"The Contract" - A film by Neal Buconjic

[Neal Buconjic]

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1219399181.jpg


THE CONTRACT

- A struggling magician sells his soul for a trick that will bring him instant fame. But does he get more than he bargained for?

Story by Neal Buconjic
Written by Neal Buconjic and Alex Whitmer
Artwork by Mike Manning
VFX compositor/SFX Technical Director - Jason Miller
Musical Score by Sid Barnhoorn
Color Correction by Brian R.
Technical Consultant (magic) - Ryan McFarling


CREW

Neal Buconjic
Adriana Cull
Justin Colautti
Jamie Pyette


CAST

Oscar
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1220741062.jpg
Jason Preece

Nick
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1221081639.jpg
Chuck Holgate

Santana
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1220394059.jpg
Peter Fleming

Eric Watts
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1220906791.jpg
Brendan Hennessey

LOCATIONS

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1219507792.jpg
Photo shot from the entrance of the bar.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1219508115.jpg
Reverse perspective of the above shot. The stage on the left will be a focal point.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1219508198.jpg
A big monologue takes place at this bar.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1220674893.jpg
Behind the bar.

[Neal Buconjic]

Production Details


July 28 - Established logline, then developed a treatment.

Aug 5 - First draft of script completed.

Aug 6 - Secured main actor.

Aug 8 - Had an epiphany while trying to work out some logistics of the final scene. Developed a much more tangled and intriguing ending (I was surprised, myself!).

Aug 16 - Script completed and locked. Began scouting locations (3/4 of the film takes place in a bar/tavern).

Aug 17 - Had a meeting with the owner of a suitable bar. He agreed to let me shoot there, but the ultimate blessing had to come from the boss (his wife). Promised a call back on the 18th.

Aug 19 - Secured main supporting actor.

Aug 20 - Had a meeting with main actor to discuss the story and his character. Had a healthy discussion about character development and about his creating the history of the character. What has brought him to this point?
Received a great poster from Mike Manning. He is doing a minor tweak for me before I add it to the thread.

Aug 21 - Had a great meeting with main supporting actor. Discussed the story at length and how his character fits in the grand scheme of things.
Still no word from the bar owner(s), so I stopped in to see them. Not there. I was told what time she will be in tomorrow - and I'm going to call. Must know whether I need to hunt for a new locale.

Aug 22 - Was able to get hold of bar owner #2 (the wife). She enthusiastically said "Yes, I think it's a great idea!" (to use her bar as a location). What kills me is she said "We were wondering when you were going to call" when it was her husband who said "Give me your number and we'll call you tomorrow with the answer". Regardless, I've received the answer I was looking for. Meeting on Monday with them to determine when I will be shooting there. I have to work around their hours of operation (11am - 2am). It's going to be interesting...

Aug 27 - Had our "magic lessons" tonight. Our "magic/illusionist consultant" showed up with his bag full of tricks - literally. Jason, the actor playing the part of magician, was coached on how to perform seven or eight tricks tonight. Let's just say he needs a lot of practice to get the dexterity that the consultant has. Wow, that guy makes it look effortless. He's coming back next week to see Jason's progress and provide addtional coaching. Actually, he has a show next Tuesday, so we're going to see it for "research".
Tomorrow I will be attending the re-scheduled meeting with the bar owners. We've already received permission to use the location, we're just hammering out the shoot dates/times.

Aug 28 - Met with the bar owners today. They're very intrigued and supportive of the project. We discussed the availability of the bar for my shoot and they proposed weekdays, 7am to 11am - 4 hours. There's no way I'll complete shooting in the four hour window, so it'll be spread out over multiple mornings. Fortunately, I've spoken to the two actors who are currently on board and they are both available to shoot mornings (with notice). Me? Well, I'll have to take some time off work. The sacrifices we make.... The building we're shooting in is 70 years old. Fortunately, the wiring has been upgraded and includes breakers - always nice when you aren't sure how logically distributed the wiring is. They were cool about having the air conditioning turned off as well (no pun intended). As far as they are concerned, I just have to give them a days notice before showing up with cast/crew. Speaking of crew, now that I know the shooting time frame, I'll have to make sure the full crew is available on weekdays.

Aug 29 - I'm being nickel and dimed to death with small additional purchases. Gels, gaffer's tape, black wrap, duvetyne, 3200k practical bulbs...
Received the sfx makeup/latex kit today. Tempted to play with it, but it'll have to wait. Have arranged for an actor to read on Monday for our outstanding supporting actor role. Fingers crossed.

Sept 1 - Had the reading for our last supporting actor role. Went very well. The actor was at ease and we talked at length about the film and particularly what motivated the character he was reading for. The camera rolled and we ran the scene. It was good, but I felt there was more potential. We talked about it a bit more and rolled camera again. Better. Finally, I chose to give some blatant instruction to "play the character like this" and by far, it was the closest to what I had written. Before he read, I was concerned about whether or not his look matched the character I had written. His look just isn't what I had in mind when I wrote it. However, it CAN work for the character. Following the reading, I'm convinced that I've finally filled this role.

Sept 2 - The role of Santana has been filled. "Eric" remains to be cast, but I'm not worried as it is the smallest role of the lot and the character is nondescript - just about anyone could play it - any height, weight, hair color, etc. (Still has to be a capable actor though!)

Sept 4 - The crew met for a production meeting. We went over the script, shot list and reviewed floor plans of the bar to establish key locations for dialogue that would require a lighting set up. Good discussion with the DP on the tone of the film and the type of lighting to establish it.

Sept 5 - Secured the final outstanding location. This location will serve as the back of the bar leading to the parking lot. Established a meeting with the cast tomorrow to rehearse and to show their clothing choices. We discussed the clothing in advance and they are bringing their selections for approval.

Sept 6 - The cast gathered today. Wardrobe was reveiwed and selections made. Today was the first time the cast was together at the same time. With the exception of one actor, they all knew each other from running in the same theater circles. I had another actor join us to read for the last part. This was a little unorthodox to have him audition with existing cast, but he had already worked with several of them on stage, so I knew he would be comfortable. Nailed it. He asked if he could stay while we ran the script a few more times and I agreed (saved me from reading his part). Before he left, I let him know he had the part. More rehearsals to follow this week. Going to the bar location with the DP tonight, as she hasn't set eyes on it outside of photos.

Sept 11 - Tonight "Oscar" and "Santana" came over to prepare for an important scene that we're shooting Sunday, Sept 14. We reviewed the blocking then ran the scene severals times. Each time I was able to pick out some small nuances that we could explore further. I was very satisfied with the progress we made on the scene and am confident that we can nail it in short order Sunday night.

Sept 14 - Arrived on set and discovered an audio nightmare. Across the street from our shooting location (an exterior scene) a large desiel generator was loudly groaning away in a shed. The previous two visits I had made to this location were generator free, so I was very disturbed to encounter it now. Our scene was to take place behind our building, so some of the direct sound from the generator would be shielded. I'd have to chance it. Another mishap while lighting the first shot - I have a small 10.6" HD monitor. I run it with a Tekkeon battery, but I wanted to keep this battery fresh for my FS-100 should it need it (they have a notoriously short running time), so I plugged the monitor into AC. While moving the monitor there was a small arc and the monitor went off. It wouldn't turn on again. No time to play with it, I had to move on.
We got through the scene - I just hoped the generator noise didn't prove too much. It was 2:20am. We were cold and tired and weren't looking forward to being up at 6am for the 7am call the next morning.

Sept 15 - The crew dragged their a$$es onto location at 7am. We were all tired, that was a given. While setting up I noticed a hum that I hadn't noticed on previous visits. Granted, every other time I had been at the bar, it had other ambient sounds, TV, patrons, etc. so this hum had been covered up. I couldn't locate the source on the first floor, but the bar owner came up from the basement and said it was coming from a compressor down there. She said it would have to remain. Compromise #1. We set up the first shot and we discovered that the big window in the background was proving too bright. I tried some black organza to knock it down, but it did little. I ended up framing from another angle to eliminate the window. Compromise #2. The final part of the scene takes place in the entrance way to the bar. This proved challenging from an audio perspective, as we were 10 feet away from a busy street corner. The dialogue was strong, but there are different traffic sounds from each take. That's going to be a nightmare in post.

Sept 16 - After reviewing the footage of the previous day, I wanted to reshoot a segment from the scene. I wanted to eliminate a portion where the character walks around the bar. The movement had proved difficult because there were mirrors along the wall. When we finally had a take where there was no boom in the mirror, while reviewing the footage I discovered the reflection of one of the lights in the last mirror. The reshoot eliminated this blocking and thus there were no issues with reflections. Also managed to get additional segments shot as well.

Sept 17 - We started setting up a little later than anticipated today. We were running about an hour behind schedule. Another problem was that come 9am, we were supposed to begin shooting audience reactions. Well, outside of the one person I managed to get a commitment from - there were no other audience members coming. Scrap that. We shot what segments we could and wrapped a little earlier today. However, I wanted to reshoot some (all) of the footage from Sunday night (Sept 14). The audio was terrible and many of the shots were much too dark. Fortunately, the cast and crew didn't [appear] to mind and we made plans to begin shooting at 9:30pm.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the generator that plagued us the other night was not running. Having already done this scene (and with additional planning on my part) we quickly and efficiently knocked out the shots for this scene. There's no doubt about it - we're getting quicker with the set ups. Having reviewed the footage from this night, I'm very pleased to have reshot it. The audio is strong and the shots are much much brighter.

Sept 18 - Well, again we couldn't scrape up anyone for an audience. Shooting on a weekday morning is proving very difficult to find people who aren't in school or working. We shot what we could (including having the magician call the bar owner up on stage to assist with a trick) but ultimately I NEEDED an audience to cut the film the way I had envisioned.
The bar owner offered to let me shoot this weekend, which would greatly help me recruit extras. However, she told me that she would be able to get as many people as I needed; so I agreed and asked her to bring 15 people with her on Sunday. We're in the home stretch.

Sept 21 - Principal photography has been completed. Managed to reshoot some of the magician's act in order for me to re-cut it. I needed some alternate dialogue to work with the new (shorter, dvxuser) cut. The film is running nine minutes long, which is a far cry from six. I've opted to cut from the magician's magic act. I'll shave about 40 seconds off. That in itself won't get me to six minutes, but it's a start. We also managed to get the much needed audience reaction shots I've been desperately trying to get for the last several days. Whew. Feels good to get this much done, but there's much more work ahead. Fortunately, I'm not doing it all alone. I'll be leaning heavily on Jason (Miller) for his VFX work and Sid (Barnhoorn) for the score. I also wouldn't have got this far without my production crew. I'm indebted to them as well. Thanks, gang.

Sept 28 - Rough cut of the film is completed. The running time (as predicted) came in at just over 9 minutes (09:11). I'm worried. As I mentioned in the thread, there isn't much fat in the story to trim out. How could we possibly shave off more than 3 minutes? That's 1/3 of the film! I've sent a link for the rough cut to both the crew and those involved in the post work. I'm hoping they'll be able to give the necessary feedback as to what should stay and what can go. I want it all!

Oct 2 - After much feedback and tinkering, somehow we've managed to whittle this baby down to a running time of 05:49!!! Much thanks to Alex Whitmer for diligently working with me to find even the slightest bits that could trim seconds away. Those seconds certainly add up. Now that the picture is locked, the composer (Sid) has been sent a copy, so he can work his own magic. I'm looking forward to hearing what he comes up with.

Oct 3 - There are some key VFX elements necessary for compositing in this film. In fact, they are so vital to the story that they could literally make or break the film. That's why it was so important to me to work with someone who had a lot of experience in the VFX world (Jason Miller). That being said, the effects are only going to be as good as the elements that I'm responsible for making. If I do a poor job of creating the elements, then that will translate to a poor shot. I'm hoping that I give Jason the quality he needs to do his thing. Tonight I performed a test to determine some information for when I set out to capture the elements to be used in the film. I can certainly say that I learned a few things that will assist me when I'm ready to do the real elements.

Have hit the cap on text in a thread. Continued on Page 11!

[Matt Sconce]

I am a magician and this sounds sooooo cool. I am excited to see it!

[pauly_the_hitman]

Sounds cool magic and soul selling... Good Luck. Can't wait to see it.
Pauly

[Mike Manning]

Very cool. Still need a poster design? I'd be interested in doing something with magicians.... You can see some samples in this (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=144173) thread... I also did Larry R's and Pauly The Hitman's....

[Neal Buconjic]

Thanks guys. I'm excited about this project.

PM'd you Mike.

[Neal Buconjic]

Mike Manning on board for poster design.

Thanks Mike!

[Neal Buconjic]

Had a meeting with a bar/tavern owner today. He's 80-90% sure I can use the place, but needs to run it by his partner. Will have an answer tomorrow.

This location is required for 75% of the film - so it's vitally important.

[Neal Buconjic]

Production details (thus far) have been added.

[Neal Buconjic]

Poster Up. Thanks blindbuzta.

[Mike Manning]

Poster Up. Thanks blindbuzta.

No prob!

[Neal Buconjic]

Bar/Tavern location has been secured! Meeting on Monday to schedule the shoot around their hours of operation.

Just need one more main supporting actor and we're ready to roll!

[Neal Buconjic]

Location photos.

I was hoping to find a more dark, old and seedy looking bar to shoot in, but you make due with what is available. I'll just have to create the atmosphere I envisioned, with lighting.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1219507792.jpg
Photo shot from the entrance.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1219508115.jpg
Reversed perspective of the last photo. Includes the entrance/exit as well as the small stage that will be featured in the film.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1219508198.jpg
A monologue by one of the characters will take place at this bar.

[Neal Buconjic]

My meeting with the bar owner fell through today. I showed up as scheduled for 3:15pm, only to find the bar was jam packed with people.

The participants of a golf tournament chose this bar as their post-golf watering hole. She simply couldn't spare the time for me due to being short staffed.

Meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday.

[Jason Miller]

you should have grabbed an aprin and a bar towel, jumped bhind the bad and started mixing drinks, make a few more bucks for your film, and make her like ou better, unless you suck at mizing drinks and puring beer lol

[Neal Buconjic]

Well, I prefer drinking the beers versus pouring them!

Fortunately, she's already agreed to let me use the place. This meeting is to hammer out the "when" part.

[Neal Buconjic]

Updated blog on first page.

[Neal Buconjic]

Updated to reflect today's meeting.

[Jason Miller]

how many days do you have it for in this 4 hour set up? also the breakers, how many amps are they, and was the upgrade just a breaker box or higher amp wire?

a little time, a couple weeks before you go into shoot, go in during there closed time, and start testing out the brakers, easy way is to take a small 110 light, have someone plug it in while you start flipping, once it shuts off the light, write down which breaker handles that outlet also take note of what else in on that breaker, house lights, coffee maker, anything, then once you map out the outlets and breakers, include that in your lighting diagram.


good luck,
Jason Miller

"
Aug 28 - Met with the bar owners today. They're very intrigued and supportive of the project. We discussed the availability of the bar for my shoot and they proposed weekdays, 7am to 11am - 4 hours. There's no way I'll complete shooting in the four hour window, so it'll be spread out over multiple mornings. Fortunately, I've spoken to the two actors who are currently on board and they are both available to shoot mornings (with notice). Me? Well, I'll have to take some time off work. The sacrifices we make.... The building we're shooting in is 70 years old. Fortunately, the wiring has been upgraded and includes breakers - always nice when you aren't sure how logically distributed the wiring is. They were cool about having the air conditioning turned off as well (no pun intended). As far as they are concerned, I just have to give them a days notice before showing up with cast/crew. Speaking of crew, now that I know the shooting time frame, I'll have to make sure the full crew is available on weekdays."

[Simon Höfer]

Somehow I missed this one, maybe because I was busy with my entry :D

Welcome to the fest man! That sounds really interesting :)

[Neal Buconjic]

how many days do you have it for in this 4 hour set up? also the breakers, how many amps are they, and was the upgrade just a breaker box or higher amp wire?

a little time, a couple weeks before you go into shoot, go in during there closed time, and start testing out the brakers, easy way is to take a small 110 light, have someone plug it in while you start flipping, once it shuts off the light, write down which breaker handles that outlet also take note of what else in on that breaker, house lights, coffee maker, anything, then once you map out the outlets and breakers, include that in your lighting diagram.


I've got it for as many weekdays as I need. I'm hoping to pull it off in two, but fully expect to run into three (or more) if required.

Funny you should mention the wiring diagram. I inquired whether they mind if I determined which circuit was on each breaker so I could label appropriately and make a diagram. They didn't mind, but didn't want me doing it then and there. Maybe on a morning next week. They kept saying "Don't worry about it, we have bands plugging their equipment into the outlets all the time". Better safe than sorry.
The breakers are 20A, but I didn't inquire whether the wiring was upgraded.

[Neal Buconjic]

Somehow I missed this one, maybe because I was busy with my entry :D

Welcome to the fest man! That sounds really interesting :)

Thanks Simon. I've been watching these fests come and go - it's about time I joined the fun!

[Simon Höfer]

Yeah, it definitely is alot of fun, even though it is really stressful and time consuming. The hardest part for me was/is to find days where everybody has free time. I wish you good luck!

[Jason Miller]

I do not know what its like in Canada, but most Cities here, if they have 20 amp breakers, their wiring must match, otherwise its a huge fire hazard and wouldn't pass code, if ou have a 2k, or 2 1ks take them in and plug 2ks of power into one breaker, just to test, when you shoot, never more than 1.5k many people say stick with 1k but that makes your life harder.

[Neal Buconjic]

I do not know what its like in Canada, but most Cities here, if they have 20 amp breakers, their wiring must match, otherwise its a huge fire hazard and wouldn't pass code, if ou have a 2k, or 2 1ks take them in and plug 2ks of power into one breaker, just to test, when you shoot, never more than 1.5k many people say stick with 1k but that makes your life harder.

I can only hope that the wiring is up to code.

As for lighting, I've got a small kit - 1k, (2)600w, 300w and (2)500w scoops.
I'll run plenty of stringers to distribute the load, but I intend on trying to map out their wiring circuits first.

[Neal Buconjic]

The hardest part for me was/is to find days where everybody has free time.

If we could eliminate this from filmmaking, we would be stress free!

[Jason Miller]

yea you should have no problem, assuming its up to code, which it probably is, you can run all that on 2 breakers.

1 1k 2 600Ws and a 300, hmm, sound slike an Arri kit I know. in fact I know him well, be careful, he'll pick your pocket lol

[alex whitmer]

Here is a perfect example of why they call filmmaking collabrative. Heck, even the electricity needs to cooperate.

Looking forward to more log entries.

aw

[Jason Miller]

now if we can just get the actors to cooperate!, little tip keep a bag of candy in your pocket and when your actor does well, give him/her a treat.

[Neal Buconjic]

Cast list has been updated on first page.

One more character remaining to be cast.

[Ryan Jones]

This short looks like it is developing really nicely!!! I hope your cast comes through and all of your electrical problems dont start a fire mistakingly in the shape of a pentagram!!! lol

[Neal Buconjic]

Yes, it is coming along, Ryan.

Things are falling into place. I'll have to get the cast together soon to go over wardrobe. It's almost time to shoot...

[chaconkevin]

welcome to the fest man

good luck

[ZazaCast]

It's only an Illusion...
Magic, Blood & Legal documents (sounds like my divorce)...what's not to love!
Looking forward to an excellent film. I'll be watching this thread.

Cool poster too!

[Neal Buconjic]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the support!

[Neal Buconjic]

Updated photos and production blog

[Neal Buconjic]

Final role has now been cast.

The whole cast gathered, discussed the project, brought their wardrobe selection for approval and did a table reading of the script (several times).

[Jason Miller]

sounds like you have some good prepro behind you, Im really looking forward to seeing it

[Neal Buconjic]

Here is a perfect example of why they call filmmaking collabrative. Heck, even the electricity needs to cooperate.


Speaking of collaborations - I just want to give a shout out to the Dvxuser members who are helping bring this project to fruition:

Alex Whitmer (alex whitmer)- Co-writer
Mike Manning (blindbuzta) - Poster and artwork
Jason Miller (jason miller) - VFX compositor/SFX Technical Director
Sid Barnhoorn (sid barnhoorn) - Composer

Each of you are playing a key role in the making of this film. I couldn't do it without your help.

Thank you!:thumbsup:

[Neal Buconjic]

Our fictional magician Oscar Judd

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1220912119.jpg

[Mike Manning]

Speaking of collaborations - I just want to give a shout out to the Dvxuser members who are helping bring this project to fruition:

Alex Whitmer (alex whitmer)- Co-writer
Mike Manning (blindbuzta) - Poster and artwork
Jason Miller (jason miller) - VFX compositor/SFX Technical Director
Sid Barnhoorn (sid barnhoorn) - Composer

Each of you are playing a key role in the making of this film. I couldn't do it without your help.

Thank you!:thumbsup:

My Pleasure...

Hey... I like the poster! :thumbsup:

[Neal Buconjic]

Finally got a headshot for "Nick".

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1221081639.jpg

[alex whitmer]

Definitely a good Nick.

[Neal Buconjic]

Thanks Alex. I think so too.
Chuck was the first actor who popped into my head when I was thinking of who would fit this role.

Hell of a nice guy. But look what happens when he turns off the charm. Perfect for Nick.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1221126725.jpg

[davidlh]

I'm a magician as well, and this movie looks pretty kick ass. Can't wait to see it! Good Job!

[Neal Buconjic]

I'm a magician as well, and this movie looks pretty kick ass. Can't wait to see it! Good Job!

Thanks, David.

I think I've got a really solid script, so you shouldn't be disappointed!

[Neal Buconjic]

Shooting begins this Sunday night. We're shooting a very important exterior scene.

Had the two actors from that scene over to do blocking and to act it out. It was a good exercise, because I was able to step back and observe, rather than looking at things from a technical perspective like on set.
I picked up on something when one character was performing an action.
When the scene was completed, I asked if the actor really thought that his character would do that? The three of us pondered it, then unanimously agreed that no, he wouldn't.
(Note: I don't want to get into specifics until the film has been seen. I'll be more specific after it's been posted).

Normally I would be too caught up in something like whether the shot was framed appropriately to even take notice of something on that level. Proves that taking extra time in pre-pro (if you have the luxury) is well worth it.

[Simon Höfer]

Good luck on the shoot on sunday Neal! I hope everything goes well and you have a lot of fun :)

[Marlon Ladd]

Good luck, man!

[alex whitmer]

Enjoy the shoot!

Don't deny us a few grabs!!

a

[Neal Buconjic]

Good luck on the shoot on sunday Neal! I hope everything goes well and you have a lot of fun :)

Thanks, Simon. I feel pretty confident Sunday's scene will go smoothly - it's the rest of the week I'm worried about! I'll try to enjoy it.


Good luck, man!

Thanks Marlon. Cool poster and banner BTW.


Enjoy the shoot!

Don't deny us a few grabs!!

a

Thanks Alex. I'll be shooting Sunday night (10pm call) followed by a 7am call on Monday. Hopefully I'll have some time to post some grabs Monday afternoon.

Alex, you've been a machine for this fest. I've noticed your name associated with half a dozen entries!

[ZazaCast]

Best of luck on the shoot...can't wait to see some grabs & BTS stuff!

[Neal Buconjic]

Thanks ZazaCast. Hope your entry is coming along as well.

[Neal Buconjic]

We've been getting some weird weather patterns lately (likely remnants of Ike) and it's been raining off and on. I can only hope that it isn't raining tonight.

I don't mind if it it HAD rain - the wet pavement might actually look good - but I don't want to work IN the rain.

Anyone know a reverse rain dance?

[Neal Buconjic]

It didn't rain for our Sunday night exterior shoot, but I was presented with an audio nightmare.

When I scouted the location 2 weeks ago, I noted the ambient traffic noise and the refrigeration intake/exhaust on one side of the building. I figured this would be manageable, but I wasn't prepared for what I encountered last night.

I arrived an hour before the crew call with the DP. Almost immediately, it was clear something was different than two weeks earlier. A loud "hum" was coming from somewhere. A walk around the building narrowed the source to a building across the street. A closer inspection revealed that the source was a very large diesel generator screaming away in a shed on the property.

Why, why, why????

I thought about aborting the shoot. Maybe another night it won't be running? Maybe I had to find another location? Would I find another location in time?
Given how difficult it is to coordinate the schedules of 6+ people, I decided to give it a shot. Fortunately, we were shooting behind a building so volume of the generator's hum was reduced.

The scene takes place in a parking lot outside a bar (though actually it was behind a convenience store). My hope is that the viewer won't be distracted too much by the hum - that strong dialogue will prevail over the ambient hum.

We had a cast and crew call for 10pm and wrapped shooting at 2:15am. Normally this wouldn't bother me too much (the late hour), but the crew was due on set at our next location for 7am. We were going to be tired.

[Neal Buconjic]

After arriving home last night, I dumped my FS100 footage to the PC and plugged in all the battery sources I had used through the shoot. I was tucked in bed shortly after 3am.

I was rudely awakened by my screaming alarm clock less than three hours later.

Day 2.

An hour later I was unloading my vehicle on location. You may recall that we have access to this bar from 7am to 11am. A very narrow window to work within. I hoped we would be efficient.

The owner kindly showed me where the light switches were, where to shut off the music that floated throughout and [almost] as importantly - where the coffee pot was. I had her shut off the music right as she showed me the receivers location. As I walked the set, I could distinctly hear a hum. This hum sounded like a fluorescent light. I looked about for the light. There was none. I inquired about the hum and she walked the set with me. She could hear it too and thought it was coming from a speaker that was mounted high on the wall. She double checked - the receiver was off.

I couldn't believe this. When I had chosen the location I had just been concerned about the air conditioning (which we shut off) and street traffic noises as they seemed to be the most prominent ambient noises. What was this new one? While I continued to walk the room, unplugging neon bar signs, the owner returned from the basement. She said that the noise was coming from a compressor on the furnace and that she wasn't prepared to shut it off. A compressor on a furnace? Maybe it wasn't a compressor (maybe the blower?), but the fact remained she didn't want me shutting it off.

Why, why, why????

For those who have seen the great DVD "Sound for Film and Television", one of the main points was that location has a HUGE impact on the audio quaility. Here I was, about to disregard this rule for fear of not finding an alternative location (bar).
I won't lie, it briefly entered my mind as I tried to process this latest hurdle. However, given the looming deadline and the fact that I had a vested commitment from a good dozen people to do this film, I decided we'd try to make the most of it.

Again, my thoughts being that hopefully a strong dialogue track will diminish the presence of the hum. Perhaps I can try some filters afterward?

Okay, let's set up for the first shot.

Where'd that window come from?
I knew there was a prominent glass block window near the bar entrance. I had it featured on my scale room drawing for lighting diagrams. In two scenes, the windows will be blacked out with duvetyne as they are night scenes; however, this particular scene takes place in the day. I read about using black organza to knock down the light from a window. The material would be invisible on camera, while knocking down the amount of light pumping through the window. Needless to say, I was the only male wandering the aisles of the fabric store. Fortunately, looking so out of place attracts attention - with the help of a saleswoman I had the material cut and paid for within five minutes of walking in.
Unfortunately, the organza did very little to prevent blowing out the window while attempting to see features of my actor positioned in the foreground.

The solution? Compromise my shot list to eliminate the window.

Finally, the last part of the scene takes place in the doorway of the bar. There is a conversation exchange between someone inside the bar and someone outside. My concern was about blowing out the exterior while maintaining detail on the interior actor.
Turned out my main concern should have been traffic noise. After countless takes, I'm hoping I've got some with minimal traffic noise (the street was ten feet from the door).

What else... oh - there was a steady traffic of people (seven in total) who walked in looking for the owner. The cook showed up at 9am and began prepping the kitchen and foods for the lunch hour (she was pretty accomodating - halting the noise for our takes).
Realizing that the interuptions of the business were slowing us down, the bar owner offered to let us in earlier tomorrow. We've got a crew call for 6am tomorrow, the cast will be there for 7am.

We managed to vacate the bar at 11:20am - only 20 minutes late. Granted, we were supposed to be packed up by 11 - so we've got some improving to do.

Home again, I dumped my P2 and FS100 footage to the PC, plugged in the batteries and hopped into bed for a power nap.
Fortunately, we have no more short turn arounds like lastnight/this morning. At least I'll be able to get more than 3 hours sleep (though my mind is still working on set while I'm trying to drift off).

I'm sure tomorrow will bring new challenges. Such is the life of an indie filmmaker.

Stay tuned.

[Jason Miller]

dont give up your shots, stop down the lens, then bring up the int lighting.

as far as the hum, also not a big deal, just have everyone shut up for a moment, and let your sound guy record a few minutes of the room.

[ZazaCast]

Damn... I need a nap after reading that! Get some rest and then right back at it. This is going to be a good one & I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

[Simon Höfer]

Well, I still say congrats for your shooting days so far! Keep it going man!

[Neal Buconjic]

Thanks for the pep talk guys. Day 3, here I come.

[Neal Buconjic]

Day 3.

After reviewing the previous days footage, I determined a blocking change was in order and I wanted to reshoot something. Previously, one of the characters walked about the bar while giving a monologue. Unfortunately, he walks past 3 mirrors. It took three tries before we got one without the boom or mic in one of the mirrors. What I found with the "good" take, was that in the last mirror, you can see one of the lights.

The reshoot also allowed me to shoot from the angle I previously wanted to (with the window in the background). I think the scene works much better now without the walk about and required handheld work.

We then moved on to some other segments of another scene that we planned for the day.

We packed up and were out by 11:20am. The owner asked me if I could come in earlier and finish earlier as the production was slowing down the kitchen preparation for the upcoming lunch crowd. The cook had been very conscious about making noise and would stop what she was doing when we were rolling. She inevitably would be behind by the time we were done. I explained that what was on the books for the next day didn't require absolute quiet as come 9am I was planning on shooting audience reaction shots to the magician's performance. I did however, take her up on the offer and said that I would be there for 5am. Crew call at 6am and actors ready for work at 7am.

Note:
One thing I came to realize the night before while reviewing the footage, was that I had been so conscious of "getting the shot" from a technical perspective, that I wasn't "directing" the actors. I suppose subconciously I was hoping that my direction during the rehearsal process would carry over - but in some cases it didn't. By reshooting a portion of the above scene, I had an opportunity to provide that direction and I think the performance was much stronger. I hope I can continue providing that direction and not be so absorbed in the technical aspects of the shot.

[Neal Buconjic]

Day 4 - Part I

My alarm clock began wailing at 4am. These early mornings are killing me. I regularly get up at 5:30am for my job, but 4am hurts.

The janitor at the bar let me in at 5am and I had all of the equipment in the bar by 5:15am. I began to unpack the various cases, set up the equipment and dress the set.

When the rest of the crew arrived, I soon learned that none of them (nor any of the actors) were successful at rounding up extras for our audience. As it stands, I was only able to get one person to come. It was proving very difficult to get people for a weekday morning shoot. Most people are working at 9am on a Wednesday, or are in school. So much for the audience reaction shots today. It was just as well, because we were running behind.

We banged out the planned shots, then concentrated the remainder of the morning to capturing the magician doing his "act".

We were packed up and out by 10:30am today. Getting better...

I had a discussion with two of the cast about the exterior scene we had captured from Day 1 - Sunday night (when the large generator was groaning away across the street).
I wanted to reshoot some of the footage. What I had discovered was that some of the audio was unusable, but also that some of the footage was darker than I was comfortable with.
When using the HVX200, what your eye and even the LCD perceive to be adequately lit is worlds different from what is captured. This was a big lesson, as stylistically I wanted lots of heavy shadows, but what I got was a shot that required me to boost the brightness up to 50% to make out what I was looking at.
Fortunately, the cast and crew could accomodate another evening shoot and we planned to begin shooting at 9:30pm.

Day 4 - Part II

I arrived on set at 8pm. What I immediately noticed was that the generator noise from a few nights ago was non-existant! Finally, a positive!
I began the ritual of unloading all of the equipment. The remainder of the crew arrived at 8:30 and we lit the first shot. I'll be damned, we were lit and ready to shoot before the actors even arrived on set. It pays to be well organized and "on time", doesn't it? Speaking of efficiency - because I did an edit of the scene with the existing footage, I knew exactly what shots I wanted/needed. I knew that we required 4 lighting set ups and 13 shots. In essence, we were redoing the whole scene, but it would go much more quickly this time around.

Near the end of this evenings shoot I had a discussion with one of the actors. I had noticed a big shift in his performance from a few nights earlier. Tonight he appeared and sounded noticably more comfortable in his skin. Less like he was delivering lines and more like he was the character and reacting to the situation he found himself in.

I'm really glad we reshot this scene. The footage is lit well and outside of some traffic noise, the audio is great. Not having that generator running saved my dialogue.

By 1:30am, I was climbing in bed. I was scheduled to arrive at the bar at 6am the following morning. Crew call for 7am and actors for 8am. We are in the home stretch.

[Neal Buconjic]

Day 5.

Having the whole crew and cast (save one actor) together the night before, I knew going in today that I was going to be without extras once again. It was proving near impossible to gather people for a weekday morning. I was discouraged, as I didn't want to have to compromise the film by NOT showing audience reactions to the stage performance.

We dressed the set, set up equipment and lit for a quick shot (that we could have got the previous day had the actor not forgotten that wardrobe).
We shot that piece, then concentrated on the magician doing his routine again.
When reviewing the previous stage footage, I was horrified to discover that all of the shots with the camera located in front of the stage, our magician was unconsciously performing to the camera (as there was no audience). He was looking right at it! Again, I had slipped into watching whether the shot was framed adequately to capture his full range of movement or whether there were boom shadows or a mic dipping into frame. I had missed the fact that the actor often was looking at the camera.

Unlike the previous attempt at capturing his performance, I shot some audience participation. The bar owner had agreed to appear on stage as a willing audience participant. I had wanted to shoot her seated in the crowd, but given there was no audience, I'd have to just capture the magician calling her up on stage and her complying.

Now that this sequence was done, it was at this point that the actor was supposed to have SFX makeup applied while I captured all of the audience shots. Given that there was no audience, I didn't want to use up the limited amount of makeup/latex that I had for a compromised shot.

I went to have a chat with the bar owner.
I had already told her that for a second time, I had failed to find extras to fill the audience. I reiterated that shooting in the morning on a weekday proved to be the biggest obstacle for getting people. It was then that she offered to let me shoot this weekend. Not only that, she asked how many people I needed and she would bring them. We were saved.
Over the course of this week, she had certainly grown much more comfortable and at ease with me and the production. The first few days, she was in attendance the whole time, by day 3, I was left alone in the bar for hours at a time.
Now that she herself had appeared in the film, I think she wanted to do all she could to make sure that it got completed and done without compromise.

We're scheduled to shoot Sunday morning. Crew call at 8am, I need one shot of the magician, then he's to have makeup applied. The audience shots will begin at 9:30am.
It's almost over.

[alex whitmer]

And on the seventh day, 200 film students following this thread decided to change careers.



Talk about perseverance.

a

[Robbie Comeau]

What about the sixth?

[John LaBonney]

Neal,

I've enjoyed reading this thread so far. Looks like it's been a challenging shoot so far. Hang in there!

John

[Neal Buconjic]

lol.

Oh, I'm hanging in there... too much blood and sweat - sorry, no tears - to give up now. I'm feeling good about the film. We'll finish up on Sunday.

Now, to figure out how to trim this bad boy. It's looking like it'll run about 8 minutes. It'll be tough, because there's no fat in the script.

Thanks for following along guys.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

lol.

Oh, I'm hanging in there... too much blood and sweat - sorry, no tears - to give up now. I'm feeling good about the film. We'll finish up on Sunday.

Now, to figure out how to trim this bad boy. It's looking like it'll run about 8 minutes. It'll be tough, because there's no fat in the script.

Thanks for following along guys.Edit it soon and then let it sit for a week. Go back and take another look and you'll find areas that you can probably trim down, or maybe even cut out.
Good luck!

Mike

[Neal Buconjic]

Edit it soon and then let it sit for a week. Go back and take another look and you'll find areas that you can probably trim down, or maybe even cut out.
Good luck!

Mike

Thanks for the advice, Mike. I watched your extended cut from the last fest - I seem to recall a lot of people thought the shorter version was the right length. Personally, I think that was the perception because that was the first version they saw.

I'll try your suggestion.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Thanks for the advice, Mike. I watched your extended cut from the last fest - I seem to recall a lot of people thought the shorter version was the right length. Personally, I think that was the perception because that was the first version they saw.

I'll try your suggestion.You would be correct. Anyone who watched the new cut for the first time thought it was fine the way it was. There was about a 50/50 split from those who had previously viewed the shorter version.

I'm sticking with the longer cut. That way we don't go directly from the single confrontation to the murder without any stalking/planning in between. :)

Back on topic: I'm really looking forward to this one. It sounds like you are well on your way. Good luck!

Mike

[Neal Buconjic]

I'm really looking forward to this one. It sounds like you are well on your way. Good luck!

Mike

Thanks Mike, I appreciate it.

Best wishes to you as well. Your thread/film has quite the following.

[Neal Buconjic]

That's a wrap!

We completed principal photography today. It feels good to have that out of the way, but the road ahead is still stretched out as far as the eye can see.

Some audio challenges lie ahead and some intense VFX that will require a lot of patience and precision.

As for today, it was a full day considering I thought it would take us about 3 hours. It turned into 5.
Crew arrived at the bar at 8am. We dressed the set and prepared for the required shots. As I've mentioned, the edited piece I've done so far runs long - about 9 minutes. It's going to be very difficult to trim it down to 6 minutes. In an effort to do so, I've opted to trim from the magician's act. In order to effectively trim it, I needed some alternate takes/dialogue to fit the compressed edit. This is what I needed to shoot prior to the audience reaction shots that were to begin at 9:30.

Well, the trouble I had days earlier rounding up extras for the audience carried over to today. The bar owner had planned to recruit 15 extras, but for a variety of reasons we ended up with 7. It was better than nothing! I'm thankful she was able to get me that many.

While I worked with the extras gathering footage for a variety of reactions, several of the crew worked on the sfx makeup on the magician. I have to say, I was really impressed with the job they did. I hope the footage that features the makeup does it justice.

One of my biggest weaknesses seems to be estimating the amount of time it'll take to get x - amount of shots. We were running out of time. The bar was set to open at noon and we were just finishing up the makeup on the magician. Fortunately the bar owner's were very accomodating and allowed us to continue working. We gathered the remainder of our shots (with some new bystanders observing) and finished up about an hour later.

In the coming week I hope to do one ADR session, some foley work and precisely match some shots to create elements for compositing. Of course the edit has to be completed too. Then I'll send it off to the composer (Sid) to create a score.

Any CC gurus out there who want to lend a hand to create the look and tone I'm shooting for?

[alex whitmer]

Most excellent!

Congratulations on getting through this phase. No small accomplishment.

a

[Simon Höfer]

Congratulations Neal!

[Neal Buconjic]

Most excellent!

Congratulations on getting through this phase. No small accomplishment.

a


Congratulations Neal!

Thanks for the support guys.

Alex, I'll send you a rough cut when completed.

Simon - hope your exams go well so you can dedicate time to your film!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

That's great! Tough part is over. Now you can tweak until your heart's content.
Good luck with the editing and such.

What kind of look are you going for with the CC/grading?

Cheers,

Mike

[Neal Buconjic]

That's great! Tough part is over. Now you can tweak until your heart's content.
Good luck with the editing and such.

What kind of look are you going for with the CC/grading?

Cheers,

Mike

Mike,

I'd like a dark and moody tone/look to the film. My night time exterior shots inherently have this look, but the interior ones could use some post color grading to assist.

Although it's just beginning its fourth season, I just started to watch the TV series Supernatural. I found that it's a great example of the type of look that I'm striving for.

[ZazaCast]

Congrats! Now the fun begins...
Any chance of seeing some BTS photos?

[Neal Buconjic]

Congrats! Now the fun begins...
Any chance of seeing some BTS photos?

Zaza,

You know what? I was so focused on making the film that days went by before I realized that we had no production stills or BTS shots. I brought a camera to our last few shooting days and had one of the guys take some photos.

I was shocked how grainy most of the outdoor photos turned out - even when lit for the scenes. I'm afraid that there aren't many good photos to post.

Just for the sake of showing you something, here are a couple of shots.
If I could figure out how to maintain the aspect ratio of the stills I pulled from the footage, I'd probably post a couple of them as well.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222131274.jpg
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222131329.jpg
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222131372.jpg
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222131430.jpg
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222131484.jpg
Featuring the mandatory Twilight Fest "ball"

[Mike Manning]

nice BTS! Glad it went well. I just wrapped on mine... so tiiiiiiiiired!

[Jason Miller]

One of my biggest weaknesses seems to be estimating the amount of time it'll take to get x - amount of shots. We were running out of time. The bar was set to open at noon and we were just finishing up the makeup on the magician. Fortunately the bar owner's were very accomodating and allowed us to continue working. We gathered the remainder of our shots (with some new bystanders observing) and finished up about an hour later.


lol don't feel bad, this is the biggest weekness of every Filmmaker, little trick,

little rule I find works, for simple shots double the amout you think it will be, so it you think an hour, plan for 2, for hard shots go 1.5, so if you think 5 hours for this shot, go 7.5 hours.

congrats, and good luck with the fire, and be careful

[ZazaCast]

Zaza,

You know what? I was so focused on making the film that days went by before I realized that we had no production stills or BTS shots.

I know... I did the same thing, of course my "crew" consisted of me and one other person! I managed to get 3 or 4 pictures...that's it.

Thanks for posting these, it's really helpful to see what other people are doing & how they handle different shots.:dankk2:

[Neal Buconjic]

Some uncorrected screen grabs. Still looking for a CC guru... anyone interested?

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222223421.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222223673.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222223784.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222224020.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222224816.jpg

Thanks to blindbuzta for helping me get these grabs displayed in the proper aspect ratio.

[Mike Manning]

Nice!

[Simon Höfer]

Grabs are looking good man!




Simon - hope your exams go well so you can dedicate time to your film!
Thanks! Exams went well and today was editing day :)

[Neal Buconjic]

Grabs are looking good man!


Thanks Simon.

Been a busy week at work - haven't been able to accomplish as much as I would like on the project.

I've completed the edit and I'm pretty pleased with it. Well, as pleased as I can be considering it's 3 minutes, 11 seconds OVER the 6 minute time limit!

As stated before, I'm going to send a copy to Alex, my co-writer for his evaluation. There's not too much fat to trim from the story - so it'll be a challenge.

Today I had one of my actors stop by to do an ADR session. Fortunately, I just needed to get dialogue for 3 clips from a scene. He nailed it! I got about a dozen attempts for each clip and I was able to get matching dialogue for each of them. I just need to get the actor who played opposite him in that scene over for a session and that'll be all the necessary ADR completed. It serves me right for doing the scene so close to the street (traffic noise).

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Nice grabs! Looking good.

Cheers,

Mike

[Jason Miller]

you devil looks evil great casting, asuming he can act lol

[ZazaCast]

SWEET looking grabs! Rock on & finish this one...I can't wait to see it.

[Neal Buconjic]

Nice grabs! Looking good.

Cheers,

Mike

Thanks Mike. Maybe I should make them B&W like yours?!


you devil looks evil great casting, asuming he can act lol

Hey Jason, it's hard to believe I almost didn't even consider Peter for the part. He's a very clean cut looking guy which contrasted with the look of the character as I wrote it. I requested he send me a heashot that had some "grit" or edge to it. What he sent me was the photo as seen on Post#2. He had a solid audition and the rest is history. A real pleasure working with Peter. Once we had our talks about the foundation of the character, Peter portrayed him the way I had intended - and he was very consistent.


SWEET looking grabs! Rock on & finish this one...I can't wait to see it.

Thanks Zaza. Still waiting on YOUR grabs - oh wait - you'd have to start shooting before that can happen.... October 11th is right around the corner. Good luck to you!

[ZazaCast]

Thanks Zaza. Still waiting on YOUR grabs - oh wait - you'd have to start shooting before that can happen.... October 11th is right around the corner. Good luck to you!

Yeah... but remember, this is the SECOND film I'm shooting for the fest! You can see grabs from the first one that's in the can by clicking on the banner below. (Enchanting Twist)

Cheers!

[Neal Buconjic]

Yeah... but remember, this is the SECOND film I'm shooting for the fest! You can see grabs from the first one that's in the can by clicking on the banner below. (Enchanting Twist)

Cheers!

I stand corrected. Cool!

[Neal Buconjic]

As stated, I completed the first official cut of the film. It came in at 9:11. I had some work to do to trim it down. Of course being married to the material, I was having a difficult time distinguishing what would stay and what would go. I needed some outside opinions. I made the cut available to my co-writer, VFX supervisor, composer and the production crew. I got some great unbiased feedback from several of the group. Not surprising was the fact that there were many common elements that were pointed out by the group.

I implemented most of the suggestions and in doing so removed just over two minutes of material. I’m confident that we can continue to find additional places here and there to remove precious seconds from the project. Those seconds add up.

In my opinion, at the time I’m writing this, the shorter cut seems to barrel along like a freight train from start to finish. It feels rushed without the tidy footage that ends one scene and begins another. Of course, later I may feel that this shorter version (and even shorter to come!) is perfect and that having the additional three minutes bogs down the pace. That remains to be seen.

I mentioned this many posts ago, but would like to re-iterate it. Based on the scope of my film, to do everything on my own would have lessened the “polish” that it deserves. I’ve been fortunate enough to get the assistance of a dedicated production crew as well as key contributors from the dvxuser membership. Each of them possess a skill set that eclipse my own. I’m fortunate to have them onboard.

Even something as simple as providing feedback on the edit. Without their contribution and care I may not have objectively found the three minutes to remove from the film. Of course I say this with one minute still remaining to be cut! We’ll find it…

[Jason Miller]

hey Neal thats why I always lke my first rough cut to be done by another editor I trust. after watching both cuts, I think the second improved the flow of the story. it is all your footage, and you want it all in cause its all your baby. after a few more films it gets easy, cause even with real kids, parents just don't love al the little details about their 12th kid as they did their 1st lol, my Aunt Judy was the 1st, my Uncle Ronnie was the 12th, trust me its true lol.

[Susanne G.]

Hi Neal,

I have been only a member in dvxuser from May 2008 and I have to admit that I am only writing messages in threads at the moment I know from the last fest or I find them very interesting. I didn't read the messages in the last pages of your thread, so I have a question and I don't know if there is already an answer before on the other pages!?
What means the star in the "O" of contract in your poster in your case?
BTW - best wishes for your entry. :)

Susanne

[Neal Buconjic]

hey Neal thats why I always lke my first rough cut to be done by another editor I trust. after watching both cuts, I think the second improved the flow of the story. it is all your footage, and you want it all in cause its all your baby. after a few more films it gets easy, cause even with real kids, parents just don't love al the little details about their 12th kid as they did their 1st lol, my Aunt Judy was the 1st, my Uncle Ronnie was the 12th, trust me its true lol.

Yeah, I'm finding it easier to "let go".

The feedback from Alex has been ongoing and we're down to 06:27. We'll get there.:thumbsup:

[MOVIE MASTER]

I am really looking forward to this one lost souls and stuff man this sounds awsome

i love buying souls on ebay!!!

[Neal Buconjic]

Hi Neal,

I have been only a member in dvxuser from May 2008 and I have to admit that I am only writing messages in threads at the moment I know from the last fest or I find them very interesting. I didn't read the messages in the last pages of your thread, so I have a question and I don't know if there is already an answer before on the other pages!?
What means the star in the "O" of contract in your poster in your case?
BTW - best wishes for your entry. :)

Susanne

Hi Susanne,

Thanks for the "best wishes".

The "O" actually is a Pentagram - typically associated with Satanism. It's indicating that the contract actually represents a deal with the devil.

Thanks for your interest!

[MOVIE MASTER]

deal with the devil



you wrang!!!!!!!!!

[Neal Buconjic]

I am really looking forward to this one lost souls and stuff man this sounds awsome

i love buying souls on ebay!!!


lol!

Especially when they have the "Buy it now" feature. You pay a little more, but you don't have to wait for the auction to close to know that you got it!

[MOVIE MASTER]

I buy it now always ahahahahahah!

[MOVIE MASTER]

hows the flick coming

[Neal Buconjic]

Picture is locked. We got the running time down to 05:49! I'm amazed at how solid the story has remained considering 1/3 of the film was removed. I showed the cut to several people to gauge whether the integrity of the story held up. Every person fully understood the film - no questions left unanswered.

I've been busy trying to attend to the film while juggling my real world responsibilities.

- Now that the picture is locked, the composer (Sid) has gone to work on the score.

- CC is thoughtfully being done by Brian R. Thanks for your help, Brian.

- Had another ADR session yesterday to get the second actor's dialogue recorded. Session went well and I've cut both sessions dialogue into the mix.

-I've been slow to shoot the stop motion elements that need to be created for some major compositing work. This is a "make or break" effect, so it's important that I do it right. I've done some experimenting, but have yet to start creating the "production grade" elements. Jason has been chomping at the bit to start working on the VFX, so I best get moving on it. I'll certainly go into much more detail on this process AFTER the viewing!

[Neal Buconjic]

I seemed to have a hit a cap on the amount of text in a given post (my production blog) so I'll have to add the daily details in this and additional posts.


Oct 2 - After much feedback and tinkering, somehow we've managed to whittle this baby down to a running time of 05:49!!! Much thanks to Alex Whitmer for diligently working with me to find even the slightest bits that could trim seconds away. Those seconds certainly add up. Now that the picture is locked, the composer (Sid) has been sent a copy, so he can work his own magic. I'm looking forward to hearing what he comes up with.

Oct 3 - There are some key VFX elements necessary for compositing in this film. In fact, they are so vital to the story that they could literally make or break the film. That's why it was so important to me to work with someone who had a lot of experience in the VFX world (Jason Miller). That being said, the effects are only going to be as good as the elements that I'm responsible for making. If I do a poor job of creating the elements, then that will translate to a poor shot. I'm hoping that I give Jason the quality he needs to do his thing. Tonight I performed a test to determine some information for when I set out to capture the elements to be used in the film. I can certainly say that I learned a few things that will assist me when I'm ready to do the real elements.

Oct 5 - I've been corresponding with Brian R. about color correction. I had seen many many posts by him regarding the subject and I sent him a grab to see what he could do with it. This guy is a wealth of knowledge regarding many facets of film making. Through our discussions, Brian told me about a book - The DV Rebel's Guide by Stu Maschwitz. I ordered it and had read it cover to cover a few days later. I HIGHLY recommend this book. It was both inspiring as well as a enlightening. The author is a HUGE supporter of adding production value through post work and walks the reader through the process. Not only does he give step by step instructions, but the book includes a DVD containing [among other things] custom plug-ins for After Effects so you can actually easily do the things he outlines in the book. By the way - this is the guy who created Magic Bullet. Sorry, got off on a tangent... back to Brian. I sent Brian a link to the film to get his advice - actually at the time, I just wanted an upbiased, outsiders opinion on the cut of the film. Did this trimmed version leave any holes in the story? Did he have any questions that required closure? He didn't. He easily followed the story, AND he liked it. Brian then offered to do the CC work for the film. This was a HUGE thing for me because prior to reading the book, I had NO CLUE how to do it. AFTER reading the book, I was MORE intimidated by the process! Thank you Brian for joining the team!

Oct 6 - Had my second actor do ADR for the scene which takes place by a busy street corner. The session went well. Funny, he commented that he hated his performance from the day of shooting - saying that he was stiff. On the day of ADR he said he was relaxed. I found it the other way around. His footage from on location seemed spontaneous and relaxed, where the ADR sounded rehearsed. I think I'm just biased to the way he said things on the day of shooting, as that's the way I've listened to it 100 times. Regardless, I was able to cut the session easily to sync up with his lips. Now, I just need to get some traffic noise to lay down under the dialogue of the scene.

Oct 10 - I went back to the bar location to grab some additional sound bites. I wanted to get some "bar sounds" to add some ambient noise for our bar footage. Shooting in an empty bar makes for a rather "sterile" environment. I want to add a track of muted conversations, clinking, etc. to fill in the sound space. I had a few conversations with some of the patrons as to what I was doing with the camera, mixer and boom pole. Now they want to see the film... I also grabbed the traffic sounds from the same busy corner the original scene was shot. Of course, I didn't NEED to use the same location, but while I was there anyway...

I've dedicated the next several nights to completing the VFX elements. I have to create 15 elements in total. The precision required may turned into a nightmare - and tonight I found out I'm not far off from that prediction. I spent about an hour and a half setting up my first shot, only to find it didn't "pay off" as I had intended. I chalked it up to a learning experience and moved on to a much easier element, captured it and called it a night (10:40pm). I packed up the equipment and moved back in the house (I'm shooting all the elements in my backyard). From there I sent both the clip of the pre-recorded scene and the freshly done element to Jason. As I write this (the following morning), I am amazed at what he did with it. The comp looks awesome. This certainly is inspiring and I have a re-newed energy to go at it again tonight.

[alex whitmer]

This has gone from filmmakers log to filmmakers saga.

Sure am looking forward to what all these hours in the VFX department will produce.

a

[Jason Miller]

its a good film, I'm happy to be a part of it,

[ZazaCast]

This is great... just goes to show you all the work it takes to produce a 6 minute short. This is truely and artform on it own. Keep hammering away...I can't wait to see this one!

[Robbie Comeau]

Every time I see this thread I see GHOST RIDER.

Hope this turns out well for you.

If you need any help at all, give me a holler!

Robbie

[Neal Buconjic]

Every time I see this thread I see GHOST RIDER.

Robbie

What makes you say that, Robbie?

And thanks for the offer to help. Don't you have two films you're working on?

[Neal Buconjic]

I may have just completed the last element for the VFX work. I say "may" because ultimately it's up to Jason, the VFX artist, to tell me whether he can turn the crude element into a masterpiece.

I'm amazed that he's been able to do some fantastic looking work with these "backyard" elements. Though I'm sure it's been more effort than he probably signed on for. Thank you, Jason.

Tomorrow night is payback. I'm going to be creating elements for a project Jason is working on. It's the least I can do.

[ZazaCast]

How's it going? Any new updates for us?

[Neal Buconjic]

The pieces are starting to fall into place.

- CC has been completed (Thanks Brian!). It amazes me what we can accomplish with the internet tying all of us together. Brian did the CC in Standard Def, then sent me the After Effects project file. I replaced his footage with my 1080 originals, made some scaling changes and voila! What a marked difference to the look of the footage... It's amazing what control AE provides over an image (if you know what you're doing). Fortunately, Brian does! Thanks for walking me through the transfer, Brian.

- The composer (Sid) may be able to squeeze in a little time for my entry. I'm crossing my fingers, as a score can really elevate dramatic effect.

- The VFX have painstakingly been done by Jason Miller. Well, not DONE as he is still hard at work. I'm crossing my fingers for THIS too! It's going to be close - The 27th is right around the corner!

- I'm continuing to play with the audio - maybe about 80% completed. I've been bumping up the gain to get the dialogue in that desired -12db to -6db range, but I'm not comfortable with the amount of background noise this has introduced (in some scenes). I'll continue to read the threads pertaining to Post audio - hopefully I'll find a good compromise. But if anyone has some advice - please feel free to comment!

I know this project is going to be down to the wire. I just hope there aren't any surprises in store!

[alex whitmer]

Down to the wire works.


Looking forward to the final!


aw

http://www.vimeo.com/2031823

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/album.php?albumid=14







.

[Jason Miller]

aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

ok better now

[alex whitmer]

I take it that means done?





http://www.vimeo.com/2031823


http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/album.php?albumid=14





.

[Neal Buconjic]

aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

ok better now


Breathe Jason... don't forget to breathe... :thumbsup:

[alex whitmer]

Maybe I mis-read that.


Was that a hair-pulling aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ...

... or a thank god it's over aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Neal Buconjic]

Maybe I mis-read that.


Was that a hair-pulling aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ...

... or a thank god it's over aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


I don't want to put words in Jason's mouth, but if I were to guess I'd say he has two fists full of hair right about now...

[Jason Miller]

its a renderman texmake mel script finally working on one computer a houdini particles sim on another, a realflow python error on the emachine while I'm comping fire in shake for the contract on the imac, sweeping up the hair that's fallen out all on its own arrhhhhhhhhhhh

[alex whitmer]

Well that explains all the extra hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh's. I thought maybe the H key got stuck.


a

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Awesome. Deals with the devil are a staple of the genre. Looking forward to your take on it.

Something really cool about about casting the "Santana" character (Satan I assume") as having two different colored eyes.

Could it be ....
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__cPZvBqmo3k/Rt8ti2UT7SI/AAAAAAAAAJY/vIWF8YwxY14/s1600/church%2Blady.jpg

:D

[Jason Miller]

one more time AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

God help us all!!!

[Gary Sconce]

Wait... *GASP*... My wife has two different colored eyes... :Drogar-BlackEye(DBG

(The haunting wind blows the curtains as violins screech somewhere in the distance...:shocked:)

That answers a lot of questions... *poof*

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

haha, so does David Bowie and some other really cool folks.

I kind of like it since the devil often has such a dual nature in many stories.

[Neal Buconjic]

I never noticed his eyes in person, but when I received the headshot I had to do a double take.

That being said, he got the part for his acting ability - NOT because of his eye color! It's difficult enough to satisfactorily cast my films - imagine if I had to narrow down the scope to only those with two different colored eyes!?

[Neal Buconjic]

one more time AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

God help us all!!!

Hang in there, Jason! Can't you see the finish line!?

[Jason Miller]

if I ever meet the guy who invented roto, they are going to have to roto my foot out of his ass.

[John LaBonney]

if I ever meet the guy who invented roto, they are going to have to roto my foot out of his ass.

Quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever read on dvxuser.

[Neal Buconjic]

if I ever meet the guy who invented roto, they are going to have to roto my foot out of his ass.


Quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever read on dvxuser.

Glad to see you still have a sense of humor at the 11th hour Jason.
And look at John's comment - you may be immortalized!:thumbsup:

[alex whitmer]

Not being on the techie side of film I have no idea what Roto is, but me thinks it's not something I'm going to run out and buy.

More important, sure glad I'm not the guy who invented it.



You guys are really putting the sweat-equity into this one!


a


www.brooklyngarrison.wordpress.com

[Tim Joy]

if I ever meet the guy who invented roto, they are going to have to roto my foot out of his ass.


It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it. :Drogar-Evil(DBG):

[ZazaCast]

if I ever meet the guy who invented roto, they are going to have to roto my foot out of his ass.

I agree with John... This is the best yet! LMAO:)

(note to self...never piss Jason off)

[alex whitmer]

It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it. :Drogar-Evil(DBG):


Which application are you referring to - film or extracting the foot?

a





.

[Tim Joy]

Extracting the foot... on film.

[Jason Miller]

Not being on the techie side of film I have no idea what Roto is, but me thinks it's not something I'm going to run out and buy.

More important, sure glad I'm not the guy who invented it.



Roto I.E. Rotoscoping, can be done in almost any compositing, best one for roto is AE, and Roto is about the onyl thing AE is good for, I work in shake, and Nuke, for this project just shake which is a wonderful program,

roto is basicly hand drawing a matte around an object and then animating that matte to follow the object, tou can then use that matte to take the object out of the frame or add it into frame, you cn even do an 8 point roto in FCP, but the rotos in the contract, are much more, one shot has well over 100 points articulate mate, meaning it follows the object snuggly.

[Jason Miller]

oh yea, in the industry roto is also known as the low job, way under matchmoving.

[Jason Miller]

the way I see it, if you didnt vote for perdro then you have good taist and you should vote for the Contract.

[Neal Buconjic]

I had a short chat with Pedro (Efren Ramirez) a few years back. Seemed like a nice enough guy.

[Neal Buconjic]

Exporting NOW....

[alex whitmer]

Yes!!


Excellent job and excellent display of perseverance.

[Simon Höfer]

Congrats! :)

[Neal Buconjic]

Thanks guys.

Exporting from Premiere is complete. Now I have to compress with QuickTime Pro.

This'll take a while...

The important thing is, it's DONE. Looking forward to the upload.

[ZazaCast]

Congrats!

[Jason Miller]

I can't wait to see it, maybe I can get a sneak peak? I have to say you guys are going to be blown away by this film, not the vfx just the film itself, very well make, nice story tight cuts, attractive motivated lighting, way to go Neal.

[Neal Buconjic]

Thank you, Jason.

This has been an incredible journey, with many twists and turns (some times wrong ones!), but it's always great to get to the destination.

I've mentioned this a few times, but I just wanted to say that I sincerely thank each and every person who has assisted me with this production.

In sequential order:

Alex Whitmer. A great writer and collaborator. I was drawing a blank very early on for ideas, so I asked to read some of Alex's offerings. Great stuff, but I thought them too ambitious (little did I know how ambitious my project would turn out). I then came up with a story and collaborated with Alex on it. He's great for providing feedback, whether it be on writing or editing. Thanks for helping to cleanly remove more than three minutes from the running time, Alex. You were instrumental to accomplishing this.

Mike Manning. I have very little experience with Photoshop. Practically none. Enter Mike Manning. Mike was kind enough to offer to create a poster for The Contract. Once I realized he obviously knew his way around PS, I asked if he would be interested in creating a few necessary pieces of artwork required for the production. Mike readily accepted and I've always been pleased with his quality work. Thanks, Mike.

Jason Miller. I knew very early on that the VFX could make or break this film. Having no VFX experience, I put out the call for someone to take the VFX reins. Jason thought he would have a few days worth of work in order to complete the required visual effects. LOL. Little did he realize the challenges that lay ahead! I can honestly say that he worked tirelessly (oh, who am I kidding - of course he was tired!) many days and all nighters just to get the film ready for upload. Of course we could have used much more time to clean up and refine, but as it stands, the film is complete. We were down to the wire, weren't we Jason? Thank you for ALL of your efforts.

Brian Ramage. The captured image from the camera is only a fraction of what the final image could look like. Many of us have heard of color correction or color grading - but personally, I have NO experience doing it. Again, it was necessary for me to tap into the talent pool. While using the search function (go figure) to find out HOW to do CC, I noticed Brian often contributed to the various threads. I contacted him and sent him a still from the film. I just wanted to get some direction on what could be done with it. After seeing a cut of the film, he offered to perform the CC work. He's contributed MUCH more than that along the way. What a wealth of knowledge he has been. He even SAVED MY BACON yesterday. The film would not be seen as intended (and possibly NOT AT ALL) had Brian not helped me through a last minute crisis. Thank you, Brian!

Sid Barnhoorn. Composer extraodinaire. Sid signed on early, but as the fest deadline fast approached, he was having difficulty finding time for the project. Paying projects get first dibs in my books too! Just as the final days were dwindling away, Sid said he would be able to whip something up. I just needed some simple synthesizer music under a few moments in the film. I was blown away by what he provided. WOW, on so many levels. He nailed the tone of the film and wove so many layers of sound throughout. The score FAR exceeded anything I was expecting. Thank you for adding an extra dimension to the film.

My production crew. There are certainly some one-man bands who participate in these fests, but I know that I wouldn't want to do it alone. Fortunately, I had a small group of three who were able to find the time to help me. Adriana Cull put her film school learnings to work as my DP. I've read countless books on lighting, but have little PRACTICAL experience. It was in my best interest to ask for assistance (notice a theme yet?). I've worked with Justin Colautti (a new member here - that corpse!) on a few projects over the years (mostly his). He's most comfortable operating the camera, though I shared much of these duties for this project. Jamie Pyette. Jamie has been designated sound man on almost EVERY project. I haven't heard him complain. I'll tell you something though - Buying Barry's Sound for TV and Film was worth every penny. In a nutshell it preaches to get the microphone as close to the talent as possible - but there is SO much more than that. I made sure Jamie watched this DVD.
Thank you production crew. We had some late nights and early mornings, but you can be proud of what we captured. Thank you for your efforts.

The Cast. Given that I live in an area that is not bustling with industry folks (cast or crew), I intentionally wrote the script with few characters. Having acted on stage for a number of years, I was able to "hand pick" some actors I had worked with before. Casting for Oscar (the magician), Nick (the bar owner) and Eric was fairly straightforward, but I had some issues trying to find someone to play the character of Santana.
Jason Preece. This is a guy who takes "the craft" very seriously. Whether on stage or in front of the camera. Jason effortlessly made you understand WHY the magician was so desperate.
Chuck Holgate. Almost immediately after writing the character of Nick, I thought of Chuck. He really delivered the goods.
Peter Fleming. Given how worried i was about finding an actor who looked like the preconceived image I had for Santana - Peter was a very pleasant surprise. I didn't think he was gritty enough, but I'm more than pleased to say that I was wrong. He's plenty gritty!:)
Brendan Hennessey. Brendan had it easy on set. We shot his scene on time! He was done in about 45 minutes. He was prepared and delivered. Couldn't ask for more.


Lastly, I want to acknowledge the owner of the bar (The Nicolet Tavern) where much of the film was shot. Judy Gawant was extremely accomodating with us. Although the original plan was to shoot 7am - 11am, this quickly moved to 5am - 11am. Without her generosity and support, I wouldn't have been able to get this film made.
Thanks Judy.

And to those who have visited the thread and left comments of encouragement - THANK YOU!

[Mike Manning]

You're very welcome Neal! I can't wait to see it!

[MrKilloran]

Can't wait to see this, it sounds fantastic.

[Neal Buconjic]

Thanks guys. It was alot of work. I hope you enjoy it.

[alex whitmer]

Hey Neal,

It was a real pleasure to work with you on this project. Your focus and determination are admirable, and your running log of events should be turned into a pamphlet and used in every film school on the planet!!

a

[Danielleus]

Hey, nice poster. This looks like it's going to be really good fun. Good looking cast, good looking locations. Good luck. Can't wait to see it.

[gabrielflorit]

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222223421.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1222223673.jpg


Nice job lighting, your grabs look really good. Very atmospheric.

[Neal Buconjic]

Hey, nice poster. This looks like it's going to be really good fun. Good looking cast, good looking locations. Good luck. Can't wait to see it.

Thank you. Actually, Mike Manning (blindbuzta) turned my concept into a poster. I have zero Photoshop skills! Hope you enjoy the flick.


Nice job lighting, your grabs look really good. Very atmospheric.

Thanks Gabriel. These are some of my favorites, due to the hard lighting and shadow. I'm glad to hear that the lighting choice created the intended look and atmosphere. :thumbsup:
BTW, I'm looking forward to YOUR film. Looks like you put in a lot of hard work.

[Neal Buconjic]

Just noticed that THE CONTRACT has gone from "Awaiting Approval" to "APPROVED"!
Woot!:thumbsup:

[gabrielflorit]

Just noticed that THE CONTRACT has gone from "Awaiting Approval" to "APPROVED"!
Woot!:thumbsup:

Congrats! :beer:

[ZazaCast]

Congrats Neil! This is going to be a great fest.

[Brian Parker]

Great BTS info. Looking forward to it. Good luck!

[Jason Miller]

it got approved what a shock, um I mean yaaaaaay its a wonderful film, vote for it lol

congrats, you still have hair left I still have a little, to bad its just pulblic hair, (yes I know what I just said and I stand by it)

[Zim]

Good film.

[heccky]

buconjic---from vhere is this mann...balkan?

[Neal Buconjic]

heccky,

I was born and raised in Canada.

[Neal Buconjic]

Good film.

Thanks Zim.

I'm still working on it!

[Mike Manning]

Hey Neal...
Thought I post the comments I emailed to you before...

For me the biggest issue was with the shots and camera style. I think on your next film, you need to work on having a wider variety of shots than what you have here, which are predominantly locked off wides and mediums. The best shot in your film is the slow zoom on the devil during the magic act... the reason is.. it's the only shot that moves. Even if you can't afford a dolly or a jib or whatever, the tripod is a very versatile too and on that you shouldn't be intimidated by. Zoom in tight on your actors and pan and tilt to follow their movements. I made these same mistakes in some of my first films... I'd frame the shot, press record and call cut when it was over. It's like, yeah the shot looked good when i framed it, and the actor was holding his mark, but what happens when he moves? Then it's no longer a nicely framed shot and worse, it's gonna be hard to cut with other shots.

Another thing that might help solve this problem is to shoot more inserts. For example, the scenes where the magician is doing his act... you have him framed in a medium doing tricks with small objects in his hands (the ball, the rings, the scarf).. While it was a good looking shot, it doesn't hold its weight for the length of time we're looking at it. Next time, try getting tighter inserts... get close on the ball, show the beads of sweat roll down his face as he's nervous about his shitty act, things like that will help you cut away from the medium without having to cut away from the action of the scene. Cuz you have cut aways, but they're reaction shots that take us away from the action. Inserts would keep us right there with him, while providing different images to look at.
I hope I'm making sense... haha

Anyway... all and all you should be very proud of yourself for having made the film. Not many people can say they've made a film... it's a big accomplishment. So yeah, next time out, try experimenting with different shots... mimic other films (that's what ever other director is doing!) And also... next time, don't burden yourself with special effects... try shooting something simpler so you can develop a clearer style

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Yes, more variety in your shots would help out quite a bit. I really enjoyed the story quite a bit though. I especially liked how the movie ended, perfect look!

The effects were a little sketchy but that was tough to pull off.
You definitely nailed the theme!

Nice work.

Mike

[MrKilloran]

Neal, I have to agree about some variety with the shots, they feel rigid. Add a couple close ups in your film to heighten certain moments, like when he's signing the contract.

The story is perfect for the fest, you nailed the theme. I feel like Oscar was swayed too easily to sign, maybe have a bit of conflicting thoughts expressed on his face. I thought your actor for "Santana" ( I lol'd a little :grin:) was great, the way he delivered his dialogue was not to imposing but had an ominous feeling about it.

I thought the ending was perfect for the story, also, nice final line and the guys face is priceless.

Great work!

[Neal Buconjic]

Thank you for the comments guys. I appreciate you watching the film and giving your feedback.

Yes, I agree that more camera movement would help the pace of the film and prevent it from appearing so static. The irony here is that I HAD shots with camera movement but had to cut them.

Most of my camera movement was to establish the beginning of the scenes as well as the end. However, in order to go from a running time of more than 9 minutes down to 6 minutes - well, those shots were the first to go. I also have more movement during the bar owner's confession, but half of his confession was removed to make time.

As far as the magic acts, I actually chose NOT to use inserts of close-ups etc (though I shot them) because I wanted to make sure that the tricks weren't construed as editing magic. All of the tricks performed by the actor (even the 5 that didn't make the film) were learned and executed by him. The fact that he was quite rough at performing them worked! Actually, I chose to not include several of the tricks he performed because I thought they were TOO GOOD. They had a skill level that was beyond Oscar's capabilities. It's not that Oscar is a BAD magician, it's that he has no stage presence and the caliber of his tricks is lacking. One other thing I tried to accomplish was to ensure the viewer was also unimpressed with his magic. I felt keeping the shot style for the act as bland as possible would contribute to this.

As to the VFX - well, we simply ran out of time. Jason did a lot of work, but the quality of the flame footage I provided was lacking and made it difficult to use effectively. Work on the VFX continues and they are being totally re-done. As I write this, 1/3 of the effects have been completed and look great IMO. You'll have to watch for the Director's Cut in the "User Films" section in the future.

Thank you for the comments. Keep them coming. I'll be sure to think about them while planning my shots for the next film. This has been a tremendous learning experience and I believe we'll all grow and be that much better on the next one.

[Mile Bozicevic]

Hi, just watched your film the second time now.

I like the music when Santana appeared, and his very character act.
I agree with a little more shots included-there's a lot of dialogues that could be edited differently (close up, medium, close up, detail, medium etc). One thing though I found as mistake is that audience itself shows after the very half of the movie. In beggining, we hear that they didn't approve his act and so on, but at least two shots of them while looking not-interesed would make everything a little more realistic (because really, I thought there won't be any audience at all through the whole film. The late appearance of audience has only confused me).

Other than that, I like the story and I get you for shorting this to 6 min-I had kinda the same problem. Nice fire effects there, I'll sure watch the directors cut.

Keep up!

[Robbie Comeau]

Neal, where in Ontario did you shoot this?

I liked it. I don't like how we didn't se the crowd till later in the film. All of a sudden you showed a shot of them clapping and I said, "Oh, there WAS a crowd there instead of a fake audience sound clip (Maybe there was for the first part) But I would've liked to have seen more of them in the beginning, made it felt more "real" to me.

nice fire effects. I know that's hard to pull off, but you didn't do it so bad, so good job on that.

The actors looked good, and they fit pretty good to.

I like the twist in the end, man. Really surprised me.

I just felt this was to much like Ghost Rider.

Thanks for sharing,

Robbie

[ZazaCast]

Really good film! I liked the story, it was interesting and moved along nicely. Good "look" too...although there were some dark shots I think could have used a tad more back light. Some of the ADR was a little off & jumped out at me. I don't know how much footage you shot, but I would have liked to see some more variety of shots & camera movement. (check out the DIY slider I built for this fest... it's cheap and comes in really handy!). The weakest part for me was the VFX. This seemed like a hugh task to take on and would have to be done flawlessly. I tip my hat to you for taking this on. Acting was good. My favorite was Santana..."My friend"...

Loved the 'coke nail' Santana used to draw blood for the contract signing! Call me crazy, but I also really liked the shot at 4:18 with the glass & bottle liquor pour...if only the glass didn't have so many fingerprints on it!

Over all, really good film and an enjoyable watch! Congratulations the cast & crew on a job well done.

[alex whitmer]

I also really liked the shot at 4:18 with the glass & bottle liquor pour...if only the glass didn't have so many fingerprints on i

This is one of the shots that was on the fence for editing. It stayed in just for the great color variety it added, and to set up the next scene. But yeah, it rode the fence due to the smudged glass.

It's one of those nagging 'attention to detail' things that slip through the cracks in the heat of the moment.

aw

[Neal Buconjic]

Hi, just watched your film the second time now.

I like the music when Santana appeared, and his very character act.
I agree with a little more shots included-there's a lot of dialogues that could be edited differently (close up, medium, close up, detail, medium etc). One thing though I found as mistake is that audience itself shows after the very half of the movie. In beggining, we hear that they didn't approve his act and so on, but at least two shots of them while looking not-interesed would make everything a little more realistic (because really, I thought there won't be any audience at all through the whole film. The late appearance of audience has only confused me).

Other than that, I like the story and I get you for shorting this to 6 min-I had kinda the same problem. Nice fire effects there, I'll sure watch the directors cut.

Keep up!

Hi Mile,

Thank you for watching my film and giving me some feedback.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I think that Sid Barnhoorn did a tremendous job on the score - far exceeding my expectations. I'm glad you liked his music (As a side note - I messed up on the compression settings for the sound - they were set to 22k instead of 44 or 48 - my bad).
Peter, the actor playing Santana also did a great job. He was ominous without going over the top, becoming a caricature.

I didn't mean to throw anyone regarding the audience. To be clear, when shooting the magician on stage for scene 1 and 3, there was no audience present. Days later, their reactions were shot. In the full cut of the film (running time of 09:11) the audience appears in both scenes. Again, due to the trimming, I felt I could cut their reactions out because you can HEAR their reaction. I was just trying to shave off some much needed time.

I'm glad you're going to watch for the Director's Cut, as you'll see these missing pieces!

Oh, by the way - my grandfather was from Croatia!

Neal.

[Neal Buconjic]

Neal, where in Ontario did you shoot this?


LOL, Robbie you PM'd me that question about 6 weeks ago! I live in Sault Ste. Marie. Six and a half hours (drive) North of TO.



I liked it. I don't like how we didn't se the crowd till later in the film. All of a sudden you showed a shot of them clapping and I said, "Oh, there WAS a crowd there instead of a fake audience sound clip (Maybe there was for the first part) But I would've liked to have seen more of them in the beginning, made it felt more "real" to me.

I explained this in the previous post. I left out the clips of the audience reaction to save some running time.



nice fire effects. I know that's hard to pull off, but you didn't do it so bad, so good job on that.

Thanks, but I can't take credit for them. Jason Miller did the VFX. You should check out his reel. http://wafflefilms.com Cool stuff.



The actors looked good, and they fit pretty good to.

I was pleased with how the cast did. They followed direction well and showed up on time!



I like the twist in the end, man. Really surprised me.

It surprised me too! I was doing a re-write for after Oscar's death when it suddenly occured to me, "what if Nick set him up?" I was actually taken aback by the revelation. I'm glad that you were surprised, too. Half of his "set up" for this reveal was removed to cut down the running time.



I just felt this was to much like Ghost Rider.

You mentioned this in a post a few pages back. What is familiar about it? Souls? Fire? It couldn't be the fire, because when you originally said it, you didn't KNOW about the fire...

Thanks Robbie.

[Neal Buconjic]

Really good film! I liked the story, it was interesting and moved along nicely. Good "look" too...although there were some dark shots I think could have used a tad more back light. Some of the ADR was a little off & jumped out at me. I don't know how much footage you shot, but I would have liked to see some more variety of shots & camera movement. (check out the DIY slider I built for this fest... it's cheap and comes in really handy!). The weakest part for me was the VFX. This seemed like a hugh task to take on and would have to be done flawlessly. I tip my hat to you for taking this on. Acting was good. My favorite was Santana..."My friend"...

Thank you Zaza. I appreciate the comments.
Funny thing about the ADR and the volume in general. I've watched the film on several different PC's and I've found the volume different each time. Sometimes I'll find that the Score volume is lower than when played on my PC or the walla track is too low. In this case, yes, the ADR would probably sound significantly louder and cleaner when the walla track volume is too low. I need a sound designer! LOL...
I saw your DIY thread for the slider. I'll contact you about it. I agree it would make some nice moves without the need for a cumbersome dolly.

You'll see a huge difference in the VFX in the Director's Cut. There have been many positive learnings from making this film, but one of the biggest for me was getting my feet wet with After Effects. I had no idea how to use it up until 23 hours before the submission deadline. There was an emergency that required me to learn very quickly.

Jason uploaded the VFX footage to a webserver (a 10 hour-ish upload time) then had to head out of town. When I received the footage many hours later, I dropped it in to the timeline. I was shocked to discover that 6 seconds of a 9 second clip were missing. After some investigating, I found out that I had dropped the ball. I had sent him a 3 second clip (when the flames on Santana's body die out), but later I requested that his hands stay lit. I forgot to re-send him the remaining 6 seconds that follows the 3 second clip. So what we saw was the fire die out on Santana's body and his hands remaining on fire, then suddenly his hands stop burning for 6 seconds, followed by the next clip when his hands are on fire again, followed by another where the hand flames go out.
I had to learn how to composite in some flames in his hands, then ask for some guidance to learn how to track the motion of the hands. It's significantly rougher than Jason's work, but it was a band-aid fix. The alternative would have been NOT to enter. Not a road I wanted to travel. I'm amazed how really simple AE is once you know the basics. Granted it has a million features that I have NO CLUE how to use.



Loved the 'coke nail' Santana used to draw blood for the contract signing! Call me crazy, but I also really liked the shot at 4:18 with the glass & bottle liquor pour...if only the glass didn't have so many fingerprints on it!

Yeah, I wrote in the blood letting with the nail... it was Peter's choice to paint the nails black. :)
Ahhh, yes... the dreaded glass. I agree it's a nice shot, but those fingerprints drive me! It wasn't until I reviewed the footage that I went "Ewwwwww".
Well, Nick said that the place wasn't what it used to be.... maybe they don't have CLEAN glasses anymore?!



Over all, really good film and an enjoyable watch! Congratulations the cast & crew on a job well done.
:dankk2:

[pauly_the_hitman]

It was a bit predictable for me and that always throws off my interest. I thought the special effects could have been a little better in parts but overall sold the whole concept for me. I just got tired of seeing sell your soul to the Devil movies. Good job despite that. The guy at the end solid actor for sure.
Pauly

[Neal Buconjic]

It was a bit predictable for me and that always throws off my interest. I thought the special effects could have been a little better in parts but overall sold the whole concept for me. I just got tired of seeing sell your soul to the Devil movies. Good job despite that. The guy at the end solid actor for sure.
Pauly

Thanks for watching Pauly.

I guess I should have kept it a secret that there was "soul selling" involved! I appreciate you watching despite your displeasure for this type of film.

Yeah, Brendan (playing Eric Watts) comes off very naturally. I had no idea he was going to do an accent until we started rolling!

[alex whitmer]

That wasn't his real accent? Fooled the hell out of me!

a

[Neal Buconjic]

LOL! Nope.

He was cursing his choice to do an accent when he had to repeat it in the ADR session!

[John LaBonney]

Ah, I get to compare yet another devil character to the one in Barn Dance. Santana was very good. I thought the acting was good overall.

While I didn't see him burning up onstage coming, the instant you hear the knock at the door the end of the film is pretty predictable. The dialog with the bar guy was a little long winded.

The fire effects have been commented on already, I give you credit for attempting something big here.

All-in-all, nice job.

[Neal Buconjic]

Ah, I get to compare yet another devil character to the one in Barn Dance. Santana was very good. I thought the acting was good overall.

While I didn't see him burning up onstage coming, the instant you hear the knock at the door the end of the film is pretty predictable. The dialog with the bar guy was a little long winded.

The fire effects have been commented on already, I give you credit for attempting something big here.

All-in-all, nice job.

Thanks for the comments, John.

Yes, another devil character... they're a staple of the twilight genre aren't they? At least in your film (good BTW), your central character had the fortitude to resist!

Sorry to hear that the knock on the door was a dead give away for what was about to come. Long winded dialogue? Then it's a good thing half his monologue got cut! :)

Thank you for the pat on the back for attempting the heavy VFX. I've learned that I won't write something (for a fest entry) that relies so heavily on VFX. Live and learn...

:thumbsup:

[jefflebowski]

I was immediately drawn to Nick. His acting is a cut above and I'd say he was cast well.

The script itself is yet another play on the concept of selling your soul to the devil, which for me, never gets old. So, good going on the basic premise. I felt drawn in immediately which is a good thing because I have found many of these shorts tend to stall in the beginning. I also appreciated the special effects. From a writers standpoint, I would have done one thing differently. Nick essentially spilled his guts (talking to dead Oscar) about his deal with Santana. I would left a little to to viewers imagination. Perhaps a more cryptic explanation of Nick's own deal would have sufficed and then Nick openly inviting the guitar player into the bar would confirm that he is working for Santana.

Overall, great story...one of the better ones. Bravo

[stinkpot]

Neal, I enjoyed your story. It felt kind of rushed in parts but that's what a six minute time limit will do to you sometimes :) The fire effects looked good and were not overdone. I especially liked what you did with the charred body. Good film and well worth watching.

Hope to see more of your stuff soon.

:beer:

[Neal Buconjic]

I was immediately drawn to Nick. His acting is a cut above and I'd say he was cast well.

The script itself is yet another play on the concept of selling your soul to the devil, which for me, never gets old. So, good going on the basic premise. I felt drawn in immediately which is a good thing because I have found many of these shorts tend to stall in the beginning. I also appreciated the special effects. From a writers standpoint, I would have done one thing differently. Nick essentially spilled his guts (talking to dead Oscar) about his deal with Santana. I would left a little to to viewers imagination. Perhaps a more cryptic explanation of Nick's own deal would have sufficed and then Nick openly inviting the guitar player into the bar would confirm that he is working for Santana.

Overall, great story...one of the better ones. Bravo

Thanks for the feedback, Jeff.

It's interesting that you should bring up Nick's confession from a writing perspective. I wrestled with this a bit. After getting some feedback on the early drafts of the script, I opted to not pull any punches and simply have Nick explain "why".
We don't have much time to pull it all together in six minutes and in the past I've watched some shorts and "didn't get it". I decided that I'd leave no doubt in the viewers mind. I'll admit, you bring up an interesting new take on this though... I'm going to edit an alternate ending and see how that feels. At least if the viewer still has no idea that Nick is "an agent" of Santana's, then what plays out in the final scene won't be so predictable.

Thanks for giving me something to mull over, Jeff. I appreciate it.

[Neal Buconjic]

Neal, I enjoyed your story. It felt kind of rushed in parts but that's what a six minute time limit will do to you sometimes :) The fire effects looked good and were not overdone. I especially liked what you did with the charred body. Good film and well worth watching.

Hope to see more of your stuff soon.

:beer:


Thanks, stinkpot. I'll drink to that! :beer:

Yep, I agree the pace was quite quick until Nick's confession. You're right, the six minute limit kept most of the "fluff" out of the film, so it tended to race along. If you read some of the past posts, then you know that I had to cut more than three minutes from the running time. It was a challenge to say the least!

I'm glad you like the charred body. It was time consuming to apply the makeup and as I learned from the actor - to remove it as well! He said it took him an hour and a half! (It was stuck in his arm hair - ouch!)

I'll have to post some pics.

Thanks for watching and for the comments.

[John LaBonney]

At least in your film (good BTW), your central character had the fortitude to resist!

Ah, thanks for noticing. That's something about the script I'm particularly fond of in that in most sell your soul to the devil movies the main character sells his soul, then finds out it's a crappy deal, and the rest of the movie is about how he gets out of the deal. In my film the twist is that he doesn't take the deal and instead lives with what he's got and who he is.


It's interesting that you should bring up Nick's confession from a writing perspective. I wrestled with this a bit. After getting some feedback on the early drafts of the script, I opted to not pull any punches and simply have Nick explain "why".

I appreciate that sentiment a lot. Too often "why" is hidden way too deeply by short filmmakers, and after I read your response to this comment I came up with an idea on how to do it a little differently. Don't you just hate that when somebody tells you, "hey, how about doing it this way instead?" I know I do. But since I've already started writing this post I'll do it anyway.

You could have a brief explanatory "flashback" (ugh I hate that word, sorry) scene with Santana and Nick, showing Nick wanting to get out of his deal and Santana demanding five souls in return. It would kind of show the viewer what the deal is rather than tell him. Well, it's an idea anyway.

[Neal Buconjic]

You could have a brief explanatory "flashback" (ugh I hate that word, sorry) scene with Santana and Nick, showing Nick wanting to get out of his deal and Santana demanding five souls in return. It would kind of show the viewer what the deal is rather than tell him. Well, it's an idea anyway.

Thanks for your thoughts on this John. At what point would you have this "flashback"?

You know, I've read time and again that it's ALWAYS better to SHOW the viewer than to TELL them. I wanted to recreate his whole monologue so we could see it play out against his VO. Unfortunately, I thought it would be too much work to dress the set for the 70's, get appropriate wardrobe, hair, etc. It certainly would have been easy enough to have Nick and Santana discussing the revised deal though.

Food for thought. Thanks.

[Neal Buconjic]

I especially liked what you did with the charred body. Good film and well worth watching.

Here's some stills of the makeup process.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1225925763.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1225925841.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1225926475.jpg
Red for mid-burn shots
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1225926512.jpg
Darker for the final burn shots
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1225926056.jpg
That's one nasty looking arm
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1225926095.jpg
Extra crispy

[John LaBonney]

Thanks for your thoughts on this John. At what point would you have this "flashback"?

In my humble opinion, which is worth exactly what you paid for it (and I want a raise, by the way!), I would show Nick drinking, sad, in despair, silent, and then go to a scene where he and Santana discuss Nick getting out of the deal, then back to the knock at the door.

[John LaBonney]

I also thought it was very interesting that you had to ace-deuce a couple of the magic tricks because they were too good.

[Neal Buconjic]

In my humble opinion, which is worth exactly what you paid for it (and I want a raise, by the way!), I would show Nick drinking, sad, in despair, silent, and then go to a scene where he and Santana discuss Nick getting out of the deal, then back to the knock at the door.

Makes perfect sense. Oh - I spoke to the producer about your raise - we can double the amount you've been paid thus far. I fought hard for that, John!:)

[Susanne G.]

Very intriguing story. Best devil ever. I liked the acting of the bar boss. Well done! :beer:

Susanne

[Neal Buconjic]

Very intriguing story. Best devil ever. I liked the acting of the bar boss. Well done! :beer:

Susanne

Thank you Susanne!

Cheers! :beer:

[Dick Campbell]

After all the devil flicks in this fest, I thought this one was the best. Clever ending. The fire sfx fell apart in a few places. don't know how you would fix that. like when santana first showed the fire, and his hands moved and the fire didn't

[Neal Buconjic]

After all the devil flicks in this fest, I thought this one was the best. Clever ending. The fire sfx fell apart in a few places. don't know how you would fix that. like when santana first showed the fire, and his hands moved and the fire didn't

Thanks for taking the time to comment, Dick.

How do I fix the sfx? By doing them over. Each of the "fire shots" are being re-done. I've got five shots remaining...

[Jason Miller]

After all the devil flicks in this fest, I thought this one was the best. Clever ending. The fire sfx fell apart in a few places. don't know how you would fix that. like when santana first showed the fire, and his hands moved and the fire didn't


I have to take exception to this, when Santana first shots the fire, it is a deas on match move with the hand, it isn't untill Neal added footage that I never had that the track falls apart. in between the line you can see the change over from my comp to Neals ("now" and "shall I grand you dominion over fire") and the portion where he says "or somthing" those are actually 3d flames, and they track correctly as well.

[Neal Buconjic]

it isn't untill Neal added footage that I never had that the track falls apart. in between the line you can see the change over from my comp to Neal's

Good point Jason. As stated in an earlier post, I had to "add" six seconds worth of flaming hands to a comp that Jason had already completed. I didn't know what I was doing and the tracking wasn't that great. I must admit, I'm worlds better now.

[Jason Miller]

are you reshooting the black box elements with a more matte black color?

[Neal Buconjic]

are you reshooting the black box elements with a more matte black color?

So far I haven't needed to. I've been placing the subject about 6-7 feet in front of the black background. There have been no reflections on the background, but I have yet to shoot the full body burns... that'll likley throw some light.

[Neal Buconjic]

Not only did I use the required leader and ball element, but I also did some DVXuser product placement in the film.

I'll bet no one looked twice at the beer bottle in the screen grab below?
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1226102853.jpg

Here's a CU of the bottle.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1226102293.jpg

Thanks to Mike Manning for making the label for me.

[Noel Evans]

I must admit I am a sucker for the "sell your soul" theme and you had a great twist at the end.

Story wise, I think it was overall good. I didnt quite feel where the Bar owner was talking to himself and talking to the dead guy. I think he could have been talking to Santana to reveal he was behind it.

Shots; I think you did a pretty good job, there were a few that werent quite there for me, for example, 4.21 on the Bar owner, was too much headroom. I thought the lighting to was pretty solid as far as appearing natural and not overstated, though it was a bit two dimensional at times.

The Bar Owner was the best actor for me. Hes got a solid voice. Some of the ADR was a bit out of time.

I liked it.

[Neal Buconjic]

Thanks for the comments Noel.

I see you picked out 4:21. That was the best take and thus why it ended up in this cut, but you're right about the headroom.
I framed the shot while he was sitting in place. But after he put the cap back on the bottle, he leaned further forward than when I had framed it. There was certainly more headroom than I had intended and it wasn't really aesthetically pleasing, but I thought it was the best take.:)

Glad you liked the story. I may get the gang together to shoot a modified ending. I'll take some of the suggestions here into consideration.

I'm thankful for the continued feedback. I'll be very conscious of these things for the next fest.

Cheers,
:beer:

[Jason Miller]

Here's a CU of the bottle.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/14625/1226102293.jpg

Thanks to Mike Manning for making the label for me.


oh Neal you sexy sexy man, this is hot.

[hoz]

nice twist!

didnt read all the threads so sorry if i repeat something... really cool fire fx!, esp when the dude was being crispied.

story was cool too, not the totally predictable sell your soul tale. nice work with this.
acting was okay, santana came off a bit cheesy as did the his encounter with the magician. the trade happened kind of fast, i might've bought it if the magician became more emotional while he was trying out the powers. my two cents... also the crowd didnt show all that much emotion while they watched the magician turn into a kebob. people would be completely freaking out.

fun flick overall!

[Bryce A]

Wow. I think you get the award for actually creating an episode of Night Gallery. You also get an award for finding Peter Fleming. Let me guess: you were out of luck and cursing yourself for not coming up with a twilightfest idea, then you saw Peter leaning against a brick wall. he told you he and chuck would be in your film if you sold your soul to him. am I right? He and chuck Holgate were perfect! The script was great and the structure was so friggin old school.

I really loved this film. You had some issues with the visual effects (though maybe they were on purpose for the night gallery effect?). But, wow. You know what, I don't care about anything other than how amazingly authentic it was.

Keep it up!

[Brian Parker]

Cool film Neal. Enjoyable and as Bryce said, it really fit into the spirit of the fest. Nice job on a lot of the FX shots as well. My only issues was with the bar owner's speech at the end. It was a little expositionary and could have been conveyed with a conversation with Santana or something. Other than that, enjoyable flick man. :beer:

[RobbieExtra]

This is one of the shots that was on the fence for editing. It stayed in just for the great color variety it added, and to set up the next scene. But yeah, it rode the fence due to the smudged glass.

It's one of those nagging 'attention to detail' things that slip through the cracks in the heat of the moment.

aw


Yeah, I wrote in the blood letting with the nail... it was Peter's choice to paint the nails black. :)
Ahhh, yes... the dreaded glass. I agree it's a nice shot, but those fingerprints drive me! It wasn't until I reviewed the footage that I went "Ewwwwww".
Well, Nick said that the place wasn't what it used to be.... maybe they don't have CLEAN glasses anymore?!


:dankk2:[/QUOTE]

Hey Neal I hate to be a nit-picker, but this dirty glasss issue that you keep speaking of, is going too far. I mean c'mon, its a dirty glass. I thought this was supposed to be a crappy bar, would they even have clean glasses? To me, I loved the dirty glass. It has a texture and atmosphere. Since the shot is basically static for so long, I found myself looking around at all the little details, and the dirty glass made me think he was up for a long time drinking. In a film, it's just those little details that draw people in. Costume and set designers deliberately avoid flat designs that just bounce light and don't look interesting. They always go for something that has texture and character and gives the light something to play off of and the camera something to chew on so to speak. I thought the smudges were intentional and they were attention to detail like your DVX USER beer bottle ;). Point is, if the bar is supposed to be crappy and dirty then it should extend to everything, to create a world. I see that you were going for this look, but honestly, everything looked a little too neat and clean. (except for the glass of course! :D)

[Neal Buconjic]

nice twist!
... really cool fire fx!, esp when the dude was being crispied.

...story was cool too, not the totally predictable sell your soul tale. nice work with this.

Thanks for watching hoz.
Jason did a good on the vfx, given the short amount time he had.
I'm glad you liked the story line. I was hoping the viewer would be suprised that Nick was in on it with Santana.


Wow. I think you get the award for actually creating an episode of Night Gallery. You also get an award for finding Peter Fleming. Let me guess: you were out of luck and cursing yourself for not coming up with a twilightfest idea, then you saw Peter leaning against a brick wall. he told you he and chuck would be in your film if you sold your soul to him. am I right? He and chuck Holgate were perfect! The script was great and the structure was so friggin old school.

Yes, I sold my soul to Peter, but I can "buy it back" if I make 5 more films with him! LOL


I really loved this film. You had some issues with the visual effects (though maybe they were on purpose for the night gallery effect?). But, wow. You know what, I don't care about anything other than how amazingly authentic it was.

Keep it up!

Umm, yeah - the visual effects were on purpose for the night gallery effect!:D
Thanks for the kind comments, Bryce.


Cool film Neal. Enjoyable and as Bryce said, it really fit into the spirit of the fest. Nice job on a lot of the FX shots as well. My only issues was with the bar owner's speech at the end. It was a little expositionary and could have been conveyed with a conversation with Santana or something. Other than that, enjoyable flick man. :beer:

Thank you Champloo. As you may have read earlier in the thread, I'm considering taking this feedback and creating a revised scene between Nick and Santana.
Thank you for the feedback.




Hey Neal I hate to be a nit-picker, but this dirty glasss issue that you keep speaking of, is going too far. I mean c'mon, its a dirty glass. I thought this was supposed to be a crappy bar, would they even have clean glasses? To me, I loved the dirty glass. It has a texture and atmosphere. Since the shot is basically static for so long, I found myself looking around at all the little details, and the dirty glass made me think he was up for a long time drinking. In a film, it's just those little details that draw people in. Costume and set designers deliberately avoid flat designs that just bounce light and don't look interesting. They always go for something that has texture and character and gives the light something to play off of and the camera something to chew on so to speak. I thought the smudges were intentional and they were attention to detail like your DVX USER beer bottle ;). Point is, if the bar is supposed to be crappy and dirty then it should extend to everything, to create a world. I see that you were going for this look, but honestly, everything looked a little too neat and clean. (except for the glass of course! :D)

Robbie, if that's all the nit-picking you've got to do - I'm a happy man!
Thanks for the detailed explanation. Funny you should mention it's too clean. When I wrote the script, I had intended the place to be a real dive. Trouble was, this location wasn't the gritty rat's nest that I was hoping for. Well, you make due with what you have, right?:thumbsup:

[RobbieExtra]

Robbie, if that's all the nit-picking you've got to do - I'm a happy man!
Thanks for the detailed explanation. Funny you should mention it's too clean. When I wrote the script, I had intended the place to be a real dive. Trouble was, this location wasn't the gritty rat's nest that I was hoping for. Well, you make due with what you have, right?:thumbsup:

Well, now that you mention it.. there are more but they more or less have been done to death on here (vfx, framing, camera movement, pacing etc.) No sense in beating a dead horse. I just felt compelled to point that out. Hopefully you have better luck with your director's cut.
:thumbup:

[Neal Buconjic]

Thanks to those who watched the film. I appreciate the comments as well.

I've learned a lot and will apply the suggestions to future projects.

As I've mentioned, The Contract is being "re-tooled" and will be bigger and better.

Stay tuned.

[bluesgeek]

Neal, have you posted a link somewhere in here to the film?

[Neal Buconjic]

To the "Director's cut"? No. I'm assuming the original is accessed via www.dvxfest.com (http://www.dvxfest.com)

Actually, I just shot a new scene this morning. I'm under the gun to get the new version completed soon as the film has been accepted into a film fest and they're letting me screen the new version if it's completed in time.

[bluesgeek]

IC. I have seen posts on this thread complimenting your film, so I thought there was a link to view it. I hope to see it someday. It looks like have a some good creative people on it. Good luck.