Doug Spice / Psychic Bunny : Kinetica

[dougspice]

http://www.psychicbunny.com/extras/kinetica/KeepRunning_poster.jpg (http://www.dvxfest.com/adfest/loader.php?id=3072)

Producer / Director : Doug Spice
Director of Photography : Vahe Papazyan
Production Designer : Lauren Underwood
Makeup : Andrew Baier, Marina Martinez
Production Assistants : John W. Ross, Aimee Jones, Christie Hauck
Post Production : Psychic Bunny
Music : Austin Wintory

Starring : Danny Smith, Erika Camp, Nicholas Reyes, Jose Pillado, Sarah Smith, Kristen Carter, Brian Brummit, Jared Yeager

Here's the link to view it: http://www.dvxfest.com/adfest/loader.php?id=3072

[ConspiracyPenguin]

Looking forward to seeing it, looks very interesting!

[Matty_g]

Oh shit. you got vahe on camera.
Let me know if you guys need any help.

[Kholi]

Oh what? Papaz is on camera? Nice.

[dougspice]

Yeah, sorry Matty, but we ended up having to schedule it for the days you said you're out of town... because I'm leaving town myself right afterwards. Next time!

[Matty_g]

That's quite alright.
Is it already shot then?

[dougspice]

Nope... a couple days from now. Finishing up the last few things now. Gotta post it in like 2 days, though.

[dougspice]

Well, it's in the can, aside from two pickup shots we need because we ran out of light. I've got a rough cut that's currently timing in at 34s; shouldn't be too hard to cut that down. It took a lot of doing (and a forklift!), but yay! Almost ready to move on to the next one.

I'll try to post up some stills tomorrow. Now, sleep.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

yeah, looking forward to the grabs.

[Brandon Rice]

Same! Cannot wait to see the grabs!

[Zoidoid]

If Caldera is any indication (it looks remarkable!), then this should be very nice indeed. Looking forward to it...

[dougspice]

Ugh. Just recovering our set dressing this morning (which I can't reveal due to contest rules!) took almost 4 hours, ANOTHER forklift, and the most danger I've ever felt on a film set... including when we took assault rifles into Mexico! It's way too hot for this shit.

But... here's a couple grabs (uncorrected):

http://www.psychicbunny.com/extras/kinetica/Kinetica_Framegrab01.jpg
http://www.psychicbunny.com/extras/kinetica/Kinetica_Framegrab02.jpg
http://www.psychicbunny.com/extras/kinetica/Kinetica_Framegrab03.jpg

Thanks for your comments on Caldera, Zoidoid... my attention returns fully to that in August!

[Kholi]

If that's what I think it is, I'm so glad I changed my idea to something else. LOL

Looks charged.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Yeeeouuuch!
http://www.psychicbunny.com/extras/kinetica/Kinetica_Framegrab02.jpg


Nice grabs!

What is all this talk of fork lifts?

[dougspice]

Well we had to lift a new brain into that guy. It was surprisingly heavy. Unfortunately I can say no more. ;)

[martin-sfx]

Nice grabs. The wound in the second frame looks so real. Can't wait to see this ad.

[dougspice]

Yes, Andrew Baier did an amazing job on the makeup, which unfortunately you barely get to see in the ad! I've updated the original post with more complete credits.

[dougspice]

Done! Done, done, done!

Now I can rest for one day before moving on to the next one.

[Brandon Rice]

Wow... two :) cool!

[dougspice]

It feels pretty good to have actually finished one of these contests, even if I had to stay up until 6am to do it! Glad to see you're back in it as well!

[dougspice]

Well, somehow, even though the damn thing was done a week ago, it still came down the wire getting it uploaded. I'm not really sure how, but it just goes to show: there's always a last minute snag. It's 100% done and delivered now, though! Looking forward to seeing what everyone has cooked up!

[Jutberg]

just watched your entry. I must say it was stunning, plus it involved zombies so it gets an automatic thumbs up. Excellent cg work/locations.

[Kholi]

Paced like an ad, loooks like an ad, must be an ad.

Thumbs up. Number one on my list.

[Zoidoid]

Your entry was the first I went to check out, and it set a standard! The visuals were absolutely excellent. Not just the composition of the shots, but also the details -- the makeup -- the color tone -- the choice to make the area under the bridge almost like a dreamy safe haven. It's a nice, simple idea very well-executed.

I think there's a real energy to it. So part of me would like to see a more dramatic, orchestral or beat-oriented score for the hectic bits -- something a bit more cinematic. I do like the minimalism of the music under the bridge, though.

Would you mind telling me what camera was used?

Nice job!

[Barry_S]

This is really outstanding work. Well written, good production value, and clever use of the brand. The timing is exquisite and it's a joy seeing someone who understands the "beats" in a 30 second spot. Congrats to you, and your excellent cast and crew--the creativity and hard work really show.:thumbsup:

[Jason Ramsey]

Ditto.

What Barry_S just said about the beats, was so dead on... You nailed the beats. This is a commercial for a product if I ever saw one.

Very nice work. Best all around complete package. Haven't picked any winners yet. Viewed them all twice so far, and your's is definitely in my list of 5 that stood out to me so far.

The only thing I would say is that you had a bit of a consistency problem revolving around the burning car. You see it off behind in the distance, and then you see it closer two times after that. The only reason I noticed it is b/c your effects were subtle and I wanted to go back and have a closer look at the burning car.

Thanks for sharing.
Jason

[Dmitry Kichenko]

Wow, this was pretty darn impressive. Nice pacing indeed. The cinematography and the script are outstanding. I thought the music wasn't as strong as the ad though. It would be cool if it was kept to minimum and we just heard the heavy panting and the footsteps.

[Brandon Rice]

Definitely #1 on my list so far! Fabulous piece of work!

I loved the shot selection, I just wish you would have romanced the product a little more, maybe an ECU on the bottle as the man is drinking? Just nit-picking, but overall, a fantastic piece!

[Solomon Chase]

So you forklifted in a vending machine?!

[Norm Sanders]

Oh my goodness ... granted, only the third I've watched so far, but WOWZA!!! Opened with incredible production value, and it stayed that way all the way through. GREAT use of the logo/branding, and as a consumer? ... you SOOOO made me want a drink of what that guy had.

In a dry, airid climate, you made me thirsty (okay, I actually am, sitting here in my over heated office), and that drink looks soo incredibly lush & inviting. Crisp, cool, and clean ... just what you need for 2nd wind to keep running from a flesh hungry horde.

I at first wondered if you were just using a clip from Zombie Fest, then I saw the machine.

Seriously, nice ... VERY nice work!

[Ki-Ki]

Yeah can't really say anything that hasn't been said already. Really enjoyed that, great work. The way it was shot and laid out was grand.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Very nice work. I could have used a few more closeup Zombie shots, but I liked what I saw.

Nice work on the look of the product as well.

Excellent ad.

Mike

[FilmBoy77]

this was awesome work man. how long did it take to film? good job.

[Noel Evans]

Have to agree with everyone. A very high quality piece of work. And as your team obviously CAN do such high quality stuff - Im a little dissapointed it was so cliche.

[Dmitry Kichenko]

I thought about this one a little more yesterday, and if I had the footage on-hand I would edit this a bit differently.

I'd start out with a wide establishing shot of the city, colour corrected the same way you had yours, with just a loud hit of strings setting the mood, then a closeup of the lead running to get us excited. Cut to the feet, cut to the scared face. Cut to the ground where the slowly walking feet of the zombies appear. Then cut to the zombies faces to reveal who they are. THEN we cut to the main shot where we see the lead AND the zombies. And then the rest of your ad.

Don't know why, the ad just sparkled my imagination. Which is a good thing.

[JOE BLO]

You did an excellent job. I voted for you in my top 3. The visuals were great and I liked your shot choices.

My only problem was that he was being chased and they were right behind him and then he has plenty of time to look at the machine, order a drink , and drink it. I wish he had outfoxed them momentarily, or hopped a fence that they couldn't climb, something that would give him a window of time to drink. Then they could bust through the fence, or re find him, and the chase continues.

Just my thoughts, but I think it was great. Congrats!!!

[Norm Sanders]

Oh, good point Joe! Thanks for ruining my suspension of disbelief, lol. :)

[Barry_S]

The pause when he saw the vending machine was done on purpose. The zombies fade away visually and on the soundtrack as well because Kinetica puts him in "the zone".

[cinealma]

Top notch, my friend! Technically a well crafted piece of work. Concept was great. Hell, I'd even try some frosted plum drink! I, too, wanted more sense of Zombie-ness from the Zombies. But I know damned well that 30 seconds is a tough bit of time to fit something into.

Good job! Thanks for sharing!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Ambitious and Polished.
I appreciated the simplicity and clarity - that's what you want in an ad right?
Looked great.

Only dings:
- woulda liked a closeup of a zombie more on the line, so we could see his face and how hungry, vicious he was more - though I know you were featuring the brain makeup there.

- second ding, while I got that he was in the "Kinetica zone" with the pause at the machine - actually I thought he knew the product and so he knew he could take his time, I had to infer what the pause was. We have a couple of medium shots there of him but they don't give me anything to go on.

I'm all for film acting being small but he neither changed in a way that suggested he was in the zone or that he knew the product. If his whole demeanor changed and he became curious or drawn to the machine in a way that would have been entirely inappropropriate "huh ... what's this?" while zombies were chasing you then that would clearly say "in the kinetica zone". The scoring you have supports this but it is too low in the mix I think. Cranking the mystical / "I'm in awe" scoring up would really support the in the zone idea.

Alternately If he looked relieved, then I would know he knew the product and now knew he had the upper hand.

But his reaction is just completely neutral to me. All I know is he just slows down and goes to the machine.

But those are minor. Anytime you fully explain critical points it sounds like that's your primary impression of something and this is really good, so I don't want those small things to overshadow my overall feedback.

Very nice work. Top two if not the very top for me.

[CarlSpackler]

I'm all for film acting being small but he neither changed in a way that suggested he was in the zone or that he knew the product. If his whole demeanor changed and he became curious or drawn to the machine in a way that would have been entirely inappropropriate "huh ... what's this?" while zombies were chasing you then that would clearly say "in the kinetica zone". The scoring you have supports this but it is too low in the mix I think. Cranking the mystical / "I'm in awe" scoring up would really support the in the zone idea.


I completely agree. It didn't really seem as though the energy drink did anything for the man running from the zombies. I wish he was worn out at the beginning, then revitalized from Kinetica drink.

What you call minor, to me, undermines the ad. This was a problem for me in many of the ads, not just this one. As impressive as some may be technically, I'd much rather buy a lower quality ad that sells the product.

[martin-sfx]

Technically this is one of the top contenders for me. Cinematography, editing, music, color grading, integration of VFX, those were all top notch.
However, like others, I think the ending and selling of the product could be more effective.


It didn't really seem as though the energy drink did anything for the man running from the zombies. I wish he was worn out at the beginning, then revitalized from Kinetica drink.

This I exactly what bothers me. We don't see anything change for the person as he drinks Kinetica, he just takes a subtle look back and continues to run away. You should see more of his exhaustion in the beginning and after the drinking he should look completely refreshed and ready to go on. There should be some more emphasis on what the product really does for him so that the viewer knows why to buy the drink.

[LynchMob]

I wish I was onboard with everyone else and liked Zombies. That's probably why I can't get into this ad. That opening shot with the fake smoke are fire threw me out of this one. Color grading was awesome and I liked the music. The makeup was good too.

[dougspice]

Wow, thanks everyone! Glad everyone seems to like it. We did put a lot of hard work into it, and I'd especially like to thank the entire crew and cast for their efforts, which were done pretty bare-bones.

I'm pretty proud of this, but that doesn't mean I think it's perfection. Some of your criticisms are spot-on. Several of you have mentioned the editing and the music. I will make two excuses here and then be done with it!

1) I edited the damn thing myself. I hate editing. I don't think I'm a particularly good editor, and I don't like doing it. So there you have it.

2) I left town on the 24th of July and have been on the road for the past 9 days, shooting another project. Unfortunately it turns out this is not the best way to work with a composer! I think Austin did great work, but was crippled by how difficult it was for me to review his work and communicate. Without twelve hours on the road every day, I'm sure it would have been far better. But hey, that's how these things go. Excuses don't mean anything.

I want to address a couple specific comments:


My only problem was that he was being chased and they were right behind him and then he has plenty of time to look at the machine, order a drink , and drink it. I wish he had outfoxed them momentarily, or hopped a fence that they couldn't climb, something that would give him a window of time to drink. Then they could bust through the fence, or re find him, and the chase continues.

I tried to do this. We even tried to shoot a fence jumping. But there was no way to fit it into the edit, and ultimately "commercial logic" prevailed: a commercial can work as a sketch in a way that a narrative film cannot. As long as the dots are there, you have to be able to expect the audience to connect them into a line. I much preferred having the slower moments of pacing the discovery than of actually seeing him lose his pursuers.



The only thing I would say is that you had a bit of a consistency problem revolving around the burning car. You see it off behind in the distance, and then you see it closer two times after that. The only reason I noticed it is b/c your effects were subtle and I wanted to go back and have a closer look at the burning car.

Not true! Trust me. There are actually TWO burning cars. I know because I did a first version in which I attempted to get away without having the flames and smoke in one of the shots. Then, every time I watched it, it drove me crazy, so I stayed up another 4 hours and made sure it was all right. There is a bit of a time jump in the editing, but I assure you there's no lack of continuity in the setting.


So you forklifted in a vending machine?!

Not quite. We loaded the machine in and set it up by hand, with about 5 or 6 people. Then, by the time we wrapped production, we no longer had the manpower to remove it! Fortunately, a guy at a warehouse next door grabbed a forklift and helped us load it back on the truck... but standing up! I've never had a more terrifying car ride in my life, than driving this thing back to our office. Shooting a movie about revolutionary war in Mexico was 100% less dangerous than hauling this machine around. At one point I was certain someone was about to get seriously hurt, or the truck destroyed. Fortunately we worked it out.

Ironically, after all that, the wide shot where you first see the machine is CG. That was a pick-up shot because we ran out of light, and we no longer had the machine, so I painted it back into the shot by hand!


Finally, about the performance: I didn't want to try anything ham-handed, and stayed far away from that territory. I hate commercials where the product gives the user cheesy super-powers, and I couldn't see any reason for our runner to become magically happy in this scenario. Maybe I played it too far in the opposite direction, I don't know. It doesn't bother me, really.


Thanks again to everyone who watched it! It was fun!

[david jerome]

This was my favorite of the bunch. Nice job Doug.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

I wasn't so much talking about needing to see him running with smoke coming off his heals, I was more talking about a change when he saw the vending machine, either mesmerization or relief, that would have shown he was drawn into it and motivated the change in pace / pause.

But as you've just explained it was not conceived / shot that way and it is perhaps the lesser of two evils than having the other shot in there of them trying to get through the fence for the pacing cutting reasons you stated.

I do think that while you didn't need to show him with smoke coming off his feet a "no problem" knowing smile or take from him at the end vs the "here we go again" take would have gone far to suggest that the sports drink really gave him the upperhand in an almost magical though uncheesy way.

But glad you are proud of it as it is great work, a real standout.

[Gord.T]

Impressive. Funny how we take this stuff for granted. I loved it.

/The only thing I can think of is maybe adding some (post) camera shake in shots 1 & 4. The cam is a bit static there and it would add some excitement.

[macgregor]

My favorite!

[Noah]

Great work. By far superior to the rest of the competition.

[Blaine]

This one sold itself as a commercial to me. It is my top pick.

[TowerFan]

I hate commercials where the product gives the user cheesy super-powers...

Hey Doug, guess you didn't vote for ours then, eh?:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

Obviously pro caliber. I felt like I was watching a prime-time network ad. I saw the word cliche used in an earlier post but I think that's a bit strong. I think it's more like an old formula that still works.

Great entry. Yours was one I voted for. :beer:

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Yeah when I saw "cliché" I tried to remember a sports drink ad that involved zombies ... but couldn't.

[Brandon Rice]

you got my vote dude!

[Tom Marshall]

I liked this one too. I'll probably give this one my #1 spot... nice job, man! :beer:

[Michael_Petro]

great ad really think you got the top spot.. i know you got my #1 vote.

[dougspice]

Hey Doug, guess you didn't vote for ours then, eh?

Well yours isn't really the same thing, since the product IS supposed to give you super-powers. But you know what I mean... "Eat this delicious soup, you'll shoot lasers out of your eyes!" Actually, that sounds like a pretty awesome commercial. Hmm. I've got some calls to make.

Thanks for the kind words, guys!

[abalex]

This one was really fun to watch, very professional and most important, very entertaining, the old zombie formula seems to work just fine.

I still need to watch the other entries but this one for now is my number 1. congrats!

gv.

[Aaron Marshall]

Very cool Doug! I really liked the color tone of this ad. The machine was very impressive too. I thought your concept was great. It reminded me of an ad that would have been on back in the 80's when Michael Jackson's Thriller was the hip thing.

great work!

[sean90291]

Very very very very very very cool.

[creativeye]

hows it going. i shot this ad for doug, had a blast doing it. day 1 was tough because the sunset faster than we anticipated to we had to do a day of pickups, which i offered to doug ever so genouresly because i believed in the spot. we got it done. it was just tough pulling focus and operating on some of those complex shots. we better get a focus puller next time, or iam walking :)

but iam glad you guys like it.

[Noel Evans]

Doug, please dont take offence to my "cliche" comment.

I want to reiterate that I thought it was extremely well executed and polished. Great work.

(slip in: Sorry Jack).

[Christopher Barry]

fav. :thumbsup:

[Aaron Marshall]

My vote is in.

This ad was in my top 3.

[MojoTrancer]

Outstanding work. I liked the concept and the execution was top notch. This one stayed on point. Great job!

[Dmitry Kichenko]

Umm. You can't vote for this ad, Aaron.

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

I really enjoyed this ad! Game over, let's just give you the #1 prizes already :-)

[J.R. Hudson]

From the persepctive of the ad exec; I found Doug's piece the most polished and professional; complete with concept. Looked every bit prime time.

[dougspice]

Thanks John + everyone, I really appreciate it. Looking forward to finding out what the next fest is already! With a bit of luck maybe I can finish something longer than 30 seconds!

[bosindy]

Umm. You can't vote for this ad, Aaron.

curious as to why,it got my vote.

[Brandon Rice]

Mine too.

[dougspice]

omg corruption at the polls??

[Dmitry Kichenko]

Looks like you're gonna win. You beat the system.

[Brandon Rice]

LOL... he was gunna win anyway!

[dougspice]

Looks like you're gonna win. You beat the system.

I thought your first post was a joke, but now I'm starting to wonder. What system did I beat? wtf?

[Dmitry Kichenko]

The voting system.

Gimme some time to digest the cup of espresso. It's kind of hard to crack out good ones first thing in the morning.

[Dmitry Kichenko]

Oh you know what - it's the composing until 3 Am syndrome. I've confused your ad with MacGregor's :).

[cinealma]

Oh you know what - it's the composing until 3 Am syndrome. I've confused your ad with MacGregor's :).

That's what I was thinking had happened.

But you do gotta watch out for those hanging chads!

[Dmitry Kichenko]

Well, on the good side of the vinyl, I did get some smashing tunes done. Long live drum machines.

[dougspice]

Ah, okay. Well, no hard feelings then! I voted for yours.

I read somewhere that drum machines have no soul?

[Dmitry Kichenko]

Are you crazie? It's like saying robots have no soul. Does Bender not have a soul? Or C3PO?

Oh, and thanks for voting :). I voted for yours too.

[dougspice]

Bender's a cartoon. Cartoons don't have souls. Except the Iron Giant. Or something like that? Now I'm confused. Alas.

[Dmitry Kichenko]

Grab an espresso.

[PaPa]

jesus doug.... how the hell did you create something so amazing? The production value was soo hot and the images were fantastic! How did you do the effect with th car on fire?