ZFarms Productions Presents "Amore"

[ZFarms Productions]

Alright I'm finally entering a fest. Figured, better late, than never.

Amore Link (http://www.dvxfest.com/lovefest/loader.php?id=90023)


Comments start on page 8, so if you don't want to be spoiled, don't read past page 7


The Recut Version (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRgdpBjj9EI)


http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/InvisionProductions/AmorePoster.jpg


Synopsis:

Steve is a junior in high school. He's smitten with the popular girl. He's admired her from a afar since freshman year. This is their story. Based on a true story.


Written and Directed by Dean Zarbaugh II

Director of Photography Andrew Brinkhaus

Production Designer- Tristan Garrison

Production Sound Mixer- Mark Sawa

Gaffer- Sean McClellan

Key Grip- Rob Gilpin

Assistant Director- Max Miller

Assistant Camera- Kevin Griffin

Behind the Scenes Photographer- Ben Kostelnik

Cast:

Kyle Piorkowski- Steve

Tom Keeling- Mark

John Sessoms- James

Kathrine Reyes- Katie


"Amore" was filmed using a Sony CineAlta F900 and a Panasonic HVX. Rode NTG-2 microphones were used for production.


Behind the Scenes:


Actor Kyle Piorkowski

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/InvisionProductions/Amore/IMG_4025.jpg

Kyle, John Sessoms, and Thomas Keeling with Sound Mixer Mark Sawa

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/InvisionProductions/Amore/IMG_4018.jpg

DP Andrew Brinkhaus with Me in the background

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/InvisionProductions/Amore/IMG_4005.jpg

Me working with the actors

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/InvisionProductions/Amore/IMG_3972.jpg

Rehearsing

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/InvisionProductions/Amore/IMG_3938.jpg

Andrew with the CineAlta :)

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/InvisionProductions/Amore/IMG_3917.jpg

Gaffer Sean McClellan

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/InvisionProductions/Amore/IMG_3906.jpg

[Blaine]

Welcome aboard, Dean :thumbsup: :beer::beer:

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks Blaine. I'm really looking forward to this. We actually got that location we wanted so I'm super psyched about that.

[Brandon Rice]

ah... snap!

[tmnt]

Good luck with this, should look nice.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks TMNT. This project is different than my previous projects. It's more organized, and more like a film than all my other short films. It's a lot bigger in terms of cast/crew than all of my previous projects also.

[tmnt]

Sounds good, that's what I would like to do - continually scale up production just to get used to directing in that situation.

[ZFarms Productions]

I told Andrew to bear with me cause this was going to be a different experience for me. He was very understanding of me. He's got a LOT of great ideas for this film I'm really looking forward to using.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Looking forward to it!

Mike

[Tom Marshall]

Dean! Good to see you throwing your hat in the ring... good luck, man! :beer:

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks Tom! Casting is almost finished (i know, its cutting it close, but i had some people drop out). I'll update the cast list once casting is finished

[ZFarms Productions]

Casting is getting so much closer. The actor I want for the film, needs to check his schedule to see if he can film on the day we're planning.

Plus, the waivers and releases we need to film at the location haven't been sent to me yet, and I'm getting kinda irritated, so I emailed the guy back and explained I needed them asap to give my crew enough time to fill them out and fax them back before the shoot. I put it a lot nicer than how I just explained it though. They're being very generous letting us film there.

So that's the update for now. Hopefully by the end of the weekend I'll have everything confirmed, and ready to go for the shoot next weekend.

[Tom Marshall]

Doing the production stuff isn't the fun part... at least not for me. I'd rather have someone else do all that... but when you're doing low budget, sometimes you just have to do everything yourself.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

This should be a fun little film. Dean approached me with a great script, and he's got a lot of organizational skills, which is important for a low budget shoot like this.

Should be a lot of fun, and I'll be posting some production stills after we wrap.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks for the kind words Andrew ;) You've got a lot of great ideas and I can't wait to see it put into action.

[ZFarms Productions]

Andrew and I went and looked at where we're filming today. The locations are very nice, and are gonna look great in the film.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

We were certainly lucky to gain access to locations this nice, being a little belated in the search.

The poster will be coming soon.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Bring on the poster! :D

Cheers,

Mike

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Update- Securing the CineAlta F900 for production.

Pure 4:4:4 goodness :Drogar-Happy(DBG):

[ZFarms Productions]

Very nice! Thanks, Andrew!

[kurtmo]

Looking forward to this production. The Poet has a similar storyline. It should be fun to see where you go with your story.

[ZFarms Productions]

thanks! you'll like what we've got.

[ZFarms Productions]

cast added.

[ZFarms Productions]

crew updated as well. we got a nice crew on the film

[Blaine]

Sounds like things are shaping up, Dean. Now, it's time to start getting things on tape. :thumbsup:

[ZFarms Productions]

Definitely. We're filming the entire thing this Saturday.

[Ted Arabian]

Good luck on the shoot! Always an exciting day!!! And congrats on the entry.

-Ted

[ZFarms Productions]

thanks man. best of luck to you! i did about 6 read through's today with my cast. things are coming out good. changed part of the script. we went through and found some better lines that fit.

the script is nice and tight now. i'm really happy.

[Ted Arabian]

It is always so helpful to have the actors read the lines. Funny how things may sound right in your head... then you get the actors and they bring it to life.

[ZFarms Productions]

definitely. i had to change a few lines, and cut out a few completely as well. when they were reading they sounded pretty bad. the lines DID sound good in my head, but like you said, out loud are just bad.

we fixed all that.

[Ted Arabian]

Awesome for you.

Happy shooting!

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

CineAlta is secured for production, should be a great shoot!

[Luis Caffesse]

CineAlta is secured for production, should be a great shoot!

Damn.
CineAlta.

Someone just raised the production bar a bit.
:)

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Haa. What can I say? :beer:

It's nice to know people!

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

BTW- Poster will be up tomorrow night.

[Matty_g]

What model sony are you using?

[Brandon Rice]

CineAlta is secured for production, should be a great shoot!


:eek::shocked:

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

What model sony are you using?

The F900.

[ZFarms Productions]

thanks again for the camera andrew... and the crew hahaha. its nice to know someone from the dvxboard at full sail!

[Robert Eldon]

So, is this an Italian themed movie? Looking forward to seeing it shot with the 'overkill' camera! Lucky... (a la Napoleon Dynamite).

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

What is this "overkill" word? I have never heard it before... :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[ZFarms Productions]

So, is this an Italian themed movie? Looking forward to seeing it shot with the 'overkill' camera! Lucky... (a la Napoleon Dynamite).

It's not an Italian themed movie, I really liked the word from the Dean Martin classic "That's Amore". Its a great word, and I love the sound of it, it just does something to me, and my original title didn't exactly roll off the tongue. I'll explain the meaning more in depth after the movie has been shown, because I don't want to give plot points away.

[Jason Ramsey]

Welcome to the fest... and with a true story nonetheless... and with a CineAlta!

Nice poster, and good luck.

Later,
Jason

[Blaine]

Nice poster, Dean. :thumbsup:

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks, Blaine, but Andrew did the poster.


Thanks Jason. I'm really excited for completing the movie!

[Robert Eldon]

It's not an Italian themed movie, I really liked the word from the Dean Martin classic "That's Amore". Its a great word, and I love the sound of it, it just does something to me, and my original title didn't exactly roll off the tongue. I'll explain the meaning more in depth after the movie has been shown, because I don't want to give plot points away.

I was just kidding about the Italian theme because of your title. I happened to work on an Italian themed movie recently (actually, it was filmed more in an Italian director style). I think the title is great!

Regarding 'overkill', it's just awesome that you're shooting with a CineAlta for a DVXUser Forum film fest!

Best Regards.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks Robert. The title does have meaning behind it, and I'll be glad to tell you, when the fest is over :thumbsup:

[ZFarms Productions]

The location is officially ours, and we start production tomorrow morning at 6:30am. Its going to be a great shoot.

[Blaine]

Can't wait to see the results. :beer:

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Thanks, Blaine. I am anxious to see "Where the Heart Lies"!

[ZFarms Productions]

Today went great. We got everything we need. Had a few little problems here and there, like the tours getting routed through our location, so we had someone holding people back while we shot then let them through in between takes. then at the cafeteria location we had a loud vaccuum in hte background .... we had to have them close the door, then it started raining outside as we shot, but ended up stopping pretty quickly so we kept going.


all in all a great shoot today, and i couldn't have done it without everyone's amazing help with it, and i'll be posting some BTS shots as soon as i get them.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Shot the last scene on the HVX tonight. (I'll let you figure out which scene it is ;)

Half way through the scene, a lamp from one of my 650W's blew. Luckily I had a replacement, but still a downer. BTS photos should be up tomorrow.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks again for all the help Andrew. I can't wait to see the footage from the shoot. It's gonna be great.

[ZFarms Productions]

BTS shots up

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

:2vrolijk_08:Holy awesome equipment, BATMAN!!:2vrolijk_08:

[Ted Arabian]

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/InvisionProductions/Amore/IMG_3917.jpg
How did you like this dolly? I want one but don't want to spend the dough... though there is a very similar one on the marketplace. Curious how you liked using this.

I have a make-shift dolly (cart) but it bounces and sways. I need one of these that has the deck lower on the wheel axles.

Good luck!

-Ted

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

The dolly is ok. It is very sturdy, but difficult to maintain a straight movement. The Dolly can be fitted with Matthews Hot Buttons for use on straight or curve track though, which makes it nice. For this though, we didn't have enough track to cover the entirety of our shot.

New, this dolly, which is a Matthews Doorway Camera Dolly goes for around $3,000.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Update-

Will be capturing the F900 footage into FCP here in the next few days using a Sony HDCam deck.

[mentatDUKE]

ZFarms, I'm liking that poster. Very pro. Congrats on acquiring the F900. I can't wait to see how that looks.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks man. Kyle and I just got done doing a rough cut of the film. I just need to clean up audio and color correct and we're done.

[ZFarms Productions]

Audio is pretty much cleaned up as best as can be. Andrew's coming by to color correct before we upload it.

[Slimothy]

Really looking forward to this one guys.

Was it difficult to get the high school (assuming that's what it is) location?

Tim

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Actually it is a local college. The University of Central Florida (UCF). I think we got lucky more than anything else with that location!

[ZFarms Productions]

Ya it was lucky. They deferred our fee as long as we credit them in the film. I was shocked when they did that.

[ZFarms Productions]

everything's been approved. just waiting for voting. everything turned out great.

[Tom Marshall]

Holy crap... nice to get your hands on that camera and dolly... how's school going?

[ZFarms Productions]

its goin' good. thanks. just started photography this month. focus on b&w photography. 35mm camera. fully manual. pretty cool. and i've had to write a bunch of short stories for creative writing, and some of them i really wanna turn into short films. already got so much out of Full Sail.

[hunter richards]

Was that a graduate of Full Sails f900? Who sold a house to buy it? Just checking.

[ZFarms Productions]

andrew was able to get it from full sail.

[ZFarms Productions]

Added a link to the movie on the first page.

[kurtmo]

I liked the rejection hotline dialog at the end. It was fun to see a production with similarities to my own film.
Some of the colors were a bit washed out/white clipped in the outdoors scenes. Some of the dialog was a bit forced, but not too bad.
Audio levels a bit off from scene to scene (loud then soft then loud again).

Thanks for sharing this!

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks for the comments. I haven't gotten around to the Poet yet, but I'm getting there I promise. I'm just in school for the next 4 hours. I tried to color correct the outside scenes, but I'm not the greatest at color correction yet, and didn't really want to screw up the look. I plan on fixing the audio for later releases. I didn't have a lot of time to edit the film because my audio guy moved away and I didn't get the files until about 5 days before the entry was due.

[kurtmo]

T I tried to color correct the outside scenes, but I'm not the greatest at color correction yet, and didn't really want to screw up the look. I plan on fixing the audio for later releases.

We're all working on stuff. I tend to focus on a specific area on one film, get that part where I want it then learn a new craft (CC, Audio, DOF, etc).

Keep making films!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Not bad! The audio did need some work and a few of the edits were a little harsh though. On the plus side... this piece did look really nice and it was very well shot. I also liked some of the chatter between him and his buddies. :)

The actors weren't bad but they need a little more polish.
Overall, a strong entry.

Cheers.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks Michael. Only one of the guys was an actual actor, the others are my friends who haven't really acted before. Kathrine is an actress as well. I really like her performance, it adds this devilish tone to the character. That's what I wanted, and that's how the girl was who did this to me in high school. Yes this is based on me. HAHA.

[MDCFILMS]

only to encourage.

I liked the depth of field. Really shallow and pretty looking.

I thought the acting could have been better.
The sound took me out of the picture. Sounds everything!
The color was different from shot to shot which also I think could be worked on.
I go to a community college and that's how it exactly looks, so it was hard for me to think it was a high school. Who's number is 407 970 8278? Haha. Also c'mon rejection hotline, no such thing! I think if it were a random restuarant or something it would make the ending a little better. Over all really cool.

Best luck on the next project.

[Blaine]

Dean! Nice little short. Nice ending, too. There were a couple of technical issues as previously stated but you kept me engaged in the story which, after all, is the most important thing. Good work.

[Zak Forsman]

Also c'mon rejection hotline, no such thing! I think if it were a random restuarant or something it would make the ending a little better.

http://www.rejectionhotline.com/

[ZFarms Productions]

There is such a thing as the rejection hotline. The number used in the film is the real phone number to the rejection hotline.

We tried to make it look like a fancy higher class high school. We got turned down by actual high school's, so we had to use University of Central Florida.

Thanks for the constructive criticism. I do plan on working on all the things you mentioned on future projects, and on this for a later release to clean it up.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Damn Zak! I was just about to post that!!:D

[ZFarms Productions]

Dean! Nice little short. Nice ending, too. There were a couple of technical issues as previously stated but you kept me engaged in the story which, after all, is the most important thing. Good work.


Thanks Blaine. I really hope (like I've stated previous times) to fix the problems.


BTW Did you get my PM?

[ZFarms Productions]

I got an email from Jeff the guy who runs Rejection Hotline. He told me I could use the audio as long as the story wasn't along the lines of a guy getting the number and going out and killing people. HAHA.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I got an email from Jeff the guy who runs Rejection Hotline. He told me I could use the audio as long as the story wasn't along the lines of a guy getting the number and going out and killing people. HAHA.:grin:

[Ted Arabian]

ZFarms!!!! LMAO!!!!!

Dude, great entry!

There are some technical issues with your sound. I am sure that you are aware of this already and won't go any farther.

I like many of your shots and cuts.

The actors were okay... they fit the story.

The ending was great!

Good job!

Congrats to you,

Ted

[hunter richards]

Nice entry. I really though she gave him her phone number! Those popular girls, so full of pride...

Good ending.

A few notes:

People all ready mention the colorgrade, I dont need to talk more about that. Probably the biggest "error" for me though was the wardrobe continuity. The jacket on and off in the first scene was very distracting and it took effort to get back into the film. The thing with being at film school (or so I have heard) is that your always trying to find people to act in your films. But they turn out not really being actors. Your main dude was extremely confident, and then..not confident, the transition felt a little forced...

Anyways, With all that aside you put forth a great effort and I enjoyed the twist at the end. Keep it up!

[Cliff Wildman]

i think you've gotten enough feedback on the technical side of things. so i'd like to talk about your lead actor.

i thought he was a great choice. he carried me through the whole short! i thought he did a great job. his two friends came off a little flat on some lines, but every time you cut back to him i was reengaged.

i guess i do have one technical point. i had to rewind 3 times to catch that it was a 'rejection hotline.' but i could tell it was an 'oh, snap!' moment anyways.

this is one of the few cases where i think i might have liked to have seen 'based on a true story' at the front end. that's off the cuff, so i might want to take it back later.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I really appreciate it!


And I honestly didn't notice the jacket thing at all! Wow. I was so worried about getting it done. Didn't notice it, and neither did Kyle who helped me edit. Wow. Thanks for pointing that out! I'll see if I can fix that in a future edit.

[mentatDUKE]

Zfarms. I liked this one. I wish I wasn't spoiled. Shame on me for reading the thread before watching the movie. The look of this was interesting. I rarely get a chance to see footage from the F900. The dynamic range made this stand out from the others.

My laugh out loud moment of the short was when the straight-man pushes the wiseass out of frame, and he walks back into frame meekly with his head down. I like sidebar moments like that.

Good job on this.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks Mentatduke. That was actually something we came up with day of shooting.

[Kholi]

AMORE -- Zfarms gave me the wrong phone number, but I still like his entry.

SPOILER ALERT --

I'm not the earliest one to this thread, I'm sure people have already commented on technical difficulties do I'm not about to. I do have some stuff for ya, though!

Overall plot is easy material. This was a good chance to focus on directing, cinematography and pacing. I don't have many "gripes" about the actual story/tale, I think the cut may be keeping this from being paced well.

We're spendin' a lot of time where we don't have to be and getting to know characters that belabor the arrival at the punchline. For instance with the friends. There's a lot of opportunity to get in and out with these guys, as they only serve as a catalyst. We spend a lot of time with 'em and that's okay, I think backing off a little could re-time your short to give it more oomph when you hit the punchline. That's pretty much the time eater there. I mean, it could've been compressed in the writing stages, but that's gone now so cutting into it could help? This is just my thought, and nothing to live by.

I also didn't feel like your main character was the type to be the unpopular guy in high school. Now, bare with me on this one, because it's probably preference. A great deal of creating a believable character is wardrobe. This guy looks like one of the cool kids in school and so does his taller friend. The shorter guy with the striped hoodie? He worked for me. The other two felt like they were straight out of Abercrombie and Fitch AND I don't feel like those types have any issue with hooking up with females. Now, on the other hand, the group at the table didn't seem right either. I am sorry if I seem like I'm labeling people on appearance, I just feel like if you really want to sell something like this you would want to pin these people into what you "think" they would look like.

It's sad of me to say that! I'm sorry... but take SUPERBAD for example and you'll see what I mean.

What's REALLY good here is the sense of cinematics. I think I pretty much liked every shot choice (with a few focus issues or choice of focus disagreements) but it's very cinematic visually. Once you get sound going and you match it, it'll all come together pretty nicely.

It's a great start! I'm sure you're still working on it so show us the final when you've gotten it ready.

Thanks Z! Nice use of the F900 as well.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks Kholi. I'll definitely post the updated version when its ready. I'm gonna wait a couple more weeks to do it though, so I can see what everyone who watches it has to say about it, so I don't have to go back to it multiple times.

[Chris Messineo]

The sound was a little funky.

The twist was a little abrupt and I was hoping it would actually go a little further and we'd get to see Steve get a little revenge (nothing horrific - just something funny and fitting in with the tone of the film).

[Kholi]

Chris raises a good point. In hindsight it's a bit abrupt. Not wrong, but just abrupt. When you combine that with what I said, the extra time you have in a six minute slot alots for some revenge to close it out.

Just thoughts! And people thinkin' about your short is a good thing. =D

[ZFarms Productions]

I hear what you're saying, but this wasn't about the revenge. It was more about the punchline. I didn't want him to get any revenge, cause that's not what I did after I got the number. I just got angry, and that's when I developed my sarcastic ways. "Steve" is me. Its exactly what happened to me in high school. I didn't get revenge. I just moved on.


Andrew deserves the props for the look of the film. He's a great DP, and I really want to work with him again.

[Jason Ramsey]

Just to add to what has already been said...

This was a pretty short film as it was. So, keeping with your intended format and ending, I might like to suggest that it would have been good to have exposed us a bit to this relationship between the guy and girl (or, more accurately... lack of relationship).

I don't have suggestions as to what, but it would have been nice to have seen her before he asks her out.

Just a suggestion anyways.

Thanks for putting in the time with this... Your punchline definitely worked with the short time, b/c you aren't expecting to see it coming yet b/c it's still so soon into the film... so... just my 2 cents anyways.

Thanks for sharing your work as well. I'm really loving this fest. I'm really excited for dvxuser and everyone in this fest right now. Folks are representing the site.

Later,
Jason

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks Jason. I get what you're saying. Maybe show him trying to talk to her before, or looking at her from afar in other scenes. The only reason I didn't do this is cause I was worried about the run time. I tried to keep it as short as possible so I didn't have to cut stuff I really wanted in it.

[Robbie Comeau]

You know what sucks,

I heard this phone call/joke a couple weeks ago. So I didn't find it as funny when the conclusion came. I'm sure if I hadn't heard this joke previous, I would've liked it more.

To top of Jason's post, maybe you could have had the guy stare at the girl, and you see shots of her talking, and laughing, the whole bit. Then that's when the guy comes in and says "Why don't you just talk to her?"

I really liked the CC. What did you do? The shots were interesting and unique as well.

Good job over all man,

Robbie

Edit- Beat me to it ZFarms :)

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks for the comments Como. The only problem is we can't get the actress. She moved back to Phoenix. So no reshoots haha.


We actually didn't color correct all of it yet. We didn't have a lot of time after the edit was complete. We're gonna work on it for the later version though.

[Robbie Comeau]

I though I noticed some different shots in terms of Coloring.

[ZFarms Productions]

i worked on one shot, not saying which one cause i don't want everyone seeing the bad job i did. but other than that it wasn't color corrected.

[ZFarms Productions]

Went back into Final Cut Pro, and got rid of the continuity error in the wardrobe (i swear i didn't notice that, and i don't know why). Plus I've been listening to the audio, and clearing it up. It's not perfect yet, but its getting there.

[Matthew R. Rodwell]

This was very entertaining. Audio really needed to be better balanced between cuts but besides that great job. Your actors sounded very natural and did a great job with their roles.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks Matthew. I'm working on the audio as we speak. It's getting there.

[dannycoxdidit]

I liked the color in both the interior and the exterior, but I was a little taken aback by the sudden change. Obviously, the inside is darker than outside in the sun, but the difference was pretty drastic. To me it actually changed the feel a little. Not trying to beat a dead horse, but I agree with previous posts that the relationship could have been more developed. Part of the problem was that it was so short, but it felt short, almost rushed. Other than a line of dialog in the beginning, there's no development of the female character.

I liked the twist at the end, but if that's what you wanted to end with, more development earlier on would have helped flesh out the story. When you're doing something that's based on a personal experience, it's hard sometimes to change anything from how it happened in your memory, but sometimes it's necessary to better tell the story.

Also, I liked that the actors were age-appropriate. There were no doubts that that they were/could be high schoolers.

Overall an enjoyable and very well shot short. Big kudos to Andrew for the overall look. I would have liked to see a little more of it.

[Brian Parker]

I enjoyed the short and the issues have been pretty much pointed out. I read through your production notes and saw that you were putting a lot of work into this and it shows. I too, have already started reworking my entry.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Thanks for all the comments guys, I really appreciate it. We ran into some problems throughout the shoot, but we made due. Wish I would've had time to color the film, maybe for the 2nd version though.

[J.R. Hudson]

I liked this short film !

I was especially impressed with the production value in adding atmosphere in the cafeteria; it felt populated and alive.

Overall nicely done.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks John!

[Bryce A]

Thought the two side line dude characters did a fine job. The tech issues you know. I find these punchline films kinda odd. Not in a bad way... really it's just a different kind of twist ending. Anyhow, keep it up!

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks for the comments Bryce.

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Fun! The guy in the green shirt was definitely the best actor. Reminded me of Steve Zahn.

Btw, if I call that number, is that really the rejection hotline? I feel an overwhelming desire to dial that number to find out...

[hoz]

i liked this short!

filming the cafeteria was a big plus, you made your film look so much bigger for doing so. and i liked the overall story too, i did kind of see the ending coming, not in the particular way of learning that there is an official rejection hotline - jeez, brutal, man! - but in the sense that she wasn't going out with him. i'm not sure why either...

i agree with what i think kholi said earlier in that the main lead was almost too cool in the beg. i don't think i quite believed he would have a prob asking out a girl. but he was still good. so, not a real problem. i too thought the hoodie wearing kid was the best actor there. he was funny! especially when he came back into frame with his head down. too damn cool. i would've swapped him out for the main, not because of their acting but because of the story.

maybe a quick fix to the three guys outside the school would be to allow the dialogue to run into each other. i mean to say that one kid would speak and then cut to the face of the next kid before that kid stops speaking. give a little spill over. that might make it have a quicker and more natural feel?

i really do like it though and it shows a lot of hard work. how did you film the cafeteria with all the kids in there? cool work!

props for asking that girl out in real life! too funny if she got to see this...

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks for all the comments Hoz. The extras in the cafeteria were cast/crew that weren't busy at the time, plus a couple of friends that we got to show up. We wanted more, but some people didn't want to be up at 10am.

[RyanT]

Production values were great on this. As said before, actually having extras in the cafeteria, and making it seem like it might be a high school...woah. Good job. Also, great job on casting. The actors were all pretty good and of course age appropriate. I know how difficult it is finding good actors in that age range and I'm impressed with how you made do.

I just wish this story had a bit more conflict. Sorta feels punch-liney to me. Like, maybe if he went through a lot more to get this girls number, and after all that he thought he finally made it, but then found out it was the rejection hotline. I think that would have brought us all up more and let us feel his dissapointment more so than we currently do.

Anyways, use these guys in more films. I am a fan.

[ZFarms Productions]

Thanks Ryan. The cast goes to school with me at Full Sail and the guy in the red shirt is my roommate also. Great group of guys to hang out with and they're very dedicated to making movies.

[ZFarms Productions]

I've added a recut version of the film onto the first post. I hate youtube's compression

[ZFarms Productions]

new cut added. should be the final cut. let me know what you think


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRgdpBjj9EI

[killamill]

How are you? I just saw the final cut on youtube... congratulations! you have a movie.

I think that you could still work on the sound, the level is soooo low. Even with headphones, is hard to listen to some dialog. The whole mix needs some work, the jumps between cut and cut are pretty big.

Now... about the story. I would like to see some intro of Steve, when he sees this girl before he meets his friends. And also some time lapse before he calls her. If you want to do the final joke succesfull, give the character some great expectations for that big friday night.

I hope it´s clear... I´m downloading the cut for the fest right now. I hope to see some of that stuff in that version.

Congratulations again.