More frame grabs - "The Contract"

[taylormade]

A few more frame grabs from our short "The Contract".
This is the opening, shot in a desterted train station.

http://www.2pff.com/cgi-bin/more.cgi?76

http://www.2pff.com/cgi-bin/more.cgi?77

http://www.2pff.com/cgi-bin/more.cgi?78

As usual they look slightly darker than they do on the screen, why I can't say, but they're pretty close.
RT

[ScreechingHalt]

More exquisite work! Thanks for posting. I look forward to seeing the completed item some day!

Best regards,
ScreechingHalt Productions

[Guest]

Nice job!
Looks really good.
I heard from my buddy in Los Angeles. He is the casting director on Star Search. I told him I bought the DVX100. He went crazy. I guess they use it for b-roll behind the scenes stuff. One night they took the camera out and shot a group of cheerleaders doing their thing under a school night light (parking lot). The images were amazing. He said the light cast a green haze. It was almost impossible to tell it was not film. They passed the footage around the studio and it floored everyone. This camera is creating quite a buzz.
Peace,
Dave
great work!

[chaseter]

Hey taylormade,

First off I would like to compliment you on the images that I have already seen from 'The Contract'. It looks like you took the time and care to make do it correctly in the composition, framing, lighting, and coloring. I am definitely looking forward to seeing the final product...so let us know when we can see something. I would also say up front that I would be curious to see what your title sequence might be like. I do tons of after effects work and titling so I would love to help if I can.

I am curious what your setup is (no I am not asking for camera settings...) just if you are using the Panasonic Animorphic? Tiffen filters? if so what kind? what is your lighting setup? etc. I am curious becasue the quality is superb and I would love to apply some of the great techniques you have employed in my own shorts using the Panasonic.

Thanks and keep up the amazing work

chaseter

[Guest]

I just have to say that each and every grab you've shown from "The Contract" has been some of the best work I have seen done yet with the DVX.

I really love the look you guys have gone for and I can't wait to see the finished product.

Keep up the good work.

- Eric Polselli

[taylormade]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

These grabs are straight off the rough edit, no color correction or other effects added. They were shot standard 4/3 ratio, then masked in the NLE. I like this approach, I can do minor up and down adjustments if I missed the framing during the shoot - which, of course, I never do.

It's 24pA footage, shot with a four light Arri kit consisting of a 1000w Chimira, two 650s and a 300. I'd like to have more lighting, but i am currently borrowing lighting kits and have to make do with what I can beg. The terrific latitude of the DVX and the cinegamma's ability to "see" into shadows makes lighting much easier than with a conventional DV camera. No filters - I try to avoid them whenever possible as DV is pushing the aquisition limit as it is and I like razor sharp images. I do use them in outdoor shots, but not often in interior shooting. I have some Tiffen grads, a UV and a polarizer.

I own the camera and a nice Libec tripod. We did dollies on a homemade cart and PVC tracks. Mike was a Senniheiser shotgun run through a mixer and then directly into the camera. I recorded on both tracks (into 2, with one assigned to 2) and lowered the volume on one track in case of peaks - don't overdrive digital!

Editing is on a Blade2 system which will have to do until I have my Avid Pro setup - if and when they ever release it!

Getting this stuff was a challenge with the limited lighting and crew - my wife, daughter and the lead actor's son. It was shot in a deserted train station and on the sixth floor of a huge warehouse in 95 degree heat, no air. We shot six pages of dialogue and action in one 10 hour session in the warehouse and the rest - two pages - in the train station.

It's all cut together and a very talented musician has the rough cut and is writng the music as we speak. The sound was so good I'm doing very little foley and sound effects work. Just a lonely train whistle in the distance and some far off sirens during the warehouse sequence. Even the gunshots sound great.

Titles are very simple, just "The Contract" over the seats in the station before the actor sits down and then over black at the end. I'm not of the "A Film By Richard Taylor" school of titling - since everyone on the project worked as hard or harder than I did - I just get into the action as quickly as possible and if they are still interested they'll probably read the credits at the end. Still, if you have any ideas I'm always open to suggestions.
RT

[lejockey]

when you are finished with the entire project, are you planning on posting it somewhere on the internet? i'm sure most of us would really like to see the finished product.

[taylormade]

This is always a tough call. Once a film has been on the net, most festivals and competitions will not allow you to enter. Naturally, I want to reach as wide an audience as possible and the net is a great place to do it, but I'll probably check out festivals and possible buyers before going that route. I've had some luck in the past selling shorts and I'll be interested to see the reaction to a DV project instead of the film I've always used before.
The fact that you're interested enough to want to see it is a real compliment by the way.
RT

[ScreechingHalt]

I completely understand! I wish you all the best with your efforts at the festivals. If the dialog and acting are up to the same standards as the photography, we will see you in Hollywood!

Best regards,
ScreechingHalt Productions

[Zoomforce]

yes.. remember DVD sales are now starting to overtake Box Office sales :)

[taylormade]

Right Zoom,
I really think this is the future of short films. Wouldn't it be great to sell compilations of shorts, maybe one every two months, almost like a literary magazine? Today's technologies make it possible for talented -and untalented - people to produce shorts at very low cost. Back in the bad old days of film it took a small fortune to put together a short film, even when I had access to cameras and other equipment. I'm working on two films (tapes) now and plan to start shooting a third next month. One is DV the other 24P Hi-Def. It's a great new world out there, let's all enjoy it.
RT

[Zoomforce]

yes there are a few series like you said out there already, and skateboard and snowboard production companies have been putting out monthly DVD's (411magazine) for quite awhile.

Just gotta figure out how to get them on Amazon.com and your set :)

[ponder8n]

Great work! *

Can you tell me, Taylormade, about how you handled the exposure? *Did you auto-iris it, or set it manually? *Did you use zebra at all to determine what parts were blown out?

The shots are generally darker shots, and I was curious how you hanlded the exposure.

Thanks,
Russell

[Guest]

I used the auto exposure to get close, then set everything manually. Never shoot in autoexposure - in this case it would have started to "hunt' as the actors moved around the dark background. I shot everything based on a pro monitor set very carefully to the camera's colorbars. This also allows for more accurate framing as the DVX shows video safe rather than the full image on the viewfinders.

Since the lighting was constant - same room, same three actors, same look - the exposure generally stayed the same. I occasionally dropped down a stop in the long shots to bring out the rather dark backgrounds. Most everything was shot at f3.4.

This camera really ""sees into shadows. The images are very easy to manipulate in post, but these grabs are straight out of the camera with no color correction or exposure changes.
RT

[Zoomforce]

default Master Ped as well? those shots are tasty.

[taylormade]

Default setting (-5) for master ped in 24pA, Zoom. glad you liked them.
RT

[ponder8n]

Can I also ask why you went with 24pA instead of 24p? Are you planning to master to film?

I shot some test footage this weekend using 24pA and the playback on an NTSC monitor is noticeably jerky. So, I went back and re-shot it at 24p, and it was nice.

Just curious.

Thanks,
Russell

[Zoomforce]

These frame grabs are the winner of the July contest BTW. :)

[taylormade]

Ponder,
Sorry this reply took so long - I was on vacation in Michigan, no phone, no computer. This piece doesn't contain a great deal of fast camera movement or action sequences. I found the 24pA looked fine and no one who has viewed the short to this point has mentioned seeing any unusual jerkiness. Most people asked where I'd had the transfer from film to tape done, a compliment if there ever was one. Shooting this way does give me the option of going to film a bit more easily, I must admit, but I always figured it would remain on tape or DVD for the forseeable future.
RT

[Guest]

I would like to know the setings you have used in camera to get those images

[taylormade]

Omar,
If you read this and my other post on site (Frame Grabs and More Frame Grabs from "The Contract") you'll get about all the information I can give about settings, lights and related details. If that doesn't cover it, let me know what's missing.
RT