24/7 - A ZazaCast Film

[ZazaCast]

VIEW FILM HERE (http://www.dvxfest.com/timefest/direct_dl.php?id=1000176)


Greetings-
Well, I'm very new to all this & happened to find you guys...GREAT site...GREAT people! So I figure (I'm not getting any younger)...give it a go.

I have to say this is the best source for information & education on filmmaking I've been able to find on the web. I just purchased a DVX100B (lovin it)....and after doing some more research (and reading the review of the Kessler crane) called Eric Kessler up and purchased an 8' crane, head and K-Pod! Can't wait to get it!

Here's a poster idea for my project "24/7"
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1213221905.jpg

If your life falls apart and no one’s there to hear it, does it make a sound?

You think your life is random? YOU control your fate?
Time is what separates cause & effect...someone has to watch it...24/7.


GRABS:

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1212643858.jpg
George Harvey

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1212644034.jpg
Toddeen Marie

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1212643976.jpg
Joseph Anthony

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1212644054.jpg
Introducing: Sparkus Maximus

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1212644150.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1212644079.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1212644122.jpg


CREW:

Written by Me

Story by Me

Assistant directors: Me, Myself & I

Art director: Me

Sound: Me

Gaffer: Me

Key grip: Me

Grip/2nd AC: Me

Director/DP: Me..again!

[ConspiracyPenguin]

I am intrigued. Welcome to the site and welcome to the Fest. Just a heads up, though, the Mods will probably move this into the "Individual Film Discussion" forum. Good luck!

[Robbie Comeau]

Hm, nice poster. Looks really interesting.

Robbie

[Ki-Ki]

Honestly, really interested. Looking to hear more. =P

[ZazaCast]

Thanks so much... I'm really looking forward to this. Hammering out some kinks & starting to shoot some test footage. I know it won't compare with all you guys, but I'm here to learn.

Cheers,
-Zaza

[Matt Sconce]

Sounds great! The secret is Never stop making movies no matter the quality and eventually you'll learn enough to make your vision!

[Rodney V. Smith]

welcome dude. this one sounds cool as hell

[Simon Höfer]

Hey Zasa, somehow I missed your thread. Welcome to the fest! Nice poster and your idea also sounds really interesting! :) Any news?

[Edgen]

Welcome to the madness!

but ya... to make a film, you've just gota go out and do it. And then keep doing it. :)

/j

[Gohanto]

Sounds great! The secret is Never stop making movies no matter the quality and eventually you'll learn enough to make your vision!

Considering my most recent movie had more things go wrong with it than all my previous movies put together x 5 and ended up being my worst film to date, I agree as I learned how to better prepare for those situations.

[Mark Harris]

Good luck!!!

[ZazaCast]

Thanks Mark... in checking out R.P.D.M., I'm pretty sure I'll need all the luck I can get! Looks REALLY cool, can't wait to see it.

You wouldn't think it could be that tough, but writing & rewriting the script, finding locations, finding actors..and then there's the weather...this sh#t is crazy! LOL

...back to work....

[Mark Harris]

yeah, welcome to my world. But it's super fun. Just make yourself happy with the work.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Nice looking poster! Welcome to the Jungle!

[Rodney V. Smith]

locations and weather... now that's one potent combination. at least you're not shooting on a beach (with all of the difficulty that that particular location comes with).... and if you are thinking of shooting on a beach take my advice: don't do it.

Cool poster: Who designed it?

[ZazaCast]

Advise taken... no beaches (we only have them around lakes...just not the same)

I designed the poster, it's only my second movie poster, but I've gotten pretty good with photoshop over the years. You can see my first attempt here:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=130610

No one ever responded to it...????

Thanks again for the advise

[Gary Sconce]

Sounds great! The secret is Never stop making movies no matter the quality and eventually you'll learn enough to make your vision!

Ditto! It is rewarding and fun to make something from nothing that makes other people happy. BTW the DVX100B is a GREAT camera.:happy:

[Mark T. Aro]

Ditto! It is rewarding and fun to make something from nothing that makes other people happy. BTW the DVX100B is a GREAT camera.:happy:


Yes welcome... and to add to what Gary is saying... I believe that Matt shot Stricken (the short) with that camera and it was beautiful.

[Beat Takeshi]

Welcome to the fest dude. Hope all goes well. :)

[Mark Johnson]

Great to have you on board. This is truly one of the best communities on the net. Your poster looks great!

[ZazaCast]

Thanks Mark... and I'd say the same to you...but I think the 70's party days just caught-up to me (those important brain cells...gone)... cause I can't quite makeout WHAT yours says. LOL!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Cool twilight zone vibe to the poster.

Welcome and looking forward to your entry sir.

:beer:

[ZazaCast]

Grabs added...

This has been quite the journey & a lot of fun. If it could go wrong, it did! This is my first short ever, so I can only go up from here (I hope!).

[ZazaCast]

As done as it will ever be... time to walk away...
(My head will explode if I have to look at this one more time!)

Best of luck to all...can't wait to see some REAL filmmaker's work!
Cheers,
-Zaza

[Simon Höfer]

Haha, congrats i guess :D

You finished your short? You are a filmmaker :) You get better everytime you make one!

[Gary Sconce]

I like Sparkus Maximus! :love4:

[ZazaCast]

I like Sparkus Maximus! :love4:

...and you should see his contract rider; custom trailer, catnip, fresh litter....it never ends! :2vrolijk_08:

[Existentialist]

That still of the cat is just awesome!!

[ZazaCast]

Thanks Jack... for all your help & support.


Jack Daniel Stanley Rocks!

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1211511114.gif

[Susanne G.]

Hello ZazaCast,

you must be really crazy to make a film alone. After my first film experience with this TimeFest competition, I understood above all: more time and more crew you have, better it is!

Best wishes and lots of luck.

Susanne

[Dustin R. Rogan]

good luck sir!

[ZazaCast]

Thanks Dustin...but the real thrill is just getting it done, in & approved! Now I can't wait to watch all these great films...can you smell the popcorn?

[ZazaCast]

Hello ZazaCast,

you must be really crazy to make a film alone. After my first film experience with this TimeFest competition, I understood above all: more time and more crew you have, better it is!

Best wishes and lots of luck.

Susanne


Thanks Susanne...and yes crazy IS my middle name! I'm just happy to have made a film and have it approved. Can't wait to see yours.

Cheers & best of luck to you and your crew,
-Za

[Drew Ott]

Nice short.

I'm not sure I understand exactly what you were trying to say but I still enjoyed guessing what was going to happen next.

I thought the introduction was a little bit long for such a short time limit. Acting also felt a lot like they were just reading the script. I could see this being a good script but the acting stopped me from believing everything that was happening though.

Great work though. Congrats on getting a finished film. Can't wait to see your next one.

[Mattykins]

Zaza,

I liked the pacing. Felt like a music video. And music is the thing you do.

I liked the contrast with the fast paced music and searching and the guy walking in the woods. I also liked the appearance of the weed at a minute and change in. Haha.

The reading of the lines sounded like a...book on tape. Which is kinda relaxing. I liked the butterfly effect deal going on. It was quite exquisite the tree deal.

The lines did feel a little forced. It had an interesting feel to it for sure. I did like the opening camera move and the second take of it at 4 minutes and change.

Overall I enjoyed it. It was a good watch. Looking forward to your next piece. :)

Oh, I liked how the walking seemed to match the music at 4:late.

[Gohanto]

Acting, as previously mentioned, was a little weak. Interesting concept though which held my attention and it also had a very good use of music. A variety of cool shots throughout on top of that.

BTW - That Sony LCD remote on the table = awesome (I own the same one).

[ZazaCast]

This is great! You guys are WAY too kind (I know this movie sucks)..and I sincerely thank you for all of you comments & feedback. I'm hoping to use this information to make a much better film for the next fest.

Thanks to all!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Good entry with solid concept (the science and theory behind it). Over all I enjoyed it, especially the twist at the end and the feeling of inevitability that led to it.

Acting was the weak point in this and could have probably done with some more blocking and a good choice of angles and actions to suit the scene. The lines did feel a little forced and it would take an excellent actor to spout the theories in a convincing way, so that aspect disappointed.

Your introduction was a little too long, especially since you seemed to have repeated the footage. If you had just gone straight into the story and gone to the time you had insteadof trying to get a 6 minute entry, it would have served your story-telling a lot stronger.

I liked some of the interesting things you did visually with the strange camera moves but have to wonder if you accomplished some of that in post. They did lend rather well to the story the odd movements.

Good entry and I hope to see more of your work soon.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

I'm not going to regurgitate my points, they've been said above...(long intro, actors)

but the music was pretty good!

Rogan

[Mobie540]

Good short. The old man sort of beat me over the head a few too many times that the trees need to be taken care of, a little subtlety goes a long way.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Hey this was fun.

Agree on most of the aforementioned criticisms.

I think it was most successful in terms of structure and mood.

It did feel like we were entering some kind of tripped out time warp right from the beginning with the music and the camera angles.

Then structurally you brought us in a circle in at least a couple of ways, which I appreciated on an intellectual level given the concept. BUT ... one circle was too long in one of it's iterations - the opening sequence. Even if it was not repeated later it would just be completely out of proportion structurally. At a minute and a half it would equal your entire first act - 30 minutes or so in a feature. For a short you want your first act to be proportionally even smaller if you even have a first act at all, and here you've given us 90 seconds of openning sequence before your story really starts. Couple that with the fact that it all will repeat and it's just too long for two reasons.

I think you should keep the same placement structurally - the circular nature of it - because that resonates so well, but cut the openning way down. 10 or 20 seconds that suggest most of the cuts we'll see later. No idea if this would work but since you are playing with time a lot, wonder what it would be like to just speed that opening 90 seconds up to 20 seconds or 10, lol. Could be a disaster or could be super cool with the right music / sound design.

Last ding. Don't zoom so much maybe. I'm actually not as zoomaphobic as most filmmakers here. I actually like them sometimes - see ODD Squad and Bone Hand on my site. But zooms are generally not preferred because they're often ugly and artificial and push you out of the experience for those reasons as opposed to a dolly shot, which draws you in. The main difference - a dolly shot helps create the illusion of 3D space because the angular relationships of objects and their size change in disproportionate ways as the camera moves closer to foreground objects and background objects and passes foreground objects. When you zoom you remind the audience that they are looking at a 2D thing that you are trying to fool them into thinking is 3D because the relationship of the objects doesn't change, they only get blown up.

Having said that I like them on occasion. Lots of great 70's films (a Hollywood golden age) use zooms. Rocky and every Dirty Harry movie come to mind immediately. So they have a place I think. Just a limited one. I like to use them for very very subtle push ins done in post sometimes, which looks more like a dolly than a zoom in camera becaus your angle of view doesn't change in the lens. You can even make a push in in posy look more dolly like by playing with the X and Y axises subtly to distort the image slightly.

Final fake dolly technique. Shoot on a tripod without zooming. But pan slightly to moderately. Later, this combined with a push in in post can be more dolly like because you are changing the relationship of the objects with the pan and seeming to move closer with the push in.

Blah blah blah :)

Anyway the music was cool and a lot of the editing worked well too.
:beer:

[Drew Ott]

Final fake dolly technique. Shoot on a tripod without zooming. But pan slightly to moderately. Later, this combined with a push in in post can be more dolly like because you are changing the relationship of the objects with the pan and seeming to move closer with the push in.



Cool technique Jack.

That's a nice thorough review.

[totitefilms]

Sorry, I can't really understand the story. It was too much running and the scenes change too fast for me. I actually felt dizzy watching it ;-) Some scenes are dark and noisy also. It was a great effort though. I like the concept.

[Bryce A]

Well, I think it’s easy to think of 24/7 as not being as accomplished as some of the other entries. But I have to say, something about the editing caught my attention. There was a sense of energy and vision in it. I felt like the director knew what he was going for and how to cut the fat. Though, the intro did start me on the wrong foot. I felt it was to long for such a short pic. Look forward to your next flick!

Also, have you read Ray Bradbury’s "The Scythe"?

[wesley]

agee with most about the intro. the structure of the story didn't work so well for me. but gotta give props to another dvx-usre making the film by himself :D

I did like the crazy camera style you had going on, it worked well with the editing and music and added to the overall mood of your film.

[ZazaCast]

Thanks again to all for the comments...these are ALL most helpful. Please keep them coming, as I'm planning on commenting on every film myself.

This is a great group of people and I'm seeing some really fabulous films...glad I found this group!

Cheers.

[Imaginate]

The thing that I really liked about this story was the idea of a TREE MAN as some kind of supernatural entity that is doing something connected to all our lives. I thought the whole tone of it needed to go more David Lynch style... maybe some time lapse photography of that guy moving among the trees. clouds moving sun rising and setting.. to give a timeless eery feel to it.

I wanted to feel more urgency, like why our main character is driven to find out more about the TREE MAN... something more than curiousity.

the conversation with the TREE MAN made me think about Neo and The Oracle but it there was some atmosphere missing.

I zooms really took me out of the moment. ya put gaffer tape on that zoom button.

I think there is some gold in this idea, it just needs some refining.

[Zak Forsman]

Zaza, i'll tell you that i really appreciated the energy in this one... and its elliptical structure. the older gentlemen's performance was wooden, but I felt, charmingly so. criticisms with regard to editing are minor. I would simply suggest there be less repetition in the beginning, only because i feel like each cut should reveal something new. even if it was something as simple as the terrain under his feet changing from sidewalk, to dirt path, to grass. something like that?

anyway, enjoyed it overall because it was never dull. i even liked the post zooms, feeling they were oddly compelling. thanks!

[Danielleus]

Hey Zaza,

This was an interesting ride. I like the structure of it a lot. The editing of it was fun and stylized in a fashion that gave it energy that could have been lost. I like the intro but felt it was a bit long. And I think re-using the footage/sequence at the end was a little much. Give the audience some credit. Once we see him at the window again we know where in time we are.

But I enjoyed it. I'd watch out for being a bit too "on the nose" with dialogue sort of explicating the idea and maybe try to wrap all up into a story. It felt a little bit too much like "characters got an itch, we learn about the idea of the film, and finally the two meet." Finding someway to bridge this continuously is difficult but subtle.

Thanks for working on the piece. Your ideas are great. Keep em coming.

[alex whitmer]

I enjoyed the hell out of this! The only cut I didn't care for was the close up of the hand looking through the blinds (twice). It did nothing for the film. the rest was top notch!

The music really worked!!

great job.

[ConspiracyPenguin]

I actually liked the opening sequence. Usually I would say you need to cut it down, but here it worked. The zoom to hold and flash cuts coupled with the frantic music created a good energy and a good hook. After the title shot I thought it was a bit - for the lack of a better word - corny in parts. Also, by the time it started repeating the opening sequence I started loosing interest and slmost skipped ahead but realized it was slightly different; that being said, I still think this repition made it a bit trite. I would only have two other criticisms: the story could have been developed a bit more to be a little clearer, but I think I understood and I, persoanlly, wasn't comfortable with the face close up zooms.

But now that I think of it on a wider scale I am realizing that the hole close up deal actually assisted with the overall tone. I think the entire piece was supposed to be quite fast paced and "all over the place" and you accomplished that. Good job and good luck!

[Bryce A]

This is great! You guys are WAY too kind (I know this movie sucks)...

Hey zazacast, i love the fact that you're getting these positive and helpful reviews. Really, the fact that people are responding to your flick (which you yourself says sucks) says something. Like i mentioned before, it's not so "technically accomplished," but like zak said it's "oddly compelling." You've got a sense of energy that rises above all the films "limitations.". Take these reviews to heart and put em to use on your next flick!

[pauly_the_hitman]

I liked a lot of the shots, they are interesting and I liked the story. It may have been kind of surreal but it worked for me. May not be the best in the fest but hey, I dug it.

[krestofre]

I really dug the zoom effects circa 1970 at the beginning of the film, but when you started doing during a dialog scene, it lost something for me.

I think your credit sequence could be cut down a lot since you basically repeat it at the end of the film. You need to keep enough of it there for the pay off, but some trimming would help.

The only other piece of advice that I could give would be that the coverage on the dinner table scene seemed a little random. When an setup changes in a film it's usually for a good reason and not just "I haven't shot from this angle before."

Thanks for posting the film.

[Horncastle]

An curious little film - it seemed pretty weird first time round but got my interest enough for me to want to try and work out what's going on. The intro was long but the music was good and driving enough to keep me going. I agree with others here that the rather wooden acting, zooms etc. actually added to the trippy effect and I found the meaning of it all pretty open ended which was fine. Nice work!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Some of the acting was a little "read from the script" sounding but you still told an interesting story. Some of the shots were pretty cool, I liked the editing as well.

You're on your way!

Mike

[Mark Johnson]

Music is fantabulous. ..... Amazing in fact. These characters look so wonky that I'm in loe with this film! I want to watch them through some venetian blinds for hours!!! Sh*tfire you can count me a fan of this. I love quirk and this one is definitely quirky!!!

Great pacing and I thank you for letting me spend a little time in your bizarro world dude. So friggin' unexpected and trippy. LOVE IT.

[ZazaCast]

Music is fantabulous. ..... Amazing in fact. These characters look so wonky that I'm in loe with this film! I want to watch them through some venetian blinds for hours!!! Sh*tfire you can count me a fan of this. I love quirk and this one is definitely quirky!!!

Great pacing and I thank you for letting me spend a little time in your bizarro world dude. So friggin' unexpected and trippy. LOVE IT.


LMFAO!!!
THE best review ever! Thanks Mark.

[Blaine]

Zaza, you finished it! I'm not entirely sure I have any idea what it was all about. I thought the acting was a bit stiff. The old man sounded like he was reading his lines.

What you did do was put together some interesting images. And you finished the darned thing which is a lot more that some folks can say. Now, you have a starting point to grow from and if you continue shooting, you will surely grow.

The first thing I'd advise you to do would be to put together a coherent story. If we can follow the story, we'll forgive a lot of technical aspects.

I'm amazed that you did this yourself. The second thing I'd advise would be to find others in your area that are interested in filmmaking and begin a collaboration. This would allow you to find the area you are best at and not force you to do the whole thing by yourself.

Thanks for sharing. Now you are on a journey that has no turning back. I'm expecting you to knock us out with your next entry. :thumbsup:

[Existentialist]

Hey zazacast,
Just watched your film. Wow, what an interesting trip.
I liked your blur effect on your shots, that was new.
Also the zoom ins and pan abouts were cool, you did it pretty well.
The story was a little hard to follow and George's acting was a bit dry, but all in all a cool flick. Hey, it's like Kubrick said, "the best thing a filmmaker can do is to get a hold of a camera and make a movie of any kind at all". I'm sure you learned a lot. Good job. Looking forward to your future creations.

[Matt Sconce]

Hey zazacast,
Just watched your film. Wow, what an interesting trip.
I liked your blur effect on your shots, that was new.
Also the zoom ins and pan abouts were cool, you did it pretty well.
The story was a little hard to follow and George's acting was a bit dry, but all in all a cool flick. Hey, it's like Kubrick said, "the best thing a filmmaker can do is to get a hold of a camera and make a movie of any kind at all". I'm sure you learned a lot. Good job. Looking forward to your future creations.

I already commented but I echo these statements. I loved the change at the end, and it was an interesting concept. I think the main tree dude definitely needed to be more mysterious. Work on some framing and cinematic camera movement and you will ROCK IT! Yeehaw!:2vrolijk_08:

[ZazaCast]

Hey zazacast,
Just watched your film. Wow, what an interesting trip.
I liked your blur effect on your shots, that was new.
Also the zoom ins and pan abouts were cool, you did it pretty well.
The story was a little hard to follow and George's acting was a bit dry, but all in all a cool flick. Hey, it's like Kubrick said, "the best thing a filmmaker can do is to get a hold of a camera and make a movie of any kind at all". I'm sure you learned a lot. Good job. Looking forward to your future creations.


Thanks for the comments...that's what I figured....I just wanted to make a film. I was on the edge about entering it, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I had to do this completely solo..and last minute one of my 'actors' (friend I thought I talked into doing it) backed out so I had to step in. It's really hard to do camera moves with your foot! That's why I tried anything I could to add a little motion to the shots in post.

The blur was just that...radial blur applied in post...using the color curves and the blur I was trying to get that flashback-type look.

Thanks again for taking the time to watch & comment, it is most appreciated!
Cheers.

[Existentialist]

Thanks for the comments...that's what I figured....I just wanted to make a film. I was on the edge about entering it, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I had to do this completely solo..and last minute one of my 'actors' (friend I thought I talked into doing it) backed out so I had to step in. It's really hard to do camera moves with your foot! That's why I tried anything I could to add a little motion to the shots in post.

The blur was just that...radial blur applied in post...using the color curves and the blur I was trying to get that flashback-type look.

Thanks again for taking the time to watch & comment, it is most appreciated!
Cheers.

Wow, good job! I know how challenging those can be.

Which one of the two are you?

[Mark T. Aro]

Just thought I would comment. A lot of the observations throughout are ones that I would make so I wont repeat. Overall, I thought it was an interesting premise and the flip as he turned to your face was a lot of fun. Like a lot of shorts that I have seen so far, I think the biggest issue that you had was pacing. It seem to drag a lot. Just when the energy was up, it would drag again. This is one of the toughest things to do well, but once you get it down it will really serve your story. Kudos to you for getting in there and getting something done... you are one up on me! Good job! Hope to see more in the next festivals.

[ZazaCast]

Wow, good job! I know how challenging those can be.

Which one of the two are you?

I'm the younger one, the good looking one! LOL! (ha...I don't feel that young anymore) The older gentleman is my Father. The people I had lined-up to play these parts both backed out & I really wanted to make this happen. It took me a week to talk him into it and he only gave me a few hours to shoot everything. All natural light. He wasn't about to go to my locations...so I had to improvise and shoot in his kitchen. Bless him for helping me out.

Everything that could go wrong did and the original script was 12 pages...I was about ready to throw the towl in, but my daughter urged me to finish it best I could...and how can you dissapoint a daughter?

[Beat Takeshi]

Man I wanted the guy to jump in that red car sitting there and tear off. I liked the music and the editing to it also. I thought maybe the talk about the trees and people could have been truncated a little since it did compete with the fast paced editing with the music. I liked that you went back and replayed the events to reveal the ending it just needed the middle to match the pacing of the rest of the story.

[ZazaCast]

Thanks Beat... the car was originally in the script...but I had to cut somewhere to make 6 minutes (looks like I should have cut elsewhere)...here's a better look at my 'baby':
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1214262614.jpg

[Beat Takeshi]

Fookin aye. I love that beast. I used to have a 70 Challenger R/T second owner. Make sure your next flick uses that joint or else I'm going to have to.

[Moojangles]

Finally getting around to comment here. I liked the flick, it was really fast paced and slightly spaztic which while confusing at times made for some interesting visuals.

I liked the morph or cut or whatever it was from the guy turning around to your face, that was effective.

Keep it up :)

Oh and thanks for your help with the voice over, I didn't end up using it as i went with a darker, scarier kind of voice but i really appreciate you helping me out with that.

[Mark Harris]

Thanks Beat... the car was originally in the script...but I had to cut somewhere to make 6 minutes (looks like I should have cut elsewhere)...here's a better look at my 'baby':
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/35446/1214262614.jpg

Holy Frijolies! Now I know what my next short is about!!!!! Frickin RoadRunner is one of my favorite cars EVAR!!!!!!!

Was this your first film? I liked the idea. I agree with some others. I think not so much make anything shorter as get more specific with your shots. Decide what you want each shot to say and once it says it, move on. I think following that model, pacing will take care of itself to a large degree.

But keep on rockin it.

[Moojangles]

My dad would LOOOOOVE that car.

[ZazaCast]

Holy Frijolies! Now I know what my next short is about!!!!! Frickin RoadRunner is one of my favorite cars EVAR!!!!!!!

Was this your first film? I liked the idea. I agree with some others. I think not so much make anything shorter as get more specific with your shots. Decide what you want each shot to say and once it says it, move on. I think following that model, pacing will take care of itself to a large degree.

But keep on rockin it.

Mark-
Yes...this was my first film ever (POP!)....in fact, I didn't even own a camera a few months ago. It was just something I've always wanted to do and I someday hope to make a film on the level of YOUR films (I still can't help thinking about your entry...it rocked!). I'm loving all the comments and feedback here this has got to be way better than film school.

You just let me know when you need the car...she's always ready to go...and man, let me tell you, she can GO! The old speedo's only go up to 120 and I've had it pinned many a time (Shhhh...). Nothing beats crusing along at 70, dropping it into 3rd gear and tromping on it. It just pushes you back into the seat...they just don't make them like they used to.

[ConspiracyPenguin]

...they just don't make them like they used to.

Amen, buddy! I have a '79 Trans Am with a nice 403 under the hood. Still working on it, but it's beautiful. That car is fantastic, by the way!

Oh, and my spedometer only goes to 100. :thumbsup:

[ZazaCast]

Amen, buddy! I have a '79 Trans Am with a nice 403 under the hood. Still working on it, but it's beautiful. That car is fantastic, by the way!

Oh, and my spedometer only goes to 100. :thumbsup:


SWEEEEET! You have to love the Trans too.

[jasonthewho]

First, let me say I have not read all the other comments, so if I say something that's been said or explained a million times, I apologize.

It seemed to me like you were playing the younger man yourself. Perhaps you weren't. But that is the impression I got from the fact that in the chase scene all the shots of the young man were either feet shots or static shots.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to get at is that I really liked the shots of the old man walking through the woods. If you could have shot the younger man's shots the same way, I believe this scene would be much more effective. Those feet shots just don't work for me.

Much of the acting sounds like the actors are reading off the script. If the people were amateurs, and having problems, what might have worked would have been to tell them to paraphrase the script in their own words. That would help the lines sound more natural.

I enjoyed the opening sequence, but I did not want to have to see it a second time. A couple of shots from it would have been enough to remind us what had happened.

Anyway, this is honestly a really good first film. I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing your second.

[ZazaCast]

Thanks Jason...I think you're right on the mark. I really appreciate the comments. I'm here to learn & have fun. Thank you for taking the time to watch & comment.

...Now, I think I need to wish you a belated Happy Birthday (and if not...Happy Birthday anyway, it's bound to come around sooner or later). I also want to say how much I enjoyed YOUR film. I'm still thinking about that garbage can shot, Loved it!

[jasonthewho]

Thanks! It was only a few weeks ago, so you're not too late. I'm really glad you enjoyed my film!

[conrad_johnson]

This film was way better that my first film(s).

I agree the dialogue sounded read.

Loved the camera strapped to the actor looking at his face. They did that in PI and I always wondered how they pulled it off. Maybe you can offer me some insight?

Oh, and watch framing (too much headroom in some shots)

Thanks,
-Joe

[ZazaCast]

This film was way better that my first film(s).

I agree the dialogue sounded read.

Loved the camera strapped to the actor looking at his face. They did that in PI and I always wondered how they pulled it off. Maybe you can offer me some insight?

Oh, and watch framing (too much headroom in some shots)

Thanks,
-Joe

Thanks Conrad.
As I shot this myself...and I was trying to figure out some cool cut shots I could pull-off & be in them at the same time...I just adjusted the camera on the end of the tripod, flipped the LCD so I could see the framing, folded the legs and held it at my waist while I ran around the orchard. (..and let me tell you, it gets heavy in a hurry). That's it...no real magic.

[John LaBonney]

The part I liked best about this short was when the old man turned into young when he put his hand on his shoulder. I would suggest that after that shot, ending with him caring for the tree would be stronger. For me, many of the shots were superfluous.

Scriptwise, I'm not buying the motivation of this guy. While he might be curious about why the older fellow is out taking care of the tree every day at the same time, what would make him think it had something to do with him? How much care does a tree require anyway? I think that the conversation contained an awful lot of dialog. If it were trimmed up, it could have more impact.

I'm getting the feeling that the idea here there's not only a parallel between the way the branches of trees grow and interact and the lives of people, but a magical connection between them, i.e. somehow if there's no caretaker of the tree that the people of the universe will become unbalanced and out of control.

I liked some of the shots, like the desk and the others when the younger man leaves the house.

[ZazaCast]

Thanks John-
You got it... that's the idea, that our lives and the events in them are directly tied to the trees! There was a line in there, the old man says, " what if I told you that tree out there has more to do with your fate then you do?" He had to care for that tree because it WAS the younger man's life and ultimately his chance to trade places and hand-over the caretaker job.

The original script was 12 pages... now that I've created my first film and have had a chance to view all the other films...I can better know how & what to cut to make better flicks!

Really... thanks again for taking the time to watch & comment!

...and I'm really looking forward to the newsletter.

Cheers!

[Susanne G.]

This was a good idea for a story. I also like the close ups of the faces, but I found that the old man spoke his dialog a little bit as though he was reading.
Above all I like that you worked with elderly actors. Compliments.

Susanne

[ZazaCast]

Thanks Susanne... but that elderly 'actor' was my Father and it took me a week to get him to agree to step in and help out after my real 'actor' backed-out on me. I did everything I could to try to beat some life into it. (I couldn't leave any marks, after all...he IS my Father! LOL!!)

9 days to the shoot - $0.00
8 days to the shoot and your actors back-out on you - $0.00
1 week to talk your Father into playing a part - $0.00
Getting to work with your Father on your first film - PRICELESS!

[Chuklz]

I really dug your edit from the first look out the blinds to pov running through the grass in the orchard. After that I wanted a payoff but you used that as an introduction piece. The story isn't terribly exciting, and the acting is pretty good for what you had to work with, but it just kills it when you repeat the same shots that got me excited in the beginning.

Your true strength in this piece is that small section. I'd love see what you do with a action/comedy with that sense of style.

[iSTy]

not too keen on the acting, and had an idea what was going to happen at the end, liked some of the shots though :)

[Edgen]

Writing as I watch….
I really enjoyed the opening music, but it felt like I was watching the trailer first and then the movie. Not too much of a fan of the zoom and pan camera work. The acting was hard to watch. It felt like they had just learned their lines a few minutes before the shoot. On watching their performances.. .. eh. Never mind.

I liked the music. And it felt like a music video.

Congrats on entering the fest.

[Aaron Marshall]

There was something interesting about this movie. I liked some of your quirky edits. The film was a bit preachy, but I like that you had a motif. It went well the poster. I think there was too much jibber jabbering going on instead of showing what you were talking about (with the trees).

Good job.

[ZazaCast]

Chuklz, Edgen, iSTy & Aaron....
Thanks for the comments, you have no idea how helpful these are to a new 'filmmaker' (I think it takes awhile to become a real filmmaker, so I'll keep the quotes around it for me!). I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and respond. I agree with all the points mentioned and plan on trying to create good solid shorts in the future using this information.

Justin, it means the world to me that you liked the music...YOU create some of the best scores I've heard in this fest.

Chuklz, I was trying to go for that "story begins with the end, but without the reveal" kind of thing...guess it fell short for you.

Again...Thanks to ALL... please keep them coming!
Cheers.

[Norm Sanders]

First off, great job on finishing and entering! That's more than I did, and I appreciate being able to watch your film.

That said, my favorite parts were the fun loop music in the beginning & end, with the well timed editing cuts. Also, the switch/twist at the end with the young guy being where the old guy was and looking at us ... cool.

Other than that, however, I would have liked a more gripping story, and better performances. Also, some of the camera angles (i.e. the ECU of the old man's eye, then his mouth, etc.) were interrupting to me, making me wonder what the motive was behind it and losing track of what the message was (which what I DID get had a biblical feel to it).

Thanks again!

[Ben Sliker]

In the past few days, DVXusers Ben Sliker and Justin Kuhn sat down and chatted over AIM while simultaneously watching the same TIMEFEST films. We call them, "The AIM sessions". Here's their thoughts on "24/7"

This is a 'special edition' of the AIM sessions, Assistant Director Brad Mate has tagged in for Justin from the crew of JAM. Please excuse the stupid out of order time stamps by iChat.


spesliker (12:38:32 PM): do you have 24/7?
TheBrad84 (12:38:25 PM): yes
spesliker (12:39:47 PM): 24/7 the 320x240 adventure
TheBrad84 (12:39:39 PM): is 24/7 supposed to be this small..
spesliker (12:39:57 PM): yes.
spesliker (12:40:10 PM): ready?
TheBrad84 (12:40:01 PM): i suppose
spesliker (12:40:17 PM): 3
spesliker (12:40:17 PM): 2
spesliker (12:40:18 PM): 1
spesliker (12:40:21 PM): go
spesliker (12:40:36 PM): POST ZOOM!!!
TheBrad84 (12:40:31 PM): lots o post zoom
TheBrad84 (12:40:55 PM): running!
TheBrad84 (12:41:05 PM): more running!
spesliker (12:41:18 PM): ROCK AND ROLL RUNNING (huge difference, brad)
TheBrad84 (12:41:15 PM): shaky cam make brad a sick panda
spesliker (12:41:33 PM): lol
spesliker (12:41:48 PM): *posts sad panda pic
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/5649/1215646456.jpg
spesliker (12:42:05 PM): for serial, i just threw up a little
TheBrad84 (12:42:08 PM): i am a little naceous
spesliker (12:42:41 PM): this dialogue needs a little better pacing
TheBrad84 (12:42:38 PM): reading lines! I SEEN HIM!
spesliker (12:42:55 PM): and what is with the smear filter on the edges?
spesliker (12:43:43 PM): if i was a 7000 year old tree, 100 years would still feel like forever.
TheBrad84 (12:44:10 PM): CAT CLOSEUP
spesliker (12:44:34 PM): MUST BE IMPORTANT
spesliker (12:44:41 PM): repeating shots?
spesliker (12:45:14 PM): what in the holy hell is going on here?
TheBrad84 (12:45:06 PM): i dunno
spesliker (12:45:32 PM): for some reason i want to run in a field though
TheBrad84 (12:45:46 PM): and apparently someone slipped me acid
spesliker (12:46:04 PM): seriously ... put down the crazy filters and walk away from the non-linear editing system ... we have you surrounded.
TheBrad84 (12:46:01 PM): ....
spesliker (12:46:28 PM): HE'S THE KEEPER OF THE TREES
spesliker (12:46:40 PM): but apparently just that one little tree in front of his house.
TheBrad84 (12:46:37 PM): so confused
spesliker (12:48:14 PM): if from what i inferred is that the old guy is looking for a young guy to be the new tree keeper, that's a neat concept
TheBrad84 (12:49:03 PM): with a dialogue driven film you gotta have actors that can really deliver the lines and the pacing needs to be spot-on.

ZaZaCast, I haven't really read anything into the circumstances in which you shot this film, so I'm going to give you my gut reaction to what I saw.

First, is compression and frame size! 320x240 for DVX footage is almost unbearably small (which makes it a little hard to critique technical aspects as well), and although 4x3 still has it place somewhere, 16x9 is the place to be! That's the start to give your movie a more "filmic look" to it.

I think there's an exercise i did once that will help you a bunch. One of the first exercises that we did in college was to take a scene from a really well shot movie and have to emulate it, shot by shot, frame by frame. There was absolutely no creativity in it, but it taught us some great things about lighting, framing and dialogue pacing right off the bat. I suggest you try this out, take a dialogue scene from your favorite movie and try and copy it.

Even though I fought it and tried to be an everyman for a while, the best thing that I ever did was to find people who were really talented at what they do, and bring them into my productions. The best thing you can do is to have a little team that is always excited to work on the next project. It can also help you refine EXACTLY what part of the filmmaking process that you like the most. For me, it's editing and directing. Every once and a while, I get the itch to operate a camera, but I sold my DVX a long while ago to jack up my editing system, and I'm happy that i did. And if you choose direction, It allows you to concentrate on the acting, which you may not be able to do if you are camera op, or boom op, or any other op.

I have a few last notes on editing that may help you out. First, unless it's extremely motivated, try not to double up on shots. And as a rule, post zooming and panning is ALWAYS a bad idea. If you didn't get it when you shot, do a reshoot! Speaking exclusively to short films, I've only ever used a post zoom/pan as a last resort fix, I've never planned them in. And as far as filters go, the ones you used seemed very unmotivated, so unless planning a specific effect, go ahead and stay away from that tab too. I would focus my time on practicing color grading, see what kind of looks you can get with that, and ignore the special filters.

Hope some of this helps, looking forward to seeing the improvements in your next film! :thumbsup:

[ZazaCast]

Excellent advice! Thank you for taking the time to do this...I'll be applying your suggestions to my next 'production'.

...and if you post your address, I'll be glad to send along a few vomit bags for the Panda!