The Damage Done

[Curugon]

http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/TDD_poster_005B.jpg

http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/damage_castcrew_3.jpg

If you are experiencing problems viewing the film, try this mirror link (http://www.dvxfest.com/mirror/west2010/entries/The_Damage_Done-Curugon.mov).

[Troy Ruff]

Hey welcome to the fest! I love the poster.

[Brandon Rice]

No frakin way :D wow...

Now I REALLY want to enter :)

[Chris_Keaton]

No frakin way :D wow...

Now I REALLY want to enter :)

I got some killer scripts. :)

[Blaine]

The fight is now for 2nd place!!! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with :beer::beer::beer:

[Matt Harris]

great poster, love the title and font.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Nice frakking poster dude! Welcome to the fest.

[Russell Moore]

Yep, gotta love that poster.

[Curugon]

Thanks guys - we're really looking forward to shooting this, and seeing everyone's films. Brandon, you better enter! Wouldn't be the same without ya.

[Brandon Rice]

Brandon, you better enter! Wouldn't be the same without ya.

Going to give it my best shot! :)

[Brickhouse]

The needle and the damage done?

[teresadecher]

Yay!

[soffcore]

brickhouse, i've been singing that song ever since sam sent me the script!

[Slimothy]

Awesome! I think I've told you this already but Texas Fortune was a huge inspiration to me. That was the first fest I entered and I was blown away. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Tim

[Curugon]

Cast & crew info posted up top. We're two weeks from shooting - can't wait to roll.

[Brandon Rice]

Cast & crew info posted up top. We're two weeks from shooting - can't wait to roll.

I see Jeff Doba's in this... awesome! Jeff ROCKS!

[dre83]

Good luck with the shoot :2vrolijk_08:

[Troy Ruff]

Man I just checked out your company, very impressive! Great stuff man, I look forward to seeing your film. Good Luck

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Very cool! Any updates on this one?
One to watch out for here.

MAH

[Edgen]

Great to see you back in action Sam and looking forward to seeing your film.

[Curugon]

Here's a little teaser of four characters from the film. Thanks for the support guys!

http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/damage_cowboys.jpg

[Matt Harris]

fantastic characters!

[Russell Moore]

Wow! and I thought the cast and crew poster looked great. The photo's of these four characters is outstanding! Looks like the genuine article.

[Troy Ruff]

Those are great looking Characters! Great Job! I cant wait to see this film.

[Brandon Rice]

Wow... just wow.

[Darky Mikado]

The old man looks like he means business! You really nailed each and every character there! Definitely will be checking up on this one.

[namelok]

Great poster & characters, looking forward to seeing this one :)

[Curugon]

Thanks for the kind words; glad you're digging it so far. We wrapped day one yesterday - a 14 hour day in the desert, high winds, blazing sun (could've been much worse, thankfully there wasn't a heatwave). Majority of the film is in the can, with 1 night shoot and 1 day of pickups left. My undying thanks goes to our phenomenal cast & crew for making this so much fun!

http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/damage_001_1A.jpg

Shot Red One with Lomo anamorphics.

[Kholi]

Thanks for the kind words; glad you're digging it so far. We wrapped day one yesterday - a 14 hour day in the desert, high winds, blazing sun (could've been much worse, thankfully there wasn't a heatwave). Majority of the film is in the can, with 1 night shoot and 1 day of pickups left. My undying thanks goes to our phenomenal cast & crew for making this so much fun!

http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/damage_001_1A.jpg

Shot Red One with Lomo anamorphics.


Major thanks to Geoff Reisner for backing me up in thr desert! Had a great time rustling up day one's footage.

More stills, Sam! Moaarrr.

[soffcore]

i agree kholi. geoff was a one man wrecking crew out there. and our cast was awesome as usual. they're starting to spoil us!

[jasonthewho]

That's a pretty bad-ass grab. Looking forward to more.

[Troy Ruff]

looks great! I love the anamorphic look. Good job on wrapping day one. :)

[Brandon Rice]

Geoff always rocks! Grab looks excellent!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Geoff always rocks! Grab looks excellent!
Agreed.

Looks great, guys. :thumbup:

MAH

[Troy Ruff]

oh the red, how beautiful is that...

[Kholi]

i agree kholi. geoff was a one man wrecking crew out there. and our cast was awesome as usual. they're starting to spoil us!

Banning you for not having a new banner.

[Brandon Rice]

Major thanks to Geoff Reisner for backing me up in thr desert! Had a great time rustling up day one's footage.

More stills, Sam! Moaarrr.

Kholi, this stuff looks terrific! Any more grabs?

[Matty_g]

I'll second the request for more grabs!

[Curugon]

The office here is a mess from the shoot. Gonna do some cleanup and try to spit out a few more grabs tonight.

Speaking of tonight - if anyone watches Lost, keep your eyes peeled during the commercial breaks.:happy:

[Curugon]

Here's a smattering of grabs. We're still working on the grading, so the color may change. Jesse starts cutting tomorrow!

http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C005_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C047_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C020_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C013_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C031_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C007_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C017_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C026_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C011_3_00000a.jpg

[soffcore]

looks great, sam - can't wait to dig into the footage!

[Kholi]

Here's a smattering of grabs. We're still working on the grading, so the color may change. Jesse starts cutting tomorrow!

http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C005_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C047_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C020_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C013_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C031_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C007_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C017_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C026_3_00000a.jpg
http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/C011_3_00000a.jpg

Kenzo's eye is fierce.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Beautiful grabs! Some of the best I've ever seen on this site.

MAH

[Kholi]

Some mighty big words there, Horrigan!

[Troy Ruff]

wow man that looks amazing! Great job! :)

[Matt Sconce]

Some mighty big words there, Horrigan!

But very true. :shocked:

[jasonthewho]

The thing that impresses me the most about the grabs is how awesome the sky looks in every shot where it's in frame.

Very nice.

[Maximus]

Shot on the Red? I'll be looking for the rolling shutter. j/k :evil:

Grabs look great. Can't wait to see it!

[Brandon Rice]

Kholi....

Wow....

[Slimothy]

Looks terrific guys!

[Brandon Rice]

What's the progress here?

[Blaine]

Kholi, step to the head of the class...:thumbsup:

[Curugon]

What's the progress here?

Jesse is cutting right now - thankfully we can take our time with it. There are a handful of pickup shots we need, which will probably be shot next week.

I want to give a shout out to Andrea & Garry Wakely of Twin Roses Designs (http://www.twinrosesdesigns.com/). They created our costumes from scratch, and spent a lot of time on conceptualization and period research. We've been working with them for three years; they're awesome.

[Troy Ruff]

Jesse is cutting right now - thankfully we can take our time with it. There are a handful of pickup shots we need, which will probably be shot next week.

I want to give a shout out to Andrea & Garry Wakely of Twin Roses Designs (http://www.twinrosesdesigns.com/). They created our costumes from scratch, and spent a lot of time on conceptualization and period research. We've been working with them for three years; they're awesome.

wow thats amazing to have such a crew! I have a great crew as well, but I have yet to find an amazing costume designer. Someday.... :) I just got lucky with this film, my actors had all the 19th century gear. like guns, wordrobe, stunt horses, and the fact that they are stunt men helped as well. I was lucky.

[Slone]

wow! this stuff looks great!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Holy shit! Man those are some exciting shots!

[Russell Moore]

Damn...everytime I look at this thread I see something even more impressive than the last time.

[Kholi]

Thanks for all of the positive responses. Also lookin' forward to seeing more myself, actually! Especially a final product.

Hopefully the moving images live up to the stills.

[ZazaCast]

Game over. Congrats!

[namelok]

Wow! Really really nice grabs!

[Kholi]

Game over. Congrats!

Haha! Not game over until the fest is over. Lots of entries should start popping up.

Thanks for all of the image compliments, peoples.

[Matt Harris]

phenomenal guys! seriously inspiring stuff.

[Matt Sconce]

I want to see some BTS stuff. Got any BTS goodness for us drooling BTS junkies?

[Curugon]

We've got hundreds of bts pics & video that hasn't even been sorted yet. Might be fun to put something together once the fest is over, if there's enough interest.

In the meantime, I rather like this shot.

http://rainfallfilms.com/projects/thedamagedone/armeddirector.jpg

[Kholi]

Haha. Home stretch! My shoulder felt like it was torn after that run.

Would do it again in a heartbeat.

[soffcore]

kholi, you know you gotta get good stuff when the director is packing heat!

[Matt Sconce]

Awesome!

[Troy Ruff]

Man even your BTS looks amazing! I really cant wait to see this film. Great jobs guys!

[Curugon]

Right back atcha, Troy - can't wait to see yours.

We're locking the cut today, after driving out to the desert for literally 1 last pickup.

[Brandon Rice]

Awesome stuff, I KNOW this will be great :)

[Troy Ruff]

Dang you have to go all the way back to the desert. Man that is one important pickup shot. But Im sure its all going to be worth it. Im in LA right now doing the final mix with Steve Tibbo for our feature film Stricken Directed by Matt Sconce. Then tomorrow doing the final mix for By Hook or Crook with Kunal Rajan. :) Im so excited. I think alot of these western films are going to rock.

[Curugon]

A bit of BTS mayhem. This took place just minutes before the sun dipped below the horizon and day one wrapped up. It also reveals some big trade secrets on how to get costumes dusty before a big fight.


12934226

[4100xpb]

Ha, sand angels - we were making those as well. Mud angels as well. Sounds like you guys had fun!

[Brandon Rice]

That was awesome. Kholi doing his thang!

Hilarious, "dust angels" :D

[Mobie540]

I was concerned about our actors looking too nice and shiny, but after the first rehearsal/take in 90 degree weather and a ton of humidity that concern went away quick. That's cool seeing the BTS.

[Curugon]

Music is complete, and the sound design is wrapping up. Now comes the not so fun task of cutting out a third of this film to fit within six minutes. Blerg. :undecided

[dre83]

Music is complete, and the sound design is wrapping up. Now comes the not so fun task of cutting out a third of this film to fit within six minutes. Blerg. :undecided


I think it's better you cut 1/3th out first...and do sound design AFTER that....

Because a "stupid, simple easy cut" can be a lot of work in sound design...


Stay with the story... someting happens, solution, the end... Not to much details etc... There are some examples from films I've seen here which were....boring....

[Richard J. Johnson]

Man, This is going to be badass! I can not wait. It was dusty as hell out there.

[Brandon Rice]

Music is complete, and the sound design is wrapping up. Now comes the not so fun task of cutting out a third of this film to fit within six minutes. Blerg. :undecided

That truly sucks. So I take it your sitting at nine minutes now? I remember my first DVXfest entry I cut it down from 12 minutes to 6, and totally destroyed the story...

Wouldn't want to short-change it :)

[kyle.presley]

This looks VERY promising. Best of luck to you!

[Matt Harris]

I have been in your position nearly every fest, I feel your pain. Your extended cut will still be your final edit because that will live on in the internets long after this fest is over. But yeah, squeezing the STORY into 6 minutes is the tough part, in order to make it into this fest. And it's pretty obvious that this is looking to be one of the blockbusters of westfest, so no pressure!

[Curugon]

Muchas gracias - hope it lives up to your expectations. We knew going in we'd have to cut down a lot (the script was 9 pages), so we tried to structure the story so it could stand to lose a few minutes. Mostly character moments or travel shots, not integral story beats. But yeah... still stings.

Edit: updated to final poster design and credit list on first page (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=207166).

[Troy Ruff]

sweet! love the poster, your's will be the first I watch. Good luck man. :)

[Curugon]

Much obliged Troy, I shall return the favor and watch yours first!

[Tom Marshall]

Hey guys, just saw this thread. This one looks fantastic. A lot of good work, despite the fact that Goeff was involved. :cheesy:

Best of luck, fellas. :beer:

[Brandon Rice]

You guys getting to the finish line here... is it coming?

[Curugon]

Tom - Thanks greatly! Best of luck to you as well sir.

Brandon - yeah, just tweaking the encode. Last one came out to 60.3 MB - dammit!

edit: it sure feels good to be done and uploaded. Hard to believe we've been working on this since March. What a long strange road...

[Brandon Rice]

Bummer... yep, I understand those pesky encodes.

[Brian Parker]

Wow...Rainfall is in? Really going to be a good fest. Poster is awesome and stills are even more amazing. Can't wait to see it.

[Ryan E. Walters]

Congrats on making the deadline. I'm looking forward to seeing this one as I have always enjoyed your work Sam. :)

[Troy Ruff]

lol ya I spent a while trying to get it as close as I could to 60mb. After about 10 exports I just kept the 50mb and submitted. It still looks pretty good. I wish we could all see each others full rez versions. :) all well.

[Troy Ruff]

That truly sucks. So I take it your sitting at nine minutes now? I remember my first DVXfest entry I cut it down from 12 minutes to 6, and totally destroyed the story...

Wouldn't want to short-change it :)

ahhh I did that for Twilight Fest, it was 12 mins cut down to 6mins. Totals destroys the story. It was rough, but you make it work for the best it can. I differently learned not to have a 10 page script for a 6 min film. I know the rule is a min per page, but I thought I could make it.... dang it. :2vrolijk_08:

[alex whitmer]

I¿m playing catch-up on threads while waiting for the films to go live. This looks really dang awesome.

Nice team.

a

[Troy Ruff]

Man I want to watch your film, but its not working! You should let someone know. ASAP! :) I cant wait...

[Curugon]

Just got an email from Larry - he is on the case.

[Richard J. Johnson]

Fantastic everything!!! Amazing film!

[namelok]

And we have a winner :)
Beautiful!!!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Can't watch!

Tim Hyten and I are sitting here cursing the gods of flash and throwing whiskey bottles against the wall to saloon music.

[Kholi]

Try downloading it, instead. The new system's not being very kind. Haha.

[Blaine]

I held off this one as long as possible. I didn't want to watch it too early because I was afraid you'd set the bar too high. And you did set it pretty damned high. Of course, having seen much you work, I'd expect nothing less.

You did a great job on this, Sam. I think your choice of aspect ratio really served your story well. Kholi shot some very pretty pictures. A lot of good acting in here. I read earlier in the thread you had to cut it down a lot to make the six minutes but you could have fooled me. I got everything I needed from it to know what was going on and feel satisfied with the overall story.

I'll have to watch it again to see if there is anything to give constructive criticism on. At first blush, I didn't find anything.

[Newtprobert]

Hey looks good

[Matt Harris]

Curugon, based on the stills and the crew involved, I thought this was gonna suck!
Just kidding obviously, this really lived up to the beautiful DP work from the screengrabs (nice work Kholi). I like that you fit many scenes into the 6 minute length. You gave us an intro, the hostage, the fight to free the hostage, the cave scene etc. There is a lot of work that went into all this and you guys really nailed it. I loved the mystical lead who feels no pain, it's a great concept.

[Matt Harris]

Also great score, sound design and color correction/post. Ok you've depleted my kudos supply.

[Curugon]

Thanks so much for the critiques guys, we really appreciate them.

Defcon - I can't take credit for the concept, it's a real disease called CIPA, or congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis. It's extremely rare, but I thought it might make for an interesting addition to a western.

Very sorry for the folks who can't view it (I still can't myself). Hopefully it'll get fixed soon. In the meantime, here's the direct link (http://www.dvxfest.com/mirror/west2010/entries/The_Damage_Done-Curugon.mov).

[Marlon Ladd]

Of course you guys' production value was bananas!! Everything here was top-notch and this is just a prime example of what a dvxuser collabo can do. I enjoyed the acting and cinematography. The location was stellar as well. I thought the action was pretty good, but there were a couple of places where I thought some added sound effects would have put it over the top. I'll go back and watch it again though.

I really felt like this was a scene from a real movie and the lead for some reason just totally reminded me of Christian Bale. There was one thing that confused me a little though, did the girl jump in front of the shot and get shot or what? I'll give it a second viewing and see if I can figure it out.

Excellent work guys and BTW - that ending shot into the setting sun - very nice. Good luck!

[Matt Harris]

oh gotcha, it's real world then. I thought you were going for a mystical vibe. cool!

[Brandon Rice]

The Damage Done

Technically flawless. It seemed you had more story to tell in 6 minutes. Some minor acting quibbles from your original baddie (bow tie guy) and the lady. Strong lead. The plot itself was very cliche and I wish I would have "felt" more for the emotional lead. Great work on the whole! Congrats to the entire team! Can't wait to see the full version.

[Mobie540]

Amazing short, the costuming was flawless. You set the bar high. Your thread made me make enter a short in this contest.

[ZazaCast]

This fest it tough....yet another excellent film! Everything about this is just top-notch as I knew it would be. Strong acting, score, camera work, sound design, etc.

Congratulations to all!

[Jordan_S]

My only two gripes with this otherwise fantastic entry are the wobbly music and the jump cut when it seemed the lady was going to catch a bullet but instead all four were fighting closely.

Beautifully shot.

[KOHR]

Very cool production. Pretty much can't find anything to critique-- I especially like the editing during your fight sequences, and the score. Of course the cinematography was top notch and the acting quite believable as well. Good job yall! :D

[Gary Sconce]

My only two gripes with this otherwise fantastic entry are the wobbly music and the jump cut when it seemed the lady was going to catch a bullet but instead all four were fighting closely.

Beautifully shot.

Ditto there. In the action sequence the bad deputy seems to teleport down to where the other bad guy was and then when the lady jumps to her right was she going to take the bullet for the protagonist or just push him out of the bullet's path? Either way she ends up in the next cut instantaneously standing up on the opposite side of him. If she pushed him she would still be to his left, and if she took the bullet she would have most likely been down, not up.

For realism, I needed the sheriff and deputy to be on horses. They would have been important people and would have not been off their horses in the chasing down of a bank robber who also would have been on a horse. At the end the female could have gotten on the deputy's or bow tie guy's horse as she made her get away.

These tiny flaws are small potatoes though as the RED images are sharp, the cinematography was wonderful, the shots framed beautifully and the story good. It was actually kind of a super hero film if you think about it.

You put out a magnificent film that was a joy to watch. Thanks. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[Marlon Ladd]

Okay, I was able to go back and watch and see where the sound was missing. It was at the part at then end where they're all fighting. The hero seems to hit the deputy in the face with the gun to knock him to the ground, but there's no sound of the gun hitting him in the face. It looked like a hit, but maybe it was intended to be a shove.

Anyway, again, excellent film!

[Troy Ruff]

Im at work right now, and I cant fully comment yet but for now.... wow.

[arroway]

I appreciated the lack of front titles/obnoxious production company spamming.

Best actors of the fest. Especially the lead. I liked how all of them had a differentiated look. Details like the grime on the one guy's teeth is the kind of thing I found missing from nearly every other entry.

The coloring, locations, costuming were all top notch. The costuming in particular is without equal (or even near-equal).

My only complaint is with how all the characters are suddenly compressed together immediately after the lady does...what exactly? Jumps in front of the bullet? I've re-watched that moment a few times and I still can't make heads or tails of it.

All in all, a fine looking film.

[Slone]

WOW! best movie, bar none, in this fest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
amazing that it was only six minutes!
GREAT JOB!!!:laugh:

[gaer42]

This was amazing. Loved every min of it... I can't wait to see what you have done with the full version because I can feel that there was much character development cut out.

The acting was top notch. The story was very good and the twist of having the hero not be able to feel pain but still be able to be hurt gave him an almost angelic appeal. Loved it. I did not see the twist of the deputy going rogue but still loved that.

I loved the opening with the Sherif, deputy and your hero standing looking off and discussing the villain. It reminded me of those movies where the hero has to track someone using his basic instincts (Last of the Mohicans).

I was wondering how you got it to look so good but I read you shot on the Red so that explains that... koodos...

Anyway you have my top vote man...

[Curugon]

Wow thanks everybody, I've passed along your kind words to the cast & crew. It means a lot to us.

We had to decide whether to try an outside-the-box take on the western, or sticking with the tried and true formula. In the end I felt it would be fun to tell a very straightforward story - definitely not groundbreaking in any way - but add the minor twist of the main character's condition. It was a blast playing cowboy, and being out in fairly rugged terrain with those costumes was an unexpected delight.

I really want to thank our cast, crew and everyone who helped make this one of the most enjoyable productions I've had the privilege being a part of.

Gary - yes the editing at that moment got severely truncated in the 6 minute version, causing the Deputy to "teleport" down to the action! Sorry if some of the choreography was confusing - hopefully it'll make more sense in the full version.

Agreed on the lack of horses. Unfortunately the location didn't allow them for filming. Ah well, maybe for the feature :)

Gaer - yes most of the stuff that was cut is character development and pacing. A lot of motivation/backstory had to be lost, especially for the lead, deputy and the "washed up loser." A few really choice traveling shots too, which I miss.

We all feel very honored to be a part of this fest, alongside such excellent entries.

[Rodney V. Smith]

Wow. Just wow. I'm stunned. That was some damn fine work there gentlemen, great take on the genre, beautifully filmed and your cast was flawless. Your props were awesome too although I had to stop and think for a minute about the money bags being so clean... but then I rememry.bered: in those times the bags would have been damn close to brand new, so that was a great touch of detail there. I loved your twist, the characters... it was great storytelling all around.

Flawless victory.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Excellent film all around. Extremely professional. Some minor sound issues and editing problems that were no doubt caused by having to cut so much out but that's all been mentioned. Especially during the fight/grapple scenes.

I would say it's the best of the Fest and well deserved. Kudos to the entire cast and crew on this one. Looking forward to the extended cut.

Cheers,

MAH

[kyle.presley]

Great job! I liked what I saw of it. Due to technical problems, I have no idea how it ends. Can't get a complete download and it won't stream... But what I saw looked great. Best of luck :-)

[alex whitmer]

Ten tries and I still can't watch this one. Zips failed as well. I'll keep trying.

[Kholi]

http://www.dvxfest.com/mirror/west2010/entries/The_Damage_Done-Curugon.mov

Try that if you can't watch it.

[Homunculus]

amazing film. i'm sure it will be the front runner for 1st place. a few questions, why did you use 7d and which shots were 7d in general? Or was it interspersed.
opening wide shots with characters and big open detailed sky, how did you get so much detail did you use filters like grad nd filters or polarizers or anything? thanks!

[Anthony Todaro]

Curugon, I'm Anthony. Howdy. Man this was great. Looked beautiful, the casting and acting was dead on. But I really liked the story too. Not always easy aligning all those stars. You certainly did it here. Congrats on an awesome short. Great work.

[Curugon]

why did you use 7d and which shots were 7d in general? Or was it interspersed. opening wide shots with characters and big open detailed sky, how did you get so much detail did you use filters like grad nd filters or polarizers or anything? thanks!

The 7D was brought in to shoot some inserts and pickups. Not very many - we were worried how it would match up to the Red, especially since we were using Lomo anamorphics. I think it's hard to spot at this size, but you can see more of the difference in 1080p. (hint: the end shot is 7D)

Kholi used a ton of NDs for the outdoor stuff. I'll let him explain more, but essentially we tried to get as much detail into each shot as possible and not blow out or underexpose. There were a few sky replacements done, but a lot of those skies are real.

Apologies again for anyone who can't view it. Try this mirror link (http://www.dvxfest.com/mirror/west2010/entries/The_Damage_Done-Curugon.mov), and if you still have issues let me know.

[Homunculus]

yes Kholi please give us the details on ND use.. and which shots had sky replacement I didn't notice.... the 7d shots seem obvious to me where, they didn't fit that well with Red but I mean to the untrained eye no audience member would ever tell the difference so it doesn't matter but the lattitude difference seems too great so to me I *THINK* I can tell when it's a 7d scene

[Kholi]

yes Kholi please give us the details on ND use.. and which shots had sky replacement I didn't notice.... the 7d shots seem obvious to me where, they didn't fit that well with Red but I mean to the untrained eye no audience member would ever tell the difference so it doesn't matter but the lattitude difference seems too great so to me I *THINK* I can tell when it's a 7d scene


7D was used for pickups. Wish I could've had a PL mount one for those but expenses, this was all done on a very very thin budget, so. Gotta bite the bullet!

The ones that you're guessing are 7D probably are.

On NDs, pretty much standard fair: I always stack the hell out of them. We were running a 1.5 and .6 or so for just about everything. Even with the 7D, I used screw on NDs and they were 9+6+3+Polarizer.

Although on the internet, it may be harder to tell which shots are 7D, on a large screen, to me, it's obvious but it's not really important. Or at least, not to normal audience members.

It served well for the purpose and it fits in where it should, used to its strengths.

I'm interested in which shots you think are 7D, though. Do tell!

[Brandon Rice]

Would have never know myself.

[Homunculus]

7D was used for pickups. Wish I could've had a PL mount one for those but expenses, this was all done on a very very thin budget, so. Gotta bite the bullet!

The ones that you're guessing are 7D probably are.

On NDs, pretty much standard fair: I always stack the hell out of them. We were running a 1.5 and .6 or so for just about everything. Even with the 7D, I used screw on NDs and they were 9+6+3+Polarizer.

Although on the internet, it may be harder to tell which shots are 7D, on a large screen, to me, it's obvious but it's not really important. Or at least, not to normal audience members.

It served well for the purpose and it fits in where it should, used to its strengths.

I'm interested in which shots you think are 7D, though. Do tell!

a lot of the walking stuff around 3:30 and after seems 7d and maybe some of that fight scene too if not all of it that follows. the ending shot too.

that shot of the money and his hand at around 0:26 might be 7d as well. and a lot of that end stuff especially last scene where color latitude always looks weak on these dslr's when they shoot the sun.
let's see if i got any of them right.

another question though. why were you using so much ND filters primarily was it to get shallower DoF so you can have the aperture open, or another purpose? and what do you use the polarizer for in this type of particular setup/environment?

thanks!

[Homunculus]

oh and why no mattebox with top flag for such sunny shooting just curious (judging by your BTS shots where i see only a lens hood type thing or just a mattebox without top flag) and why screw on filters if you DO have a mattebox and not glass tray ones? thanks!

[Matt Harris]

Kholi that's a lot of ND filters! Were you shooting wide open?

[jasonthewho]

Great film. Looked beautiful. Acted well. Great looks to the characters.

I'm looking forward to seeing the longer version, because I'd love to see more interaction between the lead and the girl, so that the final confrontation holds more emotion.

I figured the way you were going to go is that he takes an unbelievable amount of damage to save the girl (obviously aided by his inability to feel pain), and gives his life. But you gave him a reprieve. Which makes sense if this story was going to continue, but for the short film, I kinda wish you'd let him die.

Regardless great work, great attention to detail, gorgeous shots, congratulations!

[Chris_Keaton]

Real good movie! Great characters. I can't say much, but great job.

[Kholi]

oh and why no mattebox with top flag for such sunny shooting just curious (judging by your BTS shots where i see only a lens hood type thing or just a mattebox without top flag) and why screw on filters if you DO have a mattebox and not glass tray ones? thanks!

RED has a Mattebox for sure, had to have one for the NDs. Only used top flag.

7D no mattebox. Too much for a 7D.

I'll let people figure out the 7D material til votings over.

Matt - Near-to-wide open, which isn't good for Anamorphics. But, I liked the look and Sam and I agreed to try it out for this short. We stumbled upon the look on another project and really dug it when tailored properly.

Worked out well.

I also tend to use a lot of ND, anyway. And always ride with a polarizer.

Oh, Homunculus - Do you watch Fullmetal Alchemist?

I use a polarizer as much as possible, preferably a rota or circular, so that any yucky reflections or highlights get done away with. It also helps with overblown flat surfaces and, of course ,keeping skies lookin' like skies.

It used to be a conscious thing to make sure the sky didn't vanish, now it's unconscious.

[Homunculus]

RED has a Mattebox for sure, had to have one for the NDs. Only used top flag.

7D no mattebox. Too much for a 7D.

I'll let people figure out the 7D material til votings over.

Matt - Near-to-wide open, which isn't good for Anamorphics. But, I liked the look and Sam and I agreed to try it out for this short. We stumbled upon the look on another project and really dug it when tailored properly.

Worked out well.

I also tend to use a lot of ND, anyway. And always ride with a polarizer.

Oh, Homunculus - Do you watch Fullmetal Alchemist?

I use a polarizer as much as possible, preferably a rota or circular, so that any yucky reflections or highlights get done away with. It also helps with overblown flat surfaces and, of course ,keeping skies lookin' like skies.

It used to be a conscious thing to make sure the sky didn't vanish, now it's unconscious.

thanks for replies. you guys made an amazing film. any possibility of ya'll turning this itno a feature? I think the story is pretty original and unique, a cowboy protector that doesn't feel pain, sort of like Terminator 2 set in the west in the 1800's LoL! you should really consider it

[Kholi]

thanks for replies. you guys made an amazing film. any possibility of ya'll turning this itno a feature? I think the story is pretty original and unique, a cowboy protector that doesn't feel pain, sort of like Terminator 2 set in the west in the 1800's LoL! you should really consider it

Sam may be interested in turning it into a feature! I'd definitely enjoy shooting it just as much as I did this. =D He lets me shoot handheld, so I can get my Wall Pfister on. Hahaha

[Homunculus]

Sam may be interested in turning it into a feature! I'd definitely enjoy shooting it just as much as I did this. =D He lets me shoot handheld, so I can get my Wall Pfister on. Hahaha
cus the thing is I think a lot of people agreed your leads were pretty much the best in the festival, I think the christian bale look alike and the main woman can both lead a feature really well...they were pro and legit, not that the supporting cast wasn't, they were as good as they come as well. and I'm assuming it would make for a RELATIVELY low budget feature if it mostly takes place outdoors on the road similar to the short. if you can craft a compelling feature length story arc it would be awesome festival material. go for it dudes

[Troy Ruff]

props to you guys, this is a great film, it has great acting, great locations, and of course the red always looks amazing. I really like the pacing of the whole thing. I agree with the rest, the only thing I saw was when the girl jumps in front of the guy, and it broke out in to fight, and the lack of horses. It would have made this film great! with horses. Over all this did not disappoint I expected it to be amazing and it is. Great Job everyone involved. :)

[stinkpot]

Professional polish for sure. Great job from beginning to end!

[4100xpb]

This one is definitely in my top three. Great story, excellent execution. I was engrossed the whole way. I liked the fight scenes in this one, quick and harsh. The costumes were spectacular. You did a great job curugon, thanks for putting this in.

[Maximus]

A Texas Fortune is probably one of my favorite DVXfest films, so I certainly had high expectations.

A lot of good stuff, in particular the cinematography and music.

I found the story a little confusing. Until I read your comments, I thought the hero was some sort of immortal, like Highlander. The fact that he was stabbed repeatedly, appeared to collapse, then suddenly rose up, felt supernatural to me. That's how I interpreted the film on first viewing. Those knife wounds may not have hurt him, but they would surely have killed him.

The biggest problem, bizarre as it might sound, was lack of horses. I never realized it until this fest, how iconic the horse was to a western. The fact that all the cowboys walked around instead of rode, really was jarring. It definetely would have been worthwhile to find a location that allowed horses IMO.

Honestly, I prefer A Texas Fortune, but I still think you made a very good film and I'm sure this will come out on top. :beer:

[Nemesis TS]

Excellent short. The end was a bit abrupt to me, but I'm sure there is a longer version. I wish we could extend the times on these shorts so we could see the whole thing. Anyway loved it. Fight scene was the best I've seen here.

[Tim Joy]

WINNER.


I wanted to see more.

Great job. Firing on all cylinders.

[Chris_Keaton]

Oh, I forgot to mention the deal with the horses. If anyone in that day would be given an option of using a horse they would. I would've liked it better if there was just no mention of horses.

This is one of my top 3 flicks. A real great job!

[Matt Harris]

Definitely top 3, probably the winner and it would be well deserved.
DAMAGE oozes with production value and talent behind the camera,
props to the entire crew, and Curugon you really directed the hell out of it.

[Scott F]

Solid entry. Great leads. Professionalism all around on this one.

Watching it, I really felt like I was out there in the hot sun, even though I'm watching it on a tiny Quicktime window in a basement at night. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[Russell Moore]

Wow! Just really good all the way around. It looked great, the acting was some of the best in the fest. The direction was outstanding.

Good story and believable dialogue. Two small points, Strangling two other grown men at the same time, seemed to be a bit of a stretch.
The stabbing in the stomach, I know he can't feel pain and perhaps the blood loss would've been slow, but it certainly would've weakened him quite a bit.

That aside, this is definitely top three and one of my favorites.

[Scott F]

Strangling two other grown men at the same time, seemed to be a bit of a stretch.


That was my favorite part! There's badass, and then there's BADASS.

[REHov520]

this one looked like a hollywood movie all the way through. story wise it felt like you were really rushing to hit all your main plot points as fast as possible, i'm guessing this suffered a lot from the 6 minute limit. i really like the idea of the hero who cannot feel pain, though i would've preferred that he didn't explicity state his condition. would've been cooler if we somehow learned it on his own, like see him sticking his hand in a campfire and not react or something. i also would've liked to see more of how the dude's unique physical condition may have affected his personality. right now the condition is more of a cool superpower, and i think it could've been used more as a central theme of the entire movie. otherwise great job, you really sold the period setting well.

[Brian Parker]

Wow. Like many here have said, this is definite top 3. I thought it was pretty awesome and enjoyed it immensely. Not sure what else I can say that hasn't already been said. Great all around. Awesome work guys!

[alex whitmer]

Great film. Solid acting, location fits the story, authentic costuming. Love the cast.

And, a righteous cinematic success.

But ...

IMHO the hero's lines about 'not feelin' nothing' really came across as melodramitc and unneeded exposition. Kinda sapped the mystery out of the character. The actress could have made that point in fewer words, and then you really drive home the point in the stabbing scene - which was just so freakin' great.

Really enjoyed this one.

a

[Clint_Siu]

Gorgeous film! And without a doubt, the most interesting shot choices of any film in this fest. The first half felt a bit slow to me, but I loved the second half. Great job guys!

[Susanne G.]

This film feels like a feature and took really my attention. The actors were great and I love the score. For me this is one of the first three in the fest. Compliments

Susanne

[Curugon]

it felt like you were really rushing to hit all your main plot points as fast as possible

I agree with you - it wasn't very fun trying to squeeze all that into six minutes. One thing I definitely learned was that the Western genre really caters toward a slower pace. Even when cutting the "full" version, some people asked us to extend it even longer to accommodate the story and mood.


the hero's lines about 'not feelin' nothing' really came across as melodramitc and unneeded exposition

Makes sense - the script went through dozens of permutations on how to get that across. This was the version we liked best, but I agree there's probably a more efficient way of doing it.

Thanks for the comments and critiques everyone. There's some really good constructive stuff in this thread that I'll be keeping in mind the next time around. Also, I apologize for being absent the last few days - just got back from Comic-Con and feel like I could sleep for a month.

[xxrotinivol2]

Extremely professional. Beautiful. The action bit near the beginning with the guy getting his shirt torn open probably would've been better served with a CU, the MS made the action not believable. I have a ton of respect for your work after seeing this, so I really hope to see more in the future. This fricking rocked.

[hoz]

congrats on your film!
couple of quick points that i loved...
the look ! spot on. it felt.. dusty!
the acting ! everyone did a fantastic job, i especially thought the hostage taker hit a home run with his role. he was too cool, loved his eyes as they kinda rolled up after he got punched during the first battle. that said, everyone made their roles stand up and count.
the directing! the fight scenes really worked for me!
the music! wow! maybe even the best part of the film, that's how terrific i think your music is here. really sets the mood and tone.

well done!

[Blaine]

Congratulations on making it to the finals! I don't think it was ever in doubt, though. Well deserved!

[Matt Harris]

Congrats Curugon, this was awesome!

[Curugon]

Thank you guys - and to everyone for your votes. I can't wait to tell the cast & crew :)

Hoz - glad you liked the music. We were very lucky to get Lisbeth for this, and to work with live instruments.

[Richard J. Johnson]

Congrats! well deserved!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Never a doubt. Congrats!

[4100xpb]

Well done, and good luck in the finals

[Troy Ruff]

Ya we all knew this one would be top 6. Congrats man you deserve it.

[boomforreel]

The soundtrack on this stood out for me, espcially at the end. It added a lot of feeling. My feedback is that i would cut out the last shot of him walking away. I would like the last shot being the close up on his face where he tilts his head up and is lit by the sun. I think that would be a powerful last shot.

[Mobie540]

Congratulations!

[Curugon]

I would like the last shot being the close up on his face where he tilts his head up and is lit by the sun. I think that would be a powerful last shot.

Very interesting idea. I might try and see what that looks like.

Here's some rough BTS video, covering fight training, the shoot, and scoring the music. I doublechecked with Larry to make sure it was kosher to post this stuff - not a good time to get DQ'd. :-KnockedOut(D Big thanks to Jesse Soff and Jeff Dodson for helping with the BTS camera.

Hope you enjoy it.

13537994

13538846

13539410

13526808

[Captain]

WOW is about all I can say. this film is awsome. the only thing i could say about is pay attention to details. not everyone knows about angles and such but a viewer will watch for details. such as the cut in the back of the duster was low and to the center when you showd it on the actor it was high up on his right shoulder. little things like that. but dang i forgot it was only 6 minutes long. this was Awsome. really hope you make this in to a feature.

[Luis Buitrago]

NICE short! I enjoyed the whole 6 minutes of it.

I got a nice boost of inspiration for the lead character at the very end... I was actually hoping to see more of his journey back. It made me wonder of his outcome (whether he made it back or not).

Also, thanks for posting BTS video! Love those :)

Luis B.

[Mobie540]

Yes, BTS! I love that stuff.

[soffcore]

i still get a kick outa seeing a "campfire" in the middle of the kitchen. that was a fun shoot.

[kroko]

Great short. Loved the strings. Congrats

[totitefilms]

Very well made movie! I like it.

[Troy Ruff]

Really cool poster! Can't wait to see film!

Coleman go check out the film its a good one. :)

[randin]

Congrats! Well deserved!

[Troy Ruff]

Congrats guys, a well crafted film deserves a great reward. :) Have fun with your new cinevate DSLR rig. Its a nice one. Great job.

[Brandon Rice]

Hey guys excellent work and congrats on the placing!

[Jason Ramsey]

Congratulations!

[Curugon]

Wow. I'm still in shock here - gonna take a while for this to sink in. A big thank you to everyone for your votes, it means the world to me, the cast, and the crew. Thanks big time to dvxuser, zak, Larry, Jason, Brandon, and all the folks who make this the incredible fest it is.

A special thanks to the crazy bastard who decided on the western theme. For forcing us outside the box. I'm honored to be a part of these films.

And now, blessed sleep.

[Larry Rutledge]

Congrats on a well deserved win!! :thumbsup:

[soffcore]

thanks everyone - there were a lot of great films in this competition, and it was really a pleasure to be involved in this festival, and in this community in general.

can't wait to see what everyone comes up with for thrillfest!

[Rodney V. Smith]

Congrats dude. Solid entry. Just totaly awesome.

[Loganm187]

Amazing!

[4100xpb]

Congrats on the win!

[Kholi]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the compliments. Glad to finally have participated in great portion in a fest.

If anyone needs a DP and Camera Op for the next one, don't hesitate to contact me!

Also, the 10 minute version is on Vimeo as a Staff Pick and featured on the front pgae:

http://vimeo.com/13422656

Check it out!

Once again, thanks for the support.

[Curugon]

Damn, Kholi beat me to it.

edit: oh, by the by, we uploaded it to vimeo on july 17th, but kept view the setting "private" until today.

[Kholi]

Hahah! MY TURN TO BE EXCITED!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Sweet! Going to check it out now.

MAH

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Loved it! The extra time really helps the story grow. Especially in the early going.

Nice going, guys.

MAH

[Curugon]

Thanks Horrigan! So when can I expect to see the Hostile Destination feature? I'm waiting....

[Jason Ramsey]

A special thanks to the crazy bastard who decided on the western theme.

If i recall correctly, I think WESTfest was Hudson's idea... and you can thank Brandon for thrillFEST

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Thanks Horrigan! So when can I expect to see the Hostile Destination feature? I'm waiting....LOL!

I actually thought about doing that as my first Feature but I'm toying with a much simpler, completely different idea.

I do want to revisit this idea though.

MAH

[Curugon]

If i recall correctly, I think WESTfest was Hudson's idea... and you can thank Brandon for thrillFEST

That makes sense. Hudson is pretty much the reason I do anything.

[Brandon Rice]

Sam! Loved the extended cut! My wife and I just watched it!

Great work, much better with the extra stuff in there.

[Luis_]

Just got a chance to catch up watching the movies and I have to say,
WOW,
WOW,
and
WOW!
Just wanted to say, Loved every frame.
Thank you!