"Solecism" by: justin r. durban

[Edgen]

Viewing is now open... Click here (http://www.dvxfest.com/timefest/direct_dl.php?id=1000175) to watch "Solecism"
http://www.dvxfest.com/timefest/direct_dl.php?id=1000175


(if you downloaded the .zip files, the .mov was not in the first batch of .zips)
(I think it's fixed now.)
http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_poster.jpg

http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_cast.jpg

Small Cast.
Small Crew.
Small Camera.


Shot with the Canon HV20


Viewing is now open... Click here (http://www.dvxfest.com/timefest/direct_dl.php?id=1000175) to watch "Solecism"
http://www.dvxfest.com/timefest/direct_dl.php?id=1000175

(if you downloaded the .zip files, the .mov was not in the first batch of .zips)
(I think it's fixed now.)

[Edgen]

BTS

BTS Photos by: Gregory Storm
www.gregorystorm.com (http://www.gregorystorm.com/)

http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_bts.jpg

Stills:


http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_still.jpg

http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_still02.jpg

[Robbie Comeau]

Wow, Nice!

[Simon Höfer]

Welcome to the fest!

Nice poster and BTS :)

[Matt Sconce]

Rock on Justin! Welcome to the fest!

[StormFactory]

Nice. I'm going to add a little spin to a few BTS photos.

[tmnt]

Wow, Kim's gorgeous. How about a tagline for that poster? Nice stills.

[clarkage]

Wow! Looks great and welcome to the fest!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Awesome, Justin!
Looks great.

Another HV20 entry... :thumbsup:

[Mark Johnson]

COOL! I learned a new word too! Absolutely stunning stuff Justin.

[Ted Arabian]

Hey Justin, Great to have you in the fest!!!

Really looking forward to you film, as usual.

Lovin' that poster!

Good luck and happy shooting.

-Ted

[Ted Arabian]

COOL! I learned a new word too! Absolutely stunning stuff Justin.

Yes, that is a very cool word. I just asked my wife, the school teacher, if she knew the word. She hadn't... but it is her new favorite word! (I feel sorry for her kids! :grin: )

[StormFactory]

I like this one.
http://www.gregorystorm.com/model_mayhem/justin_timefest_088.jpg

Justin in Action!
http://www.gregorystorm.com/model_mayhem/justin_timefest_192.jpg

[Edgen]

Thanks guys!!

It's fun to be back in action. I just wrapped all the filming today. Now to edit this puppy. Shots look great me thinks so hopefully it'll all mesh together nicely.

I'll have a few grabs in the next day or so.

/j

[Robert Eldon]

Justin,

The poster looks great!


http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=130127

[Herman Witkam]

Looking forward to it, J-man!

[Ted Arabian]

I just wrapped all the filming today.

dang! DANG! I need to get moving!!!

Congrats Justin! :thumbsup:

[Tom Marshall]

Finally, the thread... :) If you need any help, just say the word. :beer:

[Beat Takeshi]

Hey Justin, good to see you working on something again. :)
Can't wait to check it out.

[Edgen]

Finished the rough cut.

Now to lock the final edit, add the sound fx and foley and then it's off to the composer! :)

/j

[Brandon Rice]

Hey dude! Great to see you in the fest!

[Edgen]

aaaadddeeed a still.



http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_still.jpg

http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_still02.jpg

[tmnt]

Man you're working fast, hope it's all coming together well.

[Robert Eldon]

Finished the rough cut.

Now to lock the final edit, add the sound fx and foley and then it's off to the composer! :)

/j

Geez Justin, you're a machine! I noticed that your post was at 3:06am!

BTW, who's the composer for this flick? :) Not only are you making amazing progress with this, but how many TimeFest entries are you scoring?


http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=130127

[Matt Sconce]

Love the still with the light behind the blinds on his face! Looks kickin!

[Curugon]

Looks awesome man. Great to see you back in the game.

[Ki-Ki]

Man you're working fast, hope it's all coming together well.

Totally, only just noticed the thread. Matthew's a great actor btw. Nice stills. The blinds shot is ace.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

5 stars baby!

Good luck!

[deedive]

aaaawwwwww shyit, can't wait!

[Robert Eldon]

aaaadddeeed a still.



http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_still.jpg

http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_still02.jpg

I'm really liking the look of this, especially the shot near the window with the blinds shadow and light.


http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=130127

[Edgen]

welp. Film is more or less done and in the can. CC, edit, sound, music all done and locked. All I need is one last ext shot and it's officially done. Now to sit and wait for all you other joe's to catch up. :)

Cheers to everyone that helped me with the project and Looking forward to you guys checkin' out my little film.

/j

[Simon Höfer]

Congratulations man! Looking forward to it :)

[Beat Takeshi]

Whats up homie, how is it going so far?

[Edgen]

Whats up homie, how is it going so far?

Film is done. Just waiting for the flood gates to open for upload. :)

and...

just waiting on all you guys to hurry up and shoot your film, lock it, and upload it for me to score them. :)

/j

[Beat Takeshi]

Cool. I'm just waiting on rehearsals, the effects dude, a date and then we shoot. Got the location I wanted so its going to look how I was imagining it.

[Aaron Marshall]

Justin! I was hoping you would enter something in this fest. I can't wait to check it out.

[Edgen]

Thanks aaron! Yup... I couldn't just sit on the sidelines anymore and watch everyone have all the fun :)

I actually had a second film ready to go, but I don't think I'll be able to pull off a completely green screen'ed shoot in time for the deadline. :(

/j

[Robert Eldon]

Justin,

Congratulations on getting this done so quickly and so well! Are you wanting to do the other one? When is your 'hometown' tour?

[Edgen]

Robert,

I'd love to do my second fest entry idea, but again, I don't think i'll have the "Time" to do the green screen rotoscoping. (unless someone here is a god at after effects and is willing to help a dvxr' out)

[Reeven]

Looks great, glad to see another HV20 user!

[Brandon Rice]

welp. Film is more or less done and in the can. CC, edit, sound, music all done and locked. All I need is one last ext shot and it's officially done. Now to sit and wait for all you other joe's to catch up. :)

Cheers to everyone that helped me with the project and Looking forward to you guys checkin' out my little film.

/j

Congrats Justin! WAY ahead of schedule! Nice work, can't wait to see your film!

[Mark Johnson]

You must have been that kid who put the pencil down and held up his hand with, "Mrs. Barlow I'm finished" while all the other fifth graders groaned.

But thank God you're done so you can work on our score man!

[Mark Harris]

Wow, and i thought we were ahead of the game. All we have left is CC and a little VO recording and one piece of music.

[pia12254]

Hey Justin,

So, forgive me if this is a little off topic but I wanted to know what you think of the Canon HV20 having used it on your short. What are the advantages/disadvantages you encountered during a production like this? How does the image quality hold up for you? Any issues editing the HDV footage (and what editor do you use)?

Also, how does the manual focus work? Is it possible to adjust during the shot smoothly? And lastly...did you use the 24p mode and how does it look to you? :-)

Hope that's not too overwhelming! Any answers you can provide would be helpful!

Thanks!

Daniel

[Robert Eldon]

Daniel,

I hope Justin doesn't mind me chiming in here. I worked with Justin on "Solecism". I don't know much about operating the HV20, but the footage looks great! If you didn't know it was shot with an HV20, you wouldn't know any better.

Audio was an issue as the HV20 doesn't have XLR inputs. We ended up using a mixer to supply phantom power to the mics. You could also use an adapter for XLR inputs and phantom power. I think we got real good audio.

Also, the small HV20 looked... out of place, when it was mounted to the crane. :)

[Edgen]

Daniel,

+/- of the HV20..

It's a plus that it's small and easy to move, but, a disadvantage as a hand held shot feels like a hand held shot. there's no weight. It's like someone firing a plastic gun versus a real one. there's just no recoil.

The manual focus is hard to use if you have the view finder flipped out and over. It's hard to reach your fingers in there especially if you are looking to get a low angle shot where you need to have the finder straight in the air.

Robert hit it with the XLR inputs, but there's always around that.

lack of Manual controls such as the iris and gain.. If you want to control one, you loose control over the other two. I guess that's why it's a consumer camera and not a pro.

When using a 35mm adapter, you are limited to whatever lens you are using. you can see my sample test video here with the twoneil delux adapter: http://www.vimeo.com/825376

24p mode looks cool I guess. Bottom line.. If the actors and the story moves you, the visuals will not matter much. (until everyone crits the film and picks it apart to the point of find 'something' wrong visually)

footage... I actually captured the film wrong. I'm using vegas 6 and captured SD at 720 instead of hd.

I guess you guys will just have to see. :)

Cheers,
/j

[pia12254]

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!

I'm looking to get one possibly...I usually borrow friends cameras but I would like something of my own. I'll probably get the XLR-mini jack adapter that mounts on the bottom of the camera.

Anyway, thanks again for the input and looking forward to your entry!!!

Ciao.

[Robert Eldon]

Justin,

Are you back in town?

[Edgen]

Yup! I'm baaaack.

Much needed rest and vacation.. now to hit the pavement running hard...
/j

[Tom Marshall]

Cool man, welcome back. :)

[Thecreativeidea]

Can't wait for this one, seems really good

[Robert Eldon]

So Justin, since you finished this so early, what have you been doing with your time?

How many entries are you scoring? I've seen your name mentioned on a few.

[totitefilms]

It's nice to see another HV20 user in here. Your actress looks like my favorite Summer Glau ;-) Can't wait to see her acting.

[Edgen]

alrightyo! The film is officially ready for upload. (well, it has been for a while), but I got it compressed down and for the most part, I'm pretty happy with it.

I hope you guys will enjoy this lil' bity.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out this round. Now... to rent a starship sound stage, fly to new Zealand for the exterior shots, and to shoot it with the Arriflex 35mm. :) heheheh

Robert, It looks like I'm down to scoring 7 films this round. Originally it was 9, but a few have backed out... The fest isn't over just yet, but I've officially got 3 of them in the can. (of course including my own film)

/j

[Herman Witkam]

Sounds great Justin! (especially the New Zealand exteriors and the soundstage)

Which other 7 films are you working on?

[Edgen]

1. Solecism - mea
2. The Farewell - Benjamin Eck
3. Push - Matt Scone

4. O2 - Tim Hyten
5. Mordere - Aram Bauman
6. Moment of Impact - Matthew Ramsaur
7. Mike Pedro's film..

I haven't heard from Mike yet on whether or not he's in for sure, so I dunno.

/j

[Beat Takeshi]

I just sent you a second cut of the movie.

[Edgen]

I just sent you a second cut of the movie.

Got it Aram!

Anxious to see the final final cut. Is this one pretty close?

/j

[Robert Eldon]

alrightyo! The film is officially ready for upload. (well, it has been for a while), but I got it compressed down and for the most part, I'm pretty happy with it.

I hope you guys will enjoy this lil' bity.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out this round. Now... to rent a starship sound stage, fly to new Zealand for the exterior shots, and to shoot it with the Arriflex 35mm. :) heheheh

Robert, It looks like I'm down to scoring 7 films this round. Originally it was 9, but a few have backed out... The fest isn't over just yet, but I've officially got 3 of them in the can. (of course including my own film)

/j

Justin,

It was a pleasure working with you, as always. :) It seems like forever since "Solecism" was completed. We could have entered 6 more, one a week, because of the extended deadline!

Good luck with your music scores with 8 more days to go. Hope you have enough 'time'.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of the films and there should be a lot this round. There are some highly anticipated films and, I hope, some exceptional 'sleepers'.

[Edgen]

Thank you Robert... I'm actually gearing up for shooting a little prequal to my "Cristo" film. Matt's got this badass location right below the Hollywood sign and it over looks this little lake nestled up in the hills. So, I'm looking forward to getting that script ready to roll. Plus, I want to try out the HV20 with my Twoneil 35 mm adapter.

I'm down to just to 6 scores now.

Hey Herman... How many are you doing this round? I heard 15? :) heheheh

/j

[Robert Eldon]

Thank you Robert... I'm actually gearing up for shooting a little prequal to my "Cristo" film. Matt's got this badass location right below the Hollywood sign and it over looks this little lake nestled up in the hills. So, I'm looking forward to getting that script ready to roll. Plus, I want to try out the HV20 with my Twoneil 35 mm adapter./j

Cool. A prequel. Same cast? I thought that you were filming the prequel for "Cristo" on a starship set and exteriors in New Zealand? :huh:

So what kinda of 35mm adapter is this 'Twoneil'? Have you got any test footage to view?

Looking forward to getting some feedback on "Solecism"!

[Edgen]

ha!! New Zealand is 'AFTER' the prequal. Ya, it's going to be the same cast, cept Matt is going to play the younger Cristo Sr. and Nicholle will be cristo's wife. (obvious choice because she's the girl in the clock picture) I'll have to send you the script when it's ready.

as for the 35, here's the footage:
http://www.vimeo.com/825376

There's a lot of things I learned and messed up on. Hopefully I won't make the same mistakes twice when shooting actual humans instead of nature shots and babies. :)

/j

[homer]

I like the image you got out of the camera. Definately takes experience and talent to get a nice picture from a consumer cam. I'm assuming you used a 35mm adaptor?

[Edgen]

I like the image you got out of the camera. Definately takes experience and talent to get a nice picture from a consumer cam. I'm assuming you used a 35mm adaptor?

Thanks homer! Are you referring to the stills on the first page?
http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_still02.jpg

http://www.edgen.com/solecism/edgen_solecism_dvx_still.jpg

Or the footage on the Vimeo?

I didn't get a chance to use the adapter for the Solecism shoot. (it arrived two days later) :)

I just shot the picture from a good distance and zoomed in. Ahh, i love the zoom.

/j

[Tom Marshall]

ha!! New Zealand is 'AFTER' the prequal. Ya, it's going to be the same cast, cept Matt is going to play the younger Cristo Sr. and Nicholle will be cristo's wife. (obvious choice because she's the girl in the clock picture) I'll have to send you the script when it's ready.
/j


Same cast, eh? When do I get my sides? :cheesy:

[Edgen]

Tommy...

Don't worry... you are still a henchman. :) hehehehe

(i suppose you will be your dad)

[homer]

i meant the stills, i'm not a fan of judging videos with the adapter. Don't get me wrong I'm going to build one myself, i think its awesome, its just that it seems distracting kind of like a optical illusion. Any camera will look better and shot becomes more "artistic", bc its in relation to a blurry area that's right next to it. so when I see any shot and i'm trying to critique it, I do two things, try to imagine it with no shallow depth of field to see what they're shooting and then ask myself why they are using a shallow depth of field. I think a lot people throw around that look for no reason so it seems more film like or professional. For instance do you (not you personally but the "royal" you) have to shoot someone standing next to a telephone pole blocking a good portion of the image just so you can show that theres a shallow DOF or something like that. It just says that not much planning when into the shots as a whole and how they relate to each other. just my humble opinion.

[Robert Eldon]

Same cast, eh? When do I get my sides? :cheesy:

Don't forget the gum...

[Edgen]

i meant the stills, i'm not a fan of judging videos with the adapter. Don't get me wrong I'm going to build one myself, i think its awesome, its just that it seems distracting kind of like a optical illusion. Any camera will look better and shot becomes more "artistic", bc its in relation to a blurry area that's right next to it. so when I see any shot and i'm trying to critique it, I do two things, try to imagine it with no shallow depth of field to see what they're shooting and then ask myself why they are using a shallow depth of field. I think a lot people throw around that look for no reason so it seems more film like or professional. For instance do you (not you personally but the "royal" you) have to shoot someone standing next to a telephone pole blocking a good portion of the image just so you can show that theres a shallow DOF or something like that. It just says that not much planning when into the shots as a whole and how they relate to each other. just my humble opinion.

Homer no worries on the artistic mumbo. That one shot with the stuff in front is actually a moving dolly shot. You'll see how it plays out in the film.

as for the film pole.. I think it's more for me of forcing the viewer on a single subject matter. I actually have another shot where over half the frame is filled up. It's just because I'd like your eye to watch one particular part of the screen. Again, you'll see. :) (it's actually a TV blocking the view)

Regardless, I hope you'll enjoy my film and not even notice the 'art stuff'.

/j

[homer]

oh no my rant was directed against some of these low budget films I see some times(some of them are made to attract emos and such), they're usually straight to video. These people compensate a story by putting in these shots to make a scene seem more dramatic and emotional. I meant "you" as in the group of film makers who seem to work off each other in making this crap. but yea I get the purpose of the 35mm adapter, it just gets so abused some times.

i didn't see your video until after I wrote it when I went looking through the pages, cute kid. It was a nice montage.

[Robert Eldon]

ha!! New Zealand is 'AFTER' the prequal. Ya, it's going to be the same cast, cept Matt is going to play the younger Cristo Sr. and Nicholle will be cristo's wife. (obvious choice because she's the girl in the clock picture) I'll have to send you the script when it's ready.

as for the 35, here's the footage:
http://www.vimeo.com/825376

There's a lot of things I learned and messed up on. Hopefully I won't make the same mistakes twice when shooting actual humans instead of nature shots and babies. :)

/j

Hey, that's some real nice footage. How does the adapter mount to the HV20?

[Edgen]

Alrightyo!! It's on!

Just uploaded "Solecism" and it's hopefully officially done and approved for viewing.

Now to hurry to wait.



the hv20 with the adapter... Its about 8 inches long and screws into the threads of the HV20.

here's some pics of my hv20 + Deluxe Twoneil 35mm adapter:
(note: the adapter was not used for Solecism)
http://www.edgen.com/hv20/edgen_hv20_twoneil_35mm_adapter01.jpg

http://www.edgen.com/hv20/edgen_hv20_twoneil_35mm_adapter02.jpg

http://www.edgen.com/hv20/edgen_hv20_twoneil_35mm_adapter03.jpg

Word is bond.
James Bond.

[Robert Eldon]

Alrightyo!! It's on!

Just uploaded "Solecism" and it's hopefully officially done and approved for viewing.

Now to hurry to wait.


the hv20 with the adapter... Its about 8 inches long and screws into the threads of the HV20.

here's some pics of my hv20 + Deluxe Twoneil 35mm adapter:
(note: the adapter was not used for Solecism)

Word is bond.
James Bond.

Whoa! That is one odd looking contraption, but it creates some real nice images. Justin, is it powered? I thought you said it was vibrating glass?

Thanks for the pics. Very interesting.

Now... on with the show!

[Edgen]

ya, it's powered.. i just didn't have the battery pack attached to it. See the little LCR connection? That's where the battery hooks into.

yup!

On with the show!

[Beat Takeshi]

We used a get up like this for some subway shots where we still wanted the 35mm look but had to hide the camera.

http://www.puffinfilms.com/Final_Outlaw/BTS/IMG_0861.jpg

[Tom Marshall]

We used a get up like this for some subway shots where we still wanted the 35mm look but had to hide the camera.

http://www.puffinfilms.com/Final_Outlaw/BTS/IMG_0861.jpg

Mike looks ticked off... :angry:

[Beat Takeshi]

Here is a happier shot :)

http://www.puffinfilms.com/Final_Outlaw/BTS/IMG_0859.jpg

[Tom Marshall]

That's better... Mike's a cool guy. He was good to have around on the FM set too.

[Edgen]

Hey guys.. Just wanted to let you guys know My music just got picked up in one of HULK Tv spots. It's Spot #5.. It's only 11 seconds, but hey... it's in there! ;)

http://www.justindurban.com/images/the_increditble_hulk_music_poster.jpg

You can watch it here.
http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/the-incredible-hulk/tv-spot-5

Anyway, that's it.. "I was just excited and I just couldn't hide it... I'm about to lose control and I think I like it..."

[jasonthewho]

Awesome! Gonna watch it right now.

[Edgen]

We used a get up like this for some subway shots where we still wanted the 35mm look but had to hide the camera.

http://www.puffinfilms.com/Final_Outlaw/BTS/IMG_0861.jpg

What is that lens? Is it the brevis?

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Looks like the Brevis to me. I would love to get one of those sometime.

[Mark Johnson]

Hey Justin, just a shout out with thanks to you for your incredible talents and patience working with us on our score. Bravo, dude.

[Edgen]

Hey Justin, just a shout out with thanks to you for your incredible talents and patience working with us on our score. Bravo, dude.

My pleasure! Hopefully I"ll nail the end result on the next pass. :) LOoking forward to seeing you guys' finished film. Should be super sweeet!

I suppose that's a good thing about being a composer for many of these films... I get to see them before everyone else. :thumbup:

[Beat Takeshi]

Yeah the Brevis and 50mm.

[Matt Sconce]

Hey Justin, just a shout out with thanks to you for your incredible talents and patience working with us on our score. Bravo, dude.
Ditto! Thanks again!

[Edgen]

Ditto! Thanks again!

Of course Matt! My pleasure :)

Now, On with the Paying gigs....




Can one bill their own hours and claim that as 'promotion' on taxes?



/j

[Edgen]

Uploaded, Upload Verified, Approved

we are ready to go!!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Awesome! I predict that you will do well.

Thanks again for the lending of the music. :)

Cheers!

Mike

[Mark Johnson]

Justin, we are both honored and grateful to have our works riding on your wonderful score two times running now. Many many many best wishes to you and your family. I trust that when we have the big Los Angeles screening of Time Fest finalists that you can find a way to attend?

[Edgen]

Awesome! I predict that you will do well.

Thanks again for the lending of the music. :)

Cheers!

Mike
Mike, my pleasure man! I hope the music worked out for you and anxious to see your final film.


Justin, we are both honored and grateful to have our works riding on your wonderful score two times running now. Many many many best wishes to you and your family. I trust that when we have the big Los Angeles screening of Time Fest finalists that you can find a way to attend?

Mark! You bet man... ya, just let me know when you guys are going to do the screening and I'll make my way out over there with beers in hand. :) This fest has been a fun ride.

[Brandon Rice]

Can't wait to see the film dude, and hear your music and many other shorts!

[Matt Sconce]

Can't wait to see the film dude, and hear your music and many other shorts!


The music he did for PUSH was perfect. Thanks again my friend. Good luck with this short. I am interested to see the HV20 in action.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Good Luck I have a good feeling about this one

Rogan

[Robert Eldon]

The anticipation mounts...

Can't wait to watch all of the films this round.

Can't wait to see comments and thoughts about "Solecism".

Patience grasshopper...

[Tom Marshall]

Good Luck I have a good feeling about this one

Rogan

ditto!

[Edgen]

Viewing is now open!!! Go and watch the films. :)

http://www.dvxfest.com/timefest

[Existentialist]

Watched your movie, one of my favs so far, let me tell you why.

Very non predictable. And in the end, you managed to pull some emotion from me.

Good job. Kudos to your actor too. He's very natural.

10/10

[Beat Takeshi]

This was a big challenge for you and your actor to keep us interested since it was only him for most of the short and I thought you came through and accomplished that. I never felt like I needed to move on to something else because of the conflicts that were happening. We all can relate to most of the film which makes it great. The ending I hope to never to relate to but I can imagine the feeling because I am a dad too and now that you are one I know how you feel. Like takes on a different meaning after having kids. Great job guys.

[Edgen]

Thanks guys for the kind words! ;)

I hope it struck some chords.



As for the film itself, I think you've gota download it individually.. It looks like my film was not included in the big .zip files. grrr.. (unless i'm completely off and missing something)

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I really liked this as well. The lead actor was very good. The ending was also very real. Nice work!

My only minor gripe is with the Gardener. Too many blank looks and where was he in the end?? Aside from that this was perfect.

Once again, it's a minor thing. This movie was pretty awesome!

Great work!

[Mattykins]

Rolling and reviewing:

Loved the sprint logo there in your face. Actor was good. Colorwise you jump around a little bit from the beginning of the house entry to the second shot. Went from really warm to not so much.

Wondering what was with the gardener though. I liked the shot right before 2:25 of with the OTS double of the TV and him. And loving the baby stuff around. But does that gardner man do anything other that stare? I don't think he moved at all thought the film...

I like how you make give the guy some real feeling by the baby stuff and the wedding pictures. The pseudo-reveal earlier in the film is terrifying. I don't even have words. I don't even have words...

[Edgen]

The gardener...

I shouldn't have to explain, but I will.

His character represents "you guys" as the viewer of the film. He's aware something is happening, but doesn't know what to do about it. You know something is wrong, but you cannot quite figure it out. By the time you figure out the film, the gardener is no longer needed. Its just one of the characters, that knows something, but resists, or is perhaps lost in translation. Much like how all of us are when it comes to a dramatic situation. Do you help in the situation? Or do you look the other way?

The Gardener looked the other way.

Make sense?


thank you everyone again for viewing.

[Robert Eldon]

Hey Justin,

Looks like "Solecism" is in the 'time08_0004.zip' now... if it wasn't before.

[krestofre]

Make sense?
.

Um ... no. :)

Thanks for the explanation, but like everyone else the gardner just confused me and at the end of the film I was left wondering what he was all about instead of being concerned with the events transpiring.

That being said, my heart started skipping beats when I figured out what was going on.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

That being said, my heart started skipping beats when I figured out what was going on.Yes! That really got my heart going as well. The payoff was perfect!

Cheers,

Mike

[bosindy]

I like the lead in this. Sort of Dave Grohl meets Charlie from "Party of Five." He did a fine job with the material.

The story overall lacked tension. I think at times in these fests we sacrifice other elements of story in the interest of having a twist at the end. I think explicitly letting the audience know the child was in the car could have raised the stakes throughout and more could have been done with the gardener's failure to act. The film plays more instructional than dramatic to me.

nice incorporation of the time theme. Nice camera work as well.

[Brandon Rice]

OMG Justin...

the execution of the story blew me away...

props.

[Gohanto]

Well shot film, but I kept expecting it to go in a lot of different directions. Most of the time I thought the film was going to be about a cool "invention" he had being made by someone else who stole it. And the end, while an interesting idea and it did grab me by surprise, it just felt a little cheap to me since it really didn't seem to have anything to do with the rest of the movie imo.

[Edgen]

I think explicitly letting the audience know the child was in the car could have raised the stakes throughout and more could have been done with the gardener's failure to act. The film plays more instructional than dramatic to me.
Ya know... we toyed with that idea too to let the audience know right off the bat. I'm curious to see what the audience would think the other way around. The gardener is just one of those odd characters looming around. I just made a post about him earlier.

yes, Matt is a wonderful actor. can't wait to work with him again.



OMG Justin...

the execution of the story blew me away...

props.
Thank you brandon. :)



...And the end, while an interesting idea and it did grab me by surprise, it just felt a little cheap to me since it really didn't seem to have anything to do with the rest of the movie imo.

Did you not see all the baby toys and stuff all around him? The clues were there the entire time.




Thank you for watching.

[Brandon Rice]

Did you not see all the baby toys and stuff all around him? The clues were there the entire time.

That was what made it work so well...

the whole time I'm thinking "wait, so where's the kid?"

then when he says "little man's asleep" I'm thinking "wha?"

Then I realize... "he has no idea where the kid is!"

Then I realize "the kids in the car!!!"

[Robert Eldon]

* SPOILER *

That was what made it work so well...

the whole time I'm thinking "wait, so where's the kid?"

then when he says "little man's asleep" I'm thinking "wha?"

Then I realize... "he has no idea where the kid is!"

Then I realize "the kids in the car!!!"

Brandon, I love the way you explained this. :thumbsup:

[Mark Johnson]

As a Dad this really hit me with an emotional wallop. I was totally caught up in this to the point that when she asked about the baby I felt my stomach drop. It is so hard to tell a story that resonates emotionally and you certainly pulled it off here. What a great piece of work Justin. My hat is off to you for this story.

[Matt Sconce]

Absolutely powerful, and a wake up call to us all of what really matters. As a new dad, I physically broke with the poor guy at the end. Amazingly done as usual.

[pauly_the_hitman]

Man I am so glad they decided to take those child CPR classes what would have come of the little man if not scared to think about it. Well acted good story and nicely shot. Good job guys.

[khill]

This is great little short! Especially how you wrapped it up at the end.

K

[gabrielflorit]

I liked this - wasn't too sold on the intro scenes, I'm a little bit jaded when it comes to talking-while-driving scenes. But then, when he walks in the house, sits down, that's when his acting picked up. The dialogue felt a little bit contrived - no one talks like that on the phone, I could tell his lines were written so the audience would know what was going on without having the other person audible. Didn't like the gardener at all, the first time I saw him I figured there was some kind of paranormal thing going on with him, mainly because the color palette on his shots is so different than the muted indoor shots. The short didn't need him at all - you know you have unnecessary material when you have to explain it to the audience, but hey, hindsight is 20/20. But the best part of the entire thing came at the end, she takes the baby, he stays there, and his expression is priceless, VERY well done.

I enjoyed it! Thanks.

[justin ewart]

I think it's a great piece because we all do this kind of thing - not with a baby of course - but we get caught up and forget an appointment, etc. so it really resonates with most people... Successfully made me feel like I wanted to die!
:D

[Aaron Marshall]

I sort of liked the gardener. He gave the film a Lynchian unnerving quality. Not everything has to make literal sense in a film. It's not an after school special.

The musical cue for the gardener was humorous. It was supposed to be what he was listening to on his headphones, but it came off seeming to me like a racial stereotype. Let me get this straight: there's a latino gardener gazing from the bushes listening to his prescribed music? Come on! A change of musical cue would soften up that blow. Score something dark and ominous, and can the hat dancing music. :)

I thought the main actor did a great job. I didn't sympathize with his character, but that wasn't the fault of the actor. It was the situation created in the script that made it fall through for me. At the end of the movie I just thought, "You moronic bastard", over the character's actions. I'm glad the baby was ok, or else I would have been extremely pissed off.

I think your direction has matured greatly since Cristo. I can see it in the technical and creative aspects. Great job. It was good to see your little rugrat in his onscreen debut. Overall I have more praise for this film than criticism.

Great job!

[ZazaCast]

Excellent film! You had me all the way, although I wondered where the child was when he mentioned that he 'had a family now'. Great acting...some of the best I've seen in this fest. Great story. I love the camera work, it kept it interesting with just the one character. I didn't really understand the gardener with the ipod?

VERY well done!

[jasonthewho]

Very good short, the ending was awesomely good. The editing, music and acting made it very powerful. I also loved the tracking in shot where he's lying on his back and is on the phone.

No real new criticisms to add, I agree that the gardener just confused me, and there were some CC issues.

[Moojangles]

Just finished watching, I loved the acting. That guy put out a very believable performance. Nice camera work for the most part although there were a few times where you could see the camera being jerked slightly.

The audio was great and i really liked the story. It was simple but reflects real-life so people can relate easily. Well written and very well executed.

Very nice work :)
Congrats.

[AmyO]

Beautiful camera work. Nice pacing of the story. I liked the main characters ups and downs with the phone conversations, gave the film a good rhythm.

And you about gave me a panic attack at the end! The Mom in me comes front and center when kids are in jeopardy like that. Even on a second viewing I still got anxious. And I'm counting that as a good thing ;) .

Very solid film. Great work!

[totitefilms]

Nice movie. The story is good. The acting is nice. But it looks like you forgot to remove the pull-down cause I could still see some interlaced footages. You should also remove the letterbox next time. The movie looks much better without it. Great job!

[Richard J. Johnson]

This one is in the top 3 for me. There were a few issues with CC and sound,(as if mine does not) BUT, that in no way distracted me from the twist. I have kids and that gave me chills. GREAT JOB.

[Susanne G.]

The story is very intelligent and unfortunately sometimes a mirror of our western society. The acting of the main character was very good, but I didn't understand the southamerican man outside the house. What was his function in this film? Above all I liked this film. Compliments.

Susanne

[Geoff_R]

Justin, nice work man. I really felt for the guy at the end and it was nerve racking for sure.. I liked the camera work for the most part, my fav shots being the profile shot in the kitchen as he rinses the burnt pan and the slow dolly in while he lies down on that sofa.. Nice twist at the end.. Overall a solid piece :)

Geoff

[Brandon Rice]

justin, you were in my top 5 for the fest... wonderful short!

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Wow, very interesting. I'm a dad of one little guy and another on the way and personally I found it very hard to relate in that I cannot fathom forgeting my kid for more than ten minutes (even that I've never done). But it did succeed in getting an emotional reaction from me.

Also, I was pretty dang disappointed that Justin Durbun does a video and there's pretty much no music to it. wtf mate? :-).

[Arrik]

Justin, I finally got around to watching your film. Awesome. The reveal scared the bejeesus outta me. Definitely a "SNAP" moment, but alot more serious though :)

I agree with Shawneous, I thought you were going to make a movie that enabled you to make the ultimate score, but I guess you do that for everyone and you wanted something different? Totally appropriate for your story though.

Great job, great setup.

Thanks again for your help, and hopefully we can return the favor for you soon enough.

[Danielleus]

Hey man,

Just caught the flick. I enjoyed it and thought it's execution, tone, acting were all quite nice. Th editing and angles were especially great. I also really enjoyed your production design. His house just SCREAMS baby but you wonder where he is.

I don't like the gardener/neighbor. He just doesn't seem very well grounded in the film. I read what you said about him but I don't buy it. If we had seen maybe like a quick interaction between him and the lead, even if it's just the two in the scene together, I think I would have bought his presence more.

Story-wise I thought that this could have been tighter. It just seemed like a tad too much talking on the phone without getting to sort of the meat of the idea. Is this guy a negligent father or is he just so stressed he forgot about the kid? He comes off as a negligent father is some ways and not so much in others. Also, while I know the stuff on the phone pertains to the story, I would have like to hear it tie in with the theme/idea just a tad more. But that's me being really picky.

Overall I thought this was a very nice piece, well executed with a deep story.

[Edgen]

Heylo everyone! I hope you don't mind me completely hijacking the entire forum with my thread comments. I just finished watching ALLLL the films so I wanted to get those out of the way first before getting back to Solecism.

I appreciate all the wonderful comments and I'm glad most of you enjoyed the film. Again, I wish I could explain the gardener, but there's just some things I would rather keep to myself and not explain. I guess that's the 'artist' in me. I would however; like to add one last shot just to wrap that up.

As for the forgetful dad.. yes, I realize there's no way in the world I would ever leave my son in the car, but I bet you that I'll NEVER let that happen to me just because of this film.

Another thing I'm surprised you guys never caught was the countdown in the film. Since it was in the vein of "Time", I wrote in a little easter egg sort of thing. Dunno if anyone got it or not.


Keep the comments coming!

[Arrik]

OMFG, you really did hijack the entire Individual Discussion forum!! That's impressive. How long did that take you?

[Herman Witkam]

Hey Justin - I liked it. I didn't understand the role of the gardener though.

I was waiting all the way through for the score to come in. When it did come in, it did a pretty good job. I like how it subtly speeds up.

[Edgen]

OMFG, you really did hijack the entire Individual Discussion forum!! That's impressive. How long did that take you?

Ha!! It took me a good 30-45 minutes last night. Since I had all my notes in a word .doc it didn't take too long. Sometimes I got to antsy and I had to wait the 30sec for me to post again.

Thanks Herman! I was reluctant to even do that much scoring. I wanted something very minimal, but it kind of got out of hand. I think it works for the most part, but I think right after the last... "boom", it does this double time click thing... that should have come in earlier I think. I may go back and re-visit the music and the wrap the gardener scene up for the festival cut. (tighten up the opening car scene)

thanks for watching!

[hawaiiirish]

This was a great little short; I think a card at the end stating it was a PSA for baby CPR would have been appropriate.

I'm a new father (6 month old) and work-from-home dad; so, the minute he walked into the house with the toys, the gig was up for me. The gardener (while I understand your larger 'artistic' point) seemed to give it away. It's Chekov's gun law: "if you show the gun on stage, you'd better use it." So, the tension for me was "when is [the lead] going to figure it out?" I was waiting for the reveal.

Just a character issue: when the smoke-alarm goes off, wouldn't he be concerned about 'little man' waking up? As a papa, aware of how noises play havoc on sleeping babies, I would. So, is the dad a klutz (as you would have us believe by the title of the piece) or just negligent?

Performances were great, sound was good and it was shot well. Good job and congrats on entering the fest!

[hazelwould]

Hey Edgen,

I caught the film.

Um... Where to begin. I had originally downloaded this a while ago, and skimmed through it. And I decided to watch it in full... Since you gave mine a shot (even though you had to fight through it).

The overall feel of the film felt very standard, and bland. There's really nothing engaging with the first, or really any of the conversations he had on his phone (he's having work troubles... What kind? How does that REALLY effect him? Also, how is his family REALLY going to suffer?). I'd like to have seen some more human interaction. There should be some conflict to keep the viewer interested... There was slight conflict but it was more one sided. I understand you probably chose the whole phone conversation thing to speed shooting time, but overall not very effective.

I will say your actor (...even though 8 years with a firm?? He looked... MAYBE 25) did a pretty good job acting.

The lighting overall wasn't very engaging.

And the gardener??? How did he pertain to the story?

Sound was clear, and the minimal score was nice.

I liked the overall story with a guy leaving his kid in the car (as this is something more common then people think). Although it felt a little cheesy when they ran out there and did CPR.

Was this also one of your first films? If so you did a good job! As with me I'm sure you'll take the good and the bad and use it as a strong learning experience.

Seriously congrats on completing a short. I completed mine, and it was my first REAL short. I've learned alot.

[iSTy]

I like this, but was confused by the gardener, I thought he was a dummy at first cos he didn't appear to move.
Acting was good and I'm pleased he saved the baby's life :)
Thank you

[Tim Joy]

This one was well shot and the acting was very good. The pauses when he's on the phone seemed a little long to me though. I wouldn't mind hearing the other side of the conversation, and I think it could've spiced up the dialog.

I'm not a dad, and maybe I'm one of the "lowest-common-denominator" viewers, but I just thought his kid was with the wife or something. When your character has forgotten about his kid, and your audience doesn't know the kid is in the car (at least I didn't know) then everything until the reveal is just fluff, which is how I felt. There wasn't any suspense and I had no idea what the story was about. I think it would be more effective if the audience was told in the first car ride. Then, all the "fluff" is something bigger. It shows how focused the dad is on his own stuff, even to the point of forgetting about the most important thing in his life. I think it would add a lot more suspense. Especially if you showed the clock to the audience, then they're thinking "ooo, how long can that kid last in a hot car."

Anyway, I thought I'd give a non-parents take on this, if it's any help.

Again, the acting was very good. There were a couple moments that I didn't buy, or seemed off. - When he realizes the kid is in the car, it was too... I don't know.. duuhhh? Don't you think you would run through the wall if you remembered something like that? --When the wife says, "you guys have a good time at the park" it sounds like a question, not a statement.

Well done, but it didn't grab me because I didn't know what the story was until the end.
Congrats on entering and doing so much work for this fest!

[Norm Sanders]

Hey Justin, great job on getting another one done & in on time for the fest. I need to get back into these ... since I don't think the economy is going to allow me to get funding for a feature anytime soon, I've got nothing but time, right? :)

I've not read any of the other feedback on here, but just watched your film & put in my two cents worth.

1st, I see that you made it a point to have little to no score involved. VERY interesting approach, especially coming from a composer! That's fine. It worked. :)

I felt the main lead was a tad off the 1st half. Something about the phone call felt like he was acting, vs. us being privy to a conversation we shouldn't be hearing, etc.

The gardener outside was SUCH a distraction to me because everytime I'd see him I'd wonder what he's got to do with anything. Now I get it ... he was probably watching the baby in the car, wondering when the dad's going to come back out for it. Still, I was distracted by it.

Overall, I think the best part is the acting of the main lead starting from about the half way point on, especially his look at the end. GREAT. I think the female would have been screaming for an ambulance or something other than just watching him perform CPR on her baby, but that's just me. I know my wife wouldn't put all hope in me, and would be doing something else.

Camera work, audio, everything else seemed solid. I liked the story idea very much, and especially liked the ending, GLAD that the baby lived, so I got vested quickly at the very end.

If there's one thing I could change about this film, perhaps it would be the editing. Whether it's the pacing, or transitions ... not sure at this juncture, but it just felt like perhaps the editing was the area that most could have been improved to really take the story/events to another level.

All that said, I still rated this film fairly high, most likely because of the ending that did it for me. :)

[Edgen]

H

If there's one thing I could change about this film, perhaps it would be the editing.

Norm,

Thank you so much for taking the time for the review.

Shew.. The editing, I'm wondering if it were the sudden smash cuts with the gardener? It completely takes people away from the main character and I'm sure it doesn't help that people don't completely understand his involvement which makes it difficult for some.

Cheers!

[Edgen]

Hey guys....

I just uploaded another cut of the film.

I added a few things at the beginning. (including a brief baby in the car shot.) and hopefully wrapped up the questions you may of had about the Gardener.

http://www.vimeo.com/1296774

I can officially say this film is wrapped and moving its way to the festival circa. Let's see how that goes.

word.

/j