Do you think maybe we’ve been cooped up in isolation just a little too long? That’s the dilemma of Charlotte Barrett and Sean Fallon’s short film, The Shout Out. It’s only seven minutes long, so this review will be a brief one.
The Shout Out features a reality show star, Cameron Kim Michaels (Elizabeth Masucci), who, while in lockdown, decides to make some money through an online service where she gives video shout-outs, birthday greetings, and moments of encouragement to anyone willing to pay her. Let’s just say she makes “cameo” appearances in people’s lives.
“…while in lockdown, decides to make some money through an online service where she gives video shout-outs…”
Maybe Cameron’s been isolated a little too long, and she’s spent too much time alone in her bubble with nothing but social media as her only connection to the outside world. Whatever the reason may be, things spiral out of control when she’s asked to shoot a birthday video for a police officer.
The movie is a comedy sketch of escalation as the grind of producing videos is wearing down Cameron’s defenses. The story is funny and takes us down the slow decline of Cameron’s mental well-being—all thanks to a fantastic performance by Elizabeth Masucci. I also love that the filmmakers can’t use the name of the actual online service Cameron uses. There’s an amazing charm to the workaround solution.
The Shout Out is shot with cell phones and in that tall, skinny, vertical orientation; I suppose we have to accept this as a new standard in short films—minor quibble for a fun movie.
"…a comedy sketch of escalation..."
