FLOWER a flyin' monkey films production

[Sprocketboy]

You should record their reactions and podcast them! :)

Yeah, and make sure Spielberg watches it when he's alone. :happy:

[ZazaCast]

Where U at Puckman?

[Rodney V. Smith]

Where U at Puckman?

Stewing in a brew of my own making. Remember that whole Color Correction thing? Yeah: farked it up. Now it's time to get it right...

[Marlon Ladd]

:embarasse OH, Laaawwwwwdddd! We still at it. How long will it take to fix?

[Rodney V. Smith]

:embarasse OH, Laaawwwwwdddd! We still at it. How long will it take to fix?

Oh, at least another 2 weeks...

[Marlon Ladd]

So, you'll be submitting a very artistic B&W for the fest. then, huh? We should all protest the cc problems and the time it takes and just go straight B&W. Well, that could kind of be considered cc too I guess. Oh well.

[Rodney V. Smith]

I'm just going to do the DVXFest header, 5 seconds of a still shot and go straight to the credits. Good music though. Maybe the still shot will be in B + W....

[Marlon Ladd]

I'm just going to do the DVXFest header, 5 seconds of a still shot and go straight to the credits. Good music though. Maybe the still shot will be in B + W....
See, if you would have done that and not told anybody you would've won. Now I'm gonna' do it and probably a couple of other guys around here too.

[Rodney V. Smith]

See, if you would have done that and not told anybody you would've won. Now I'm gonna' do it and probably a couple of other guys around here too.

FOILED! Curse you Marlon for outing my ridiculously simple plan...

[ZazaCast]

Sometimes I don't understand all the CC that goes on around here? As an audio engineer/producer, I can't tell you how many times I'd be working at getting the correct sound I was looking for before rolling tape...and the band member would say, "we can fix it in the mix, right?". Well for me the answer was wrong. The best recordings start with getting the sound right before tracking, it's hard to put a shine on sh*t.

Shouldn't it be the same with a film? Don't you go into it knowing the look you want and wouldn't you try to get close or shoot in a way that would make the CC an easy, gentle process?

This is a general question...not just thrown at you Rodney. Am I on the wrong track here?
All I know is some of the very best recordings I've ever made required minimal processing...and those are the ones I keep going back to.

Sometimes less IS more....

[Rodney V. Smith]

from wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_grading):

Masks, Mattes, Power Windows
The evolution of digital color correction tools advanced to the point where the colorist could use geometric shapes (like mattes or masks in photo software such as Photoshop) to isolate color adjustments to specific areas of an image. Called Power Windows by da Vinci Systems, these tools can highlight a wall in the background and color only that wall — leaving the rest of the frame alone — or color everything but that wall. Subsequent color correctors (typically software-based) have the ability to use spline-based shapes for even greater control over isolating color adjustments. Color keying is also used for isolating areas to adjust.
Inside and outside of area-based isolations, digital filtration can be applied to soften, sharpen or mimic the effects of traditional glass photographic filters in nearly infinite degrees.

Motion Tracking
When trying to isolate a color adjustment on a moving subject, the colorist traditionally would have needed to manually move the mask to follow the subject. In its most simple form, motion tracking automates this time-consuming process using algorithms to evaluate the motion of a group of pixels. These techniques are generally derived from match moving techniques used in special effects and compositing work.

Also here's a good description:


http://digitalkilnstudios.com/eyes_color.jpg
Color correction, (also known as color grading) is much more than fixing problems with a film or video. It's a great way to enhance the style, look & mood of a film or video, and can make an already well shot & good looking film look even better.


Motion tracking can be combined with other techniques to add light to a subject's eyes or achieve the final look wanted for a scene, this not only saves time on the set (and money) but, when done in close collaboration with the cinematographer, allows greater flexibility in adjusting the overall feeling of the scene.

[cinealma]

Sometimes I don't understand all the CC that goes on around here?

I think the simple answer to this in the digital world is: because you can. :happy:



John G.

[Sprocketboy]

You are "spot on" with the use of CC. Your raw footage should already be pretty close to the final product. CC is the same as color timing a film at a lab, except you don't have to inhale chemicals. There should be only minor adjustments to the colors, gamma and brightness from shot to shot. I will not work longer than 4 hours on any session. After that, everything begins to look a little more red to me. I have to take a 1 to 2 hour break before going in again.

[Nitsuj]

Sometimes less IS more....

Ah yes I have found minimal adjustments in color correction looks much better. That being said, the minimal CC looks much better than the video straight out of the camera as well. I think it is good to get a good feel while shooting however it is even better to highlight that feel in post if you can. And it is a must if you are trying to get away from that reality show video look and more into a cinematic look. Least imo that is.

[Rodney V. Smith]

For me its simple: it give the film the look that I want. I have more latitude especially with well lit scenes on how to give the scenes the look and the true feel of what i see in my head. Gods help us all...

[Tom Marshall]

CC is the same as color timing a film at a lab, except you don't have to inhale chemicals.

Well, you have the option of inhaling chemicals if you're doing CC... :happy:

[ZazaCast]

I think the simple answer to this in the digital world is: because you can. :happy:



John G.

...and just because you can, doesn't mean you have to. :happy:

You have to admit it's pretty funny when someone goes out and spends 5K on an awesome camera and then spends days...or weeks playing with that beautiful image. Same with digital audio, as it gets more pure (higher sample rates), everyone starts looking for the good old analog tube gear to run it through to get that tape sound that was so good in the first place!

I still prefer to track drums to a 2" analog machine, then dump that into the DAW for the overdubs and edit. Analog still sounds best... IMO.

... I miss my albums....:violin:

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Analog is great but listening to movies in 5.1 and beyond with a good DTS track kicks major ass on the right system.

I still have a few albums though. :)

Grading is a whole different ball of wax. I am learning to shoot as close to the look that I want though, but I do find that grading can give you that punch you sometimes need. Difference is, I'm doing it on a <1K camera. :)

[ZazaCast]

Analog is great but listening to movies in 5.1 and beyond with a good DTS track kicks major ass on the right system.
Yes this is true, but you can still record all that kick ass audio in an analog format first...and it will sound even better!


I still have a few albums though. :)
But do you still have anything to play them on? :happy:


Grading is a whole different ball of wax. I am learning to shoot as close to the look that I want though, but I do find that grading can give you that punch you sometimes need. Difference is, I'm doing it on a <1K camera. :)

Excellent... like I said, less is more...you shouldn't have to beat on it to get it to look good IMO.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

But do you still have anything to play them on? :happy:

Wouldn't be much good to me if I didn't. :)

Now if I can just find the box I packed them in.

MAH

[Tom Marshall]

Same with digital audio, as it gets more pure (higher sample rates), everyone starts looking for the good old analog tube gear to run it through to get that tape sound that was so good in the first place!

True. I've got some digital gear in my guitar rack - namely, the Pod Pro and the RME FF800 audio interface, but one of the things that I like most is my old Tube Driver - adds all kinds of warmth and sweet distortion... :beer:

[Marlon Ladd]

Well, I think the thing about cc is that it gives the filmmaker so many options. Most, if not all major studio films are color corrected and with todayz advances in technology and all the different programs, there are so many different looks you can go for. Probably the reason why it takes as long as it does is because you first have to first decide on a look. I went through 3 or 4 looks and how I decided was I applied those looks to several different shots that were lit differently and picked the one that looked the best and was the most consistent throughout. Another thing that takes time is matching scenes or shots with the cc. Since every shot is not lit the same, you have to tweak, tweak, tweak. Then, depending on your cpu, rendering can take awhile.

In the end, my cc is too far off from my original footage, but it no doubt makes it pop.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Well, I think the thing about cc is that it gives the filmmaker so many options. Most, if not all major studio films are color corrected and with todayz advances in technology and all the different programs, there are so many different looks you can go for. Probably the reason why it takes as long as it does is because you first have to first decide on a look. I went through 3 or 4 looks and how I decided was I applied those looks to several different shots that were lit differently and picked the one that looked the best and was the most consistent throughout. Another thing that takes time is matching scenes or shots with the cc. Since every shot is not lit the same, you have to tweak, tweak, tweak. Then, depending on your cpu, rendering can take awhile.

In the end, my cc is too far off from my original footage, but it no doubt makes it pop.

Well said. It was what I was too busy to articulate. It's a process just FINDING the right look. I;ve decided on so many looks it's not funny, but I'm definitely gettign closer. Oh yeah: reshoots and pickups are almost always never quite lit the same, so those clips in the scene don't even match properly until you do the right color correction.

Being out of beer doesn't help either. I need to do a beer run before I get back to it today...

[ZazaCast]

I totally 'get it'... It's like a woman in a shoe store, SO many choices. I just wonder sometimes if technology helps or hurts? (does this CC make my butt look big?)

I mean I still watch "A Touch of Evil"... or "Ben-Hur"... and think, WOW this still looks great!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Believe me: technology totally helps. And this CC does make my ass look big. or maybe it's the beer...

[ZazaCast]

Believe me: technology totally helps. And this CC does make my ass look big. or maybe it's the beer...

We'll see....:happy:

[Nitsuj]

Well on this short I did I gave it a look with lighting. In post I applied a very small change to certain scenes that didn't match the others as well. For instance the house interior was actually the interior of 2 different houses but I cut them in to look like the same place. So I had to change the look to match it in some way. But the majority of the changes were just exposure and maybe added a little warmth. Other than that the whole thing just has some saturation lowered a hair and in the curve values I upped the contrast very slightly along with the midtones. I added a diffuse to the intro (which is not in the dvxversion) to give a sense of looking into the past. Basically everything else is in camera. I think of it as a tool to help make your vision possible. Of course you need all the tools you can get with only an $80 budget so everything helps.

[Marlon Ladd]

(does this CC make my butt look big?)

I mean I still watch "A Touch of Evil"... or "Ben-Hur"... and think, WOW this still looks great!

LOL! That CC line is hilarious! :happy: You're quite witty, Zaza.

I think you're right about "Ben-Hur." Still looks good, but I think the cc on "300" set a new standard.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I love Ben-Hur myself. I prefer the look of Gladiator though. 300 took it too far.
While it works for that movie I think the gritty look of Gladiator can work for many films.

Ben-Hur has pretty colours and that makes their costumes look unused. CC can actually make a red cloak look gritty without adding the dirt. :)

To each their own though.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Ben-Hur has pretty colours and that makes their costumes look unused. CC can actually make a red cloak look gritty without adding the dirt. :)

.

i think you just nailed it on the head: the one thing that's always bothered me about the old classics is that the costumes always LOOKED like costumes. Some grading on those would have done wonders indeed...

[ZazaCast]

To each their own though.

... I think THIS nailed it!

Two questions that will always plague man:
1. Why am I here?
2. Why wasn't this technology available years ago?

[Nitsuj]

About Ben-Hur



The film, which took 10 months to complete at Rome's Cinecitta Studios, was photographed by Robert L. Surtees in Metro's new Camera 65 process. The new process, shown in 70m, achieves a clarity and color definition that has been rare in film presentations. Surtees has accomplished wonders in filming the intimate scenes as well as the chariot race, the sea battle, the birth and cruxification of Christ, Caesar's welcome of the hero Quintus Arris, and the various outdoor scenes of Rome and Judea.

Thought that was interesting.
CC is important in achieving that look and has been a part of the process since color film.

[Nitsuj]

Oh and I think the concept of CC was started in still photography if I remember correctly.

[ZazaCast]

Oh and I think the concept of CC was started in still photography if I remember correctly.

Sure... blame the photographers. :happy:

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Sure... blame the photographers. :happy:
Why not? I blame my DP for everything!


Hey.... waitaminute

:huh:

[sfoster]

Storyboard #1
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=223&pictureid=1753

Location photos
EXTERIORS

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_yWXQNkzQas0/SqgDLTJpj6I/AAAAAAAAAHc/mt30EL764ZU/s720/GEDC0134.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_yWXQNkzQas0/SqgDPg5Tl3I/AAAAAAAAAHs/Q_9W7GnoM64/s720/GEDC0136.JPG


INTERIORS:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_yWXQNkzQas0/SqkX0O5xquI/AAAAAAAAAIg/a1yeag4-w-I/s720/GEDC0145.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_yWXQNkzQas0/SqkYbT-Ry8I/AAAAAAAAAI4/LPD6fDEVLkQ/s720/GEDC0140.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_yWXQNkzQas0/SqkYToUhb9I/AAAAAAAAAI0/FseZrJm_t_M/s720/GEDC0147.JPG


These are killer places to shoot. I'm sure you'll do them justice! I can't wait to see the films this year!

[TMerry]

I'm just going to do the DVXFest header, 5 seconds of a still shot and go straight to the credits. Good music though. Maybe the still shot will be in B + W....

Good advice Rodney!
That's looking like an option for me every minute that passes. I think the best part of my film is the choir I just recorded. So:
1. DvxFest Header
2. Still picture of the choir with their voice in the background
3. A subliminal picture of McDonallds golden arches (hey Iron Chef does it!)
4. The end credits and I'm outie
5. Take a bath :bath:
6. Celebrate finishing the film :birthdays:
7. Die and go to heaven :engel017:

In that order

[Rodney V. Smith]

Good advice Rodney!
That's looking like an option for me every minute that passes. I think the best part of my film is the choir I just recorded. So:
1. DvxFest Header
2. Still picture of the choir with their voice in the background
3. A subliminal picture of McDonallds golden arches (hey Iron Chef does it!)
4. The end credits and I'm outie
5. Take a bath :bath:
6. Celebrate finishing the film :birthdays:
7. Die and go to heaven :engel017:

In that order

You forgot the beer. :beer:

[Marlon Ladd]

Good advice Rodney!
That's looking like an option for me every minute that passes. I think the best part of my film is the choir I just recorded. So:
1. DvxFest Header
2. Still picture of the choir with their voice in the background
3. A subliminal picture of McDonallds golden arches (hey Iron Chef does it!)
4. The end credits and I'm outie
5. Take a bath :bath:
6. Celebrate finishing the film :birthdays:
7. Die and go to heaven :engel017:

In that order
That sounds like the best-est plan. So, why the hell am I still editing?? :embarasse

[Rodney V. Smith]

i need a chiropractor. urgh. stupid fucking chair. argh.

[TMerry]

Keep switching it around Rodney, I move from the desktop to my laptop
on the couch, then my laptop at the kitchen table, then using the mouse pad, then a mouse.
Variety will protect your back and hands from RSIs.

Also, not sure if you subscribe to Netflix, but there are some excellent stretching videos
that will keep you aligned - it's made a HUGE difference for me in my computer-marathon life ;-)

[Rodney V. Smith]

i got used to my home setup. nice comfy chair (ergonomic). trackball mouse, big desk, big monitors, everything at perfect height and distance for editing for long periods. This is the first time in a long time that I've experienced pain like this and it's due to the set up I have in place now, which is cobbled together. I really need to just set up an office here, but we need to get back into the basement first to finish that off. Not enough room in here to even do any proper pacing.

I'll take a look at the stretches though. Thanks for the hint and the link.

Right now it's all After Effects for me. Changing some of the atmosphere and adding VFX to some shots. Its coming nicely. Just wish I didn't hurt.

[Nitsuj]

That was the first thing I did when I started. I created a work space in our spare room. It is now my office of creativity. I wanted it to be comfortable and I have mood lights. It's been a big help with all the time I spend in here.

[TMerry]

No problem. Totally understand the office coble.

Same place for me. Jumping back and forth between composing the soundtrack and After Effects with a little Cinema 4D thrown in for good measure :-)

[Rodney V. Smith]

Final render on first half of the movie. i worked through the pain. hopefully this color correction and the applied VFX get the blessing.

[Rodney V. Smith]

No problem. Totally understand the office coble.

Same place for me. Jumping back and forth between composing the soundtrack and After Effects with a little Cinema 4D thrown in for good measure :-)

Well I wasn't suppoed to have been here for 3 months. So life threw more than a curveball at me: it threw the whole damn team PLUS some pillaging barbarians to boot. I miss my home office. One more week and I finally have my passport...

I gotta get back to the final sound mix. Have some ADR and some more SFX to add in and then get the mix just right... can't wait to work with a sound tech again. I still feel so disorganized for this movie cuz I wasn't getting everything lined up as smoothly as I could have.

Oh well, here we are now... someone entertain us.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Okay so 3 Hours to go for the VFX/CC render. Yowza. And that was part 2. Doing the Final VFX shots tomorrow, but while those render out I'll be finalizing the sound mix.

This is the final countdown.

Woot.

Still sore, but not as much. Ow.

[ZazaCast]

Wow.. where does the time go? With all the time & effort, I'm thinking EPIC film!
Go get'em Rodney.

...Hey, do you like your new title,"What The Puck"... I made that up for you! (I still can't believe Jason actually listened to me)

[Rodney V. Smith]

Wow.. where does the time go? With all the time & effort, I'm thinking EPIC film!


Ye gods, I'm totally fucked if this isn't epic. Maybe it's not too late to lose a hard drive...



...Hey, do you like your new title,"What The Puck"... I made that up for you! (I still can't believe Jason actually listened to me)
Love the new title. Very singular. Can't believe Jason listened to you either.

[ZazaCast]

It will be great... I have faith!

[Rodney V. Smith]

It will be great... I have faith!

Cant... take... the... pressure...

(where's my hammer got to?)

[ZazaCast]

NOOOooooooooooo!

[Rodney V. Smith]

I've run out of clever things to say. 2hours 17 min left.

[Marlon Ladd]

Jeez, Rodney! What kind of VFX are you doin'? Man, that's a long time. It had better be good or that cpu has got to die!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Jeez, Rodney! What kind of VFX are you doin'? Man, that's a long time. It had better be good or that cpu has got to die!

Just atmospheric stuff, but a LOT of it. Much more than I thought.
51 minutes to go.

Watching Bourne Ultimatum while I'm waiting and drinking screwdrivers and Sam Adams Octoberfest. Surprisingly good and refreshing brew. :beer:

[ZazaCast]

I like Samual Jackson myself!

n_aZov659Us

[Rodney V. Smith]

Dude that fucking rocks. I;d forgotten about that skit.

[ZazaCast]

...and today's news...please??

[Rodney V. Smith]

I'm in hiding today.

[ZazaCast]

I'm in hiding today.

...today... or yesterday...and isn't today yesterday's tomorrow? :huh:
Now I need a beer.

[Sprocketboy]

I stopped posting for a while too because there isn't much to say. I noticed my last post is just status information. That's dull stuff. I should only note what is giving me grief or success in post, so other filmmakers in the forum could benefit by my info.

[Marlon Ladd]

Yeah, it's been pretty quiet around here for several days. I know I've been on here off and on, because I've been too busy coming up with new ideas to make the film better (or worse). LOL. Rodney, what's the deal? Did the render complete? Are you still in hiding status?

[Rodney V. Smith]

the render went great... until I plugged in into Premiere. That' the point Premiere threw a hissy fit, refused to render and just generally didn't want any part of the rendered file. I eventually remembered that I;d changed the render settings from the first one. Just tried that render again while I was sleeping, and now gotta plug it in. Plus it allowed me to fix some errors....

[Marlon Ladd]

Okay, so that did fix it?

[Rodney V. Smith]

Arghh!! The render that works in the one exported as square pixels. the new one is in HD Anamophic and Premiere HATES it. Once more into the breach. Shutting down all non essential programs.

[ZazaCast]

Damn.....:badputer:

[Rodney V. Smith]

Okay, so I got my dad's laptop rendering out from After Effects. I'm currently working on the audio in Premiere (using the backup drive) so I'm glad I made the backup when I did. Damian is waiting on the final cut to get his last piece in, so I gotta hustle....

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Good luck! I'm sure you'll pull it out of the fire.

:violent5:

[Rodney V. Smith]

all of a sudden i have the urge to listen to Metallica's Kill 'Em All album...

[Marlon Ladd]

Okay, so I got my dad's laptop rendering out from After Effects. I'm currently working on the audio in Premiere (using the backup drive) so I'm glad I made the backup when I did. Damian is waiting on the final cut to get his last piece in, so I gotta hustle....
Luckily this is happening now and not tomorrow night or Friday morning. Your premiere is starting to piss me off now though! WTF??

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Rodney was last seen entering the Adobe corporate building downtown with a semi-automatic rifle and a jug of Kool-Aid.


Apparently he gets thirsty while he works.

[ZazaCast]

rodney was last seen entering the adobe corporate building downtown with a semi-automatic rifle and a jug of kool-aid.


Apparently he gets thirsty while he works.

lmfao!!!!

[Marlon Ladd]

Yeah, apparently he's wanted by the FBI and has been bumped to their "Ten Most Wanted" list, because he shot the janitor in the leg before shooting himself in the foot, running, eh-hem. . .limping off yelling bomb threats and screaming "F*ck the PO-LEECE (ie - police)." I hope he finishes the film before they nab him.

Rodney, if you out there, we're worried about you. Come home or just call us at (555) 555-9711.

[Rodney V. Smith]

I've decided to become a hipster. I'm finally, after all of these years, succumbing to the dreaded "Must Buy a Mac" virus. My laptop is now refusing to copy files from one drive to the next, Premiere is sluggish... no that's a lie: at least slugs still MOVE. My Premiere CS4 plays back 2 seconds and then immediately freezes. I of course did a diagnostic on the system, going for the most obvious: any graphics card hogs... the only thing running was Premiere. Next I checked the drives for space and fragmentation. NONE. Of course none. I only defragged last week.

Now running ChkDsk instead of editing and fixing my final issues.

FRAKK.

Sidenote: the elevators in the Adobe Corporate building are slooooooooooooooooow....

[EditPhish]

LOL Rodney... I do not miss those days of battling Windows.
Not that Macs don't have their occasional issues, but just so ya know, we completed all the editing and sound work on one 5-year-old Mac G5 (running Tiger no less) and all the scoring on a second 5-year-old Mac G5 (running Leopard). Not a hiccup (though we're going to up the RAM again soon).

Buy one. You'll like it. :)

[ZazaCast]

LOL Rodney... I do not miss those days of battling Windows.
Not that Macs don't have their occasional issues, but just so ya know, we completed all the editing and sound work on one 5-year-old Mac G5 (running Tiger no less) and all the scoring on a second 5-year-old Mac G5 (running Leopard). Not a hiccup (though we're going to up the RAM again soon).

Buy one. You'll like it. :)

...but don't buy an old one. You want the Intel chips or none of their new software will work.:Drogar-Shock(DBG):

[Marlon Ladd]

Buy one. You'll like it. :)

I totally disagree with that statement EP. Buy one. You'll LOVE IT!! You'll never go back.

On another note, that suckz Rodney. I know how detailed and psycho I can be about wanting to make last minute changes and to not be able to do that is a B*tch! I hope you get that resolved, because you've put alot of hard work in and have overcome many issues that would make the average man quit. Keepin' my fingers crossed for success.

[Rodney V. Smith]

re-installed ALL of CS4. i appear to be able to edit now. Gotta go paint out Will holding a boom pole in the shot and fix my color correction. The last VFX shots are just not going to make it, but it really was more atmospheric stuff... wish me luck.

Gonna get a Macbook Pro 15" from a dude on craigslist. My wife has already okayed the purchase. Plus he's sellign it with CS4 installed AND Final Cut already on there.

[Sprocketboy]

You are still going to hit some walls with a laptop. VFX are best done on a desktop MacPro tower. Most programs are now more dependent upon GPUs which are found in graphic cards. I'm not saying to skip the Macbook Pro. It depends on your more frequent needs.

[Marlon Ladd]

Man, I've got a macbook pro and a G5. This macbook pro is off-the-chain, at least for what I do. It's light years ahead of my old G5 and more convenient. Them darn towers are expensive.:Drogar-Mad(DBG): Well, whatever you get, Rodney, it'll be better than what you got me thinks.

[Tom Marshall]

I'll never ever ever buy a Mac... ever...

[Rodney V. Smith]

I eventually want to have both the laptop and the tower, but i'm on the road so much the laptop is easily the best choice for me. Now to have one in my home office as the main workhorse while I'm there would be ideal. I can at least use one just for renders and what not.

Speaking of rendering: currently rendering out the last After Effects file. I didnt get to work on the additional effects I;d wanted in there, but you guys aren't going to notice anything missing.... it was really simply to enhance what is already there.

Happy with the final CC as well.

Now to finish up the audio...

[Marlon Ladd]

Did you get 'er done and uploaded?

[TMerry]

I eventually want to have both the laptop and the tower, but i'm on the road so much the laptop is easily the best choice for me. Now to have one in my home office as the main workhorse while I'm there would be ideal. I can at least use one just for renders and what not.

Speaking of rendering: currently rendering out the last After Effects file. I didnt get to work on the additional effects I;d wanted in there, but you guys aren't going to notice anything missing.... it was really simply to enhance what is already there.

Happy with the final CC as well.

Now to finish up the audio...

I spent a LOT of time researching and talking to apple people before I settlled on
a macbook pro (and yes I still use PCs for email and html etc. but for protools and FCP -its MAC).

If you do go with the craigs list one you mentioned, It HAS to be the Intel version or you will be stuck with old version of Final Cut studio forever.

Anyway, since I've had my MBP, I've thrown everything at it from After effects with nested comps, Cinema 4d renders, Pftack etc etc.. It's never stuttered even for a second and it Eats-Up the code fast.

I had a G5 tower (but it wasn't intel so that's what spurred the upgraded to the Mac Book Pro), and its funny, this little laptop runs circles around my older tower. SO yes, I can see the reason for buy a new intel tower, but for what I do the laptop is the most versatile INHO. The only draw back is no firewire port on it.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Uploading...

[ZazaCast]

Yes!

What's the rush? There's a good hour fifteen left.... slacker. ;-)

[Rodney V. Smith]

I fell asleep waiting for the h.264 render to complete. Woke up literally 15 minutes ago. Thought I'd missed the deadline for sure that time.

[ZazaCast]

I fell asleep waiting for the h.264 render to complete. Woke up literally 15 minutes ago. Thought I'd missed the deadline for sure that time.

:happy::happy::happy:


Congrats on getting another one done... more than I can say!:embarasse

[Rodney V. Smith]

Thank you guys for all of your support through the past couple of weeks. It's been rough going just getting this thing completed. I wondered at times if it was even worth it, but I'll have to say that it's ALWAYS worth it to get out there and do something. You learn more from your mistakes than what you got right.

ANyway, just wanted to thank you guys directly. You've been very supportive (especially in encouraging me to get a Mac :-P ) and you're a good reminder of what makes this community great.

UPLOAD CONFIRMED.

[Marlon Ladd]

I fell asleep waiting for the h.264 render to complete. Woke up literally 15 minutes ago. Thought I'd missed the deadline for sure that time.
WTF??? If you woulda' missed it, you really would be on the FBI's most wanted list. Whew, that was close.

[Marlon Ladd]

I spent a LOT of time researching and talking to apple people before I settlled on
a macbook pro (and yes I still use PCs for email and html etc. but for protools and FCP -its MAC).

If you do go with the craigs list one you mentioned, It HAS to be the Intel version or you will be stuck with old version of Final Cut studio forever.

Anyway, since I've had my MBP, I've thrown everything at it from After effects with nested comps, Cinema 4d renders, Pftack etc etc.. It's never stuttered even for a second and it Eats-Up the code fast.

I had a G5 tower (but it wasn't intel so that's what spurred the upgraded to the Mac Book Pro), and its funny, this little laptop runs circles around my older tower. SO yes, I can see the reason for buy a new intel tower, but for what I do the laptop is the most versatile INHO. The only draw back is no firewire port on it.
That's so funny. I had a G5 and upgraded to a macbook pro too. Love the versatility and it handles AE and FCP at the same time and I have no issues.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

maybe i shoulda continued to talk to you last night...so we could keep each other up...I too fell asleep...but luckily we had 2 ppl working on this puppy...so Gary was at the helm and i was passed out! Gratz man, and thanks again for the script!

Rogan

[EditPhish]

That's so funny. I had a G5 and upgraded to a macbook pro too. Love the versatility and it handles AE and FCP at the same time and I have no issues.

No doubt the Intel machines are better (because they are also newer)... my point in mentioning the two G5s was just that they are still running strong at 5-6 years old.

Trust me, I'm the mac queen... Two Mac Minis, two Mac laptops, two G5s (and one G3 that still works but isn't hooked) one Mac Pro tower and two Apple TVs. And yes, I should mow the Apple Logo into my front lawn. LOL! I use Windows daily (for my job) and used it exclusively for many many years, but I would NEVER go back. Ever. Never ever ever.

I should change my name to MacFanGirl :)

Good thing you woke up Rodney! Talk about getting down to the wire, eh?

[Marlon Ladd]

Wow! I thought I was a mac supporter. I got nothin' on you. You outta' have some stock in that company. LOL.

Funny story - my mom bought a PC laptop about 6-8 months ago. She's already got a virus and has to send it back. Stupid PCs!!

[Rodney V. Smith]

For some reason or the other I always seem to be really close to the wire. Last time I got an early version uploaded then spent the next two weeks tweaking the Color Correction before uploading at the last minute. This time, no such luxury...

Hey guys come on: just becasue I'm switching doesn't mean I'm dissing PC. I love my PC, but recently just too many issues and realistically I'm getting a lot more clients caring about the platform I'm editing on rather than the work I do. It's really a choice I need to make sooner than later especially since filmmaking is my fulltime job. I look at it like upgrading from the DVX to the HVX.

Besides, once I started working with contractors for sound and music, it started to make more sense since so much is built in to the programs already for cross connectivity.

If I really had a choice and CS4 didn't keep crapping out on me, I'd get a much better PC laptop for editing. As it is, the better laptop right now seems to be the Macbook Pro as it's going to be a lot more future proof.

[Marlon Ladd]

I look at it like upgrading from the DVX to the HVX.




Um, more like an sd consumer model camcorder to an HVX. Once you completely switch you'll be brainwashed like the rest of us mac zombies.

Well, what you did last time was have plenty of time to let your creative juices flow. So, you had the extra time to do more things with the film and put extra polish on it, which is definitely always good. That's what I was able to do with mine this time and it made a huge difference.

[Rodney V. Smith]

You're so biased Marlon. This is not my first Mac Excursion. I've even built a hackintosh (yes I'm a geek, duh!). I still stand by my DVX to HVX analogy because of my experience.

PC forever! Just Mac for the future...

[Tom Marshall]

I've even built a hackintosh

I'm curious, how did that turn out? Any issues?

[Rodney V. Smith]

I'm curious, how did that turn out? Any issues?

A few issues.
On the plus side: EXCELLENT FUCKING SCORE from Damian Sanchez, once again. I should have let him write music and just edited to that. Also performances were solid.

Then there were a few personal issues
A) No werewolves.
B) New script.
C) No equipment, less crew
D) Dodgy Premiere CS4 Installation
E) Inexplicable computer crashes
F) Many re-edits
G) Last minute VFX
H) I'm still stuck in Brooklyn

Argh.

[Sprocketboy]

Brooklyn is awesome! Come on. You can't hate it that much.

What happen to the makeup girl? I thought she suppose to pitch in and make you a Werewolf. Is the answer somewhere in your unbelievably long thread?

[Rodney V. Smith]

Brooklyn is awesome! Come on. You can't hate it that much.

What happen to the makeup girl? I thought she suppose to pitch in and make you a Werewolf. Is the answer somewhere in your unbelievably long thread?

For those of you who don't know:
This was originally slated to be an awesome werewolf movie, but in the course of my travels during the summer I ended up washing my passport. I of course applied for a new one immediately and have spent the past 3 months fighting with the passport office to get my passport replaced. This leaves me stuck in Brooklyn at my Dad's house, while my wife and 17 month old returned to Canada without me.

Here's where it gets complicated: the passport office is unable to give me an estimate for when I'm to receive my passport and any estimates so far have been outright lies. So I'm literally in limbo here. I saw the situation for what it might become and realizing that I probably wouldn't be back in Toronto in time to shoot the werewolf movie (still had to do location hunting, meetings with the all makeup crew, and doing pre-viz with the 3D model artist, as well as rehearsals, etc), I pushed the production of the werewolf movie back to November.

I had a good location on hand with my Dad's house and tried to find a script that could make use of the location. I even talked to Chris Keaton briefly about doing one of his scripts, but nothing really grabbed me for the location. What I needed to do was write FOR the location, not take a script and adapt to suit.

Further complication: all of my equipment, except my camera gear, was in Atlanta and my 1st AD Dave was nowhere to be found. He was originally supposed to ship the gear to Buffalo and we were going to drive back over the border with it. Plans changed. Dave got evicted as well and my gear was in storage. In the back.

So I had no lights, no dolly, none of my grip stuff. Not even a flag or a scrim.

With the orginal script on hold I eventually came up with a script revolving around the house and we basically wrote it and polished it in 48 hours. Called up Jessica and Jaimyon and tried to make the whole schedule work. Jessica eventually flew down to shoot.

So yeah, this is not the werewolf script. Not the same crew I had assembled since they were all in Toronto, and I didn't have any of my resources open, plus all of the money I had raised for the werewolf movie... well, it is already committed to staying with the werewolf movie. So I made this with literally next to no cash while trying to reschedule and keep pre-production going on another movie.

That's my journey. Now you don't have to read the whole thread to see what happened, but it's worth it for a few laughs here and there.


*************
nothing wrong with Brooklyn, but I haven't seen my wife and son for 2 months now. Hard to schedule anything in this situation.

[Marlon Ladd]

Yeah, you really had a tough time. I didn't know you hadn't seen your family though. That suckz. You need to sue somebody's azz! That's crazy! Again, you should win an award for just finishing.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Yeah, you really had a tough time. I didn't know you hadn't seen your family though. That suckz. You need to sue somebody's azz! That's crazy! Again, you should win an award for just finishing.

Meh. Lots of people have had a much harder time at it. It's just the way things go sometimes. You meet a problem and then proceed to solve it... or get your ass kicked. All your choice.

At least I didn't catch the flu. THAT would have grounded me some.

As for my family: my son now thinks that my wife's laptop is daddy. Thanks to Skype!

[hoz]

oh man!!! i am so sorry to hear about not being able to go home!

as for the flick i am most impressed but not at all surprised that you pushed on and made a film out of seemingly nothing. and i bet it rocks too!

i truly wish you the best in getting your passport ordeal straightened out. i think there is an office in connecticut that will expedite passport requests. not even sure if that will help you out though because if i remember right, i think that once you apply for a passport then the connecticut option is out. damn!!

[Sprocketboy]

As for my family: my son now thinks that my wife's laptop is daddy. Thanks to Skype!

That's sweet. :happy:

I knew about the passport, but I didn't know it has been that long. They (whoever they are) haven't manage to process another one yet? That's insane. I can truly understand how your situation can get the best of you while you are stranded in Brooklyn. Here's to better times.

[jessicalsin]

Poor Rodney.... :(
He tries real hard...but the Universe seems to have other plans for him!
Lucky he has a shaved noggin....cause he'd have pulled out all his hair by now!

[ZazaCast]

:violin:





:evil:

[jessicalsin]

[quote=ZazaCast;1796714]:violin:

What's that? The smallest fiddle you can play? I'll tell you where that fiddle can play....:nads:

[Marlon Ladd]

[quote=ZazaCast;1796714]:violin:

What's that? The smallest fiddle you can play? I'll tell you where that fiddle can play....:nads:
I wanna' say somethin,' but that would be wrong, because I think I know what that means. LOL.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

I hear Waco is nice this time a year :D

Rogan

PS...no its not...

[Rodney V. Smith]

I'm just gonna go hide my head in my glass of vodka. Waiting for download to be announced, but no joy. Looks like it's gonna be tomorrow. Good thing we didn't order the wings.. but damn, now I'm hungry...

[Shaun Patrick]

You're so biased Marlon. This is not my first Mac Excursion. I've even built a hackintosh (yes I'm a geek, duh!). I still stand by my DVX to HVX analogy because of my experience.

PC forever! Just Mac for the future...

I would just use Boot Camp and you can have the best of both worlds. Windows runs really nicely on a Mac :D.

Can't wait to see the film, Rodney.

[Edgen]

Hey Rodney! Just wanted to say good luck! I've enjoyed your past films and looking forward to this one. I finally a chance to use your dolly wheels on my entry. :)

Cheers!
/j

[Rodney V. Smith]

Hey Rodney! Just wanted to say good luck! I've enjoyed your past films and looking forward to this one. I finally a chance to use your dolly wheels on my entry. :)

Cheers!
/j

Thanks Justin. I saw your name popup on the submission list and just had to grin with delight. Really looking forward with your kickass submission... and now you're using the dolly wheels so I know it's GAME OVER for the rest of us.

Glad you're back in!

[Rodney V. Smith]

I would just use Boot Camp and you can have the best of both worlds. Windows runs really nicely on a Mac :D.
:badputer:



Can't wait to see the film, Rodney.
Looking forward to seeing yours too. Definitely got my interest,

[Marlon Ladd]

Thanks Justin. I saw your name popup on the submission list and just had to grin with delight. Really looking forward with your kickass submission... and now you're using the dolly wheels so I know it's GAME OVER for the rest of us.

Glad you're back in!
Wait. . .Justin is Edgen?? Or, Edgen is really Justin?? Ahhhhhhhh. It's all making sense now. LOL!

I second your sentiment, Rodney. I had the same reaction. Jus. . .er, uh. . .Edgen. . .er, well his last film was like a big coming out party. Got alot of people's attention about just what an indie filmmaker can do on a limit budget - any freakin' thing he wants.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Around these here parts, he's simply known as "the Amazing Justin Durban". But now he has the ultimate weapon: a set of dolly wheels that I made for him...

I may have brought about... THE FEST-APOCALYPSE!

[Shaun Patrick]

Around these here parts, he's simply known as "the Amazing Justin Durban". But now he has the ultimate weapon: a set of dolly wheels that I made for him...

I may have brought about... THE FEST-APOCALYPSE!

Why, Rodney. WHY!!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Why, Rodney. WHY!!

Cuz if it's the FEST-APOCALYPSE... Justin will make it SOUND GREAT and LOOK FREAKING AWESOME.

Damn him. :-P

But enough about HIM. Let's talk about me and my movie...

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

All this dolly envy makes me think I should put this quote from LoveFest in my sig!


Brilliant dolly transition from the little girl to her adult self at the top.
You're a pimp with the dolly.

:D

Bring on the dolly shots!

MAH

[Rodney V. Smith]

Sadness. I don't have my dolly. I have to build a new one... sigh.

[EditPhish]

You seem to have a great "style" so please take my criticisms as nothing but trying to be helpful...

I know you were going for certain effects with the color correction, and some of it looks great, but sometimes scenes just looked like they didn't match (it came across as continuity problems).

I thought the beginning started off really strong... though the beginning credits seemed a bit long for such a short movie. You definitely established a style, but at times, it felt like it lacked substance. I'm not sure if you intentionally "squished" you output, but the aspect ratio didn't look right to me. You also seemed to lose a lot of quality in compression, which of course I don't hold against you, but a lot of other people didn't suffer with that with their uploaded films.

Although I thought the soundtrack was excellent, it was way too loud at times and some of the other sound work and dialogue got lost.

Overall though, it was enjoyable to watch and gets a thumbs up! Keep it up!

[Dauntless]

good job man, I liked the shot when the one evil guy was kicking the candles to break the protection ring

[Marlon Ladd]

I was watching it and it stopped halfway through. I'm going to try and watch it again through one of the zipped folders.

[Marlon Ladd]

Okay, was finally able to watch it. I liked the story and the cinematography and the music. The opening was excellent and very creative. I like stuff like that. Tells me you put alot of thought and creativity into it. I thought the acting was good as well. The audio could be adjusted. There were times where there was too much background noise, like when they first got on the roof for instance and then there were times when the audio seemed too loud, like when Jessica dumps the bag on the floor downstairs. The effects seemed to go a frame or 2 too long in the park and just inside the house and you could maybe tweak them a bit more.

The sound effects were good as well. I thought the guy at the end did a good job being menacing, but I think you could have gotten a couple of more angles on when he throws Jessica and she hits the floor.

Other than that, I definitely see potential here with a bit more polish.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, we all know the struggles and hardships you went through and are still going through. You devoted alot of time to this project with not even half of your equipment and I will say that you are a true filmmaker through and through. You provided a "get 'er done" spirit around here for all involved and you should be commended for just getting something done. :thumbsup:

[Chris_Keaton]

Can't see it in Quicktime? Just a greenscreen and audio?

[TMerry]

Hey Rodney: Good flick! Loved the title sequence, sweet. Nice job on the breath effects. Liked the look of the short. Solid music score and the vibe of the film all around was solid.
I had a little bit of a struggle following the story line: why didn't she stay inside the safe circle of candles, and who was the guys at the end that punched her? Seems like that sick monster could have handled the business on its own :-)
I know, there's a lot to fit into a 6 minute segment. Overal My favorite part of this film was its mood.

Great Job!

[TMerry]

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, we all know the struggles and hardships you went through and are still going through. You devoted alot of time to this project with not even half of your equipment and I will say that you are a true filmmaker through and through. You provided a "get 'er done" spirit around here for all involved and you should be commended for just getting something done. :thumbsup:

Amen to that. Rodney pulled through while being stuck far from home, far away from family and needing to create a whole new film plan. Bravo. Extra Props!

[Richard J. Johnson]

Good work as usual Rodney! Loved it.

[Edgen]

Sadness. I don't have my dolly. I have to build a new one... sigh.

awwwww... I feel bad now. :( :)

Cool flick man!

I wanted to see more monster, but thats ok.

congrats on entering!
/j

[Charli]

It took you over a minute to get through the credits, which for a 6 minute film I found frustrating.

I never really understood the story, the audio in the beginning seemed weak, the acting was okay but the story very generic.

I'm sorry, but I just didn't quite get into it.

[Sprocketboy]

With all the obstacles you had to endure - you still show what it takes to get something done against insurmountable odds. Your concept is clear and intact, but the story feels a bit scattered. Your editing has an excellent pace and rhythm. You also have a lot of ingenuity. You found a way to introduce a monster without the means. Congratulations.

[ramsaur]

Edit: Ok so re watched it and I started understanding more by listening to the opening credits and not watching them. Good score and acting was good. I couldn't hear the guy at the end very well with the music running over it. The crawling monster was really freaky. I liked the shot with jessica and the monster in the house when she is in the circle of candles. That was a cool shot. Still didn't quite understand the ending.

[hoz]

rodney!

first off i think the woman's acting is great! in every scene she was in, she was spot on. the story was okay and i like the ending and the way you left it. the monster was cool too esp with what you had to work with. i think the chase in the city was a bit off in only that no one else responded to them, and that is believable too but i guess a bit of backstory is needed to pull it off. in 6 min, not sure how to pull it off, but the ending seemed to suggest that they were being chased by a man controlling the monster so something in the beg referring to why or who could have been more than enough.
that said i love your chase shots and how you used the house to your advantage. great use of the circle on the floor too. made it look santaria like almost. the song at the end is trippy and cool and although the credits take some time they are really well done. hey, maybe even work in from the credits into the floor right in the house, like make the credits burn and then cut to the woman trying to light the next candle next to her while the monster is breathing down her neck. eh, just trying to work in the awesome credits into the story, because both are cool.

i think it is so awesome you pulled this off. great job!

[hoz]

i gotta add something... one of the things that sticks with me most about your movies is the use of color. and that is so cool. it is original. the house had such a bent of color esp when the man comes in and wrecks the circle. i suppose some people will not like it but i love the way you use color!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Thanks for all of the critiques guys. Keep em coming.

And yes I know we wanted to see more monster. We actually spent about 4 hours in makeup with my brother and then in the end I decided to not even show any of the major closeups. Go figure. I think he hates me now. :grin:

Bring on the reviews: if you didn't like it, just be sure to tell me why.

BTW: the long credits are a part of the story, part of the ritual for stealing the flower in the first place, so don't look at them as credits but as a full part of the movie.

[jasonthewho]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

The opening credits to this were fantastic. I had no issue with their length, because you used them to reveal so much plot. The score is great, esp. over the credits, HOWEVER it is far too loud. With headphones I could hear the dialogue, but just barely.

The ground is distractingly blown out at 1:44, especially since the shot that follows is so muted. i would have preferred more running shots, rather than the slow motion shots, personally.

Sometimes I could see the mattes over the images.

Your actors are strong. I really like both their performances on "Shit, Dave had the keys." They underplay it perfectly.

I didn't really care for the cutting back and forth between her on the stairs and the window. Maybe if there had been more smoke and the motion of the camera had been moving away from the window, it would have worked for me. I kept expecting some big reveal of what's outside the window - the monster, the guy's dead body, something. And then nothing comes.

For some reason, that guy pushing the candle with his foot is super badass. Not sure why, but it is.

You always take on so much with your films, so many challenges. I feel like there's always some flaws, but that if you had a larger crew, you could really knock 'em out of the park.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Damn you Jason: you just nailed the one VFX shot I missed due to my issues in the last days. There was supposed to be a reveal of the monster in that window shot (and that shot was an insert, filmed after) but it was supposed to have had a bigger reveal of the monster in there, previously shot on greenscreen. My failure for building your expectation there. Should have just taken the shot out..

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Hey, Rodney. Sorry about all your troubles during this production. Frankly, I'm surprised you managed to enter anything!

First off, I liked the credits. Lots of good back story/info there. Gives us an idea of what we are getting into. The music was far too loud though.

The acting was quite good. Everyone involved did an adequate job, no real issues there. What I didn't love was where the story went. It started well but there was no real ending to speak of and it felt unfinished. Probably due to me reading the script ahead of time and expecting more. That and the problems that you ran into. A few shots seemed blurry and muddy as well.

I really wish you had all your gear with you for this one since it seemed like you had plenty of time.

You have a very distinct style/look. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do next fest. Hopefully your troubles are behind you. Now get that passport!

Your brother also did a very nice job. I liked the attitude he displayed on screen. The monster was also very cool, which is important.

MAH

[Chris_Keaton]

Another nice film. There was some lighting problems that made it hard to see. I did think it was strange that they ran from the woods directly into a city. Not sure what they were doing or where she went. Piqued by interest. I won't go into the whole scene from a larger piece argument. Good Job.

[Rodney V. Smith]

We actually shot in Prospect Park which is in the heart of Brooklyn. Should have done a better establishing shot or something transitional so you see that within a mere 500 feet you have a bustling city. I'd wanted to shoot the carousel in the park (very loud durng production) but kids were on it that day and I really didn't want to deal with that issue.

[Troy Ruff]

Your film was fun, I didnt take your script :) no werewolf's for me. I thought this was an interesting concept. Some good camera angles and fx. It an amazing task to make a movie with lots of VFX shots in it, some lighting issues and kinda hard to follow, but over all great job. :)

[Geoff_R]

You're good with dialogue and getting actors to do it convincingly. Not sure if you're doing a slight mixture of improv with written lines, but whatever you do, it works pretty well. A lot of actors get stuck 'talking' and forgetting to be physical. They're saying lines vocally but standing still in their bodies... your actors speak with both their mouths and their faces/bodies.

Storywise, I felt it had bit off a little more than it could chew for the short film format. I couldn't really enjoy it... I had to constantly try to figure out the 'why' to certain events. There's a flip side to that coin... as an audience, we do want to figure things out for ourselves and draw our own conclusions (but to a point). If it goes too far and I have to think too hard, then the film becomes too much of a puzzle and I think some of the personal enjoyment decreases. I should also mention I'm hard of hearing :) so maybe there are some things I just couldn't hear towards the end... I tried watching it again but couldn't make out some of the things that were being said between the girl and the guy who suddenly attacks her.

Lastly.. long opening credits in the beginning are distracting for me. For a feature, fine, but for a short film under ten minutes, I feel it's unnecessary and just takes away from story time.

So, to sum my thoughts up... I think you're strongest asset is working with actors, getting the performances you need. And I feel like if you aim to tell more simple stories, (like Joey Davis), you'll reach a bigger audience. Thanks for sharing man.

[NOBELO]

Rodney,
First off, I know a lot of people had issues with your title sequence and I think they may have a point in that they might be a bit too long but boy do they look sweet. The titles seem like the opening of a Tony Scott movie to me. The title burning in the ash tray but then also a little revolving graphic to go a long with it looked awesome.

It seemed like there was a focus problem. Was this a 35mm setup of some sort (It could also be compression)?

I thought the editing was pretty tight, maybe shorten the scene where the camera is going towards the window as she is coming down the stairs a bit. Also maybe speed up and shorten the shot where the camera is pulling away from the candle/flower on the ground.

I thought your idea of using color grade to symbolize the monster's presence was a pretty original idea although some of it was a bit dark on my screen.

Overall I had some problems with some of the technical aspects that sort of drew my attention away. I read that you didn't have all your proper gear with you so I'm guessing that hurt you guys as far as being able to do what you want with the lighting. I thought the actors were good and did a solid job and props for being able to finish anything especially with all the setbacks.

Any chance we can see a pic of your bro in his makeup?? :)

BTW: I really appreciate all the good feedback you are offering other films. I enjoy reading your reviews.

[Rodney V. Smith]

No comments on the music? Damian Sanchez has once again done a phenomenal job on he score and I'm sure he's waiting for any comments related to the score...

[EditPhish]

"Although I thought the soundtrack was excellent, it was way too loud at times and some of the other sound work and dialogue got lost."

That was in my original review...
Despite the overall sound mix, the soundtrack was great... very professional and fit the whole film extremely well. Damian Sanchez can pat himself on the back :)

[Simon Höfer]

Man, downloaded you film about 5 times now and still it seems that it is broken. Artifacts all over the place... unwatchable..

What should the filesize be? And in which of the zip files is yours? So I will download this and give it another try.

[Rodney V. Smith]

I wanted to be absolutely clear on the music side is all. Damian did a phenomenal job and the actual mix may have distracted from some of his work.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Man, downloaded you film about 5 times now and still it seems that it is broken. Artifacts all over the place... unwatchable..

What should the filesize be? And in which of the zip files is yours? So I will download this and give it another try.

Zip File #2 http://dvxfest.ramjetfilms.com/monster2009/launch.php?id=3610002

:)

[ghennek]

Okay, was finally able to watch it. I liked the story and the cinematography and the music...


...Solid music score and the vibe of the film all around was solid...


...The score is great, esp. over the credits, HOWEVER it is far too loud...


"Although I thought the soundtrack was excellent, it was way too loud at times and some of the other sound work and dialogue got lost."

That was in my original review...
Despite the overall sound mix, the soundtrack was great... very professional and fit the whole film extremely well. Damian Sanchez can pat himself on the back :)

Thank you every body !!! :2vrolijk_08:

[Sprocketboy]

Damian did an excellent job finding the tone of each sequence within the film. There is no doubt about that.

[Rodney V. Smith]

one more week, still no passport. this sucks. But I now do have a kit of 5 Lowel Totas as a consolation. i would have preferred the passport though...

[ZazaCast]

Rodney, first let me congratulate you on the unbelievable task of actually getting a movie completed and entered under extreme circumstances. Kudos to you, the cast and crew!

As always, I enjoy your films and appreciate your constant drive to push your productions to the next level. You are an inspiration and a positive influence to the entire DVXuser community (thank you!). That being said, I feel that sometimes you might over-think your scripts. You often express that you write & rewrite many times before lock…which is a good thing as long as you can keep a viewer perspective. When you get too close to it, you take for granted that the viewer will understand the story as deeply as you. This is what happened to me on this one. I really didn’t understand the complete story. I had to watch it a few times and fill in some blanks, although I still don’t understand who the guy is at the end beating her up? (I’ll go back and read this thread for answers)

I’m not saying spoon feed the audience; just make sure you give them enough so they can figure it out. I’m a little slow, so use me as an example and you’ll be set!

Please don’t get me wrong… I really enjoyed this flick! Good acting through good direction. Nice camera work, although a ZazaSlider never hurts (hint, hint). The score was fabulous as usual. Sound design was good too… but I feel the overall mix needed a little work. Score was too loud in spots and dialogue too soft making it tough to hear what was going on.

The opening credits, as epic as they were (LOVED them!), were too long for the short. I think you were trying to give us the back-story in-between, but I didn’t get enough out of it. Time could have been better used to set it up.

You already know my thoughts on CC and grading… I’m a “Less is More” kind of guy. I don’t know if it was just the compression or what, but seemed a little too dark and saturated for my taste. Weird thing is, I could only watch this file through the WD Media Player on the plasma, on the computer I just get a green screen and the audio only?

Despite the comments above, this was a very well done film (as usual) and I would expect nothing less from you. Cast and crew deserve a “hat’s off” for their performances. Great job all around! I’m looking forward to your next production.

[Rodney V. Smith]

i did an illadvised thing during production. I rewrote the ending 2 days before we were to shoot so ALL confusion comes from that last minute rewrite. I'd actually wished that I;d shot both endings since the first one was so poignant, but that was where monster envy started to play in to it. I should have stuck to my guns and it would have been a much more satisfying tale all around. Everything, including the opening credits would have made more sense, but what we have now is a slightly different creature.

[Blaine]

Rodney,

The opening credits by themselves were worth the price of admission for this one. Yes, they were long but they were also great.

Now, for the rest of the movie. I haven't followed the thread but I understand there were some "issues" in shooting this. I liked the story and the way you built the tension. The foggy breath in the presence of the monster was a good device.

It seemed they got away from the monster and got home a little easily BUT if they'd be caught, that would have been a different story, right?

My biggest question, though, was: "Why did she leave the damned circle?"

Good job. I enjoyed it.

[NOBELO]

one more week, still no passport. this sucks. But I now do have a kit of 5 Lowel Totas as a consolation. i would have preferred the passport though...

Sorry, I think I missed some of the drama w/ the passport. Would you mind getting me up to speed on the passport story? Sounds like an interesting tale.

BTW: I did like the music. Didn't have much of a problem with how it was mixed either.

[Rakesh Jacob]

Nice over all feel BUT I freaking loved the opening credits. The burning the names thing is really cool, I'll probably steal that in a few years when I think enough time has passed and no one will remember where it's from. Nice work bro.

[lyonfilms]

Rodney -

First, sorry for getting The Tell stuck in your head. Oh, wait, no I'm not. Muhahaha !

Again I was excited to watch your film as you do an amazing job bringing us into the process and all the ups and downs. I think especially for people who don't work in the industry it is really important. For this film, I liked the underlying idea and the locations were really cool. The opening credit sequence was a bit long for me (although very creative and pretty) and I had a hard time following what exactly they were doing during the sequence. That was too bad as it was critical to the underlying story. I thought your framing and shot selection was real mix of very cool moody shots and some disjointed ones. My take away is that I think the story just wasn't clear enough and it took away from all the things you did well. I want to see a story from you that is more clear so that your production value and directing shine and are not lost in viewers (at least dense ones like me) saying "now, wait, who is that guy...what are they running from....etc. Hope this makes sense.

[Kevin E. Curry]

Rodney-

You have an ambitious film here, which is great. We should all keep challenging ourselves and not rest on our laurels. Trying to improve is the whole idea! As others have mentioned, I had trouble following the narrative that you wove into the opening credits. Visually, the credit sequence was sweet and maybe that is what distracted me and I didn't pay close enough attention to what the actors were telling me. So, starting off a little confused it was tough for me to catch up to the story on first watching.

Throwing a character in at the end also caught me off guard. Suddenly there is another person there, who is he? The monster keeper? Some evil spirit? The devil perhaps? I actually liked the idea of the character, so finding a way to allude to him or show him earlier would have been good. Maybe one of the scenes where they are running up the street he's seen in the distance?

Finally, I have to comment on one line of dialogue that made me laugh, though certainly it was unintentional. When they are crawling in the window after having been chased by a monster the woman stops and says "Sorry about Dave." And her delivery is really flat which for that line made me laugh. "Sorry your buddy Dave was eaten by a monster that almost caught and devoured us as well...." There just wasn't enough emotion from both actors in that moment.

I liked the handheld look as well as the grading/composition on most of the film, though there were a couple instances where it seemed off.

[cinealma]

Alright, Saul Bass Jr., I love the fucking opening credits. I think you could make a career just doing that kind of stuff.

I was able to go with the flow until the end when that other demon/monster/bad dude showed up. I wasn't sure who he was or why he was there. Almost like he was part of the film before it started, you know what I mean. (Unless I missed something.) Then I'm thinking maybe the monster was his pet or ???

I think you kept the tension up pretty well. I think you have to be careful in not giving the audience what they expect. For example, the guy and the gal go from talking about having to climb up the side of the place to the roof in order to get in and then, BAM, they're up on the roof. Audience expectation is that we are going to see them make the climb, and hopefully, all the tension and drama that would go along with that. Maybe the monster is following them up the side, too, etc. Time could have been an issue. If it was not possible to shoot "the climb", probably would have been better to just get them in the house throught the front door. Once in, they hear something upstairs, dude goes upstairs and sees the open window. Freaks. Turns around, BAM! It's the monster. and it gets him.

Hope I'm not rambling to much. Your film gets me thinking as a filmmaker, in a GOOD way, so I tend to ramble a bit when that happens.

So I liked the story idea. Thought your main actors did a good job. Maybe the execution of it all was a little sporadic I think.

Oh, and did I mention the opening credits were fucking crazy good?!?!?!

Thanks for sharing!

[REHov520]

opening credits were awesome, but as people say too long. i had some difficulty following the story, this felt like it was cut down from something longer. i like the style of it quite a bit, and i'm happy to see we both used a ring of candles for demon summoning! we obviously both have experience in that area.

[Marlon Ladd]

Rodney, when are you going to get your poo-pooing PASSPORT???!!!

[kennethhurd]

I enjoyed this movie. Your camera work and pacing were great, and your actors do a good job. One thing I would have liked to have seen was different shots after Paul is pulled through the window. When Becky is running down the stairs and you cut back to the window, I would have liked to have seen what was happening to Paul.

[Rodney V. Smith]

I'll be back tomorrow to resume my reviews and to answer any queries. Trying to finish up a pre-production package here that involves rewrites and polishing... a LOT of it, so bear with me.

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

I'm not really sure what to think as I was fairly confused about what was happening. A lot of your setups look good and I thought your actors did well, if they had a narrative that was easier to understand it'd work cleaner.

The opening credits are super money, they just dont belong on a 6 min short, but they are very well done.

The image was rather soft on a lot of shots, were you trying to pull your own focus? I tried once and it's very difficult. I also think your images would work better with less grading, the vignetting got pretty intense at times.

A solid step for you, good strong pacing and great locations!

[killacam]

I watched this again a second time and it was easier to follow the story the second time around for whatever reason. As everyone's said, those opening credits were killer. I didn't think they took too long or were out of place since they tied into the story and you intercut them with the setup of what's going on. Although I do have to admit I might have skipped over them a little bit the first time I watched this and maybe that's why I couldn't follow it as much haha. Anyway, I also liked how their breath would get cold when the demon or whoever it was got near. One of the POV shots reminded me of that Denzel Washington movie where a demon keeps possessing people. Anyhow good job. The only things I really had a problem with were a couple of the segues seemed a little abrupt- like when they start running in the park to when they stop on the street, and when the monster comes through the window to when she's already running down the stairs. But I did like this one

[Lawsuit_Boy]

Hey Rodney!

I haven't been giving any of the films my usual lengthy reviews this time around because I've been super pressed for time lately. Sorry man. :(

But, I did enjoy seeing a new work from you! I share most of the same concerns with the film that others have expressed. While I thought the film seemed a little disorienting in almost a detrimental way, I was still able to follow everything happening. However, I do feel that the film somehow exhausts most of its energy so quickly that by the time it's through, one isn't really sure how they felt about the atmosphere. The opening credits seem to emphasize a style that doesn't really come through in the film. The production design didn't seem to be as strong a supplement (or even compliment) to the story and genre of the film.

Anything else I had difficulty with has probably already been discussed. Anyway, I'm sorry I couldn't get more detailed. Regardless, keep shooting! :thumbsup:

[lawriejaffa]

Flower - features a very original title opening / credit sequence that is understandably long (because it looks so good) but it does intercut efficently with shots giving us a hint of these characters peril and predicament.

There is some nice colour and grading - and the music is effective too! The performances by the chap are effective (but our blonde is bordering on the edge of meh-ness!)

Nice little edge of suspense with the piano on the street, and having to sneak up into the house.

Some of the FX are overkill (smoke puff in the window is a bit unconvincing) i generally like the colour grading (pushed saturations) its a vivid look, not disimilar to 'Strange Days' in some regards.

Evil necromancer dude is amusing and brings in a nice end!

In all this is a competent step up from Strange Days, the story is more coherent, and while there are technical inconsistencies and performance inconsistencies, it is overall a solid entry.

My biggest criticism really would be that the film acts more like a promo for a prospective feature, and would not really be considered as a standalone short film in my book. Something to bear in mind, that you will be stuck making films that struggle with coherence if your continually attempting to fit 'bigger stories' features into short spaces like this. I think that is this films only drawback, the resulting compromise to story.