MOLLY MCGHEE-- another "romantic" comedy by Alex Jeffery

[Alex Jeffery]

http://www.alexjeffery.net/fullposter_final.jpg


Jane Jeffery as Molly

http://www.alexjeffery.net/cody.bmp
Cody Manasco as Ethan

Shooting will begin approx. on the 29th. Panasonic HVX. Going to build some sort of makeshift dolly.

Molly McGhee follows a woman who has had a lot of trouble with men. After her psychiatrist tells her to take a break from men for a while, Molly gets some ideas of her own. She tries dating the elements, of course.

[Alex Jeffery]

http://www.alexjeffery.net/first_grab.tif

[Luis Caffesse]

I know you said a 'better' poster is on its way - but I have to say, I like that one.
Looking forward to your work
:thumbsup:

[Kyle Stebbins]

actually, i like it too. i have a couple changes in mind... but hell, i might as well keep them to myself. great job, man!

[Alex Jeffery]

Haha, thanks guys! Kyle, I would love to see your changes on the poster. I really just made that as a teaser and to get the thread started.

The script is still undergoing some changes. I need to get feedback on the re-write from a few more people before I'm ready to shoot. But, overall, I'm really excited about the film and this fest.

[Chris Messineo]

I like the poster too. I really like the angle and color scheme at the bottom.

[Alex Jeffery]

Wow, cool. I'm going to update the poster once I get some pictures of the actors in their costumes, but if people like that one for the teaser, then why not? Thanks guys.

Kyle, I'd still like to see your take on it if you get the chance.

I'm getting really excited about shooting. I sent the script to Jane last night, and she's much happier with draft 2 of the script. For someone who doesn't do much filmmaking, she's quite the picky one, which is awesome! Nothing better than brutally honest feedback. I still need to get the script to Mr. Stebbins, and one of the upper class film students here will be reviewing it as well.

More casting updates soon.

Argh, I keep getting more and more ideas for this festival. Luckily the newest one is growing into far too long of a script, so I probably won't be tempted to shoot it for the fest, but who knows...

[Alex Jeffery]

http://www.alexjeffery.net/aj_headshot_web.jpg

So this loser is going to play the Weatherman in Molly McGhee. I tried to get better actors, but he paid me for the gig, so...

[NateCaauwe]

I've worked with him before. He's such a wannabe :tongue:

[Kyle Stebbins]

So this loser is going to play the Weatherman in Molly McGhee. I tried to get better actors, but he paid me for the gig, so...
Total jerk. Make sure you've got green m & m's and Red Vines on the set.

[Alex Jeffery]

I've worked with him before. He's such a wannabe :tongue:

Total jerk. Make sure you've got green m & m's and Red Vines on the set.

I'll keep this in mind. I don't think they have Red Vines in Arkansas. Might have to settle for grilled armadillo.

[Alex Jeffery]

First grab posted.

[Kyle Stebbins]

First grab posted.

I don't see it! Where??

[Alex Jeffery]

First page, but I'll post it here for convenience.

http://www.alexjeffery.net/first_grab.tif

[Alex Jeffery]

Things are going well. I met up with Cody today and we went and got his costume.

Also, I'll be adding a new member to the cast very soon.

In the meantime, I took some pictures today and am working on some character posters. More coming as I make them.

http://www.alexjeffery.net/Molly_small.jpg

[Kyle Stebbins]

I like it man!!! I don't think u need my stupid designs hahaha. good to see things are advancing along nicely.

[Alex Jeffery]

Thanks dude. Much appreciated.

And now, I would like to introduce everyone to Ethan:

http://www.alexjeffery.net/ethan_small.jpg

[Alex Jeffery]

Alright I updated the final poster on the first page, but for those who don't look there:

http://www.alexjeffery.net/fullposter_final.jpg

Shooting begins tomorrow! We're hoping to wrap all of Cody's scenes, but we'll see how that goes.

[Kyle Stebbins]

sweeeeeeet. also, nice banner.

[Marlon Ladd]

Good luck!

[Alex Jeffery]

Oy, film shoot has been delayed as can be expected. Only an hour though, so that's good. =)

I may post a grab later. Happy New Years everyone!

[Alex Jeffery]

http://www.alexjeffery.net/molly_grab1.jpg

[Kyle Stebbins]

sweet colors! jane is awesome!!

[Alex Jeffery]

thanks dude. can't wait to get started on blue little world.

[Slimothy]

Cool poster Alex. Is Stebbs working on this one w/ you?

[Alex Jeffery]

Hey, thanks Tim. No but he's here in spirit. All my learnings from his cinematography and from you guys in LA are helping me out. Can't wait to see WTHL!

[kurtmo]

Nice screen grab! Pretty cool that you could get cast together to shoot on New Years Eve. How much filming do you have left?

[Alex Jeffery]

Thanks. I just have a few small scenes left. Shooting is really easy because the cast consists of my sister and my good friends from home, so it's just a matter of when we want to film really.

Cody will finish his ADR on Monday, and from there I will start on some effects and the soundtrack. I found a perfect song for the ending, but it's not royalty free! Totally sucks, but oh well. More soon.

[kurtmo]

Ah, finding music that you can actually use. Always the hardest part for me. i think I have something for my film that I got off Newgrounds. Where do you go for your royalty free stuff?

[Alex Jeffery]

Usually freeplaymusic, but I'm gonna pay my friend Brad to make a soundtrack for this I think.

[Kyle Stebbins]

Hey Alex, if you're willing to pay for a composer, I think you should find someone professional from the boards. (Unless you really like Brad's work - which is totally justified. He is talented.)

[Alex Jeffery]

Well Brad charges like 20 bucks. And I can just give him cash instead of having to deal with paypal transactions or whatever. We'll see what he comes up with.

In the meantime, here's a grab from today's shoot.

http://www.alexjeffery.net/molly_grab2.jpg

[Robbie Comeau]

Hey man, those grabs are ROCKIN'!

Cute girl to.

You shooting this 1080i?

[Alex Jeffery]

Hey watch it, that's my sister. Lol.

Nah we're shooting 720p. I kinda wish I had shot 1080i though so I could convert to 720p and get better color info for some of the lower light stuff.

Shot one more of the dates and did all of Cody's ADR tonight. Lookin (and sounding) good!

[Alex Jeffery]

Well, that's a wrap on Molly McGhee! (Except a little shot for my cameo, but still)

Right now, the rough assembly is sitting at 6:30, so I have some fat to trim off of it, but it's lookin good and I can't wait to get it ready for you guys to see!

[tmnt]

Grabs look really good. Is that first one of the dude at the pool hvx though or a still camera?

[Alex Jeffery]

Thanks man. That was shot on the HVX, however that particular shot didn't make the cut unfortunately.

[seunosewa]

by 6:30 do you mean 6 hours thirty minutes??

[Alex Jeffery]

Yes, I managed to shoot a six hour and thirty minute movie between the time lovefest was announced and now.

[kurtmo]

Good luck tightening the edit!

[Kyle Stebbins]

Yeah Alex man! YEAH!!!!!!!!!! When do you get in town!!!?? I can't wait to see you.
Those colors are so sweet, Alex.

AND, pretty much all composers here on the boards will work for free.
Brads rockin.

[seunosewa]

Yes, I managed to shoot a six hour and thirty minute movie between the time lovefest was announced and now.

Heh. Sorry, all I knew was what you wrote in your first post. I didn't know anything about lovefest! Your images were so pretty I didn't think you might be making just a 5 minute movie, but 6 hours of footage also seemed excessive!

[Alex Jeffery]

Haha, touche. Well thank you for the kind words on the grabs. I can only hope the final product lives up to them. But there's a lot of talented people helping me out, so hopefully all will turn out.

Kudos to Jane who really pulled off the role. I'm very proud of her from not only a brotherly standpoint, but from a professional one as well.

EDIT: Kyle, let's get together tomorrow and talk through Saturday's shoot.

[Kyle Stebbins]

Kudos to Jane who really pulled off the role. I'm very proud of her from not only a brotherly standpoint, but from a professional one as well.

Jane has a little Jeffery in her, and it shows!

Looking forward to shooting with you today, big man. Crisis averted.

[Ted Arabian]

Hey Alex! I have been MIA for quite awhile but I am getting back on the boards and putting together a submission for Lovefest.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work! You Nebraska boys put out some really nice work!

I hope that you are doing well.

-Ted

[Alex Jeffery]

Ted, good to hear from you! Glad to see you're back. Lookin forward to your lovefest entry.

Right now I'm getting the VFX shots zipped up to send to Nate.

And apparently the guy who was gonna compose for me doesn't have a computer anymore.... YAY! Any suggestions? Or any composers interested?

[Kyle Stebbins]

Brad? haha, yeah, he said his HD was fried. He wanted to do some recording work over the weekend but must've gotten too busy. -- I think it was more for the musical he is writing (co-writing?).

Alex, check out JDS's signature and listen to a few soundtracks from his films. If you find music that you really like, contact that composer and ask if he'd be interested in helping you out.

I might suggest Herman Witkam, or Justin Durban for starters.

[Alex Jeffery]

Happy to announce that I have brought a new composer on board. He received a rough cut of the film last night and has been working away on it. Can't wait to hear what he comes up with. I've been tweaking the edit a little more, and have it so close to 6 minutes! AHH! I may have to come up with a different end credits solution for the sake of the festival.

Oh and Nate has received the VFX shots and is working away on those. I hope to see some tests by this weekend.

[mentatDUKE]

Good luck on the edit Alex. I too am dreading cutting ours to 6 min. Looking forward to your film.

[Ted Arabian]

Hey Alex, I got to check out your film!

First of all, i think that you always produce engaging and fresh work. This one was just that. Except, i didn't like this as much as your other films.

It may have been the "too" quirky approach that really never paid off (for me). There were some elements here but I didn't feel fully satisfied by the end.

I also found the dialogue to be rather soft. Not a big deal, but not as good as I've heard you produce.

On a positive note, I really do think that you have a fresh view and I love a lot of your execution and editing. The stuff with the "counselor" woman was just the weakest for me. I felt that the framing was not your best. I would have loved to see you use some extreme close-ups here. Shots of the eyes, mouths and such.

Sorry to not have a better report. I see a lot of your talent here but overall, fell short for me. (and I really do think that you are a young talent that will have many things to offer the filmmaking world!)

Best to you,

Ted

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Nice looking film. It had a neat kind of feel to it, hard to explain really. The main actress was pretty good as well. I thought the audio (especially the voice work) needed some work though.

Overall though this was pretty good. The music seemed to fit as well.

Mike

[Alex Jeffery]

thanks guys. yeah, i was forced to shoot without a boom at home, so the audio isn't nearly as crisp as it should be. i hope to adr it someday.

[seunosewa]

I'd also like to check the film!

[Chris Messineo]

First, I loved the opening credits mixed with the maracas - very clever.

The story was very quirky, but I love quirky. I think it lagged at times and a much quicker edit would really help give it some energy.

As someone else mentioned, the audio made it very hard to hear everything.

Lastly, I thought your actress was great and I loved the latin music at the end.

[Gohanto]

Great work. Interesting characters, pretty good acting, and I liked the rain effects. The storm sound at the end though when it's obviously a sunny day was a little odd though.

Fire effect on the table was well done as well.

Audio made it very challenging to hear what was being said though.

[Alex Jeffery]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Yeah, the last shot at the end is the only incomplete VFX shot. Clouds are supposed to form overhead, and the shot is supposed to match the poster.

I wish I could fix the audio for a future online release, and I agree that the edit needs to be tighter. Any suggestions on audio aside from ADRing the whole thing? Any good filters or tweaks?

[Ted Arabian]

Hey Alex! I am probably not the best guy to go to for suggestions and such BUT I do look forward to watching your film again. (I am ALMOST done watching/critiquing all 50 of these puppies!)

If I have any suggestions, I will be sure to post them!

Best to you,

Ted

[seunosewa]

About ADR: Just do it. The only possible tweak, apart from reducing the intensity of your background music so we can hear the dialogue, is to add subtitles! You might also want to use an equalizer to boost the main speech frequencies. The audio doesn't sound so bad to me, though I'm still a minute into the movie.

[KenV]

You had original audio where ADR would have worked better, and you had onsite audio that probably would have been better with ADR. Bad sound design. I'm beginning to think alot of dvxuser's hire alot of bad sound designers/mixers.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

You had original audio where ADR would have worked better, and you had onsite audio that probably would have been better with ADR. Bad sound design. I'm beginning to think alot of dvxuser's hire alot of bad sound designers/mixers.
Ummm.... they don't tend to "hire" anyone.

[KenV]

Well, try me next time, as cocky as that sounds =)

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

What have you mixed in this fest? I'll go have a listen.

[KenV]

I have yet to mix anything, only composed, but from judging from what I've heard, I can do alot. I want to try my skills, hire me on your next project, just give me enough time other than the day before the festival deadline. Unlike some other dvxusers filmmakers I know.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Not to derail the thread but why don't you send me a link to a movie that you HAVE mixed? Where you took poor audio and cleaned it up, not recorded in a studio or anything.

[KenV]

http:/www.lameduckproductions.com

But I've always worked with good audio, and with people who could get the job done, but if you got some bad audio I'll be glad to clean it up too as it is part of my skill set which ive always been looking to use.

=)

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I see.

Thanks... Good luck getting work here.

Cheers,

[KenV]

NP, Best of luck to you and your entry.

KenV.

[Zak Forsman]

I have yet to mix anything, only composed, but from judging from what I've heard, I can do alot. I want to try my skills, hire me on your next project, just give me enough time other than the day before the festival deadline. Unlike some other dvxusers filmmakers I know.

ken, it would be great to hear some specific solutions to the problems you're pointing out.... other than "hire me". please, in the spirit of this community, share something that will help.

[kurtmo]

I laughed at this one. Weird but nice comedy. I liked the transitions and the effects. For me the best part of this film was Molly. I thought she did a great job! The story held my attention. I liked how you reintegrated all the props. I enjoyed the music, but the rest of the audio was marginal. Even so, I laughed! Thanks for posting this!

BTW, how did you do the fire effect? Is it CG, composited or (yeah!) white gas?

[Alex Jeffery]

Thanks Kurt!

My friend Nate, who is a compositing guru, did all the effects for me. Check out his website at: www.natecow.com if you're interested.

I'm glad people are liking the bizarre humor. I'm going to do the best that I can to clean up the audio for an HD online release. The reason I can't ADR it is because my two main actors are back home and I'm up at college. So it might be a while before I could re-record their audio. I'll see if I can pull anything off with filters and levels.

Thanks so much for the feedback! I still need to get caught up on watching all of the films, but everything I've seen so far has been awesome!

[Brian Parker]

Great film Alex. Really like the story setup and the pacing. Casting was great, especially Molly. Loved her reaction to the fire on the table, with her hopping over the little gate and everything. Favorite shot was the leaf blower in her face. Music was good too. Only negative, as others have pointed out, was that it's hard to hear a lot of the dialogue. Not sure how it was done but we as filmmakers have to shell out the dough for the good mics. I'm speaking as someone who needs to upgrade my own as well. Other than that, great film. Keep 'em coming.

[jmc]

This was definitely quirky, but I enjoyed it. I liked the premise, and the girl, but the story didn't quite come through for me. And by the 3rd time of the psychiatrist saying "who did you date next" that seemed a little repetitive.

Oddly enough, the thing that bugged me the most was the apparent age difference between the girl and a couple of suitors, particularly muddy guy. Obviously, you work with what you've got, but that stood out to me.

[Kyle Stebbins]

Alex, you already know my thoughts on this film.

It's great to read these reviews.

You did a great job on this. -- Can't wait to see you around the classroom again!

kyle

[mentatDUKE]

This was a fun film. I liked the quirky universe and the characters. Molly was very Juno-esque or Ghost World-esque if you prefer. The costume design worked well to help flesh out the characters. You had some good shot composition in this also.

The sense of humor in this piece really appealed to me. I think i'll go watch Honey Pot soon. Good luck.