Clean Slate Productions presents "IN PIECES"

[Ben Sliker]

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1192493003.jpg

CLEAN SLATE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS "IN PIECES"


DAVIS OSBORNE AS JOHN ABBOTT MITCHELL:
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1192804079.jpg (http://www.davisosborne.com)
CLICK ON HIS PICTURE TO GO TO HIS WEBSITE OR
DAVIS OSBORNE'S MYSPACE PAGE (http://www.myspace.com/davisosborne)

Also Appearing:
POLICE OFFICER - BRAD MATE
VICTIM - AARON HOWELL
VICTIM STAND-IN - MARIE HARTSELL


DIRECTOR - BEN SLIKER
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - JUSTIN KUHN
GAFFER - JESSE HOFFMAN
GRIP/BOOM - BRAD MATE
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT - AARON HOWELL
CRAFT SERVICES - MARIE HARTSELL
SOUND DESIGN - ERIK GRIEKSPOOR
SCORE - HERMAN WITKAM
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1192803443.jpg (http://www.herman-witkam.com)
CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO VISIT HIS WEBSITE OR
CLICK HERE TO GO TO HIS MYSPACE PAGE (http://www.myspace.com/hermanwitkam)

[Ben Sliker]

These pages were scanned in from the Maplecrest County Police files. They are pages from John Abbott Mitchell's Diary.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTRY FROM DAY 4 (http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1192650989.jpg)

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193172357.jpg

SHOTGUN EXPLANATION

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194186492.jpg

The HVX is way down there in the bottom right corner and we had Davis on his knees to get better/easier lighting on him. (Another bonus of painting the walls black, we could hide black light stands pretty much anywhere.)

The REAL 12-gauge shotgun was rigged with a tube from a pressure sprayer (the pink part went about 1/2 way down the barrel), and I had the pleasure of trying to blow a steady stream of cigarette smoke through it. We also rigged the smallest flashlight Maglite made to the end of 2 chopsticks and attached it to the inside of the barrel. So that yellow smoke coming out of the barrel was practical, and I pulled it out using a limit effect in post.

Justin did a great job of setting this shot up and kudos to him also for suggesting to me that the wine glass shot needed something after it to really sell the sequence.

FROM THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR OF IN PIECES

All of these grabs are raw, no CC!

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122700.jpg

This one was the hardest to cut for us. it's a nice slo-mo shot of the hammer coming down on the victim in a very surrealist fashion. Unfortunately, it didn't match up with the rest of the footage we shot as when Davis was taking his swings, it was more natural to come in from the side instead of straight from the top.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122726.jpg

This was a creation of out DP on the spot, I like to call it the "Mrs. Robinson" shot, but it's a skater dolly reveal through Davis' legs. In the end, we thought it drew to much attention to the victim (the rest of the shots with him in it are either ECU or he is way out of focus) so it got cut.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122749.jpg

This was another from the brain of Justin. One of those "we'll shoot it if we have time" kind of gigs. It was a diagonal dolly from the window where the cops would be approaching all the way to the doorknob where they would beat on the door. It drew a little too much away from Davis and you could see my blue basketball shorts in the middle of it.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122825.jpg

This is a shot of the garage floor after davis had been blowing chocolate syrup through a tube attached to the head. Eww ... sticky. But Justin was meandering around and caught a couple shots like this one with the strobe light flashing just in case they were needed or could be used creatively.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122805.jpg

Some cool smoke from the many insert shots we had for the intro credit sequence.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122772.jpg

Another potential insert shot for the ending. I don't think we could get the shutter speed and strobe flashing to line up enough for something like this to be usable. But cool nonetheless...

[Ben Sliker]

SCREEN GRABS!
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193012776.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193012748.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193105371.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193105395.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193201557.jpg


http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1192218327.jpg
FIRST BTS SHOT ... BEN GIVES DIRECTION AND DAVIS DRINKS IT IN.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1192224534.jpg
MARIE DOES HER BEST AT STANDING IN AND AARON DUCT-TAPED TO A CHAIR. IT WAS NOT FUN BEING HIM. CAMEO BY WATER HEATER.

[Brandon Rice]

You know I am excited :)

[Ben Sliker]

first and second bts shots added. more to come.

[Brandon Rice]

Cool BTS :thumbsup:

[Marlon Ladd]

Good luck! Pics are cool.

[MOVIE STUNTS]

Awesome, hybridtheory glad to see you have one in the fest! Good luck!

[Ben Sliker]

thanks guys, we're really psyched about this one. hopefully we'll have a pretty steady stream of behind the scenes material for you in the next two weeks.

[Joops]

Good Luck

[Ben Sliker]

thanks joops.

we shot some pick-ups last night that we're a lot of fun, i'll post some bts pics of it soon.

[MOVIE STUNTS]

Looking forward to 'em.

[Ben Sliker]

ack ... we are currently in search for a new composer, Leo, who was gracious enough to do our project has been tied up with computer issues. so if anyone out there is interested, please pm me. soon.

EDIT: Herman Witkam is the man and has come through for us. He Rocks!!!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

That sucks! Best of luck...

I wish I knew someone.

Mike

[Ben Sliker]

REJOICE!

The awesomely talented Herman Witkam is now onboard to score/sound design for our film. And as promised, more BTS stills:

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1192493999.jpg
JESSE DOING WHAT SHE DOES BEST WITH THE ARRI KIT.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1192493713.jpg
brad's comments on this photo: WOW BEN, YOU CAUGHT MY BEST TWO FEATURES - MY RECEDING HAIR LINE AND MY DOUBLE CHIN ... YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1192493604.jpg
THIS IS ME ... DANCING IN PART OF OUR LIGHTING RIG.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1192493580.jpg
SOMETIMES I PUT BOXES ON MY HEAD AND PRETEND I'M A ROBOT ... IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT I DO.

[Brandon Rice]

LOL. funny BTS... congrats on Herman as well. I am sure he'll deliver a great score!

[Ben Sliker]

new stuff added to 2nd post.

[deedive]

looks fun guy!

[Ben Sliker]

more people info added at the top of the page -

Our lead, Davis Osborne just appeared in a video for Bo Bice's new song "witness", check it out on Davis' Myspace page here (http://www.myspace.com/davisosborne)

[Marlon Ladd]

Everything's looking good. You guys got a funny sense of humor.

Hey, who's apartment or house is that? Nice setup.

[mentatDUKE]

You guys look like you had fun shooting this. Good luck.

[Ben Sliker]

Everything's looking good. You guys got a funny sense of humor.

Hey, who's apartment or house is that? Nice setup.

We try to keep it light ... even with darkness as the theme. Thanks for the compliments on the setup, my girlfriend Marie and I just bought this townhome, and she just happens to be a manager over at the local Best Buy ... hence ... awesome discounted stuff. If you we're wondering, it's a:

Samsung 42" 720p DLP
Samsumg Upscaling DVD
Pioneer 7.1 Receiver
Klispch synergy series speakers (custom installed surrounds)
Martin Logan Dynamo Subwoofer

EDIT: oh ... can't forget about the nintendo wii :)

still gotta make the jump to 1080p and hd-dvd or blu-ray, but i think it rocks for the space it's in.


You guys look like you had fun shooting this. Good luck.

Thanks Mentat, like I said before, good to see you in this too, i'm looking forward to seeing how good you've got with that 35mm adapter!

[Ben Sliker]

might as well give you guys a production update as well. I'm currently locking down some color correction limit effects, and we're anxiously awaiting to see what Herman has put together for us in the score department.

Look forward to another creepy diary entry from John Abbott Mitchell and some grabs soon.

[Ben Sliker]

SCREEN GRABS!!! We'll be putting one or two of these a day until fri (the deadline).

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193012776.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193012748.jpg

Also added to 3rd post.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Visually, this looks REALLY good. Can't wait to see it.

Cheers,

Mike

[Brandon Rice]

Nice :thumbsup:

[Ben Sliker]

Visually, this looks REALLY good. Can't wait to see it.

Cheers,

Mike

Thanks a lot Mike. The funny thing is, that it is mostly a performance piece, and we really feel Davis knocked it out of the park, we hope it's a treat for you.

Regards,
Ben

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Thanks a lot Mike. The funny thing is, that it is mostly a performance piece, and we really feel Davis knocked it out of the park, we hope it's a treat for you.

Regards,
Ben

Awesome! Sounds wicked actually....

Can't wait to see it.

Cheers,

Mike

[Herman Witkam]

The sound designer (Erik Griekspoor) and I will complete a first rough version tomorrow. :)

[Justin Kuhn]

Visually, this looks REALLY good. Can't wait to see it.

Cheers,

Mike

Hey thanks, I like to think I did some good work for Ben. It really is mostly performance though.

[Brandon Rice]

The sound designer (Erik Griekspoor) and I will complete a first rough version tomorrow. :)

Nice. Can't wait to hear/see this one :beer:

[Joops]

Awesome lookin grabs!!!

[Ben Sliker]

MORE GRABS!!!

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193105371.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193105395.jpg

I'm sooooo pumped to hear what herman has in store for us!!!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

These grabs are fantastic!

Nice going...

Cheers,

Mike

[tmnt]

Yeah really nice, clean, cinematic grabs.

[Ben Sliker]

new diary entry added to 2nd post!

Just got our first draft of sound design and score from Herman today. WOW ... Ben=Excited. :)

[Glideshot]

Geeez, that grab with the (I'm guessing) cigarette butt is Wicked Looking!

There's something about B&W that just sets a really intense mood.

[Ben Sliker]

Geeez, that grab with the (I'm guessing) cigarette butt is Wicked Looking!

There's something about B&W that just sets a really intense mood.

don't think for one second we didn't use our trusty glideshot dolly! [/gratuitous plug]

it was very nice having a person on set who was completely dedicated to the lighting, Jesse is a real artist.

[Glideshot]

don't think for one second we didn't use our trusty glideshot dolly! [/gratuitous plug]

it was very nice having a person on set who was completely dedicated to the lighting, Jesse is a real artist.

Hehehe, thanks Ben! Believe it or not, not one single dolly shot in our whole movie...Uhggg...

You need to hang on to Jesse, that's beautiful lighting!!!

Can't wait to see the finished product.

[Ben Sliker]

another screen grab!

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193201557.jpg

[TimurCivan]

oh man you guys have Herman..... Thisis gonna sound good.

[Justin Kuhn]

You need to hang on to Jesse, that's beautiful lighting!!!

Can't wait to see the finished product.

Jesse has the subtle touch. She told me she has an DVXuser account, but that she only reads the articles.

Yeah, same here.

[MOVIE STUNTS]

Love the grabs, very nice!

[Ben Sliker]

oh man you guys have Herman..... Thisis gonna sound good.

trust me ... it does! Herman and Erik are doing some crazy work over there on the other side of the pond.

[Ben Sliker]

looks like we'll be butting up right next to the deadline.

Just sent Herman and Erik my final notes on sound effects and score. They will be in a 6 hour mixing session tomorrow morning/afternoon (which is like 3-4 AM here on the east coast) so after I'm done eating my fruity pebbles tomorrow morning, hopefully I be able to slap in the audio track, adjust volume and upload by the afternoon. hopefully we won't need that extra 3 hours given to us by the time zones.

[Kholi]

Wait, the deadline is tomorrow night?

[Ben Sliker]

Wait, the deadline is tomorrow night?

unless my sundial is poorly calibrated ... i think so. although ... it IS cloudy today.

[Kholi]

LOL. The B/W looks good, mang. Don't let Gobo take ANY credit!

[Herman Witkam]

oh man you guys have Herman..... Thisis gonna sound good.

Thanks Timur!

Erik and I are going to finish the stereo mix for the fest tomorrow, and up next week is a 5.1 mix.

[Ben Sliker]

LOL. The B/W looks good, mang. Don't let Gobo take ANY credit!

lol, i'll try not to let his head get too big.



Erik and I are going to finish the stereo mix for the fest tomorrow, and up next week is a 5.1 mix.

which ... i might add ... I am totally pumped for.

[Justin Kuhn]

LOL. The B/W looks good, mang. Don't let Gobo take ANY credit!

i jus push da lil red buton

[lauralouface]

Cool screen grabs! I love how clean and sharp they are...

[Justin Kuhn]

Hey thanks! It's all in the lighting. I definitely hired the right gaffer.

[Ben Sliker]

exporting out as i type ... herman and his sound team did a phenomenal job.

[Brandon Rice]

Fantastic! Can't wait to hear/see it!

[Erik Griekspoor]

Hey guys,
Glad to be working on this movie and explore the forum:cheesy:.
I hope you'll like our work...

[Herman Witkam]

Hey guys,
Glad to be working on this movie and explore the forum:cheesy:.
I hope you'll like our work...

Welcome onboard Erik!

[Ben Sliker]

Hey guys,
Glad to be working on this movie and explore the forum:cheesy:.
I hope you'll like our work...

couldn't be more excited with what you guys sent us, a sincere thanks again! :thumbsup:

[Erik Griekspoor]

Thats good to hear! I loved doing it, the movie has a lot of interesting cues for me... Next week a 5.1 mix!

[Ben Sliker]

uploaded and approved!!!!

[Justin Kuhn]

Bad news guys. I'm out of fingernail.

[Ben Sliker]

Bad news guys. I'm out of fingernail.

lol, i know what you mean ... i can't stand the waiting either!

[Jay Rodriguez]

Bad news guys. I'm out of fingernail.

LOL,,,, I know the feeling.... good luck in the fest dude.

[MOVIE STUNTS]

LOL,,,, I know the feeling.... good luck in the fest dude.

Yep, the sooner the better!:beer:

[Justin Kuhn]

LOL,,,, I know the feeling.... good luck in the fest dude.


Thanks man, looking forward to watching your film and all the rest. Sooner the better indeed.

[deedive]

i just wanna say goodluck to all the spyfest war vets.

[Ben Sliker]

i just wanna say goodluck to all the spyfest war vets.

thanks deedive, i was pumped that you got something in, i thought check was pretty sweet!

[deedive]

thx, and the pope shits in a funny hat.

[cinealma]

thx, and the pope shi*s in a funny hat.

Ha! I use that one regularly at work, now. :beer:

[Ben Sliker]

thx, and the pope shi*s in a funny hat.


Ha! I use that one regularly at work, now. :beer:

That's sooo awesome, someone uses something i wrote in movie in their real life. You guys are making waiting for the films to open a little bit easier. cheers. :beer:

[cinealma]

That's sooo awesome, someone uses something i wrote in movie in their real life. You guys are making waiting for the films to open a little bit easier. cheers. :beer:

I remember your story about that line. It reminds me of a night when I was in high school (many years ago) and a friend and I were up until 4 or 5 in the morning doing computer nerd stuff and we happen to get on a Pollock jokes kick. My friend was Polish and he always came up with ones I have never heard of. And they were pretty funny because they didn't make sense or really have a punchline to them. He'd tell them to me in Polish first and then translate them.

Well, long story short, the joke-fest culminated in this classic:

"Did you hear about the _____ who wiped his ass with cement bags?"

We laughed for about a half hour, probably from massive sleep deprivation.



Cheers!:beer:

[Ben Sliker]

We laughed for about a half hour, probably from massive sleep deprivation.

seriously ... why are things so much funnier when you haven't slept?

[Ben Sliker]

MORE BTS!!!

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193763388.jpg
BOOM!!!
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193763364.jpg
apparently when we put our rings together ... we morph into a giant robot.

jeez ... i never knew we were such goofy bastards.

[Ben Sliker]

good luck everybody! I'll go ahead and reiterate what others have been saying on their own threads, Herman and Erik have put together a phenomenal score and sound design for us, so treat yourself by throwing some headphones on or turning it up on a nice set of speakers!!!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Headphones all around!

:)

[Ben Sliker]

MODERATOR NOTE (from Larry R): I just replaced the file on all the mirrors and performed a test download. It appears to be working correctly now. Sorry for the inconvenience. Now back to the regularly scheduled post...


THANKS LARRY!!!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Sorry, I watched before reading this.

GREAT looking movie.
GREAT Acting....
GREAT all around.

Nice work guys!

Mike

[Ben Sliker]

LARRY_R has informed me that we are back in business and good version on IN PIECES is up on the download site. enjoy everyone!

[Ben Sliker]

ok, we are up and running!

[Brandon Rice]

whoohoo! Nice :) (Review forthcoming)

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Nice closing shot! Missed it the first time... :)

I would have added a bit more coloured flashing lights for the cop car, but that would be nitpicking.

I've watched almost half of the entries. Top 3 for sure so far...

Mike

[Brandon Rice]

Ben, ben ben....

Ok... the acting was GREAT! And that shows your skill in directing. The second best element of this was the score/sound... fantastic! The look was great as well... nice, sharp, great look for this kind of film....

One critique is I felt it could be a little tightened.. the payoff is good, but I think some of the fancy edits, and post camera stuff could be tightened...

But... again, great work, this is top 3 for me as well! :thumbsup:

[Kholi]

Ben and Gobo and crew. Nice images and all. Sound was really good. Can one of you come and do sound for me? xD

Closing shot was killer, as well.

[Edgen]

Your lead actor was brilliant. F'in creepy man. Creepy.

Herman.. Killer score man. :) You really know how to move around your keys.

cheers on the entry!
/j

[Billy Pilgrim]

Great job you guys. great cinematography, acting, editing, music, concept. The ending was great too.

[Ramon Boutviseth]

Nice job! nice lighting/style, good sound/music, herman is definetly making a name for himself. I really dug the b&w and the selective colors in the film. Davis did a great job, & props on everything else. you got my vote.

[strancali]

WOW! I have to run and I'm late but this film deserves another praise! Nice style, editing, sound etc etc. Kept me interested and glued to the monitor the WHOLE time and wanted to see more! Congrats, this is one of the top 3 for me. Good luck!

[Ben Sliker]

First of all, thanks everyone for taking the time to watch and comment on our film!


Nice closing shot! Missed it the first time... :)

I would have added a bit more coloured flashing lights for the cop car, but that would be nitpicking.

I've watched almost half of the entries. Top 3 for sure so far...

Mike

Thanks for the re-watch Mike, the ending shot really closes the deal i think. I actually like the nitpicking, lets us know where we can take it to the next level. that being said, we had an effects artist working in Maya to create red and blues for the end (i removed the reds from the car pulling up/cops running shots), but alas he did not have time to finish, that'll be just another little bonus (along with the 5.1 surround mix herman did for us) for the DVD or website.


Ben, ben ben....

Ok... the acting was GREAT! And that shows your skill in directing. The second best element of this was the score/sound... fantastic! The look was great as well... nice, sharp, great look for this kind of film....

One critique is I felt it could be a little tightened.. the payoff is good, but I think some of the fancy edits, and post camera stuff could be tightened...

But... again, great work, this is top 3 for me as well! :thumbsup:

Thanks B-man, it's a lot of fun to collectively watch a community grow as filmmakers, as I believe you and I have over the past couple years. I can see where you are coming from with the edit, but I was very careful in the editing room to not draw attention to my edits, so that the focus was fixed in on Davis' performance. That being said, there's always a couple frames that could be tightened! Thanks for the comments.


Ben and Gobo and crew. Nice images and all. Sound was really good. Can one of you come and do sound for me? xD

Closing shot was killer, as well.

I could do sound for you, but it wouldn't be nearly as good as if Herman and Erik did it. www.herman-witkam.com (check it out, he's the man). That closing shot was the first one that popped into my head and it took a pretty big collaborative effort to pull it off, but was soooo worth it. Big thanks to Jesse on that shot, she was on smoke and lights. (anybody see the blood dripping out of the head too?)


Your lead actor was brilliant. F'in creepy man. Creepy.

Herman.. Killer score man. :) You really know how to move around your keys.

cheers on the entry!
/j

Thanks Edgen, the funny thing is that Davis is the nicest guy on the planet. But being a true actor he really dove into the part, for some shots he was physically exhausted just from putting all he had into John Abbot Mitchell (the last shot of the white room in particular).


Great job you guys. great cinematography, acting, editing, music, concept. The ending was great too.

Thanks!!!


Nice job! nice lighting/style, good sound/music, herman is definetly making a name for himself. I really dug the b&w and the selective colors in the film. Davis did a great job, & props on everything else. you got my vote.

I appreciate the note on the colors, some of those shots took many layers of color correction/masks to pull off. The shotgun shot is one of my favorites. :)


WOW! I have to run and I'm late but this film deserves another praise! Nice style, editing, sound etc etc. Kept me interested and glued to the monitor the WHOLE time and wanted to see more! Congrats, this is one of the top 3 for me. Good luck!

Awesome! I think before we made any decision or came up with any shot, the question was asked "will this take away or add to Davis' performance?" And we took care to make sure that it was always the latter. For instance, you don't see another character until the last shot, even with the cops closing in, we had the car shot, silhouetted legs and the doorknob, all combined to get the feeling that there was impending police action without taking away from John.

So with that I'm really glad that the film drew you in like that, makes me feel like we made some quality decisions!

[Dustin R. Rogan]

In my top 3! Lighting, actor and script was excellent!


(ps i'm associated with Retribution) (http://www.dvxfest.com/allhallowsfest/loader.php?id=11264)

[wesley]

great stuff, visually impressive. and once again great score by herman ;D.

i do agree with brandon that it could have been a little tighter. but so far (havent watched all films yet) this is top 3 material for sure.

[Glideshot]

In my top 3! Lighting, actor and script was excellent!

I could not agree more! Excellent All Around!

[Herman Witkam]

The second best element of this was the score/sound... fantastic!

Thanks Brandon!


Sound was really good. Can one of you come and do sound for me? xD

Post production sound, sure - Send me a script and we can start talking :thumbsup:


Herman.. Killer score man. :) You really know how to move around your keys.

Thanks Justin! I finally got a 88 key full hammer-action keyboard, so that inspired me to write something for piano :)


Great job you guys. great cinematography, acting, editing, music, concept. The ending was great too.

Thanks!


Nice job! nice lighting/style, good sound/music, herman is definetly making a name for himself.

Thanks Ramon! :beer:


great stuff, visually impressive. and once again great score by herman ;D.

Thanks Wesley! Looking forward to the next possible collaboration :)

[J.R. Hudson]

The actor in this was solid; one of the best I have seen in any of these fests. This was the most enjoyable element for me and I wasn't too sold on the monologue itself as a short film, but accepted it when the talent nailed the performance.

I wish the short had been filled with more elements like the shotgun or the color of the last shot.

The black and white, although I can see why it was chosen, left it bland for me visually; seeing the color palette of this mans world would have been great.

Score and Sound I second.

[Ben Sliker]

The actor in this was solid; one of the best I have seen in any of these fests. This was the most enjoyable element for me and I wasn't too sold on the monologue itself as a short film, but accepted it when the talent nailed the performance.

I wish the short had been filled with more elements like the shotgun or the color of the last shot.

The black and white, although I can see why it was chosen, left it bland for me visually; seeing the color palette of this mans world would have been great.

Score and Sound I second.

thanks for the review!

Again, we couldn't be more than pleased with Davis' performance, so that's really what we wanted to highlight.

The feedback on the B&W is appreciated. The motivation of the B&W look of the piece was to:
A. not distract from Davis' performance
B. see if we could make the lighting somewhat of a character in the piece
C. reinforce and highlight the parts that are color
D. make the space he was in (the garage) unrecognizable until the end

We toyed around with having different backgrounds or something more visceral, I'd like to hear some thoughts (if you have some) on how we might accomplish this without forfeiting A-D above? We might have something longer in store for John Abbot Mitchell in the future (and probably in color), so any suggestions would be awesome.

Jesse did some really subtle things with the light, like glints in the eyes and highlights in the hair that are really artistic, some of her setups were pretty extensive, and she went the extra mile to squeeze out every bit of coolness, that extra 5%. Thanks again Jesse (seriously ... gobo ... get her on dvxuser.)

[Justin Kuhn]

Nice closing shot! Missed it the first time... :)

I would have added a bit more coloured flashing lights for the cop car, but that would be nitpicking.

I'm still kicking myself over this, believe me. I forgot to bring the lighting gag I had planned on using to give the subject that lit by a cop car look, but Ben had a bunch of strobes and I had a couple in my trunk from a runway gig, so I figured why not. Then we got down to it and all those strobes were just not playing at all. The only thing I got out of 'em was the blinking on the left side of the door there, and that was from the biggest party light, gelled and hidden on the hood directly in front of Davis.

What I've really been kicking myself over is that I could have built a new gag right there; it's just a box, a bit of a stick, string, clotheshanger and gels. But at the time I was close to freaking out, I felt down to the wire and seriously stressed out. Not making your day on a film with an inflexible schedule is right up there in my DP's Top Three Nightmares. But we ended up wrapping an hour early, so...f&%k. Next time.



I wish the short had been filled with more elements like the shotgun or the color of the last shot.

The black and white, although I can see why it was chosen, left it bland for me visually; seeing the color palette of this mans world would have been great.


JR, thanks for bringing up that concept, I've put a bit of thought into it. Those two shots are my personal favorites actually. My interpretation as a DP was that in John's mind, black and white is in fact his color palette, loosely speaking. So in that context it works for me artistically. But...I was messing around with some dailies the other day though, put a little blue on a smoking shot and leeched all the color but a little bit...it looked freakin' awesome. Gives me a few lighting/shot ideas. But that would have to be within a different context. :lipsrseal


Thanks again Jesse (seriously ... gobo ... get her on dvxuser.)

She is, but she just reads the articles. Seriously.

Shooting B&W was a really interesting experience for both Jesse and me, and a bit of a calculated gamble at times. The original footage was oversaturated and the lighting was really blatant. Jesse didn't like the look we were getting at all, she's a purist about lighting well enough achieve the final product in-camera, and I really admire that.

But given our visual goals that wasn't possible here. Thankfully watching (and re-watching) all that BTS on the Sin City DVD paid off and it translated the way I was visualizing it, or else beers would be on me for the forseeable future.

[Dmitry Yun]

Well you definitely got into my top three :) That was very well acted a big thumbs up for your actor he was just perfect for the role, I wonder how you guys managed to film that intensity and not hide somewhere in the closet in hopes of not getting impaled by a copper tube!!! :) Wish you the best fellas, great job.

[bosindy]

very good acting. The lead reminded me of a young Roberts Blossom.

[Ben Sliker]

Well you definitely got into my top three :) That was very well acted a big thumbs up for your actor he was just perfect for the role, I wonder how you guys managed to film that intensity and not hide somewhere in the closet in hopes of not getting impaled by a copper tube!!! :) Wish you the best fellas, great job.

I know what you mean. There were some takes where we cut and the phrase "Ok, let's break ... Davis, you're creeping me out bro ... keep it up." was heard. And then of course you start to question yourself for writing the piece in the first place ... "Am I really this creepy?" ... but that's usually when the best stuff comes out.

[mentatDUKE]

hybridtheory,
Good job on this film. The black and white really established mood for me. The selective color added punctuation, and the actor was very convincing.

That impale vs. stab monologue will stay with me for a while. That blood puring through the pipe was quite the money shot.

Would love to see more from you guys.

Take care.

[Marlon Ladd]

This film is definately one of the best, if not the best I've seen so far. I have no critiques, because I think the film was very artistic. The vision and the shots were so creative and I thought the flashbacks were right on time and didn't give too much. They let you see just what you needed to and imagine the rest.

The acting was great and I think the black & white was perfect. I think you can always say things that you maybe could have or should have done, but films are (at least to me) a form of artistic expression (on a deadline) and something very personal. Yes, we all strive to get better and better, but somebody will always have done something different - because we're all different.

If you ever need an actor, sign me up! Good job!

P.S. - Loved the shotgun shot.

[MOVIE STUNTS]

How much did you have to pay for 1 on 1 time with the inmate?
There were a few films that took me back for the cool factor this was one of them! The realism was great, and the acting was top notch!

[Ben Sliker]

That impale vs. stab monologue will stay with me for a while. That blood puring through the pipe was quite the money shot.


that's awesome mentat, one of the things that I love about how this project came together is that it seems like people have different shots as their "favorite one", like the last one, or the shotgun, or the wine glass. My personal favorite is the one right after the pipe shot, when John is on his "high" from the kill, as I love Davis' performance there.


This film is definately one of the best, if not the best I've seen so far. I have no critiques, because I think the film was very artistic. The vision and the shots were so creative and I thought the flashbacks were right on time and didn't give too much. They let you see just what you needed to and imagine the rest.

If you ever need an actor, sign me up! Good job!

P.S. - Loved the shotgun shot.

Thanks for the review Lee! Again, it's really nice to see some of the things you worked really hard on pay off on screen, I'll post some more BTS photos/video soon to give you a little insight, but I gotta let you know, that shotgun was one crazy rig.


How much did you have to pay for 1 on 1 time with the inmate?
There were a few films that took me back for the cool factor this was one of them! The realism was great, and the acting was top notch!

Actually, Davis' visiting hours are pretty extensive, apparently he behaves himself really well in the joint. I can't believe they let us take a camera in there.

Davis pops in here every so often, so we appreciate all the great comments on his work, he will really appreciate them.

[Blaine]

We sat through a lot of disappointing entries last night (screening all the entries on the plasma) so it was a real pleasure to watch yours. You had the best performance of any actor in the qualifying entries. I loved the choice of black and white. The sound was excellent, too. This is hands down the Best of Show! Did I mention how creapy your actor was? :thumbsup:

[Jay Rodriguez]

Well well well... I didn't expect this one to stick out for me but it did. I hate movies like this to be honest with ya, too boring. But your film is the exception, well done my man, well done.

[Ben Sliker]

We sat through a lot of disappointing entries last night (screening all the entries on the plasma) so it was a real pleasure to watch yours. You had the best performance of any actor in the qualifying entries. I loved the choice of black and white. The sound was excellent, too. This is hands down the Best of Show! Did I mention how creapy your actor was? :thumbsup:

wow, that really means a lot to us, thank you Blaine.


Well well well... I didn't expect this one to stick out for me but it did. I hate movies like this to be honest with ya, too boring. But your film is the exception, well done my man, well done.

I am glad we could be the exception! I'll go ahead and guess that your enjoyment was directly related to Davis' performance. I think anything less in the acting department and the film would have suffered immensly.

Thanks again to everyone who has watched and commented so far!

[Slimothy]

Great job man. This is the front runner for me. Great acting, great writing, awesome cinematography, clever use of the whine glass etc.

It was nice to stumble upon this one.

Tim.

[deedive]

This was a all around solid piece. (no pun intended) great work. Very thought out. I liked the color inserts. This is just very strong!

[Ben Sliker]

Great job man. This is the front runner for me. Great acting, great writing, awesome cinematography, clever use of the whine glass etc.

It was nice to stumble upon this one.

Tim.

Thanks Tim ... but don't get me started on that wine glass. Funny story ... round bb's really like to ricochet off of round wine glasses ... needless to say it was a good thing I was wearing protective eyewear. And yes ... we did paint most of my garage black, only to wrap the first day and paint it white at about 1 am for the next day.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1193964295.jpg


This was a all around solid piece. (no pun intended) great work. Very thought out. I liked the color inserts. This is just very strong!

Thanks deedive! test shots video coming up soon!

[Joops]

Great production! Hints of color was a nice touch in the photography. My favorite shot was the smoking gun - very cool. Good casting lead to good acting. Awesome (mis)use of the wine glass. [ Snag --- Get better police lights]

[Justin Kuhn]

Believe me Joops, I wince whenever I think about that shot. The long version:


I'm still kicking myself over this, believe me. I forgot to bring the lighting gag I had planned on using to give the subject that lit by a cop car look, but Ben had a bunch of strobes and I had a couple in my trunk from a runway gig, so I figured why not. Then we got down to it and all those strobes were just not playing at all. The only thing I got out of 'em was the blinking on the left side of the door there, and that was from the biggest party light, gelled and hidden on the hood directly in front of Davis.

What I've really been kicking myself over is that I could have built a new gag right there; it's just a box, a bit of a stick, string, clotheshanger and gels. But at the time I was close to freaking out, I felt down to the wire and seriously stressed out. Not making your day on a film with an inflexible schedule is right up there in my DP's Top Three Nightmares. But we ended up wrapping an hour early, so...f&%k. Next time.

[Ben Sliker]

VIEW THE TEST FOOTAGE FROM IN PIECES (http://www.benjaminsliker.com/DVXUSER/TESTFOOTAGE.mov)

(or right click and save if you will, it's only 6.5 mb, so itll load fast.)

Here's all the stuff we shot a couple weekends before our shoot to see if what was in ours heads was possible.

Like I alluded to before, apparently Walmart wine glasses are made out of steel, and it was quite a chore getting one to explode! :grin:

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Nice! :)

[Ben Sliker]

13. IN PIECES


An interesting short film about a killer. You could have titled this film "The Art of Murder."

This film although slower, kept my interest through out.
The dialog was hard to hear at times but over all it was shot, lit, and edited very well. Once again, a good actor really pulled it together.

Good Job on this one.


Bervision's review from his massive review section. For starters, thanks for taking the time to write all of those out, I've managed to comment on about a 1/4 of the films, just hoping to get past half.

Titles and character names often take us just as long to come up with as the entire script for these short films, IN PIECES, just kind of stuck from the beginning. When explaining our upcoming short to people, we used "it's kind of a portrait of a serial killer" a lot, so I feel your title fits well too! Thanks again!

[Ben Sliker]

New Banner! :)

[Wild Imagination Films]

So far this is clearly the best film of the bunch. I'm halfway through working my way up instead of down and I haven't seen anything else even close. The subtle effects and lack of overt gore has really impressed me as well as the selection of shots and the edit. This shows intelligence and maturity often lacking in the short works showcased here. Keep up the great work guys.

[cinealma]

REVIEW:
I liked this one a lot. Kind of like "Interview with a Serial Killer". I love the black and white. Clean and classic. As always, is loses a bit in the shadows under compression, but it still worked out nice. Acting was top notch. Excellent job!

FILMMAKER-TO-FILMMAKER:
I'm not going to nit-pick too much here. Everything looked and sounded great. I actually could have done without the colored bits, but that's just me. VFX with him in the chair were cool.

And I would have like to seen some meat on that pipe! :Drogar-Evil(DBG):

Good job. Thanks for sharing! :beer:

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Hey great job here.

Maybe the best so far? (About a third of the way through.)

Way to keep it simple and engaging.

The lighting was really good, the actor was great, though I found him much more interesting in the moments he wasn't playing EVIL with a capital "E".

I also liked the way you kept the camera moving.

The pipe thing was truly disturbing ... the wine glass and mason jar kind of a let down by comparison. The middle thing maybe could be not as spectacular but the last one should've topped the 1st one I think.

Nice ending image. Try to let your smoke settle a bit more if you can. It can be a real pain working with these cheapo party fog machines I know.

But the ending image was great.

Nice job by Herman too, subtle, made it feel more like a documentary.

Thanks for making it!

:thumbup:

[Ben Sliker]

So far this is clearly the best film of the bunch. I'm halfway through working my way up instead of down and I haven't seen anything else even close. The subtle effects and lack of overt gore has really impressed me as well as the selection of shots and the edit. This shows intelligence and maturity often lacking in the short works showcased here. Keep up the great work guys.

Wow! Thanks and we will!


REVIEW:
I liked this one a lot. Kind of like "Interview with a Serial Killer". I love the black and white. Clean and classic. As always, is loses a bit in the shadows under compression, but it still worked out nice. Acting was top notch. Excellent job!

FILMMAKER-TO-FILMMAKER:
I'm not going to nit-pick too much here. Everything looked and sounded great. I actually could have done without the colored bits, but that's just me. VFX with him in the chair were cool.

And I would have like to seen some meat on that pipe! :Drogar-Evil(DBG):

Good job. Thanks for sharing! :beer:

Actually, the original shot was to have that pipe explode out of the back of the chair and then start to leak. Needless to say it didn't work out as well as planned so we went with the ECU instead, i think it may even may more of an impact this way.



The pipe thing was truly disturbing ... the wine glass and mason jar kind of a let down by comparison. The middle thing maybe could be not as spectacular but the last one should've topped the 1st one I think.

Nice ending image. Try to let your smoke settle a bit more if you can. It can be a real pain working with these cheapo party fog machines I know.

But the ending image was great.

Nice job by Herman too, subtle, made it feel more like a documentary.

Thanks for making it!

:thumbup:

Thanks Jack, see this is why this threads rock. We thought we pretty much had every angle covered and there goes jack, blowing my mind away. I guess we never thought about the sequence of the insert shots, but I can see how they would have more impact if they were reversed. Which is really great because it gave me like 3-4 totally awesome/gross ideas immediately after your comment. Thanks for the constructive commentary!

And as for the fog machine, I hear ya too, there's actually a couple takes where the smoke is pretty horrendous. Like there's aliens outside waiting to abduct him like so:

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194100683.jpg

VS. the final shot

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194101075.jpg

we contemplated renting a pro haze machine ... but who wouldn't want to own a cheap party city fog machine? :)

[Ben Sliker]

FROM THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR OF IN PIECES

All of these grabs are raw, no CC!

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122700.jpg

This one was the hardest to cut for us. it's a nice slo-mo shot of the hammer coming down on the victim in a very surrealist fashion. Unfortunately, it didn't match up with the rest of the footage we shot as when Davis was taking his swings, it was more natural to come in from the side instead of straight from the top.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122726.jpg

This was a creation of out DP on the spot, I like to call it the "Mrs. Robinson" shot, but it's a skater dolly reveal through Davis' legs. In the end, we thought it drew to much attention to the victim (the rest of the shots with him in it are either ECU or he is way out of focus) so it got cut.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122749.jpg

This was another from the brain of Justin. One of those "we'll shoot it if we have time" kind of gigs. It was a diagonal dolly from the window where the cops would be approaching all the way to the doorknob where they would beat on the door. It drew a little too much away from Davis and you could see my blue basketball shorts in the middle of it.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122825.jpg

This is a shot of the garage floor after davis had been blowing chocolate syrup through a tube attached to the head. Eww ... sticky. But Justin was meandering around and caught a couple shots like this one with the strobe light flashing just in case they were needed or could be used creatively.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122805.jpg

Some cool smoke from the many insert shots we had for the intro credit sequence.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194122772.jpg

Another potential insert shot for the ending. I don't think we could get the shutter speed and strobe flashing to line up enough for something like this to be usable. But cool nonetheless...

[Justin Kuhn]

All of these are actually on my reel, except for the pistol--what I really wanted out of that was a silloutte of the gun being loaded, but the strobe wasn't strong enough to work that way so we switched around the other way. I jump cut the clickety-clack bits of that to try and fit it in with some other shots, but it didn't really match so I ditched it. I still might flash it in between the police car rig shot and the feet against the garage door--B&W most likely.

EDIT: Tried it. Looked kinda cool but not enough.

The diagonal dolly on the window really didn't turn out how I wanted it, which was better defined beams of light through the smoke and just the shadows of the cops rushing past the windows. Taking it to B&W fixed the shorts, and I sped it up so you didn't have time to make out Ben and the Bradster through the blinds, but this is definitely something I'd like to shoot again, with more extras and a dolly grip and some more time with the lighting. I had a bunch of great shots in mind for the cops rushing the house, really action-y shots, and, well, I may have been distracted a little bit from the main thrust of the story. Test footage for ActionFest I guess, whenever that happens.

[lauralouface]

For such a simple concept, this is one of my favorites so far. I absolutely loved the use of color in the black and white, and the lighting was beautiful! Your actor was very creepy, too.

[Maximus]

Solid production values. Looked and sounded pro. Actor very good. Graphics very good. Felt a little claustrophobic, repetitive. Would have like more cutaways (flashbacks) as he told his story.

[Tom Marshall]

Hey guys, nice job on this one. I think the choice of B&W for this was very well developed. The actor really made the role come to life.

I liked the Mason jar scene where it spun into frame. The gold color was beautiful mixed with the black and white. I think it would have been cool to see in slow motion... but then you wouldn't have been able to use the audio, so the real-time speed was the right choice.

I saw this a few days ago, so I really can't be sure, but was the impaling scene in B&W? If so, then I think a nice dark red, very desaturated, blood spill from the pipe would have been a nice touch.

This is probably going to be my #1 pick. You guys were so much improved from the coffee thing that you did back in SpyFest. Congratulations on your growth as filmmakers. :)

[Ben Sliker]

For such a simple concept, this is one of my favorites so far. I absolutely loved the use of color in the black and white, and the lighting was beautiful! Your actor was very creepy, too.

I'll pass that along to Davis. :)


Solid production values. Looked and sounded pro. Actor very good. Graphics very good. Felt a little claustrophobic, repetitive. Would have like more cutaways (flashbacks) as he told his story.

Maximus, thanks for the watch and comments. We did what we could to not take away from Davis' performance. I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have on how we could dull the sense of repetitiveness for you, or any other insert shot suggestions you might have without taking away the impact of the performance or having the insert shots becoming too gimicky or repetitive themselves.

Like I alluded to a little earlier, I'm in the early stages to writing something larger for Mr. John Abbot Mitchell, so any insight into the character from an audience is much appreciated.

:dankk2:

[Ben Sliker]

Hey guys, nice job on this one. I think the choice of B&W for this was very well developed. The actor really made the role come to life.

I liked the Mason jar scene where it spun into frame. The gold color was beautiful mixed with the black and white. I think it would have been cool to see in slow motion... but then you wouldn't have been able to use the audio, so the real-time speed was the right choice.

I saw this a few days ago, so I really can't be sure, but was the impaling scene in B&W? If so, then I think a nice dark red, very desaturated, blood spill from the pipe would have been a nice touch.

This is probably going to be my #1 pick. You guys were so much improved from the coffee thing that you did back in SpyFest. Congratulations on your growth as filmmakers. :)

I'm going to blow your mind here Tommy ... the mason jar shot IS in slow motion and there's actually 2 cuts in there as well. Go frame by frame and you'll be able to see them. Herman and Erik did a great job of adding that sound in.

I actually did mess around with the blood out of the pipe being red and the neck having red blood on it as well. The decision to keep them black and white was that when John is in that space in the garage, everything is black and white, but when he acknowledges the outside world, things are more and more in color. That was sort of the overarching concept behind it all, but adding more color did cross my mind.

Thanks for the watch and the comments, especially the one about our growth as filmmakers, those are really nice to hear.
:dankk2:

[Tom Marshall]

Wow... I guess I figured it was real time by the audio... In that case, very nice on that effect. I didn't even notice a cut in that at all the first time... I just watched the scene a couple of more times and I do notice it... but it's cut very well and the sound matches flawlessly. It's a great example of what I call time manipulation and it really work well here. As a matter of fact, that scene really puts the whole sound production into perspective. Herman and Erik (not sure who Erik is) did a great job on the entire piece... :)

And that shotgun scene with the slow smoke and light just kicks ass... :beer:

[Maximus]

We did what we could to not take away from Davis' performance. I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have on how we could dull the sense of repetitiveness for you, or any other insert shot suggestions you might have without taking away the impact of the performance or having the insert shots becoming too gimicky or repetitive themselves.

Like I alluded to a little earlier, I'm in the early stages to writing something larger for Mr. John Abbot Mitchell, so any insight into the character from an audience is much appreciated.

:dankk2:[/QUOTE]

My first impression was that it was very theatrical. Your actor sitting in the dark, lit by a spotlight, talking to the audience (into camera). I was wondering who was he talking to: a detective, a priest, his lawyer; where was he: jail, confessional, death row... I was expecting some exchange of dialogue, Q & A, whatever, instead of a monologue.

Having just looked at it again, I now realize he was talking to a corpse! No wonder he didn't answer!

But I still think that, despite Davis' compelling performance, he needs someone or something to play off of. Even Tom Hanks in Castaway had Wilson.

My two cents. :)

[Ben Sliker]

As a matter of fact, that scene really puts the whole sound production into perspective. Herman and Erik (not sure who Erik is) did a great job on the entire piece... :)

And that shotgun scene with the slow smoke and light just kicks ass... :beer:

Erik is a buddy of Herman's who did a lot of the sound design for us, i believe they are both in their final years of getting masters degrees in film music composition.

And thanks for transition for me to explain the shotgun scene.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194186492.jpg

The HVX is way down there in the bottom right corner and we had Davis on his knees to get better/easier lighting on him. (Another bonus of painting the walls black, we could hide black light stands pretty much anywhere.)

The REAL 12-gauge shotgun was rigged with a tube from a pressure sprayer (the pink part went about 1/2 way down the barrel), and I had the pleasure of trying to blow a steady stream of cigarette smoke through it. We also rigged the smallest flashlight Maglite made to the end of 2 chopsticks and attached it to the inside of the barrel. So that yellow smoke coming out of the barrel was practical, and I pulled it out using a limit effect in post.

Justin did a great job of setting this shot up and kudos to him also for suggesting to me that the wine glass shot needed something after it to really sell the sequence.

[Ben Sliker]

IN PIECES
Incredible! Scared the crap out of me! Great use of color. I think I’d go with the red blood but maybe it’d be too obvious…


Navitas' review from his big post out in the general area. Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Ladyhazle]

This was, in my opinion, the best short I've seen on dvxuser so far.

In true indy style it was raw. No Hollywood shine here (And I mean that to be taken as a compliment).

Lighting was great, the actor was precise and creepy. The use of color was just enough and the sound was great!

I honestly don't have one negative thing to say about this film. Congrats guys on a well put together project. :beer:

[david jerome]

Excellent film. It is in my top three. My vote for best actor of the fest. Loved the gun barrel. The final garage door shot was a beautifully haunting image.

david

[Ben Sliker]

This was, in my opinion, the best short I've seen on dvxuser so far.

that's very flattering, thank you. :)


Excellent film. It is in my top three. My vote for best actor of the fest. Loved the gun barrel. The final garage door shot was a beautifully haunting image.

david

thanks david, we'll pass all this on to Davis, when our team originally met with him, he told us that we stumbled upon one of the best actors in the area, after what he did for us, i'm starting to believe him.

[Kdawg]

Hybrid, this is my favorite. The shots were done well, and the lighting was fantastic. My main reason for selecting this was the actor. He was great! I hope he continues in the film industry. He definately fit the part of the bad guy here. The script also got me, ummm has the writer done a lot of slicing thru body's? lol Great Job on this one!

[xpac84]

Hybrid, this is my favorite. The shots were done well, and the lighting was fantastic. My main reason for selecting this was the actor. He was great! I hope he continues in the film industry. He definately fit the part of the bad guy here. The script also got me, ummm has the writer done a lot of slicing thru body's? lol Great Job on this one!

Thanks for the comments Kdawg. Ben and I spent a lot of time researching killers and the art of killing...though you would be suprised how much just came straight out of our sick minds.

[Ben Sliker]

Thanks for the comments Kdawg. Ben and I spent a lot of time researching killers and the art of killing...though you would be suprised how much just came straight out of our sick minds.

lol, it's crazy some of the things you talk about when writing a script like this, i think one of the most interesting convos we had was when we discovered that most serial killers have some sort of sexual connection with their victims, we really wanted to stray away from that, so John's purpose was self-satisfaction, perfection in a kill so to speak. But yeah, a lot of times you have to pull yourself out of it and ask "Man, are we really talking about this right now?"

[mjjason]

Best one I have watched so far. Very good composition and contrast in the shots. Good acting and perfect execution of the story.

Also, one of the few truly dark themes in the fest. (Alot of the films are light in terms of darkness)

Great work. As of now (10 more to go) this is number 1 on my list.

[Justin Kuhn]

Very good composition and contrast in the shots.

Thanks. I'll let Jesse know too. :D

[Ben Sliker]

my coolio animated banner had to go away, But I spent an hour making this thing and I think it's cool, so:

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194031502.gif (http://www.dvxfest.com/allhallowsfest/loader.php?id=15360)

[Chris Messineo]

I thought this was very good.

Great performance and I loved the cinematography and the mix of B/W with some color.

I was digging the music throughout and not at all surprised to find out this was another Witkam score.

[Ben Sliker]

thanks a lot Chris, I can't say enough about the job that Herman and Davis did on this project. thanks again for the view and comments!

[Ben Sliker]

Davis wanted me to thank you all for your comments on his performance, so i told him to write an email so i could share it with you all.


to the viewers.....in a most gracious and humble way...i would like
to say Thank You for all of your wonderful and kind comments on my
performance as John A. Mitchell......it was a pleasure and an honor to
work with this very talented and gifted team ...a special
thanks to ben....for his belief in me as an actor...and his skilled ability
as a writer and director!...my best to all of the contestants in this
festival.....davis osborne

Davis really like ellipses. If you are in the Charlotte Area and are in need of his services, contact him through his website: www.davisosborne.com
Thanks again everyone for watching!

[Mark Johnson]

This one has my vote for best of fest. Some remarkable images, guys. Bravo.

[Mark Harris]

Didn't you guys make a really slick film in spyfest too? This was clearly super-pro on all counts, so I will likely be harsher on you than some others. You know how to make films, so can probably take criticism. And remember, you asked for it!!!!!! :)

I think a couple of things kept this from REALLY working for me:

1) Someone else on the board mentioned this, and I agree: I think the director should have kept the actor away from playing so evil, so excited, whatever. It felt a little ham-handed and honestly like serial killers I've seen in many tv shows and movies before. And he was obviously crazy.

But what is really so scary about these guys is when you see interviews or court tapes or whatever, and they are completely normal, and talk about their business in completely normal fashion. It's kind of what Hannah Arendt talked about in "The Banality of Evil." What was scary about the Nazis was not that they were raving lunatics, but that they were clear-headed and methodical and going about their business like any other business. And that is what is scary about serial killers too, I think. At any rate, I think you could have made a MUCH more interesting choice in the direction you gave the actor than you did. He came off a little cliched. And I think that is direction, because he also looked like he was a really good actor.

2) This form is WAAAAAAYYYY too short for this subject. I dunno what you were really trying to get at in 5 min, but no meaningful dissection of this type of person can be done in that time. So the whole thing felt a little trivial in my eyes. I had this same issue at a play last night too though. But in your case here, it's just that this is the wrong form for this story, in order for it to be meaningful to me, or to have the impact and insight it should.

3) There is no inherent drama in the script. Presumably he is telling all of this to someone who is already dead. So why exactly does he have to get this out to that dead person? I know there might be a thousand reasons in the mind of an insane person, but you didn't show me any of them, and as a viewer I needed to see some more real, actual drama. Like what does this guy want? Why is he doing THIS particular action to get it? What happens if he does not get it? The basic questions you have to ask in any dramatic undertaking. Frankly, we've seen so much of this stuff by now that the images were not enough to keep me going without some real dramatic action.

And as I said, I generally would only put that much criticism into things that warrant attention. You guys clearly know how to make a film. So I felt it all right to nit-pick you. And you asked for it. :)

Signed,

A respected member of the board.

Would love to work with you guys some time.

[Ben Sliker]

And as I said, I generally would only put that much criticism into things that warrant attention. You guys clearly know how to make a film. So I felt it all right to nit-pick you. And you asked for it. :)


Mark! Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to put some serious thought into a criticism, it helps more than you know. Some of those things may never have come up if someone else hadn't brought them to our attention. I'm printing this page off right now to have it in front of me for when I'm writing.

Signed,
One of the few on the boards who thinks Mark Harris is respectable ... somewhat. :)

[Ben Sliker]

This one has my vote for best of fest. Some remarkable images, guys. Bravo.

Thanks Mark! We are all very proud of how it came together, considering it's a big mix of stylistic choices; we wanted to make some images that would stick with people. I think my favorite part of this piece is that everyone has a different "favorite" shot.

Thanks again for the watch and comment! :thumbsup:

[andoguru]

Hey Hybridtheory,

Very creepy and slick film. I thought the actor was great and his performance throughout was very chilling.

The shot of the gun was spectacular.

Very nice shots and editing. Technically it was beautiful. Sound and picture.

But...sorry there is a but...the choice to tell this story as an interview is kind of uninteresting. The whole short is just the guy talking to the camera which is more effective then a voiceover, but still along the same lines. Also, the character was one dimensional where he was just the same throughout.

It was effective in the sense that he was just creepy throughout, but at the end I wasn't really satisfied because there was no story arc. Nothing was resolved. We were given this information but it was just information.

Why would he stop killing? Why was he killing people to begin with? I know at the start we see the title card that he turned himself in because he reached perfection but why did that matter to him? He seemed to like the killing part itself, why not keep going?

I think it would have been more effective showing him about to kill someone and have him calling the cops before he does it so there is like a "ticking clock". He could be telling the victim about the first 8 victims and how he tell this last person how he got it down though so don't worry...you head will come right off. Maybe you could play it like he always talked to his victims like he was being interview before he killed them because it seemed like you were implying this with the end and also because the guy that got piped was also tied up in a chair.

Though the actors performance was good, it was really the intercut shots of him doing something that I really enjoyed because in the end he was sort of a glorified voiceover.

Overall you guys did a really good job with the shots, direction, dialogue, acting and all the postproduction. The story is there but I felt the means chosen to tell it was the only lacking part.

Laters,
Ando

[Ben Sliker]

Ando,

thanks for taking the time to write up some concise thoughts about our film. seems like story vehicle didn't work out for you, which is a shame, i wished it would have had more of an effect for you.

And I'm really sorry that John's monologue came off as a glorified voice over to you. I believe the two are completely different story telling mediums, and that the character Davis portrayed has a lot more layers because of it.

thanks again for the view and response. :thumbsup:

[Ben Sliker]

MORE BTS PICS!!!!

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194586693.jpg
she's quite a woman, i tell ya.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194586677.jpg
aaron's found his woman ... nevermind the fact i haven't finished painting my kitchen.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194586645.jpg
awesomeness.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194586628.jpg
ok, we're kidding about all that stuff about davis being a nice guy ... he's really a psycho.

[MOVIE STUNTS]

I don't know she wasn't all that good looking!... Jk Thanks for the BTS pics. Nice.:thumbsup:

[Justin Kuhn]

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194586677.jpg
aaron's found his woman

Look at that smile. You can tell he's a neck man. :evil: ;)


... nevermind the fact i haven't finished painting my kitchen.


You'd think with all the painting we did you could fit the rest of your kitchen in there.

[Ben Sliker]

You'd think with all the painting we did you could fit the rest of your kitchen in there.

I'm not going to lie to you ... it still looks like that.


I don't know she wasn't all that good looking!... Jk Thanks for the BTS pics. Nice.:thumbsup:

other than the fact that she was purple and her hair was sewn on, i mean c'mon ... soo picky! :) thanks for checkin in.

[Michele Seidman]

A little birdie told me to move your film up on my viewing list...glad they did.

Well done, acting top notch, visuals had a wow factor considering we stayed in one place for the most part. Wish there had been more flashing police light at the end but other than that...great job and glad I was told to check it out!

I love how you got your wine in there...that was so nicely played without taking anything from the final look!

[Ben Sliker]

hey thanks Michele, and thank your little birdie for us too. I think you are actually the first to comment on the wine, most people get caught up with the shotgun shot that follows, so thats really cool!

Thanks again for the watch and comments.

where in the carolinas are you located???

[Michele Seidman]

Hey Hybridtheory,

Though the actors performance was good, it was really the intercut shots of him doing something that I really enjoyed because in the end he was sort of a glorified voiceover.

Ando

Ando

I can't help but want to debate on this point from the actors perspective. 90% of what an actor does has nothing to do with sound coming out of their mouth. I liked the intercut because of how stagnant it could have been without...but I would never consider this a glorified voice over job for the actor or by the filmmaker...

but that is me...and let us all remember I am talent not writer, director or tech of any type so I do look at this a bit different.

[andoguru]

Hey Michele and hybridtheory,

Yeah, I think my choice of calling Davis' performance as a glorified voiceover was a bad choice of words...probably even a bad statement in general because it was outstanding.

I should have done what Cinealma did and split up my comments as a viewer and as a filmmaker because let me tell you the first time I watch "In Pieces" 'I was like holy crap that was awesome' as a viewer. When it came time to coming up with the best in the fest and I was watching all the films again but paying attention as a filmmaker I felt it wasn't as effective on me because it was mainly just him talking to me. This is where the line between a filmmaker and viewer is skewed and some very entertaining and well done films can be appease the viewer but they aren't going to win over a filmmaker as easily.

I watched this a couple times and even listened to it without picture which was an interesting test because it conveyed the same story without any images...like it didn't need the images and that set off alarms in my head as a filmmaker.

I feel like I'm being a snob. I felt the character didn't have an arc...he was just the same throughout. My fiancee said that is what makes him scary because he is so ruthless and unmotivated like you can't reason with him, but for me it wasn't enough.

So that all being said this was in my top 3.

Laters,

Ando

[Ben Sliker]

Ando,

thanks for clarifying your thoughts, it's rough here on the internet sometimes, without inflection or emotion or anything like that apparent in what you type, sometimes what you really mean to say can get lost in the shuffle of the words.

That being said, thanks for watching more than once, and I appreciate your thoughts on how his performance effected you in a repeat viewing situation. I haven't had much time to sort of "test" that effect on other people, so maybe i should, like ask "did this have the same effect the 2nd time, how bout the 5th?"

I've also listened to herman and erik's track without the pictures and it made my hair stand up the first time I did. Trust me, it's creepier in 5.1. :)

[Michele Seidman]

hey thanks Michele, and thank your little birdie for us too. I think you are actually the first to comment on the wine, most people get caught up with the shotgun shot that follows, so thats really cool!

Thanks again for the watch and comments.

where in the carolinas are you located???

Wilmywood! I was the first to comment on the wine? With all these filmmakers? Hello boys....lol


Hey Michele and hybridtheory,

I feel like I'm being a snob. I felt the character didn't have an arc...he was just the same throughout. My fiancee said that is what makes him scary because he is so ruthless and unmotivated like you can't reason with him, but for me it wasn't enough.

Laters,

Ando

Ando....I love that your fiancee got the same impression I did. That might be the male and female differences speaking out in their own way. Women would be more intimidated by a man like that, then other men would. Men don't feel threatened as quickly as women...so now I am wondering if he would need some other shot to make the men scared of this guy too.

I don't think you are being a snob...I think you are being a film guy. The good thing on that...you are not the intended market. Well you are and are not. You are because it is in this contest BUT...not one of us makes movies to please each other. We do it to please ourselves and the audience. The audience is not as sophisticated as a filmmaker in breaking down the film.

In fact...the normal movie viewer has never once debated the film after the fact other than to say they did or did not like it.

I was at a screening at the University two weeks ago and one film actor brought his new 'woman du jour' who does not work in the biz at all. After the film we were all doing the debate thing and this woman honest to goodness said "I don't get it why you are all saying that stuff, I thought it was good". This was a woman over 30 and she thought we were attacking the film when we started to debate the finer points. She jumped to defend it and I had to fill her in that we were not attacking it and this was normal for us.

She honestly did not get why we were doing it. So, no I don't think you are a snob....I just don't think you or I are the audience.

Forget the audience and you give up film making because they buy the tickets! Try to please other filmmakers and your project won't ever be finished!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Forget the audience and you give up film making because they buy the tickets! Try to please other filmmakers and your project won't ever be finished!Amen! :laugh:

I do appreciate reading critiques from fellow filmmakers though. The key is... don't change your vision based on someone else's opinion. Take note and keep some of their better points in the back of your mind when you are creating the next project.

Cheers,

Mike

[andoguru]

Hey guys,

I do agree you shouldn't change your vision for the film and story. That is a must for every filmmaker.

I heard someone say the other day that with film you always have to play to the 'lowest common denominator' and that is so true. The average viewer is way less sophisticated and that isn't a slight or anything but people take something for what it is and what it makes them feel at that moment. That is actually admirable because then they can enjoy a movie for what they see in it.

I was going to mention the GRUDGE with Sarah Michelle Gellar...now I don't usually dig these movies that much but this one scared the crap out of me. I mean I was terrified and I like watched it during the day at home with a lot of windows. And the reason why it scared me besides the loud sound cues was because the ghosts in the story were killing innocent people just for the heck of it and there was no stopping then. It being a supernatural thing I guess is what scared me and maybe that is an element that would make more men afraid because it isn't something you can beat up. Davis' character was pretty crazy but I think I could take him if I wasn't strapped to a chair...or if he didn't have a sledge hammer, but you get my point. He's just another person so I don't fear him really. Anywho...yeah the Grudge...good movie for what it was.

Laters,
Ando

[Michele Seidman]

Amen! :laugh:

I do appreciate reading critiques from fellow filmmakers though. The key is... don't change your vision based on someone else's opinion. Take note and keep some of their better points in the back of your mind when you are creating the next project.

Cheers,

Mike

Exactly!! It is nice to get the feedback as long as you don't let it take you off track!


Hey guys,

Davis' character was pretty crazy but I think I could take him if I wasn't strapped to a chair...or if he didn't have a sledge hammer, but you get my point. He's just another person so I don't fear him really. Anywho...yeah the Grudge...good movie for what it was.

Laters,
Ando

Bingo....a man is not scared of him because he thinks he can take him! That is exactly what I was talking about...HOWEVER a woman looks at this guy and his size is not what she fears...it IS his calm manner and lack of emotion that chills her to the bone!

I think that is exactly what would make it a great date. Think of all the women crawling in to their boyfriends lap because he is not scared while she is freaked!!

Date movie!

[Brandon Rice]

Anywho...yeah the Grudge...good movie for what it was.


Surprised you liked that film...

[Blaine]

Bingo....a man is not scared of him because he thinks he can take him! That is exactly what I was talking about...HOWEVER a woman looks at this guy and his size is not what she fears...it IS his calm manner and lack of emotion that chills her to the bone!

I think that is exactly what would make it a great date. Think of all the women crawling in to their boyfriends lap because he is not scared while she is freaked!!

Date movie!Excellent take on this, Michele.

[Erik Griekspoor]

Ando,

I've also listened to herman and erik's track without the pictures and it made my hair stand up the first time I did. Trust me, it's creepier in 5.1. :)
I like that :thumbsup:
Its a lot creepyer because of the more dynamics you have with all those speakers.

[andoguru]

Hey Brandon,

I liked the Grudge for what it is...a popcorn movie good for a some good scares, but it wasn't a cinematic masterpiece by any means. It got in and did what it needed to do and got out.

Laters,
Ando

[Ben Sliker]

wow, i leave for an afternoon and my thread blows up with awesome commentary on film in general. I can't even start to respond to all of this cool discussion, but i must say, I love Michele's take that this would be a great date movie. We struggled with whether or not the victim in the flashback would be a woman, so we decided to make the character a rather generic male, so that the focus wouldn't be drawn towards the victim, but stay on Davis, cause it's really his story. We thought perhaps having a woman in the chair would bring up more questions about who she was or why she was there.

[Ben Sliker]

Wilmywood!

Man, you only have to take like one road from my home to yours ... too bad it's 195 miles on that road.

[Rock Punk!]

This film was my favorite! Cheers! I learned a lot from watching your film and reading the posts.

[Ben Sliker]

This film was my favorite! Cheers! I learned a lot from watching your film and reading the posts.

Rock Punk! thanks a bunch, I'm glad we could throw some good knowledge out there. Here's a little more about the filter and masking process that we put this film through in post.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194759961.jpg

Here's a finished screen capture from the "white room" sequence. After 14 hours of shooting on day one, the crew stayed up til about 1 am and threw 3 coats of white primer on my garage walls to cover what we had painted black for the day before.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194759978.jpg

And here's the raw footage that we shot. As you can see, the colors are a bit saturated, this helped bring out more contrast in places when the B&W filters were applied. I used a combination of the 3-war color corrector and nattress B&W filters to create the final look (haven't cracked into apple's color yet, but i'm excited to). But no amount of filters was going to remove the garage door parts from the top, so those had to be masked out as well.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194759935.jpg

And here again we have a finished part, nice and clean, the focus solely on the bottom right where the head was torn off.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1194759948.jpg

And here's what we shot. In the full version of this shot, John actually gets up off the chair and walks over to the corpse, but in the DVXfest version, we cut halfway into that shot, so the chair didn't need to be there for reference, and we liked the clean black version the best, so i just masked out the chair and garage floor.

:dankk2: everyone for checking in our thread, we've learned a lot from you guys (and gals) as well!

[Michele Seidman]

Man, you only have to take like one road from my home to yours ... too bad it's 195 miles on that road.

yeah...and that road leads to ocean....ahhhhh


Excellent take on this, Michele.

Blaine

I am really getting a kick out of all this banter about film and I admit I am even learning a few things by watching all you behind the scenes guys in a different light. That anyone thought my take was excellent and it was not my biased family member...well that was cool. Thank you!

[Jazz Dog]

Nice job man...my favorite of this fest.

[Ben Sliker]

thanks a bunch jazz dog, your film had some truly haunting stuff in it! the drill and the doll are still stuck in my brain. :thumbsup:

[Edgen]

Hey guys.. Congrats on the win! Rightfully deserved.

Cheers!
/j

[Justin Kuhn]

Thanks man, looking forward to the next fest!

[andoguru]

Congrats, guys!

You know this means your next film has to be all crane shots!

Laters,
Ando

[Blaine]

Congratulations! A well deserved win. :beer::beer::beer:

[Brandon Rice]

Congrats Ben and Team! I predicted it! :)

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Way to bring home the bacon dude. I had a feeling you'd do well.

Congrats and much deserved.:beer:

[ilauzirika]

congrats, great work

[Ben Sliker]

Thank you everyone for hanging out on our thread and especially to everyone who was involved with this project, none of this could have been possible without a ridiculous amount of effort from a large number of people.

[capitalP]

I love the look of this film, the acting was great and SFX was sweet, a well deserve win. Congrats

[Marlon Ladd]

Yep, there was no secret you guys would win. Damn good flick!

[Ben Sliker]

THANKS AGAIN GUYS!

There is more in store for JOHN ABBOTT MITCHELL here pretty soon ... in fact, i'm writing as we speak. This one will probably be more like 60-70 pages instead of 3 and a quarter.

and I wanted to show off the new sig. :)

[Tom Marshall]

Hey guys, nice job and congrats on the win! :beer:

[Brandon Rice]

Did I congratulate ya'll yet? Not sure... you know I'm excited for ya Ben!

[Gohanto]

Awesome film. Visually it was a masterpiece. The way the lighting worked with the actors face was frightening and he was very well cast.