AFTERIMAGE - A Brian Parker Film

[Brian Parker]

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=197&pictureid=1364

Afterimage is a heist-type crime film that I kind of had floating around in my head for a while. Crime dramas are one of my favorite genres so I figured I'd go ahead and make one.

This film is the result of a cross-polination of a couple of different things that I love and it was a pleasure to do a project that pays homage to so many films and shows that I've loved in the past.

The poster is something I put together very quickly so that I would have something up before viewing started. This film's production was the closest to the deadline that I've had yet.

Despite the setbacks, I had a lot of fun with this project. I always enjoy working with Quynh. She's so much more than an actor on set. I also got to work with Hannah Kasulka this time around. We had a lot of fun during production.

[Brian Parker]

CAST

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/30849/1236654020.jpg

Brian Parker



http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/30849/1236654515.jpg

Quynh Thi Le


http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=197&pictureid=1363

Hannah Kasulka

[Brian Parker]

Reserved fot BTS 2

[Rodney V. Smith]

Hey Brian, glad to see you made it. You kept it pretty low key this time around.

[ZazaCast]

Low key... that's an understatement. Welcome to the fest, glad you got in.

[Brian Parker]

Thanks guys. I'll be posting some stuff soon.

I really wasn't trying to be that low key but I'll be honest, this film almost didn't get made. I cancelled production at one point. I know the whole point of DVXuser is to be part of the community and promote, network, and mingle with other filmmakers and I love that but my life has just been crazy so I wasn't able to commit to the BTS end in a way that I would have liked to...next fest I enter I'll go all out. No more lurking.

Thanks for stoping by. Looking forward to all of the films.

[Girgej]

Well .. Don't know anything on this ... but Good Luck anyway...

[Tim Joy]

Cool. Good to see you entering. I enjoyed your last flick, encompassing all genres. What genre this time?

[Matt Harris]

Make a poster!

Glad you made the fest, i crammed in a film at the 11th hour also just to be a part
of the community so i feel you.

[Brian Parker]

Thanks Girgej. You too.

Thanks Tim. This time it's crime-dramedy. Looking forward to your film as well. On with the viewing!

Thanks Defcon. Glad you made it in too. Yeah, I think community is one of the main reasons I pushed to finish mine. Now I only need to be better about updating my page. Good luck in the fest.

[ramsaur]

Sound at beginning in car was a little hard to hear. Your title came in too quick. Did you use more than one camera on this film? Like when the girl is sniping and it cuts back to the guy on the phone the quality changes.

[Tom Marshall]

Hey Brian, I liked the concept behind this one. It kept me engaged till the end.

I liked your Mexico montage a lot. Very cool and the opening titles fit in really well with your sequence.

What really took me out of it were the performances. The acting was really flat throughout the whole time. Some of the lighting could have been better too at times.

A good, solid entry... :beer:

[stinkpot]

Good deal! Welcome to the fest.

:beer:

[Brian Parker]

ramsaur - Yeah, I'm still tooling around the audio I was struggling with getting good sound. And yeah, there was more than one camera used but it was primarily a Canon XH-A1, the main reason being that I didn't have it in Mexico. Thanks for the feedback man!

Tom - Thanks man. If it kept you engaged to the end then I'm happy. I get caught up in the logistical aspect of the filmmaking process and the performances suffer so I definately want to improve on that area. I really want to be an actor's director. Thanks for checking it out and giving me the feedback.

stinkpot - Thanks. I'm here for my lumps. Glad to be a part of the whole magical DVXUser Fest thing.

[~jai~]

I really like crime/drama/thriller/suspense movies, so I was excited to watch this one. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. The sound in a lot of the film was really bad (car, pay phone, last scene room) with the hiss being very distracting. This was an ambitious story to take on, but I don't think the time limit gave you the length to do it justice. You had a lot of extraneous stuff going on here that really could have been lost (the comic sequence in the beginning, Jerry's cut-away) and I'm still not sure what happened in the end. Did they buy the diamonds? I'm seriously guessing that the girl in the end stole the diamonds from you, but are you guys buying them back or something? What's in the backpack? Your partner's character (portrayed by Quin) was the most interesting, could have used more of her. I didn't really care about anyone in the film though. Because the rest of the film is so up in the air confusing and full of too much, the ending loses it dramatic tension to me. I didn't feel anyone's need to do or get anything. Would really have liked to see the energy from all the actors ramped up four or five notches. I mean, what happens if he doesn't get the diamonds? Why is she (Quin) so interested, what's her stake in all this? Why does Hannah meet Quin? What is she losing by giving up the diamonds? Right now the performances are lacking and the script needs reworking and fine tuning.

I applaud you, and anyone who takes the time and effort to make a film and has the courage to share it with the world. I seriously thank you for sharing and pray for success on your future films! I hope to see more from you!

[Erik Olson]

This one kind of confounded me in the execution. It was all over the place from a style standpoint. You've got the Ocean's inspired opening sequence, which doesn't carry through the film. It establishes Mexico, but I don't know why. The flashback work and comic panels had me really taken out of whatever the story was. By the end, you've got a the payback scene that plays more like a short film ending.

It's difficult to put it all on screen in such a short amount of time and I think this brand of storytelling and style might have been a really challenging way of going about it. Sometimes, simple is better.

[Brian Parker]

jai - Thanks for all the honest feedback. Yeah, the film is kind of all over the place and my intention was for it to be more concise and clear. One of the things that I lost in there somewhere was the sense of really guiding the audience along the story and explaining it to them. I'm going to have to step back and rework my process to allow more focus on the storytelling process. Thanks for taking the time to watch!

Erik - Yeah, it's just because there were too many angles I wanted to try. I like the Ocean's movies but I wanted a bit more drama, and my animator's brain often steps into the filmmaking process so things got a little jumbled. Going to have to focus more next time. Thanks for the feedback!

[AmyO]

Nice overall film. I appreciated that each location had its own “look” - color, camera work, ambiance. I like the hallucination effects. I would have liked a scene with Jerry, though, rather than just looking at him. Less time on opening credits/Mexico montage, and more time with some kind of struggle the character has to go through. It all comes to him too easily. I wanna see him earn it!

[DarkElastic]

Hi Champloo,

I enjoyed your film and agree with the comments about different styles and especially the sound... with the music being good and the montages being well edited, I did dread coming back to the live action and the sound.
The story was nothing fresh, but I did like the little animation section, brightened the whole movie. Always good to have sexy ladies involved and the acting was generally good.
Keep up the good work.

[Susanne G.]

The concept is clever and I never will forget 'Just at work'. This is the sentence of the fest. :)

Susanne

[Brian Parker]

AmyO - You know, the fact that it came to easy hadn't occured to me but you're right. More conflict...more drama. Glad you liked some of the looks going on. Thanks for checking it out and I'm looking forward to watching your film!

DarkElastic - Yeah, I enjoyed putting the montages together. This was the first time in a while that I've shot in an environment where I couldn't control at least a modicum of sound so yeah, it's pretty rough. I just wanted to get some more experience in handling those situations. Glad you liked the animation and yes, just like Jell-O, there's always room for sexy ladies. Thanks for checking it out man.

Susanne - Thanks for that! I always enjoy seeing Quynh do lines like those because she really gets the type of humor I intended when I wrote them. Glad you liked the concept. Thanks for the feedback!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Interesting concept but a little all over the place. It was really jarring at times. The audio really needs some TLC here and there as well.

I like your previous work but I have to say that this was a bit of a step back for you. At least in my eyes. The good thing is that you have me expecting more from you. I think you'll learn a lot from this one and wow us soon. You are definitely creating a style that all your own and I like that.

MAH

[kurtmo]

Audio was definitely weak. With this story, I kinda lost the thread a couple of times. I did like your main characters reaction to the comments, though. He did a nice job.

Thanks for posting. Look forward to your next one!

[hoz]

really liked the mexico part, wished you kept it there and had the lead talk to the dude at the rest. or something, the style was really cool! not sure about the story though because it wasn't all that fleshed out. i get that he needs meds and all and this could be really cool to delve into - a thief on an anti psychotic - talk about paranoia!

the lead can carry himself real well too, give him more to do, more to accomplish.

nice effort!

[Brian Parker]

MAH - Thanks for stopping by man. Yeah, I'm kind of all over the place. There are a lot of things that I've wanted to try and some of them bled into this film which was a little much. I'm still trying to master audio out in the field as well.

I agree with you. I hate to say it but I don't feel like this film is as good as "1-Up". I was feeling a little bad about it but it means a lot that you have a certain level of expectation. I did indeed learn a lot and I hope to continue to develop and get the chance to really entertain you guys. Thanks for the feedback!

kurtmo - Glad you checked it out. Definately gonna have to work on the audio. I'm also seeing a need for more defined story development based on everybody's comments. Glad you liked the reactions. Thanks for watching!

hoz - Yeah, the Mexico part was fun to put together. I see how I left the story kind of sparse and made some assumptions. I know to flesh out the story more and fill in some of those gaps. Glad you liked the style though. A paranoid delusional thief is kind of a crazy idea. I kind of like the characters and would want to approach them again, taking into account everything I learned from the shoot and the feedback from you guys. Maybe someday.

LOL...glad you liked the lead. I tried my best. Thanks for checking it out.

[Girgej]

Hey man .. I really love the sort of Hip / Funky style ... the story was a bit lacking, but it could work fine as a longer version ... with a slice of each character's story (like three parts / perspectives) ... anyway ... and the visions of the girls talking of the main character were a pretty touch ...

[ZazaCast]

I always enjoy your films Brian....and yes, there were some things that need a little work, but that's how we learn. I personally admire the fact that you did step out of a comfort zone and didn't try to make a film to please everyone here. Great use of locations and fun VFX. Keep on experimenting....I for one will be watching!

[Brian Parker]

Girgej - Thanks. I'd like the opportunity to flesh out the characters and explore more of their personalities and motivations. Glad you liked the way the visions turned out. Thanks for watching!

ZazaCast - That means a lot to me Zaza, coming from one of the DVXUser elite. I'm definitely all about the learning and the growing and I'll keep trying to get better. Glad you liked the locations and FX. Thanks for watching man. I 'ppreciate it.

[Noel Evans]

Hi Brian. Here's my take on it. First off, I think this story had great potential. Secondly, it seems that you are just doing too much yourself. Writing, directing, cinematography, editing and acting!? Wow thats a mouthful. Wait and score...

Sheesh, with all that I might quit before I started. No seriously, I just feel that maybe you are spreading yourself to thin. It's hard to be subjective about one component you have made the choices on, but you are doing that for almost every component, thats a tough task.

Anyway, as I said I thought the story had great potential. Quynh did a good job as usual. And you had some good lines in this - Quynh on the rooftop one example.

[RodThompson]

Yo!

I'm not going to go on and on about stuff that's been covered.

SUPER KUDOS on the blonde chick/rooftop walk follow scene...looked like Michael Mann's "Miami Vice" intro.

Awesome looks!

[Brian Parker]

Noel - LOL...yeah. I do try and do a lot on my films but it was mostly because it was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I'd really like to do more collaborative work. I do agree with you about subjectivity. Glad you see potential in the story. Yeah, Quynh's always awesome to work with. Thanks for the feedback!

Rod - Thanks Rod...I actually ended up with a couple of good outtakes trying to get that shot. Glad you liked the looks. Thanks for checking it out!

[Solomon Chase]

I liked the concept Brian. Did you do those 3D comic panels?
The lighting on the girl in the opening scene and in a couple other places was great, but the other stuff could use some more work. The hallucination effect was cool, did you have a ringlight or something for those shots?

[Jeff Anderson]

Typing notes as I watch so bare with me :)

Ha! I love the back and forth between reality and "his reality"

opening credit/mexico sequence could be shorter.

Audio for dialogue is a tad low. SFX and ADR. Score just seemed to pop in at the end there.

Rooftop night stuff is beautiful - love all the colors in the lights.

Ending seemed to leave me with too many questions - wouldve liked to have seen it end back in the car maybe...

[Brian Parker]

Solomon - Glad you liked the concept man. Yeah, I did the 3D comic panels myself. All of the lighting was natural. I used the little overhead ceiling lights in the car scene because I liked the contrast of color it gave to the garage lights that were coming through the sunroof. I wanted to do this one run and gun and wanted to see what we could do with just the environmental lighting. The only time I artificially lit anything was the hallucination shots. Yeah, they were done with a ringlight. Thanks for the feedback and for checking it out!

Jeff - Yeah, it was fun coming up with the altered reality parts.The Mexico sequence is definately long...I was struggling to decide what shots I wanted to show. Yeah, I know audio is the most important element to a film and I struggled with it in the garage scene. Everything else I've been sweetening on the re-edit...cleaning up score and transitions too.

I like the rooftop shot too. Atlanta has a pretty decent skyline considering it's technically not one of the major metropolis-type cities in the U.S. By the time we got to shooting the ending, it was like 2:00 in the morning and we were all delirious. We started to wonder whether the last part that I had written would be redundant. I had another sequence after the end where Max and Ella are in the elevator and he thanks her and gives her the majority of the diamonds for her cut. He has a last hallucination of Jillian and then takes the pills. Ah well. Like I said before, I might come back to these characters and flesh them out more. I like 'em. Thanks for the feedback man!

[Richard J. Johnson]

That shot of the girl walking on the roof was just beautiful. You always have creative ideas in your films. I have been out of the loop for this fest but I had to check it out. There were some technical issues but I have not seen one yet that had none. Keep it up.

[Brian Parker]

filthrich - Thanks. That might be my favorite shot of the film. Glad you made it by for this fest and hope you're around for the next one. Thanks for checking it out man!

[Norm Sanders]

Brian,

When I watch this, one thing keeps pounding into my head. Do what you can do WELL, and focus only on that. However, you can do a lot of things well, and I see you trying to pack them all into your film ... and I THINK this happened before with another more recent entry I'd seen from you. My favorite one from you, was one a couple of years ago about a guy who didn't have his sight ... and it didn't include trying to fit in a bunch of FX ... and it worked wonderfully.

For this, you're coming a long way on your CGI work, but it doesn't mean you've got to pack it into your film, unless it really supports the story. Here, I didn't see that it really did ... instead I found it distracting. Your comic book stuff near the beginning was AWESOME! Just never really saw it again, so without the consistency it felt like you were trying to kind of just show us all your tricks instead of really driving the story/character with them.

Going back to that part of "Do wht you can do well & stick to that", would be the CGI you had walking ontop of the roof, when Quynh was acting as sniper on the roof. It was CLEARLY obvious they weren't real talent, so now we feel like she's just practicing a simulation/video game, instead of doing the real thing. Don't show people at all, or do a FAST zoom away from some far off building & then reveal her, so we know she's focused on some distant target that's even too far for US to see.

Audio: Was this entire film ADR'd? If so, you actually did a REALLY good job syncing up the voices, though there was some noticable difference in how they were recorded ... some sounding with more of a ring/tin sound than others. That said, this film needs some beefing up with SFX, and where it stood out the most was when Quynh drew her gun out ... it was too silent. In fact, other than the dialogue, and the constant hum of the background/feedback, there was NO wild/ambient sound at all ... making it tougher to get into the world, as far as fully immersing ourselves.

Okay, there's the nitpick stuff out of the way ... so onto the good.

You've got talent. You handle a LOT, and in many ways pull it off well. I'd like to see you act in someone else's film, because I think you could really do well. I'd also like to see you simply focus on the producing/directing, without trying to balance in front of the screen, as I think you can do even better as a director (I say this from experience of attempting to juggle too many balls).

Next, Quynh ... AWESOME!! She has an incredible screen presence, and I really like how she carries herself & delivers her lines ... I would SO love to work with her.

Your VFX work ... you've got some awesome talent there as well ... just don't incorporate the stuff into your films unless it really drives/supports the story, and can composite well into the shot so we don't see it's an VFX (i.e. the roof top).

I hope I didn't come across too negatively, as there's a lot of aspects I like about this film & your work.

Oh, and back to your acting...you've got something about you that I think could work really well for comedy, as even in here you got me to chuckle a couple of times.

[Brian Parker]

Norm - Wow. Thanks for the in-depth review. Yeah, I tend to wear too many hats or try too many things. Honestly, I'd like some room to breathe and focus on one thing at a time but I always find myself trying to carry most of the weight.

LOL...yeah, the animator in me fights to come out a lot. There was another comic book sequence with Ella, Quynh's character, that I didn't get to finish in time but I'd still like to add it.

I agree that the CGI of the guys on the rooftop is OBVIOUS but I wasn't sure if I took it out, would the audience be thrown by the lack of a target.

Really only like one line was ADR'ed. I struggled with the audio in the first scene because there was so much sound coming from the street below, I couldn't capture the audio the way I would have liked. I've since made a music track for the last scene where it's really quiet. That was all wild recording in that location. I'll have to enrich that.

As for the acting, the first time I did it was out of necessity and then I've done it in a couple of other films because I do enjoy it. I wouldn't mind being in somebody else's film at all. I think the next thing I do, I'll be behind the camera completely so I can focus on that but I don't know how long I can fight the urge to act again...lol.

Yeah, Quynh has been in every one of my DVXUser entries and I sometimes wonder if people think she's the only actor I'll use. I can't help myself because she's so awesome to work with and has so much range. She takes her craft very seriously and is very talented. She's also a good friend and really silly.

I've been trying to hone my VFX skills through my last couple of films but I do need to try and regulate my usage of it to the necessary moments.

You don't come across negatively at all. This is why I enter the fests, to get better and learn as much as possible. I appreciate all the critique, feedback, criticisms, and compliments I get. Oh, and thanks for the comments about my acting. I have been known to be a bit silly as well so that's probably what that is.

Thanks for all of the great feedback Norm! I really appreciate you taking the time to watch my film and letting me know what you think.

[Norm Sanders]

Good, glad you took it in the way I meant it. :)

And, after further thought, since you said you've used Quynh in every one of your entries, maybe I screwed up in the film I thought you made a while back, about a guy who was blind?

[Brian Parker]

Yeah...lol...that wasn't me.

[Marlon Ladd]

Brian, I guess I missed writing a review for your film too. Sorry, man. Of course, like Puck's film, yours was one of the first few I watched. I'd planned to watch it again, but i've just been busy. From what I can remember though, I really liked the 3D stuff. You had some good shots in there for sure and I really liked the locations. There was just something about the last scene that didn't come off as well as I expected and I'm not sure why. It may have been partly the lighting and acting. Not sure, but I'm gonna' watch it again and get back to you! Oh, BTW, love your actress. The one that's in all your films.

[Brian Parker]

Marlon - Glad you made it through man. Sometimes I get an urge to do some animation work and it ends up in my films. As you can see from this one and "1-Up", I've been on a bit of an animation kick but I think it's subsided for now.

One thing that I am proud about concerning this film is the locations. It was cool to really get out there and get some nice spots on camera. As far as the last scene goes, not trying to make excuses or anything but it was a victim of "on-the-set late at night" rearranging and cutting. I definately know what you mean though...it does kind of trail off.

Thanks for checking my film out and for the feedback man! I appreciate it!

[jonE5]

how can i watch this?