JOOOOOOOEEEEELLLLL mmmm mm mmmm What up biiiiiiitch??? So weird writing your nakek, but your movie was the forst movie that felt like your movie since your last movie. Your creatibe really inspires me! Sincerely, Someone who's "already a filmmaker" ❤❤❤❤

You are one of those people that give me confidence that AI can never replace human endeavours

The big reveal of the text message was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a while, and the film in its entirety was brilliantly structured. These monthly moobies appear to be going a little bit insaneo style right now.

I know you say you wanted March’s movie to not be the “flop” of the bunch but I wouldn’t be surprised if a whole lot of people end up calling The Text their favorite out of your features. Super great stuff!

i have to say that this is your most awe-inspiring film to date. the original story, everyone's distinct and great characters, the ingenious camera work. i was giddy with excitement with the way you and your cast brilliantly set up and allowed to unfold the petty drama between dax and ben's characters.

Joel I love the feature films and I just wanna say I think at the end of the year you should go through them all to make creator commentaries because I really wanna know the thought process and experience with filming them

No way! Dax Flame???? From project X and 21 Jump Street?

SPOILER (sorta?): . . . . . I thought the piano at the beginning was a soundtrack, but then showing it was being played in real time actually made me tear up for some reason. I just thought that was really beautiful.

There's another aspect to the long take, almost opposite to the tension you were perhaps going for, that I felt was really on display in this movie. For me a long take evokes an intimacy with the performers and crew -- I grew up with theatre (my dad was really into it) and this kind of thing feels a lot like watching a great stage production from the front row. There's certainly a thrill to it, because everyone has to be on-point in real time from start to finish, but I wouldn't call it anxiety. Great movie, at any rate.

It's funny that 40 something minutes feels like a totally reasonable time to me for a project since I'm used to thinking about music and albums more than filmmaking. It's interesting thinking about time scales like that because it gets you thinking about attention spans. 20ish minutes is a good unit of attention span and so like a short or tv show is one unit, and album is two, and a feature would be many stacked together

I enjoyed 'The Text' a LOT more than 'Anyone Else But Me' because it really doesn't feel like a moment was wasted in the film, with a solid story and more interesting characters as well. I loved the use of one take, the aspect ratio, and the film feeling like a play in this sort of a format.

Joel thinking about the emotional properties of the one-shot and following it up with meditations of the portral of text in film is how you know Joel is a serious artist. He continues to astound with his attention to detail in life and film.

The text was so awesome dude, and ambitious and accessible with the one take idea. Great demo of how a good movie can be carried with a premise and talent and made with your friends.

I totally loved the text. I was engrossed from the beginning and doing it in one take was absolutely the right move as I could not look away. Bravo Joel and crew!

Joel, I've seen most of your festure length movies starting with We Are Sasquatch and i have to say that this one might just be my favorite. I'm such a sucker for movies shot in one take and Dax, Trent, Ben, Calvin, and Francesca all killed it. There are parts of the movie where I laughed at the silliness and also parts where i felt extreme stress for the characters. It was wonderful!

This film was incredible. the way you were able to tackle such painful taboos so organically made this truly special. The way of portraying the talented musician who doesn't get the appreciation he deserves so he doesn't see the value in his talent like he should, the uppity tinder date who is living in the moment & not thinking about how or why she is there with those people, the guy just turning 30 thinking his entire life is over. Dax's overwhelming anxiety making it feel impossible to understand him., & Trent's go lucky attitude & living a "successful" life. You have been releasing my favorite works from you this year keep doing your thing Joel!

Love that this video is shot in the same aspect of the film itself lol

I am unbelievably happy I am able to follow your work. You are one of my favorite creators in a long time. You have a strong way of making realistic conversation with solid humor mixed in that has such amazing pacing. It's my birthday today and I get to watch your new film, thanks a ton for the content you provide!

The text was so good man. I'd never watched one of your short films all the way through, but it was so easy, pretty funny and conveyed such a unique but vaguely relatable mood, despite such a weird scenario.

extra impressive with the formal constraint of the one-take is how effortless and naturalistic it feels in this film. totally not distracting and in fact fades into the background completely once you get to know the characters and become invested in the story. yet it’s always working subconsciously to heighten the anxiety and immersion. awesome work!

Joel, I don't know if I can finish editing my movie in time, if I trade a cookie recipe, am I allowed to still send the movie? Just throwing a sentence into the air here, technically, 17th march midnight could be any timezone. I promise next year this will not happen again.

Love that you used widescreen for this, too! :D Can't wait for the next one. WHOO!

Joel, you would be such a great film professor at a university. Not just your knowledge or amount of real, tangible filmmaking experience, but just the tone of your voice as you speak about cinema. I can imagine how excited students would be to learn from you. Or learn from all the little stories you'd have from making features on a monthly basis.

omg is that how u use that magnet thing for the mic

hahahha are you kidding thinking it's gonna be "the dud" this was such an incredible movie!!! FASCINATING to hear your comments and thought process. Thanks for doing so much extra work around each release!

I wish I was a teenager again. What you do is such an inspiration. I wanted to be a director when i was young but never really saw a pathway here in Australia that I was willing to go down, I just loved filming goofy stuff with my brother and friends and posting it to youtube. I never could have imagined these kind of achievements were possible. Keep up the great work so I can live my dream vicariously through you.

You have a real knack for telling such human stories. The fact that every character had their own depth is amazing, especially in the one shot and time constraints. Loved this one!

I enjoyed the blocking. I was wondering if you did any hidden cuts. Really cool to hear you were able to pull it off without any. Doing a one shot and the open ending felt very appropriate for a jab at the Oscars too

Joel, thanks for the inspiration and opportunity, ( and fun.)

That was my favorite movie of yours, I was actually getting anxious after the word association game got so awkward 😂 and loved the resolve in the end, really shows how things we are worried about end up being ok most of the time

I have loved these films, and love the breakdown videos on this channel. I'd love to hear more about the process of writing/scripting these longer films. When you have only a month to do the full life cycle of a film, when and where do you find time to sit down and write? Do you already have scripts or scripts in progress for the next films, or do you hit the first of the month and think "okay what am I doing next?"

I really want to know how you dealt with the batteries not dying 👀 but I'll wait patiently.

Oddly enough, the text is the shortest, but it’s my favorite one so far. Keep up the amazing work! We’re all loving every minute of it 🙌🏼

The Text was really one of your best if not your best -- I loved it right away

It was filmed so naturally it didn't even register with me that it was just one take until around half-way through

The Oscar movie was very much qualified as the movie of the month. It was truly a joy to watch. I really want to know how the presentation went though

I've been looking forward to this director's statement to hear how you did it! Also I love the cat portrait in the background, it really speaks to me.

This was my favorite feature of yours yet. Absolutely fantastic performance by Dax and I would like to see more movies featuring one of Trent's To Do lists

Really impressed with the directing synchronicity going on in the Text. I do wish for my own selfish ADD reasons, it had edits, but to pull it off the way y'all did was impressive. Loved when Dax repeated a line which added to the realism of conversation.

These three have been so good, can't wait for the rest. You're an inspiration

Love your creative ongoing innovation process Joel. Nothing else like it honestly at least in film for sure

We need a tutorial of how to play the main piano piece in The Text. It's so pretty!

I'll be honest just having spent about 3 months planning a 6 minute short film, which will be shot across 2 days, I went into your film thinking it would be pretty bad. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it despite the glaring flaws. I could tell you really did the most within the limitations and I found the framing of the characters at several points to be somewhat cinematic. Pretty impressive for what was effectively improvised. I think it could have benefited from some kind of camera stabilization like a gimbal, steadicam, or even just a lens with a built in stabilizer. The shakiness was a bit distracting at times.

Youre amazing Joel! Thank you for this year, ive been so excited to watch every film!

I really hope you try another movie shot in one take some day. It worked so well man! It really fits your style.

Thank you so much for this. I have always wanted to participate in the Oscar tradition but didn't have the ability to really do it (despite putting the event in my calendar two months in advance). Music is more my thing so instead, i got off work an hour early to make "an album during the Oscars" the goal was 45+ minutes of music. I only ended up with about 17 minutes of finished songs but I livestreamed the whole thing to all four of my friends who decided to tune in. I followed through and put that album out which is something I rarely do. Long story short, even if I didn't follow the prompt, this inspired me to spend three hours doing something I love, sharing it with people I love and pushing myself to be proud of my imperfect art. Thank you so much ❤️

Really looking forward to whatever spooky treat you've got planned for, say, Sept / Oct time period - your love of the absurd suggests you'd make an excellent horror film (or dark comedy). Very excited to see 'The Text', almost started it this morning but I didn't have time. Sending you love 💕

incredible job as usual!

Loved it joel!!!

I'm amazed that you and the gang wrote and blocked this out in two days. Given how well written and choreographed everything is, I assumed you had at least spent a week of March prepping. Amazing work.

Joel, you're the best. Thanks for all the laughs and smiles.

I want to say that while I love your movies, these breakdown and discussion videos are so delightful! I really appreciate that you make them - thank you!

Did you see any camera man reflections in the film? I didn't. I was looking for them too. Need to rewatch it. You must have been extremely careful to avoid them. I kept seeing reflective surfaces and expected them. Same for shadows. Didn't catch any. Also, actors moving out of the way, didn't see any. That's a cool result for sure.

That movie was your waterbreak? I thought it was phenomenal, while the character's were simplistic I loved how they realistic they felt in such a whacky situatuon. You're so talented. Bravo

I loved The Text, I’ve become more interested in art that seeks to not look at someone’s life and ordering it into a beginning middle and end and rather looks at a specific moment in someone’s life, still having themes but primarily just focus on a real moment and I think movies shot in one shot have such a great ability to do that, I will say some issues though. The piano was too loud, some lines seemed like they could of been cleaned up maybe but other areas felt like they needed more talking, I think most of these were deliberate artistic decisions as I think your style is very focused on awkwardness but some parts I just couldn’t quote vibe with. The cinematography was also a step up from some of your earlier stuff (that I’ve seen, I still plan on seeing Anyone Else But Me) a lot of genuinely beautiful moments where the camera stood still and we could soak in the colors and decor. That’s it, I love your writing style and for a movie made in 2-3 days this is probably the best case scenario 9/10 keep doing what your doing

Banger after banger. Rock on dude

1/4 of it done! Still early in the marathon, make sure to pace yourself! XD

Does anyone recognize that bouldered hot tub part of the back yard? I feel like I've seen it before in another youtube video but can't remember which one.

It was the funniest one so far this year, keep em coming.

yay, higher res videos!

I know you're saying that it was smaller scale, but that's not how I experienced it. I think the care that went into handling the complexity of doing this as a single shot made it feel more substantial and larger. I also really appreciated the length, it felt like it gave space where it was needed and it never really spent time doing things it didn't need to do.

The Text is up there with my favourites of your work! Unexpectedly special!

You do amazing work, Joel. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. We love Joel. We love movies. Bye bye.

The hungover element was like its own character im a literally reviewer critic person super nice one grats

Highly recommend this film to anyone who’s into this kinda stuff. This is a growing master working on his craft. His films challenge the concept of what even is a film, and it tests the limits of creativity.

These have been so fun to watch, and I look forward to them every month. Still really hoping one of these features will be a horror, or have some horror aspects. I'm really curious what Joel could do in the genre.

4:10 the thing is that I have severe second-hand anxiety, so I end up pausing movies for a few minutes when I start feeling overwhelmed. was a little difficult to sit through at one or two parts.

dude i'm glad this was this months film, it seriously touched me.

Congrats on releasing the third movie in your twelve month movie odyssey Joel! Hope you’re taking care of yourself during this endeavor, I couldn’t imagine making twelve projects in a year but if anyone is up for the task, I’m positive it’s you! Take care and can’t wait to see what you make for April! ❤️

It's not yet midnight here so are submissions still open? I'm still exporting my film

have a sneaky sus that this water break movie is gonna be the Best one of this whole project. It pains me to say that because the other two were fantastic and at this point I am certain the rest are going to be awesome too but there's something special about this one. Very well done!

I wish my 40 second animation counted! I really tried to make it 40 minutes but i'm slow as tits!!

Hope you end up making more one take films. It's a cool technique that I think really brings the viewer into the scenario with the characters in a way. And I'd say it doesn't matter if it's a true single take or using some fakery, ala Rope or 1917. It would just depend on the needs of what you're making.

That is answering my question perfectly :D

This movie was so much fun to watch. It kept reminding me of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I can see the gang doing some hilarious stunt like this.

I have to say Joel, you really knocked this years movie out of the park! Maybe my favorite cinematography of yours ever. I've been binging Wong Kair Wai films recently and I know you love his work, this film clearly shows that love / inspiration. Modelo literred Wong Kar Wai inspired films featuring da boiez is my exact skill range so I love to see it from others lol truly 🤌🏼🤌🏼 Once again, major props to you, as well as everyone else who made a film this year

The text kept me watching, but I can't say i left with a good feeling. Full on anxiety driven.

I loved the oner take. It was very engaging and relentless.

The compositions in this one were so gorgeous yet seemingly effortless - do you do any sketches or thumbnails, or did these compositions come about more from testing in the space you had?

Hell yeah, fkin kino

"The Text" to me is something interesting, that someone like Joel and his crew could accomplish first, is the fact that even though there's comedic elements to this, this is to me encompasses the ticking time bomb in a small, intimate story. I saw the comedic elements, but I felt the anxiety more so. This felt like something the Safdies would've produced, would've backed. It made me sit on the edge of my seat just like Uncut Gems. Mostly because I was in a similar situation in different times, both as an observer and in the middle of it. I was filled with dread, I was rooting for everyone while also being disappointed in everyones reaction and how they handled the situation. I've been in that, I was cringing at it. I lost friendships because I either was complacent or was part of the problem. Part of me wishes I could go back and fix things, had people who even though I made a small mistake like that, would still be by my side, but no. Real life isn't like that. And this is real life. People are petty, people panic, people struggle, people are in love, people care for one another, people are people. All we can do is grow and learn and hopefully help someone when they're in a similar place. Again, thanks to the cast and crew for making this film. And thank you "The Oscars 2024" for letting Joel have a time where everyone can create the best thing they can in such a short amount of time!

i loved watching it on my ultrawide monitor :)

I love Joel’s movies.

Hey Joel, how do you feel about your second feature behind the camera since.. was it sasquatch?

TIL feature length films start at 40 mins, not 90.

It bothers me how I'm at the end of my uni period right now. I've got absolutely zero time to watch, but I really want to.

This was an extremely interesting film to experience shortly after having a (friend) breakup that was resolved over texts

answered my question from the other comment section, thanks

I love anxiety riddled movies, will definitely be checking this one out! I think you'd be a fan of Joaquin Phoenix's performance in the film "Beau is Afraid" by Ari Aster💜

I'm not a movie guy, so I can't say I love movies. I love yours though

9:50 why not have a head start now?

The movie was great Joel. Seriously enjoyed it. it's super good. Comparing it to others, it's up there with good long pee movie

The movie came out wonderfully, the ending had me shouting curses to your name. I believe i said, "Joel, you son of a bitch!"

something's different about this vid, is it the widescreen bars or the new lens? what is it?

Joel, have you seen Boiling Point? It's a great one take film.

🎉❤ Impressive

This was a very intense movie for me. It was great!

I wanna see the alternate takes for this movie…

You should watch Boiling Point! Another great legitimate one-take movie

Do you just shoot these videos during a nice time of day or is this a really good lighting setup?