"Yes, Chef" - Short Film 

Storyline could use some work. The long pauses made me wonder to much. Also, the ambient sound during the pauses sounded like being inside an airplane. Otherwise the technical parts are good. Thanks for showing your process.

All good but the pacing is slow. Cant feel the dynamic enviroment, the rush. Think you can cut a lot more! Great job though!

I think the cinematography, blocking and acting were all excellent, not sure how I feel about the story, definitely had me hooked but felt like it could have had a stronger message and ending. Great work though Simon 👌

Fixed the title for you. ‘Nah, Chef”

Storyline is quite flat, but still good stuff.

Great job Simon and TEAM! I cooked aboard three nuclear submarines and work in several restaurants in America and Europe; and you really captured some of the tension in that kind of working environment. Brilliant job on using the bare essentials for this production... I tip my hat to you and the entire TEAM. Be well and stay encouraged!!!

The emotion comes across well. You can feel what the character is feeling. Great job Simon.

Wow, Simon. I enjoy your DSLRguide videos so much, I think each and every episode is excellent, well thought out and delivers so much useful information and lessons on filmmaking in an enjoyable way. Having said that, I'm sorry Simon but I really didn't like this short film. The story was pretty flat, no ups and downs or any real point to the story line at all. Also, the dialogue audio volume seemed quite low compared to the ambient sound throughout the video. The ambient sound is so loud in comparison it was almost distracting. Also, you should have made the part where he dropped the chicken more predominant and emphasised it with audio and a close up shots of the drop, fall and it hitting the ground. You could almost miss the point when he dropped it because it happens so quick in a relatively wide shot. Lastly, I think the long empty pauses in dialogue could be cut out to make the film more captivating. However, even with this I don't think the story itself was strong enough. I'm really sorry that I'm being so critical of this but it's just my honest opinion. Although, I absolutely love all of your work over at your DSLRguide channel, your videos are so enjoyable and have helped me a lot. So, thank you for that. P.S. Well done on directing this film, you've demonstrated in the BTS videos that it is anything but easy to do.

That's the most real feeling I have seen in a film. It's so organic and makes me fell like that's what it would be like. Really dug it Simon!

Keep up the great work Simon. Filmmaking is not easy, and I admire your determination to not only create a film, but take us along for the process. Looking forward to seeing how your career progresses as you continue to create more

I've never been so bored watching a film and so disappointed with the outcome. I want my 5 minutes back

Loved what you were able to do with such little time and resources! I do have some constructive criticism, however: 1) I feel like the pacing was off. The message (at least to me) was that the expectations of a new line cook and how fast orders come in and out of the kitchen in the end are what causes him to serve chicken that was dropped on the floor. But there was a lack of intensity in the cuts, framing, and in the acting of the lead actor...which leads me to my 2nd point; 2) I feel like the lead actor wasn't right for the role. He came off very standoffish and unlikable (to me, at least) and would have been better suited as a seasoned line cook with a chip on his shoulder and annoyed at the newbie asking a lot of questions. I would have switched the roles and have the younger line cook be the lead - as he had that look of intensity and urgency - and had your lead actor play a secondary character as stated before. That said, I really admire what you've done in this film, as well as your past films! Best of luck for the next one!

I think what most people don't account for is that producing a film while simultaneously producing a RU-vid show about producing a film, is really tough. Congrats to you Simon, I'm loving what you're doing.

This short was great! I don't agree with the other people with their criticism here. I used to work on a kitchen, and i felt like i was back there again. I remeber i dropped the pizza and served it like that lol. And my coworkers were idiots too.

That was great for 1 camera and 1 mic. Definitely inspiring and helping the confidence. Thanks

I actually quite enjoyed it. You can feel the tense working environment seeing everyone is trying so hard not to have a shouting match with your boss. The small room and the heat from the stove, knives being cut, this was quite clever and very, very believable. Great, great job.

the cating is perfect, and loved the performance from the main lead. Could feel every emotion of all the characters

Well done. I like the long pauses --- omelette/chicken dude won't be rushed. It's just his "training," as he would say. That and he's oblivious to the others' presence (they don't matter, their tools don't matter, their food prep doesn't matter, unless he wants to use it) in "his" kitchen (the way he moves in it). I knew the moment it plopped on the floor that he would plate the chicken. I didn't know he would put it back in the pan and so delicately picking off wee bits of floor stuff. I loved that. I loved it when he did. I loved his smug, self-satisfaction at not getting caught- yet. But he will. I want to see that scene, too.

about the film : yes it's short, simple and worth watching . but what i liked the most is how you projected the whole build up, challenges and work experience. it's like we were all crafting the movie with you at the same time and felt so lively. I may the not person to tell you how better you are as a filmmaker, but i can certainly tell you are one of the best teachers ☺️ Thank you ✔️

great job! I could feel the tension form being in the kitchen reallly well

As someone who works in a restaurant kitchen, I found this very relatable. I want to get into film and animation.

man the boss lady really struck close to home lmao, great short film :D

Been a long wait since your last proper short - worth it.

I was definitely feeling the heat from the kitchen, good job mate!

People are complaining about this film but I truly enjoy this type of indie films

re-watched this recently, loved it. Good work Simon, again love the world cinema/documentary type feel/pacing, that's what I got from it.

I could feel what working in that kitchen is like. Full of sounds, not conversations. The guy next to you still feels like a stranger. And you do that for hours.

The Sound Design / Story / Pacing had some short-comings but to create a film with limitations imposed on you by Nikon and to simultaneously create an advert to their specification in a tight time-frame isn't easy at all, so well done Simon.

seeing the short film after the bts added so much more layers and passion too it. those kinds of short, but long tense emotional, films guide me to my path as a future filmmaker

The difference between being you tuber and being filmmaker is evident in this video

Nobody cares about color and cinematography unless Story comes first, Story is everything

5 minutes for an omelette?!?!!

the smile in his face at the end is the best part

Most politest kitchen ever.

For what you had and constraints, this was excellent!

Surprise 😲 ending. I thought the chef would kicked out. Excellent acting and direction.

Well done short. Not over done, feels like a slice of a kitchen crew I got to know.

"When he says first kitchen actually", and the water comes out the end of the tongues I started to laugh because ever chef knows not to do that when grabbing pasta from a pot for that same reason.

Huge fan! love all your work and effort you put into your videos. It really is visible. I was enveloped into the environment of this film! The rush of the scene and obviously the soundscape was amazing. And I feel like the story fell a little after the conversation the man had with the other chef. I felt a little confused in some cuts, as working with a small kitchen it was difficult to recognize where I was. A few more cuts could have been made during the film but I can't imagine trying to film it all in just two days! Great work! Love watching your films and videos.

There is a point where too much criticism gets in the way of progression, get what you need to know from this, what works, worked, what didn't, dismiss the pessimism riddled all over these comments, and continue. This isn't about creating your best work, this is about succeeding in your intentions. Everything is relative, including criticism. After re watching I loved the nice touch of foreshadowing and how the dialogue is written carefully to set the tone and details of the film. Is this a great job or "poor" blah blah, whatever, whats important is you take what you learned and continue, art is in the process, it is an inevitable endeavor and one we need to remind ourselves and be aware of when it comes to it. Thank you for your work and inspiration - Jon.

Absolutely love films like this. Realistic and tell a relatable story. All leading up to a smile at the end! Well done! Hello from Minnesota!

I worked in a kitchen a long time, I think you did a great job. Worked with a lot of people like that guy.

Sound design: 10/10 Tension/relatability to the protagonist: 9/10 Conclusion: 6.5/10 Camera work: 10/10. Grading is great. Felt like the only thing lacking was the “feel” of a busy kitchen, which could be due to dialogue pacing. Thanks so much, Simon!

This is coming from a sound engineer. The background loop of kitchen sounds destroys the ambience. Just giving feedback. Can't focus on the characters and conventions.

So good. Great work, man!

Great video Simon, only just found this channel, been watching DSLR guide for a good while and value your content a great deal. Again great job.........Cheers

great work, loved it. I think the pacing was quite refreshing, as it felt like what I would see in a world cinema film.

I really enjoyed this. That end shocked me. But I really was pulled in the whole film.

would love to see this filmed in a super nice, big kitchen and more time for the preperation, but still very impressive!

Pros: I liked the color for the most part. Cons: The writing/ acting was rough. The editing could have been sharper, kitchens are busy and fast paced. The delay between dialog seemed odd. And yes the story was weak.

I really don’t get all the negative feedback...everyone seems to believe that this is a Spielbergs film with million paid actors...this is what it feels shooting in a budget.Filmmaking is more complex than you think...for me it was a very good effort and idea for all the team especially Simon...some people who have worked inside a kitchen can understand the pressure of the work ... keep up Simon the good work some of us will follow your filmmaking path,after all it’s just a projected fantasy not the end of the world good job again 👍👏👏

Well done Simon. I wish to see a feature film directed by you. I am an amateur screenwriter myself and learned a lot from your other channel DSLR guide about narrative art. Thank you for your wonderful tutorials.

Well done Simon and Team !! I liked the film and thought it had me guessing and feeling anxious, which I loved ! I watched the entire film at 1.25x maybe that can help with the comments and audience feeling it was a slow pace. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK

I actually really liked this piece man, great job! Making a film is really hard. I think it’s easy for people to criticize, but it’s honestly a miracle to me when anything comes out actually outstanding. It’s not like it’s easy. Of course nothing is perfect, and I’m sure you could of done certain things differently or better, but I think this piece actually works. It made me feel tense and anxious , and I feel like that is how I would feel if I was new in that kitchen in that scenario. And it also made me think about what the chefs go through, and to consider that when your food is late, etc. I think you guys did a good job. Film making is not easy. It’s not heady either. You can pour 10 million into a garbage with hundreds of people working on it for months. If that doesn’t tell you how hard it is I don’t know what will. Cheers!

a simple story, and well shoot great work :)

Wow i really enjoyed this!

Love it! Well done!

Generally pretty good - especially the sound design and blocking - impressive given the constraints. Main bit of constructive feedback is that I think the framing could have been a lot tighter - there were quite a few shots with unnatural framing and tilted horizons for no clear reason. Overall though I'm impressed.

Honestly, I expected the "production quality" to be better (yes, I know the whole idea was using just the camera and nothing else). I guess I just expected you to be able to work a little more magic with the "camera only" approach and come up with clever solutions to the obstacles. However, I do like the story.

I loved the long pauses, it really built tension for me. I was half expecting the guy to lose his shit with her, but was pleased to see he didn't. Overall good short film

Congrats sir on completing your short with such minimal equipment! It's not easy to create a short, let alone collaborate with a crew and be restricted to just a camera and some basic audio equipment so kudos to you! I won't even comment on the audio because I'm not an expert in the field and it didn't look like you had a lot of equipment to work with. I will only comment on the pacing/editing. And take this with a grain of salt, please! I felt that at certain times the pacing seemed a little slow for the mood. The idea is that this guy is in a new kitchen and struggling to cope with the way they do things (EDIT ABOUT THIS BELOW). Kitchens are hectic, stressful places so I think a little bit more energy would help. A few cuts feel "off" to me. Mostly the cuts in between dialogue. At 0:15 seconds for example the cut to Olivia doesn't feel right. I think it's because all of dialogue stops in that moment and we just have an awkward cut to Olivia. The chef says her line, then you cut, then you cut back and the chef says "okay". I think the flow would have been better if the cut happened just before the chef finished saying "need anything" and then you had her saying "okay" while the camera had cut away to Olivia, then start to say "excellent let's get started..." then you can just cut back to the protagonist nodding at the chef as she finishes saying "on that omelet" and walks away. Then he almost bumps into Olivia and she rounds the corner with the giant pot. Right now the chef stands there awkwardly as that near miss with the pot happens. The interaction between the protagonist and the chef cooking the noddles felt a little awkward as well. Mostly too long between lines. To be fair it does probably more accurately reflect the way people talk to one another but it just feels a bit awkward on film. And again I think it's a moment where a bit snappier editing would help the pacing a bit. My favourite moment was the tracking shot of him putting the pan in the sink and walking at 2:25. The motion added a bit more energy which I think the rest of the short could have benefited from. Final example I'll use is at 2:40 when the character off screen calls out the order. You have the protagonist and chef standing there listening in a wide shot whereas I think you would benefit from a quick cut of the person calling out the order, again just to add some more energy instead of those two standing still. Overall though, like I said, well done. It's SO hard to shoot a film. Most people don't realize until they try to do it themselves. The planning of each shot and figuring out your composition, lens choice, how the cuts will work, whether you're crossing the 180 line etc it's very hard and takes time and practice, so good job! I'm sure you'll look back on this film in years to come and laugh at yourself. If you don't it means you're not improving and this is all part of the learning process :) EDIT: It just occurred to me that perhaps you were telling the story of an experienced, jaded cook who has worked in many kitchens and perhaps doesn't like where he's ended up. In that case HIS pacing makes sense as he's somewhat lethargic and uninterested. As a result perhaps you could have drawn a bigger contrast between the energy and pace of the other chefs in the kitchen with him. Again, this is all just my two cents so take with a grain of salt!

reminded me of the nightmares of working in a kitchen. Spot on!

Outstanding!

Plot twist: The new chef is married to the head chef. 😂💀

Hi Simon, I have always liked your work and approach. This must of been a difficult film to block. It was well shot and acted, lovely look to the film. You set up the conflict early and we all wanted to see how the story panned out. Just my personal opinion A 30 second back story on the chef, e.g. doing community service, or had a child to support would have given some depth to his personal plight. and why he needed the job to succeed. Maybe a co-worker seeing him drop the chicken but keeping quiet to support him would add some empathy and emotion. This is another lovely film from Cade visuals Well done. If I am also like any of your fans we hang out for every video you post. Your tutorials have helped me enormously in my filming career, 5 years in and I have the knowledge and skills of a filmmaker of many more years, all thanks to you.

Amazing How much work went into a “simple” 5 mins... it was clear but in-interesting. Very Sobering!

love it, great work

I know everyone is being critical because it is, simply put, not as intricate as a Hollywood picture, but this is very genuine and honestly very well done. The atmosphere (colors and sounds and the people) in combination with the tension the cook must have felt against a disagreeable temperament, we cannot help but sympathize. If anything this reminded me of Il Posto, those little situations we have to confront inevitably. I had a nice laugh, and it was worth my 6 minutes! :)

I liked your lead actor a lot! He did great.

I loved the pacing. I felt the tension through-out the film even though I didn't get the payoff I expected. I quite like that though. I think often times our criticism of new media arts is warped in our conception of how the art form exists in other spaces. as a true appreciator of the art of video as time art, I appreciate this. thank you for sharing.

I acutally love a lot about this short, its so plain simple and builds great tension without pointing that out too hard. The acting and blocking is on point, the cinematography is also very simple and fits the general tone very well. I only think the soundediting should have been done more exaggerated, because I couldnt experience the whole rush of the kitchen in that way. It felt to calm sometimes. Also the pacing of the short didnt develop, I think it should have been faster in some moments, wich would have made the slow moments all the more powerful. The whole scenario is well thought, character driven and I like it very much, even if its not a hundred plotpoints (5min short btw)

Gorgeous sound scape, and you honestly had me on the edge of my seat when that chicken fell... I can relate to him trying to hide a mistake like that... But I'd have love to have seen how that resolved, there was so much more you might have done with that, the consequence of his actions, the guilt he felt. Other thing was the acting, I felt the head chef could have been potrayed better, wasn't really getting a sense of her authority, maybe a more stressed vibe of conflict in the kitchen would help? That being said, I very much enjoyed watching that, it's particularly exciting to watch a short from you Simon because I feel I don't see them that often, and that makes them kinda special :)

great scene Simon!

Simon - you need to start being much more self critical. This honestly felt lazy film-making. And that's nothing to do with the constraints you had - it's not technical laziness, it's creative laziness. Your shot choices didn't seem particularly motivated or thought through, and they did not tie together at all in the edit. And I think the edit is honestly a large part of the issue for me. I know this is a character piece, not a plot piece, but you had 6 minutes of a film, and about 13 seconds of interesting character exploration. If it was a stressful rushing environment, we needed to feel that. You could have played a lot more with the juxtaposition of him being slow and disinterested, with everything around him being swift and precise. We could have dived right in at the 40 second mark with all the chaos, chef shouting the orders, hurrying the cooks up etc. Could have opened with the 'how long have you worked here' conversation, that way we already know this guy is new here. The whole half a minute between 'You've got 10 minutes on that chicken' and him taking the knife could have been reduced to about 10 seconds. 20 seconds between dropping the chicken and picking it up could have been 5. You can still keep the vibe of the slow and boring grind that our character is working in, without boring your audience to death at the same time. Don't let the edit be an after thought. You have a very large influence as a guide in film making, particularly to younger aspiring filmmakers. And so if you're going to have that responsibility (insert spider-man reference), you can't let yourself off the hook with pieces like this. You're capable of an awful lot better. I hope this is useful.

The cast has potential in acting even though the storyline fairly lacks it. Great work on every other aspect btw. Props for Simon!

Hi Simon, Pros: simple story, it keeps you hooked till the end, nice resolution, good acting, easy to produce, nice script, credible and solid Constructive feedback: message? I would expect him to revenge on her. What he did was a bit pointless right? Keep the good work!

I have only good thing to say about this. And is the color grading. Amazing as always.

If a film tells more than it shows, its a good film. Especially the short films must have different format than feature films. If we adapt the components of feature format to short, the film becomes a shortcut of a feature format. As a result this was a really good short film in my opinion. I watch it again from time to time and every time it makes me feel something different. This time i thought about ''why its seems impossible to fix problems'' If the chef hadn't acted oppressive, the chicken that fell on the ground would not go to the customer. By the way the focal length of the majority of the shots made me feel the pressure the cook felt. I congraduate the team. As for the director: You have style Simon Cade!r

Cadevisuals Muito bom seu canal! Adorei as dicas! 🔝🔝

The shots are now as crisp as a pink lady apple ;)

Work in a kitchen, very relatable and realistic atmosphere

I loved it. 9.5/10

Great work Simon!

For some reason this felt very intense. For me personally it felt very suspenseful

Excellent gave me the vibes of something I’d see on bbc

I actually quite liked this film. The scenes were quite dense in that every actor was always in action, even off camera. The sound effects reinforce this nicely. It gives the feeling of Jeremy being only a small part of the kitchen. Jeremy is seen by the other chefs as entitled, irritating, maybe apathetic. But Jeremy feels surrounded by amateurs. With Olivia's garnish, Jeremy sees his efforts to improve the food quality is met with scolding, and his disregarding meaningless kitchen etiquette, a threat of being fired. Of course, this is all shown, not told. The dropped chicken is a character defining moment, in which Jeremy sacrifices the pursuit of quality in his work, feeling that such an effort is pointless. The consequences of his action are not relevant; the damage has already been done. The colors are unsaturated, with the most colorful object in any scene often being Jeremy himself. The shots are neutral, not favoring either side of the conflict. The pacing is slow and deliberate, and I feel that most all of the scenes had to be included to charge the impact of the climax. Just my personal thoughts.

Exellent storytelling. The fallen chicken gone to the customer. Whose fault was that? A good short film creates questions. What i watched was a short film that made by a mature director. Good work.

I think this hit a little harder than it should have. My girlfriend has PTSD from throwing up so much as a child after having a meal that wasn't cooked properly at a restaurant. It affects her to this day, and she's filled with constant anxiety, always worried about what she's eating and trying to eat as little as possible. She's developed depression, anxiety, PTSD and body dismorphia from something so small as an undercooked chicken, and this will be with her for the rest of her life. Ignorance is never bliss.

Really enjoyed the ending of this. As a cook for the last 10 years I can definitely relate to being barked at by the chef for an order only to have some new guy bump into you and it hit the floor. That being said though I felt things could've been more accurately portrayed. The speed and intensity for instance. The cooks all seem far too calm and slow for this. While I did enjoy the story I felt that more research and time spent in a kitchen such as this would have helped showcase the intensity and aggressiveness of working in one.

Could anyone tell me what the name of the font is, used in the short?

I think I get what you were going for with the plot; that belittling an employee makes them decide to take shortcuts. I didn't know who I was supposed to empathize with, but I ended up rooting for the main character. I feel like you could have told this story better in like a minute or even less. The way he's being treated could just be implied quickly with just a few subtle visual cues. Think of how certain commercials get us to empathize with characters.

Really good short film Simon. I did like the story but was expecting a bit more on the production quality as well. Still very good though. The end was really well thought and give quiet of a nice message in my opinion. You can't obtain anything positive from people by threatening them and being agressive. About the sound ; maybe next time you could add some extra sounds (sometimes I can barely hear footsteps or stuff like that when I expect hearing them a bit louder). Still really good job on the sound recording tho, just a detail :) Great job!

My first job was as a dishwasher about 7 years ago, and this really captured the tension of entering a new kitchen environment.I actually said, "Oh fuck." out loud when he grabbed the knife off of the other station. On a second viewing, I wish there'd been a closeup of the chicken hitting the ground, though I do enjoy the setup and payoff with his first time missing the "behind" call. I also feel that while there was good dramatic tension between the characters, I didn't feel like the intensity of the kitchen matched up with the story. We were supposed to be entering a rush, but orders weren't actually coming in very quickly. I would have loved to see the kitchen team working on a few more orders simultaneously. That said, you did some solid work. It was an interesting little slice of life production.

I hope this comment won't get lost in the overwhelming number of negative criticism (some constructive) and that you'll get to read this Simon!:) I understand some people's frustrations with this short but I also feel that it may be easy for us to say this and that about technique/pacing/script/etc. I can't say for sure but most of us probably haven't had the chance to try making and directing a short film ourselves. I personally think that the script and main character are well done. You really feel that the protagonist is not in total love with his job, at least not in the rush of it and the teamwork aspect. He doesn't care enough to communicate or follow etiquette and thinks of this as a passing job, probably just like the numerous previous occupations he has held. (And personally I imply a sense of surprise on his face when his co-worker said that this job is his first and that he has been here for 2 years, as if that's impossible). I think that you've done a great job and that this massive amount of negativity wasn't fair.

Simon i have a question. Did you use manual focus? I know the lens you used has focus by wire, I find it very uncomfortable .

And this is why you don't hype yourself up

i get most of the constructive criticism. it will make for a better movie. One thing i can say though is i was definitely hooked. To me, that's the most important thing. Don't Stop Simon

I think a lot could have been cut. We did not need to see him prepare an omelette from scratch for the audience to figure out he doesn't like his job. In fact, you did not need to have the actor to say that he won't be staying long, we get the vibe. You could have started with him finishing up on the omelette rather than making it from scratch and just with that small interaction, you can tell that both him and the head chef don't get along very well. When the chicken falls on the ground, if you were able to put a close up of his reaction, I think that would have been a bit better. And when he handed the chicken, I think it would have added a bit more if you had a close up of the head chef looking at the chicken and back at the main character (I don't know his name in the movie, but I know Olivia's name). I feel like if she stared at him for just the right time one second to two maximum would engage the audience just a tad bit. "Does she know he dropped it?" "Will she say anything about him dropping the chicken?" "What will happen?" As for technicalities, I think visually it 'looks' pretty good in terms of lighting and color balance. As for composition, I think it would have been great to think twice about composition of some shots. Sound is definitely something you should work on. Yeah, I know in real life kitchens are way too loud but at the end of the day, it's a film, not real life. As in, you could have dialed back on the ambient noise and put more emphasis on the audio. There are cases where an inaudible dialogue works, like in the movie Prisoners. Another solution to the audio problem would be to have the actors yell, but given the tone it doesn't seem like a fit, unless you go for a more tense tone that is. Finally, editing: I feel like some scenes drag and other cutaways are too short and in some cases unnecessary. In short: This felt more like a tutorial on how to make an omelette rather than just a short piece about a person who had just given up and stopped caring.

Weird suggestion but I feel like improv would work well for a hectic kitchen

Good work!