Compliments I was given once
“The impressiveness of AJ Prager’s short Seeing Other People comes through in its sheer ambition. By taking the trauma of being inside a toxic relationship and translating it into a visually compelling piece of short form filmmaking Prager is able to utilise the tools of cinema to create something both affecting and exciting. The story follows a young woman who ventures into a bar with her boyfriend, who just so happens to be an all-seeing hivemind in control of the other patrons of the bar. It’s a thrilling and thought-provoking short that portrays the emotional blackmailing and coercion of a controlling relationship through the guise of a neon-hued haunted house ride.”
“If a short film can cover insecurity, trauma, heartbreak, and hope in 8 minutes while telling a coherent story through a clever lens, you have to keep an eye on those filmmakers. Thus today I offer up “I Make Good Sounds at Parties,” directed by Amanda Prager. It’s tight, engaging, and carries through an entire arc. Prager’s direction (and editing) flows seamlessly, and Goldman plays a balancing act that leaves things opening for his insecurities to be all in his head. (Which, of course, they are, but you know what I mean.) Maybe the next party will go better for him, but you shouldn’t miss this one.”
- Cinequest 2021: I Make Good Sounds At Parties, FanBoyPlanet.
“This one feels personal; a personal shout-out to all those bashful, struggling individuals out there – not so much the party poopers, or the wallflowers, but the ones that desperately want to fit in and can’t. If you know someone like this, watch I Make Good Sounds At Parties, with empathy – for director Amanda Prager’s 8:14-minute long narrative is not only an example of excellent writing (Russell Goldman) but also of an adaptation of what might actually be, very personally identifiable with many.”
“I Make Good Sounds At Parties could have very easily slipped into slapstick humour, but in the delicate handling exhibited by both Prager and Goldman, the film balances itself on wholesome comedy, offering everything from wit to situational to dark.”
- Monologue of a Socially Awkward Loner, Indie Shorts Mag.
“She created the “Another Moon” video in collaboration with filmmaker Amanda Prager and says that it was: “…a long time coming, we had been planning in broad strokes for years to do something with one of my songs,” Olivia says. “We shot at random locations around LA — the beach, the desert, the city — and we were just trying things out and having fun. We share a lot of the same tastes aesthetically, so we maximized our mutual aesthetic through the creation of this video. This is definitely a video of both of our personalities combined in a crazy way.”
Through sweeping birds-eye view shots, beautiful locations, and vivid colors, the video captures the escapist themes of the song.”
- Olivia Morreale Drops New Music Video for ‘Another Moon’, PopWrapped.
