GhostHunter Inc.

[Bigmagic]

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2792

[Bigmagic]

Cast
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2606Justin Ormsby "Blake Stanton" http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2605 Dane Smith "Paul"
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2604 Carol Lee"Mrs. Roberts" http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2617 Ariel Rose "Linda"

[Bigmagic]

We had a Pre Production meeting yesterday(Feb.13th) I met a lot of great people some of whom will be involved in the project and some in future projects perhaps. We took some pictures read through the script and got to know everyone. All in all a productive meeting and a learning experience. Here's a photo.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2607 http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2608

The second photo is Bob , I can't begin to spell his last name but a great guy and wants to work behind the scenes doing anything to help. Need more like him. He stayed till the end of the meeting.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2619 http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2620
These are a couple of shots from one of the locations.

[Bigmagic]

I'm going to start this thread out with some notes from the week. I stared out the week trying to get a different script when I didn't find anything suitable I went with the one I had written. I got my oldest son involved and we brainstormed and spent a good part of Friday evening reworking the script. I was pleased with the results. Saturday I headed to Springfield with some construction lights on a stand and my GH1. For those who couldn't attend the 5pm meeting I met with earlier. At 5pm the rest of the group showed up first a few and then the whole bunch. I introduced myself and outlined the script to the group and ask for questions. I answered all as well as I could and the we let some of them read. On reading the script some of the group had a problem with the language and we tried to work around it for the sake of the meeting. In the end some of them couldn't do the film with off color language in it. I respected their viewpoint and thanked them for coming and sincerely hope I can work on a future project with them. I snapped a few photos and continued.Those remaining were ready to go and we began discussing possible scheduling conflicts so we could have everyone there when we shoot. I am flexible on the day but we have to shoot this week. We still needed to contact a couple of people after the meeting broke up but overall we accomplished a lot. We settled on the lead actor who seemed to get a grasp on his character. One of the young people who couldn't do the film for religious reasons did agree to try and help us secure a warehouse location for the basement scene.

Saturday night, the lead actor sent me suggestions on some additions to the script, I was pleased with his effort and we adapted most of them. Sunday morning I got down to the difficult job of blocking and shot planning for coverage with one camera. Next Saturday is gonna be a long day. Sunday mid morning I took a break from the blocking to create a quick couple of banners and a couple of posters. I will try and do a little better on those later. After getting that done and finishing the blocking I sent emails out to all who came Saturday and didn't get parts thanking them for attending.

What's next? Monday and securing locations, sound equipment checks, tracking new EOS lens adapter, gathering lighting gear. Printing off revised scripts, release forms and shooting schedules. Ain't film making fun!

Wednesday Feb.17th
I am awaiting the arrival of a Rode NTG-2 and a backup battery for my GH1, tracking says it will be here today. I am making a list of all the things I have to take with me to Spingfield Mo. on Friday and organizing the events of the two day shoot as well I can. I purchased some 100mph tape just in case, I will be taking multiple XLR cables and a backup mic in case the Rode is a dud out of the box, a DVX for sound along with a charger and backup battery, a light kit with umbrellas and a couple of spots to go with whats already in Springfield, 2 Canon FDs(28,2.8 and a 50mm 1.8) as well as an EOS 28-70mm and the kit lens. I emailed copies of releases to my daughter and will bring some as well in case. I am removing the back two seats from my van and taking a 6 foot ladder, a wheelchair(yep I'm a RR fan,leaving my homemade dvx dolly) two tripods my homemade boom. A roll of Blue plastic(in case my source doesn't come up with a green screen). I am also including my external dvd burner in case I need more than than the space I have on my 2 SDHC cards. I have recruited four of my adult children to assist on the project, recruited isn't the right word....drafted more like. I am reviewing some of the Indie films I have bought through this site over the years for any additional tips I might pick up, "Broken""Radius""Her Summer""Radio Mechanics"and "Sleepover Nightmare". I'll try to sneak a peek at the last two disks of Hollywood Camerawork again while I am rounding stuff up today. If I get a chance I will update this little journal on Friday evening and late Saturday night. Thanks.

Friday, I was only planning on shooting the final scenes, so I thought maybe half a day. Wrong, After shooting the greenscreen,we repositioned for some other shots that were on the list and we fought lighting either we had too much or not enough. I changed lenses several times(I hope it doesn't hurt continuity) and continued as planned. Most of these scenes did not require any on camera dialog and I recorded all of the off camera dialog in between shots. We got to the final scene with some dialog and covered it with two versions of the script so I'm thinking I'm good. Wrong again, I don't have a slate and forgot to sync with a tone of hand clap or anything so I may have to shoot the final scene over tomorrow. Major bummer. Tomorrow was going to be my full day so I may wind up shooting well into the evening. On the bright side(knock on wood) the equipment held up except for one umbrella light that got broken in between scenes. When I reviewed the footage at the end of the day I realized that I didn't record any sound with the greenscreen and the actor actually has a line on that part. So I didn't do so hot on my first day of shooting but I learned a lot and some of the footage I think works like I planned. Its late, I had to buy some props, look for something at Best Buy to save files on I finally decided to move them onto my daughters computer and try to keep them on the SD card as well. I will use one of my other cards for tomorrow. I do have some funny outtakes but I don't know if anyone will want me to use them. We shall see. Its late, I'm finishing up a revised shot list for tomorrow and aching all over this 55 year old body. But man was it fun, three of my adult children were there helping me every step of the way and we had a great time. We had a cast member who wasn't involved in the days shoot come in to offer any assistance she could. Excuse the poor editing of this update but its 1:39am and I am totally Bushed. See ya on the set!

A Set Back
Saturday, early am. Shortly after finishing the post above I started experiencing chest pains and shortness of breath. I was rushed to a local Springfield MO. hospital and was admitted and kept overnight, thus losing a whole day of shooting. I'm out now its Sunday afternoon and I'm emailing my actors and trying to coordinate scheduling so I can still finish this thing and get it turned in. Such is life.

Monday Evening Feb. 22
Ok, per doctors orders I have rested two days,now back to getting after it. I am testing color correction and chroma keying options as well as listening to the sound we recorded Friday. I got some really good footage and some that looked like a 70s B horror fest. Not at all what I was going for. I can do a little post and correct most of it but I'm gonna need to shoot some b roll which I didn't do at all on Friday. Final scene did not come anywhere near what I wanted the look was ok but we need to make some script changes. Even if I don't get this finished in time I will finish it and post a link to it for anyone interested. I will be pushing hard right up to the deadline but my kids are watching me and throttling me back some. The good thing is they are going to be doing more now and me less. My lead actor Justin has been a real trooper, ready to go and willing to try most anything a great guy to work with. He has got the bulk of the attention since he's been in everything we have shot up to now. Dane Smith and Carol Lee have been ready and willing as well and my last actress I have yet to meet. She seems like a nice person though. I was intending to score this one myself and create all the sound effects but time is running out and that may not be possible. Back to work.

Wednesday Feb. 24 Script Revision 101
Due to conflicting schedules from our actors, I have had to make some major script revisions. I am not sure how it will play compared to the original script, but I didn't want to recast anyone because I got ill last weekend. Essentially the same story simplified. Less dialog for the actor with time constraints and less coverage needed of the final scene due to script changes. This should allow me to get all his stuff done Friday in the roughly 3 hours I have him. I added dialog and a longer scene for one of the characters that originally only had a cameo. Less is more or so I hope. I also found some of my best footage from last week contanimated by a small lens flare that was from the flashlights. I don't have time to reshoot it at this point so its part of the film.

Friday Feb. 26 (Its a Wrap)
Final day of shooting we started around noon and finished up a little after six o'clock CDT. Really strong effort by our actors, everyone was prepared and anxious to finish up. We virtually reshot the entire script with the new revisions and tried to get enough coverage.

Lessons learned
1. Buy a slate
2. Always shoot B-roll for every scene
3. Trust your actors
4. Always have a backup plan
5. Avoid hospitalization during shooting
6. Always shoot lots of B-roll
7. Spend more time with set design and props
8. Remember the polarization filter
9. Always shoot B-roll
10. There is no such thing as too much coverage.

In conclusion I'd like to thank the actors and crew for their effort on this project. I learned a lot and I hope all of you had a good time. See ya at the cast screening.



Some grabs from Friday

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2713 http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2714

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2912http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2911
Here's a link to a blog I started on the making of this film. http://ghosthunterinc.blogspot.com/

[RodThompson]

sweet!

[Ki-Ki]

Damn this sounds good..

[ramsaur]

I can't see any photos.

Good luck though!

[justinormsby]

Yup, I can't see any pictures either.

[Bigmagic]

Ok fixed!

[justinormsby]

Looks good! Excited to get started.

BTW, Ariel's last name is Rose! :)

Cheers!

=Justin=

[Rodney V. Smith]

Welcome to the fest!

[ZazaCast]

Welcome...looking forward to seeing this one!

[Bigmagic]

Now if I could just figure out how to do one of those great Rodney posters or get a chick to get naked (lol) I'd be ready.

On another note I am kind of planning to use and old dvx 100 and a rode NTG-2 for sound. Should I risk it or go ahead and spring for the H4N?

[Bigmagic]

I updated the production journal and added a couple of photos from one of the locations. Production starts on Friday,so far so good.

[seanmcleod]

If you're recording right into the DVX I don't see a risk. To me the H4N is just an aid to DSLR users because generally the audio capabilities of them stink. The DVX has two XLR mic inputs and monitoring so you should be more than okay.

[jasonthewho]

I think he's shooting on a GH1, and was wondering about recording audio to a separate DVX. Sounds like a fine plan to me.

[Bigmagic]

That's exactly what I'm planning thanks for the confirmation. I've used the DVX for sound in a vacation video with a Rode NTG-2 mounted on cam and it worked great. This time I will have to sync the sound which I haven't got much experience doing any tips besides a tone or a slate once I roll sound?

[Bigmagic]

Its now Saturday morning and I just updated my journal from Friday. Its been a long day for this old man.

[justinormsby]

Glad you're feeling better!

[Bigmagic]

A couple of screen grabs added.

[jasonthewho]

Sounds like you're doing better, that's good. Were you able to finish the film? The screen grabs look good.

[Bigmagic]

No I am going to have to return and shoot the rest this week. I will finish it hopefully I'll have time for a decent edit. I'm playing with some of the footage from Friday now to put together as much of it as I can to save time. If I finish shooting this Saturday and render and edit like mad I might still make it.

[Marlon Ladd]

Read your production notes. Looks like you're putting alot into this and getting the kids involved which is great. I hope they didn't come along too grudgingly. Glad you're feeling better too. I bet that was a scare. What was the outcome? Any heart problems?

[Bigmagic]

Well, I have A-Fib all the time, but they decided it was nothing life threatening. I love getting my kids involved, when this is over we are shooting a short with the Grandkids(giving away my age (55) ). I'm determined to finish this one because I know how horrible it feels to not finish. So it may not be anywhere near what I set out to do, it will get done. We return to shooting tomorrow, I'm feeling great, the GH1 is ready, the actors are notified. So I have busy week ahead. By the way I loved the Jones, I really think you came close to hitting the mark on that one. I look forward to your feature.

[justinormsby]

You forgot the most important lesson! Always shoot a kissing scene...even if you have no intention of actually using it. ;)

[Bigmagic]

Well, I managed to get a 50.8meg version but not HD, anyone have any compression suggestions? Here's a few new grabs.
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2788 http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2789http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/picture.php?albumid=398&pictureid=2790

[justinormsby]

Any word? We're all excited

[Bigmagic]

I am trying to upload an H.264 version, its 1:38am CST and I've been at this a while. I got the audio close and I will continue to work on it up to the deadline.

[Richard J. Johnson]

Looking good. Grabs look fantastic.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I like ghosts. :)

Good luck.

MAH

[Richard J. Johnson]

Good job man. I enjoyed it. I thought the lighting in the office was little too hard but I stayed with it. The shots in the car looked great. Nice film.

[RodThompson]

Agree with Rich on the lighting. And there was one moment around the two minute mark where you faded out, and then the next shot was the same scene from the same angle. Granted I understand you were trying to show the passage of time, but I think a camera move would have helped facilitate a smoother transition. Maybe even some exterior timelapse.

There's always room for growth, but this was very well put together.

[Bigmagic]

I agree with both comments, The office scenes were not meant to be shot on that location and truthfully I got lazy with the lighting. I had six hours to re-shoot the rewrite and I rushed it. I am re-editing with all of the boomed sound but I can't fix those office scenes without a re-shoot which isn't going to happen.

[MrFluffy]

This was a good effort but there are some areas that you need to work on.

The sound was the major issue. You need to get the mic in closer to reduce the echo. So this means taking the mic off camera.

The story didnt really pull me along and the ending was strange!

Still you made a film, well done.

[LinB]

The camera work and acting were great! The characters were very convincing and the ending was completely unexpected! You should all be very proud of your achievement.
I've also been following your production blog with interest. We make films with our kids too. It's an immensely rewarding experience :-)

Can't wait to see what you all do next ! Please keep us posted!

[Bigmagic]

This was a good effort but there are some areas that you need to work on.

The sound was the major issue. You need to get the mic in closer to reduce the echo. So this means taking the mic off camera.

The story didnt really pull me along and the ending was strange!

Still you made a film, well done.

You were dead right about the sound, I only used the off camera sound for two scenes that's all I had time to sync. I have a complete good sound track but sorting through the audio is rough because of the number of takes. I am using the boomed sound for the actors DVDs. Thanks for the comments.

[pborghee]

Good film. The areas i noticed that could have used some help were :
1. During the office you can see the shadow of the other actor i guess the office was alittle small.
2. The lighting throughtout was very hard to follow and see certain actions.
3. Some of the acting could have been put together better, maybe more rehearsals or something.
4. I would have liked to see the ghost at the end more of a effect then what looked to be another film posted over the wall.
Other then that I think you had a great story line and awesome put together in the time you had.

[Bigmagic]

Good film. The areas i noticed that could have used some help were :
1. During the office you can see the shadow of the other actor i guess the office was alittle small.
2. The lighting throughtout was very hard to follow and see certain actions.
3. Some of the acting could have been put together better, maybe more rehearsals or something.
4. I would have liked to see the ghost at the end more of a effect then what looked to be another film posted over the wall.
Other then that I think you had a great story line and awesome put together in the time you had.

If I had it to do over, I would have shot all the office scenes at the original location. I shot them at the same warehouse to save time and then I didn't stay on top of the lighting like I should have. I learned a lot during the process and next time I will do better. Thanks for the comments you made some valid points.

[Mike@AF]

Everyone already commented on the issues and you seem to know them so I won't go there. I did like your lighting towards the end when he's searching around with the flashlight. I didn't really understand what was going on with the first viewing though and had to go back and watch it again. Good effort. Keep at it. I'd like to watch the new version when you finish it.

[ZazaCast]

Really good job Big! Everyone else pointed out the stuff that could use a tweaking above and I agree.
But when you get to the heart of it, this is a fun film. The opening car scene was very good and the actors nailed it.
I too liked the lighting and camera work in the warehouse. Keep making films.

Congratulations to the cast & crew.:happy:

[justinormsby]

Hey all...if you have any specific comments on the acting I'd love to hear them. Maybe you could send me a private message. I've not been making films long and I could really use the constructive criticism.

Cheers,

=Justin=

[Bigmagic]

Really good job Big! Everyone else pointed out the stuff that could use a tweaking above and I agree.
But when you get to the heart of it, this is a fun film. The opening car scene was very good and the actors nailed it.
I too liked the lighting and camera work in the warehouse. Keep making films.

Congratulations to the cast & crew.:happy:

Thanks great comments coming from you I put more weight on them. I really loved your "Song" film and not for the nudity. I appreciate how much you got out of one actress you have amazing talent.

[4100xpb]

Thanks for putting your film up. It was an interesting concept, and had some great settings.

I struggled a bit with this story. The girlfriend part of the story went nowhere, not sure what the point of it was. It sort of set up the intro to Paul, but that could have been handled easily between Paul and the main character.

I found the motion very stuttery. Not sure if this was from filming, compression, my computer or what, but I found it very distracting. Lighting and sound issues have been noted by other reviewers, so I won't repeat them here.

Thanks again for putting this up. You had some solid moments – I liked a lot of the lighting in the warehouse, and you had some good tension building moments during the search there. Best of luck with your next film

[justinormsby]

The original intention of the girlfriend, as far as I'm aware, was to give "ghost Paul" a reason to be upset with and attack Blake at the end of the film.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Story: No qualms with the story really. I wanted a bit more out of the ending though.

Acting: Not bad, but not great. Could have been a bit better.

Technical: A little all over the place here. What I did like was that shot as he comes in the dark building near the end. That was REALLY nice. my advice is to keep making movies and learn from this one.
You'll only get better and you are on the right track.

[Bigmagic]

Thanks for putting your film up. It was an interesting concept, and had some great settings.

I struggled a bit with this story. The girlfriend part of the story went nowhere, not sure what the point of it was. It sort of set up the intro to Paul, but that could have been handled easily between Paul and the main character.

I found the motion very stuttery. Not sure if this was from filming, compression, my computer or what, but I found it very distracting. Lighting and sound issues have been noted by other reviewers, so I won't repeat them here.

Thanks again for putting this up. You had some solid moments – I liked a lot of the lighting in the warehouse, and you had some good tension building moments during the search there. Best of luck with your next film
Thanks for the feedback.
I rewrote the script, a few days before the final shoot, mostly to speed up the shoot. I had actors coming at various times and the whole thing was a bit rushed. I read in someones post that you should be "in the moment" when your making a film because you never know when you'll make another. Good advice and I wish I would have gotten more on top of the lighting and performances. The warehouse lighting everyone liked was done a week before the rewrite and final shoot. I was hospitalized the next day and had to reschedule and rewrite because of it so the final day I was mostly concerned with just getting enough footage for some type of completion. I do have some very good footage in the can that I didn't use that I will use in a re-edit for the actors.:violin:


Story: No qualms with the story really. I wanted a bit more out of the ending though.

Acting: Not bad, but not great. Could have been a bit better.

Technical: A little all over the place here. What I did like was that shot as he comes in the dark building near the end. That was REALLY nice. my advice is to keep making movies and learn from this one.
You'll only get better and you are on the right track.

__________________

I agree with all of your comments. The warehouse entry shot is my favorite as well. In the original script, the opening scene with Ariel would have been much shorter. I don't regret extending her part and I think she was terrific and a real pro. Technically we had some problems mostly of my own creation.(never use auto continuous focus & take charge of the lighting) I learned a lot about the process and what I can do to make it better so I look forward to making another one. Thanks for your constructive feedback.

[John LaBonney]

Congratulations on your entry.

One of the things I learned making the few films I have is that experience is one of the best teachers. You can study and read books and watch films and talk to people and visit dvxuser for information until you're blue, and those are all good things. But many of the lessons I've learned could only have been learned by getting up off my rear and getting out there and trying to make a film. So you've got my automatic respect for going through the whole process and then offering it up to the community.

I agree that the acting was a little weak in places. They say that 90% of directing is casting, and I've been through the ringer with casting a couple of times. But by really making an effort to get the right actors, the job of directing them becomes much easier.

One of the sequences everyone is talking about in this film is the warehouse entry. One of the things that's great about it in my opinion really starts outside, and that's the setting. The exterior wall adds so much visual interest, and it really spices the film compared to the office scene. I suggesting working to get locations that add some eye candy, that set a particular mood.

The sound is problematic as others have mentioned; sound is tough for everybody so keep learning at getting experience at it and you'll see improvement.

John

[Bigmagic]

Congratulations on your entry.

One of the things I learned making the few films I have is that experience is one of the best teachers. You can study and read books and watch films and talk to people and visit dvxuser for information until you're blue, and those are all good things. But many of the lessons I've learned could only have been learned by getting up off my rear and getting out there and trying to make a film. So you've got my automatic respect for going through the whole process and then offering it up to the community.

I agree that the acting was a little weak in places. They say that 90% of directing is casting, and I've been through the ringer with casting a couple of times. But by really making an effort to get the right actors, the job of directing them becomes much easier.

One of the sequences everyone is talking about in this film is the warehouse entry. One of the things that's great about it in my opinion really starts outside, and that's the setting. The exterior wall adds so much visual interest, and it really spices the film compared to the office scene. I suggesting working to get locations that add some eye candy, that set a particular mood.

The sound is problematic as others have mentioned; sound is tough for everybody so keep learning at getting experience at it and you'll see improvement.

John


John thanks so much for your thoughtful comments. I do appreciate them and like the others they are on point. There was a lot to like about the warehouse location. I just made a mistake shooting the office scenes there. I think the dialog in the office scenes could have been better(a little rushed) but it is the job of the director to direct the performances. Lesson learned. This experience will help with other films though and I look forward to making more films. I got a taste and I liked it even with all the problems and editing nightmares. I have a fantastic script idea from my son who I hope is able to write it if not I will seek out a scriptwriter. I also have a script from one of my actors and a music video and family documentary in the works. I look forward to a small break and back at it. Thanks for the feedback!

[ChrisHurn]

Nice film. The first thing I noticed was the sound – while it was still audible, a lot probably could have been done to sweeten it up a bit, especially in the foley, getting your hands on some alternate door slams etc instead of the on camera recorded stuff, the car sounds, etc. Having said that it sounded like things were pretty tight schedule wise, so you may not have had time for all that.
There were some good shots in this that I really liked, one being the shot around 00:18 – with the sun coming through, that was nice. That was a cool location around 3 minutes – love that red door. Really makes a difference having good places to shoot like that. Awesome.

Score was great, especially around the 3 minute mark -- that was some really creepy stuff.

I thought the story was pretty decent, I followed it, I liked how you didn’t go into too much detail about the fact that they were Ghost Hunters and just had the lady come in and say “I really need to get this done...”, the dialogue following this made it clear what these guys were doing, so that was good. One thing I would have suggested you could have cut to a door, or a nametag, or something just before the 2nd scene to pull us into that world a bit more. But otherwise, good stuff.

Memorable Moment

For me this was the moment where he walked into the red door and the shot reversed as you cut to a wide and he came through the door – that was great. Loved the little light on the ceiling, and the Silhouette in the door...the creepy score underneath, that was a great moment for me.

Overall a pretty solid film – I enjoyed it, great work & Congratulations for getting it all in.

[Tunnelmen]

I had to check this film out simply for the titles sake. I have a cousin that's a ghost hunter and he let me tag along last saturday. No betrayed ghosts showed up unfortunately....or...fortunately, but it was fun nonetheless. If I had to put in my two cents, which I think is what I suppose to do here; I would say to nail down a some killer locations (no pun intended). I think your film would have played very well with the sound fixes and some cool locations. Good job!

[Bigmagic]

Nice film. The first thing I noticed was the sound – while it was still audible, a lot probably could have been done to sweeten it up a bit, especially in the foley, getting your hands on some alternate door slams etc instead of the on camera recorded stuff, the car sounds, etc. Having said that it sounded like things were pretty tight schedule wise, so you may not have had time for all that.
There were some good shots in this that I really liked, one being the shot around 00:18 – with the sun coming through, that was nice. That was a cool location around 3 minutes – love that red door. Really makes a difference having good places to shoot like that. Awesome.

Score was great, especially around the 3 minute mark -- that was some really creepy stuff.

I thought the story was pretty decent, I followed it, I liked how you didn’t go into too much detail about the fact that they were Ghost Hunters and just had the lady come in and say “I really need to get this done...”, the dialogue following this made it clear what these guys were doing, so that was good. One thing I would have suggested you could have cut to a door, or a nametag, or something just before the 2nd scene to pull us into that world a bit more. But otherwise, good stuff.

Memorable Moment

For me this was the moment where he walked into the red door and the shot reversed as you cut to a wide and he came through the door – that was great. Loved the little light on the ceiling, and the Silhouette in the door...the creepy score underneath, that was a great moment for me.

Overall a pretty solid film – I enjoyed it, great work & Congratulations for getting it all in.

Some great suggestions Chris, one of the things I left out of the last rewrite was the name on the door. I made so many mistakes, but its good to hear I did a few things right as well. Very inspiring comments thanks very much for the feedback.

[Norm Sanders]

Just read through some of your notes in the beginning ... doesn't change my score, per se, but does help me to understand why some things may have turned out the way they did, with challenges to script, etc.

Ultimately, I didn't really understand what happened at the end ... the guy died, and then his ghost wanted after his friend? Because once he died he knew about the affair?

The acting, I felt, was the weakest part of this project, as well as some of the lighting, specifically in their office location.

However, in reading your notes, it reminds me how I never shoot enough B roll, and it's something I really need to push for more in my future projects! So thanks for teaching me something. :)

[Dick Campbell]

Didn't get the betrayal part, but a credible submission nonetheless.

[dre83]

I don't understand what the ghost is saying at the end.

The sreaming was to short...

Around 00:01:50 I heare someone breathing...

[Bigmagic]

I don't understand what the ghost is saying at the end.

The screaming was to short...

Around 00:01:50 I heare someone breathing...

I have to agree its somewhat garbled. Its actually "Blake I know about you and Linda" it needed to be recorded much slower and I probably should have just done it again after I got home and realized we didn't have a slow enough audio to demonize the voice.(I think anyone could have been that voice) I let it go due to time constraints and like not adding all the boomed audio it was a mistake. Thanks for the feedback.

[Chris Messineo]

I read your BTS stuff and just wanted to say, I'm glad you're feeling better and impressed you were able to finish the film under those conditions.

I liked your score a lot, I thought it added a lot of atmosphere to the story.

Also, as you and Norm said, we can never have too much B Footage. :)

Best of luck in the fest.

[Bigmagic]

I read your BTS stuff and just wanted to say, I'm glad you're feeling better and impressed you were able to finish the film under those conditions.

I liked your score a lot, I thought it added a lot of atmosphere to the story.

Also, as you and Norm said, we can never have too much B Footage. :)

Best of luck in the fest.

Thanks Chris, Kudos to my adult children who wouldn't let me do anything the least bit strenuous the final day of shooting. One of the great things to come out of seeing this through is now they are all committed to making movies with me. They are fired up and ready to go. I wish I could show all the behind the scenes footage recorded on a Flip Ultra HD its hilarious. They have nixed that for now although I could use it to create another short it's funny stuff. Thanks again for the feedback.

[Ben Sliker]

About two years ago I crashed my car and then in a separate incident, needed 12 stitches in my mouse hand, (not really a cool story, i was doing dishes) so I can really relate to life and health stuff getting in the way of shooting (why can't we just be robots?) Financially and time-wise it made the shoot stressful and I'm certain that the project suffered from it. That being said, congrats for getting back out there, I know a lot of people who, played that hand, would have given up.

I'd say the most important thing for you to work on in the future is your framing. Cheat. Watch your favorite movies, get your kids to sit there as stand-ins and try to re-create a scene, shot by shot. A lot of the shots you had, had a lot of headroom, or a majority of the action going on in a very small section of of the screen. B-roll is always nice (god knows it has saved my butt before), but don't get caught having to rely on it either.

I storyboarded a majority of ROM, and ALL of Desideratum. Before we shot the latter, I had a little pre-shoot jitters and I'll never forget what Joe (my DP) said to me: 'Don't worry about it dude, we've done all the work already, now we just have to shoot it.' Well, now I'm rambling, but I hope some of it helped!

Looking forward to seeing your growth as a filmmaker. (but get healthy first!)

[Rodney V. Smith]

I'll have to echo Ben's sentiments here about storyboarding. I know it helped me considerably, especially when I decided to do it properly and not a half-assed job. And I would sit and look at the shots sequentially wondering why it wasn;t flowing.. then I;d spot an awkeard framing of a shot where one character was on the wrong side of the frame. After making an adjustment to the sorrect side, the shot worked and flowed better... but I was glad to discover problems like that from lookiing at the boards instead of in editing and having to kick myself in the ass for missing such important shots that potentially tied the movie together. Visuals help, and I got about 85% of the shots I had storyboarded in the can. I added on a couple extras and substituted some other shots, but never once did I not know what I was shooting. Try it someday. and you'll see what a load it takes off your mind...

[Bigmagic]

About two years ago I crashed my car and then in a separate incident, needed 12 stitches in my mouse hand, (not really a cool story, i was doing dishes) so I can really relate to life and health stuff getting in the way of shooting (why can't we just be robots?) Financially and time-wise it made the shoot stressful and I'm certain that the project suffered from it. That being said, congrats for getting back out there, I know a lot of people who, played that hand, would have given up.

I'd say the most important thing for you to work on in the future is your framing. Cheat. Watch your favorite movies, get your kids to sit there as stand-ins and try to re-create a scene, shot by shot. A lot of the shots you had, had a lot of headroom, or a majority of the action going on in a very small section of of the screen. B-roll is always nice (god knows it has saved my butt before), but don't get caught having to rely on it either.

I storyboarded a majority of ROM, and ALL of Desideratum. Before we shot the latter, I had a little pre-shoot jitters and I'll never forget what Joe (my DP) said to me: 'Don't worry about it dude, we've done all the work already, now we just have to shoot it.' Well, now I'm rambling, but I hope some of it helped!

Looking forward to seeing your growth as a filmmaker. (but get healthy first!)

Great tips Ben, I actually blocked the original story and had a complete shot list and manned the camera the first day my self. After the rewrite I was flying blind the final day. My son did a pretty good job for never having worked with the HD video portion of the camera. He did manage the shot of the film the entry into the warehouse. But I have to agree about the headroom. I have scenes where the headroom is good but auto continuous focus issues rendered them useless.I will always use manual focus from now on. As for the health, its kept me from getting in fests before but finally it didn't stop me. Thanks for the great feedback.



I'll have to echo Ben's sentiments here about storyboarding. I know it helped me considerably, especially when I decided to do it properly and not a half-assed job. And I would sit and look at the shots sequentially wondering why it wasn;t flowing.. then I;d spot an awkeard framing of a shot where one character was on the wrong side of the frame. After making an adjustment to the sorrect side, the shot worked and flowed better... but I was glad to discover problems like that from lookiing at the boards instead of in editing and having to kick myself in the ass for missing such important shots that potentially tied the movie together. Visuals help, and I got about 85% of the shots I had storyboarded in the can. I added on a couple extras and substituted some other shots, but never once did I not know what I was shooting. Try it someday. and you'll see what a load it takes off your mind... I wish I was half the artist you are Rodney, I used the blocking chart method from the Hollywood Camerawork DVDs. I had the original story and location completely blocked with shot list but when I rewrote and changed locations I was winging it. I have heard JJ Abrams used barbie dolls to storyboard one of his early movies. I think I needed a "if everything goes to hell" backup plan on this one. I will take all the suggestions and critiques and try to do better next time. Thanks for the comments and feedback.

__________________

[Rodney V. Smith]

I used Frame Forge. great program. No skill required.

[jasonthewho]

Okay, I didn't read any of the other reviews, so I apologize if this is all just rehash.

My favorite part of the short was the flashlight sequence in the building, up until the dead body is shown. The darkness with just a little light revealing selected elements was very effective. The score as well worked very well here. You were able to build a lot of tension. Good work there.

I did hear you mention the audio issue, that you didn't use your boomed audio, so I won't comment further on that.

A lot of the scenes just needed more shots. Close ups, etc. Just think creatively, and think about what shots will best tell your story.

In the opening scene you set up a nice shot/reverse shot, but then only used each shot once. Why was that?

The transitions between scenes were strange, coming at odd times, and not really done effectively. A lot of that problem can be solved if you think about how you're going to transition before shooting, then you can create an effective way to transition by shooting appropriate shots.

Not sure why the ghost stays on screen during the whole credits, that was really weird. The effect would have probably worked if he had disappeared when the credits came up, as it is it pointed out how cheesy it was and that it was just an effect.

Anyway, I remember you going through quite a few trials and tribulations making the film, so kudos on finishing it, and best of luck on your next entry. I'm looking forward to seeing it!

[Bigmagic]

Okay, I didn't read any of the other reviews, so I apologize if this is all just rehash.

My favorite part of the short was the flashlight sequence in the building, up until the dead body is shown. The darkness with just a little light revealing selected elements was very effective. The score as well worked very well here. You were able to build a lot of tension. Good work there.

I did hear you mention the audio issue, that you didn't use your boomed audio, so I won't comment further on that.

A lot of the scenes just needed more shots. Close ups, etc. Just think creatively, and think about what shots will best tell your story.

In the opening scene you set up a nice shot/reverse shot, but then only used each shot once. Why was that?

The transitions between scenes were strange, coming at odd times, and not really done effectively. A lot of that problem can be solved if you think about how you're going to transition before shooting, then you can create an effective way to transition by shooting appropriate shots.

Not sure why the ghost stays on screen during the whole credits, that was really weird. The effect would have probably worked if he had disappeared when the credits came up, as it is it pointed out how cheesy it was and that it was just an effect.

Anyway, I remember you going through quite a few trials and tribulations making the film, so kudos on finishing it, and best of luck on your next entry. I'm looking forward to seeing it!

Very good points Jason, I'll address each, I did shoot Wide,medium,closeups and reversals of all the dialog scenes in the office(over 60 takes in there I just counted) There might have been some better shots I could have used. Point taken.(all the wide angle shots were worthless due to a spotlight miss-aimed that I didn't notice when we were shooting. I had a jib available I could have used I chose not to. I wanted to do some pushes for emotional responses I had brought a wheelchair to do that with but the floor was so uneven we couldn't really make that work(fixable by sticking with the original location).

With all those takes, I shot in the office you would have thought I would have gotten more coverage of the ladies when they arrived around 4:30pm. Carol's scene I did shoot reversals and kind of a medium 2 shot as they stood up. When we shot Ariel's scene the sun was getting low, I actually wanted to shoot it somewhere else but the light was fast leaving us. I thought I had a good complete take from each side of the van.(Wrong!) I played both sides back on the GH1's LCD and it looked good but I didn't notice that the boom was in the shot from the passenger side. The footage shot from the drivers side had a fatal flaw as well, auto continuous focus again. it looked great in the LCD but when she leaned in from outside the van the focus kept shifting ruining what would have been a powerful shot. I had intended to keep the camera on her all the way while she left the van got in her car and drove away. Bonk! I really regret that I only got one usable take of her from each side of the van. I let her go too soon.

The ghost at the end went through several incarnations, I created a morph version ala Andrew Kramer, with a devilish demon morph and a ghoul morph they were even cheesier than what I wound up with. I honestly almost threw the whole ghost thing out and considered having Paul just cap Blake at the end but I started out actually kind of going for a cheesy/horror kind of story so I just let the cheese happen at the end. I did learn a lot and I think I can eliminate a lot of the mistakes next time(I hope). I don't think I'll be rushing my next entry. As soon as this fest is over I'll get busy on it and maybe we can do a little better at least. Thanks for your comments and feedback much appreciated.

[jasonthewho]

Yeah inevitably things you think you did right on set end up having problems. I wonder if some of your things are fixable, like the boom in the shot. One time I had the entire boom operator in the shot and didn't notice (remarkably), but I was able to use a matte to cover him up. Sometimes you can use just the upper corner of a similar shot where the boom wasn't there. Also sometimes zooming the image slightly in post can fix a problem like that.

[MrSeth]

My critique for GhostHunter Inc.
The story:
Story was very creative. The betrayal was clear and I liked the touch at the end with the ghost.

The acting:
No complaints. Everyone was in character.

The camerawork:
Some of the angles could've been improved, but some others were really good! And I thought the color was pretty cool. The teal tint really brought out the atmosphere of the story.

The editing:
Editing was solid. Good job here

The sound and music:
Dialogue was understand but I wish it was a little cleaned. The music was brilliant!

Overall impression:
This was a very good movie. Thank you for showing it to us!

My favorite shot:
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/9602/screenshot20100311at641.png

[Bigmagic]

My critique for GhostHunter Inc.
The story:
Story was very creative. The betrayal was clear and I liked the touch at the end with the ghost.

The acting:
No complaints. Everyone was in character.

The camerawork:
Some of the angles could've been improved, but some others were really good! And I thought the color was pretty cool. The teal tint really brought out the atmosphere of the story.

The editing:
Editing was solid. Good job here

The sound and music:
Dialogue was understand but I wish it was a little cleaned. The music was brilliant!

Overall impression:
This was a very good movie. Thank you for showing it to us!



I'm glad you saw through some of the short comings, and I am especially pleased you liked the overall story. That is my favorite shot as well, after the deadline I made a B&W version that smoothed out a lot of the flaws but I'm still glad I turned in the color version. I spent a lot of my editing time working on building tension in the final warehouse scene and working on the pace of that as well. Thanks for the wonderful comments and I very much appreciate the feedback.

[totitefilms]

Hey, you have a car scene similar to mine. I like the way you shot this scene. It looks like you were using a tripod. I shot mine with a shoulder mount rig and got really tired after this scene. I wanted to shoot my entire movie with this shoulder rig at first but after this scene I just aborted the idea :) I like your movie. The acting and lighting can be improved but overall this movie is a good one.

[Bigmagic]

Thanks I like your car edits better than mine though. I had some good ones ruined by bad focus.