NIGHTLIGHT - a batteryfire film

[Solomon Chase]

CLICK HERE TO WATCH IN HD ON VIMEO (http://vimeo.com/5702579)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FILM (http://www.dvxfest.com/questfest/index.php?id=3300587)

"Nightlight"
Genre: Mystery / Suspense

Crew
Writer / Director: Solomon Chase
Co-writer: Caleb Andrews
Producer: Bruce Lankford
Production Assistant: Devney Nixon
Composer: Geoff Knorr
Sound Designer: Greg Tankersley
Key Grip: Dan Koterba
Grip: Matt Dodd

Actors
Chris Burns: Emery
Michael H. Cole: Adam
Ali Amin Carter: Shaman
Dennis Coburn: Frank / Tribesman
Dikim Fortson: Tribesman
Scott Yaffee: Tribesman
Terry Thomas: Tribesman

Special thanks to Marian Wagner for our shoot location!

[Solomon Chase]

BEHIND THE SCENES PICTURES

I REALLY wish I would have had someone dedicated to taking BTS pics, but here's the few we did get:

http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/1.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/2.jpg
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/3.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/4.jpg
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/5.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/6.jpg
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/7.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/8.jpg
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/9.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/10.jpg
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/11.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/12.jpg

[Solomon Chase]

/// reserved 2 ///

[RanRanBobandyMan]

wow !!! cool poster. love the contrast and the glow. can't wait to see how it turns out.

[RanRanBobandyMan]

I just watched your film on vimeo, the good book. It was really good. Hope this one's as good or better!

[Solomon Chase]

I just watched your film on vimeo, the good book. It was really good. Hope this one's as good or better!

Thanks man! really excited about this one...

[Luis_]

welcome,
looking forward to seeing what you do with this one or what you shoot it with!

[stinkpot]

Luv the poster!

Welcome to the fest!

:beer:

[NoDice]

Thats alot of genres to pack into a short film, haha
should be interesting

[Sid Barnhoorn]

Hi Solomon, love the poster. Looking forward to this. ;-)

[RanRanBobandyMan]

just checking in...
any updates on this one?

[Rodney V. Smith]

SOLOMON! Dude! About fricking time. Gimme the scoop when you get a chance.

[Sarah Daly]

I'm intrigued! Your poster really got my attention - good luck with this - I'm looking forward to being thrilled, mystified...and...science fictioned? Can that be a verb? It can now!

[Zak Forsman]

i'll be watching this one closely. :beer:

[dsto]

Can't get over the poster! Can't wait

[ZazaCast]

Welcome!

...and remember...Zak will be watching this one closely. :beer:

[Solomon Chase]

i'll be watching this one closely. :beer:

THIS IS TERRIBLE NEWS!

Now I gotta kick it up a notch. Maybe a multi-protagonist fractured narrative sci-fi epic shot in 8K anamorphic 3D will do the trick? Aww hell. I'll just shoot it on a cell phone. :beer:

[Solomon Chase]

SMALL UPDATE: Just bought some rather pricey GLOW-IN-THE-DARK paint. That is all.

[Solomon Chase]

We now have a producer Bruce Lankford on board... This will help immensely with the crazy schedule I'm trying to pull off.

Casting notice has received 250+ responses... narrowed down the two lead parts to 10 actors each. Holding auditions this Friday and Saturday.

[lawriejaffa]

Yes now confess Solomon - what are you really going to do with all that extra glow in the dark paint after the shoot? Nothing naughty i expect!

Yes anyway enough grotesque innuendo's hehe, i too like everyone am enchanted by your lovely poster - it looks great and its definately got me wondering about the film! So when are you intending to shoot this bro - I feel like im cutting it fine with my shoot this weekend (but then ive got a few million mattes to do?) Is it all going according to plan for you?

[Solomon Chase]

Yes now confess Solomon - what are you really going to do with all that extra glow in the dark paint after the shoot? Nothing naughty i expect!

Yes anyway enough grotesque innuendo's hehe, i too like everyone am enchanted by your lovely poster - it looks great and its definately got me wondering about the film! So when are you intending to shoot this bro - I feel like im cutting it fine with my shoot this weekend (but then ive got a few million mattes to do?) Is it all going according to plan for you?

So far, so good. Just finished the last day of auditions. Hoping to shoot next weekend. We also cast our first character....

SHAMAN
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/ali.jpg

[Solomon Chase]

Finally made one of those fancy signature images (see below!) :beer:

[Robert Eldon]

Good luck with your shoot and your schedule. I do want to see this, so don't give up. Your posted and sig have peaked my interest! :)

[Rodney V. Smith]

what's the status dude?

[Solomon Chase]

what's the status dude?

Finally settled on actors. Shooting this Saturday and Sunday! =)

[Solomon Chase]

I will be shooting in 2.35:1 aspect ratio (cinemascope!)

Test shot from today:
http://www.batteryfire.com/nightlight/scope.jpg

[RodThompson]

wow!

[Solomon Chase]

wow!

or maybe.... "wooooow" <----now in cinemascope! :shocked:

[RodThompson]

or maybe.... "wooooow" <----now in cinemascope! :shocked:


looooool

[Rodney V. Smith]

I take it you;re going to take full advantage of the low light capabilities of your cameras? I'm jealous that I ca';t be down there for that shoot dude. Always mis-timing here.

[RodThompson]

I take it you;re going to take full advantage of the low light capabilities of your cameras? I'm jealous that I ca';t be down there for that shoot dude. Always mis-timing here.

Better mis-timed than MISS LAID! AHHH SNAP! :2vrolijk_08:

[Solomon Chase]

Behold!
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/thenightlight.jpg

[RodThompson]

I quit. I'm out...

[Solomon Chase]

I quit. I'm out...
noooooooooooooo-ooo-oo-ooooo!!!!!!!

:violin:

[RodThompson]

I'm kidding.

Using my best SEAN CONNERY: "You think your shilly green plant frightensh me?! Shcoff!

[Solomon Chase]

I'm kidding.

Using my best SEAN CONNERY: "You think your shilly green plant frightensh me?! Shcoff!

Too late! I already busted out the violin smiley :violin:

That means your out. Read your QuestFest handbook... it's all in there! :thumbsup:

[RodThompson]

What are you shooting with?

[Solomon Chase]

What are you shooting with?

Two Panasonic GH1's and some low light F0.95 and F0.85 prime lenses. Also using an 8mm F1.8 wide angle lens for master shots. All custom machined for c-mount.

[RodThompson]

So you shot that scene with low-light? I was thinking day for night with the glow effect for the plant.

[conrad_johnson]

Aloeveraglow. You just invented something new.

That looks wicked awesome by the way.

I hope someone gets covered in glowing aloevera after getting a wicked sunburn.

Why won't this site let me post all in caps?

[Solomon Chase]

IN THE CAN! :2vrolijk_08::2vrolijk_08::2vrolijk_08:

or rather... on the SD card... and my computer.

We wrapped a bit after 1am yesterday, 3 hours over schedule. The cast and crew stuck it out with me, which I am very grateful for. The footage looks amazing... can't wait to get this edited!

[Luckie Street]

This was a very interesting and fun shoot Solomon. Thanks for letting me be a part of it.

[kurtmo]

SD card? What cam did you film with?

[Noel Evans]

Behold!
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/thenightlight.jpg

Very nice.

[Solomon Chase]

This was a very interesting and fun shoot Solomon. Thanks for letting me be a part of it.

Your very welcome Marian! Thanks for being a part. The location was great! :beer:


SD card? What cam did you film with?

Two Panasonic Lumix GH-1's

[Solomon Chase]

Approved!

[Girgej]

Nice Poster & Effect ... Good Luck

[Tim Joy]

oooooh. GH1's Nice! How did it work out?

Looks intriguing. Congrats on finishing!

[Matt Harris]

Im interested in what the plot is. I have a bunch of aloe plants on my balcony
and theyre getting dried out in the hot LA summer sun. When you break off a stem
the aloe inside is an awesome substance. I hope you really take it to task!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Solomon, once again you don't fail to impress. I thought I had the economy of dialog down, but man what a sucker punch! Great storytelling especially working with such a strong visual style. This is definitely worth watching a second and a third time. One of my favorites so far!

[Brian P. McQuilkin]

Good God, is there anything made in Atlanta that doesn’t have Chris Burns in it?

Anyway – Solomon, this one kicked ass. Not just saying it because you’re a local and I was pulling for you – the story was simple and perfect for a short format. It was beautifully shot, and the score matched the action very well. Plus the actors could actually act. The pacing was excellent. I’d like to point out something that stood out as needing fixin, but nothing comes to mind. This was an all around good short. Excellent job!

[ramsaur]

When the first came on I knew this was going to be good. Looks like this had some hard work put into this film. Everything looked great! On camera and off camera. Good job on costumes as well! Great job on this film, I liked this one. One of my favorites.

[Ryan E. Walters]

Great job telling a story with no dialogue- it takes some strong story telling ability, and good visuals to accomplish that, and I think you did it well. Nice work! :)

[Horncastle]

Wow, this one knocked me for six. Great cinematography, music, sound and full of meaning too. Big Pharma gave you some meat to work with and you, your co-writer and your actors really made the most of it, all without a word being said - congratulations!!

[Rodney V. Smith]

More people need to see this film NOW. If its not on your radar it really needs to be. Excellent work from Solomon.

[Noel Evans]

Solomon. I really liked this and can only really reiterate what others have stated. I loved the music, and the didgeridoo was not lost on me being Australian, was a nice touch on the tribal component.

[Zak Forsman]

soloman chase... this is great work. beautiful work. hope you can make it to the LA DVX event. would be good to catch up since sxsw.

[Solomon Chase]

soloman chase... this is great work. beautiful work. hope you can make it to the LA DVX event. would be good to catch up since sxsw. Thanks for the kind words Zak. I'm definitely planning on going to LA, and would love to chat. I've got a feature in development that is right up your alley. :)

[Tim Joy]

Awesome atmosphere you created with the visuals, score and sound design working in sync.

I know Aloe is good, but Glow aloe... I'm gonna have to git me some of that. :)

What was your wide lens? Loved it.

[Robert Eldon]

Solomon, I really liked this one. It's one of my favorite for this fest (and I've watched them all)!

I really like what you did with the acting and no dialog, but more importantly, I felt that this was true to the theme of this fest. So, great job on that!

The sound design really helped sell the 'jungle' feel of the film. Real nice camera work as well.

-Robert

[RodThompson]

Wow...

All I have for this one. And don't take that as you would any other one-word review, like "Meh." Take it as...phenomenally WOW.

Crap...now it's two words.

Really...Super Great Job.

Damn it...that's 3...wait...plus the first two words, then it's five!

Christ all! This film was phenomenally filled with awesome imagery, spectacular cinematography and filled my soul with warmth and pee-pee shrinkage. You, sir, are a film maker indeed!

[Solomon Chase]

Wow...

All I have for this one. And don't take that as you would any other one-word review, like "Meh." Take it as...phenomenally WOW.

Crap...now it's two words.

Really...Super Great Job.

Damn it...that's 3...wait...plus the first two words, then it's five!

Christ all! This film was phenomenally filled with awesome imagery, spectacular cinematography and filled my soul with warmth and pee-pee shrinkage. You, sir, are a film maker indeed!
Pee-pee shrinkage you say?! I certainly haven't heard that one yet. Awesome! :nads:

[Solomon Chase]

Awesome atmosphere you created with the visuals, score and sound design working in sync.

I know Aloe is good, but Glow aloe... I'm gonna have to git me some of that. :)

What was your wide lens? Loved it.

The ironic thing is... I'm sure all that glow-in-the-dark powder I coated the aloe plant with can't be too great for your health =D

The widest lens was a Weinberger 8mm f1.8 c-mount lens. Cost about $2000 new, but the company went out of business a while ago. Picked it up off ebay for a decent price, then took it to a machine shop for custom fitting to the GH1.

[ZazaCast]

This was a beautiful film. Great cinematography, sound design and score. Although I did find myself waiting for some dialog...even one word...the actors pulled it off. Technically this one was spot on (maybe a soft focus here and there). The story was predictable but very well done. This one is sure to get one of my highest ratings.

Congratulations to the cast & crew...excellent short! :thumbsup:

[Solomon Chase]

This was a beautiful film. Great cinematography, sound design and score. Although I did find myself waiting for some dialog...even one word...the actors pulled it off. Technically this one was spot on (maybe a soft focus here and there). The story was predictable but very well done. This one is sure to get one of my highest ratings.

Congratulations to the cast & crew...excellent short! :thumbsup:

Thanks for the review Zaza. Got me on the soft focus there... tough to focus a F0.95 lens at full aperture! What plot points were predictable and which were more of a surprise? Don't know if I played the reveal of "Frank" (the previous pharmagen employee turned tribe member) as well as I could have.

[Erik Olson]

This was good. Having an antagonist helps move the story forward even in a six-minute film. That is something that seems to be missing from many of the submissions. I think you got close, but somehow could have done better with the scenario.

The big problem with the piece is that there is no motivation or justification for Adam wanting Emery dead. Other than supposing that Adam is a Satipo-styled foil for Emery, you give us nothing but a creepy character. Someone you could explore if this was episodic television (think Lost or Heroes).

Having Emery and Adam vaguely talking about their quest - perhaps disagreeing about their route could reveal an underlying, building tension. Adam could be a deranged theologist who thinks what they're looking for shouldn't be made available to society en-masse.

Revealing that these aren't the first guys to come look for the plant isn't necessary, but I don't think it detracts or distracts in any way. A bit of dialogue to this effect, without too much exposition, could have worked as well.

I thought the visuals were good. The jungle sound effects really worked well - subtle, but effective!

[RodThompson]

COOL! You're from Woodstock! I'm originally from Kennesaw!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Hey I used to live in Kennesaw.

[RodThompson]

WOW! Lol.

Yeah, I went to North Cobb from 94-97, then transferred.

[Susanne G.]

Here we have the winner of the fest! There was nothing lacking - cinematography beautiful, acting professional, score worked perfect, story very interesting. To have a critical story without beeing too heavy and moral like is really an art. The film took my attention completely from the beginning to the end. At certain points in the film I thought, know there could be the dangerous that the film is going to be kitsch, but it didn't do it. Even the mysterious illuminated plant at the end didn't give me this feeling. I also loved the grafic desing of the credits at the end. This was an outstanding work - a masterpiece, very professional. I adore this film. I admit that it couldn't be your first film and that you already have many filmmaking experience.

I still miss 10 films to watch, but for now it is the only one I will give 10 stars.

Once again - lots of compliments. Thank you for putting this one in the fest. A high quality work.

Susanne

[lyonfilms]

Most excellent entry. Bravo.

I agree with the lack of motivation for Adam, threw me off a bit that he was giving the evil eye straight away seemingly without reason or justification.

You shot this on the G1? If so, nice job!

There were a few times I thought you could have had a little more fun pushing the colors - especially in the first half to really sell the lushness of the jungle.

Otherwise, this was one of the, if not the, best produced film of the lot and I'm almost done watching them all.

Cheers.

[Martin Landsburg]

I agree very well produced indeed, looks like a million bucks!
The old adage, a picture says more than a thousand words, applies here.
Good performance from the actors, the only thing that wasn't clear was the relation between the two men about halfway through when he makes the throat slitting gesture. The main character already knew that the tribesman had no malicious intent?

[Edgen]

I enjoyed this silent film... I kept waiting for them to actually say something, but they never did. I was hoping to see more dead bodies laying around, or some bones from previous adventurers.

Thanks for sharing your film!
/j

[MrFluffy]

Just watched this for the second time and enjoyed it even more the second time.
Great entry. Kudos.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Interesting film. I won't give away the ending but I did see it coming.
That being said I still really enjoyed this. Very nice work.

I can just see you running through the woods while being chased by a man swinging a machete. I liked that shot. :)

Great looking film, btw.

MAH

[Geoff_R]

Really enjoyed this one. Loved the silent nature of the piece and the music/soundscape compliments it very well. To a degree, I foresaw the ending but it didn't deter me from enjoying the piece at large. I like how the final act played out and his ultimate choice at the end. You were able to say so much by using pure visuals and body language.

Cinematography was solid and strong here... good choices all around and nice variety within the shots. Thanks for sharing, this is my favorite entry I've seen so far.

[Solomon Chase]

Interesting film. I won't give away the ending but I did see it coming.
That being said I still really enjoyed this. Very nice work.

I can just see you running through the woods while being chased by a man swinging a machete. I liked that shot. :)

Great looking film, btw.

MAH
Thanks. That chase scene was a crazy one for me. It's pretty dang hard to run backwards, compose a shot, AND steer clear of vegetation and a swinging machete!

[Solomon Chase]

I agree very well produced indeed, looks like a million bucks!
The old adage, a picture says more than a thousand words, applies here.
Good performance from the actors, the only thing that wasn't clear was the relation between the two men about halfway through when he makes the throat slitting gesture. The main character already knew that the tribesman had no malicious intent?
Great point here. I think I should of made it more obvious that the main character "Emery" knew the tribesman wasn't dangerous. I should of had him more reluctant to leave the tribe.

[Solomon Chase]

Most excellent entry. Bravo.

I agree with the lack of motivation for Adam, threw me off a bit that he was giving the evil eye straight away seemingly without reason or justification.

You shot this on the G1? If so, nice job!

There were a few times I thought you could have had a little more fun pushing the colors - especially in the first half to really sell the lushness of the jungle.

Otherwise, this was one of the, if not the, best produced film of the lot and I'm almost done watching them all.

Cheers.
Yep. Shot on two GH1's and some c-mount lenses.

Glad you like it... very good to hear coming from someone with such a visually strong entry.

I'l see what I can do to push the jungle look a bit more :)

[Maximus]

Great job! Very entertaining and impressive production values. In my top three! :thumbsup:

[hoz]

really liked the movie! awesome shots and you made so much of the location too. kinda predictable story but it still works well. Congrats on a fine film!!

[Mark Harris]

Man, I knew Aloe Vera was good, but not THAT good!!!

Excellent, excellent work.

[stinkpot]

Man, I knew Aloe Vera was good, but not THAT good!!!

Excellent, excellent work.

Lol...

Cool movie! Night scenes were the best I've seen on this board.

:beer:

[JonB]

Very cool. The silent film aspect really increased the drama. I was dying for someone to say something. If it makes you feel better, I, unlike everyone else here, didn't forsee the ending, and thought it was neat. Although I'm dyinggg to know, HOW DID YOU DO THE PLANT?? Was it all rotoscopped? Or did you use some type of really florescent goo? Or what? It was killing me.

Loved the color, DOF, composition, and music. Great entry!

[Ben Sliker]

No Dialogue! Bold choice. I can't imagine the color correction choices you had ... to push the greens or not push the greens?

I can't say that not having any dialogue hurt this film cause it certainly didn't but I think Erik Olson made some good points that would have taken it over the top. I was literally waiting for them to say something at some point.

Outstanding job, especially with a brand new piece of technology.

[Solomon Chase]

Very cool. The silent film aspect really increased the drama. I was dying for someone to say something. If it makes you feel better, I, unlike everyone else here, didn't forsee the ending, and thought it was neat. Although I'm dyinggg to know, HOW DID YOU DO THE PLANT?? Was it all rotoscopped? Or did you use some type of really florescent goo? Or what? It was killing me.

Loved the color, DOF, composition, and music. Great entry!

The plant was the hardest prop to pull off... it was the centerpiece, so I had to make it look as good as possible. I spent upward of $150 for the brightest glow paint and powder you can buy. (The radioactive strontium stuff!) =P

I sprayed the aloe plant with white spray paint, then 3M spray glue. I then used a salt shaker to distribute the glow powder on the plant. I ended up doing about 3 coats all over.

The aloe "Juice" was glow paint, in a little plastic baggie sandwiched between the aloe and the tribe leaders hand. Had to do it in one take, as the glow stuff is hard to clean off.

[Brandon Rice]

Wow.... loved it! Kept me interested the whole way through! #1!

[JonB]

The plant was the hardest prop to pull off... it was the centerpiece, so I had to make it look as good as possible. I spent upward of $150 for the brightest glow paint and powder you can buy. (The radioactive strontium stuff!) =P

I sprayed the aloe plant with white spray paint, then 3M spray glue. I then used a salt shaker to distribute the glow powder on the plant. I ended up doing about 3 coats all over.

The aloe "Juice" was glow paint, in a little plastic baggie sandwiched between the aloe and the tribe leaders hand.

Ahh, that makes sense. And sounds like a LOT of work. But you certainly pulled it off.



Had to do it in one take, as the glow stuff is hard to clean off.

Well, he nailed it! It looked very good.

[John LaBonney]

Wow! Very impressive!

High marks all-around for cinematography, acting, sound, music, and story.

I liked the choice to go without dialog; it worked very well here.

I particularly liked the framing and the way things were revealed.

Sure to be a fest fav. Nice work!

[Solomon Chase]

Wow! Very impressive!

High marks all-around for cinematography, acting, sound, music, and story.

I liked the choice to go without dialog; it worked very well here.

I particularly liked the framing and the way things were revealed.

Sure to be a fest fav. Nice work!

Thanks John :)

I paid a lot more attention to framing than I usually do, and going with 2.35:1 "cinemascope" ratio worked well for this type of film.

[kurtmo]

Interesting concept. The lighting really worked. The dolly shot at the end was my favorite shot. The score was nice too. My biggest issue was that the jungle ambient sound was too loud and made it feel like I was being forced to believe this was a jungle.

Overall though, a great production!

[Girgej]

Hey man .. Great movie ... the atmosphere was perfect ... the lighting too ... the fast pacing at first ... and slower towards the end ... was a fine touch ... Good ending ... Keep it up

[Martin Landsburg]

Maybe a stupid remark after the fact, esp. after all the trouble you went through with the plutonium and all, but I actually thought the glow effect was done in post! Isn't it usually done that way?

And does the 8mm c-mount compare to say, a nikon 12mm on a D90? Which shots did you use them on, the running and the tribesman standing over Emery? And where Adam pushes Emery against a tree? looks like very little distortion to me! Nice.. how much did you get it for from ebay did you say?

[DarkElastic]

Hi Solomon,

I can't really add much more. I will just say that I thought it was very nicely shot. The music really fit it well. The acting was very good. I loved the fact there was no dialogue at all throughout.
One thing that jarred for me was at the end of the running scene he slides down a band and then lands on his front past a stream.

Overall, a very good movie. Well done.

[Solomon Chase]

Maybe a stupid remark after the fact, esp. after all the trouble you went through with the plutonium and all, but I actually thought the glow effect was done in post! Isn't it usually done that way?

And does the 8mm c-mount compare to say, a nikon 12mm on a D90? Which shots did you use them on, the running and the tribesman standing over Emery? And where Adam pushes Emery against a tree? looks like very little distortion to me! Nice.. how much did you get it for from ebay did you say?

Didn't want to waste time in post with VFX work. I think actually making it glow gave a more organic, natural look. You can see the green light reflecting off of the actors hands and legs.

The 8mm is equivalent to something between 12-16mm on the D90. $600 on Ebay for the lens. I actually removed distortion in After Effects... but still looks pretty good without removing it.

[Solomon Chase]

Hi Solomon,

I can't really add much more. I will just say that I thought it was very nicely shot. The music really fit it well. The acting was very good. I loved the fact there was no dialogue at all throughout.
One thing that jarred for me was at the end of the running scene he slides down a band and then lands on his front past a stream.

Overall, a very good movie. Well done.

Good catch on that shot ;) Didn't have enough coverage to get that part to cut together right.

[mattspat]

Wow! This puppy really held my attention. Which is incredible for a film with no dialogue. Loved it loved it loved it.

Matt

[Solomon Chase]

Wow! This puppy really held my attention. Which is incredible for a film with no dialogue. Loved it loved it loved it.

Matt

Thanks Matt. That's really good to hear. I had a tough time deciding to cut the dialogue from the script, but it looks like it was the right choice.

[Solomon Chase]

Just made a facebook page for the film: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nightlight/104015908103

[dsto]

I enjoyed your film very much. Quality work. The night scenes were fantastic. Great idea, great execution. I DO like the fact that the glow was not done in post. As amazing as our computers are these days, you are correct, it seemed more natural and organic. Actors were a good choice.

[dadoboy]

Reminds me of a discussion about the glow of Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen.
In an interview with Larry Fong, the DP, he says that lighting up Billy Crudup with that iridescent blue really added to the look, because the blue light would cast itself on the actors who would be playing with him in the scene.

I liked the piece - all the more remarkable because it was shot on that tiny camera!
Shots were very steady considering the super light weight/size, and compositions were very good, camera movement always seemed appropriate.

[Bruce Lankford]

So much has already been said about the technical aspects of the film..

I am thirlled with how well this film turned out. I am happy to have been a part of such a great project, and I see a very bright future ahead. Solomon Chase, you are a brilliant film maker, and I hope to have the opportunity to work with you again.

[Fictionfeatures]

Great film, I really did enjoy it from a technical perspective. Any upcoming projects you have to follow this?

[Solomon Chase]

Reminds me of a discussion about the glow of Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen.
In an interview with Larry Fong, the DP, he says that lighting up Billy Crudup with that iridescent blue really added to the look, because the blue light would cast itself on the actors who would be playing with him in the scene.

I liked the piece - all the more remarkable because it was shot on that tiny camera!
Shots were very steady considering the super light weight/size, and compositions were very good, camera movement always seemed appropriate.

Just checked out some "behind the scenes" on Watchmen, and the rig they used for the blue lighting was awesome :)

These little cameras ARE pretty difficult to get steady shots with. When I didn't have the camera on tripod or dolly, I went handheld, using the neck strap to steady.

[Solomon Chase]

BEHIND THE SCENES PICTURES

I REALLY wish I would have had someone dedicated to taking BTS pics, but here's the few we did get:

http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/1.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/2.jpg
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/3.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/4.jpg
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/5.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/6.jpg
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/7.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/8.jpg
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/9.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/10.jpg
http://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/11.jpghttp://batteryfire.com/nightlight/bts/12.jpg

[Sid Barnhoorn]

Hi Solomon, great work! I was impressed with this one. Was caught right into it.

[Sarah Daly]

Awesome! Technically obviously - looks and sounds beautiful - but the story worked for me too. Loved your choice to go with no dialogue - makes this more powerful - dialogue would have cheapened it I think, broken the spell somewhat. You told your story so well visually no words were necessary. But I also like the fact you didn't feel the need to explain everything. There's room for interpretation, space for thought which is always nice. And an interesting message (well this is what I read) on the greed of man (or woman geez) and his often conscience-less quest for power.

Also well acted, great score and sound design. Yep - all round great job - very professional, visually gorgeous but certainly not a case of style over substance!

[Chris Messineo]

Great movie. Another favorite of mine. I absolutely love that you were able to tell this story without dialogue. I thought it worked beautifully. The ending was perfect.

Very well done.

[Richard J. Johnson]

good film. Great look. I'm not a huge fan of films without dialogue even though I could follow it perfectly but I kind of missed it here. but impressive nonetheless.

[Chris_Keaton]

I really don't like movies with no dialog, but I liked this. I do think dialog could have beefed up the story, but not by much. I do like the fact that you didn't feel compelled to try and put in everything, a little mystery goes a long way. Good Job!

[Brian Parker]

Wow Solomon. Great film. One of my favorites this Fest. Impressed by it both technically and from an entertainment perspective. You had some great stuff going on here.

Cinematography was awesome. Acting was really good and didn't require dialogue to make it work. I also enjoyed the story itself and the reveal that the tribesman was from the same medical company. I also really dug the plant effects. So much to like here. Really good job man!

[Fictionfeatures]

I liked that this was a really visual film and great visuals at that. But being heavy on visuals, I noticed a few continuity issues which kind of distracted me since no one was talking, but the sound was done very well, great audio mix. The scores were nice and driving for the scenes but not overpowering. And the acting was top notch. Lighting was done well. I would just try to watch out for continuity, dead dogs and screen direction in your next short, which I look forward to seeing. But this film is one of the best I've seen.

[~jai~]

WOW! I love it when a filmmaker can tell a complete story without any dialogue. I feel like it is such a great niche, and the actors able to pull this off are very talented. Your score was a key piece which I think did it's job excellently! Great job!

That said, I liked your cast, and the film was beautiful. I did think the end of his "dying sequence" (falling to the ground) looked really bad, but I still really liked the film. Also, there's a problem with your edit. The first shot of him lying on the ground dead (before the Shaman puts the plant on) shows him with no visible wound on his actual skin once it was revealed. You then cut to a closer shot which had the wound. A fun catch for me, but one I'm thinking you don't want everyone to have "fun" with.

Over all, I really enjoyed your film and thought that it was shot beautifully! Thank you for sharing!

[Rodney V. Smith]

So it comes to this: I shall look at you askance dude and maybe even buy you an O'Douls or two. Congrats on the finals man. I'll give you a call about the LA trip.

[Edgen]

Congrats on the top 8! :)

/j

[~jai~]

That plant's medicine is some powerful stuff to vault you into the finals! Congratulations, a well deserved nod! Hope to see you in LA!

[Ryan E. Walters]

Great job on making it to the top 8! :)

[conrad_johnson]

Congrats dudes. :)

[Brian Parker]

Congrats! You deserve it!

[Noel Evans]

Congrats Soloman!

[armisiano]

Good job sir, truly beautifully executed.

[Brandon Rice]

Congrats! Well deserved! My favorite of this festival!

[Tim Joy]

Excellent job.

[lawriejaffa]

Unique film - congrats on the top 8! Well done mon amie!

[galbach]

Bravo!!!!

[Mike Manning]

Dude! Don't know how I missed this one... but BRAVO. My new favorite! And the fact that you shot on a GH1 basically sealed the deal for me as far as wanting to buy one of those! Congrats on getting into the finals and good luck placing! Looking forward to the screening next saturday!

[Norm Sanders]

Wow ... I don't know where to begin, honestly.

I loved this. Not a SINGLE word spoken, but yet you told so much just through the acting, which I thought was well cast. Loved everything about the talent.

The shooting on this was INCREDIBLE! So well lit, and shot. I was beyond impressed, especially with your night scenes. I'll have to go back & see if I can find how you shot this, etc. Sooooo good!

Audio was top notch ... fit like a glove with the music & mix.

Your opening titles & scene, as well as ending titles ... just extremely pro.

A very simple story, but one that SO incredibly fit the theme/idea that would default in my head of what a "quest" is.

My ONLY two suggestions, and minor as they are, would be: More sweat. Have a spray bottle off camera to plaster their faces between shoots, as well as collars & armpits. They looked too clean, and especially not sweating enough, considering swinging a machete through the jungle like that. The other would be where the guy gets stabbed. Something about it just seemed a hair off, but can't define what at the moment would make it pop more for me. Maybe keeping it simple & understated as it currently is would be the better approach ... though when the shirt is first torn open, it doesn't appear we can see a stab wound at all, as compared with the close up.

Again, this was amazing, and my new favorite. Congrats on the placement of top 8!

Oh yeah, and PERFECT VFX with that plant too ... amazing!

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Dang, I really enjoyed this! Very well done and cinematic!

[Solomon Chase]

Thanks for the kind words everyone, and great suggestions Norm.

The HD screening master has been sent to Zak with better color grading, credits, and sound mixing. :thumbup:

[Sprocketboy]

This is fun to watch. I locked in and enjoyed every minute. This is one of the purest QuestFest themed shorts and the amazing thing is it managed to do it without one stitch of dialogue. I believe it was a bold move on your part and congratulate you. You speak a universal language that the whole world understands - the language of images. All the elements worked in harmony as well. This is first rate act.

[Edgen]

Congrats on the 1st place win!

/j

[Tim Joy]

My #1 and well deserved win! Congrats!

[Brian Parker]

Solomon...congrats man!!

[Herman Witkam]

Congrats on the 1st place! :-)

[MrFluffy]

Great film, well done.

[ghennek]

Congrats to the winner !!!

[Rodney V. Smith]

ATL represent! or something like that. Anyway, good job on winning... I just knew you'd come in and impress and you didn't let me down.

Damn you for not letting me down dude. :grin:

Now we gotta talk about our schedules for MonsterFest....

[Solomon Chase]

Thanks everyone! this was really unexpected with such great entries. Had a great time at the screening meeting everyone. :beer:

I just posted the film to Vimeo if anyone wants to check it out in HD:
http://vimeo.com/5702579

[Sid Barnhoorn]

Congratz man! :)

[Susanne G.]

Congratulations - well deserved - exceptional film!

Susanne

[armisiano]

Great job Solomon. It was really good to meet you and smoke too many cigarettes last night. Keep on rockin' in the free world.

[conrad_johnson]

Nice work ladies and gents. I had a feeling you peeps were gonna win.

WOOHOO!

[ZazaCast]

Congrats on the win Solomon!

[Robert Eldon]

Solomon, congratulations on a job well done! First place... and you were there to see the announcement. Enjoy your prize and I look forward to your next project! :)

[Boogeyman]

congrats this was off the wall

[Matt Harris]

I meant to post sooner and tell you how much i loved this film, job well done!

[lawriejaffa]

Good lad Solomon, congratulations on your first position! So now all we need to do is create a new cure all erectile disfunction cream from that glowing plant and market spam half the US Eastern seaboard!!! We'll be rich Solomon - riiiiich beyond our wildest dreams!

[Ryan E. Walters]

CONGRATS! Well done and well deserved. :)

[Brandon Rice]

Congrats Solomon and great to meet you!

[DarkElastic]

Congratulations Solomon. This win was a shock to me, but a very welcome one. I look forward to your next movie and see if you can stay on top :beer:

[Ki-Ki]

A congratulations well deserved, enjoyed the film, and glad it showed that anything can be done without a RED - or top of the range important equiptment. Yet again, that GH1 is still quite 'wow'. :cheers:

[Mike Manning]

Congrats! You had my vote for top prize..

You've also helped to seal the deal for far as GH1's are concerned. As soon as they become available at BH, I'll be putting my order in!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Need a poster for you Solomon. Seriously dude. Don't make me make one.