Ripple Effect

This thrilling short film tells a story about bridging the divide between cultures with maximum impact. It has emotion, tension, sincerity, cinematic quality, technical expertise, and a strong narrative arc with excellent pacing. The film rises above politics to touch on different world-views, all while achieving heart-in-your throat suspense. It's artistic, entertaining, and leaves you with a sense of hope for the future. The cinematography is gorgeous and the production design is absolutely fantastic-- the colors in this film are amazing. I loved it. If you haven't seen it, see it. I highly recommend it. It gets my highest rating: 10 out of 10.

I saw this film when it received top honors during the Emerging Cinematographers Awards at the Director's Guild of America. This suspenseful, moving film is exceptionally well-crafted. Strong performances from a diverse cast, realistic production and costume design, authentic dialogue, and many creative effects deliver a rich narrative with an exciting visual impact.

Writer-Director, Velvet Andrews Smith, infuses large-scale action with the human element, accomplishing a powerful and resonating film. Cinematography by Daron Keet propels the film in a visually compelling way. Emmy Award winning editor, Kirk Smith, ties together seamless editing with a keen sense of rhythm and pacing. The pathos of an emotional and haunting original score composed by Sophia Morizet elevates the story. Detailed, layered production design by Kevin Houlihan and costume design by Jacqueline Kahn makes for a dramatically authentic and dynamic film.

This film shows a side of combat seldom recognized or portrayed by the entertainment industry. It is a timely homage to the honored traditions of the U.S. special operations forces and their lifesaving, peacemaking, and nation building commitment.

Yet another fine film under the auspices of the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women, this project reflects great credit on their renowned history of high-quality productions. This film engages your full attention for every second of its 20 minute run-time.

As a former Green Beret I found the Ripple Effect to be an honest portrayal of a US Army Green Beret team (A-Team) in Afghanistan. The character portrayals were as accurate as they could be and I found the content to be spot on. This film really dealt with the human elements that people do not understand when dealing with war.

A great job by director Velvet Smith and her team. I look forward to seeing more of her work. The actors also did a fantastic job of portraying their characters in a realistic not over dramatic way. This is a very good film for someone to watch that wants to learn one of the current missions of the United States Army Special Forces. Special Forces Soldiers are Soldiers, but they are also teachers, medical specialists, humanitarian aid distributors and helpers to communities that are oppressed by war.

There are so many people who don't really know what us military people do, but this story carries some very good portrayals of character. We're not enlisted to get rich and famous, and even most officers can make a higher wage in a civilian equivalent job. In this case, I did appreciate the depth of this production and the thought behind it. I feel the characters are strong because of the reality they convey. Many movies are there to entertain us, but not always to encourage us to think and appreciate someone trying to make a difference. Without writing any giveaways or pushing opinions, I recommend it for enlightenment, for seeing different perspectives, and for a strong storyline.