roganFILMs monsterfest movie

[Dustin R. Rogan]

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=308&pictureid=1889
POLLY
roganFILMs presents
in association with FLYIN' MONKEY FILMS a film by DUSTIN ROGAN starring VICTORIA EISELE DAVID WISEMAN
KELLY JAMES WHEAT SARAH GIST with DUSTIN ROGAN
music by JUSTIN DURBAN edited by DUSTIN ROGAN production designer DUSTIN ROGAN & DICK CAMPBELL makeup VICTORIA EISELE
director of photography GARY FRENCH executive producer DUSTIN ROGAN & DICK CAMPBELL
written by RODNEY SMITH, MIKE HORRIGAN, & ANDREW STOUTE produced by DICK CAMPBELL directed by DUSTIN ROGAN & GARY FRENCH





http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=283&pictureid=1764http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=284&pictureid=1766http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=282&pictureid=1762http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=283&pictureid=1763





UPDATE 9/2/09
Dick Campbell and I were up early, well early for me 9am and headed to the Home Depot. We got the building materials and headed back to my house to begin construction on transforming my garage into a basement....

Dick left after we got the walls up, and I had a whole day to texture...wow...my arms are tired!!! I ran out of compound but I almost made it to the end of the wall. We continue on 9/4 will probably post more pics after that.

Rogan

UPDATE

Day 2 of set construction, not done yet with it just yet but we're almost through getting the main bones of it up, then off to actually transforming it into a basement...here is some pics for ya

all thats left of the 'bones' is putting in the missing step and putting up the last two walls on the last corner then off to paint store! oh and alot more compound More pics as this project comes along

Rogan


UPDATE
cast pics up and we finish up on the set this weekend/early next week

screen grabs as promised (untouched grabs btw)

http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/roganfilms/victoriascreengrab1-1.jpg

http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/roganfilms/davidscreengrab.jpg

http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/roganfilms/sarahscreengrab.jpg

http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/roganfilms/victoriascreengrab2.jpg

[~jai~]

What the hell will he do next?

Answer the question?

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Eat an entire bucket of chicken... That's been left out for days... OMG

[~jai~]

:thumbsup: Hey, I was right! You did answer the question next!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Welcome back Rogan.

[Chris_Keaton]

If you need a script let me know.

[Brian Parker]

Good to see you back Rogan.

[ZazaCast]

Rogan Rules! Welcome back....

[ghennek]

Looking forward to your entry, Good Luck!

[conrad_johnson]

What the hell will he do next?

Hopefully continue to speak in the third person.

[Marlon Ladd]

Good luck, Dustin. Glad to see you back.

[Rodney V. Smith]

So I heard you're the monster in Rod Thompson's new film... :grin:

Way to make a comeback!

[Dustin R. Rogan]

I thought that was going to be kept under wraps marlon, guess not lol

[Tom Marshall]

Good luck, Dustin. Glad to see you back.

Are you going to show your back side again?? I thought you were over that... :D

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Geez u guys have a one track mind, I'm not a piece of meat. I will be in the flick, just something I do. Call me an attention whore. But I will be clothed this time, sorry guys


Rogan

[Tom Marshall]

What's wrong with being a piece of meat?? :D

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Well considering it's monsterfest...


Rogan

[jasonthewho]

How come I have heard nary a word about this until now? And how come I just used the expression "nary a word"?

[Dustin R. Rogan]

nothings done on this, nary a word is written (see now you don't feel left out :D) I put this up to keep myself motivated to actually do it, I'm sure you'll hear from me eventually about this. You're there to tell me when my ideas suck (which is more often than not :P)

Rogan

[Dustin R. Rogan]

made a temp sig for now

Rogan

[jasonthewho]

All I'm saying is, you should write me a role.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

all you have to do is ask
consider it done!

Rogan

[jasonthewho]

Sweeeeet.

[Anthony Pierce]

Looking forward to your film Rogan.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Well scraped the original idea, have an idea for something else. But the ol' noodle isn't working tonight...maybe tomorrow...

Rogan

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG G!!!!

[Dick Campbell]

I'm still thinking about your ending.

Back in the States on Sunday.

[jpsheets]

Sweet! Lemme know what I can do to help.

[Mobie540]

Dustin Rogan presents Dustin Rogan's ass in "Nom Noms: Revenge of the Ass Monster"!

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Arg, I can't get away form it can I? Shhesh

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

Not until you make a new kick ass film.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Got a script, now need to find an awesome makeup person. I am pumped!!

Rogan

[pauly_the_hitman]

No good make up people in Wacko Texas? If I had even one skill for it i would help out but yeah I kind of suck...
Pauly

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Need to see if the location I have in mind will work, if it does that'd be freakin sweet oh and got something special planned for this to test my camera skills!

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

Dude, how's it going there? Interested to see how the script came out and what you're planning to do with it. Update us.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Script is secret, have location set and going to have to do some construction to dress it up, but I'm excited to get this project underway. Having a small pre-production meeting tomorrow on my lunch break to get the ball a rolling on this one. It's time to welcome the real Rogan movie maker back and forget the other thing :D. More later.

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

Sweet news dude. Keep us in the loop and post some photos and stuff man.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

We begin construction on set around the first of the month and my lovily girlfriend Mikka has agreed to be the official photogh for all the bts stuff, which is good cuz it's kinda a hobby of hers what with all the cameras she has.

Rogan

[Mobie540]

Title yet? How about "Full Moon" or "Pressed Ham"? J/K, I'll stop, just one last jab.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Was wondering if the peanut gallery had been completly shut up, thought there were a few strays left, anyways the title is "Polly". Had a small meeting today with dick Campbell and a phone convo with mr Rodney smith sent out casting info last night it should be there tomorrow, have 2possibly 3 roles filled already. Building the entire set which begins Sept. 1st weekend. And planning to shoot the end of sept beginning of oct.

Dick campbell has agreed to be in charge of set design/construction


I'm so ready to get this puppy going!


Rogan

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Good luck, man!

[Dustin R. Rogan]

UPDATE:

Sending out info to the prospective cast members about auditions. Gotten some good responses. Dick Campbell came over to take some measurements for our location that we're constructing. This will be shot on the HVX, and I'm a bit nervous about getting a stellar make up person....eeehhhh so much with so little time....more later...

Rogan

[Dustin R. Rogan]

UPDATE:

Recieved a good response from people ready to audition for "Polly". Going to meet with a special fx guy sometime in the next couple of weeks. Gonna use a Jib this time around :D. We begin contruction of the set on Tuesday, that'll be fun! More later.

Rogan

ps if any admin is reading this please change my title to roganFILMs presents"Polly".

[Dick Campbell]

Got part of the set built today. Rogan is "texturing".

[Dustin R. Rogan]

alrighty, instead of posting it twice, i updated the first page (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=178723)

Rogan

[ZazaCast]

...so you're using Dick to get your garage walls finished? Why didn't I think of that scam?

:grin::beer::grin:

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Damn I've been caught...

[ZazaCast]

Damn I've been caught...
...but now you have a nice finished garage! :beer:

[Dick Campbell]

I wouldn't buy it.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Will be putting up the rest of the walls tomorrow and finishing the final stair, then back to the compounding....painting....and more stuff to make the walls look old/crap like. And somewhere I have to find time to watch the Irish kick off the season...I'm so torn...Notre Dame...or Finish the set.....i have a feeling Notre Dame will win out :D

Rogan

PS...oh and there are auditions next weekend...

[ConspiracyPenguin]

I'm glad to see you entering another fest, Rogan. My flippers have been itching to do some work, so if there is anything I can help you with, do let me know.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

I put up the remaining wall and compound'd that bitch up now gonna let that set for a few days and take a day off, then get to painting and adding some "character" to it. Then off to get props to dress the set and I should be good to go!

Rogan

ps a side note went up to dallas today for my sisters wedding...and I was running late...so i was going a little too fast...ended up getting pulled over going 91 in a 65 XD...DOH!!! if only he'd caught me a few seconds before HEHE

[jasonthewho]

You don't have a very good track record for making it to weddings on time...

Sorry about the ticket though. Do they consider that reckless driving here? It was back in VA.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

No just the tix for speeding and a warning for driving in left lane when I wasn't passing...lame!


Rogan

[Dick Campbell]

over 100 mph is considered reckless and they take you away. I have to be careful where I take my MX-5 for a spin.

[ZazaCast]

I got a 110 in a 65 zone in my '69 Road Runner (barely got it out of third!)....hired a good lawyer
and got it reduced to 'parking on the pavement'...$100.00 fine and no points. :thumbsup:

[Rodney V. Smith]

Dustin. Updates. Need more updates.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

I woke up late today, that is all for now...


Rogan


PS oh and we're having auditions tomorrow

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Update...

Don't have all the casts head shots in my computer yet but here is my main actress, the others will come later

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=276&pictureid=1748

Victoria played Alleryraine in Jason Spino's "Melody for Alleryriane"

More Later

Rogan

[jasonthewho]

Allyriane - for those who don't understand Dustin's unique spelling choices.

[jasonthewho]

Oh and my last name is also Spinos, not Spino.

[Gord.T]

Oh and my last name is also Spinos, not Spino.

Yeah, but your tag is 'Jason-the-who?'

Kidding.

I saw Melody and really liked the acting by both actors in it.

I hesitate to say how stunning Victoria is because first she is an actress.

Good luck guys in capturing your ideas onto the screen. I have you in the top 10 first round so don't call me a liar now. Or people are going to start saying 'Raptor the who?'. :beer: (Well they do that anyways, but get in the top ten first round anyways.)

[Dustin R. Rogan]

David Wiseman as Henry

Pic in first post

Rogan

ps sorry i was in a rush Jason i know you're last name is Spinos lol you know me and spelling :)

[TMerry]

I love that your second post was getting right to HOME DEPOT,
what the hell would we indies do without Home Depot (and OSH for that matter)
My whole house smells of new tools/wood/shellac/stain/paint and home depot LOL!
Ahhhhh, smells like VICTORY!

[Rodney V. Smith]

I need to go to Home Depot...

Interesting choice on "Henry". When do we get to see Pike?

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Kelly James Wheat as Pike....


At least the body of Pike that is....(cough MAH cough test file plz cough)

Rogan

[jasonthewho]

ps sorry i was in a rush Jason i know you're last name is Spinos lol you know me and spelling :)

No prob, you know I just have to give you a hard time.

I'm looking forward to Victoria's performance. She's always fabulous.

[Marlon Ladd]

When are you shooting, Dustin?

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Shooting first weekend of Oct. Cross your fingers it gets done...funds are running dry...FAST!!! But I know it will just really ready to get this going, I hate the 1st stage of film making... :D

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

I've got like $5 i can lend you.. doesnt that buy me an Exec Producer credit?

[Dustin R. Rogan]

you're damn right it does!

Woo!!

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

You need to give me a call. Got some stuff for you and you're not answering your phone, so I'm calling you out in public. Yo!

[Marlon Ladd]

Well, the hard part is just about over - you know if you make it to the set, you've made it. I got $2 on a producer cred.!

[Rodney V. Smith]

The set is in his garage so he doesn;t have far to go. :) I wanna see more pics of the set dude.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Full cast up on first page!

Rogan

[Dustin R. Rogan]

and i'll post when its complete...looks "odd" now... kinda like me naked...lol (thats what she said)


Rogan

[Dick Campbell]

pix from today's shoot.
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/18842/1254607904.jpg
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/18842/1254607941.jpg

[Dick Campbell]

two more pix
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/18842/1254607967.jpg
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/18842/1254608013.jpg

[Rodney V. Smith]

I have a feeling Dustin and the boys are going to done make me proud....

[TMerry]

Nice look to the walls Dustin. I spent a LOAD of time on the walls of my last films set, so I can really appreciate the love that goes into it ;-)

looking forward to seeing the final look!

[Dustin R. Rogan]

We're wrapped!! Editing tonight, post grabs as soon as I can!! Man what a long weekend the hard part is over now for my favorite part of the process!!!! The shoot went smooth, actors did an incredible job, Waco represent!!! More updates later!!!

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

i think lots of people are going to be in for a VERY big surprise...

[Dustin R. Rogan]

So I like putting some minor funnys hidden in my movies somewheres...heres a glimpse of some of the writings on the wall for your enjoyment....(sorry to all parties involved...I did it in fun) :D

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=296&pictureid=1823

Rogan

[Marlon Ladd]

Way to go, Dustin. Great looking cast. Nice bts, but I can't wait to see some grabs.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

all day at work I've been holding the footage in my back pocket on an external hard drive...and all day I've been wanting to just go home and start editing...I'm less than 30 mins away from being able to finally piece this masterpiece together! We shot almost everything in the two days, there are a few minor shots that can be done later.

Will be posting some grabage later tonight....stay tuned you lil jerks :D

Rogan

[ZazaCast]

i think lots of people are going to be in for a VERY big surprise...

I'm already very surprized (and proud)...Rogan is actually getting a film done!:thumbsup:
Really looking forward to this one Dustin.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

hey now! lol

I have to thank my group of guys helping me this weekend!
Gary, Dick and Jason! We will take over this world known as DVXuser...I'm just saying, I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to shoot a flick with!

Rogan

[ZazaCast]

Yes.. a "Dream Team" if ever there was!

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Untouched Grabs

http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/roganfilms/victoriascreengrab1-1.jpg

http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/roganfilms/davidscreengrab.jpg

http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/roganfilms/sarahscreengrab.jpg

http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/roganfilms/victoriascreengrab2.jpg

[Dustin R. Rogan]

BTS PICS of POLLY (http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn311/jasonthewho/Polly/?albumview=slideshow)

Thanks to Jason Spinos for snapping some shots on set

Rogan

[Dustin R. Rogan]

everyone must be making their films...been kinda dead here :/


Rogan

[ZazaCast]

Thanks Jason... great shots!

[jasonthewho]

Thanks Zaza! Glad you like them.

[chaconkevin]

this films looks like a finalist in my opinion

cant wait rogan and family

[ZazaCast]

this films looks like a finalist in my opinion



I'm thinking Oscar! :happy:

[jpsheets]

Dude, that looks nasty. And very very cool. Hey if you recover from your shoot and want to c'mon down to Austin. We're going to be shooting our Steampunk fight in the Elysium bar downtown on the 24th. Love to have you guys.

best,
Jon

[Marlon Ladd]

Lookin' damn good, guys. Gettin' more and more excited about this one.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Wow...thanks for the responses guys! I'll be hunting for more screen grabs for you guys to drool over :D

All we have left is a few more pick ups to shoot and then this puppy is completely shot!

I've got a semi rough cut done, with the missing pick ups slated in. Gary will be CC'ing in the next coming weeks, then off to Justin for the score.

Rogan

[Dustin R. Rogan]

and John I'll have to look at my schedule to see if I can run on down to ATX...

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

Rogan, since you're in Tejas and all, I have to give you the one true stamp of approval.

http://www.aridiwrites.com/ChuckNorrisApproved.png

[cinealma]

Very cool, Dustin. Good to see some old school DVXUser folks putting films in. Can't wait.

Cheers!


John G.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

haha...old school. I know you guys are going to love this little ditty that we worked hard to put together.

And thanks to Rodney for the script and stalking me...again!
:D

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

Hey, it got you excited enough to get off your ass and make something kickass. So glad to do my part. Not very often that I give away such a good and solid script, but I guess my intuition was telling me that there was no way I was going to be able to make it.... looks like my intuition was right, so you;d better do me proud.


No pressure of course....

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Of course...(gulp)

:D

Rogan

[Dustin R. Rogan]

added 2 more screen grabs....

Rogan

[Marlon Ladd]

Grabs are lookin' GREAT!!! I see it's on and poppin' in here.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Color Correction Test
http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae248/roganfilms/ccpollygrab.jpg

[jasonthewho]

You should post the original next to it.

Looks pretty good though. You might could go even darker, more desaturated.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Go much darker. Are you using Colorista for this?

[TMerry]

I like the look of it!

Nice selection of Runes ;-)

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Update:

Gary is plugging away at CC and special FX stuff coming along nicely
We'll be doing pick ups sometime next week
Then off to the music man for score

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

You didn't happen to shoot any of those pictures that i requested for the poster did you? (apply pressure gently)

[Troy Ruff]

sweet grabs, I love them! really nice neck slice :)

[Dustin R. Rogan]

the final touches will be put in this week and then off to Justin Durban for the final piece to this masterpiece!

Can't believe I've kept this under wraps and not flubbed on giving anything away! I have stepped up my game a little from my last film, and I hope you guys enjoy the fruits of our labor

Rogan

[ZazaCast]

I have stepped up my game a little from my last film, and I hope you guys enjoy the fruits of our labor


Not a large step if you're talking about that acid trip of a film "The Sudden Realization of a Lifelong Believer in the Mundane"! :happy:

From what I can see, this one will ROCK! Can't wait to start viewing films.

[sfoster]

"The cake is a lie" AWESOME. Just so you know, "I'm not even angry, I'm being so sincere right now. Even though you broke my heart and killed me."

[Dustin R. Rogan]

:D

Rogan

[AJ Brooks]

That neck wound...

[Dustin R. Rogan]

i take it you like it ;)

That is all thanks to our make up person...aka our lead actress, we found a gem when we found her!

I scrapped the original edit after others viewed it and I changed the pacing to slow things down, build the suspense. I'm much happier after talking with folks about it, flows much better.

Tonight Gary and I are putting the final touches on this edit and sending it to Justin Durban to put his magic touch on it. While its away we'll be CC'ing the hell out of the film (already have a template, just amatter of applying said template to the footage)

I'm stoked, This is by far the best thing that I've done!

Rogan

[Dustin R. Rogan]

K I like both poster designs...what do you think?

#1)
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=308&pictureid=1889

or...

#2)
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=308&pictureid=1888

Lemme know...

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

#1

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I like them both but #1 is better. Gives you a hint about what the movie is about as well.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Thats what I was thinking too...I'll keep it up for a few more weeks to see what everyone else says....

Rogan

[Sprocketboy]

Number #1.

[Chris_Keaton]

Numero Uno in my book.

[jasonthewho]

1

[TMerry]

I second number one. :-)

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Number One it is...

Exporting....composer...final CCing then a final export and we're ready to upload...

Rogan

[Dick Campbell]

Hooray! (I like #1 also)

[Marlon Ladd]

I agree - #1. Things seem to really be coming along. It's your best work yet, huh? Lookin' forward to it.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

recieved the score last night, Justin did a great job again! Thanks Edgen!

Rogan

[Om Nom Nom]

I like the grab with the writing on the wall! looking forward to seeing this :)

[Edgen]

recieved the score last night, Justin did a great job again! Thanks Edgen!

Rogan

My pleasure :)

Thanks for making me a part of your film.

/j

[Arturo Sanchez]

This looks realy good

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Thanks guys for the kind words!

Its gonna be a hecktic day today b/c my fellow director up here at the station, his son got hit by a car in the middle of his show he was directing last night and I've had to direct all the shows yesterday and today...Keep his son in your prayers/thoughts. He had to be care-flighted from here in Waco to Temple where they specialize in child trama cases. For now he is stable and will need plastic surgery. They're watching swelling in the brain. His son is 7 years old and was walking outside a barbershop and was hit.

Tonight is gonna be a long night...final touches on everything and bring it all together...Gary hope you have alot of Red Bulls...But we'll be uploading tonight

Rogan

[EditPhish]

Rogan...

Your director's son is in my thoughts! That's awful :(
I'll pray for the best for him!

Amy

[Edgen]

OOoh no!! That's such an awful set of news Dustin.. One's heart can do nothing but drop when hearing such an accident. I hope everything turns out ok...

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Here is the story...

http://www.kwtx.com/localnews/headlines/67062812.html

Rogan

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Terrible. :(

Sounds like some quick action was taken that may have helped save his life. He'll be in my thoughts for sure.

[Marlon Ladd]

Dang, that's messed up! I'm sorry to hear that. I will keep him in my prayers. That is sooooooo sad. We're pullin' for you, Dustin. Hope you get it done and polished in time.

[Sprocketboy]

Its difficult to think of anything else once you hear a story like this. I can only hope that this boy will overcome this horrible accident.

[JTyner]

Hoping for the best. Hell be in my prayers.

[jasonthewho]

Oh no. I heard that story this morning, but I didn't know who the kid was. That's awful. It sounds like he's recovering, though...

[Dustin R. Rogan]

long night so far...almost there...almost there!!!!

Rogan

[jpsheets]

Whew. Luckily he's very young and younger kids tend to recover faster from something like that. Let us know how he's doing.

Looking forward to seeing your film Dustin!

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Will do (as of today looks like Tues is when they are thinking about doing the surgery)

and we're uploaded and waiting approval!

it was a long night and I'm going on 3 1/2 hours sleep if that...good luck all

Rogan

[Defcon]

dustin, i havent gotten a chance to tell you how bad ass those grabs are! i saw them awhile back but forgot to give props. im lookin forwar to this! again, my movie is going to be so boring compared to bloodfests like this. doh!

[Defcon]

oh and great image on the poster too.

[Mood Niatrec]

Poster looks cool, I love the reference to Portal.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

:D

Rogan

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Approved!!!

Rogan

[Dustin R. Rogan]

*update on my friend/co-workers son*

he woke up thursday afternoon and they are scheduling surgery for Tuesday, he should be ok. Thanks for the thoughts/comments fellas the lil guy needed em

Rogan

[TMerry]

Hey Dustin, just read through the last few days of your thread, good work on the completion in the midst of such trajedy!

I read the news and it made my heart ache. Sending positive energy to the Soto's.

[EditPhish]

It looks amazing, and the soundtrack was great.

However, I found the story a bit confusing. I'm not sure I understand why she was locked in a room being filmed. Was she kidnapped? I didn't understand. However, confused or not, it WAS creepy!

If I'm real picky, I have to say the voice didn't seem to match the monsters look at all. Maybe part of that is because the monster reminded me of the Joker, so I expected that kind of voice to come out of it.

You have a knack for nice looking cinematography though... and the color grading and overall look was outstanding. Enjoyable overall, for sure.

[MrFluffy]

Very well produced. Top notch.
I did find the scenario a little hard to follow but it did feel like part of a larger production that we were just seeing a snippet of which is what I guess you were aiming for.

Cool stuff.

[ewoknrock]

It looks amazing, and the soundtrack was great.

However, I found the story a bit confusing. I'm not sure I understand why she was locked in a room being filmed. Was she kidnapped? I didn't understand. However, confused or not, it WAS creepy!

If I'm real picky, I have to say the voice didn't seem to match the monsters look at all. Maybe part of that is because the monster reminded me of the Joker, so I expected that kind of voice to come out of it.

You have a knack for nice looking cinematography though... and the color grading and overall look was outstanding. Enjoyable overall, for sure.

Hey, I just got registered with dvxuser and watched your Monster Fest entry. I'd have to agree that the backdrop and color grading for the film was what made it stand out amongst many of the others. Very dark and gritty, I liked it. Also the monster's voice seemed a little too dry or forced to me, I had a hard time taking the monster seriously. Overall, I thought you did a good job. Cool plot, fun flick.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Big improvement. Really kick ass score, BTW. Justin nailed this one.
I listen with headphones so you really have to watch those audio transitions. Some of them are a little harsh.

Good stuff though. Glad you managed to get in gear and finish this one up.
Keep it up.

MAH

[Blaine]

FINALLY!

Good job, RogAn. I'm glad to see you have it in you and now I expect to see a lot more good stuff from you. This one kind of reminded me of the golem (not to be confused with Gollum) legend for some reason.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

FINALLY!

Good job, Rogen. I'm glad to see you have it in you and now I expect to see a lot more good stuff from you. This one kind of reminded me of the golem (not to be confused with Gollum) legend for some reason.

Thanks Blaine...

oh and btw its RogAn not Rogen...i spell my name right not that funny guy named Seth :D

Rogan

[Rodney V. Smith]

This one kind of reminded me of the golem (not to be confused with Gollum) legend for some reason.

Oh no Blaine: you're on to me.

[Chris_Keaton]

I rated this one high, but it still left me a little empty. It feels abrupt and cut off. Like there should be more or that may be me just wanting more. Good Job.

[cinealma]

Kind of like a cross between avant-garde and splatter-porn. An interesting take on the genre. I didn't mind that I didn't get some of what was going on (it leaves the story to the imagination), but I didn'get into the flow of the film. It seemed a little jittery at times. Could be an editing thing, not sure.

I loved the basement set. Reading your thread, I know and can DEFINITELY appreciate the craft of building it. (For the first short film I did, I built 22 flats by myself on our family room floor overnight and couldn't feel the top half of my right foot for about 3 weeks.) I though the set looked pretty fucking cool. Did you use chalkboard paint on the wall she was scribbling on?

Personally, I would have like to see you go a little more over into the experimental side with this and take us even further outside the "normal" person locked up in the basement idea.

Good job. Thanks for sharing!

[Rodney V. Smith]

I'm a little biased since I wrote this, so I'll keep this short and to the point.

I'm glad I passed this script off to Rogan. The enthusiasm you had for the script was exciting to see and the amount of effort you put into the production was astonishing. So kudos to you for a solid production. I'm still a little disappointed that you couldn't do the one take steadicam shot that this was designed for... that would have been absolutely brilliant.

I do wish you'd had a much longer time to cast a good Henry though. The casting of the girls was good, and your actor had a good look for Henry, but his off screen lines all sounded so forced and read like he wasn't even trying. I'm trying to be objective, but that character has to completely OWN the girls. They understand he has the power of life and death over them. They aren't properly cowed with this dude. it's something you can easily fix in ADR and I urge you to do so immediatley before you send this out anywhere. Show us the power and you sell the situation even better... the utter desperation of the girls.

I didn't like some of your cuts and kept on waiting for more closeups to take us further into these characters minds. The cut at the end when Pike goes upstairs... what happened to the screams and loud noises from upstairs that tell us of the horror he's inflicting on the bad men? Sound design tells us the story even more than just visuals. Work on that and you have a much more solid film. Maybe it will even fix the ending which at this point reallly seems tacked on.

Some more tweaks and you could have a very solid picture. It's visually rich and the actors are good, but some parts just need some serious work.

All in all I liked the movie, but once again I'm biased. Peace out.

[Bob Loblaw]

I enjoyed this. It was creepy and had a very good atmosphere. The story was entertaining, but could have used a little more meat to its bones. I would have liked to have seen a little more story in the beginning & ending, and the subplot of the guy in front of the TV was confusing and never went anywhere.

The acting was so so. The main actress did pretty good, but the actor playing the villain really took me out of the moment. The monster's voice was odd, and it was hard picturing that voice coming from a clown-like monster.

The score and visuals of the film were fantastic, so kudos to your composer & cinematographer.

Over all good job.

[Richard J. Johnson]

I loved this film! good acting and excellent score. Great Effing Job Rogan! The HVX still holds up.

[Charli]

For the first two minutes of the film I felt I was watching a serial killer flick or something. I didn't get the writing on the wall, why her friend had to die, I dunno.

I couldn't get a clear grip of the story.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

I though the set looked pretty poo pooing cool. Did you use chalkboard paint on the wall she was scribbling on?


no I started out with putting 2x4's up against the existing walls in my garage, then put up some gypsum board. Bought ALOT of compound and applied it all over the walls for "texture", let that dry for a few days, then went and bought "slate blue" flat paint and painted away...let that dry for a day or so then invited some friends over to write on the walls whilst drinkin :D and applied flour by hand all over to give it the "dirty...this place hasn't seen any cleaner in a long time" look...then applied the $5 spray blood found at wal-mart

Rogan

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Thanks guys for watching!

Her writing on the wall was her trying to get the right sequence of rune symbols for Pike to come...it wasn't till The bad guy (Henry) went after her that Pike shows up...b/c Pike protects Polly.

I think it turned out pretty darn good considering I only had 1 person audition for the whole film...Victoria (Polly) and asked a favor of my high school buddy David (Henry) and got Sarah (Rachel) who goes to Baylor with Victoria (Polly) and Kelly (Pike) is my minion at work and told him he was doing it :D as for the voice of Pike (played by me) my original choice was Mr. Horrigan but he couldn't do it b/c his own film and in the midst of moving so I had to get the voice in so I tried my best.

This is a learning process, and I wanted Mr. Golden to know that I don't totally suck as a filmmaker ;)

Thanks to Justin Durban (Edgen) for his wonderful musical mind AGAIN! and Gary French for his lighting abilities and color correction...him I thank the most...we have our differences at times and say words but we work well together.

Rogan

[Kholi]

I was surprised to see this wasn't a comedic entry. Dunno why I thought it WOULD be but it was my own mini twist in the fest. Haha.

Saw some improvements over your previous entries in the lighting department. It looks as though there was a clear goal in what you were going for as far as image is concerned: claustrophobic and gritty. I think you accomplished most of it, or the team I should say. I did have some issues with composition, almost sure they're attributed to a lack of space to move back far enough. If I could think of something to pass on as far as a "tip" goes it would be to be careful about where you cut subjects off.

The first shot of the female at the chalkboard, the frame line is gnawing at her waist and it makes it look awkward to me. That might just be me, though. Generally, joints are a safe thing to stay away from if you can help it. Still, I think there's a visual improvement going on. Sweet.

The content itself falls a bit flat for me and I'll definitely outline why. It's a combination of things, not excluding the edit but all just what I think, so grain of salt here.

When you start off, there are two distinct images to begin building a story from: Surveillance and Isolation. There's some guy watching a girl write on a chalkboard. I get it, and then we move on. There's another captive and now dialog about saving this girl, and this is where I begin to think too much. Why is there a chalkboard and a rather perfect piece of chalk for this character to access in such a gritty location. Why is she being allowed to write, in plain sight, on the chalkboard without suspicion. Were there any other ideas being generated on a way to make this integral piece of the puzzle a bit more dynamic? Or was it done as written? Regardless I can buy that for a little while. It's a movie, not everything is exactly how it would be in life.

Then, there's someone's gruff voice. Another character's being introduce that's obviously a captor, but he's talking too much and from a non-descript location. Now, I had no idea he was a cold hearted killer until he offs the second girl, but immediately I don't believe him. In the end, I wonder if he just talked too much? Had he walked sooner and dished out the punishment, would it have been more effective? Those are literal questions. To go along with that, I put the dead girl off as an undeveloped plot device. She exists so she can die and make the guy look cold hearted enough to get his face chewed by a monster. That's fine, and I'm not complaining about it. Is there any way she could have emerged as more?

We get to the monster in a timely fashion, definitely greatful for that. I didn't get to see much of him, though, and wonder what he was. What it did remind me of was DEATH NOTE from the scattered pieces I did catch, which made me want to see more of the being. All well and good, though. I'm not sure what the effect of showing the guy's death for so long has overall. It feels like it's a really long death scene even though it isn't, which draws it out further for me. I know it's a conscious choice, lingering on that moment more-so detracted from the impact of a monster's appearance to me than it did add.

Now that the monster's shown up, things begin to make more sense. She's had a relationship of some sort (friendship I mean) with this being and now she needs it to save her. Go get 'em. Bad guys die somewhere else while she utters an apology to the girl, and then he returns and they escape. It's tied up, but there were two things that put me off kilter. One is the surveillance fella. Interspersed through the edit are shots of a guy watching this stuff on a screen. I get the mentality behind that, I must ask if he served a higher purpose that I didnt' fully understand? The dead girl, I think I understand what her purpose is, she gets a death scene. Our ominopotent party, however, doesn't get that.

THe monster returns, says in so many words that everyone's been reduced to red pulpy paste and that's it. So it leaves me wondering, even as an audience member, what's the purpose of the video monitor silhouette sicko if he didn't have anything to do? So, again, was there something I missed? I'm pretty sure there is...

And, second/lastly, I had a major brain blank on the very last shot. She stands, fixes her dress in frame for a while then steps out and I'm waiting for the next shot, to be transported to another composition but it didn't happen. So it left me hanging, literally. I know what happened, or I assume I know, afterward but there's a disconnect there.

I know that's a lot, and I'm so not picking on you, they were things I picked up on as I watched it and then went over the second time around. I can't know for sure if it was in the writing or just the execution OR just preference, the last of which is probably the ultimate truth. Hopefully, though, something comes out of it!

Edit Here: Sorry, part of this post didn't paste! It said-- In the future, if you didn't this time, a bit of pre-boading even on a budget goes a long way. You can see where things begin to fall short or move too long and get a since of how to pace content. Pacing is a lot of what also makes a story great, no matter how simple or elaborate.
Thanks for sharing another entry, Rogan, and not your rear end.

[Kdawg]

I like "the cake is a lie" reference to Portals.

[ZazaCast]

Good film Dustin.

I liked the look & feel and enjoyed the camera movement. The trouble I had was with the story. I figured-out the rune symbols were what called Pike in, but I had to think about it a bit (watched it twice). Thanks for confirming that. I then found myself wondering HOW she knew about the rune signs? Was this her regular monster she would summond...and if so, why couldn't she remember what to write? I guess they were buddies, cause by damn, isn't it always true that the good looking ones leave with the monster!

The end seemed out of place...I would think she would put the monster back once she was done?

The other funkiness that's killing me is, WTF is with the guy watching? Who is he and how does he play into this thing?

As you can see, I have more questions AFTER watching the film.:undecided I can't help but think maybe some of the questions could be answered with just another edit?

Great job on the set. That was a lot of work for a quick short...unless you actually plan on abducting someone. ;-) Lighting was good. Sound & score worked nicely. Acting could have been a little more believable...I would be terrified if I was either of those girls. Also, when a throat is slit, you bleed out and choke on blood (just guessing here...really....no really!). I would have liked to see a more dramatic end.

I don't know if this came across properly...so let me just say... I really enjoyed this film. SO much better than your last experimental flick. Your a filmmaker through & through.

Congrats to all involved!

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Thanks guys for the comments and for watching!

Rogan

[Marlon Ladd]

Hey, Dustin. Watched your film and I liked it. I think you did a really good job and I see improvement all the way around - congrats. I really enjoyed the writing on the wall. That just added an element of realism. The lead actress was pretty good. You location and lighting was very solid. Maybe a little tightening up here and there on you're on your way. Nice work.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Thanks Marlon! I'm glad ppl are enjoying the fruits of our hard labor. And think the set doesn't suck lol (Dick and I spent some time on that SOB) in fact I spent so much time on it...I still haven't torn it down, still up in my garage...Lighting kudos go to Mr. Gary French the local extraordinaire, the boy knows his stuff.

Thanks again,
Rogan

[Marlon Ladd]

Thanks Marlon! I'm glad ppl are enjoying the fruits of our hard labor. And think the set doesn't suck lol (Dick and I spent some time on that SOB) in fact I spent so much time on it...I still haven't torn it down, still up in my garage...Lighting kudos go to Mr. Gary French the local extraordinaire, the boy knows his stuff.

Thanks again,
Rogan
Yeah, man, your skills are continually improving. The location was cool! Leave it up. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[ramsaur]

You're audio cut off at 1:19. Does a throat cut do that much blood?
Overall pretty good, the acting was good as well as the score. I liked the color grade in this one. Cool location as well!

[TMerry]

Hi Dustin, finally got around to your film on the list. Had some great vibes to it, nice shots, strong music, but there didn't seem to be an ending. I would have loved to see you use the remaining 2.5 minutes to give us some kind of finality to the story, like who was Pike and what was his relationship to Polly, or how did she first summon or banish him. Loved Pike (sp?) lines: All soft and squish, red inside and out, was it? :-)

You just wet my appetite, now I want to see more pleeeasse ;-)

Good work & nice CC!
Looking forward to seeing more of your films.

[Dauntless]

This was great, I loved it when she summoned the monster with the symbols.... The Monster kinda reminded me of Michael Myers and the way he picked up the big guy.... The music was excellent and brought suspense. The lighting and set were done really well!

[Susanne G.]

Hi Dustin,

it was a pleasure to watch your film. I watched all your films since 'TimeFest' and obviously your filmmaking skills are going to be better and better with every film you made. This one is really the best one. It seems to me that this is very serious work. Compliments :)

Susanne

[joshreluctant]

Where did this take place? Who was the monster? What was he? Who was watching on the TV? What was the relationship between the two girls?

Not quire sure what I just watched. Music was a bit lacking, as was the monster's voice.

The scene's looked incredible, the DP did a really great job. And I thought the lead actress did a really good job.

[lawriejaffa]

This film feels very much like a scene out of a larger feature and thus is not a very effective short film at all. Now that doesn't mean its not entertaining or effective in many other ways!
It looks great, it sounds good, its acted okay and it has a groovy enough monster which ill get to but...

its not a very good 'short film'. If i took it to someone and said, here - this is a film. They would say, but is that it? wheres the rest?

It's worth noting that short films are a great way to show how you can tell a story, not how good you can make a scene. For that makes a pretty crap short film.

Right - that sounds strong doesnt it? Its more a strategic point for the director/producer to consider. Regardless this film is shot beautifully, it looks great, the girl does a decent performance as does our big guy!

The story is a little confusing - we don't understand the relevance of the symbols except they invite our big beasty. This beasty and its relationship to the girl is a little too close to Death Note to be taken as something particularly original.

I would say that for all its flaws, its an excellent example of great skill in both technical and performance realms, let down by a lack of directorial vision for telling a story (not the same as 'making a good looking film.'

But massive respect to the achievements here, there not to be dismissed. Excellent production.