Trickle

[ASchear]

Trickle

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/4886/tricklepostersmall.png

Written by Anthony Todaro
Directed by Ryan Davenport
Produced by Andrew Schear

Actors:

Van - Martim Lucerna
Shannon - Tiffany Nunez
Katie - Valerie Castaneda
The Villain - Jorge Chediak

Shoot dates:

6/12 - 1 PM to 3 PM - Wrapped
6/13 - 1 PM to 8 PM - Wrapped
6/14 - 10 AM to 1 PM - Wrapped
6/15 - 8 PM to 10 PM - Wrapped

Logline: A man races against the clock to save his family.

Filming on a DVX100b with FD primes. How many people are shooting on a DVX for DVXFest?

[ASchear]

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/7569/tricklescreen1.jpg

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/5349/tricklescreen2.jpg

[ASchear]

Behind the scenes of Trickle. Enjoy getting to know us! Ryan is the big guy in the white shirt on the first day, I'm reppin the Firefox shirt. My good friend Nathalie was behind the behind the scenes camera. She came for a few brief, but helpful, stints to help out with sound. The girl in the green shirt is my girlfriend, Michelle, who did a wonderful job on boom and on lunch. And on lending us her apartment.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGjJ7b80GI0

[Hawk Teflon]

Awesome man! Sounds great!

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

This is going to be good! Best of luck in the fest.

[Chris Messineo]

Welcome to the fest!


Filming on a DVX100b with FD primes. How many people are shooting on a DVX for DVXFest?

I miss my DVX camera - so many good memories.

[Chris_Keaton]

This will be great! I can't wait to see it!

[Anthony Todaro]

Thanks to Andrew, Ryan, cast and crew for taking this sucker on! Excited to see it come to life.

[ASchear]

Shooting for Trickle is WRAPPED!

[MrFluffy]

Great News, well done.

[Chris Messineo]

Shooting for Trickle is WRAPPED!

Awesome. Now bring on some stills.

[ASchear]

Adding a couple of screengrabs to the second post!

[Chris Messineo]

Cool images. The DVX always had that great Panasonic "mojo".

[ZazaCast]

I still have my DVX100b and the red rock M2... just a beautiful look.
Welcome to the fest and I'm looking forward to the film.

[ASchear]

Having trouble with MC5 not interpreting my footage correctly. I didn't think this was a problem until I realized I would be stuck with my 20:1 transcoded files when exporting and unable to relink via AMA because it has to 'convert' the files when transcoding. Tried a few options, found that Vegas 9 interprets all the footage the correct way. Restarting my edit in Vegas 9 since I'm too constrained on time to recapture footage at this point. Argh tape workflow! Luckily, I wasn't so far into the edit. Unluckily, it's gonna be close! But it'll be done. And the HMC150 moves to the top of my shopping list.

I'm actually really liking Vegas still after having experience on what I'd consider the 4 major NLE's. And I'm using a completely Adobe workflow at an internship right now, it's actually REALLY awesome with dynamic link. Avid and Final Cut alternatives are not too shabby.

[ZazaCast]

Having trouble with MC5 not interpreting my footage correctly. I didn't think this was a problem until I realized I would be stuck with my 20:1 transcoded files when exporting and unable to relink via AMA because it has to 'convert' the files when transcoding. Tried a few options, found that Vegas 9 interprets all the footage the correct way. Restarting my edit in Vegas 9 since I'm too constrained on time to recapture footage at this point. Argh tape workflow! Luckily, I wasn't so far into the edit. Unluckily, it's gonna be close! But it'll be done. And the HMC150 moves to the top of my shopping list.

I'm actually really liking Vegas still after having experience on what I'd consider the 4 major NLE's. And I'm using a completely Adobe workflow at an internship right now, it's actually REALLY awesome with dynamic link. Avid and Final Cut alternatives are not too shabby.

I moved to Vegas a few years ago when I went with the HMC150 (and now...added an AF100) and a AVCHD workflow. Used to work in PP and FCP, but once I jumped into Vegas I could edit twice as quickly and could do anything I needed to do...easily. I can now shoot, pop the card in the computer, copy the files, drag them on the timeline and start editing in native AVCHD...no problem!

I think people deciding to stick with FCPX will start to realize what they've been missing all these years in Vegas....it's a very powerful NLE.

You have me thinking I have to blow the dust off the old DVX100b for one of these fests in the future.....

[ASchear]

Glad I'm not the only one that loves how quickly one can edit in Vegas! ;)

[Chris Messineo]

Having trouble with MC5 not interpreting my footage correctly. I didn't think this was a problem until I realized I would be stuck with my 20:1 transcoded files when exporting and unable to relink via AMA because it has to 'convert' the files when transcoding. Tried a few options, found that Vegas 9 interprets all the footage the correct way. Restarting my edit in Vegas 9 since I'm too constrained on time to recapture footage at this point. Argh tape workflow! Luckily, I wasn't so far into the edit. Unluckily, it's gonna be close! But it'll be done. And the HMC150 moves to the top of my shopping list.

I don't think I understood most of that, but I'm glad to hear you'll still be done on time. :)

Best of luck with the edit.

[ASchear]

Added poster - what's up with the new adding images? It sucks!

[Chris Messineo]

Great poster, I like the way you combined multiple images with the title.

[KhamIsk]

Is this movie based on "The Melt" by Anthony? The poster makes me think it is but the title is different...

[Anthony Todaro]

Love the poster guys. Lots of style and intrigue.

@KhamIsk - Good memory... They aren't related. This is a different story.
I wish someone would make THE MELT but I think it's to expensive to do it justice.

I got your stuff BTW. Give me a few days. I'm working on a bunch of writing projects at the moment, but I'll get to it. ;p

[KhamIsk]

Then don't read the one pager. I rewrote it. But read the other one please.

Can't wait to see the movie then! Although watching the Melt would be as much fun.
To the producer - good luck with the movie. The poster looks very good.

[Anthony Todaro]

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/6724/tumblrlnnxtk9fli1qm0kv4.png

[ASchear]

Added behind the scenes to post 3!

[Chris Messineo]

Great BTS! I'm so psyched that someone is still rocking the DVX camera. That DIY lens adapter is funky. I can't wait to see the final look of the film.

[ZazaCast]

Nice... love to see the dvx in action...and that DIY adapter, how cool is that. (it does have a bit of volume to it...is that baby turbo-charged? :) )
Looking forward to the film.

[ASchear]

Zaza, I was so worried when building that thing about it not being structurally sound enough. What I ended up with was a monster! I wish 35mm adapters were still a big deal; I could totally refine my design and manufacture it, and if you listened at the end of the behind the scenes video, I'd have a huuuuge profit margin!

I'm working on the fine cut now, and I'll be getting the picture finished tomorrow and working sound and color until I submit. The good news is the rough cut came out to 5:43! And that's with clips that need ends trimmed too. No worries on the time constraint!

[ASchear]

Picture is locked at 5 minutes and 10 seconds. The more I trim the better it seems to get! Saying bye bye to all those shots that just aren't perfect.

The best advice I ever got in college was never shoot a single frame that you wouldn't blow up and hang on your wall. I still shoot those because I'm not THAT good yet, but when I edit, they don't make the cut ;p

[taylormade]

Looks great. Terrific BTS.

[MrFluffy]

Love you BTS. Cool.

[ASchear]

5:02 AM EST....I think audio is good to go. Already e-mailed my boss about being late in the morning. These past 10 hours flew by.

[ASchear]

Compared to sound design,
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/462206/690352.jpg

[Anthony Todaro]

"I'd like to thank all the 'little people', The Smurfs, Webster, that little motherfuqr from Willow and Tom Cruise for making this all possible." - Dakota Fanning

You must avoid all temptation to toilet paper Casey Anthony's house. It will be hard, but use the FORCE. I'm 'willing' you good vibes.... ohm....ohm....ohm

[Matt Harris]

Really nice poster, not sure how you got Joe Jonas in your movie though?

[Anthony Todaro]

Can't you see? They tied his ass up... :thumbsup: Gracias amigo.

[Hawk Teflon]

SPOILER REVIEW:
You. Freaking. Got. Me. I did NOT see the ipod / speakers thing coming. That was freaking nice! When I saw the reveal, I was like, "Ah maaaan. Dang."

There were a couple continuity errors (placement of the bandana around the guys mouth), but that's pretty minimal. I also didn't understand who that guy was on the bench at the end. I mean, he's the one that did it, but who was he? Why was he doing that to them? And why was their daughter (I'm assuming that was their daughter) happy to see him? Maybe explaining a little further into that would have helped me understand.

Overall, very solid entry. I really liked it a lot.

[Matt Harris]

OK i know i'm not suppose to piggy back someone else's review, but i agree with Hawk. The twist was great, totally nailed me. The image quality is not too bad for a classic dvx, you are single handedly keeping dvxuser legit!

I too did not quite understand the ending, so please throw us an explanation (I think I have it figure out). The rest of it was pretty cool, and i thought the leads were good.
I'm sure you had to use the shot of him with the gag in his mouth as it was probably the best take, despite the inconsistency of the shot. I've been there many a time. Otherwise, a good short film. Like i said, you really won me over with the twist. Good work.

[taylormade]

Liked the DVX look - kind of retro. Some interesting twists and turns in this story. Nice job.

I have to agree with some of the comments above. Nice twist when he went into the bathroom and discovered his wife/girlfriend wasn’t really there, but the bit on the bed seemed weak. The guy saying not to worry he was going to start yelling seemed funny, not dramatic, and his escape was confusing. My wife’s comment was, “where did he get the key?” I get that the villain wanted him to escape so he could carry out the switch, but why would the guy kill himself? If he was a cop it seems like he’d want to find the guy who just offed his wife, not shoot himself in the head.
The guy on the bench was obviously the villain, but the bit with the girl confused me, too. Wasn’t she on the wall in one of the pixs? I figured she was already dead, or was that a flashback?

[ASchear]

Thanks for the great reviews guys - I really do appreciate it and it's mainly why I'm participating. Not often that you get people to watch and personally review your work.

Hats off to Anthony for the twist, that was all him. And us on the execution! It was a focal point on how to pull it off perfectly. It's typical of all my story elements not to come across, it's probably my biggest obstacle I've faced as a filmmaker. I did an assignment at school using only a series of photographs to tell a story. Mine was about a lone tourist trying to get a local to take a photo of him in a city (since he was alone and couldn't take a picture of himself). Only one person out of about 15 film professors understood the story, and I got responses reaching as far as one guy trying to sell the other guy a camera. Anyway. To answer some of your questions:

On continuity - I've been taught, and will always abide by Walter Murch. Emotion before anything else. So the takes you saw were the ones that (first, looked good, myself being a DP :p) caught the right emotion. In reality, if a shot came up that didn't look good and didn't make the audience feel the right (or most right) emotion, I try to find a way to cut the shot. I feel that if you can grasp the audience so strongly with emotion they ignore continuity errors, you're golden. That's what I strive for, so I kind of ignore continuity to an extent when I'm editing (like his lack of a badge and gag in the bathroom! Ha!).

The script really left the villain ambiguous. So it's up to the viewer to piece all of it together. However, we did work within the confines of an explanation; the villain was put away by the cop, hence the mugshot photo on the door, and was enacting his revenge against him. The villain kidnapped their daughter, who didn't understand, and adopted the villain as a caretaker.

Our lead actor had the key around his neck on a string. He can be seen reaching for it awkwardly in one of the shots, but we probably should've had a close up of it. There was kind of one, but it was just a really ugly shot and his action was awkward. He killed himself in the bathroom because he himself was dying, poisoned by the villain. When he first sits in the bathroom he coughs blood, then he stands and blood drips down his nose, and finally the photo of him being stabbed with a syringe, presumably poison. Again, we probably were just missing close ups to make that all clear. Had one of the bloody nose, but again, it was a really ugly shot and didn't fit in anywhere. It also went way further in the script than we went, blood coming from eyes, etc. Come to think of it, a tear of blood might've been more effective than the nosebleed. Anyway.

Hope that clears it all up. I'm really glad you guys all seemed to enjoy the film. Thanks so much for watching it and taking the time to review it.

[Anthony Todaro]

Thanks for the reviews everyone. I'm glad the twist got most of you!
I thought I'd post the script for anyone who wants to read it.
It's a quickie and might answer some of the questions I'm seeing.

http://www.todarocreative.com/TRICKLE_AJTODARO.pdf (http://www.todarocreative.com/TRICKLE_AJTODARO.pdf)

[MrFluffy]

This was very well made, but I'm afraid the story lost me at the end.
I've just read your explination, and I'm afraid that all of that missed me. Maybe if you had held on the photos on the wall longer it would have helped as I didnt take in what they were really about in the time given.

I really liked the twist. Well done.

[greymog]

There's movies to watch soon! I haven't seen this many userfilms on newposts page sunday morning since i joined. This is a good sunday

[taylormade]

It's never a good sign when you have to explain your film to a confused audience, but the whole reason these fests take place is to find out what works and what doesn’t. The fact that you made the film and put it out for all the world to see is the main point. Next time around you’ll remember what worked and what didn’t – and discover new problems to deal with.

[Matt Harris]

Oh this was another Todaro script, very cool, well done.

[ASchear]

It's never a good sign when you have to explain your film to a confused audience, but the whole reason these fests take place is to find out what works and what doesn’t. The fact that you made the film and put it out for all the world to see is the main point. Next time around you’ll remember what worked and what didn’t – and discover new problems to deal with.

taylor, what are some suggestions you have for how I could've avoided these problems this time, as well as for next time?

[taylormade]

One of the toughest problems you already mentioned - trying to chose between performances and shots. In the end you have to take the time to get both. If it means simplifying your shots or going with a little less coverage, you may have to make that sacrifice. Remember, it's not just the dialogue that carries the film, it's the visuals. They have to be as strong, if not stronger than the actor's words.

Anthony won't like this, but you probably could have dropped some of the lead actor's lines on the bed. The sounds from the bathroom, the shots of the woman struggling said it all. We already knew he wanted to escape and why. That way you could have concentrated more on the details of his escape and made things clearer. The only real problem I had with this script is the line where the cop/husband tells his wife that the villian took their daughter. It seems like the last thing this guy would tell her considering the situation. I would have gone back to Anthony to see if you could work out a little more logical - and visual - way of indicating the daughter was gone.

I think you failed in places to think the scene through - to look at it from an editor's point of view. Am I getting the pieces I need to put this together and are those pieces working visually for me? Will this fit together and make sense in the end. You're telling a story. Anthony has written an outline for you. As a director it's your job to tell his story visually. I think if you concentrate more on what's going to end up on the screen and how your shots flow, and less on just performances, your next film will improve greatly.

[Dustin R. Rogan]

I'll have to go back and watch...did he snap his wrist to get out of the cuffs?...and if memory serves me correctly it was his left wrist...but then he had his right hand free when he came to the front shot of him...i was confused.


Anthony good script, guys in the park with stuffed animals need to be punched in the throat!

Rogan

[ASchear]

Thanks taylor, I'll remember at least some of that, it's all good advice. You guys are starting to pick out continuity errors that I didn't even catch editing! Jeez, my director was really sloppy.

[Nemesis TS]

Good job man. I thought the story needed a little more work. I couldn't connect all the dots until I read the thread. It would have been better if the bathroom the guy goes into had a tub and not a shower only. Not sure that was an option, I know how tough getting locations can be. But, you could have used the same bathroom and with camera angles or different decor made it look different. This story may have been too ambitious for the time allotted. Yet you went for it and thats cool. Keep up the good work.

[ZazaCast]

Really good effort, but like others, I had to watch this a few times...and get the script before it all clicked for me. I didn't even notice the needle in the neck in that picture, so that explained a lot.
You could have really used a bit more light when shooting this as the adapter requires more for a better image. Continuity is key...I know you were looking for emotion, but you really do need both. That stuff jumps out to fellow filmmakers. Remember, we're all under a microscope in DVX fests...we are getting critiques from filmmakers of all levels...which makes this place unique and all of us better. Keep making films, taking the time to explore the script, storyboard it out, rehearse your actors, get the shots right, edit & re-edit to make the best film you can. You'll see...each one will get better.

Congratulations to the cast & crew....I look forward to your next film!

[ASchear]

I totally agree, and I'm not sure I came across correctly when speaking on continuity. I meant more of the stuff like the gag being on his chin versus around his neck kind of continuity; if the take on his chin was better emotionally, you have to choose that one over the bad take with the continuity matching. The stuff like the wrong hand coming out of the handcuffs is totally inexcusable and shouldn't have been there. Same with the lack of gag and badge in the bathroom. I should really keep an eye on that type of stuff, but when working with the adapter and monitoring sound, it's too much of a challenge. Personally I think the director should've caught it and I blame him. ;) Plus it's easy to blame directors.

I'm really still perfecting the adapter too. Right now we need so much light for it to work that I'm shooting everything with the DVX and lens apertures all open all the time with a f/1.8 50mm. If I shoot on any other lens I have to usually brighten it up later, and adjusting the contrast gives a really harsh vignette. I recently discovered variable framerate on the DVX, and could've really used that extra stop of light on my last couple shoots with the adapter. :( Reading the instructions ftw! I think the big problem is my ground glass is very opaque and gray toned when it should be colorless. On the bright side, all the audio issues from my last film were fixed by using the right microphone this time! I've heard that the HMC150 does better with less light than the DVX and HVX. If that's true, I'm excited to get it for that reason as well. Pairing that with the adapter is going to be like shooting on 35mm film!

[AJ Brooks]

I really enjoyed the concept in this one. Let's you into the mind of the villain.

Bravo.

[Mobie540]

Mwahaha, open the door, trick! Or should I say trick-le! I actually liked the look of this. Some of the edits need to be tightened up here and there. I understood it throughout so that was good.

My one wish was I was hoping the cop/father would've been yelling and had more of a sense of urgency. I think that would've amped up the anticipation to save the girl.

Solid entry, good job!

[ASchear]

Thank you Mobile and AJ!

[Cory Braun]

Hey Andrew, great work. I LOVE the look of the DVX100. No other Panasonic cameras have been able to capture the same look as the DVX100 in my opinion. If it wasn't for the tape workflow, I would have never sold mine. I'll watch it again when I get a chance and give you some more in depth feedback.

[Chris_Keaton]

Ok, I'm not a tech guy and may get skewered here, but I didn't like the look at all. Maybe everyone is nostalgic for those pre-hd days, but I'm not. It works fine for a short, but when I see a feature look like that it pisses me off. I mean you are putting time and effort in to make a great story, but you film with ancient technology, ugh. End my rant against antiquated technology. :)

The continuity flaws just kick me out of the story. I had read the script and it seems pretty true to it. I think the juicy bit of this one is how the villain tricks the guy and basically kicks his hope in the nuts, but for some reason it was easier to see it when I read the script than it was in the film? I'll leave it to the other directors to point out why. All that being said, it was overall a good job.

[ashpatel]

Great BTS. Nice to see the equipment and all of the location. Nice poster. At first I thought it said TRIKCLE, then I went back and re-read it.

[Marlon Ladd]

I was also confused on the story, but I did think the setup for everything was pretty good. Looks like you really put some time in getting it all setup to be believable (and that's important). I thought the tied up legs in the bathroom was pretty cool. I was very confused at the end as well, but as others have said, that's why we enter the fests to find out what works. You had some cool cinematography in here as well. Good job and thanks for entering.

[Charli]

The story, well, trickled... but did it trickle well? Uh...


No, it did not. Yes, continuity is an issue when it stands out so much that we can all see it. There are small mistakes in movies that I catch that my family doesn't because I'm just aware. With this flick, you don't have to be aware to see it's issues, there were too many.

I agree that when you have to explain your story, it falls short in the film itself because the storytelling should all be within the film itself (which is why I don't like "supers" or "voice overs"). The TWIST was you only solid hit here.

But here is the thing. That's a cinder block she was tied to. Logically, she could have moved the block with her hands and placed it under her head. That would have kept her above water. You have to think of every contingency. I did not "buy" into his plight or into his emotion.

This short is Wednesday's child, it has far to go.

[Charli]

The story, well, trickled... but did it trickle well? Uh...<br><br><br>No, it did not. Yes, continuity is an issue when it stands out so much that we can all see it. There are small mistakes in movies that I catch that my family doesn't because I'm just aware. With this flick, you don't have to be aware to see its issues, there were too many.<br><br>I agree that when you have to explain your story, it falls short in the film itself because the storytelling should all be within the film itself (which is why I don't like "supers" or "voice overs"). The TWIST was you only solid hit here.<br><br>But here is the thing. That's a cinder block she was tied to...logically, she could have moved the block with her hands and placed it under her head. That would have kept her above water. You have to think of every contingency. I did not "buy" into his plight or into his emotion.<br><br>This short is Wednesday's child, it has far to go.<br><br>

[SuperEgo Saxton]

I thought the camera gave a really gorgeous old film look :) however the story didn't suit me, everything ended a little too abruptly. I was just like, 'what?'

It also felt a little thin, I can't put my finger on it.

These are little nitpicks however, and this short happens to be one of my faves :)

[pauly_the_hitman]

I didn't really care much for the film. i am sorry but I wanted a lot more from it. But hey you got one finished.

[Anthony Todaro]

Thanks for all the crits reviews, opinions, hot air and love. All is much appreciated by me. Thanks for playing all that did.