart from that it is really very impressive.
Chris Wilmshurst 1 year ago

I disagree. The camera movement reacts with the girls emotions as she find out what is going on.
Christopher Graham 1 year ago

Dear Zach and Flavio:

Go make your own movie, and make the camera move however you want it to. I'm guessing that's what Ben did here, and it's perfect because that's how he's made it!
Stu Maschwitz 1 year ago

Well said Christopher.
Zach B 1 year ago

I think I will go make my own movie and jiggle or steady the camera however the hell I want....

And then I'll let people criticize the hell out of it. Sound Good to everyone?
Josh Echevarria 1 year ago

I'll agree. At first the shakiness of the camera fits because the tension between the two characters has risen but after they settle down and just stare at each other, it needed to be steadier.
Romain 1 year ago

I especially liked this camera movement. It perfectly reproduces the emotion of the scene, it's fragile and full of instability. This is one of my favorite cinematography in this short.
Juan Kiš 2 years ago

Wooooow!!!! Is a beautiful piece!!!!
Awesome cinematography!
eladbari 2 years ago

just Mezmerizing!
thank u! :]
Murat Pak 2 years ago

thank you.
Abadeu 2 years ago

That was a great short film. You guys did well!
Joe Moya 2 years ago

very nice short .. good acting, good script, good editing, good camera work (although at the end, the camera motion was bit too much and became a bit distracting)... overall, very good work. enjoyed it...
Anthony Francisco 1 year ago

I really love this short its really well done. I do agree with Joe about the motion of the camera in the end, for some reason I wanted it to not move as much.
I am really inspired :) hope to see more from you!
Charlie Visnic 2 years ago

Visceral and sweet. I love it. Well done. Thanks.
Anthony Méric 2 years ago

Very good feeling, thank you
Yossip Brandjes 2 years ago

U got me. Gorgeous.
Michael Fisher 2 years ago

Beautifully written, shot, performed. Usually not a fan of the shaky handheld approach but I felt it worked well here. There's so much uncertainty between them and the past that the camera searching and being "unsure" in a way makes sense. Really wonderful piece.
Dominik Herberger 1 year ago

Seeing it your way, the shaky camera in the end makes sense.
limonesvarios 1 year ago

agree with that
SimpleTwist 1 year ago

Michael I had to go back and watch it again - because I was so engrossed in the dialog - I didn't catch the camera shake - for me the camera as each breath of anticipation if she was going to realize what the moment was all about.

Awesome film.
Pablo Olmos Arrayales 2 years ago

so beautiful...
Alp Allen Giovanni Altiner 2 years ago

Pure brilliant ! This is so very powerful . . . . it is great to see when someone is able to get in there so deep and create tasteful frames telling the story . . great soundtrack as well. 5 stars ! ! ! This is film making . . .
Marat MystaFin 2 years ago

Best.
Heinz Donaubauer 2 years ago

Yes this is brilliant...To me this is not just beautiful frames, good sound, good edits or perfect cc and everthing else. All elements support the story being told.
And that is really rare, even with most professionals.
Great respect and admiration...
Mathieu Alvado 2 years ago

Wonderful, all is great !!
Emmanuel Pampuri 2 years ago

magnifique !
Owen Trevor 2 years ago

Lovely stuff Ben.
Patrick Eggert 2 years ago

Simply amazing!
Taylor Smith 1 year ago

This is one of those films that when it ends you stare at the screen for a second and then say "oh shit" good stuff my friend!
Ryan DeVore 1 year ago

i had a blank full screen frame up for a good 30 seconds afterward and smiled.
Martijn Doornenbal 1 year ago

great storytelling!
Blake Whitman 1 year ago

One of the best shorts i've seen in a LONG time.
Júlio Taubkin 1 year ago

Heh. Wow.
Marius Loland 1 year ago

This was absolutely beautifull...
Chris Wilmshurst 1 year ago

I was glued to the film the whole time. I'm learning to create short films at University and this is beautiful. I hope to one day create something like this.
Repeat1 1 year ago

glued is the word...
thanks
kateopolis 1 year ago

Everything about it is absolutely lovely.
25twistedframes 1 year ago

That was simply.. Amazing.
Nicholas Jackson 1 year ago

stunning!
MJHS studios 1 year ago

Wonderful!
Suresh 1 year ago

terrific!!!
b gd73 1 year ago

clever. like the life of epic beard man.
Christian Flook 1 year ago

EXCELLENT i love the way it was filmed, i love the acting, the editing! i could go on and list every aspect of the production so i just better say GREAT PRODUCTION and expand that script, make a movie. cheers!
Eduardo Santella 2 months ago

mr Christian i agree with you, all the best from Guatemala. regards
Katarzyna Średnicka 1 year ago

The bokeh, and music...... <3
Степан Данилов 1 year ago

beautiFULL
Iniara Vrinsk 1 year ago

Beautiful. Just beautiful. My eyes got watery at the end.
Dorian Cioban 1 year ago

Oh my god, this is perfect! 5/5!
Found Object Films 1 year ago

Is that 35mm? The photography is amazing.
Peter Mosiman 1 year ago

This was a wonderfully written piece. However, I do not understand some of the weird compositions you have in this piece. I also felt like you were playing with SUCH shallow DOF that it took me out of the film on a number of occasions and it actually began to really irritate me because the story was so solid and enjoyable.

great work on the flashback sequences. I thought those were far better filmed than the stuff in the restaurant. also was there a reason for the super handheldy-ness of the camera when the girl puts two and two together in the end?
Watermoore Imagery 1 year ago

This was a beautiful short but I agree with you at the end, I didn't get the choice to go hand held. Maybe time constraints for shooting. Maybe to demonstrate realization by melting the styles of the memory with the restaurant sequences. Either way I found it a tad distracting. It pulled me out of the story a few times.
Zack Barbee 1 year ago

Beautiful film. What did you shoot with and what color correction program?
Jules 1 year ago

Amazing! Stunning!
Good story, amazing realization!!
One 'but' actualy : too much jitter at the end when she's up
Great photography btw - used a 5dmkii / 7d camera no?
Mark Eskey 1 year ago

Awesome. Captivating. A masterclass in cinematography and short filmmaking. Bravo!
MARK KLASSEN 1 year ago

really well done! i can't believe i didn't run into this sooner on vimeo. i'm glad regardless though, it was shot uniquely, and i liked it. if you don't mind me asking what camera did you shoot with?
Joshes 1 year ago

Wow. That was just amazing! I don't know how to describe the feeling after watching it. Simplicity at its finest!
Tucker 1 year ago

This was amazing. I am crying as I write this.
Eric King 1 year ago

You have really created a truly moving film where you're immediately intrigued with these characters. Beautiful moviemaking craft and all the incredible things that come w it. cheers. thank you.
Jeremy Parsons 1 year ago

I really like the lighting in the cafe. I agree with the above post that the focus and frame could be a bit more steady in the cafe. In the memories it seems more appropriate.

Overall, a really good story.
grant gordon 1 year ago

The actress is a stunner. But the shaky handheld tore the whole film down. Shaky camerawork often strikes the viewer as an example of a lack of discipline. It completely ruined it for me.
raj muneshwar 1 year ago

I'm curios why you say its "a lack of discipline". Its a creative choice made by the filmmaker. If you notice the camera goes from being completely still, to slowly drifting, to the shaky hand-held visuals. Its not "a lack of discipline", I think it actually shows a really intelligent understanding of the story and characters. It completely reflects the story and their emotional state.
Jeremy Parsons 1 year ago

Not every choice made by a filmmaker is "intelligent". You'd be surprised how much handheld shooting is done because the director is being lazy. I don't pretend for a minute to know what the situation was here.

The emotional tone of final scene is stillness. If anything the frame is shakier than in the memories. I suspect the cameraman was getting tired.
Robert Strohmeyer 1 year ago

^^I agree... You could complain that the shaky camera work is her inner struggle to figure out who this guy is but I don't think the director meant to do it. I too believe it was the camera man getting tired. None the less I'm still impressed by this short.
raj muneshwar 1 year ago

I have to disagree, I don't think the emotional tone of the final scene is stillness. Its a major emotional turning point for the girl, just my interpretation of the story though.
Bright Elephant Films 1 year ago

...You think the cameraman was getting tired?!?!?

...I don't understand how anybody could think that. Every shot seemed predetermined and carefully executed. With the quality of the acting and writing as well as the shot compositions... you really think nobody noticed the shaky handheld at the end of the cafe scene because everyone was too tired/lazy to say something?!?!?

...I'm still baffled as to how you could think that.
Kenzo 1 year ago

I agree with Bright Elephant Films. The shaky shots are meant to be shaky. The conversation starts real smooth, but at the time things go "wrong", the director choose for shaky handheld to get the extra effect. You won't get that with normal smooth shots.
wasuphon Srithongkun 1 year ago

The shaky camera to the timing and emotion is totally perfect. The girl is standing up and leaving and then she realize something.. it's a huge turn. I didn't even realized the camera shaking when I watched it the first time because to me, I am sunk in to the story and if the camera was too shaky I would have realized it. I think this film is beautifully done .
Bron Moyi 1 year ago

wonderful. thank you
Colter Wilson 1 year ago

Great Job I loved it!
Scott Gold 1 year ago

Beautiful! Very intimate. What was it shot on?
Sandra Taylor 1 year ago

Yes.
Ingrid 1 year ago

loved it ! great cinematography. can't describe the feeling after watching this...really nice storytelling and camera works. thank you !
Thorsten Rother 1 year ago

Very very.. good work :-)
Dreamstorm 1 year ago

Wow !
Zadi Diaz 1 year ago

Beautiful.
Salomon 1 year ago

absolutely ridiculously incredible
Jose Bayón 1 year ago

Wonderful shots and montage. Superbly well changed the grading of one era to another. They are very careful detail. Congratulations, it's tiny theater. Thanks for sharing
Tomek Narewski 1 year ago

beautiful