The Common Man

[Gohanto]

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/16593/1202715749.jpg

A silent, B+W satire film.

Story of a homeless man who finds a "special" pair of jeans that alter his life forever and teach him an unforgettable lesson on the importance of love.

Writer, Director, DP, Editor - Alex Donkle
Composer - Brian Calvert
Cast - Matt Walsh
Kelsey Consalus
Matt Turk
Sean Tinlin
Chris Wacnik

Camera: Panasonic GS 500
Equipment Used: Kessler 8 ft Crane.
Homemade Dolly.
Sticky Pod Car Camera Mount.

Locations: Purdue University and Lafayette, IN.

Here are some grabs pre-CC (other than a quick saturation drop)

[Gohanto]

Reserved. BTS.

[Luis Caffesse]

Wow - another one shot already?
Way to go!
:)

[Gohanto]

Better?

[Chris Messineo]

I've always wanted to try and shoot something black and white some day.

I'm looking forward to seeing your film.

[Luis Caffesse]

I've always wanted to try and shoot something black and white some day.

I'm looking forward to seeing your film.

Just take something you already did and desaturate it.
No need to shoot something new.
It's all post now-a-days Chris, don't you know that?
:)


(yes, I am joking)

[Gohanto]

Thanks.

B+W made costumes soooo much easier when we didn't have to match colors. And not worrying about temp. variations on the lights is a blessing.

[Rangerman]

B+W made costumes soooo much easier when we didn't have to match colors. And not worrying about temp. variations on the lights is a blessing.

That's an interesting point to make about B&W. I'm liking the concept of your movie being silent too, hope it turns out good for you.

[Marlon Ladd]

Pics look really good. I'm diggin' the B&W thing too.

[Gohanto]

Poster up.

[Gohanto]

5 different render attempts to fit guidelines, last try, 6 hour render, finished at 46MB 30 minutes pre-deadline.

Yeah, I'm happy right now...

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS



I don't want to give too much away since it looks like I'm an early review.

I really liked this one. I was wondering if someone was going to do a film like this. It's amazing how much you can portray without the use of a spoken word. I loved the music in this, seemed to fit like an old glove.

I also really liked the camera use as well. The shot that approaches him after finding money in his pockets was really nice. The acting was quite good as well.

Really nice job on this one.

Cheers,

[Gohanto]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS



I don't want to give too much away since it looks like I'm an early review.

I really liked this one. I was wondering if someone was going to do a film like this. It's amazing how much you can portray without the use of a spoken word. I loved the music in this, seemed to fit like an old glove.

I also really liked the camera use as well. The shot that approaches him after finding money in his pockets was really nice. The acting was quite good as well.

Really nice job on this one.

Cheers,

Thanks for the comments, music was what scared me the most while I was filming since naturally the weight of the film rests strongly on it. Gladly the composer took the time to watch some old real silent films to get the style of it down and I was very proud with the results.

[Arrik]

Yo Gohanto, great job man.

I liked the main actor. Thought he did a good job. I also like the shot where he finds the money and runs off. Music was great; it worked well for the different scenes you had. A few of your angle choices I wouldnt agree on, but they still worked, like the pov shot of the 2nd sales guy calling him back. Now that I think of it, there were a decent amount of pov-like shots of peoples hands if I recall correctly. Not sure you needed them all, or any.

Oh, I didnt realize that those pants had bottomless pockets of money at first. At first, I thought he just found some money in his pocket. Ofcourse in the following scene I figured it out, but I think you could have shown him more surprised pulling out more and more cash hysterically to show that. Think it woulda made that "holy cow" moment even stronger. Oh, and how does his girl just happen to look in the exact place where he hid the pants? Maybe if she was shown peeking while he was hiding it?

Favorite scene was when he finds out that his pants were thrown out and he runs after the truck. It was executed well.

I thought it was a great job overall. I'd love to see what you can do with a talkie.

[Chris Messineo]

I think it's great that you did a silent film.

I love movies that rely on the visuals to tell the stories.

I think this could have been edited a little tighter, but overall I enjoyed the story.

[Gohanto]

Yo Gohanto, great job man.

I liked the main actor. Thought he did a good job. I also like the shot where he finds the money and runs off. Music was great; it worked well for the different scenes you had. A few of your angle choices I wouldnt agree on, but they still worked, like the pov shot of the 2nd sales guy calling him back. Now that I think of it, there were a decent amount of pov-like shots of peoples hands if I recall correctly. Not sure you needed them all, or any.

Oh, I didnt realize that those pants had bottomless pockets of money at first. At first, I thought he just found some money in his pocket. Ofcourse in the following scene I figured it out, but I think you could have shown him more surprised pulling out more and more cash hysterically to show that. Think it woulda made that "holy cow" moment even stronger. Oh, and how does his girl just happen to look in the exact place where he hid the pants? Maybe if she was shown peeking while he was hiding it?

Favorite scene was when he finds out that his pants were thrown out and he runs after the truck. It was executed well.

I thought it was a great job overall. I'd love to see what you can do with a talkie.


Thanks for the feedback. Honestly I never even noticed that the 2nd clerk calling him back was a POV shot. In the longer take of the scene, the camera starts further back, tracks with him as he leaves until the clerks hand pops into frame, and then tracks back again as he comes back to the counter. Seeing it as a POV I agree it does look a little odd.

And yeah, originally we were going to have him pulling out a lot more money. I agree it wasn't as clear as it should've been. Dumb mistakes happen though like getting everything setup and realizing, "wait, we're practically broke" so that's just all the money we had on us. It felt almost cliche, bunch of engineering students making a movie and realizing we're all broke, as always.

Thanks for taking the time to watch it.

[Gohanto]

I think it's great that you did a silent film.

I love movies that rely on the visuals to tell the stories.

I think this could have been edited a little tighter, but overall I enjoyed the story.


Thanks. The ending was actually the most work in this film as there were significant changes made to fit the time constraint (who would've thought a 5 page script would make a 9 minute film?). The director's cut ending is actually him meeting his girlfriend again, but then she's with a rich guy and leaves with him instead. The closing title card saying "Money isn't everything but it sure is something", then the ending shown in this version is actually used as a fantasy after seeing the "money isn't everything" sign. So the altered ending changed the film from a satire to a bit of an over-the-top morality tale. This is kinda why the running is a bit drawn out as i wanted to really build it up so the original ending could hit as hard as i could make it. The ending the way it is though, you do have a good point as it's less important of a build up the way it is now.

Thanks for checking it out.

[wcs]

Bunch of random thoughts (after watching so many films it's hard to have much cohesion).

I agree about the lead actor doing a good job.

When he was pulling the money out of his pockets the first time, I think the tinkling magic sound was a nice touch.

I think the section that didn't really work for me was the scene where the guy gave him the pants. It just didn't give the 'mystic giving the magic carpet to the peasant' vibe. You spend camera time following around the shopkeeper with a camera that bumps into things. I'd try to cut out the bump at minimum. I'd try to streamline it so that the focus stays on the tramp rather than shifting to the shopkeep, though I do think that last "you're welcome" moment is an important wink to the audience that the story is about to begin.

I don't think necessarily playing up the shopkeep as a character is bad, but his look isn't strong enough to compete with the tramp, so I struggled to put him intellectually in this stylized world.

Agree about the running after the garbage truck. It's one of those good shots that completely deserves to be in the final cut.

I was pretty impressed with your ability to keep things moving. I also thought the overall story was a good fit for the style.

I read your posts, and I think the original ending of "but it sure is something" would have really worked twisting an overly happy ending into a bitter laugh. But kudos on embracing your time limit and thinking outside of your normal script. Even if it wasn't exactly what you wanted you made sure to tell a story that made sense.

I definitely enjoyed your short, and I think it bodes well for future productions that you seem to have a good grasp of how to make a silent film.

[Gohanto]

Agree about the running after the garbage truck. It's one of those good shots that completely deserves to be in the final cut.



Thanks, glad people liked this shot, especially since it was the most dangerous for me to film. It involved my roommate driving the car and me halfway out the rear window (to keep the trunk from being in frame) with a camera in my hand yelling at the actor when to start running. Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the feedback.

[Marlon Ladd]

Silent film. . .great! That freakin’ Broad!! LOL. Man, she mad me mad. This was a well written and executed story with a happy ending and a message. Very cool and creative.

[Blaine]

It's incredibly difficult to actually TELL a story without any dialogue. Even the old silent movies used cards for dialogue. You were able to tell your story COMPLETELY without dialogue. I applaud you. It was a fun watch.

[kurtmo]

This was a fun movie. I liked the echoes back from no-talkies. I thought the old film effects and the skippy frame rates were nice. Fun running scenes. I like to see people run in films. I thought you did well telling a story without talking. I thought the first person finger wiggle by the clothing story guy was fun.
Overall, very nice job!

[Robert Eldon]

The Common Man
I like the concept of the black and white silent film. The costumes and some of the settings just didn’t have the B/W silent film vibe? Good story telling though, with no dialog.

My favorite shot is when he is running after the garbage truck. Well done. I also like the long alley shot.

I thought the music helped with the idea with the emphasis on the action and mood.

[Gohanto]

The Common Man
I like the concept of the black and white silent film. The costumes and some of the settings just didn’t have the B/W silent film vibe? Good story telling though, with no dialog.

My favorite shot is when he is running after the garbage truck. Well done. I also like the long alley shot.

I thought the music helped with the idea with the emphasis on the action and mood.

Thanks for checking it out. Can I ask what was it about the costumes or settings that didn't have a silent film vibe for you? The goal of this wasn't period, but is that what your referring to since most silent films came from the 20s?

[Robert Eldon]

Thanks for checking it out. Can I ask what was it about the costumes or settings that didn't have a silent film vibe for you? The goal of this wasn't period, but is that what your referring to since most silent films came from the 20s?

Yes, because it was black and white and silent, I was predisposed to it being more period and because of the title 'The Common Man', I was even thinking Chaplin or Keaton. Some of the shots even presented that way, the street with the lamps, the alley ways, etc. But then, I remember one shot, when the homeless guy? had on these nice white sneakers, and of course a number of contemporary day scenes.

So it was my expectation and not necessarily what your intentions were. :)

[Ted Arabian]

Wow, Gohanto! WELL DONE!!!!

You told a complete story with no dialogue! I am so impressed. And actually, I don't think that you even needed that card that stated "a short time later."

I loved your direction and camera work. My favorite was that curved dolly when he discovered his pants were missing. Really nice.

You film has a wonderful message and all with not a single bit of dialogue. I am truly amazed.

My biggest criticism would be the make-up. As a homeless man, I would expect more than dirt smeared on his face. He just didn't have the "life on the streets" look to him. But I really don't care. The story was more rewarding and definitely worth the watch!

Music was perfect for this. Loved the B&W as well.

Oh! I loved the sound of the garbage truck throughout the realization period. That was great! Very effective.

Congrats to you and your crew!!!

Best,

Ted

[bosindy]

I had a pair of pants in my life that were like the ones in the film, except this pair sucked money in and they were worn by a girl named Julie.

good job going for a silent film. Telling a story using just pictures is not easy, but it's the essence of filmmaking. My one criticism is that the lead seemed a little miscast for the role, I don't know if anyone would think he was a homeless guy. i know with no budget films it is hard to cast. He did a pretty good job though showing the emotion in his face in a Chaplin esq way. Congrats on getting a film in the fest and I look forward to seeing more from you.

[mentatDUKE]

This was a funny one. Pretty brave of you not to use any dialog. A fun comedy. Liked the ending.

[Gohanto]

Wow, Gohanto! WELL DONE!!!!

You told a complete story with no dialogue! I am so impressed. And actually, I don't think that you even needed that card that stated "a short time later."

I loved your direction and camera work. My favorite was that curved dolly when he discovered his pants were missing. Really nice.

You film has a wonderful message and all with not a single bit of dialogue. I am truly amazed.

My biggest criticism would be the make-up. As a homeless man, I would expect more than dirt smeared on his face. He just didn't have the "life on the streets" look to him. But I really don't care. The story was more rewarding and definitely worth the watch!

Music was perfect for this. Loved the B&W as well.

Oh! I loved the sound of the garbage truck throughout the realization period. That was great! Very effective.

Congrats to you and your crew!!!

Best,

Ted

Thanks for the watching it. Originally i didn't have the "a short time later" title card, however what I realized when showing it to people is because the following shot is a crane down on him waking up, most people assume that it was all a dream. That section was the only part without any storyboarding (just wandered around the city looking for shots) so it suffers a bit from mis-communicating what happened.

I'm a bit surprised you thought we should've had more make-up. Most of the comments I got from others were that we had used too much (which was my goal since I wanted this over-the-top). Interesting to hear that.


The idea of the garbage truck throughout the scene was one of my favorites in making this so thanks for mentioning it. I originally thought about doing a color-pass for certain colors but thought it's a little cliche at this point, so I tried doing the acoustic equivalent of only hearing important sounds and I liked it.

Thanks for watching.

[Ted Arabian]

It was my pleasure to watch it. I applaud your effort at making a silent film... something that I've yet to even think about!

As for the make-up comment, I just felt that it wasn't realistic. That there should have been more variety of tones to his make-up instead of the basic smear that you have going on.

The title card bit certainly didn't bother me. I was just so impressed that so much was told without ANY cards. It would have been neat to continue that.

And I am glad that you didn't colorize any part of the film. I think that you would have diminished your film. It looked great as is.

Looking forward to more of your work!

-Ted

[Luis Caffesse]

Nicely done - I've tried making a silent film in the past, and failed miserably...
It's not an easy task - but you kept this one energetic and dynamic while keeping that 'old time' feel.

I would have liked to see it get to the pants a little quicker at the start - once they made their appearance you had me hooked. But up to that point I was kind of wavering and feeling like "okay, let's see where this goes."

But from that point on I really enjoyed it.
Nice camera work - nice transitions with the iris closing.

I would have really liked to have seen a wide shot in the transition from him being poor to him being rich - the first shot you cut to (low angle on him getting out of the car) was a bit too obscured for me, and you held on it for a while. I think it would have had some great impace to cut to a really wide shot with the full car in frame...but that may just be me.

Also, you did such a good job of communicating everything in this story with no music and/or titles that I have to say I was a little dissapointed to see the 'money isn't everything' sign. It seemed rather arbitrary and convenience, given the level that the rest of the film is at. I didn't mind teh 'short time later' title card - but the sign that he sees felt too forced for me. But again, it's only because the rest of the piece moved so smoothly.

Nice work overall.
I really enjoyed it.

[Brian Parker]

Really good film. You did a great job of replicating that old timey film feel without it being too heavy handed or cheesy. You did a really good job telling the story and I actually felt for the main character.

There were some interesting shots here and the majority of them worked very well. I missed one or two plot points until a second viewing but that might be me. Good job.

[iSTy]

How very true that story is, i totally agree with the outcome:engel017:!