"RED AND THE WOLF" -- a film by AJ Brooks... [Archive] - DVXuser.com -- The online community for filmmaking

AJ Brooks

09-07-2009, 09:07 PM

Once upon a time...

Trails. Forest. Picnic basket. Wolf.

A horror story based on themes from the classic fairy tale.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=30&pictureid=1886

SECOND PLACE in MonsterFest user voting and ranked THIRD PLACE with the surprise Panel Vote!

View RED AND THE WOLF and other MonsterFest films: http://dvxfest.com/monsterfest (http://dvxfest.com/monsterfest/)

Writer/Director: AJ Brooks
Director of Photography: Ryan E. Walters.
1st AC: Jerry Turner
AD: Ashlie Jorgensen
Sound: Ken Kupelian
Key Grip: Justin Leddy
MUA: Margaret Gorman
Craft Services: Sarah Garcia

Featured Music by Justin R. Durban

Lead Special Effects Coordinator: Damien Brooksbank
Creature Concept: Claire Craig-Sheets
Effects Engineer: John "Dys" Niehaus

Wolf Construction Team:
Mary Lynn Jamison
Claire Craig-Sheets
Damien Brooksbank
Rosemary Craig
John "Dys" Niehaus

Wolf Makeup effects:
Claire Craig-Sheets
Damien Brooksbank

RED HOOD: Serah Pope
STANLEY: Jesse Henderson
WOODSMAN: Austin Hillebrecht
WOLF: John "Dys" Niehaus

Special Thanks:

Norm Sanders
Shawn Nelson
Luis Garcia
Liz Foltz
Rod Longanecker

Shot (ironically and quite fittingly) on the RED.

AJ Brooks

09-07-2009, 09:08 PM

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=30&pictureid=1721

The visual reminder for me that actors go THAT way.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=30&pictureid=1811

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=30&pictureid=1805

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=30&pictureid=1806

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=30&pictureid=1808

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=30&pictureid=1810

AJ Brooks

09-07-2009, 09:08 PM

Sept 8th: Met with makeup/fx team, worked out a few sketches for how we will create "the wolf".
Sept 9th: Cast has been confirmed. Welcome Serah and Jesse!
Sept 10th: Scouted location with the brilliant DP. Worked out a few shots. Mental note: always find people to work with who are more talented than you.
Sept 14th: Fabric for the iconic RED HOOD obtained from the lovely ladies at Fabric Depot. They loved it when I told them what I was using it for.

Shot Sept 25th-26th.

AmyO

09-08-2009, 12:14 AM

Awesome. I'm all for fairy tale re-tellings! Can't wait.

ZazaCast

09-08-2009, 07:00 AM

Excellent concept, can't wait to see how this develops. Welcome back!

Christian Halberg

09-08-2009, 09:34 AM

This sounds VERY interesting.
I look forward to seeing more. :thumbsup:

Rodney V. Smith

09-10-2009, 08:57 PM

how the hell did I miss this one? Brilliant! This looks fun.

AJ Brooks

09-10-2009, 09:08 PM

Thanks for the comments!

Scouted the location today with the talented DP Ryan Walters.

Spooky woods are in the works!

Shawn Philip Nelson

09-10-2009, 09:58 PM

oh wow, big score to get Ryan and his Red! looking forward to it

Rodney V. Smith

09-10-2009, 10:04 PM

what else would he shoot "Red and the Wolf"on? Fitting that RED shoots Red. And she'd better be a red-head or I'll be pissed.

AmyO

09-10-2009, 10:27 PM

Thanks for the comments!

Scouted the location today with the talented DP Ryan Walters.

Spooky woods are in the works!

Plenty of those around here! This should be good. :)

AJ Brooks

09-11-2009, 02:22 PM

Ryan is definitely a gifted DP. I am thrilled to be working with him.

I'm glad I can say Red and the Wolf will be shot with the RED rather than my humble dvx. That would be such a let down.

However...DVX and the Wolf... I like the sound of that. That's my next short right there!

Ryan E. Walters

09-12-2009, 06:31 PM

Thanks. :) I'm looking forward to this project. I had a good time scouting the locations with AJ and talking over his vision for the film - I'm excited to see it come together. AJ did a great job writing the script and finding great locations.

AJ Brooks

10-04-2009, 05:43 AM

Shooting wrapped!

Updated first posts with some BTS stills.

Marlon Ladd

10-04-2009, 08:22 AM

Jeez! Does everybody have a RED cam., but me? LOL. Story does sound quite interesting. Great location - Good luck!

AmyO

10-04-2009, 09:19 AM

Congrats on wrapping production. Great BTS. Looks like a fun time in the NW woods. :)

TMerry

10-04-2009, 01:09 PM

Is the *RED* in your title the camera... or Little Red, as in riding hood :-)

Looks like your going to have a fun project. Can't wait to see it.
I laughed when i saw your finger pointing as a reminder which
way the actors are running on the bridge, I do the same kind of personal
hand cues all the time in my projects. Certain patterns of waving
my hand in front of the lens give me editing and post cues :-)

Best of luck!

Chris_Keaton

10-04-2009, 01:20 PM

Did you enter this script in the MoviePoet 'Grimm Brothers Adaptation' contest? There was quite a few Red and Wolf stories, but all were very different.

Rodney V. Smith

10-04-2009, 02:52 PM

Congrats on the wrap dudes. Can't wait to see what you've done.

AJ Brooks

10-04-2009, 06:51 PM

Did you enter this script in the MoviePoet 'Grimm Brothers Adaptation' contest? There was quite a few Red and Wolf stories, but all were very different.

That sounds like a cool contest. Yeah, when I was researching I was surprised at how many versions of the story there were before the Grimm's telling.

I started with a story idea that had nothing to do with any of the numerous "Little Red Riding Hood" stories ranging from the original Charles Perrault, to those creepy swedish versions, and the classic Grimm tale.

I explored different settings for the story and then Red Riding Hood came up and it just fit really well. And "red riding hood as a horror" is something that everyone can easily picture in their head.

Hopefully since I didn't start the writing process with "Red Riding Hood" in mind, my version will have a fresh feel to it.

Ryan E. Walters

10-05-2009, 08:00 AM

AJ did a great job with coming up with the story- I enjoyed it, and it was an enjoyable take on an old story. I'm by no means an expert on the Red Ridding Hood story, but it was a direction that I had not heard / seen before.

The shoot went well- it was lots of fun. We shot on the Red in 4.5k using an old Angenieux lens (25mm - 250mm T3.9). I think that lens really worked well for this production. I was planning on using a set of Cooke S2 lenses that I had recent purchased but the mount adapter I had for them did not work, so Shawn Nelson was kind enough to let me use his 25mm - 250mm for the shoot.

We used all available light, and just bounced and modified it to fit the mood / look we were after. Also did a lot of planning around what times of day to shoot at the specific parts of the location so that we could get the best lighting that place had to offer. I'm really looking forward to seeing this film come together.

lyonfilms

10-05-2009, 09:14 AM

Looking forward to this buddy!

Sprocketboy

10-05-2009, 09:48 AM

I never get bored of the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Just make it ruthless. Good luck.

AJ Brooks

10-22-2009, 11:07 PM

For a while I had doubts that this film would make the deadline due to rampant computer/technical issues.

But I have all the footage now and have finally been able to start cutting it together...

I can hear the loud ticking clock, but this film WILL get done in time. It must! :)

ZazaCast

10-23-2009, 07:46 AM

Great! This is on the top of my watching list.

Marlon Ladd

10-23-2009, 08:12 AM

Yep, get 'er done and keep us posted. You can do it, just gotta' put in the long hours. Sounds like the shoot went great and I can't wait to see it.

lyonfilms

10-23-2009, 08:51 AM

Do it! Plus, did you see Kevin Curry's post about when this fest is all done, we want to get everyone together at the Hollywood (you, me, Shawn Nelson, Amy O, Anthony Pierce, etc.) and show a bunch of our shorts. Would be a blast. Friends and family and then beers at that place really close by.

I think Portland, Oregon is the PLACE TO BE!

cinealma

10-23-2009, 11:04 AM

Great to see you got over the tech issues. I'm a sucker for fairy tale based films. Can't wait to see what you've got.

Cheers!

John G.

Kevin E. Curry

10-23-2009, 01:12 PM

Definitely one for the Oregon/Portland area MosterFest showing we're planning to put together. Looking forward to seeing it!

AJ Brooks

10-27-2009, 12:14 PM

Editing is going well. Should have picture lock by tomorrow.

I think Portland, Oregon is the PLACE TO BE!

You said it! And I think a showing is a great idea. I'm game.

lyonfilms

10-27-2009, 02:53 PM

cool.

AJ Brooks

10-30-2009, 01:11 PM

I've been in a panic for the last 26 hours (32 hours if you count nightmares) but the film is done and submitted.

Thankfully Justin Durban bailed me out last minute and gave me a few of his beautifully composed tracks to use in the film.

There are some glaring errors in the film that will haunt me for the rest of this fest since they could be easily remedied. As Shawn expressed to me regarding an issue with his entry, "3AM is the wrong time to fix sh*t" lol

But the film prevailed despite numerous technical difficulties. Hopefully the story will shine through and overcome the flaws.

I cannot wait to see everyone's entries...

but now... I sleep.

EditPhish

10-30-2009, 01:13 PM

Congrats AJ! Glad you got in! Yours is one the ones I really want to see!

Sleep well!

Edgen

10-30-2009, 02:22 PM

Congrats on the upload AJ! Looking forward to seeing your finished film!

/j

Shaun Patrick

10-30-2009, 02:33 PM

"3AM is the wrong time to fix sh*t"

I hear that.

Matt Harris

10-30-2009, 05:03 PM

what a location! that bridge is ridiculous! plus you're using the red. sweet. cant wait to see this.

Om Nom Nom

10-30-2009, 05:12 PM

Congrats on the completion! eager to see what you came up with!

Ryan E. Walters

10-30-2009, 11:32 PM

Congrats on getting it done. It is no minor miracle that AJ was able to get it done and submitted. This last month has been full of obstacles that could have meant missing the deadline.

Congrats - I'm looking forward to seeing it. :)

Jason Ramsey

10-31-2009, 11:47 PM

Interesting take...

Enjoyed the film. Don't have much to say at the moment, but this was a solid entry all the way around.

I'd like to see a different grade on it, but that's just me.

Acting was solid..

Thought the tempo was nice.

SPOILER **********

Was interesting that she wasn't exactly an eager "partner"

EditPhish

11-01-2009, 02:01 AM

This is one I was looking forward to and you didn't disappoint!

Your building of those feet paid off. So far*, in our "watch fest" your movie has had the best use of a monster, though I would have liked to see more of it, and maybe just a bit of remaining bloody carnage it left behind.

It looked beautiful, and the soundtrack was really well done. Your sound mix and scoring were tight. VERY strong entry... it really was excellent in every way and I personally enjoyed it very much.

*we wrote these reviews as we went along but are posting them after watching all... I can easily say now, after seeing all the movies, yours is simply one of the best.

MrFluffy

11-01-2009, 10:28 AM

This was really well done with a nice twist on the story. Production quality was very high with the exception of the first shot which changed in brightness with a loud click. Did you miss that?

One of the best in the fest, well done.

J.R. Hudson

11-01-2009, 10:32 AM

This was awesome A.J. !

What a great take; you took something that's been done, too death, and made it fresh. Very solid in all areas.

Only minor remark is Red's character; she seemed a bit one dimensional in her execution. It's a minor issue for me, but would have liked a wider arc of emotions.

No less,this rocked; one of my fav's so far !

Question ?

When homeboy see's 'The Wolf' under the bridge and then 'everything's all good' and they go skipping across the bridge ? Seems he would have been concerned ?

Anyway

I loved it

Jason Ramsey

11-01-2009, 10:36 AM

Question ?

When homeboy see's 'The Wolf' under the bridge and then 'everything's all good' and they go skipping across the bridge ? Seems he would have been concerned ?

Anyway

I loved it

I kind of interpreted that part as him putting on a "Brave" face for her... and, from their side, the wolf makes himself visible under the bridge to help encourage the "heroes" to bring her across that bridge, and to pick up the pace so that she can work her way ahead of him, setting up the trap for later on. bring in a bit of urgency... make it across the bridge, hear what you thought you just saw.... runnnn

Edgen

11-01-2009, 10:59 AM

I think it turned out rather well AJ!

If anything, i think the audio/dialog could have been improved. There was some inconsistency in the levels from scene to scene. I'm sure more time and sweeting could knock that out easily.

Congrats on a very clever rendition of childhood story.

Cheers!
/j

lyonfilms

11-01-2009, 11:06 AM

Nice job AJ. I really liked the look of this movie. You did exceptional work with wardrobe, makeup, etc. You and Ryan obviously worked together well, visually the film rocked and your direction was solid. I felt the acting was a bit stiff, but not bad and not distracting at all. Great end. I am going to watch again later today to see what I most likely missed on my first viewing.

Ryan E. Walters

11-01-2009, 01:43 PM

Production quality was very high with the exception of the first shot which changed in brightness with a loud click. Did you miss that?

It's actually the second shot in, and it is a post issue, as the exposure does not change, but it looks like a color grade was not applied to the whole shot. My guess is that it is a rendering issue. The only shot where there is an actual iris rack is the opening shot from the sun to the Long shot- which was a tricky shot to pull off. I was operating the camera and racking the iris while Jerry was pulling focus ...

Ryan E. Walters

11-01-2009, 01:47 PM

AJ,

Nice work on this- I'm glad that it made it into the fest. (This was my first viewing of the final film.) I think it all came together well. And as I said on set, I love how the Wolf came together- great job on making that happen. Congrats again!

BTW- now that there is some time, and I have some openings in my schedule, I'd be open to figuring out how to get the final edit over to my system and grade it for you.

Shawn Philip Nelson

11-01-2009, 01:53 PM

WOW WOW WOW! I love it!

AJ...HUGE step for you man, I freakin loved it. Ryan, really good job on cinematography! Not sure which of you was picking angles, but I loved shot choice here, especially the running through the grass scenes, the angels on the bridge and the crane reveal. Jerry, great job on focus given the circumstances, only one buzz that caught me :-)

Ken, I could understand every word, score! :-)

Shout out to my Angenieux, she looks great!

Marlon Ladd

11-01-2009, 02:18 PM

This film looked great! I also like the twist on the story. It was well shot, directed and the score was on point. I thought the dialogue was good and the acting was pretty good as well. The monster looked really good and menacing.
SPOILERS:
There was only one shot where the wolf didn't look perfect and that was when you showed a CU of his right leg. That looked like fur coat material to me and it may not be an issue at all - because nobody else may notice it. I think when they begin to run that you could use some more and quicker edits to make it seem a little faster paced, but again, this is just my opinion and it may be a nitpick.

The film was very well done and top-notch all around. An excellent production!

NOBELO

11-01-2009, 02:28 PM

Nice job! Very well executed. I think you really took advantage of the beautiful exteriors available in your area. I think this was one of the strongest entries I've seen so far. It had a nice twist at the end that I didn't see coming. I agree with John, this is a fresh take on a classic story. My only critiques would be the with the color grading. It seemed to change 3 or 4 times throughout but this is an easy fix. The first time I watched it I wasn't sure if I liked the wolf but after reviewing it again I think it works fine with the other elements. Sort of gave me a "Village" vibe.

Nice job

Tuwin

11-01-2009, 02:30 PM

Very well done!!! I was super impressed with everything. Best film of the fest I've watched thus far. Give's me inspiration to be a better cinematographer. Well done.

Ryan E. Walters

11-01-2009, 05:26 PM

Shout out to my Angenieux, she looks great!

Thanks again for the lens. I think it works very well for this film, as it helps give it that nostalgic look and feel which is appropriate for the story.

Also, a big thanks needs to go to Jerry, who rocked as the 1st AC on this- the lens was too stiff for the Redrock follow focus that I had, so he was focusing via his hand on the lens- very tricky and tough to do, but he did great!

sfoster

11-01-2009, 05:36 PM

dahen

11-01-2009, 06:01 PM

I thought this was a cool twist on an old classic. I thought the setting, filming, acting, was all great and very professional. I wasn't too sure about the wolf's costume- when you saw the shot with the feet at the bottom it seemed a little cheesy, but this was defintely in my top 3 favorites!

Nitsuj

11-01-2009, 06:25 PM

To me this is one of the best entries. It was executed very well. It could have done better without the color grading problem in the first shot. Some continuity things I saw that might have made it just a little better. When the man reaches out his hand to her then cuts to a wider shot doesn't match and the night shots seemed to lose continuity. The wolf leg was a little unbelievable like others pointed out. Other than those minor things it was one of my favorites in the fest. Good job to you and to the cast and crew.

Ryan E. Walters

11-01-2009, 06:30 PM

I loved the story twist. I actually had an idea similar after reading a couple grimms (sp?) fairy tales. My biggest gripe in this film was the lighting continuity. It would go from an actor being in the shade to them suddenly in the sun, and back. If you have problems dealing with the sun, use a silk, a bedsheet, whatever, but maintain the continuity! The blowouts were a little distracting as well. I would have stopped down a stop since you had all that lattitude to play with, and brought the mids up in post, but that's me being a picky DP! Over all a top 10 film for me so I wont pick it to death! :)

Point well taken. There could have been more attention paid to the lighting continuity. However, with that said we really didn't have much in the way of people / hands for the lighting- none in fact. The make up lady and the 1st AD were even enlisted at times to help with the few modifiers that we did have. (A small silk 24" x 36", an 8' x 4' white card, and an 8' x 4' silver card.) And we repositioned the actors as much as possible between each take to compensate for the moving sun and shade. I think some of the variances in light are exacerbated by the grade- as when I was shooting it I made sure that we did not clip anything- so there is a lot of data to play with as nothing was blown. Ideally it would have been great to have multiple days to shoot this over, but we had one day, and about 3 - 4 hours one evening. But even still, I am happy with what we produced. It was a fun production to be involved with, and I look forward to working with AJ in the future.

BTW- great idea / suggestion on the bed sheet- I'll have to throw one of those in my kit for just these situations. (But I guess I'd still need the people / stands to hold it.)

AJ Brooks

11-01-2009, 07:39 PM

Thank you everyone for the compliments and critiques! It's very encouraging to be getting this feedback.

I am still learning my strengths and weaknesses as a filmmaker and color grading is definitely a weakness. I'm going to get the EDL to Ryan and have him do a proper color grade of the film.

And yes, the grade layer did not start until a few seconds into that second shot. At 9:45am I uploaded an early version of the film just in case I couldn't get the final render done in time. So the second version (the one you watched) finished rendering at 10:50AM and was literally submitted at the last second. I didn't even have a chance to watch before it uploaded lol! Talk about fingers crossed.

Ryan (DP) was absolutely amazing. I have to give credit where it's due and he is responsible for so much of what worked well in the film. I cannot speak more highly of him. He did an incredible job with the limited crew and adjusted to starting way behind schedule (my doings).

Jerry also did a fantastic job and had a great attitude even though he had to take on the extra work since we had so little help.

And I should defend Ryan for the blowouts which were not an oversight on his part. We had scouted and planned to shoot that scene at an earlier time in the day but come shooting we had gotten a very late start. I am amazed he was able to do what he did given the constraints this put him under.

This was awesome A.J. !

Question ?

When homeboy see's 'The Wolf' under the bridge and then 'everything's all good' and they go skipping across the bridge ? Seems he would have been concerned ?

Yes. My intention was to have him be "brave" for her as Jason said. This was one of those things I thought came across at the shoot, but it wasn't until editing that I realize it was very unclear. We needed a shot of him "putting on his tough face" if he were to stick with his choice of not showing his fear of the wolf to her. Something like that for his choice to work.

lol, "homeboy"

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I will be watching several films tonight so I will return the favor.

TMerry

11-01-2009, 08:45 PM

Nice look to your film!!! When the girl at the start was running there was an odd color shift, not sure if that was due to the compression.

Solid recording on the dialog, and that's an important one for me. Gorgeous cinematography!! Well fitted music. Was this shot on red? Solid beginning middle and end.

Well done, Well Done!

Blaine

11-01-2009, 09:10 PM

I really enjoyed your take on the Red Riding Hood story.

There were a couple of issues with the grading that you've already addressed but I loved the saturation on those exteriors. You were working with some great locations.

I thought Jesse did a very good job delivering his lines. Serah seemed a bit less comfortable but in the end the great take on the story won out for me.

Good job.

Michael Anthony Horrigan

11-01-2009, 09:16 PM

Just read through about the grading. I was going to mention how it actually changes midshot but it seems like it's been covered.

Overall the cinematography was great! The story was very well told and I loved the 'Monsters' face. Very well done. The sound was also pretty good, as was the acting.

Good work, guys.

MAH

Chris_Keaton

11-01-2009, 09:17 PM

I can't speak to the technical aspects of this short, but I did like the story. We figured it out right before the reveal just like we were supposed to. Of course my wife figured it out way ahead of time, but she's annoying that way. Good job and this is my top ten for sure.

cinealma

11-02-2009, 12:47 AM

Gotta love the RED. The film looked primo. The red color of her hood and cape was captured nicely. (I stay away from red on the "little" digital cameras I use out of habit).

Loved the spin on the Little Red Riding Hood story. It would have been nice to see what exactly the wolf has on her to make her be the bait for his victims.

As some people have mentioned, the bridge scene confused me, too, but watching it a second time, I really feel it was the music for that scene that caused this. Justin did a teriffic job on this film, as he always does, but I feel the crossing of the bridge could have been better served by a more "tense" score.

I was also confused a bit at first by the ending. But I think that can be attributed to the wardrobe of the woodsman. At first I thought it was Stanley again, but the I realized it wasn't. Also, the woodsman's pants are torn up and there is a hold in one of the legs. Whether this means something or not, I don't know. I can conjecture here, but I'll leave that to the imagination.

Good job. Thanks for sharing!

Norm Sanders

11-02-2009, 01:00 AM

AJ, great job here, really enjoyed it. The guy who played Stanley I thought did a great job, and looked like a version of YOU! :) All acting was good, in my opinion.

Excellent camera work & score, by the talented Ryan Walters and Justin Durban!

My only confusions were:
1. When Red began to put on her hood, I thought she was going to pull something out of the basket & kick the wolfe's ass. I was wrong ... didn't understand really she was connected until the very end with the 2nd leaving of the basket.
2. When the 2nd guy comes running up, I thought he was Stanley, since they were wearing similar clothing, and the pant leg was somewhat shredded on the 2nd.

Otherwise, excellent take on an old tale! :)

Bob Loblaw

11-02-2009, 06:33 AM

Great twist to a classic tale! I really like this entry. The story was well told and the acting was good all around. This is one of my favorites.

sfoster

11-02-2009, 10:54 AM

Point well taken. There could have been more attention paid to the lighting continuity. However, with that said we really didn't have much in the way of people / hands for the lighting- none in fact. The make up lady and the 1st AD were even enlisted at times to help with the few modifiers that we did have. (A small silk 24" x 36", an 8' x 4' white card, and an 8' x 4' silver card.) And we repositioned the actors as much as possible between each take to compensate for the moving sun and shade. I think some of the variances in light are exacerbated by the grade- as when I was shooting it I made sure that we did not clip anything- so there is a lot of data to play with as nothing was blown. Ideally it would have been great to have multiple days to shoot this over, but we had one day, and about 3 - 4 hours one evening. But even still, I am happy with what we produced. It was a fun production to be involved with, and I look forward to working with AJ in the future.

BTW- great idea / suggestion on the bed sheet- I'll have to throw one of those in my kit for just these situations. (But I guess I'd still need the people / stands to hold it.)

Yeah, I totally understand how this goes. On Mercy, we had a small crew, and even a smaller crew on Cheaters which unfortunately I didn't get done in time. I always try and think outside the box with equipment, that is why I mentioned the bed sheet. a few pieces of welded conduit can make some great stands as well. As far as the blow outs go, I didn't mean that it clipped in camera, I meant the look of it. I would have tried to get your hot spots down a stop is essentially what I was saying. Get some color in the sky instead of it being white. It's that whole issue with desaturation. If you stop down, you will lose a bit of color in the clothing, and if you shoot as you did, you desaturate the highlights (which looks like a blowout) I think it's more of an asthetic choice. It's not that yours was the wrong one, it's just not the one I would have made! :) Great job on the red (color not the camera) popping though! This may not have popped so much if you stopped down like I suggested!

Another thought on dealing with lighting is to cut in closer when you can and use a long lens wide open(if you have one) so you can shoot against just about any background that looks similar so you can't tell if it's the same place. GREAT JOB on the short shooting schedule as well! I'd love to team up with you next time to add to your crew!

Charli

11-02-2009, 01:26 PM

I absolutely loved the location on the bridge and the woods, quite beautiful exterior shots from the rest of the films.

Take twist on an ol' fairy tale was nicely done.

There were sunlight/cloud continuity issues - bright sunlight before they cross the bridge and then cloudy skies I assume by the time they got over the bridge.

I also didn't get why Stanely didn't just say let's take another route.

There was one continuity issue with the hood, she puts it on, long shot she has it off, we come back to her it's on again, minor stuff.

Before the creature came and I then understood the story, I felt like telling the girl to just write grandma a letter. Shoot, I'm not going through creepy woods like that for family.

This is one of the top contenders, seriously, good job.

Sprocketboy

11-02-2009, 01:37 PM

I was ready to hate this short. I can't stand the re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood. Done a million times x another million. You know where I'm going with this...

You did a great job re-telling of this story, even though its predictable at the midpoint. I couldn't help to watch the rest and watch deftly executed. Music is wonderful. Performances are fantastic... and the makeup fx are par excellence. I'm clapping with my hands over my head.

AJ Brooks

11-02-2009, 02:41 PM

Again, thanks everyone for the comments!

SPOILERS*******************

Loved the spin on the Little Red Riding Hood story. It would have been nice to see what exactly the wolf has on her to make her be the bait for his victims.

Yes, this was something I purposefully wanted to leave the audience thinking about...the pact that Red Hood has with the wolf.

Does she have some strange appreciation or relationship with the wolf? Was the wolf once someone she knew that was changed into the creature? Does she keep the wolf well fed so that it will not be hungry and harm her grandmother?

My only confusions were:
1. When Red began to put on her hood, I thought she was going to pull something out of the basket & kick the wolfe's ass. I was wrong ... didn't understand really she was connected until the very end with the 2nd leaving of the basket.
2. When the 2nd guy comes running up, I thought he was Stanley, since they were wearing similar clothing, and the pant leg was somewhat shredded on the 2nd.

Yes, I wanted similarity between Stanley and the Woodsman at the end because I wanted to emphasis the cycle, that this is something that has happened and will keep happening. But that is a very valid point since the Woodsman's pants are ripped. Does seem confusing and misleading. Great point.

As some people have mentioned, the bridge scene confused me, too, but watching it a second time, I really feel it was the music for that scene that caused this. Justin did a teriffic job on this film, as he always does, but I feel the crossing of the bridge could have been better served by a more "tense" score.

I wanted to play up the love story going on (at least on Stanley's part). And as I said to the cast and crew, "This is a love story...until it's not". For me it felt right to use a more emotional melodic piece of music.

As I said earlier, Justin Durban bailed me out last minute and gave me a few tracks to use and I pieced that to the film to match the beats I wanted.

He may have made a different (and maybe better) choice for the tone of the bridge scene.

Maybe I can convince him to do a custom score for the rework of this film which I want to send to other fests? :)

Postmaster

11-02-2009, 04:32 PM

Anything I wanted to say on grading, blowing out lights and light continuity was already said, so there is only one thing left I can say:

WOW!

Frank

Geoff_R

11-02-2009, 05:01 PM

Really liked how this one came out. Good twist on a well known story. I thought it was well done and enjoyable on many levels. Thanks for sharing.

Gord.T

11-02-2009, 05:04 PM

I wasn't a big fan of the story/screenplay but I actually wasn't focusing on that this time.

The directing caught my attention for some reason, in a good way. Some of the beginning shots reminded me of LOTR.
It started off great and had some really good vibes as it moved along and looked promising until around midway...

...The scenes around 3:50 to 4:16 I thought the characters were too centered on the screen.
As well as the following shots of Red into at least 5:04, being too centered and there was a lack of emotion on the actors parts during that time.
It picked back up again at 4:58 and was fine again after that.
Not sure what happened there in the middle.

I really liked the directing up until that midway point. Darn it.
Otherwise in the future I think maybe with ongoing better screenplays, given a little more time to spend with the scenes and better actors you could kick some major butt.
I'm sure it's just a case of budget and time getting in the way as well, as usual.
I mean, it started off and was running so great.

Hope I don't sound too negative. Like I say, your directing was the real high point for me in this short. I just wish you had more time to work on it I guess.

Looking forward to your next one now.
Congrats man.

Kholi

11-02-2009, 06:49 PM

This was, to me, a pretty nice surprise and change of pace. I'm okay with the concept and actually applaud the execution of such! It worked for me, pretty plain and simple. All of my discrepancies, which are minor and based on preference, are in the edit, pacing and shot compositions.

As far as the edit goes, I don't think you needed five minutes to tell the tale, personally. There are a few shots that could have been paced a bit shorter, as what's on screen doesn't establish, to me, any emotional connection with characters. Which, it's a short, so it's hard to do. This is one of those times where I don't even need to see any real character development, but PLOT development. Because, it's a plot driven narrative through and through.

As far as cinematography goes, it REALLY Bounced back and forth which was a surprise. It went from pretty damned solid to confusing and flat. Not that you need to go and reshoot these things, my "gripe" is more so in wanting to see consistent shot composition and such throughout. Otherwise, man, it was pretty good. Was it all available? Who did your grade? It was minimal but I think effective.

Lastly, the sudden jump to nighttime jarred me. Not sure what happened there. I know where it was going, it was just jarring in the transition.

Lastly, only a creative choice, the blue wolf fits the narrative, but he looked a LITTLE like the Cookie Monster. However, I'm just happy that there was a monster and it was very much a detrimental part of this story.

Great job, dude. High ranks from me.

Rodney V. Smith

11-02-2009, 07:29 PM

Mr Brooks. So it has come to this. Your twisted mind has me paraphrasing a more famous quote: The Grandmother is a LIE.

I loved your take on the story. It's definitely one of the instant standouts of the festival that enters my list of favorites. You had a lot of great things going for you and you used them well. Sure there were a few inconsistencies with the lighting ad such but no huge deal breakers. Just a nice solid story all the way through. The transition to night was a bit jarring, but it was mainly because they were keeping up the same pace as the previous scene. I would have liked to have seen some form of exhaustion from either of the actors since they had been travelling quite a while (as the woodsman stated earlier). Which leads me to wonder about the trap and why it would indeed be so far from where she originally enticed the woodsman to be her brave rescuer. A good trap would be more efficient and closer... more victims perhaps.

If there had been some sense of a larger world outside this microcosm it would have made more sense and resonated stronger. Even in the fairytales Red has a life outside and some kind of normal routine. Here we get a sense that this is all she does, every day. What's at stake here but her own life? SO many questions raised by the compact she has struck with the wolf but nothing for us to make any connections.

And all because the Grandmother was a lie.

Sorry, I went off on a tangent there. I really do love the story and it gets a high score from me. Solid piece of work. I just wish some more depth could have been hinted at just a little.

Top 10.

AJ Brooks

11-02-2009, 08:51 PM

Thank you Kholi for your review. Excellent points.

As far as the edit goes, I don't think you needed five minutes to tell the tale, personally. There are a few shots that could have been paced a bit shorter, as what's on screen doesn't establish, to me, any emotional connection with characters.

I'm glad you said this because I am working on another tighter version and I agree this story can be told more succinctly.

If there had been some sense of a larger world outside this microcosm it would have made more sense and resonated stronger. Even in the fairytales Red has a life outside and some kind of normal routine. Here we get a sense that this is all she does, every day. What's at stake here but her own life? SO many questions raised by the compact she has struck with the wolf but nothing for us to make any connections.

I like your critique Rodney. For me it is always a constant debate on how much I should include in the story/script/film.

Obviously I want create the feeling that the world is bigger than what is in the frame of the story. I've made the error before of including too much and packing feature length material into a short. And then I've gone the other way and left details too sparse for someone to believe this imaginary world actually exists.

But I do agree there could be a bit more depth. In an early draft I had a nice conversation between Red and Stanley just before the bridge scene. It added character depth and helped you understand the world they live in. But I couldn't justify the extra minute it would add to the film's length.

Mr Brooks. So it has come to this. Your twisted mind has me paraphrasing a more famous quote: The Grandmother is a LIE.

Is that quote "The cake is a LIE?"

In that case I consider this a triumph. And yes, I fully support Aperture Science.

:)

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Denis Haineault

11-03-2009, 06:12 PM

I finally got around to watch them all, ending with this one. And what a great way to finish!

I really love the take on this classic tale. The flow was really great and it took me in. An overall very solid entry. Another one to add to my favorites. Great work!

cheers

Kevin E. Curry

11-04-2009, 09:53 AM

AJ-

Really liked your film. It looked great (kudos to you and Ryan), I really liked the sound design, and the story was solid in my opinion. I loved the twist at the end. Even loved the wolf costume, which could've been a problem if not executed properly.

The shift to the darker scenes was jarring, as someone else mentioned. And you had a continuity problem at one point with Red's hood being down instead of up. But I'm sure others have mentioned that.

Overall, nice work! Excited to have it part of the Portland showing!

jasonthewho

11-04-2009, 10:25 AM

This was pretty great for me! I'm all about just doing a simple story, and doing it well. I think you did just that. Great storytelling. Loved the camera movement.

The one thing I didn't like, which Kholi (and perhaps others) hit on was the shift from day to night. Even a dissolve would have helped it for me. I just didn't like the way those two shots cut together. A nice transition shot of the moon or something might also be nice.

Anyway, great film, I really enjoyed it!

killacam

11-04-2009, 01:07 PM

ha I didn't even realize this was shot on a red at first but now I get the pun in the title lol. I did like this take on an old fairy tale. the one shot I didn't like was the one of the wolf's leg in the foreground when he has the woodsman trapped because it looked so fake but I understand the limitations of trying to get a realistic costume. the mask and cape were convincing though I thought. good job.

hoz

11-05-2009, 12:02 AM

really good film! liked your take on the story and where you took it. some great outdoor shots!

maybe it was a bit long for me and maybe it was a bit predictable but this is nitpicky. maybe make the guy talk to red and try and get to know her, through this dialogue you can make us wonder as to who might be setting up whom with the wolf. or maybe even make us think that the man might be the wolf. i think there is potential here for a really great film!!

that said i really liked it, congrats!

Rakesh Jacob

11-05-2009, 10:57 AM

Well done. In my top 3.

Dauntless

11-05-2009, 08:30 PM

Good job directing... there were plenty of really nice shots!.....the only thing I thought looked a little weird was the boy did not really look scared when the wolf approached him. Overall though I thought is was good!

Matt Sconce

11-06-2009, 01:03 PM

2:50 the Bridge shot....FREAKIN Beautiful!:cheesy:

I enjoyed this a lot. Some of the scenes were downright breathtaking. It is in my top 4 for sure. I have not given any critiques as of yet due to a crazy schedule with Stricken, but I really enjoyed this one and want to give some thoughts. I do not mean to offend with any of them and think it is already a great film, so take these or leave these.

!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!

A couple critiques:

:27 there is an opacity blip. This used to occur for me with a Premiere CS3 glitch that made titles not completely transparent, so they would wash things out on the timeline and then reveal the true color of what was behind them when they ended..creating a blip. I don't know if that is what is going on but thought I would throw it out there. CS4 did not have the problem.

I wished a couple edits could be fixed for continuity (i.e. she is turned around then in the cut she is turning again 4:17, Boy is moving toward girl, then in cut seems to be facing other way 1:34) It would help me stay in the movie with those fixed.

The night transition was jarring to me. Perhaps if you had a wide shot over the forest of the sun setting, it would have helped link the shots and made the journey feel longer.

The wolf worked for me at a distance, but the close leg view and the attack felt like we saw too much of him so he seemed costume-ish. Perhaps a darker CC that keeps him in the shadows?

Some blood around the empty spike after the boy is taken would have helped sell the attack.

I would have loved to see the realization on his face of what she had done the moment before he was attacked.

Again, I very much liked this. It is one of the few I have watched a second time.:2vrolijk_08::thumbsup:

ramsaur

11-06-2009, 11:50 PM

Man this was great! A different take of Little Red Riding Hood. The wolf creature was excellent! When it got dark I was like wow that's a long walk to her Grandma's, but then when I learned what was really going on. Very cool. Enjoyed it!

Robert Eldon

11-07-2009, 02:02 PM

Beautiful cinematography! This was very filmic to me. I loved the rich colors, use of shallow depth of field, and the lighting was very well done considering it was shot outdoors in a forest.

Great locations by the way! The acting was done very well as evidenced by some of the scenes like when the boy says '...should I check for ogres and trolls'. There is no dialog for a good while, but the acting and expressions tell the story. So good job on the acting and directing there.

Great twist at the end! Didn't see that coming :) It was satisfying to see the 'monster', the wolf. There is one shot at about TC 4:31, close up of the wolf's leg, where it looks like the material of a costume and kind of took me out of the film for a moment.

There are so many great shots in this, that it's difficult to name a few of my favorites, but I really liked the shot of them looking down the bridge at about TC 1:39 and when he's in the trap in the foreground and she's out of focus in the background near the end.

This was very enjoyable to watch. Great job all around on this! :thumbsup:

Gary Sconce

11-07-2009, 11:08 PM

Nice film, I thought you did well in your casting. The night filter was darker than the following scene which was noticeable. Your location was well chosen, especially the size of the conifers and the broad leaf trees.

I really liked the bridge scenes and thought you were at your best here. I would have shadowed the wolf man so much that I only saw his face and foot slightly to maintain his mystery and fear factor.

You cinematography was superb, and that overwhelmed any other issues for me.

Well done!!! :thumbsup:

ZazaCast

11-08-2009, 10:01 AM

Nice! This was beautifully shot. Acting was very good all around, very believable....so great job directing. The bridge shot rules! (wish I had a location like that close by) Score & sound design was well done, although I did notice sone weird noise on some of the cuts? Might have just been the file.

The only thing that jumped out at me was a headshot of the first guy... he moved forward & back and the focus was trying to keep up, but was off just enough.

The other was when the wolf showed-up, Red in the background had her hood in like three different positions in the different shots.

I know... nitpick... but if that's all I could find...and I had to look close... you're doing great!
Congrats to the entire cast & crew on the making of an excellent film!!! This is one of my all-around favs.

Susanne G.

11-08-2009, 04:14 PM

I like all interprations of fairy tales. So I enjoyed very much your film. The location was fantastic and the actors did a very good job. I loved the change of the original story that the 'Red' was forced to worked with wolf (the monster) together - this was a really nice twist. It was only a pity that she was disgusted about it. I would prefer that she would work voluntarily with the monster and also be happy when he get a new victim. This would give the film still a stronger twist. I am not sure how much I liked the monster. It seemed to me more a monster from one of the science fiction films - I mean the face of the monster. I like the lightening in your films and the contrast of colors. This is very recognizable. Compliments!

Susanne

Chris Messineo

11-09-2009, 07:24 AM

Beautiful looking film. Great story. Very well done. I really liked this a lot.

Darksoldierdesign

11-10-2009, 03:57 AM

SPOILERS:
There was only one shot where the wolf didn't look perfect and that was when you showed a CU of his right leg. That looked like fur coat material to me and it may not be an issue at all - because nobody else may notice it.

Thats because it was, I really wanted that seam buttoned up for the film but with the short amount of time the FX team had...

Darksoldierdesign

11-10-2009, 04:10 AM

My team had about 3 weeks to get the costume done, I really wished we had more time

lawriejaffa

11-10-2009, 06:03 PM

Indeed some lovely cinematography, sometimes inconsistent from shot to shot (on exposures) lighting changing - may well be nature itself. But overall a very pretty scrumptuos look.

Of course the film is a take on the classic fairytale, with all sorts of little twists and turns - of which i found enjoyable. Some had mentioned that it might be better if Red looked like she was herself a victim of the wolf's plan (as if she is co-erced into this plan) however, i think it has more to say (as a film) as is. We are left in some regards to question her motives, why does she help? What would make her?

A little more of this subtext could have been explored in the film - there are themes, of adolescent sensuality/sexuality, puberty, everything to be hinted at, which is really not touched upon, and needn't be obviously, but could have climaxed as it were (with meaning) upon the revelation of the wolve's relationship.

On this part only there is betrayed to this film, a lack of depth which is already there for you in the fairytale itself. (the original Grimm's are a great example.) Nevertheless there is enough (if only there was more) going on in the ol' head department to make this an entertaining and romantic fairytale film.