"We Are Not Alone" - Reyo-San Pictures

[Kaz]

Hello DVXers...

Comments and criticizms welcome.

-------------------------------------------------------

W e A r e N o t A l o n e - an allegory.


http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/wana.jpg






Credits:


Writing/Direction/Editing/Music/Lighting/Sound & Visual Effects:
------------
Brian Kaz


Produced by:
-----------------------------------------
Charlie Farve Hayes & Blake Balu


Starring:
---------------------------------
Blake Balu & Ashley Ricord









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[J.R. Hudson]

I'll post an official review at a later time but after watching about 15 or so films; this is the first one that is a stand out.

I loved it. Bravo.

[Kaz]

Thank you!
But man, after just seeing Macgregor's beautifully shot Similo, my confidence is going bye-bye...

[macgregor]

I think we have a winner here.

Without being technically perfect, i enjoyed it more than Spielberg´s film.

[J.R. Hudson]

I agree; this film really set a nice vibe from the get-go and held it. Definately set the mood for me.

[FabioRafael]

Far the best CGI I saw up to now. The only thing I could say about the movie is that is was too "War of the Worlds", but I liked the movie.

[MojoTrancer]

Excellet effects. You had me from the start to the finish. Excellent job.

[spidey]

highest ranked film i seen yet.

[Kaz]

Yeah, under normal circumstances I would have tried to come up with something as original as possible but the devastation here in N.O. was too hard to pass up for "instant production value".

And of course, it's supposed to be an allergory to our hurricane experience.

[Shaun Patrick]

a question...

why did you make the decision to have the camera go out of focus when it pans up to the alien spacecraft?

While the CG work/visual style is very good/professional throughout, this kind of self-reflexivity isn't present anywhere else in the film. I guess it just took me out of the film for a second.

Overall though, your piece is very strong. It has a clear idea and concept that is well executed--something that is clearly absent in the entries that I've watched so far. Awesome job.

[David Jimerson]

Great taking advantage of your location, that's for sure.

[Kaz]

a question...

why did you make the decision to have the camera go out of focus when it pans up to the alien spacecraft? While the CG work/visual style is very good/professional throughout, this kind of self-reflexivity isn't present anywhere else in the film. I guess it just took me out of the film for a second.


It's unfortunate it had that effect on you. The shot was always conceived to pan up, then zoom in so that the character's face is filling the frame when I come back down. I decided later to let it go out of focus to match what would most likely happen for real.

Basically, I was trying for two things: realism and a way to not show so much of a CGI effect in daylight as I am still learning the subtleties of effects compositing and didn't want it to come across TOO fake.

Thanks for the comments, guys!

[Shaun Patrick]

It's unfortunate it had that effect on you. The shot was always conceived to pan up, then zoom in so that the character's face is filling the frame when I come back down. I decided later to let it go out of focus to match what would most likely happen for real.

Basically, I was trying for two things: realism and a way to not show so much of a CGI effect in daylight as I am still learning the subteties of effects compositing and didn't want it to come across TOO fake.

Thanks for the comments, guys!

It's not like it had an overly negative effect on me but the camera going out of focus just implies a camera operator/distinctive POV instead it just being an omniscient camera like in the rest of film. It breaks down the fourth wall briefly and since it's only done once, that's why I was slightly confused.

Again, it's not a negative criticism, I just was curious to hear why you did what you did.

[FabioRafael]

Did you guys used a tracking software for the CGI scenes? What softwares were used?

[Blaine]

Kaz,
I'm going to echo Shaun about the out of focus thing. It set me back a moment. I loved the production value you pulled from N.O. I didn't realize that's where it was at first and kept wondering where you were finding the locations. At the end it became clear. Really nice job. I liked it a lot.

[BrianV]

Personally... I liked the out of focus thing.

*shrug* but that's just me :)

[Brandon Rice]

Great film Kaz. I will need to watch again to give a fuller review, but the CGI was gorgeous, and the pace was good. I felt the story was a bit weak. Seemed very unoriginal. I did feel like I was watching WOTW, but with some better cinematography ;) props dude, it was a good film!

[Kaz]

I used 3DS MAX for CGI & Vegas for compositing.
That's it. No tracking software.


I've heard both sides of the fence on the 'out of focus thing' but it just comes down to my gut feeling: When I see that shot without it, I want it back in. Just one of those things, I guess!

[Kaz]

Briceman, thanks alot for the comments. The story is what it is: An allegory. I wanted a dedication. Take away any reference to aliens and he could be talking about the hurricane that devastated my flawed but great city. I simply did the best I could following a route I knew had been done before.

[Brandon Rice]

Briceman, thanks alot for the comments. The story is what it is: An allegory. I wanted a dedication. Take away any reference to aliens and he could be talking about the hurricane that devastated my flawed but great city. I simply did the best I could following a route I knew had been done before.

Hey man, way to go, and I honestly thought for the story you had, you did a darn good job with it! :)

[Barry_S]

Kaz--Jarred and I have decided to leave your DVD version up because the no credits version accidentally got trashed in the rush. I can't see that it significantly alters anything, so I hope no one has a major issue with our decision.

[Filmjunkie677]

Kaz,

Fantastic, it felt very professional and felt like a "real" film.
Props on the production value and the CGI.
I loved the shot of the girl's body laying on the ground. Very creepy.

The whole tone is kept consistent throughout. The end of the world and the survivors banding together to overthrow them type scenario, almost like a Romero zombie film.

Kudos and keep it up. High marks from me!

[Kaz]

Kaz--Jarred and I have decided to leave your DVD version up because the no credits version accidentally got trashed in the rush. I can't see that it significantly alters anything, so I hope no one has a major issue with our decision.


Okay..... I hope not.

[spidey]

so how long is the short verison?

[Kaz]

Cool! Much appreciated, Filmjunkie!
My mom still wishes I would have made the girl die before the aliens gets her. Heh.

EDIT: Sorry, you meant the dead girl on the stairs!

[Kaz]

so how long is the short verison?


The short version is exactly 6 minutes. No credits, just black at the end. I have three insignificant shots taken out, the rest is just a faster transition time from present to flashback.

[Norm Sanders]

Kaz, I was amazed at some of the production value you pulled off with this. Some great shots. Was this with the HVX or DVX? The charred cop car in the beginning was great as well, which I'm assuming you composted in.

Also, nice to hear you used Vegas for compositing/editing. It's what I use, and I'm always inspired to see what people can pull off with it.

The opening, to me, is by far the best in the whole film. While the story is solid, and is in some respects a compressed first act of a feature film (what ours is as well, I believe), there were a few spots that pulled me out of the experience.

First, was what others have mentioned already; the rack focus on the spaceship overhead. It had a documentary/war camera feel to it, which none of the rest of it had ... so I found myself saying, who's the camera man that's in this scene, as it was that POV feel that threw me.

Second, their love is so strong between the man & woman, not to mention she's carrying their baby ... I didn't find it believable that he would listen to her & actually leave her there. I'd fight to the death, even knowing it would be hopeless, rather than leave my wife & baby behind. It would have fit better, for me at least, if she'd been hit again as he's trying to drag/carry her, she's actually killed, and then when he sees there's nothing further he can do, he finally leaves her ... but not leaving her to experience the doom/pain she's going to when he leaves her alive.

Otherwise, I like the tie-ins with the dime, the transitions, the FX, overall story, etc. I've only watched about 8 films so far (still downloading), but of those, this is the highest ranking one yet. VERY nice job.

[KOVAROVA]

tight.. really tight. great stuff KAZ.

[Kaz]

Second, their love is so strong between the man & woman, not to mention she's carrying their baby ... I didn't find it believable that he would listen to her & actually leave her there. I'd fight to the death, even knowing it would be hopeless, rather than leave my wife & baby behind. It would have fit better, for me at least, if she'd been hit again as he's trying to drag/carry her, she's actually killed, and then when he sees there's nothing further he can do, he finally leaves her ... but not leaving her to experience the doom/pain she's going to when he leaves her alive.




Ah! Now THIS is a comment!
I went through great pains with this part. Originally, the flashbacks were to be quick. Later, I realized they would add even more emotional impact for the character and extra empathy from the audience. So I decided to focus more on them.

Your issues were definitely discussed, but knowing full well ahead of time that I only had 1 1/2 minutes to make that whole sequence as believable as possible, the kind of struggle you speak of would have taken up a lot of extra time so it was compressed into the simple words as he is running away, "Oh God..." As in, "I can't believe what I'm doing..." which I thought my actor read brilliantly.

Great insight!

[janzie]

kaz, so far the best movie i´ve seen...i just told my girl friend "it´s like WOTW, but better" (well, i surprisingly liked WOTW until the last third) and yours keeps the tone till the end...the effects were really good (the green laser beam i liked the least, but it worked)...i gotta go with envision with the "he should´nt leave her"-theory...i actually liked the out of focus shot, cause the texture looked more like a dragon than a spaceship...the only thing i´d complain about is the "little-shop-of-horrors" shadow (is that audrey 2?) and the people at the end (except for the guy with the scars)-i just didn´t buy that the others went through the same crisis as the main character...i´ve only seen it once (and i won´t rate until i´ve seen them all) - actually i can´t rate at all (##posts) but i´ll definately show it to all the people around here to demonstrate what can be achieved and why it´s worth spending more than a week on a short (otherwise it looks like mine...)

great job

jan

[Kaz]

Thanks, Janzie.
I won't lie, the green lazer beam I got lazy with. It's sorta overwhelming doing everything yourself sometimes.
As to the Audrey thing, I should have seen that coming, but if you look at the document on the wall at the end that's exactly what my 3D alien looks like (nothing like Audrey) I think the confusion stems from the fact that the alien is actually stuck to the wall like a slug.

And BTW, ALL my alien ships are actually organic, living things. Hence the "dragon" look you saw and why the fungicide, algaeicide in copper sulfate will eventually take them all out.

[janzie]

that´s why i got lazy with all my effects too...

i like your aliens...it´s just the first thing that came to my mind and it was our (viewer) and their (protagonists) first contact, after that you made it clear that audrey is not part of the game

i got that, but i still like the choice of going out of focus

BTW did you use a 35mm adapter on some shots??

[Daniel Skubal]

Damn Kaz!

This has been one of my favs so far! Your CG was top notch. My only comments to you are concerning a few of your cg choices. As stated before, the in and out of focus thing seems a bit out of place, but I think it was the model itself that was a bit out of place. I think with a bit more tweaking you could have gained some more realisim (ie decreasing the contrast and doing a motion blur on it.) That was really the only thing that took me out of the film.

The beginning sequence was incredible. I just loved it. The SDOF of the dime shot to the pull out shot of the ship composite had me cheering. I literally said to myself "Holy shit. This is incredible!"

Although the story was in the shadow of WOTW, I felt you put your own twist on it. I loved the story, and the ending was great. You left it open for an expansion of the story and it just felt right.

I thought your compositing was just superb! Would you be willing to do a tutorial or something for the DVD?

Thanks for making such an entertaining film!

[Norm Sanders]

So which camera did you use HVX or DVX? It was VERY crisp & tight, and if you DID use a 35 adapter, all the more impressive considering the light loss you would have been fighting for the INT. shots.

[arielman]

This was good , right from the opening scene .
At the point where the Ship lands on his front yard and we hear those noises , I really thought you were going to surprise us with something Cheesie BUT you didn't .
I also liked the scene when he has to leave his wife and unborn child, what a decision !
Man this was really good . Held me to the end .
Well done Kaz.
Ian

[Kaz]

Wow! Thanks for the kind words!

No 35mm adapter, sadly. The dime was in macro and the SDOP shot of the character watching TV was a mask in Vegas. I do love that program! Just better support HVX someday.....

The rest was the tried and true "move back, zoom in and seperate the objects from the background" method.

dj, the ship already had substantial low contrast AND motion blur. I think it more comes down to use of advanced shaders which I'm only just beginning to learn.

[Kaz]

At the point where the Ship lands on his front yard and we hear those noises , I really thought you were going to surprise us with something Cheesie BUT you didn't .
Ian


My mantra from the beginning on that sequence was less is more. There's nothing more frightening than the unknown.

[ZFarms Productions]

i loved this one... very good job kaz! it was shot very cool, loved the effects... good one all around

[macgregor]

What I like about this film is that from the first 20 seconds i was watching a movie. And not just an "attempt to create a movie".

Every shot is there for a purpouse. Editing is superb as well as cinematography of the shots. I am not talking about lighting (which is quite good) but about film language itself.

Whatch for example the terror scene in minute 1.50. Ok, we just started this story, and Kaz made a terror situation with just 10 shots and a living room. Only very talented people can do this. It is a honor to have this guy here in the forum.

I think this is the best shortfilm i have seen this year by far.

Also the script design (start-middle-end) and how the story is told is superb.

Using the Katrina couldnt have served a better purpouse. I was amazed with the matte paintings until i though: "wait a second, maybe he did... no, that is impossible..."





Note: Can you give me the girl´s telephone number? She looks nice to me. :]

[KOVAROVA]

looks like you two will have to box it out for the dvx oscar.

[macgregor]

Still we are missing 25 shortfilms. There is a lot of room for everyone...

[mikkowilson]

Kaz,
WOW. Top notch, I mean REALLY top notch.

The first pull out and reveal of the distruction just really made me sit up and pay attention. It was one of those "holy sh-, this is amazing work" moments. And then the building explodes just to crown of the scene.

The window scene.
slightly cliché, but not one bit to the detrment of the scene. PERFECTLY excecuted. There's that big empty window, whcih you allready knwo there's somethign outside of, you watch him, his eyes go HUGE and then the flash and silouhete. And here's the best part: you linger, just long enoguh to cut to the girl's scream as a reaction, not part of the scare. - And you made me jump. Then that wide afterwards to bring the viewer right back down. So soothing and so necesary. Normally this part is left out.

I love the 3 legged "pods" off in the water. The whoel beach scene looks great. But I've got to say it: the focus thing. It broke the shot. It wasn't even that focus beeing there, but the degree to which it was. I was expecting a small blure, but so big loss and the hunting (thoguh well done) killed the shot. But you brought it righ back with teh guy close up - who admitedly looked right after the zoom in on teh spacecraft (nice).

Yeah, the "laser blasts" didn't look that great. But there was nothign wrogn with them. Had they have been in any other film they woudl have looked great, but they did pale in comparison to the rest of your peice.

Really good job man.


One last thing, that dones't relate directly to your film, but rather this thread. I got to about page 2 or 3 when it was explained what you used for location. I'd been wondering where you got the destruction from. It gave a very real, very sad, view of what has happened down there. I guess I didn't know how bad it really is. Thankyou for showing that as part of yoru film. Belice it or not, that was one hell of a reality check.

- Mikko

[J.R. Hudson]

The Alien behind the window blind is awesome ! My wife and son jumped 2 ft ! Great scare !

[Dahopafilms]

Kaz,

This is my favourite short thus far in. Loved the beginning and ending with the dime. The Christmas tree in the living room scene added some depth and poignancy. The transition from the hole in the back of the dead victim to the moon in the night sky was awesome. And I loved the punch of the ending.

And I can only imagine a DVXUser short being compared to War of the Worlds - favourably at that. Your head's got to be growing, man.

The only "huh" I had (yeah, right) was about the multiple missed shots on the "good-bye scene" - I found them curious (aliens don't miss, do they?).

Anyway, thanks very much for your efforts and your display of obvious talent.

[Kaz]

Wow! Passing out from a stomach bug and waking up to this is exactly what I needed. Thanks, fellas.


Still we are missing 25 shortfilms. There is a lot of room for everyone...


To macgregor you listen.



I have to say, it was one of those experiences where most everything I did just worked out when putting it together and I've never had that happen before. I'm sitting there watching it, finding tiny mistakes but a voice goes off in the back of my head saying, "I think... you may have something here, my friend!" It's a cool feeling especially on my first sci-fi film (a genre I LOVE)

But major credit goes to my good friend Blake Balu who played Daniel. He's one of those people who's not only very dedicated, but quickly understands what you're trying to do and makes it better.

You guys will no doubt make me go back and put better lasers in and you have already made me second guess the DOF thing and I thank you. I do love fixing things. -One last hurrah before I offer it up to the DVD gods.

I only wish you guys could hear my 5.1 surround track for this film...

[Kaz]

Note: Can you give me the girl´s telephone number? She looks nice to me. :]

Only if you give me YOUR actresses number in return!

But macgregor, after hearing your praise it's so hard to be humble. Your Similo moved me with a visual style I can only hope to one day achieve. Every frame was a piece of art worth hanging.

Cheers!

[J.R. Hudson]

Getting Mac to DP for KAZ would hvae been epic.

[HagerNYC]

Dude. The compositing with motion tracking was great! Kudos to your compositor! All your effects were great because they were subtle. They looked like what they should. The sound effects with the laser blasts that kill the woman were perfect. I could go on, but I agree with everyone here. Great work. :)

[Slimothy]

CG work in this one was very good at times, and then not as good at others. It is def. one of the better ones I've seen yet. Had a really desperate, hollow feel. I agree w/ the War of the Worlds comment, but think it is a compliment. Great job.

[penfever]

This is a very strong entry, as people have said. Not because I think the film is bad, but because I think everyone needs constructive criticism, I'm going to focus a bit on the negative. But as I said, great entry.
First off, I didn't buy your ending. The frame of your story was too grand for the ~6 minute limit. For one thing, you went over. For another, you still didn't offer a solid, BANG, that's the end feeling. This is purely a scripting issue in my eyes, and it's vitally important to write a story that can be told in the amount of time you have to tell it.
Second, I thought the choices for editing were - interesting. Not bad, just interesting. I wouldn't have weighted the shots of him walking around quite so heavily - it made the story seem very episodic. Why is he in the house at night, then walking around, then running in the woods? What's the temporal relationship between these events? These were questions I found myself asking.
I hope you and yours are healthy and safe. Congratulations on your film, and keep those cameras rolling.

[Kaz]

Why is he in the house at night, then walking around, then running in the woods? What's the temporal relationship between these events? These were questions I found myself asking.
I hope you and yours are healthy and safe. Congratulations on your film, and keep those cameras rolling.

Thanks for the words.

To answer, those were flashbacks. The first thing he says during the house scene is "It was 3 weeks ago when news of the invasion hit...

Running in the woods - Flashback, same night. I had thought having them wearing the same clothes and him clean shaven was pretty clear.


And the 6 minute thing has been addressed. I submitted a 6 minute version without credits, however:


Kaz--Jarred and I have decided to leave your DVD version up because the no credits version accidentally got trashed in the rush. I can't see that it significantly alters anything, so I hope no one has a major issue with our decision.

[Ralph Oshiro]

WOW! GREAT TV graphics+FX shot in TV. Always love it when TV is done right in a movie. LOVE the tripods in the overcast horizon at the beach. Love the whole "dime" thing. Love the dead woman, and him getting only the dime from the purse! Good night-for-night lighting on the house interior. Good smoke in the exterior! Great job!

[Kaz]

Thanks a bunch.
Man, I'm glad SOMEBODY mentioned the TV effect as it was really fun to do.

Just caught yours and will mosey to your thread now...

[angrynerdrock07]

I really enjoyed the TV Effects too. I thought all of your visual effects were top-notch. I thought the film was a beautiful allegory for the devastation in New Orleans. Like it was said earlier this puts it into perspective much better than any CNN footage ever could have. And it was kind of like War of the Worlds, only without crazy Tom Cruise. Gotta Love that!

[angrynerdrock07]

Also wanted to say that my favorite shot was the one of the doll's head with the aliens out of focus in the background sky. Loved it!

[Kaz]

Side note to that, I have since added clouds to the doll shot because a couple of people didn't realize it was aliens flying but thought they were gekkos or something crawling on a wall.


And it was kind of like War of the Worlds, only without crazy Tom Cruise. Gotta Love that!

HA!

[smelni]

Visually it was really amazing. I agree with the comments that there wasnt a bang closed ending - but I never lost interest.

You really nailed the scale of the alien invasion.

I REALLY liked the out of focus alien on the beach - very very cool.

Great work. I think it really needs to be a feature or at least a longer short to do the storyline justice.

[Kaz]

Unfortunately, the ending turned out completely different then I had originally envisioned. The final shot was supposed to be a bright doorway with a silhouette of all the rebels filing out thrusting their guns, running into battle. I wasn't able to secure a large indoor space with the look I wanted for this so I chose to do it in a friend's back yard. Then, there was an issue with guns. I would have only been able to get an assortment of guns for everyone which wouldn't work because that would mean, story-wise, the metallurgist would be making bullets and shells for each one. That wasn't feasible. So I was left with doing what I did.

Also, the music was never supposed to stop at the end, but I figured the only way to help the final scene was build it to a climax and bam! Fists in the air, he says the final line.

[Kaz]

Thought some of you might dig this:


http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX03.jpg


http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX05.jpg


http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX04.jpg


http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX06.jpg

[Jared Meyer]

Great before and after shots! How long do you think it took you to develop each "plate" (if that's the right word)?

[angrynerdrock07]

Very nice. Love those before and afters. I'm sure it has been asked before, but was this DVX or HVX?

[Kaz]

Just a plain 'ol stock DVX.


Here's a couple more:

http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX01.jpg

http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX02.jpg


And for the people who didn't like the out of focus thing... I give you - a compromise:


http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX07.jpg

Still goes out of focus, but very slight.

[Kaz]

Great before and after shots! How long do you think it took you to develop each "plate" (if that's the right word)?


My opening shot probably took the longest, at maybe 15-18 hours total. Second would be the ship flying overhead.

The rest were one day affairs @ around 2-8 hours a piece.

[MojoTrancer]

The shot with him looking out at the pods in the ocean was my favorite. Very War of the Worlds which is a good thing. In fact, this would almost fit perfectly into that story, except replace the aliens dying of disease to the metal allergy they have in this film.

[PrestonH]

As I was picking films at random from the list to view - this one stood out in my mind. Very nicely crafted. Revealing the significance of the dimes near the end was a satisfying payoff. Not in your face, not over the top, relatively seamless and invisible FX - well done. I predict "Alone" will be a winner.

[hienben]

Excellent film Kaz. The lighting inside the house at the start of the film was beautiful. As for the alien / focus thing, it worked O.K. for me. I watched this a couple of times already and will definately watch again.

[macgregor]

I love this line: "Often I wonder... if He doesn´t care, why should I?"


Kaz, what are your plans for the next 5 years? :]


Note: what are the guys speaking with the Close Encounters of the 3rd kind hand movement?

[Bryan]

Wow, cool stuff. How did you do all the replacement sky stuff?

[Kaz]

Thanks, heinben!
-----------------


what are the guys speaking with the Close Encounters of the 3rd kind hand movement?


alright, macgregor! I was waiting to see who got that reference. I owe you a drink.
But, I'm afraid I'll just leave that one up to your imagination.


Kaz, what are your plans for the next 5 years?

Hopefully working with you on a killer full-length. :)

[Norm Sanders]

Loved the before & after stills ... thanks for sharing. Wish Macgregor would show his as well, as I think it's beneficial for people to see what can be accomplished with sweetening the footage in post, etc.

The amount of time you put into this is stunning, and the results show. Great job, again.

[Shawn Murphy]

Thank you!
But man, after just seeing Macgregor's beautifully shot Similo, my confidence is going bye-bye...

I didn't have time to read through all the posts, but I have to say that this is the first film I've watched where I thought, "now this one is competition for Similo", both have their unique strengths, but I personally feel that this was much more dramatic and "sci-fi", and the FX looked great!! Nice attention to detail throughout!

[Kaz]

Wow, cool stuff. How did you do all the replacement sky stuff?

For shots with static foregrounds (like the neighborhood street shot) it was as simple as bringing an uncompressed still from my NLE into photoshop, then you layer in your sky of choice and erase the areas covering the foreground objects. Erase the still, bring it back into your NLE, put it on top of your video, CC and then add a touch of noise to match what the camera makes.

For the character profile shot, same procedure, but I had to add a mask to him and layer him on top of the clouds.

[ChrisLyon]

I really enjoyed this. I watched this before watching similo. I still ranked this one high. I am pulling between the two. I am a huge WOTW fan so that helps. And I love firefly, so that out of focus thing almost made me wet my pants in excitement that you had that in there.

The one thing I wish you had at the end was a larger army. I kept imagining after listening to the story again (without watching) that during the speach that there was a larger group of people, several hundred being armed and instructed (as you have for your smaller number of people) and when he says "Paybacks a bitch" there is a longer shot just before and while he says it that pans up from a large crowd of people marching on the city towards the machines (the people walking away from the camera) and as soon as the line ends, it cuts to black. That's how into this I was. I tried to think "If i had thougth of this, how would i have done it" I played it over and over again. :)

[profnoxin]

I dig you guys style man. One of my favorite films from the standpoint of photography. I truly enjoyed the look of the daytime exterior scenes. Taking myself out of talking (because we are all biased to some extent, for good or for bad) in my top five for camera work so far.

[Kaz]

The one thing I wish you had at the end was a larger army.

I posted earlier that the ending was a big compromise. I didn't mention the amount of people, but that was another problem. I had 5 people cancel on me the day of the shoot. And the ending was supposed to be a lot more like you suggested, but we could not pull it together in time (it was the last shoot before the deadline). PLUS...Katrina thinned out the ranks for us. Less people working here.
Thanks to everyone else for the props. Much appreciated!

[Z B Brox]

Wow. I mean, everyone's saying wow, so you may be tired of it by now, but wow.

I gotta say, my favorite pieces of the film were just the atmosphere-building landscape shots. The genuine destruction combined with the shots of the alien machines rising out of the ground, or the walkers on the water, made the whole thing really magic. Magic in a tense, tragic, scary way, but still magic.

I think I'll need to watch it again before I think of what could be done better. Or maybe a third time. I'm too impressed right now to be critical.

[EditPhish]

Kaz,

You've gotten tons of replies already, but I had to comment on your film. I've watched it several times already, and like all the others I've watched I took a lot of notes and wanted to share them with you.

Your short is top-notch and without a doubt, one of the best in this fest. I'll give you my tiny nitpicks first, and then tell you all the things I liked.

One thing I would consider looking at is the very last line the lead character says in the movie... it's a great line, but could use a bit more punch somehow... with sound. It rang just a tad hollow to me.

The only other nitpick was the walkers out in the ocean looked a little too much like War of the Worlds to me. But not so much that it took me away from YOUR story.

Other than that, everything else is superb... absolutely superb. Very professional in every area... cinematography, lighting, sound, editing... all fantastic. And it's "starred" as one of my favorites. Your attention to details, the music and sound... there was nothing I could even think about scoring you low on.

I loved how you played with shadows to create tension and fear.

That shot when the invasion first begins, where his wife holds her belly, brought home the human element very early on, and immediately made you feel for the characters. It was excellent foreshadowing, especially when you tie it into the shot of the belly again right after she's shot. The use of slow motion right there was brilliant, not cheesy at all (as slow motion can sometimes be)... it was perfect.

The shot you use as your screen grab here... with the sun rays through the clouds... is beautiful.

The fade/edit from the hole in the dead person's jacket to the moon in the clouds was brilliant -- and an excellent entry into flashback. Flashbacks can be so awkward when not executed right, and you did it superbly.

Your special FX were excellent... you didn't go so heavy on them to take away from the emotional story, which really was the heart of your piece... but put enough in to make it truly believeable -- and the quality was top-notch.

Most of all, your story pulled me in. I truly felt for the characters.
You pulled off a very emotional and dramatic scene, which is not easy to do at all -- and I was totally sucked in -- I actually almost cried! (I'm not kidding!).

When the story turns and there is a feeling in the shift of power, I love how the lead character turns and looks right at the camera... powerful!

All these things are a true testiment to the story telling, the directing and the acting (which was amazing... GREAT actors!).

In my mind dude, you are clearly at the top of the list.

Thanks so much for sharing your movie with us, and for challenging everyone here to take it up a notch!

[Kaz]

EditPhish, thank you for taking the time to write that and I'm truly glad it moved you the way it did. After being forced out of my home for three months, two weeks of which I didn't know what was left of it, I came back with a strong need to try and make something special. For the most part, it seems I may have succeeded.

To your negatives I must say I came up with an idea just a little while ago to add one last shot after the cut to black. It would definitely be a powerful way to end it but I still need to work out if I can pull it off as it would take some MAJOR FX work.

As to your other nitpick: What's funny is, I think those things are what keeps putting people in mind of WOTW but I actually cribbed it from the "Striders" of Half-Life 2 PC game!

Anyway, thanks again for the kind words.

[Jeremy Ordan]

I haven't read everyone elses posts so forgive me if this repeats anyone else's feedback but my review:

We Are Not Alone – Good film. From the beginning to end I really enjoyed this and it was one of the first films that really hit me. The music from the beginning grabs you. I like the narration and it actually works rather than coming across as cheesy. The lead actor I thought did a good job and I like the way the story progresses. Your film is also one of the first that I thought the sound really worked. There isn’t that dead air of nothing going on. Good use creating a multi layered track that really works. The 10 year old line was a little cheesy, but with that exception I thought it worked really well. This is one of the few films that kept my interest throughout. Like others have commented I wasn’t crazy about the out of focus on the space craft, but this is a minor critique to an overall great submission. You certainly have the story going for you from start to finish. I enjoyed it and would watch again. Great production value and I really enjoyed this film. Great job.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

So I've said I thought this was great in a PM already.

but great stuff - excellent filme -- way to represent New Orleans and the same goes for your cast as well -- to bad I am moving RIGHT THIS SECOND I would have liked to work with you all.

My only critcicsm is pure taste -- not as excited about films where most of the story is carried in voice over as ones where its played out -- but that's a minor taste issue, like I prefer cheeseburgers to hamburgers -- but a well made hamburger can knock your socks off. I've seen another film that uses this story telling style on your website -- think you are getting great results now but might consider a different approach too (and maybe everyother film you've done is sans V.O. for all I know)

Other than that slick as a frog's ass and completly confident filmmaking every step of the way.

[Kaz]

not as excited about films where most of the story is carried in voice over as ones where its played out
Check my website in a few weeks when I have "The Dinner Guest" up. It's nearly 23 minutes of conversation and character development. Like watching a stage play.

I ain't no one-trick pony! :)

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

I'm sure it will rock

now YOU check your PM's

on second thought what are you doing up - get your ass over here and help us pack.

[kimko]

Man I've Been Reading Some Good Reviews From Yous Guy's

[Kaz]

on second thought what are you doing up - get your ass over here and help us pack
Ha!


.
.
.
.

[EJ Pennypacker]

A very nice production. A nice emotional core to the film. Well done.

EJ

[Brandon Rice]

Ok, I had a chance to watch through this one again and must say it's for sure toward the top of my list! I hate weighing it against Similio and ODD Squad, but those are the other films that I have ranked very high. Similio has too shallow of a story for me, and its very slow moving (which works in the piece and isn't a bad thing) but, I do enjoy watching this film better. Love the FX work, and only have minor complaints with the story. Overall this is one I love watching!

[Kaz]

Thank you, Briceman. For all the blood, sweat and tears I shot into this thing, it's nice to know it's not a "watch it once" film.

[Brandon Rice]

Thank you, Briceman. For all the blood, sweat and tears I shot into this thing, it's nice to know it's not a "watch it once" film.

I feel ya man! People have this disallusioned idea of filmmaking that it is so simple, and so.... glamourous... it takes blood, sweat, and tears to make a great piece, and I see that in this film! Way to go!:cool:

[macgregor]

Thank you, Briceman. For all the blood, sweat and tears I shot into this thing, it's nice to know it's not a "watch it once" film.


I watched it like 6 times, and later i left it as background music for 25 more minutes...

[macgregor]

One question: for the DOF effect of him in front of the TV and her wife inthe background, it seems to me you made a gaussian blur mask with him to simulate DOF, did you do that in vegas? (time 1.04)

[Kaz]

One question: for the DOF effect of him in front of the TV and her wife inthe background, it seems to me you made a gaussian blur mask with him to simulate DOF, did you do that in vegas? (time 1.04)

You are correct, sir.
See... I don't have one of those cool 35mm dohickeys like some people, so I have to do it the poor man's way.;)

[Brandon Rice]

You are correct, sir.
See... I don't have one of those cool 35mm dohickeys like some people, so I have to do it the poor man's way.;)

Well, you did a darn fine job at that!!

[Blaine]

After watching this a few more times I wanted to come back and add to my original post. I liked your editing. I'm personally not a fan of wipes but you used them well. One thing stands out, though. The transition from wound in the back to the moon was gold! You film had the best jump out of the seat moment. We all know what that was. I'm amazed that you were able to get so much packed into your short; there's a lot going on there. One question. I loved the idea of the dime. The shot of the memo showing the aliens' weakness said volumes. Why did he discard the quarter? Aren't they made up of the same material as dimes? You know I have to dig deep if that's the only question I can come up with.http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif

[Beat Takeshi]

I really liked this film and the opening gave it a very epic feel. The effects were probably the best out of all the flicks. I like the wide array of shots you had through out the film.
The parts that took me out of the story were the section where he has his ear to the door listening to the sounds outside. It seemed like there was enough windows to be able to see or at least keep looking.
The section were he leaves his wife I thought was a really big flaw. No father to be I know would ever leave his wife and unborn child without a fight. I was expecting a joke where she looks at him run away and says WTF? I didnt mean that!!!
The audio and sound design were well done also. This seemed to be a problem with many of the films I have seen so far.
Great job and good luck with your future :)

[EditPhish]

Kaz,

I'm at my inlaws right now and just wanted to tell you that we had a "screening" of your movie (and several others)... and everyone here was impressed with your story and your whole production! Again, excellent job!

[Kaz]

Thanks, guys.

Aram, I actually explained the whole leaving his wife thing in an earlier post. Whether or not the explanation is good enough is up to you:


I went through great pains with this part. Originally, the flashbacks were to be quick. Later, I realized they would add even more emotional impact for the character and extra empathy from the audience. So I decided to focus more on them.

Your issues were definitely discussed, but knowing full well ahead of time that I only had 1 1/2 minutes to make that whole sequence as believable as possible, the kind of struggle you speak of would have taken up a lot of extra time so it was compressed into the simple words as he is running away, "Oh God..." As in, "I can't believe what I'm doing..." which I thought my actor read brilliantly.

[J.R. Hudson]

The only thing I would have changed is having the wife die in his arms instead of him bailing on her. I think most men at this point are fighting to the death if their wife is breathing (And pregnant!)

Nevertheless; loved it!

[Kaz]

After the fest, I plan on doing an in-depth look at the allegorical aspects of the film because it goes far beyond the whole "lives & home destroyed but hope remains" thing.

There's a reason I didn't let her die until after he left.

[Beat Takeshi]

ah, I am trying not to read the posts before I post but I guess on the longer ones like this one I should. Yeah, I think what john said would work or if she got REALLY SUPER hostile to the point he is stunned and sort of walks away slower before running. Still a great job dude.

[Kaz]

I'd like to add that, to me, it's much more powerful to have a guy make the unimaginable decision to leave his loved one behind, regretting it as soon as he runs than to just have her die so he can finally go.

[BrianV]

I'd like to add that, to me, it's much more powerful to have a guy make the unimaginable decision to leave his loved one behind, regretting it as soon as he runs than to just have her die so he can finally go.

Also he carries guilt from leaving her as he continues his upward battle.

Running away to get the job done makes better dramatic sense for the movie.

Again, *thumbs so up i'm installing an elevator*

[darkfader]

Great compositing and CG work , I also thought the editing and music were excellent. At first I thought where in the hell did you find that location- and it hit me when I read the credits. I mean the wrecked cop car in one of the opening scenes was a really nice touch. A true work of art!

[WilderWorks]

From a story standpoint, I agree with some earlier statements that we lose a lot of sympathy for the hero when he abandons his wife, particularly when such focus is placed on the fact that she's pregnant. This surely ups the stakes on his suffering, but it also makes it harder for us to stay with him, whether that be fair or not. I don't think the incident is wrong, because his loss is important for the emotional impact of the ending. But from a writing standpoint, I think it makes a world of difference whether or not she's dead when he leaves her. I feel that she needs to be already be dead when he goes, otherwise, we lose him.

Also from a writing standpoint, the story he tells, about the drawing he made in class, is a wonderful way to call back to happier times, and reflect on the irony of those living in a pre-disaster mindset (which would be us, in this case). Very nice touch.

As I'm sure this thread has established, you've got the technical side covered. My only critique would be, amidst otherwise excellent sound design, the footsteps don't seem to match the shoes and terrain he's on, particularly in the first shot. There footsteps also seem a little odd when he's creeping to the livingroom door. Perhaps these were captured on set, but they still seem too crisp and clean, too present, to match what we're seeing on screen.

Good time, great visuals, solid structure, and performance. :)

[Kaz]

the footsteps don't seem to match the shoes and terrain he's on, particularly in the first shot.

My character wears Doc Martins in this. He's walking on a wood floor. I'm somewhat anal when it comes to sound and I came pretty darn close to matching the sound as it was on the set (which would have suffered from a neighbor's A/C outside had it been recorded live).

Perhaps it's just too loud for the stereo mix (it's originally mixed in 5.1). But hey, I'm not worried, that was a tiny criticism!



From a story standpoint, I agree with some earlier statements that we lose a lot of sympathy for the hero when he abandons his wife

Again, there's a reason he leaves his wife, audience be damned. This is an allegory and I used this sequence as a metaphor for a conversation I overheard from someone who lost their father in the storm.
Everything that is said or done in WANA directly relates to actual events and circumstances before, during & after the storm. Except the stuff about aliens, of course!


Anyway, thanks for writing!

[EditPhish]

I'd like to add that, to me, it's much more powerful to have a guy make the unimaginable decision to leave his loved one behind, regretting it as soon as he runs than to just have her die so he can finally go.
Kaz, I agree with you.

I also agree with you that the actor did read the "oh god" line brilliantly, and I did NOT lose sympathy for him for leaving her behind... he about had no choice unless he was die along with her. It made the scene much more anxiety filled and I could feel his angst at having to make the decision (and making it)... I wouldn't change one second of it!

[Kaz]

Thanks, Edit.
Not everyone under those unbelievable circumstances would react in the same way. To me, it's much more tragic. He now has to live with that decision and his regret for the rest of his life.

[WilderWorks]

I fully appreciate what you're trying to capture with him abandoning his wife, and I think it's something that's very, very worth capturing. But like the shoe sound, (which I figured, with your perfect sound design, was carefully matched), what reads in real life, automatically, takes tweaking and adjustment on screen. We *must* believe what people do in life. We don't in a movie. So you've got to work overtime to keep the audience on board. In short, people are saying they don't believe his choice; take it as a challenge, and make them believe it. Then you'll have it.

Being forced to abandon a loved one is a compelling, enormous idea to try and contemplate, but it's not yet in the movie you've made, because the story isn't *about* showing us the details of his regret and loss afterward. It shifts into resolving the alien problem. If the short is about his emotional suffering, that's where the movie needs to go. That's where it needs to start, too. You need a "dime" that's about that decision. That's what the bookends need to be. All I'm saying is, you're trying to represent one of the most torturous experiences imaginable, and you're not quite there yet. (Hell, I think anyone would need about two hours more, minimum, to get there).

In short, I think you're perfectly right to tackle this sort of emotional suffering, but six minutes doesn't do it justice. We don't feel that suffering, because we don't yet buy into the choice. The audience can't be damned, otherwise you're not telling anyone anything. You've made a fantastic movie, and that's why I am responding on a higher level of criticism. :)

[Kaz]

All a filmmaker can do is tell you why he did what he did. I knew I'd get some flak for this sequence, but I stand by my reasons. It obviously was not possible to bring it into the emotional direction you wanted in the time alloted but the sequence just after (when he disappears) does broach the idea of suicide.



You've made a fantastic movie, and that's why I am responding on a higher level of criticism. :)

Yes, but sometimes...despite everything... you just have to say...it's only a movie. :)

[macgregor]

Thanks, Edit.
Not everyone under those unbelievable circumstances would react in the same way. To me, it's much more tragic. He now has to live with that decision and his regret for the rest of his life.


THAT is what i like about yours.

The shot where she is crying on the ground after he has left... ufff, that is too much for me. And so well done and thought.

I am not usually a very encouraning man, (if i like something i tell once, if i dont like something i dont say anything) but i find myself i cannot stop talking about your film. So it has to be great, i guess. ;P

[Shawn Murphy]

Thanks, Edit.
Not everyone under those unbelievable circumstances would react in the same way. To me, it's much more tragic. He now has to live with that decision and his regret for the rest of his life.

Actually Kaz, this conundrum is a classic Philosophy 101 question posed to students:

You or your parents will be thrown from a cliff and killed, what do you decide?
If you do the "noble" thing and throw yourself off then your parents will live in pain and anguish having wished you had saved your own life as they have already lived theirs, however, if you let your parents be killed then you have to live with that...

SO, THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS:

You have people discussing (and politely debating) your story and your decision, which is much better than no discussion at all! ;-)

Good job!

[Kaz]

The shot where she is crying on the ground after he has left... ufff, that is too much for me. And so well done and thought.

I wrote that in during production and I'm so glad I did. Ashley did such a great job right there, and she had to learn that whole sequence the night of the shoot.


WilderWorks, you obviously have great insight on character motivation and execution of story detail. Thanks for caring enough about my film to talk about it.

And Shawn, you put it all into perspective.

Cheers, fellas.

[FlintMI]

LOL this is the best one IMHO. congrats! You will win. Admins: how about a random screen cap from each film to accompany the list so we can be drawn in with a visual?

1a. this was the first movie I pulled up totally at random. sure set the tone for watching the others.

1b. only problem: the dedication to New Orleans at the beginning. when I saw the scenery the illusion was broken. I said to myself: not aliens. hurricane. but yet, I was still pulled in and it wasn't that big of a problem. maybe move that credit it to the end. I notice a lot more "lack of credits" nowadays until the end of movies to get people into the story quicker.

2a. the alien through the window blind was OK. I laughed more because it looked like the Pets.com sock puppet with teeth.

2b. taking a page from M. Night Sh... the director of Signs, The Village, etc... what you don't see is often more scary than what you do see. So even a more shadowy alien would have been better. just a non-human shape would have been fine.

3. I downloaded all the Sci-fest movies in about 10 minutes. If you have Firefox, use the DownloadThemAll! extension and let it run for a few minutes. Set the filter for WMV and it will take download them all in the time it takes to microwave dinner. and then you'll have something to watch while you eat!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

The shot where she is crying on the ground after he has left... ufff, that is too much for me. And so well done and thought.
yeah that shot is great -- i've shown this to a couple of people and always say "isn't that great -- the way he uses expansion of time to convey an emotional subtext right there"

regarding the abandon don't abandon issue ...

The film is presented with such condidence (you're achieving everything you're after) that I just said -- "wow - tough decision - I guess he did what he had to do." and then was ready to go where you were taking me next.

after reading this discussion I did think it would be a cool and compelling moment if Blake had stayed and just held her until they were blown to bits, and I thought -- that could be really impactful -- and then I thought ... er ... but the movie would be over :)

[Kaz]

What the? Now my 6 minute version is in? I thought it was toast! And it's stuttery! Barry, Jarred...that thing needs fixing.



only problem: the dedication to New Orleans at the beginning.

Well you wouldn't have seen it on the other version (which also has credits), Its still up on the server.

[conrad_johnson]

Good short. I really liked the wipes. Not much to say that hasn't been said already. The ending was kind of a let-down (kind of cheesy...), but let's face it - the whole thing is one of the best to have been posted. Very high quality. Great work!

[Bigmagic]

Best I've seen so far. Very nice job!

[Kaz]

after reading this discussion I did think it would be a cool and compelling moment if Blake had stayed and just held her until they were blown to bits, and I thought -- that could be really impactful

Be real hard to sell a message of hope after that. :)



...but the movie would be over :)
Shorter would've saved me a couple of days shooting and in post, though.

[pabloabad]

Great, great job
I specially like the news images, they're amazingly believable.
I like the story too. I'd just let her die before leaving her behind.
Congratulations, you'll be fighting for the win.
Pablo

[GenJerDan]

Yeah, he left her there.

But did she die? Or will we see her...and the baby...again, later on in the 2 hour version? ;)

The hero always plants the seed of his own destruction. It's a rule. Ask anyone.

[HagerNYC]

So the baby will be taken and cared for by the aliens and then bring about the final demise of the human race? oooooooo. :)

[EJ Pennypacker]

After watching it again last night, I really liked the MATCH CUT from the back of the face-down dead body, to the moon at night.

A very nice transition indeed.

EJ

[Kaz]

I'm glad people like that transition. I actually wrote it into the script so I wouldn't forget about doing it. Although, it was originally supposed to pan down from the moon to the woods on a wide shot with Daniel and Kate running(which is how it was shot), but with time constraints, I cut out the pan.

[EJ Pennypacker]

Although I'm glad the film didn't end at this point, I thought the scene where the main lead comes across the dime again, in the street, next to the dead body, was a very natural place to end the story.

I really liked the the whole 'underground' turn it took from then on, and could feel myself more emotionally involved in the piece because of it. It was almost a throw-back to a time perhaps that you'd imagine Nazi occupation to be like. A time where people kept silent, were more covert, moved in shadows, etc. The hand signals was a very nice visual touch...

It was a shame we didn't get to see the main lead kicking some organic butt in the end :) I felt that was a natural progession of the story, and perhaps would of made for a more rewarding emotional pay-off, given what was invested. Which was a lot.

Nice job again!

EJ

[Kaz]

It was a shame we didn't get to see the main lead kicking some organic butt in the end :)

EJ

Believe me, if I had the time and resources, you'd get to see that in a final shot. I just don't think it'll ever happen...

I've even thought about adding a quick sound bite after the cut to black of rifle shots with aliens shrieking in pain, but...I don't know.

Maybe I shouldn't dwell.

[EJ Pennypacker]

Perhaps it could end with a shot on a TV, and footage showing explosions as F16's rain down bombs. This way it could end how it started. With the TV coverage.

EJ

[Kaz]

The only problem with that is, I want to show it was the victims themselves that really pulled it together and got their life back.

Like with Katrina, the goverment certainly helped, but it simply wasn't enough. Everyone had to put in their dime.

[Matt Sconce]

I have never seen a DVX created film that impressed me this much. While it was not as profoundly beautiful as Similo (Which was Phenomenal!!!) all of its elements were put together in such a way to make it believable and engaging throughout. I liked the motion blur on the ship, as I felt it made the camera pan look believable. I would have loved some alien screaming with gunshots at the end like you thought about. That would have been great. The visual effects were stunning and composited beautifully. The acting was superb as well. The things I believe would have made it better, if time was not an issue, were that the wife dies from a second laser, after the husband refuses to go, istead of him leaving her. Lastly, some alien screaming and gunshots. Other than that. It rocked, from beginning to end! One of my only perfect 10s.

[Nobody356]

Hey, Didnt get to read everyones reviews yet so I apologize if I'm repeating things. I'm sure that almost everyone has said or thought this but WOW. This was incredibly enjoyable and the effects were really good, story, acting and cinematography were also TOP NOTCH.

Only things that bugged me were the alien at the window, the beginning shot of the sky because I didnt know what was going on and the opening title. I think that the opening title was actually really bad but I forgave it about a million times over after watching the rest of the movie.

Outstanding!

[Kaz]

Thanks for the thoughts and I'm pleased you guys enjoyed it!


... the beginning shot of the sky because I didnt know what was going on

Could you elaborate? I'm not sure what you're talking about here.

[thartley]

Well Kaz, what can I say? I'm still only a handful in to my viewing, but you have the kind of talent that impresses me. Your shots were beautiful, and the story felt complete. It ended with the sense that these people have a hard uphill battle facing them, and its anyone's guess how it will pan out.


I didnt know you were in the N.O. area, but I live in Florida and the very second I saw the huge uprooted tree, I knew where you had to have shot this. We still have lots of places still just like that in south Florida from 2 years ago.

Overall, very professional job. Held me beginning to end!

Terri

[MsManhattan]

I enjoyed this a lot. The first line got to me -- like the first line of Odd Squad (but I know there's another thread on the board about the Katrina connection so I won't elaborate on that here). The fX were really, really well executed. Completely believable, great look and feel. The only thing about this film that made me hesitate was when the protagonist leaves his pregnant mate alone; I thought, wow, I don't think I could leave -- how can he do that? I'm kind of curious as to why you didn't just kill her off. But, I understand how that turning point gave him the motivation to go on and become part of the rebellion, so in the end, I guess I buy it. And, I just want to reiterate how much I liked every other aspect of it -- Oh, and I totally jumped out of my seat and yelped when that alien comes out of nowhere... Great job on that!

[MsManhattan]

Ay yi yi -- I'm usually pretty good about reading an entire thread before I post, but I'm on this deadline and haven't had enough coffee yet, and just posted without a thorough read... So now I see the whole discussion about leaving his wife. You know, I agree with the thought that several others have expressed -- and you outlined very eloquently -- that you struggle with the idea and how to write it and execute it and make the best decision you can at the time. Just want to emphasize that it was an aspect of your film that I thought about as a writer, but as a viewer, I was still hanging in there with the protagonist after he left and still rooting for him at the end. And I did get that in the aftermath he was struggling with having made that decision. Anyway, apologies for bringing up a point that had already been discussed -- I enjoyed the discussion and shoulda read it before I posted ;)

[John C Lyons]

VERY impressive!

Best FX work I have seen so far! Killer job Kaz, I was into it for the entirety. Solid effort all around. What more can I say? You thought big and managed to pull it off, you are a seriously talented dood!

[sd006]

loved this film! :cool:

[Ought2bCommitted]

Hey Brian!

Really nice work... great use of the location (NOLA)...really nice CG work, looked very smooth.

I liked the acting a lot. Solid overall. Blake had a lot of presence and was pretty much spot on with his delivervies.

Quibbles are just that quibbles... audio on the flashback was a little weird. ADR? It was a little tooooooooo WotW, but it was executed well. And the last thing is really just a personal thing because I am a stickler, but to keep the actual movie's running time w/o end credits as close to 6 mins as possible since that was the official running time.

Great job though! I really enjoyed your film a lot!

-Robert

[Kaz]

Thanks to everyone for their comments.


And the last thing is really just a personal thing because I am a stickler, but to keep the actual movie's running time w/o end credits as close to 6 mins as possible since that was the official running time.

Great job though! I really enjoyed your film a lot!

-Robert

This has been discussed ad nauseum, but it was a mistake on Jarred's part. He put my DVD version up on accident and my 6 minute version was trashed.

[Ought2bCommitted]

Thanks to everyone for their comments.



This has been discussed ad nauseum, but it was a mistake on Jarred's part. He put my DVD version up on accident and my 6 minute version was trashed.

Sorry to be repeatative. I usually don't read all the posts until after I've written my own.

[Kaz]

No harm done,O2bC.

Cheers!


Just want to emphasize that it was an aspect of your film that I thought about as a writer, but as a viewer, I was still hanging in there with the protagonist after he left and still rooting for him at the end. ;)

Excellent!



I didnt know you were in the N.O. area, but I live in Florida and the very second I saw the huge uprooted tree, I knew where you had to have shot this. We still have lots of places still just like that in south Florida from 2 years ago.

Overall, very professional job. Held me beginning to end!

Terri

That's something I've been afraid of. Just HOW long is it going to be before things look normal around here?


VERY impressive!

Best FX work I have seen so far! Killer job Kaz, I was into it for the entirety. Solid effort all around. What more can I say? You thought big and managed to pull it off, you are a seriously talented dood!

Here's hoping the next time I think big, I won't have to pull it off alone (technically speaking).

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Hey Kaz -- did you know that your film is 20 seconds over? I'm sure it was some kind of mistake ... I just didn't know if anyone had pointed that out to you yet.











































































http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/images/smilies/evil.gif

[Kaz]

Bastard.



:)

[Ought2bCommitted]

I second that emotion. Damn you Jack!!!

[Kaz]

For those that missed them:



http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX03.jpg


http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX05.jpg


http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX04.jpg


http://www.reyo-sanpictures.com/FX01.jpg

[Ought2bCommitted]

Really nice work, again! Very impressive!!!
It was really interesting as an artist to see what both you and Jack came up with.

-Robert

[Kaz]

Now that this fest is winding down, thought I'd dust off this thread and clear out cobwebs. As you know, this film is an allegory to hurricane Katrina.
But I'd like to show the effort made to go beyond just the alien invasion=hurricane thing with the script.

For those interested, here is a quick point by point analysis of plot and dialogue and how it relates to the overall reality of what happened:


"It's said that life turns on a dime. I couldn't agree more."
This obviously refers to the event itself. Our lives were changed forever.


"It was three weeks ago when news of the invasion hit. Some people thought it was a hoax. By the time they realized it wasn't...it was too late and there was nowhere to run."
We've had so many hurricane near-misses over the decades that many people (including myself) simply stopped worrying and would wait until the last minute to leave.
For the many who waited too long or decided to stay for Katrina, they had nowhere to go.


The UFO drawing story/"...I never understood why people like her refused to believe. Maybe they just didn't want to. Now, they have no choice."
New Orleans is built in what they call a "fish bowl" - A whole city sitting below sea level. A levee system was built to combat this.
Problem is, they only built it strong enough to handle a Category 3 hurricane. Many people thought this was good enough. They were wrong.


The looters
This one's pretty self-explanatory. My thinly veiled social commentary on a moment I'm still embarrassed for. Here we are at the end of the world and someone's stealing a vaccuum...


"It's amazing how much my life has changed...how much I'VE changed...since that day, on that single dime."
One day, I was standing in line to get a toll tag and a girl behind me was approached by someone she knew.
The friend asked how she made out for the hurricane and the girl proceeded to tell her how she lost her Father, two best friends, a neighbor, her dog and her home.
She said it so cold and matter-of-factly that you knew she was just a shell of the person she used to be. Very sad.


Daniel leaves Kate/Kate's death
The same girl told how she had called her Father when everyone was evacuating and asked that he join her.
Her Father refused, saying that his home is here and that's where he's staying. She begged and begged him to go with her, but her Father told her to leave without him. She did.
It was the last time they would ever speak.


"I've lost so much: My family, my friends, my home...more than god has any right to take from me. Often I'd wonder, if doesn't care, why should I?"
After folks were let back into the city to live and rebuild there was a spike in depression & suicide. Living in this place, dealing with the trash & debris,
lost mementos and valuables, no work or money, talking to nothing but people who were as bad off or worse than you...depression started going around like a flu.
To add to the problem, we still have a limited supply of medical help.


"But just when I thought I was all alone, that my world had come to its end, something...remarkable happened. I found a weakness to exploit and people like me who were willing to say, "Life may turn on a dime, but payback's a real bitch."
This is all about the relief effort and the victims who have worked so hard to get their life back.
I'm still amazed at the outpouring of support Katrina victims received from ordinary individuals just looking to help however they can.
When I was in Houston, I can't count the times I was stopped in a parking lot because someone saw my Louisiana license plate and offered a place to stay or work or whatever. Inspiring.


And lastly,
dropping the dime in the bucket
Symbolizing those around the world that helped by giving to charity.


And there you go.
If you got this far... Thanks for reading.

[EditPhish]

Kaz, thanks so much for sharing that. You already know I'm a big fan of your short, but it's great to hear your thinking behind the story.

I hope you have already registered a domain and are planning a website for this film when the voting/fest is over... I can tell you that it will catch on like wild-fire. My whole family loved it. My mom watched today and was very impressed... moved to tears during the "leave me!" scene. She was so in awe of your talent that she barked it wasn't fair you were allowed to join the contest with your skills (being MY mom of course, LOL)... none the less, she already wants a link to show to her friends at work.

Take a bow man, for a job SO well done :)

[Barry_Green]

Kaz -- first-class job. This is absolutely one of my top two. Between you and JDanStan, I think the top prizes are definitely going to end up in New Orleans.

Amazing work. Well done.

And while it was 20 seconds too long, frankly I wouldn't mind seeing another 94 minutes of this.

[Brandon Rice]

Yep, I will add to the praise. Excellent short Kaz. It stands up perfectly in nearly every area. I won't be surprised if you pick up the prize bro. Props to you!

[Kaz]

And while it was 20 seconds too long
Argh! I finally get a response from the resident guru and the 20 seconds thing rears it's ugly head again! I r-e-a-l-l-y hope most people know by now that I made a 6 minute version and it was accidentally trashed on Jarred's end.
Anyway, so glad you liked it.


And EditPhish, again I thank you for the kind words and it's so cool that it moved your family in that way. Hearing that makes all the work worthwhile.

Thanks to you too, Briceman!

[CallaghanFilms]

We Are Not Alone...

Visually, I enjoyed this short. As I recently stated, there
is not a runaway winner across the board in this fest. There
are standout films in individual categories, however. The
standout film in the field of special effects is indisputably
We Are Not Alone.

The fx are very impressive to say the least. The possible
exception to this would be the silhouette of the alien himself,
which I found to be a bit too much Little Shop of Horrors-like
(which may, in turn seem out of place to die hard fans of
the genre.) The beautifully-done alien ships themselves
more than made up for this IMO.
It goes without saying, a big congrats on the best-in-show
effects is in order..my hats off to you for this accomplishment.

Also, the production value was, all in all, quite high.

The story itself I had issues with, I must admit. I know that
the unfathomable plot point of the lead leaving his not-yet-dead
pregnant wife behind has been discussed at length. It bothers
me so much, though, that I must also add my thoughts...

I noticed that he was "leaving her in the dust" even before she
falls to the ground. Once she was down, no man would have
even thought about leaving her behind. If anything, he would have
made a distraction to the aliens, sacrificing himself for a chance for
her to live. Or, if the wife's prognosis was truly dire, he would have
at least tried to carry her away in order to save their unborn child.
As a father, I can say this is unquestionably true.
I had the film cold screened by others (all of whom were told nothing
at all about it before hand.) They each mentioned the pregnant wife
first and foremost...then began their respective high praise on the fx.

I see that you have a style all your own, and again I commend you on
the visual journey that you've taken the viewer on. Hopefully this is the
first of many such travels that we the audience get to embark on.

Cheershttp://www.dvxuser.com/V6/images/smilies/beer.gif my man.

[CallaghanFilms]

One other thing to get off my chest...

Edit:
Out of respect to Kaz,
I am deleting this additional post
due to a misunderstanding on my
part.

-Callaghan

[EditPhish]

Callaghan,

Uh, I could be wrong (Kaz correct me if I am) but I think what Kaz was saying that that he submitted both versions to the contest, which Jarred ALLOWED people to do... and Jarred accidentally deleted (or something) the 6-minute version.

[CallaghanFilms]

Edit:

I also decided to erase this thread.

-Callaghan

[Kaz]

Well I can tell you it had nothing to do with confidence. Everyone was told they could upload their 6 minute and DVD version right off the bat and that's what I did. Frankly, I didn't think I was risking anything. My files were clearly marked. It's unfortunate that it happened, but I don't think I should be penalized for something beyond my control.

I will upload the 6 minute version to my site. Check it out. I guarantee you won't come away with the impression that you saw a different film.


We all sweated blood & time into our entries, how would you feel if yours was DQ'ed on a technicality?

[CallaghanFilms]

Thank you for responding, Kaz.

I never suggested that anyone's film should be DQ'ed.

As I said in my review, your film led me on a "visual journey",
and I'll add to that...I enjoyed the ride.

When I feel strongly about something, I say it.
Nothing more was implied.

Cheershttp://www.dvxuser.com/V6/images/smilies/beer.gifto you, Kaz, and good luck as well.

[Kaz]

Understood and good luck to you also.


By the way, thank you for this remark:

Also, the production value was, all in all, quite high.

...Because I had a crew of two (counting myself) and spent a measly $150 on this film ($80 of it food). I was so nervous that I wouldn't even come close to pulling off what I was ultimately able to.

Also, a big "thank you" goes out to my cast who volunteered their time!

[iSTy]

I thought this film looked rather professional even with a budget. Although when they were running through the woods it looked as though it was a 'homemovie'. Didn't feel as though the music was quite right.
And I liked the monster shown through the curtain, made me jump.

[macgregor]

kaz, one question:

When the couple is at home at night, and light goes out, so all lights and TV turn off. Did you make some special efects there or you just took down the main power switch of the house (or whatever it is called in english).

Also, did you make storyboards of the whole film?

Thanks Mr. winner!

[Captain KickAss]

WOW!

Kaz, this film is an inspiration to new and learning filmmakers like myself. This film looked good, sounded, good, had great effects, and told a good story. But what impressed me the most was your credits.

I almost shat myself in disbelief that you could make a film that looked so good with such a less-than-skeleton crew.

Having participated in a couple of so-called "guerilla" filmmaking competitions, such as the 48-Hour Film Project, I have found it disheartening to see the big prizes...time after time...going to teams with massive production units and talent pools...many as big as 100 people for a short film! For myself, a guy who prides himself on $0 filmmaking, and who has yet to direct a film with a crew bigger than 4 people...it is upsetting to see these much larger filmmaking machines recieve rave reviews...while us little guys are shlepped off to the side.

When I first watched your film...I found myself thinking..."Oh great, another big budget film in a shoe-string budget contest...friggin' sandbaggers!"

I liked it...but I didn't want to. I was convinced you were just another sandbagger.

And then I saw the credits, and I was blown away!

I have since watched it six more times, and have even shown it to a few others, and am now proud to say that I loved this film.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

One other thing to get off my chest...
As someone with a pony in this race, the extra time
(above and beyond the six minutes) does bother
me greatly.

I can't see pointing the fingers at the powers that
be, either...
...since everyone knew ahead of time that only
the top 10 or so films will make the DVD, I can't
imagine one automatically assuming that one's
entry would be in such an elite grouping (especially
not knowing what the competition would look like.)
let me first say that I respect you dude and I'm mostly refuting what you have said because this keeps coming up even though you and Kaz have handled it in a very gentlemanly fashion -- I'm just hoping to kill this weed once and for all.


OK ... the whole idea with the mpeg2 files is that they ARE the DVD files -- you just submitted them and Jarred doesn't have to track down everything after the contest -- sure most people couldn't even begin to think about a DVD cut at the time of submission but Kaz wasn't one of them. And for Kaz to not think his work had a solid chance of being in the top 10 or 20 he'd have to be delusional or more self depricatiing than woody allen and rodney dangerfield combined. but it wasn't even about that -- we were asked to submit for the contest and the DVD at the same time if possible -- if you don't submit a longer cut or get in touch with jarred it would be assumed that your contest cut is your DVD cut. Most people have or are plannig on doing a longer cut -- if you have it -- why not submit it at the earliest date requested.

THERE'S NO "BLAMING THIS ON THE POWERS THAT BE OR NOT" ------------- IT'S JUST BLAMING IT ON THEM .... PERIOD ..... IT'S NOT A GRAY AREA .... IT'S BLACK AND WHITE ..... KAZ FOLLOWED THE RULES TO A "T", SUBMITTED WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO WHEN HE WAS SUPPOSED TO, THEY POO POOED IT UP.

No suspicion or doubt, required.

the only thing kaz could have possibly done was INSIST that they swap them, but as this is a free party he probably felt inclined to go along with their suggestion that it be left up. he's also a new member -- after going through this tainted experience on what would have otherwise been 100% positive "wow's" and pats on the back, he probably would insist the next go around. YOu got it all wrong -- this 20 seconds aint no blessin' -- its a curse -- why would he wish it on himself?

So it is 100% the powers-that-be's fault and if you ask them they will tell you the exact same thing.

Does it really sound likely that kaz would scratch his head ans say ... "gosh ... I just can't seem to cut 20 second out of this eposidic, voice over driven thing where the narrative is so free and maliable -- man that's just beyond my film making capabilities ... plus this cut has a speciall 20 seconds in it that gauarntees a 1st place -- but if I submit it I'll be DQued .... hmmmm ... what to do what to do ... AHA! I'll submit it like this and then claim i posted a 6 second one .... muhahhhahaaa muhahhhahahh ... that way i can get my special sure fire 20 seconds in even though it will piss people off and take attention away from my film."

If anything Barry and Jarred have disadvantaged him because some people may ding him down a few points out of resentment ... I hope that doesn't happen.

So get it off your chest to barry and jarred if you must - its there fault so there's no way you'll hurt Kaz or get him DQued -- just remember when you are unburdening yourself that it is a free party that benifits us all so maybe thank them while you are at it.

Again, I respect you dude, and I don't mean to flame you, but I just wish once and for all this topic would be a closed subject - its not mysterious or suspicious - its black and white.

[CallaghanFilms]

Jack,

As you said Kaz and I had already settled the matter (both in the thread and via PM.)
However, since the infamous "20 seconds" has come up again, I must again put my 2 cents in...
If it had been merely 20 seconds, i would have not even mentioned it. The version that I saw was precisely 7 minutes, 34 seconds long...which is better than a minute and a half over. (Granted some of that may have been credits...but to be fair, all of us had to be under six minutes including what ever credits we chose to include.)

I'm not trying to beat a dead horse by any means. And I will admit that I apparently did not fully grasp the whole DVD submission situation. Whatever the case, however, I brought up something that weighed heavily on my mind.

In all honesty, I am glad that you did set the record straight. I truly hope that this unfortunate situation never shows its ugly head in future DVXUser Fests.

You know I have nothing but respect for you as well, my man.

:beer:Jack
-and-
:beer:Kaz
Good luck to both you gentlemen.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

lol DUDE its 20 seconds of film and then 1:10 of CREDITS

OMFG

ROFL
http://www.smileys.ws/smls/laughing/00000014.gif
LOL

1:10 of credits! I can't believe it ... you are making me laugh so a hard right now

ARGHHH MY SIDES ARE SPLITTING

YOU'RE TWEAKED ABOUT 1:10 of CREDIST? ... hold on I can't type because I'm laughing so hard.

you know what ... you are right ... that 1:10 of credits made it a different movie ... just watched it without them and his short was an incomprehnsible mess

OH MAN THANKS FOR MAKING MY NIGHT http://www.smileys.ws/smls/laughing/00000014.gif

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Ok sorry about that - regained composure.

I just honestly can't believe its an issue then if 20 seconds wouldn't matter -- because taht's exactly what his actual film is over. It's not "some credits" its 1:14 of credits.

Believe me as another "horse" in the race as you put it, I was right there scrutinizing his overage, why it happened, and if it had any impact on his film.

I understand that we are all emotionally invested in our films and their success and while most of us would tip our hat to someone that placed ahead of us, even to someone whose film we thought worse than our own, we damn sure don't want someone to win that didn't follow the rules or that has an unfair advantage ... that's just simply not the case here though bro.

Your feelings are completly valid -- just your information is a little off I think, watch the film again and look at your timer -- you will see that it hits blackout at about 6:20 -- anything esle is credits.

Sorry again -- don't mean to make light of your opinion - just your facts :)

[CallaghanFilms]

Jack,

To quote the great unknown comedian, "I'll be here all week."

Like I said, the rules were quite clear.
The time that was alloted for our films included any and all credits that we saw fit to include (regardless of actual running time.) Personally, I would have used that extra minute and change for more storytelling had it been available to me.

Again, I concede the points that you made about the DVD entry.

But as I learned during this editing process, every second counts.

And, again...best of luck.

[J.R. Hudson]

Kaz -- first-class job. This is absolutely one of my top two. Between you and JDanStan, I think the top prizes are definitely going to end up in New Orleans.

Amazing work. Well done.

And while it was 20 seconds too long, frankly I wouldn't mind seeing another 94 minutes of this.

I couldnt agree more Barry ! KAZ and JDAN rocked the house with thier films !

[CallaghanFilms]

Kaz,

I decided to delete a couple of my posts.

Again, thank your understanding in the matter.

You are a gentleman and a scholar.

:beer:

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Jack,

To quote the great unknown comedian, "I'll be here all week."
lol, thanks for having a sense of humor about it, but to quote the great Stephen Colbert ... "open wide baby bird cuz momma's got a nightcrawler of truth."


Like I said, the rules were quite clear.
SO poo pooING WHAT!

We can't penalize Kaz for it, it would be like throwing a suitcase of cocaine in his back seat and then saying ... "you know that is illegal, the law is very clear about this ... I am sorry, we're gonna have ta book ya"

cuz that's exactly what happened ... Jarred threw a suitcase full of 20 seconds coke (film) and 1 minute 14 seconds of pot (credits - a lesser charge) in Kaz's back seat ... there's nothing we can do now other than snort that sh@t and get hi on his badass joint. http://www.smileys.ws/smls/cool/00000030.gif


The time that was alloted for our films included any and all credits that we saw fit to include (regardless of actual running time.) Personally, I would have used that extra minute and change for more storytelling had it been available to me.
Dur poo poo, and if he had intentionally snuck in an extra minute 1:34 he might have done the same ... but then Jarred and Barry wouldn't have allowed it to stay up. So what you would or would not have done with 1:30 extra is completly moot. This comment makes no sense whatsoever -- and fact is he didn't use that time for story, he used it for credits ... so .... no Idea what the fuck you are talking about other than you keep wanting to form some argument that this film is doing well because of the fact that it has extra time



Again, I concede the points that you made about the DVD entry.
well that's start I guess


But as I learned during this editing process, every second counts.

... let it go .. you keep making these concesions then sneakin in these "and this is why it sucks" we get it:

I've written a haiku in the style of Tarzan to summarize your argument:
rule say only six minute
Kaz film much too long
Tarzan think no fair


And, again...best of luck.

I'm not gonna respond to anymore posts on this, for the most part you've proven yourself to be a gentleman and a scholar dude, having a sense of humor about something you felt strongly about and recanting a few erroneous assertions ... that's big dog stuff, and your one of the reasons this boad doesn't suck, like some other boards where people that disagree try to flame the hell out of each other ....

NOW, back to point

Kaz's film kicks ass.

[Brandon Rice]

Wow, I must say I am impressed by the discussion here. You all handled it very proper. Kaz, your film rocks, and I don't mind the extra 20 sec. Now if my DVD version would have been on there, there would have been a problem.

DVD version=11:30
Online version=6:00

[EJ Pennypacker]

Kaz, I really enjoyed WANA. I hope your film does well.

I'm sure it will :)

EJ

[Kaz]

Hey DVXERS,

This Is Blake Balu (Daniel), responding on Kaz's behalf per his request. He is currently out of town and not able to access the internet.

First off let me just say that Brian Kaz is one of (if not the most) talented people I know and I am proud to work with him and also call him my best freind. The man wears many hats and wears them so well, writing and recording music, mixing the sound, script writing, directing, doing the camera work, creating unbelievable effects, editing, and doing his own lighting as well. He is also one of the most humble people I know, sometimes to his on detriment . It's cool to have such a talented creative partner that I've been freinds with for so long (18 years). I think thats part of makes it work. It's like family.

BY the way ...I want to let everyone know that Brian worked on this film while living in one room of his condo, because the ceilings were falling down around him ever time it rained. He slept on the foor next to his computer in another room because the ceiling in his room came down and his bed was soaked and was staaaanky! Anyway, he'll probably feel weird that I'm going on about him using his username so I'll stop....

So....

MacGregor- The blackout in the first flashback was done by just plugging everything into one powerstrip and turning it off after a couple of seconds of static on the TV.

Thanks to everyone (Macgregor, EJ Pennypacker, John Hudson, Barry, Jdanstan (You're hilarious. We should all work on something together), Briceman, EditPhish and Callaghan for all of your wonderful comments). ;o)

Helping to make this film was alot of fun and quite a release as well. I'm proud to have been a part of it. Cheers Brian! I'm proud of you bro. ....I just got in my own bedroom last night (after 6 months)!! It's the little things ya know ;o)


Thanks again guys, Blake

[Ramon Boutviseth]

kaz,

me and my friend watched this last week, I remember being blowned away by the sfx and the location. Throughout the movie, I was thinking .."where did he find all these locations?" that was before my bud told me that it was from new orleans.. good job on that, nice way to use your surroundings. My favorite was the beginning, that when we got hooked to the movie, very entertaining indeed.

If I had to comment on anything.. this has probably been said like 1000x *sorry*but it reminds me off war of the world! I remember seeing tripods, the story itself is alike, the invasion, people escaping, and in the end we discover the alien's weakness... Intially I thought ur film was gonna get DQ because it said no adapations from other films? But I like how you try to incorporate things to make it your own.. And your 20 secs over! was up with that? lol j/k I know this contest is pretty laid back, thats why its fun. Overall I think your film really fits the genre for this contest. good luck!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

... And your 20 secs over! was up with that? lol j/k I know this contest is pretty laid back, thats why its fun....

*putting gun to own forehead*

hiro, read a page or two back bro

lol

[EditPhish]

Kaz... just wanted to congratulation you on your 4th place spot in the fest... I was SURE you had the #1 or #2 spot, but feel good about being in the top 5!

Your fillm rocks... now get it up on a website so I can send it to everyone I know :happy:

[kimko]

*putting gun to own forehead*

hiro, read a page or two back bro

lol:furious3: hey Jack he's joking man. i know moving is stressful. ooommmmm.....................................how bout a hummmmmmmmmberger...........
ah now don't you feel better:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[Kaz]

Hey this is Blake Balu (Daniel in WANA). Im on the phone with Brian Kaz right now and he'd like to share these few words with you...


"Greetings from sunny Orlando! I just want to say a quick thanks to everyone who chimed in with their thoughts and especially to Jared, Barry and the DVXUSER Players for putting on this fest, allowing me to win a cool DVRIG that I will no doubt use until it falls to pieces. It was alot of fun (for the most part) and I'm looking forward to the next one. Congratulations to the winners and to all the others for actually finishing a movie. For that alone we all deserve a prize!

Well, looks like I'm running 20 seconds over...so I will sign off. :)

Cheers!!

P.S.
Jack- You are a funny, FUNNY guy!!!

Edit- I promise to get WANA uploaded one my site ASAP, just for you!"

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

congrats man -- much deserved

NOLA representin' in the top fizzive

NOLA in the hizzouse :)

[badassmofro]

This film was really cool. It looked just like a feature film...only shorter. Incredible job!

[pabloabad]

Kaz, in my rank you and macgregor were the winners. A pity that special FX didn't count for the final score ( a strange rule in a Science Fiction festival ). Maybe you'd have won. Anyway, my congrats for a very, very good work.

Pablo

[D_and_G]

I agree with Pablo.

For me, Kaz and Macgregor were in a different league (not that the other films weren't good). Their films were executed with a lot of quality across the board.

And as a note for Kaz, the only reason I didn't review your film is that the same story/logic problems I had with War of the Worlds, I had with your film. You either buy into the science (within the realm of the fictional world created) or you don't. Believe me, I've had big discussions with PHD's on this stuff, so I wouldn't want to bore you :thumbsup: It seems unfair to critique a film on those grounds, so I abstained. It is though, a great film example of how to make 6 minutes have multiple layers -action, drama, science and remain interesting thoughout ...

Hope you get something together for "Hero" fest. It seems like that'd be in your wheel house. :beer:


Cheers.

[EditPhish]

Kaz,

Reminder... get We Are Not Alone up on your website! :happy:

[Aaron Marshall]

I thought WANA was pretty freakin' good. It should have placed higher. I loved the street lights shot.

[deepthought21]

Awesome movie, who did the visuals? were they just mattes?? Great job!!

[Kaz]

Hmm, you make a somewhat cool credit sequence and no one watches it... :)

I did the visuals. It was mostly composites from other footage shot with the DVX (for instance, my night time city shot was taken a year ago when I was filming a fireworks display on the river). I used clouds found on the internet to replace most of the skies you see. The wrecked cars were also pics found on the internet (which I could have shot here - New Orleans is a wrecked car paradise right now - I just didn't have time).

The only 3d work was for the alien & alien ships.

[Kaz]

>
>
>

For those interested, the final version of WANA is now up on my website.

A shiny dime to the one who can name every change from the sci-fest version.

>
>
>
>

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

cool ... downloading now :thumbsup:

[Brandon Rice]

downloaded it... I'll look for those changes soon!

[Brandon Rice]

Changes, I think.

1. It starts with the text: dedicated to our hometown Katrina victims

2. Logo changed (main title)

3. Added another beat during the Kate scene in the dark

4. Slower transition from Kate night scene

5. We are not alone comes in at end into credits.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Plus there's the scene where Blake has "relations" whith one of the aliens.

[Brandon Rice]

Plus there's the scene where Blake has "relations" whith one of the aliens.
Wow... must have missed that one. LOL!

[Kaz]

Plus there's the scene where Blake has "relations" whith one of the aliens.

Haha!

One subtle change that I personally think makes a world of difference:
The shot where Kate tells Daniel to leave him is a different take (and closer). She now says the line like she knows that she won't make it.

Also, the doll shot now has clouds which the sun comes out from behind, turning everything from a cold blue to a warm orange.

From there, I added an extra second or two to almost every shot until the end.

And last but not least...my infamous "Out of focus" shot has been toned down.

I also added real drum snare and hi-hats to the opening/closing credits, but who's gonna care about that?

The crappy lasers...let's just say I'm still too lazy to fix 'em.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

I couldn't tell a lot of difference, mostly subtelties I guess like you said, although it felt even more like a "real movie" partially due to the subtelties I guess and probably partially due to being on quicktime ... which quicks WMV ass.

And I still think your film is better than mine.

[Kaz]

...and probably partially due to being on quicktime ... which quicks WMV ass.

That WAS on wmv, buddyboy!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

That WAS on wmv, buddyboy!

lol, I just git flip for mac which pays WMV in quicktime -- but that looked better than the wmv Jarred Had

was there some pops at the beginning or am I on crack ?

[Kaz]

No pops for me, but incidentally, I'm able to make better encodes in wmv than quicktime so that's what I generally go with.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

your not on Mac though right?

you're a PC/Vegas guy right?

[Kaz]

Yup. PC.
While I can make really good QT video encodes, my problem lies with audio. If it doesn't sound like crap, rest assured my file is 50mb bigger than it should be.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

I heard that same thing form another PC user today.

When you do quicktime on a MAC the audio sounds just like the aiff files ... wierd.

[maestro1d]

Just got my sci-fest DVD today (I'm late to the party by several months here)

Yeah, okay, so it was a little War of the Worldsish. So what? Very bad ass flick. Very well made.

Tight, engaging story- I liked the dime bit and secret hand code... homage to Close Encounters, right? Nice.

Liked the CGI and thought the Firefly/BSG zoom on alien ship passing over was cool (and appropriate- i like hyperrealism to sell unreality).

Very slick composites and great contrast work in low light.

I'll look forward to more...