Trapped

[dust'n the callipygous]

This is my first dvxfest! It's also the first thing I've really directed since college.

Anyway, look forward to some werewolf action.

Director: Me

Writers: Me, Justin Gmerek, Patrick Donnald

Director of Photography: Solomon Chase

Actors: Justin Gmerek
Jake Schubert

We just wrapped shooting yesterday. Now time to edit.

note: there are no hookers in this film

http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv82/CallipygousD/Trapped-1.jpg

[coffeemusic831@yahoo.com]

Look forward to the score. I promise high pitched ambient edge-of-your-seat intensity! Want a new twist on the werewolf genre? Check this movie out!

[Nathyn]

So since Tom's vampire hooker thing fell through we switch over to werewolf hookers? If you and Tom get together see a feature here: Underworld 4: Rise of the Lycan Call girls. Hollywood will eat it up. Well, maybe Cinemax, but a sale is a sale right.

-Nate

[dust'n the callipygous]

That'd be the ultimate collaboration. Justin, your post sounds like one of those fake facebook wall posts I keep getting. But yes, I think it will be pretty cool

[Rodney V. Smith]

And it's the quiet return of Solomon Chase... alwasy so unassuming and flying under the radar. You guys grabbed a good guy with Solomon. Hope you utilize his talents to the fullest.

[Solomon Chase]

And it's the quiet return of Solomon Chase... alwasy so unassuming and flying under the radar. You guys grabbed a good guy with Solomon. Hope you utilize his talents to the fullest.

I certainly felt fully utilized shooting this past weekend! Had a blast and the footage looks sweet :beer:

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I certainly felt fully utilized shooting this past weekend! Had a blast and the footage looks sweet :beer:
Wicked! Can't wait to see it.

MAH

[coffeemusic831@yahoo.com]

never been part of a thread/forum thing but have taken a marketing class so give me a frekin' break. Where are the production stills??

[dust'n the callipygous]

here are a few. i'll get patrick to post some BTS shots

http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv82/CallipygousD/P1000775.jpg

http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv82/CallipygousD/P1000814.jpg

[coffeemusic831@yahoo.com]

haha wow pleaes post something other than me half naked with another man in a hole

[chaconkevin]

what are you guys filming on?

[dust'n the callipygous]

GF1. Lots of cool lenses too. All solomon's gear

[Marlon Ladd]

Cool grabs!!

[cinealma]

Nice. Good luck in your first DVXUser fest!


John G.

[dust'n the callipygous]

Thanks! Actually in the middle of reshoots right now. Got rained on the other night

[dust'n the callipygous]

Reshoots done. Solomon and I just got our 7Ds a few days late.

[Tom Marshall]

Well if this isn't a blatant title rip-off, I don't know what is... :D

[TMerry]

Your title is KILLING me LOLOL!!

Guess it's better than OUTvocation ;-)

Killer grabs looking forward to seeing your project!

[Nitsuj]

Don't forget that poster dood.

[dust'n the callipygous]

Workng on it. Also trying to finish sound. It's gonna be a tight deadline.

[dust'n the callipygous]

we've got a poster! and a title! our formerly untitled werewolf hooker project is henceforth known as "TRAPPED"

http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv82/CallipygousD/Trapped-1.jpg

[dust'n the callipygous]

should i still be editing 12 hours from the deadline? because i definitely am

[Keth Andril]

Werewolf hookers? Awesome

[Matt Harris]

killer poster and concept. where did you find that "hole"? good location.

[dust'n the callipygous]

killer poster and concept. where did you find that "hole"? good location.

thanks, man! it's some abandoned building near my house. i was looking for good hole for weeks (insert joke here), and then somebody mentioned this old building we'd used as a free-running spot before.

[dust'n the callipygous]

while we're waiting to view everything, i figured i'd post some production stills:

justin getting dirtied-up
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz111/WerehouseProductions/Untitled%20Werewolf%20Hooker%20Project/image178.jpg

jake, sorry we made you lay on the ground for 4 hours without moving
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz111/WerehouseProductions/Untitled%20Werewolf%20Hooker%20Project/image213.jpg

reviewing some footage with solomon
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz111/WerehouseProductions/Untitled%20Werewolf%20Hooker%20Project/image220.jpg

couple shots of our awesome custom rig:
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz111/WerehouseProductions/Untitled%20Werewolf%20Hooker%20Project/image199.jpg

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz111/WerehouseProductions/Untitled%20Werewolf%20Hooker%20Project/image198.jpg

[dust'n the callipygous]

a few more:

jake
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz111/WerehouseProductions/Untitled%20Werewolf%20Hooker%20Project/image188.jpg

jake's stunt double (my brother, brett)
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz111/WerehouseProductions/Untitled%20Werewolf%20Hooker%20Project/image186.jpg

me doing something weird
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz111/WerehouseProductions/Untitled%20Werewolf%20Hooker%20Project/image218.jpg

solomon: anything for a good shot
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz111/WerehouseProductions/Untitled%20Werewolf%20Hooker%20Project/image142.jpg

down in the hole
http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/zz111/WerehouseProductions/Untitled%20Werewolf%20Hooker%20Project/image190.jpg

[Mark Johnson]

Nicely done.

[EditPhish]

Some of your shots were amazing and the look of the film was great. Loved your use of certain perspectives to build tension. The sound and scoring was done really well also.

I guess we all have to decide though what we call a Monster movie, and I don't think yours fit the genre. I did enjoy it, but I had to score it lower because, in my opinion, it would be a stretch to call your character a monster.

[dust'n the callipygous]

i actually decided to change the ending that way the night before we shot for practical and plot hole reasons. glad you liked it though. especially the sound and scoring. we recorded and mixed all of that in one day. and solomon did some fantastic camera work

[Charli]

I agree that this is not a monster story, but it is a story of poetic justice. I would have liked to have seen more scratch marks and how many victims he had, maybe like 12 or more. Three seems so little to be trapped at the end.

He got what he deserved but it's just not a monster film.

[coffeemusic831@yahoo.com]

Correction: it is not a 'typical' monster film.

[TMerry]

Fun film. Some good looks, some good shots, esp liked the one from above the actor in the pit. Not sure how you pulled it off cuase it was rock steady (crane?) As far as story: I didn't understand why the killer guy would climb down into the whole to mark his kill number on the walls, but that aside I enjoyed the flick!
Good work! :-)

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Loved the shots going in and out of the hole, very well done. Nice impact near the end as well.

The story was pretty well paced, although I could see the guy being dragged off coming from a mile away. Overall though I enjoyed this one.

The acting also seemed fairly natural overall.

Editing could use just a bit of nip/tuck here and there.

MAH

[Chris_Keaton]

Not sure this didn't violate that 'humans' can't be the monster clause, but it made it. Sure the guy getting dragged from under the barn was obvious and the suit, but that didn't bother me. What did bother me is that it didn't really feel like a complete story. It was circular for sure, but it felt more like a scene from a larger piece.

[dust'n the callipygous]

Fun film. Some good looks, some good shots, esp liked the one from above the actor in the pit. Not sure how you pulled it off cuase it was rock steady (crane?) As far as story: I didn't understand why the killer guy would climb down into the whole to mark his kill number on the walls, but that aside I enjoyed the flick!
Good work! :-)

i just think of the hole as his lair. those pull-out shots were done with a pegasus slider attached to a tripod. i put up some pics a few pages back. took a few runs, but we got it right. we actually slid it down and then i reversed the clips in post.


Loved the shots going in and out of the hole, very well done. Nice impact near the end as well.

The story was pretty well paced, although I could see the guy being dragged off coming from a mile away. Overall though I enjoyed this one.

The acting also seemed fairly natural overall.

Editing could use just a bit of nip/tuck here and there.

MAH

thanks, man. any tips on what to clean up in editing? before i post up a higher res version somewhere i'm going to do a little more with sound and color, but sharpening up the cuts would make a bigger impact

[Chris_Keaton]

Oh I forgot to mention that the location was killer. That alone made me feel go about the short right off the bat. But a beginning, middle, and end is a must in all films short or long. Ok I beat that horse to death.

[dust'n the callipygous]

Not sure this didn't violate that 'humans' can't be the monster clause, but it made it. Sure the guy getting dragged from under the barn was obvious and the suit, but that didn't bother me. What did bother me is that it didn't really feel like a complete story. It was circular for sure, but it felt more like a scene from a larger piece.

there isn't a "human's can't be the monster clause". i read the rules after i changed the script at the last minute just to be sure it still fit within the guidelines.

but anyway, what do you think the story needed? there really isnt any character exposition, but that's kind of the point. it could just be the entire structure making it feel that way. i didn't think it would be so tough to structure a 6 minute film

[Rodney V. Smith]

I absolutely loved how you guys took the monster concept and turned it on its head. It was such a simple thing too and made me wish I'd thought of it. It's like we can see the conversation forming in your heads:

"hey guys, I have this werewolf costume..."
"It will never look real on camera. We can't pull off a werewolf. It would only look like a guy in a werewolf suit!"
**CLICK** a light goes off and an idea is born. Great case of using what you have and using it well.

That said, I thought the story was very well told through great use of visuals. Solomon is rocking the hell out of that Pegasus so I'm glad I recommended he get that one.

Loved this movie. No negatives here. Solid all around.

[dust'n the callipygous]

Oh I forgot to mention that the location was killer. That alone made me feel go about the short right off the bat. But a beginning, middle, and end is a must in all films short or long. Ok I beat that horse to death.

gotcha. i guess we kinda skipped a "beginning" by making the end of the movie the beginning. always a problem with circular stories, especially if they're just 6 minutes. i really loved that location. it was just some abandoned, dilapidated building. they put up a "for sale" sign in front of it a few weeks before we shot. i just kept thinking that we'd show up on the day of the shoot and there would just be a "sold" sign in front of a pile of rubble.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

thanks, man. any tips on what to clean up in editing? before i post up a higher res version somewhere i'm going to do a little more with sound and color, but sharpening up the cuts would make a bigger impact
Nothing major really. I just found that some of the shots lingered. Like when you show the opening of the whole from within, or the body below when he's dumped in. Once I see it and retain what I'm seeing it could move on to the next shot.

No worries though. It's actually quite good as is.

[dust'n the callipygous]

"hey guys, I have this werewolf costume..."
"It will never look real on camera. We can't pull off a werewolf. It would only look like a guy in a werewolf suit!"
**CLICK** a light goes off and an idea is born. Great case of using what you have and using it well.


were you listening in on our conversations? thanks for the comments! solomon really did an awesome job

[Rodney V. Smith]

I think the structure worked great. Lots of people complain about some shorts that feel like part of a bigger movie mainly because of all of the history and backstory that comes along with a short film. We stop seeing the movie as just a chapter, but where it belongs in the much larger timeline of these people's lives. This is exactly what's happening here.

Killer dude has obviously done this before, and the victim dude ran into him or was hunted by him. But none of that matters. The point is that they both had lives outside of the story, so they're fully formed characters going somewhere. The story is just about what happens on this particular night and that's the point of it.

[Chris_Keaton]

6 minutes is tough. What bugged me is that I didn't get what he was doing and why he was doing it. And didn't really connect with him or the victim enough to care that the was trapped. We see this guy trapped. We jump to this guy killing some dude while in a werewolf suit. And then then dude gets trapped. There just isn't enough there for me to chew on. But that's probably just me.

I guess they got rid of the rule, but I was pretty sure they said serial killers or other humans behaving badly weren't considered monsters. It doesn't matter since you made it in, so that isn't going to effect my vote at all.

Other than the above I thought it was good.

[coffeemusic831@yahoo.com]

I think the structure worked great. Lots of people complain about some shorts that feel like part of a bigger movie mainly because of all of the history and backstory that comes along with a short film. We stop seeing the movie as just a chapter, but where it belongs in the much larger timeline of these people's lives. This is exactly what's happening here.

Killer dude has obviously done this before, and the victim dude ran into him or was hunted by him. But none of that matters. The point is that they both had lives outside of the story, so they're fully formed characters going somewhere. The story is just about what happens on this particular night and that's the point of it.
dude, thank you! And in response to the more critical, it is a freaking short film! Even a full-length 4-hour movie is still usually only a very small fraction of a much larger event or idea. But we appreciate the constructive criticism.

[Chris_Keaton]

dude, thank you! And in response to the more critical, it is a freaking short film! Even a full-length 4-hour movie is still usually only a very small fraction of a much larger event or idea. But we appreciate the constructive criticism.

Sure you do :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[Edgen]

Cool film fellas! I definitely didn't see that coming.

The concept of a spider getting trapped in his own web is very is appealing to me. i think others have said it.. I wanted to see more tick marks of his victims. Only three? Am I too desensitized from the films these days?

Looking forward to your next entry.

/j

[Kholi]

As requested!

This one is pretty easy for me, which is good. Pretty adventurous effort. I have a feeling it's just my screen but I couldn't see a lot of what was going on, literally. I'm actually very sure it's my screen, so in light of that I'm not gonna comment too much on the night stuff.

Do not have an issue with the opening shots, I did struggle with the handheld application. I wanted it, subconciously, to stop shaking so much so I could focus on what you guys wanted me(us) to see but it only got to that point a few times. I assume it was intentional, do you feel like it served or worked against the content? It comes off as doing what you can with what you have, as far as image goes, so again I won't go too far into it, will pad a little bit on the short itself, though.

I really felt like it ran too long, but had a beginning, a middle and an end. I didn't feel like I needed to see more before or after. It was exactly what it was set up to be down to the reveal. I do like the twist on a man in were-drag (Were-drag is what I'm gonna call it) hunting down others.

What I do feel that lacks is a fully realized world. What I mean by that is that you're in this moment, hunting and being hunted since the POV of the short switches back and forth-- I'm okay with this-- but the world around them feels generic. Partially, probably, due to budget constraints but a clear example is the pit: This isn't his first body judging by the marks on the walls, this isn't the first time he's been in this pit by the same indicator, where's the rest of the blood and/or bones? Where are the tears and rips in the werewolf costume?

Where are his scars from his first victim or did he exist as a perfect psychopath in were-drag from the get go?

Where it falls short, for me, is that it's "thin", like how a Skeleton or "outline" would be. It didn't have to be longer or shorter, it feels like it really wants to be "fat" but didn't plump up in time.

Don't take it as a gripe, I do like the undertone and what you managed to net. It's almost incomplete in the way that you see an illustration with color but no contrast or a source of light and shadow. If that makes any sense.

AGain, I definitely dig the premise.

Good go and thanks for sharing!

[dust'n the callipygous]

thanks for the review! some of these suggestions and comments are things we had considered. more bodies in the hole is definitely one of those. it was mostly just down to time and scheduling.

as far as the dark stuff at night goes, it is very dark. it was nearly pitch black outside in the rain, and we lit most of that with a gelled 650 and an LED torchlight. Most of that was shot with solomon's 50mm f.95. That being said, much more is visible in Vegas than as the rendered mp4. know any settings to change so that i don't lose so much brightness?

i'm glad people are enjoying it! keep the comments coming!

[killacam]

wow, gf1? nice. you guys didn't convert to 24p though did you? is the lowlight capability much worse than the gh1?

a couple of shots were really nice I thought- the overhead shots of the pit, and the low wide angle shots from inside the pit. it makes sense afterward that I find out it was shot by the same guy who did last year's winner because those two shots especially did seem reminiscent of it. nj

[dust'n the callipygous]

all 30p. i don't think it's quite as good in low light. possibly just because of the higher frame rate/shutter speed. yeah, solomon did an awesome job. i'm really wanting a super-wide lens for my 7d after using that one so much.

[Shaun Patrick]

With the gf1, how was the AVCHD lite codec? Did you trancode to ProRes and go from there?

[dust'n the callipygous]

Uploaded directly into Vegas

[Rakesh Jacob]

Nice man, really liked the look! You guys rocked the GF1!!!!

[Robert Eldon]

I really liked this one from the opening shot. Great location. This was one of the few films where I felt a lot of tension watching it with the shots of the 'monster'.

Great cinematography. I know it's difficult to pull of outdoor shots at night, but you did really well with it. My favorite shots were at the beginning, then the shot of the opening (the hole) at about TC 4:08 and the end shot looking straight down into the 'trap'. The angle and depth with the vines hanging down was very cool.

Overall, very good film. And do I understand this is your first DVXUser entry? Congrats! :)

[dust'n the callipygous]

thanks robert. yeah, this is my first dvxfest. i guess it's actually the first narrative piece i've ever really directed. i think it's funny you loved the hole shot at 4:08. that was actually a location-test shot taken the day before shooting. when i started editing i realized i didn't have an establishing shot of the hole, so i went back through and found that one in my BTS/test footage.

[Solomon Chase]

Dustin,
Sorry it's taken so long for me to chime in. Just watched it. Great job on pulling everything together. The score also turned out really well. :thumbup: I'll have to get the project file from you soon so I can do a HQ 24p conversion.

Now to view the other films :beer:

[jasonthewho]

This is a cool flick! I thought the twist was nice and it has an effective structure. I liked a lot of the camera movement and cinematography, but did have some trouble making things out in a few of the night shots (the first monster reveal at 2:07 is too dark to be super effective).

The directing was definitely strong and creative in this, and there was a lot of good storytelling.

I was a little disappointed that the monster turned out not to be real, especially for this specific fest. In any other circumstance, I obviously wouldn't care.

The only other comment I would say is that it takes a little long for the guy to get rolled into the hole. A little editing magic could speed that up a tad.

Very solid film! One of my top rated ones.

[lawriejaffa]

Right Dustin!

This is an interesting little flick - the pace took a little while to get into however - i'm sure thats as much the result of watching so many films in a row. Seen on its own, and i think its pace is fairly absorbing (like a delightful bath sponge.)

The performances were okay, and the cinematography was decent enough and pretty! I enjoyed the suspense of our chap caught under the building (though i felt i could see the whole drag out result a mile away.) However - then you caught me with my pants down as it were!

The outfit idea was brilliant - well done on that. It brought a very interesting question and dynamic to the story that if there was a little more hint of subtext could let us join more interesting dots together. As it is though we don't get much more to go on, and it perhaps leaves us a little too flapless of context.

I also like the end of the film, and am left enjoying it but wishing for more answers. There is excellent style here, and some original ideas, but there is a lack of content and within 6mins there is ample room - without any scenes, just even symbolism (in a no dialogue piece like this) to add in more.

Take for example Tarkovsky (an extreme example) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7jK8UdQl8A

[kainekainekaine]

Any chance of a HD version. Looks great and good story.

[dust'n the callipygous]

working on an HD version right now. hopefully up in a week or so