"Sixty Seconds" an Anthony Misiano film

[armisiano]

Here we go, my first time submitting something for a DVX Fest - I'm very excited.
"Sixty Seconds" is the story of an inventor and his wife, and the possibility of the amazing.
Done very much in the mood of a "Tales from the Crypt" episode, this nearly one man operation should be a lot of fun, and probably a lot of stress. It's September 25th, and I'm beginning preproduction (talk about cutting it close). I'm hoping to get everything done pretty much JUST in time, so wish me luck.

The screenplay is written by Wallace Wang, the story is his and my own.
I'll be doing basically everything else: producer, director, cinematographer, costumer & makeup artist, editor and composer, and more than likely actor as well. Ah well, I've done it before and had pretty good results. My ulcer is in the mail, thanks to UPS it should be here on time.

[Simon Höfer]

Welcome to the fest!

[pauly_the_hitman]

I just got my ulcer today, so shipping is right on schedule. Good luck.
Pauly

[armisiano]

Alrighty, well, everything seems on it's way. Rehearsals are going well, and shooting dates are set (talk about cutting it close, I shoot on the 17th & 18th of OCTOBER!!!), and things are, well, a little costly, but moving along. I hope to have a poster up within 2 to 3 days as well as cast photos.

[armisiano]

Actually, here are the cast photos now.

Firstly, Anthony Misiano will be playing Harold.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1223457620.jpg
That's right, lil' ol' me. I'll also be serving as director and cinematographer as well as taking care of all post production work.
Second, Wendy Savage will be playing Harold's wife, Dorothy.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1223457727.jpg
Wendy was kind enough to also assist in costuming the production.

Also, Ryan Cerutti (newly appointed) will be serving as camera operator, and Loicia Ware will operate the boom.

[armisiano]

Here's a photo of a recently completed prop/costume piece I made.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1223520119.jpg
I used vintage protective work goggles, drilled holes in the sides where I wanted the LED's, sanded down the LED's plastic "bulbs" so that the light emitted was diffused instead of a point, fitted them into the holes, wired them together (positive to positive, negative to negative)
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1223520146.jpg
Attached a resister to the positive end and ran it through a hole I drilled in the goggles, and attached a long wire to it as well as to the negative end of the first LED which was also ran out through the hole.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1223520170.jpg
The exact same process was used of course for both "eyes", and eventually powered by a 9V battery. Well, two 9V batteries actually, one for each side, which I stash in my back poket after running the wires down the back of my shirt.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1223520214.jpg

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Wicked! Wicked! Wicked!

Love the goggles, dude.

Cheers,

Mike

[AmyO]

Cool goggles. You'll be all set for Halloween, too. Let us know how it goes. :)

[stinkpot]

I gotta get me a pair of those.
:beer:

[Mike Insane]

Wow, you got my interest. Great looking prop! I completly know how it is to do it all by yourself. But the upside is you get to learn all of the lessons rather than just the lessons of just one role. Good luck. I'm looking foreward to seeing your film.

[armisiano]

Had a photoshoot much earlier tonight for the poster. Should be done and posted within 30 more minutes.

[armisiano]

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1223716153.jpg

[Simon Höfer]

Ha! Love the poster! :)

[armisiano]

Some shots leading up to the taping this coming weekend.
First, prepping what will be a piece of set decoration, an ash tray full of old cigarettes.
Fill the ash tray with cigarettes, light the center, let'em burn down, and repeat. I'm gonna do this for about 2 more packs worth. I've kept all the cut off filtered ends to mash down into it all as the last step.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1223884348.jpg

And then my ball, being spray painted to de-hannah-montana-ize it.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1223884786.jpg

And lastly, the set (it's nowhere near that wide, this is a stitched together pano shot) completely nude and undressed.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1223885653.jpg

[Kyle Stebbins]

(this is a stitched together pano shot) completely nude and undressed.


Ah, just how we like it. :beer:

[armisiano]

I give you my latest work of art. I call it, "Wendy in Kitchen + Broom in Kitchen = Wendy Impaled Through with Broom in Kitchen".

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1224014513.jpg

Just another pre production preview.

[Edgen]

ha!! those props rock! Looking forward to seeing your entry. I love things with diods, batteries, and wires. :)

/j

[armisiano]

Going through "panic mode" now. I like to think it happens to everyone. I shoot in about 40 hours from now, and I have all the insecurities surfacing and running around my brain. Did I rehearse enough? Should I have storyboarded more? Will my lighting look good? What exactly WILL my lighting setup be? Did I forget anything? Did I forget anything else? Ugh.

Breathe.

[Richard J. Johnson]

Going through "panic mode" now. I like to think it happens to everyone. I shoot in about 40 hours from now, and I have all the insecurities surfacing and running around my brain. Did I rehearse enough? Should I have storyboarded more? Will my lighting look good? What exactly WILL my lighting setup be? Did I forget anything? Did I forget anything else? Ugh.

Breathe.

Once you get rolling you will be fine. If you put the time and effort into shooting this thing as you did with the props it should be one hell a film. This is my first fest too and I went the other direction. No lighting, No Props, No Rehersals, No storyboards, Just down and dirty with the DVX. I think it works for my short but my peers will be the judge. But good luck, it looks Ill.

[armisiano]

Here are some screen grabs. No color correction or anything yet, just resized down.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1224479317.jpg

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Awesome grabs! You really have me stoked to see this one.

:thumbup:

[Beat Takeshi]

Those glasses are kick ass. The grabs are looking very nice too.

[armisiano]

Michael & Beat, thanks a lot.

So my original camera operator wound up canceling on me 15 minutes before shooting on day 1 of 2. Luckily my friend and frequent collaborator Ryan Cerutti was able to come and help out both days and did a great job.

Shooting was a pretty good experience, but I don't think I can ever act in something I'm directing, producting, & DP'ing again. Way too much to do, I'm exhausted. :)

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

So my original camera operator wound up canceling on me 15 minutes before shooting on day 1 of 2. Luckily my friend and frequent collaborator Ryan Cerutti was able to come and help out both days and did a great job.
Call yourself lucky! Looks like he did a great job. :beer:

[ZazaCast]

This looks great! LOVE the lighting in the grabs...

[Danielleus]

Whoa, welcome. This looks like a whole lot of fun. Can't wait. Good luck.

[armisiano]

Damian Sanchez has been working on the music, and is doing an EXCELLENT job, I'm very excited. Hopefully it'll all be complete by Saturday. I definitely never wanna cut something this close to the deadline again, so stressful. Worth it though.

Still having some rendering issues, if anyone thinks they can help, go to this thread:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=150745&page=3

Thanks.

[hoz]

love the grabs! the props you made look great!

[armisiano]

love the grabs! the props you made look great!

Thanks. I've saved the best for last (prop). I haven't shown any photos or making of it, I'm waiting for people to watch and see. Long story short, Harold thinks he's invented something quite special. :)

[armisiano]

Well, it's official. My film will be interlaced, sorry everyone, and the words won't quite match the mouth movements. I'm sorry again (rendering issues, can't figure out). On the bright side, it's a very very fun piece with quite good performances, excellent music, and delicious visuals that you will definitely enjoy. :)

[armisiano]

Well, it's official. My film will be interlaced, sorry everyone, and the words won't quite match the mouth movements. I'm sorry again (rendering issues, can't figure out). On the bright side, it's a very very fun piece with quite good performances, excellent music, and delicious visuals that you will definitely enjoy. :)


Michael Anthony Horrigan of More Cowbell Pictures is being kind enough to assist with some of the technical difficulties I have encountered, and this little domestic adventure story will soon be seen by all with top notch picture & sound quality.

Thank you Michael.

[ZazaCast]

Michael Anthony Horrigan of More Cowbell Pictures is being kind enough to assist with some of the technical difficulties I have encountered, and this little domestic adventure story will soon be seen by all with top notch picture & sound quality.

Thank you Michael.

Thank you for breaking down & taking him up on his offer....it was getting hard to read this stuff (been there, done that)! I used to edit on Premiere Pro 1.5...then I got smart and got a copy of Vegas...I feel your pain.

Michael, YOU sir are awesome and exactly why I'm so glad I happened on this great group of filmmakers! Everyone is here to help us ALL become the best filmmakers we can be.

Cheers to Armisiano...I'm really looking forward to this great film! :beer:

Cheers to Michael...the man of the hour...Thank you! :beer:

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Thank you for breaking down & taking him up on his offer....it was getting hard to read this stuff (been there, done that)! I used to edit on Premiere Pro 1.5...then I got smart and got a copy of Vegas...I feel your pain.

Michael, YOU sir are awesome and exactly why I'm so glad I happened on this great group of filmmakers! Everyone is here to help us ALL become the best filmmakers we can be.

Cheers to Armisiano...I'm really looking forward to this great film! :beer:

Cheers to Michael...the man of the hour...Thank you! :beer:
Thanks, Guys. :)


No problems. We talked over the phone and have worked out most of the kinks. He'll be uploading in no time! :beer:

[armisiano]

Here are a few more screen grabs as sort of a final preview. Enjoy.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/29938/1224907891.jpg

[ZazaCast]

Nice!

[Susanne G.]

What nice bright colours! I love her style with the curlers. :happy:

Susanne

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

After some back and forth.... we have a winner!
The movie looks and sounds great at <50MB.

You guys are in for a real treat. That's all I'm going to say. :)

[armisiano]

After some back and forth.... we have a winner!
The movie looks and sounds great at <50MB.

You guys are in for a real treat. That's all I'm going to say. :)

Thanks Mike. Agreed. It was uploaded at about 2pm today. I can almost SMELL the suspense!! Hmmm, deodorant time...

[Simon Höfer]

Nice grabs!



Thanks Mike. Agreed. It was uploaded at about 2pm today. I can almost SMELL the suspense!! Hmmm, deodorant time...

Yeah, but Deodorant doesn't cut it anymore. I need a shower tomorrow morning :D And I could shave again, so I don't look like a caveman anymore...

[armisiano]

Does anyone know how long after you upload it takes before your entry is added to the submission status list? It's been about 12 hours and I'm a little concerned.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Does anyone know how long after you upload it takes before your entry is added to the submission status list? It's been about 12 hours and I'm a little concerned.
No worries. Could take a day or two depending on how many they are getting hit with. As an example; you may see it jump from 13 to 25 in a day. :)

[gabrielflorit]

This looks very interesting. You made those goggles? That's talent - they look amazing. Is it hard to see with them on?

[MrKilloran]

This looks freakin cool ... good luck

[armisiano]

You made those goggles? Is it hard to see with them on?

They're not as bright as they appear on video (no latitude), believe it or not they were originally conceived out of practicality. I wanted to wear some big vintage goggles when I entered, but realized you wouldn't be able to see my eyes due to shadows, so I figured, light my eyes! Now that I have a total of 6 white LED's shining into my peepers, my eye's are both completely overexposed and you still can't see them, lol, but it looks pretty cool.

Short answer: Yes, yes it is. And in a dim room completely impossible.

[Brian Parker]

"My Eyes! The goggles...they do nothing!" Well, actually they do...they look awesome. Great BTS, grabs, and effects. I'm amped for this one. Cheers! :beer:

[Kholi]

You nailed the "Tales from the Darkside" look, tone, etc. Very cool, man. Top lister all around. Very... very nice. And one location!!!

I think this is the sleeper hit for the fest. I haven't watched the rest just yet, but, so far it's the one that I could totally see in the Tales from the Crypt, TAles from the Darkside, etc library as a real piece.

I can't believe that was six minutes. Pacing = Spot on.

I'm jealous. I'll probably keep coming back to this thread and I'll be very surprised if this doesn't take a top spot.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I had the advantage of getting a sneak peek while helping Anthony with some compression problems.

I really enjoyed it. The lighting was really quite nice, beautiful colours! Good acting as well.
I won't spoil it for anyone by saying anything further.

Well done!

[MrKilloran]

Just finished, this was soo much fun. I enjoyed every second of it.

You had some great acting, very colorful set, and a cool story.

Awesome stuff, good luck to you.

[Zim]

How come there is no sound? I'll try downloading it again

[Zim]

Got the sound that time,,,,,,great short film. I really like this one.

[stinkpot]

"Perpetual motion machine in the bedroom"... Your movie is great! Very well executed, photographed, acted and on and on. Nice to see the 100b put to real use.

:beer:

[darkrequiem1134]

gone in...(place your title here)

[Erez Henya]

Haha, chapeau!

[Richard J. Johnson]

good film. Excellent colors. Acting was on point. She was getting on my damn nerves. There is film out there called polaroid that is very similar to this. So I kind of new what was going to happen. but it was very well executed. nice film.

[ZazaCast]

WOW... McLovin' this film! Really excellent job all around. Great story, well written. The colors just poped off the screen and gave it that surreal-feel. Score was spot on and worked with everything else. If there's anything I could pick at.... I can't imagine the rounded end of a broomstick penetrating someone's body...but in this film...anything's possible!

This will recieve one of my highest scores.... quick, snap my picture!

[armisiano]

Thanks. I actually had some issues personally with the sound. Simply that I wish we would've gotten the mic closer to the actors throughout filming to get that truly rich full sound from the voices, but eh, what are you gonna do now? :) Glad everyone's enjoying it so much.

Filthrich, "Polaroid" eh? Well darn. I was so tickled when we thought of the story, I was hoping no one had thought of it before. Ah well.

Zaza, ever fallen on the rounded end of a broom before? Well I have. Died both times. Just so you know. :)

[armisiano]

Okay, random, but, as I've now watched about 45 of these, I can't help but realize that I truly am one of the last poor schmucks out there shooting standard def, and on that same line of thinking can't stop imagining what my short would've looked like had I had the higher resolution and better color. So, if anyone ever feels like relieving themselves of their hvx200a or hpx170, drop me a line, lol.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Okay, random, but, as I've now watched about 45 of these, I can't help but realize that I truly am one of the last poor schmucks out there shooting standard def, and on that same line of thinking can't stop imagining what my short would've looked like had I had the higher resolution and better color. So, if anyone ever feels like relieving themselves of their hvx200a or hpx170, drop me a line, lol.
Ummm.... you might be able to sell what you have now (DVX?) and buy the HV20 and still have change left over.

j/k
Kind of.... :)

[armisiano]

Ummm.... you might be able to sell what you have now (DVX?) and buy the HV20 and still have change left over.

j/k
Kind of.... :)

I HAVE thought about that, really. But from what I know the color on the HV20 isn't as good as that of panasonic's 3CCD sensor. BUT, I may be mistaken, and if so, someone please let me know.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I HAVE thought about that, really. But from what I know the color on the HV20 isn't as good as that of panasonic's 3CCD sensor. BUT, I may be mistaken, and if so, someone please let me know.
I was really just kidding for the most part.... mostly just pointing out that HD cameras are cheap nowadays. :)

I thought your film looked great as is!

Mike

[hoz]

liked your film a lot! i too, used a dvx so i am also one of the last fools around shooting in SD. you made it look great though, HD wouldn't have mattered much, not in my opinion.

spoilers...


glad you killed the woman off, how annoying. the props were great! good imagination.

[AmyO]

Hi-larious! Great characters, and your actress was all gusto. I would have liked to see a bit of a ramp up from distracted and annoyed to full on pissed off, to create a bit of change and to give your awesome actress some more to play with. Minor point, and quite a personal preference. Your set and costume design is great.

I really want to know what that last picture was!!!!

Great work. And I never would have known you shot on a DVX. Had I not gotten my federal kicker check, I wouldn't have rented an HVX and shot on my trusty DVX, too. It's not a dead camera yet!

[armisiano]

Hi-larious! Great characters, and your actress was all gusto. I would have liked to see a bit of a ramp up from distracted and annoyed to full on pissed off, to create a bit of change and to give your awesome actress some more to play with. Minor point, and quite a personal preference. Your set and costume design is great.

I really want to know what that last picture was!!!!

Great work. And I never would have known you shot on a DVX. Had I not gotten my federal kicker check, I wouldn't have rented an HVX and shot on my trusty DVX, too. It's not a dead camera yet!

Thanks so much. That means a lot to me coming from you, you're film tied with only one other at getting my highest rating of them all. I loved it so much.

[Maximus]

Great job! I really enjoyed your film. I think your acting was quite good, and you definetely have a young Jeff Goldblum vibe. The broad acting worked well with the bright candy colors. Very good ending! :beer:

[majikfraug]

I think your acting was quite good, and you definetely have a young Jeff Goldblum vibe. :beer:

Hmm, now that you mention it, quite right :) I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Had a great feel to it, well written, well acted, well shot. Well done!

[clarkage]

Yes i agree with everyone else on this! It was a great film! I really enjoyed watching it.I thought that the story was good and i liked the twist at the end however I kind of could tell what as going to happen. I thought that it was still very well done but could have been executed better. Overall though amazing film! Loved the colors and really good way to start off you long career of DVXuser films:beer:

[Brian Parker]

Awesome film man. Loved the lighting and colors. Props were awesome. (When are you marketing those goggles for mass production?) Liked the story and the acting was great. Everything came together to make a really technically sound but more importantly, entertaining film. One of my favs. Great job!

[Susanne G.]

I enjoyed your film a lot. I adore how she was dressed with these rediculous curlers and her bleating like a silly goat - great. The bright colours gave me the sensation of comic and in effect it seemed to me a comic film non animated. Very well done - Compliments! :beer:

Susanne

[pauly_the_hitman]

I loved this one it was well shot and had a very quirky feel to it but it worked well with the overall feel of the film. I laughed at some of the dialog very well written and very believable acting. Well done.
Pauly

[John LaBonney]

I thought the bright colors were great, it really did give it a little bit of a comic book/Dick Tracy kind of look. I liked the props as well. Good acting. Great shot composition. I thought the ending was awesome! I see what you're saying about the sound but I think it's a minor issue.

All-in-all, excellent job.

Loved the curlers!

[armisiano]

I thought the bright colors were great, it really did give it a little bit of a comic book/Dick Tracy kind of look. I liked the props as well. Good acting. Great shot composition. I thought the ending was awesome! I see what you're saying about the sound but I think it's a minor issue.

All-in-all, excellent job.

Loved the curlers!

Thank you. I was a big fan of Barn Dance. I'm a sucker for anything with a sweet ending, and I was quite pleasantly surprised that it went that direction.

[Noel Evans]

Now this was very very cool! It was quirky, twilighty and simple.

You only had to light one set, so it was good there was so much thought put into lighting design.

Your props looked great (goggles and camera), the shots of the camera in motion were great as well.

Your female was a touch soft at times. I mean she was such a distinct character type and I felt the performance fade a little here and there. You were great. A man of many talents. Personally I would have liked to see a few more shots that helped the story a bit more, mostly on her - take a look at cold calls and the quick move into her on the bed as an example of what I am getting at.

The falling on the broom took just a second too long IMO, as far as edit goes.

This is in my top 5. Where exactly is a secret.

[Darkline]

This was great. Tight little story that was well executed. you made a single location work for 6 minutes and thats no easy feat when it's just a kitchen!

If I was to nit pick I would say we could see the ending coming (but that can be said of most twilight zone shorts) and perhaps instead of the very long opening monolgue it might have helped to have shown a montage of his past failures rather than looking at her talking about them.

Other than that this held my attention all the way through and was one of the very few that felt 'complete' as a twilight entry.

you deilvered, well done.

[Tim Joy]

This would've been a great timefest entry! I agree that you did a great job with that kitchen and making it interesting to look at.

I have two small criticisms. The first time around, I couldn't see the broom and what was going on in that picture. You could brighten it up a little, or have a closer/ longer shot, and it would help.
The other, is the ending. I REALLY wanted to see that picture! It's good that it leaves your audience wanting more, but I thought a picture there of something clever would've really made the ending super.

The style was cool, kind of an absurdist piece, and all the elements worked together to support that choice.

Very entertaining! Well done!

[armisiano]

If anyone's curious, the whole thing was lit with 3 $5 WalMart clamp work lights with 100W bulbs (2 with orange gels, 1 heavily diffused), 1 Desk lamp with a 300W bulb (and a green gel providing that green glow in the back part of the room), a small LED flash light (the soft blue glow seen in a few shots), and from IKEA an "ISBRYTARE" spotlight with an aluminum foil home etched venetian blind pattern on it coupled with a blue gel.

[Noel Evans]

Well there you go. Cheap budget lighting looking good.

[Ming]

The broom as used took me out of it. Why would he pick it up at all having seen the photo, let alone point it at her chest while propping it on the ground, and last it would still be unlikely to penetrate. Better she'd just slipped on the baseball and died in a more believable but still ironic way. Also the dialogue for the wife was too detailed and resulted in clumsy delivery. No actor would have been able to make this less so. I'm surprised nobody picked up on this during reading and made changes. I'd have made her lines less articulate to match her costume.

I liked the mood created by the music and lighting and costumes. The goggles were a little distracting though.

Also the blood came after the wound.. so there was a continuity problem with first photo. The first photo also gave away too much. Shoulda just showed her wide eyed expression as she was slipping.

[Dick Campbell]

I loved the campy style and the gaudy colors. As soon as I saw the LED glasses, I remembered your earlier thread asking about making the prop - turned our very effective.

clever story, not really predicable.

[armisiano]

So, I'm incredibly broke, and need new tripod legs. I'm thinking of selling the time-machine-camera-thing-a-ma-bob on ebay. See if it might be oddly popular as some other very weird random BS items have been in the past. What d'ya think?

[Edgen]

I think with a much tighter edit this film would have really flown by. It has a pushing daises kind of feeling to it. Predictable ending, but fun to watch.

Congrats on entering the fest!
/j

[Geoff_R]

I really enjoyed this one.. I love the quirkiness of the story and the characters. I think this is a great example of story triumphing over the technical aspects. Although there are some shorts here with better production values, I like yours more due to the story/concept. Nicely executed. My favorite so far of the fest. Thanks for sharing!

Should add.... you also have two of the best props! Those goggles and the machine itself.

[Horncastle]

A very enjoyable film. A good little story and great cinematography/colours for a comic sort of look. I liked the attention to detail and props and also how the actress played her part - again rather comic-like, but at the same time irritating enough so that it was good to see her pierced with the broom at the end. There was something a little odd with the sound maybe? I watched it a couple of times to try and work out what - at first I thought it might be ADR, but it doesn't seem so. Maybe it's just a little out of sync?? Actually, in some ways it added to the artificiality so it didn't really disturb me or take me out of the film too much.
My compliments especially on your lighting now that I have read your message detailing the lights you used. The Isbrytare is especially interesting - I looked it up and I see a couple on sale in eBay. Maybe I'll try and get one - thanks for the tip.



So, I'm incredibly broke, and need new tripod legs. I'm thinking of selling the time-machine-camera-thing-a-ma-bob on ebay. See if it might be oddly popular as some other very weird random BS items have been in the past. What d'ya think?

Why not try, you never know. I don't imagine you need to keep it for anything else!! You might get a good price for the googles too :).

Great work
Jason

[J.R. Hudson]

This is one of my favorties of the fest.

The Burtonesque set design and colrs, reminded me of the old Twlight Zone movie (forget the name of that episode).

The story was perfect, the pacing and the final act was great.

Just a lot of fun and super entertaining. The inserts as the time machine camera did its thing were great.

[Bryce A]

I loved the invention. Crazy little box that it was. The ending was fun as well. Makes me wonder how often you could take a photo every 60 second before loosing your mind.

I found this film to be a bit of an oddity in this fest. It really came off like a short stage play. From the set to the acting to the lighting to the script. There was a lot of exposition through dialogue and description that I’ve seen and used in plays. The actors did great in that context. But I felt the film was trapped in that single conversation nor am I a huge fan of films feeling like plays... I’d try messing around with camera angles maybe? Staging and blocking of the actors too. I’m also a bit baffled about why he stuck the broom in the air.

Anyway, my stage pondering aside the film was fun. I thought Wendy Savage did a great job. Looking forward to more! Oh yeah, the goggles were great!

[Rakesh Jacob]

Top 3 for me, excellent work!!!!

[armisiano]

I loved the invention. Crazy little box that it was. The ending was fun as well. Makes me wonder how often you could take a photo every 60 second before loosing your mind.

I found this film to be a bit of an oddity in this fest. It really came off like a short stage play. From the set to the acting to the lighting to the script. There was a lot of exposition through dialogue and description that I’ve seen and used in plays. The actors did great in that context. But I felt the film was trapped in that single conversation nor am I a huge fan of films feeling like plays... I’d try messing around with camera angles maybe? Staging and blocking of the actors too. I’m also a bit baffled about why he stuck the broom in the air.

Anyway, my stage pondering aside the film was fun. I thought Wendy Savage did a great job. Looking forward to more! Oh yeah, the goggles were great!

Gracias. You're actually the first person to have (at least in a comment) made that observation (regarding the theatricality of it). It's true. And intentional. Both the writer and myself are very big fans of The Twilight Zone, particularly the fact that Rod Serling wrote them as teleplays with usually no more than 1 set. It keeps budgets low and gives the actors fun language to work with. I myself coming from a theatre background don't mind this at all. Though to spite all of this I will admit that the story's mood as well as the visual style was taken much more from Tales From The Crypt then The Twilight Zone. Another favorite show of mine. :)
Regarding the broom, well, what can I say? There seems to be some debate as to why Harold did that. I know the reason, but I don't think I'll reveal it. I quite enjoy listening to either interpretations, or mere confusion. Much more fun. :)

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

[Bryce A]

Gracias. You're actually the first person to have (at least in a comment) made that observation (regarding the theatricality of it). It's true. And intentional. Both the writer and myself are very big fans of The Twilight Zone, particularly the fact that Rod Serling wrote them as teleplays with usually no more than 1 set. It keeps budgets low and gives the actors fun language to work with. I myself coming from a theatre background don't mind this at all. Though to spite all of this I will admit that the story's mood as well as the visual style was taken much more from Tales From The Crypt then The Twilight Zone. Another favorite show of mine. :)
Regarding the broom, well, what can I say? There seems to be some debate as to why Harold did that. I know the reason, but I don't think I'll reveal it. I quite enjoy listening to either interpretations, or mere confusion. Much more fun. :)

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

Ha. I was betting that you had a stage background!

As far the broom goes, my guess it that he did it cause it was in the picture. He reacted in a "holy crap it's what I'm suppose to do, right?!" moment of confused purpose. It's the same reason why he relents to the invention to tell him what to do at the end.
:thumbup:

[Lawsuit_Boy]

This is my favorite film of the festival so far. I thought the acting was strong (especially from Misiano), and I thought the production design and gadgets were neat. I LOVE those goggles!

Sound was solid, picture was fine overall, good direction.

Nice work!

[joeloud]

Hey, great job on this one. This was really the ONLY entry I saw that really hit the "Tales from the Crypt" theme. Among my top 5

(and this marks my 50th post, so I'm off to see if I can vote now)

[gabrielflorit]

I wish I had more time to write a proper comment - but let me say this is in my top five!

[armisiano]

Thanks everyone for your support. :) Sadly it wasn't in enough top fives, but alas, there's always the future.

I've gotten a lot of great comments from people mentioning what they liked, I was wondering if I could get some critiques now? I need to do a better job in the future. Let me know which departments were lacking, and why. Pick it apart, please. Weak story? Bad acting? Bad technical work? Really lay it on me, I need to do better, and I'd like some advise. I was originally planning to maybe submit this to outside festivals, but I'm thinking I probably shouldn't waste the money on suubmission fees. I should wait until I have something good, really good.

[armisiano]

anything? please?

[jasonthewho]

This was really good, but here's some critiques since you asked.

The female lead is not nearly as good as the male lead (you, I believe...), and her dialogue isn't as good. She says a lot of things that seem overly articulate and unnecessary.

The framing on the clock shot (first shot I think) is a little weak, and I'm not sure it is the strongest opening shot.

The whole film takes place in one location, which means it gets a little stagnant. It might have had more energy if the characters moved all through the house, revealing different failed gadgets or something.

I'd edit the falling on the broom thing tighter. Right now it looks like he is intentionally skewering her, as opposed to it being an accident.

All that said, I wouldn't say this isn't worthy of film festivals. But I understand your hesitancy. I'm feeling the same way with The Five Worst Days in the Life of Bartholomew Saxton. It's a lot of money for a small chance at just being included.

Best of luck to you. I really enjoyed the film and think it shows incredible potential.

[armisiano]

Thank you. That was helpful. :)

[Mile Bozicevic]

Hm I would like to critize this film as you asked, but that would be hard since it's way beyond my current level.

I feel sorry though (:D) we didn't had more chance to see those cool googles in close-up. And the fact she asked him to take picture comes a little bit as surprise; cause before that, she couldn't possibly knew that it predicts the future by taking photos. If there is some hint, I misheard it.

See you at the next fest. :evil:

[SparkyZa]

I'm new too and a beginner so it hard for me to say anyrhing other than i loved the movie. have not watched them all but this is one of the best so far.