PANDORA - Presented by Envision and Waltind

[Norm Sanders]

http://www.eefilm.com/dvxuser/screengrabs/pandoratitle.jpg



Temporary link to WMV file of the film (will have the perm. QT and/or WMV links up soon at www.eefilm.com/pandora (http://www.eefilm.com/pandora) - please right click and save this file to your desktop to view): www.eefilm.com/test/pandora-final.wmv (http://www.eefilm.com/test/pandora-final.wmv)




Thank you for your comments & great feedback, and hope you enjoy the film!!


Special thank you to all the cast & crew that helped make this happen! We hope they've enjoyed the experience,
and would look forward to the opportunity to work with any/all of them again!

When the festival judging has closed, I'll update this front page with a link to the final, full cut of
PANDORA: The Awakening (8.5 minutes).

PLEASE NOTE: I want to be clear that Ryan Walters (waltind) was a significant partner in this production. The cat is
VERY organized & professional in his interaction with others, and was the DP on this, in charge of both A & B cameras.
I think we made a pretty good team, and want to stress the word TEAM on that. He'd be responding more, but he's
neck deep in a paying gig in Germany right now, and won't be back 'till next week.

Also, Chris Rojas, of RMI Studios, put out some great results with the score, as well as did the final stereo mix for us
clear on the other side of the country at his NYC based studio.

Some low res. screen grabs for before/after examples ....
http://www.eefilm.com/dvxuser/screengrabs/pandorapost.jpg

[Brandon Rice]

One of the best films I have seen so far! I thought the acting was real good overall. The only thing I felt was the ending left me hangin' too much. Fuller review later, my time on this internet terminal is running out!!! GOOD JOB!

[Norm Sanders]

Thanks Brandon, glad you liked it ... especially the part about the acting, as that's the part I'm most nervous about ... at least with regards to my own performance. Not sure I'll ever try to tackle THAT again; being the lead while trying to direct/co-direct.

It's supposed to leave you hanging to a degree, yet still have some resolution with regards to questions UP TO that point. Kind of a stair step progression of questions until the flash back sequence in the warehouse, where hopefully most of the viewers questions are answered (i.e. Who's Nikki? What happened to her? What are these guys working on and what happened?, etc.).

Ideally, it's either a compressed first act of a longer feature film, or the first of 2-3 shorts that act as sequels to this. As such, we're titling the DVD version (8.5 min cut with two additional scenes) PANDORA: The Awakening.

Look forward to a fuller review when you have time, and hope you have a safe flight!

[Blaine]

You guys had a good offering. The sound and music played well with the pictures and I thought you guys had some good effects. I thought the acting was pretty good, too. The only quibbles I had were: 1) if I was Dan, she would be dead (but I'm not Dan http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif) and 2) I thought it was a little too easy for her to take Dan down, he just stood there and waited. Minor quibbles for a good project.

[Norm Sanders]

Thanks, Blaine. I can see why those would stand out. Ideally, it was to come across that this is a group of people that had worked very closely together for weeks if not months prior to things unfolding. Dan, being the oldest, has a natural paternal character to him, and Kelly's become like a daughter to him up to this point ... things that can't be fleshed out appropriately in 6 minutes while fitting everything else in.

Not disagreeing with what you said, as I'm sure others may question the same thing ... but there's some very quick backstory for hindsight purposes. Wish we'd had the time to go into the relationships more, as this was intended to be more of a character driven piece.

Again, thanks for the feedback. It's greatly valued.

[Kaz]

Yep, some good acting in there. Looked and felt very professional.
If I had to quibble over something it would be the "Sci-Fi channel Movie-of-the-week" vibe I got when the girl touched that gizmo.

Overall though, it was cool!

[Blaine]

Thanks, Blaine. I can see why those would stand out. Ideally, it was to come across that this is a group of people that had worked very closely together for weeks if not months prior to things unfolding. Dan, being the oldest, has a natural paternal character to him, and Kelly's become like a daughter to him up to this point ... things that can't be fleshed out appropriately in 6 minutes while fitting everything else in.

Not disagreeing with what you said, as I'm sure others may question the same thing ... but there's some very quick backstory for hindsight purposes. Wish we'd had the time to go into the relationships more, as this was intended to be more of a character driven piece.

Again, thanks for the feedback. It's greatly valued.
I understand, thanks for the clarification.

[ZombieSquid]

I liked the performances and the DPing was nice, but to me the music just TRAMPLED all over the film! A good score should essentially go unnoticed.

[Norm Sanders]

Trampled as in too loud compared to dialogue/SFX levels? Could you explain further? Thanks in advance for the time, ZombieSquid, as well as making the initial post in the first place. :)

[Ben Sliker]

high production value, way to go. Could def be on the sci-fi channel (take that as you may).

I think the sound problem is the volume, it takes away times becaus it is too loud. I really liked it, but crank down the track a little. Certain points border on comical or soap opera-ish instead of dramatic because of the volume.

Loved the line "Just Do it" good energy, well placed.

Good acting on the overall, the beginning was a little rough for me, but I think that it was because this is part of a larger piece. I'm guessing that a lot of dialogue had to be cut, and the lines you did choose were essential to understanding the story, therefore a little trite and less engaging than a full conversation, which is a shame that the full thing isn't here.

Nice job on the director/actor work, it's hard to do both.

Overall nice work, one of the better half up so far.

[Norm Sanders]

Thanks Hybrid ... both you & Zombie mention the music, and I believe you have valid points. In this case, I'm guessing, since the final mix was handled by Chris Rojas, who was also the composer, he probably was leary about pushing back the music too much since it was his baby & wanted it to shine/be noticed. It was probably a tough position to be in, and one I can see could happen to anyone in the same scenario (cutting the volume on their own piece, etc.).

When I first heard the mix, he'd wondered if the dialogue needed to be brought down a couple notches, and I said absolutely not ... if anything the music may be a little hot throughout ... but I didn't want to push that too much as he was doing a lot with regards to the mixing and scoring, and wasn't a paid employee. Like everyone that's in this fest, I'm sure there's a balance they've fought with trying to push through their creative decisions, while still respecting & appreciating all the work others are putting into it as well with zero compensation.

Oh, and Hybrid, the coffeeshop scene wasn't cut in dialogue ... it's about how the script was. I just hate when dialogue is fake & too expository, but perhaps I went a little too far in keeping it lean?

On a different note, the one thing I've not heard anyone comment on was the ADR. The ENTIRE coffeeshop scene was ADR as the BG noise was horribly loud (had a loud refridgerator we were fighting) ... it apparently sync'd up & balanced fairly well, if no one has noticed.

[Dahopafilms]

Norm,

Thanks for this film - I enjoyed it very much. My comments and thoughts , in no particular order are:

I liked the location of the coffee shop. Of course, the first thing I thought was "I wonder how much that cost? Or did they know somebody?" These contests have ruined me.

Springing off your last post, I did notice the ADR in the coffee shop (which, I suppose, one isn't supposed to notice). The reason was that I had been fighting with the ADR on my own entry, so I noticed that you'd done ADR and then noticed that yours was better than mine.

I did like the music and didn't think it was too intrusive at all. Nicely done and I wouldn't change the mix at all - except perhaps in the flashback scene when the dialogue got a little buried.

I thought the acting got a little "Wonder Woman-ish" when we got to the lab. Sorry. And yes, Dan pissed me off when he wouldn't shoot Kelly (he'd pistol whip her but wouldn't shoot her? Now THAT'S caring!). And as Dan is dropping to his knees and we see his right hand, he lost the gun that was there a nano-second before (but no worries - he get's it back a second later).

And where did the second (?) gun come from. One minute it looked like Dan was about to blow his own head off, then suddenly Mike is awake and hauls off a crack shot - with what gun?

And I thought the eye effects on Dan's eyes were great.

Thanks very much for your efforts and again I enjoyed this short very much.

Cheers.

[Ben Sliker]

yeah, good job on the ADR then.

it seemed a little lean, perhaps specialize it a little for the story, esp. the first three lines, they sem really general, but clarificiation does come ... it's a tricky choice.

[Norm Sanders]

And yes, Dan pissed me off when he wouldn't shoot Kelly (he'd pistol whip her but wouldn't shoot her? Now THAT'S caring!). And as Dan is dropping to his knees and we see his right hand, he lost the gun that was there a nano-second before (but no worries - he get's it back a second later).

And where did the second (?) gun come from. One minute it looked like Dan was about to blow his own head off, then suddenly Mike is awake and hauls off a crack shot - with what gun?

"Now THAT'S caring!" LOL!!! Though it's not seen on screen (screw up in hindsight with my editing - I take the blame) Dan actually does try to pull the trigger ... when the shots finally back on him we see him fiddling with the gun ... the SAFETY was on. By the time it's off, she's too close & all he can do is pistol whip her. Bottom line, however, is I shouldn't have to explain this, which means we should have had it more clear in the film.

Oh my goodness! I litterally had to go back & freeze frame that spot to see that the gun IS missing! What were we thinking?! Gads, what a continuity issue we missed. At least it's a quick one ... so quick that no one on our team had seen it before. Good eye.

The second gun was from Mike originally, when she made it across the room in lightening speed & broke his wrist ... when Mike shoots the orb, he's doing it with his left hand.

[Slimothy]

Glad I finally got to see it Norm.

Cinematography/Lighting-Some of the best I've seen yet. The coffee shop and house scene (when you're talking to the girl) look excellent.

Acting-Great job, there were a couple of rough spots, but a great accomplishment considering your other responsibilities. Compared to most, this also is a bit of a standout.

Story-The story was pretty decent. It's funny as I toyed with a similar idea. I had to watch it twice to get everything, but that's the case w/ alot of these movies. When it ended I wasn't thinking "Holy shit, that was a great story!", but I definately wasn't bored. Overall I think the story landed somewhere in the middle.

Sound-Very good, the music was a bit much at times, but the dialogue was crisp, etc.

I haven't read the other posts, so sorry to rehash if that is the case.

[Slimothy]

Sorry, forogt F/X:

The special fx were OK. Not great, not bad. There has only been 1 that I've seen so far that has better if that tells you anything.

[Norm Sanders]

Thanks Tim! Feel free to point out the "rough spots" with the acting. I'd really look forward to as much details as anyone is willing to give out, no matter what facet it's regarding.

Thanks again & glad you enjoyed it! Can't wait for Ryan to log on from Germany & catch up on this thread.

[ProfD]

I agree with a few of the previous comments...I liked everything except the beginning scene. And some sound distortion...could be my speakers..not sure.

[Ralph Oshiro]

First of all, Chris Rojas of RMI is a GOD! I would KILL to have the chance to work with Chris on a project someday . . . now back to your requested critique . . .

Hey! You had some OLD actors! The big guy was GREAT! I totally bought him. In fact, all of your actors "looked" the part. And, the girl was hot, always a good thing. Now, the lab . . .

The good thing is that you had a large space. You're right . . . no wonder you thought I was bagging on your short in the other thread (I really wasn't--pure coincidence)! Again, a large space really helps. I did think it was lacking, however. If you didn't have the money to dress it properly, you needed to figure out a way to HIDE it better. Hanging cheap plastic frosted shower curtains all along the back walls, backlit sickly green, would've done the trick. Or creating a much more dramatic lighting design (to better"hide" what you couldn't afford to dress properly).

[Norm Sanders]

OOhhh, love the idea of the shower curtins with sickly green lighting. Shucks! Next time. Seriously, cool idea. More prep time would have helped, in the fact that we literally showed up to the location the day we were shooting ... no scout time.

Yeah, Chris did an incredible job with the score. Funny how objective people can be with all aspects of art (music, acting, lighting, etc.). Some will love something, while others didn't.

Thanks for the comments, NBC!

[krestofre]

I didn't notice a problem with the mix like some people did. It seemed to me that that music was featured in appropriate moments, then was downplayed when the audience should be focused on other things. I didn't really notice the score beyond a "oh, nice music" thought.

Your acting was pretty good. I thought the best part was the encounter between the main character and his wife when she finds out about the lost child. Almost all of that scene was really well constructed, shot, and acted. There was a single moment that looked like it may have been an editing issue, or something. It was a really quick cut away to an odd camera angle. Maybe just me.

The pan of the guy when he's been "infected" and has funky eyes was fantastic! I saw that and immediatly thought "That's a great shot!" Not only in composition, but the effect was great too.

Take this next comment with a grain of salt: I would have enjoyed a little bit more explanation about what was going on in the lab. Maybe like more of a clue into what was unlocked, or what they found.

The infected female also had a little Gozer vide going on. The voice changing was a cool effect, but reminded me too much of Ghostbusters. It might have helped if I hadn't just watched Ghostbusters the day before. :)

Anyway, I enjoyed it. Good job. And I think that's all of the comments I had.

[penfever]

Yeah, I think the music was pretty good, although perhaps at times it overdramatized what wasn't a cinematically very dramatic film. But the music served its role quite well, and on the whole, the quality of the scores used in DVXFest has been quite high - one of the best parts of it, I think.
I think your weak link was definitely locations (and in a way, acting). That opening scene ,with the guy lougning in the easy chair...and the people drinking lattes in the background, I mean it just doesn't sell itself as a 'crisis' location. I wasn't concerned, I was just sorta laughing at these crazy guys in the Starbucks.
The final scene was pretty cohesive and tight - well shot, well edited, a bit flaky in the action sequences, but IMHO, that's totally understandable. I think that with a bit more attention to the beginning of the film, the ending would have carried more punch.
Good work, and keep on shooting.

[Norm Sanders]

Hey Krestofre and penfever, thanks for the feedback!

Krestofre, I think I know which shot you're talking about as being odd ... the one where we cut to a direct left side shot of Mitchell's face, just as he's saying "She lost the baby". It always felt odd to mee as well, so I'm really not sure why I put it in there, other than wanting an ECU, and not having another angle. Doesn't cross the line, but still feels out of place, which could have been a difference in lighting (was worse before I cc'd to try & balance it out). Regardless, as editor, that was my fault.

Any appreciation about the camera work goes to Ryan (waltind) as he was DP and was in charge of both A & B cameras. The ONLY shot I can take credit for is the dolly past Dan's eyes at the end ... we were tight on time, and no one really wanted to stop for it as we were in danger of being behind schedule (our 1st AD was a clock nazi, and GREAT at her job), but I knew it would be an important (can I say "money"?) shot. Ryan was still behind the camera on it, though.

Everything else was Ryan's planning & execution.

Gozer. Funny ... yep, I can see the comparison! :)

Flaky action ... I tend to agree. Our first project having any kind of action, so a learning experience. It would have been even worse had we not had Jerry Buxbaum show up to help us out for a couple of days for free. He supplied the guns, the Fear Factor harnesses for yanking us into the air/backwards, the spark explosion FX, etc. He's a professional stunt/FX coordinator, and we were extremely blessed to have him answer our Craig's List ad, and decide to play with us on his time off.

[smelni]

I liked the retro feel of it. It had a cool sci-fi channel feel to it.

Acting was a bit strained by the lead male. But it worked in the context of this film.

Voice slow down although cliche really gave a good feel to it.

I actually felt like i wanted to know more about what they released by the end.

I really liked the shot when she picks him up by the neck - very convincing.

[Norm Sanders]

Thanks, smelni!

Lead male - strained acting. I agree. The guy sucked hard core. He'll never work in town again, if I have anything to say about it.

There was no slowed down voice, but I did mess with the range with multiple pitch shifts.

Glad you got involved enough to want to know more ... that means we succeeded & kept you involved.

It took four men on the other end of the pulleys, to pull Jeff (who played Mike) up into the air while she was "raising him" by his neck. Glad it worked for you!

[Jeremy Ordan]

Norm, my friend. OK I haven't read anyone else's posts in your thread because I didn't want to be swayed or anything, so here is my review after the second viewing...

Pandora – Norm, Norm, Norm. Well I was stoked to see the Letus put to use, and honestly you didn’t disappoint. You have my vote for best title and title showing. The acting throughout was good and I enjoyed it. I could point out everything that I thought really worked in this project, but I think most people have already pointed that out. Here is what I didn’t like, and actually the only thing that I wasn’t a fan of with this project: the effect at the end. It didn’t work for me for some reason. Ultimately though I really enjoyed this film. My favorite shot of the entire festival is actually in your film (5:07). Something about that works perfectly for me. You should be really proud, good submission and shows how much you have progressed as a filmmaker since the zombiefest. I was royally impressed.

[Norm Sanders]

Jiminy Christmas, Jeremy, thanks for the huge props! I was actually worried as heck when I saw you saying Norm, Norm, Norm ... I thought, oh-oh, here it comes.

On my player, 5:07 laps over two shots ... the OTS looking down on Dan with the crane, then the one from behind him & the orb in the BG ... which one was your favorite?

Eitherway, I little to nothing to do with those ... that's all waltind (Ryan Walters) to thank for those. He'll be pleased to read yours & other posts on here.

The effect at the end ... which one? As we pass by Dan's eyes or all the VFX in the warehouse in general? No hurt feelings either way, as I had to pull those off myself, learning how in three sleepless nights before deadline, and KNOW they aren't great and don't live up to the rest of the film.

Thanks again, Jeremy, and look forward to some clarification on a couple of those Q's.

[ZombieSquid]

Sorry I took so long to get back! What I said about the music "trampling" on the scenes, it was a little loud in the mix at times. What I was mostly referring to was the way the music overpowered the scenes. It really drew too much attention to itself and away from your actors and the dialouge. I've heard it said that if someone leaves a film and the thing they remember most is the music, then the score composer has not done his job well. All I'm saying is that the music was TOO POWERFUL at some points. I compare it to an actor who is screaming as loud as he can "SOMETHING BAD IS HAPPENING!!!" right in the middle of the scene. Maybe I don' know what I'm talking about, noone else has really mentioned it.

Friggin AWESOME look throughout. Very polished, SUPERB shots. I really got into the movie and was taken by how well it was shot.

[Norm Sanders]

Cool, thanks ZombieSquid for the further explaination. For the shots, more props to waltind for that!

[EditPhish]

I really liked this film overall... though on my first view I was a little confused about the story. It took a second viewing for me to get all the pieces together in my mind.

The sound started off really great... but after the coffee house scene, it wasn't as good... and by the warehouse scene it was at it's worst. Never really bad, just never as good as the opening scene.

Music was great... went along well with the story and played a nice role in pacing.

I thought the lighting and cinematography were also very good... very professional looking. Only gripe I'd have is the one outdoor scene seemed a little washed out compared to everything else.... but not terribly so. I really liked the framing in the first scene.

Acting was excellent... only part that bugged me was the 2nd scene with the woman in the yellow shirt... she seemed to overact a bit... forced it too much.

Only other gripe was that last gunshot. The editing on that seemed a bit weird as you weren't sure where the shot was coming from, or who was holding the gun once you saw it.

Liked the glowing eyes effect.

Nice job overall... Thanks for sharing it, and while I could sure learn a lot from you I hope my attempt at constructive criticism was helpful :)

[Norm Sanders]

EditPhish, thanks for the great feedback. Funny that the opening scene was the best, as that's the one that was entirely built from scratch for audio ... not a single sound was from the location. All ADR and post SFX ... so perhaps that's why it's the cleanest for you.

Any acting short-falls with any of the cast, I'll take the responsibility on myself. As director, it should have been caught & dealt with on the spot, but I was too worried about my own lines to be as effective as I should have been behind the camera as well.

But, it's also very subjective with some people loving the acting, others not.

[Ought2bCommitted]

Hey Norm!

I just got started watching the films and I just watched yours for the first time. I have two gut reactions, interestingly one good and one not so good. I will go into more detail after I watch it for the seond time...

First, the good. I was very intrigued by your story and wanted to see what happened next, wanted to know what happened before. I wanted to klnow all about what they were doing in the lab and why. So, kudos on getting me into your world and your story. (I can creepily enough tell with 98% accuracy if I'm going to like something from its title sequence...loved your titles)

Second, the not so good. The acting. Way off. I'll tell you specifics more when I've watched it again, but the biggest thing pulling me out of the story was the "OMG, bad acting!" moments. It was really the only big negative that stood out for me. Other things were quiblles which I'll write more about later. Wanted to let you know I watched it and really really enjoyed it. Very nice work! I'm proud of you! You did a nice job and showed some real growth from Death march. way to go! Will write more later!

Robert

[Z B Brox]

Hey there, unfortunately I think my reaction's a little more negative than some of the others. Hope you don't mind too much, but here it is.

I'll start with the good stuff quickly, and there *is* a lot of good stuff. You've heard several times by now how good your production values are, how well the effects work. All that stuff is spot on. The score was good (although I agree it was a little overpresent at times), and all the acting was pretty decent, save a few moments of melodrama. Really professional seeming work and, one thing that really stand sout to me, your colors came off great, while a lot of other people seemed to have trouble with them.

The bad is fairly simple, to me, and that's the story. Maybe it's just me, but I really felt like I'd seen, read, and watched this before. I think it's because what you have here is a very basic, very old, idea (scientists unlock something which is vastly powerful but also vastly evil) which doesn't have the time to be developed. Something like this, it's been done before and what sets it apart is the details, the themes, the characters, and you just didn't have time to get into them and make me care.

Don't take this as a negative review, you guys did a great job from a directorial and cinematic standpoint, and as a demo of your skills it's wonderful stuff. But as a film in of itself, or even an intro to a film, it just didn't grip me. But, then, I'm a writer, not a director, so take all this with a granule of your seasoning of choice.

[RMI Studios]

First of all, Chris Rojas of RMI is a GOD! I would KILL to have the chance to work with Chris on a project someday . . .

NBC! You're way too kind, but thanks for the ego boost! PM me if you want to work on something...

Also, thanks to everyone who has been commenting on the music, wether positively or negatively. 'Pandora' is my first attempt at scoring to picture and I've learned a helluva lot in the process. I actually scored to the long edit of the movie (8:30) and then had to cut the additional cues out for the DVX Fest. If anyone wants to hear the full score in its entirety, send me a PM and I'll link you to the original extended audio file. And keep those score & mix comments coming, they're very helpful!

In terms of the balance between the music and the dialogue, I see some of you have taken issue and some haven't. I'd venture to say that it's mainly a monitoring question: as I listen through different sources (multiple computer speaker setups, powered studio mains, reference quality bookshelfs, mono speaker) I can discern shifts in the balance. Anyone listening in headphones? I'll admit I forgot to reference in headphones..


yours,

C.R.
http://www.rmistudios.com

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Norm and Walt -- Congrats are in order.

Norm - this film was not made by the same director as your zombie fest entry -- huge growth spurt.

This film was entertaining and I was sucked in by the smooth slick camera work.
Echo the dings on overpresent score that attempted to manufacture things that weren't always there, some rough acting moments, familiar story territory, anti tension of the choice of first setting (we go to coffe houses to relax and share a mocha moment with friends or get some work done on our laptops) junk yard with barbed wire fence, back alley, under a highway overpass, smoke filled office were the aveneues to explore there. I think you and Walt have a great eye and the eye sort shot for the sake of beauty or a cool location here rather than ins support of the story.

I did think it was well edited and shot, though I thought the lettus could have been utilized more to direct our eye and for beauty effect.

But again I felt the over all film worked and I did score the script higher than a lot of others for structural reasons, handling exposition in a non "on the nose" manner and approriateness for the time limit.

This is definatelt in my "good" folder - the ones I have my friends watch.

Congrats agian to both of you and your crew!

Jack

[Norm Sanders]

Robert, Z B Brox, and Jack ... thanks for the feedback guys. I think constructive criticism is a lot like being an effective leader ... you can dish out the bad & say you didn't like something, as long as you look for something postitive (there's ALWAYS something postitive, even if it just means the project was saw through to completion).

Everyone in this thread has done a great balance of pointing out both things they liked as well as things they believed needed to be changed or improved. While various things can be subjective, they're important to hear & you all have no idea how much WE value it. Thanks a ton!

Also, in defense of Chris Rojas, it DOES change from speaker source to speaker source ... which I had no idea (probably a lot like our images look better/worse on various monitors) ... so the guy had his hands full. Even when we were working on it, he was thinking the dialogue was actually too loud, I said I didn't believe it was, and once he heard it through a different speaker source, he was able to agree.

I'll also admit something else ... when Ryan & I first watched our captured footage, we HATED this film. We though, OMG, what have we done?! Everything just felt flat (colors, performances, story, etc.), but I kept telling myself (I'm sure Ryan did as well) that it can only get better through post. Even when we had it all edited together (save the FX which were last), we still weren't that impressed with it ...

Until Chris delivered the first five minutes of the score.

Then BAM! We had a film! His music brought it to life, for us anyway, in a way we never felt possible ... it truly was a character of it's own. Some have felt that that particular character (the score) stepped over the lines at times, while others feel it supported it beautifully. While I agree that in SOME spots the balance could be a little off (through the speaker set I'm listening through now), I wouldn't change a note of music ... it creates the moods that I can guarantee weren't there previously. I hated the Mitchell/Trisha scene in the kitchen, previously, and now it's grown on me. Before, when I thought there was an overlydramatic delivery of a line, it's now masked/supported by the score.

Chris helped save this film, in my opinion, or at the very least it wouldn't be what it is now without his involvement and talent. If this is his FIRST attempt at scoring a film, how insanely good do you think his FUTURE scores will be?! :)

Crap, I went long again. At least Larry R can appreciate long posts, can't you Larry! :) (inside joke)

[CallaghanFilms]

Norm...

First off I gotta commend you on all of your hard work. It is obvious
that you took your time in pre-production, and overall I would say
the production value of the final product speaks for itself.

If you remember, I really liked "Death March" (a film that I still feel
was highly underrated the last go round.)

But back to the Fest at hand. Like I said, the production value on
this one was high. I am surprised that the acting is being criticized
as much as it is. I felt that, for the most part, the acting was on par
with the made for television features on Sci-Fi channel. If that isn't
appropriate for Sci-Fest, then what is?

I gotta ask a few questions about your casting yourself in the lead...
Do you fancy yourself an actor?
Did you want to test yourself in the Orson Welles mold of star/director?
Do you think a more seasoned actor could have brought more depth?
I ask because I really don't feel strongly one way or the other on your performance. I would just like to hear your own critique of yourself.

I must say that the factors that took me out of the story the most were the props/set design in the warehouse. I feel that cheating with what you have is crucial (especially so in the world of low/no budget films.) What was supposed to be conveyed was an important lab (where the Pandora energy source was discovered/harvested). What does come across IMHO is a table with a few computers on it and a "plasma ball" (not unlike the ones at Spencer's in any local mall.)

Like I said this was really the only nitpick I have, Norm. Otherwise I think that you did what you set out to do production value wise. I'll say it again...I liked the acting.

:beer: Cheers, my man

I didn't mention the fx either...very nice, not overdone:thumbup:

[Norm Sanders]

Chad, thanks & glad you liked it, as well as giving the critiques ... again, appreciated.

To answer your questions, I do like to act & believe when I can get into it, I can do a convincing job. I really wanted to do one of the roles, but wasn't counting on doing the lead until I found people I thought would better fill the other roles (Steve who played Dan for his age diversity, Jeff who played Mike as he had more of a vulnerability to him) ... which only left the lead. We had Ashton Root (wrote/directed THE DURANGO KIDS) actually audition for the lead (he ended up being our sound guy) and were quite surprised at how well he did ... but the big thing for us on this is that we needed the flexibility to shoot the additional scenes (they're in the extended version), and since this was pro-bono we weren't convinced we could have someone else drop everything at a moments notice for us to go film a pick up shot, etc.

So flexibilty of being able to perform the additional scenes was the "key" reason why I took the lead, supported by the fact that I really wanted to act as well & the other roles were taken. Before committing myself to the role, I actually auditioned for Ryan, so we'd both know if I could do it or not ... it was the Trisha/Mitchell scene, which I may have nailed better in the audition than with the pressure of actual production.

In the future, I'll do smaller bit/supporting parts vs. lead ... just too tough otherwise at my current abilities. In fact, we're already starting to plan our next short story (20-25 minutes), which will likely cast Ashton Root as the lead.

Hope that answers your Q's. Yes, a more seasoned actor would have pulled it off better & brought more depth ... but there's the question of if they could have been flexible enough, for free, to finish all the later scenes (our additional scenes were shot 1 month later with almost zero notice due to a weather break). The one thing I disliked most about being the lead is I was afraid people would think I was an ego-maniac. I'm not really, no matter what Ryan may say about me. :)

[Norm Sanders]

It is obvious
that you took your time in pre-production, and overall I would say
the production value of the final product speaks for itself.

Oh, I forgot to comment ... the pre-production is where we feel we failed the most, as we were super pressed for scheduling due to the holidays, as was everyone I'm sure. The most time was put into the script with revisions (draft 4 is what we produced), and were still scrambling for locations, other than the warehouse I'd obtained ahead of time. However, even the warehouse we were unable to get into ahead of time to plan the shots, props, look/feel, etc.

So unfortunately everything had to be planned as we arrived to each location, and there were no rehearsals either. Our next project will have at least 2-3 months of pre-production.

[BrianV]

The score drove me through most of it... even when some things crept up that normally would take me out of a movie, the score helped anchor me. Not to take away from the other members of the creative team, but the score definately helped me stay the course.

*thumbs uppers*

[Norm Sanders]

Thanks Brian, I know Chris appreciates that comment, and I'd agree that it's the glue that pulled everything together, at least in our eyes.

[J.R. Hudson]

I found this to be quite the step up from the last entry we saw from you Norm ! Well done

You have shown maturity and growth as a filmmkaer and that is the key I think. I foound myself entertained and interested from the start. At times, it screams for a more polsihed script andf dialogue but no matter, the sound design surely works for you

I look forward to seeing more work from you as it is obvious you are making strides as a filmmaker

[RMI Studios]

The score drove me through most of it... even when some things crept up that normally would take me out of a movie, the score helped anchor me. Not to take away from the other members of the creative team, but the score definately helped me stay the course.

*thumbs uppers*


Thanks for the positive feedback Brian! I definitely tried to create a cohesive aural experience that would keep the viewer engaged all the way through to the end credits. I had thought about mixing musical genres, adding some hard rock or electronica, but in the end I went with the tried and true orchestral score. The primary challenge for me was in trying to keep the orchestral score sounding modern throughout, I hope I achieved that. The mickey-mousing of certain action elements was also tricky and I'm sure will come easier to me in the future if I can get more practice with action films.

One scene I'd like to mention, and possibly get feedback on, is the Flashback Sequence. Instead of cutting to an action packed music cue mirroring the sci-fi events taking place on screen I decided to slow the pace down and heighten the dreamlike atmosphere of the scene, without losing the dramatic element. I introduced a solo trumpet, which I think added both the air of a military burial, and brought to mind a sense of loss. Then the entire orchestra reintroduces the opening theme, this time played very slowly and as if full of regret. I also chose to add some heavy reverb to the dialogue, to further enhance the Flashback feeling.

Does anyone think all the elements came together correctly?



C.R.
http://rmistudios.com

[Norm Sanders]

John, thanks for commenting and I'm so glad you got to watch our film ... I was really looking forward to having you watch it & say something! I know our next film (already planning - may not fit for a DVXfest though depending on theme) is only going to be that much better with what we learned on this.

Oh yes, jumping from Chris' last post, the flashback scene is my personal favorite of the short for CC, blur, FX, music, audio, and just overall feel. The music was great, and the heavy reverb was TOTALLY Chris' original idea, which we loved & worked perfectly.

Chris did test/experiment with the mixed genre (harder rock/electric sounds) at the beginning of the warehouse, but quickly decided against it ... with some support from us in that decision as well! :) That said, the dude can ROCK, which we knew from the start when we listened to his Sample Score Ideas (Indian Rock, WWF, etc.).

[conrad_johnson]

Hey - Well executed overall, although the production seemed rushed in the final scenes. The score, while good, was distracting.

[pabloabad]

I specially liked the overall acting and the lighting into the house.
The story is catching too, though it took some time for me to get the point, as english is not my language.
I like the FX, impressive that you did yourself the last three days.
Pablo

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

... Flashback Sequence ... Instead of cutting to an action packed music cue mirroring the sci-fi events taking place on screen I decided to slow the pace down and heighten the dreamlike atmosphere of the scene, without losing the dramatic element. I introduced a solo trumpet, which I think added both the air of a military burial, and brought to mind a sense of loss. Then the entire orchestra reintroduces the opening theme, this time played very slowly and as if full of regret. I also chose to add some heavy reverb to the dialogue, to further enhance the Flashback feeling.

Does anyone think all the elements came together correctly?
http://rmistudios.com
Once we are done moving I look foreward to sitting down and reviewing this section and giving you some feedback Chris -- sounds like an interesting discussion.

[lookatmeimbender]

This one is strange to me. I enjoyed parts of it then hated parts of it.

I think the main actor is acting way to hard.
The actresses are hot but are lacking something.
What was the Pandora device?
This looked like a preview to a longer film.

With a little more work I think this could pretty cool.

[Norm Sanders]

LOL! Thanks lookatmeimbender for the honest critique.

The main actor stunk, mutually agreed. The PANDORA device is left unknown, as I didn't want it to be the focus. It wasn't about the device, it was about the characters and what they were going through & how they were reacting to the situation(s) at hand. To go into the device would have taken time away from the other stuff we wanted to explore.

It's supposed to work as either a compressed first act of a film, or the first of 2-3 shorts.

[lookatmeimbender]

yeah something about him just felt like he was reading lines. the other two main actors were pretty good. It felt like ghost buster at one point lol. I understand the character are key but The main actor kept it from feeling that way I think if a little more was told about it then it would have been better.

[RMI Studios]

oh that main actor, whoever he is ;)


C.R.
http://www.rmistudios.com

[Norm Sanders]

I'll see if we can't do a director's cut that edits him out of the film entirely. Could be an improvement.

[RMI Studios]

haha. enough with the self deprecation!


C.R.
http://www.rmistudios.com

[EJ Pennypacker]

I guess it's been mentioned before, but I like the DoF work in the opening scene. From a tone and dialogue POV, it reminded me of something like HEAT. Bunch of heavy hitters all sitting around, discussing some very serious.

EJ

[thartley]

Loved the title shots and opening sequence. I wasnt sure where the group of guys were, location-wise, in the beginning. I first thought they were in a hospital, but then on a wider shot, I was thinking Starbucks. :)

Score was great, I envy all you who do that part well. :mad: :p

Audio was good, but I'm not a fan of the "voice enhancer" thing. Even in big budget films. But that could just be me. I've tried it myself in some things I've done and I dont like it there either. :D

This is one I would like to see a BTS commentary on, for some of the shots. Like when Nicki (?) comes back and lifts that one guy up, how you got some of the shots to look so good. Great edits, imo.

Good job!

[RMI Studios]

Score was great, I envy all you who do that part well. :mad: :p


Thanks THartley! I can't wait to work on more DVX User films! If you or anyone else wants to hear or download the score itself, just click here (http://www.rmistudios.com/ScoreSamples/0scifiscore_full.mp3).


C.R.
http://www.rmistudios.com

[Norm Sanders]

Thanks, thartley. I was hoping to post some BTS shots (before & after CC/FX), but we all have to wait until after judging to show any frames from the films.

We had Jerry Buxbaum, a professional stunt/FX coordinator come out with all his gear for the weekend (ladders, tools, pulleys, Fear Factor style body harnesses, guns, FX, etc.). That particular shot in raising up Mike involved the harness, a pulley attached to a beam about 20-25 feet above, then running that down at a 45 degree angle to the base of one of the main support poles about 40 feet away, where it hit another pulley and we had four guys on the end of the line pulling.

The shot I'm really wanting to show is a before/after of when we look like we're craning up and we see the two poles in the foreground, her choking him as his feet are completely off the ground.

Those poles are fake ... or at least were never there. That was our money shot, and it wasn't until post I realized that Steve (played Dan) and I were just standing there, practically with our hands in our pockets watching ... yet just a frame before that Dan's supposed to have his gun drawn on her. So I took a picture of one of the poles that made it into a BTS still, cropped it out, and placed it over the footage with gaussian blur. I flipped it, added even more blur and zoomed in & put it on the other side. One to cover my relaxed face/expression, the other to cover JUST in front of Dan, where his gun would be. Then, to add some character depth, I panned up within the frame in the NLE, moving the poles seperately, as we never actually had a crane for that shot.

So what WAS a static shot, with our two characters looking WAY too relaxed, not to mention a continuity issue, is now hopefully a more interesting crane looking shot with our POV poking through between a couple of warehouse poles. To further sell that those were really there, I had to have them moving out of frame in a couple subsequent shots. So you'll see poles moving out of frame immediately after she drops Mike, that were never actually there.

Everything else was just a matter of using a plate & matting out the guys & ladder that were in the BG. Ryan Walters did a good job of rotoscoping Kelly out via Photoshop, for the initial blast, as there were a LOT of people & ladders in the BG there as well ... which will also have a befre/after, once we can post stills.

Hope that helps you on the BTS commentary for now.

[TimothyJinx]

Great job.

What can I say about the lighting, framing, etc. except to say it was excellent. I felt like i was watching a movie on television (yes, that is a compliment).

I liked the transitions you used - they had a Star Wars feel to them.

The soundtrack was a little too prominent in some places but very good.

Obviously one of the best I have viewed so far.

[Norm Sanders]

Thanks Timothy, glad you enjoyed it! Also just posted some misc. screen grabs on the first page, which also include some before/after shots.

[thartley]

Very cool before and after's. Thanks for posting those. :)

[Larry Rutledge]

Quick Disclaimer: I am avoiding reading other comments before rating each of the films, so I may repeat comments others have said to death.

So far I have only watched about 10 of the films (including SIMILO and We Are Not Alone, which seem to have caused a lot of buzz), but of those this is currently my favorite. I think the overall blend of story, FX, score, acting and cinematography work to make this a great film.

The opening shot in the coffee shop looks really good, and in particular I like the overhead (crane?) shot at the end of the coffee shop sequence. If I had to make a critique about the film it would be the acting during this sequence, it wasn't bad, but felt a little stiff (I think this may be due more to the seriousness of the material contrasted with the laid back location - coffee shop). But it wasn't enough to pull me out of the story.

I really like the effect of the woman lifting the one guy up by the throat, looked very realistic. The other effects were also good, but a little more expected (sci-fi and all, you know :) ). I liked the guys eyes at the end, great effect.

I liked how the flashback was introduced, it was clear when we went into it and clear when it was over, but never jumped in your face and said "HERE'S A FLASHBACK!!!". It also did a great job of telling us the backstory without being a talking-head, here's what happened, sequence.

My biggest complaint, if you can call it that, was that when the film ended I wanted more, but that's a good thing. I felt that there was a complete story told here, but could see this being a piece from a much larger story.

One of my favorite components of this piece is the score. I think it was as much an actor in this film as the actors were. I was so impressed with it that I watched it once with the sound muted to see the difference and it definitely plays an important role in telling the story. There are many times where the action seems to be going one way, but the score brings it around so when you hit the next shot/scene you are right there with the story.

I also liked the transition wipes, felt very sci-fi to me (I guess I have Lucas to thank for that).

The exterior shot of the truck racing up to the warehouse and the subsequent tension with the gun in the lead's face was great.

Overall the acting was very good, I enjoyed everyone in the film - except that lead, who is that loser? :D Just kidding . . . you did a great job Norm, especially considering the pressure of being the filmmaker as well.

Excellent Job!!

Larry


edited to add:

Crap, I went long again. At least Larry R can appreciate long posts, can't you Larry! :) (inside joke) This post might go a long ways to helping everyone understand the inside joke. So I can be a little long winded, is that any reason to rake a guy over the coals? :)

[RMI Studios]

http://www.rmistudios.com/pandoraprotools.jpg

gratuitous post-prod screen shot
haha sorry folks...


C.R.

[RMI Studios]

gratuitous post-prod footage...shot with my cell phone in January...

let me know if it makes you laugh as hard as it makes me!

Pandora Scoring Session - french horn action (right click/save as) (http://www.rmistudios.com/pandorascoresession.mpg)


C.R.
http://www.rmistudios.com

[235 Studios]

Thanks EVERYONE for you kind words and your critiques. I appreciated them all.- What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. I just got back in the states about an hour ago , so sorry about not being able to respond to the posts. I'm glad that most people liked it- As Norm had said previously, when we went into editing, we had doubts, but as all the pieces came together we became more and more pleased with it. I know I work will only continue to grow from here. :beer:

[Norm Sanders]

Ryan, good to have you back!

Chris, I actually did laugh out loud watching your BTS video clip, though it was also VERY cool to see a little bit of what you do & how you do it. I laughed after probably the 5th time you kept popping out those short notes ... I think you were trying to find the ones you wanted for when Dan cracks Kelly aside the head with the pistol. Thanks for sharing!

[Norm Sanders]

Oh, and Larry, thanks for much for the kind words! Really appreciated, and glad you've enjoyed it. Sheesh ... ANYONE who would go so far as to say they liked our film better than such greats as SIMILO and WE ARE NOT ALONE ... well, they can leave as long a winded post as they want to. :)

You're right, the score really helps to pull it all together. Some people may complain that it was too much at times, while others thought it was all around great, but I think everyone can agree, it would be a totally different film without the score to support it (and DRIVE it at times) ... like nearly all films would be.

Glad you liked the FLASHBACK scene as well ... my personal favorite.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

was just looking at this again ... gotta get me a crane!

just noticing how well that shot of the SUV driving up really worked with the music - that militaristic feel was spot on -- not sure it worked as well in the house when it build to the sudden drop off in the argument, seemed to miltaristic for that - if they were having that same argument as he boarded a ship or something it would fit perfect, but seemed to clash with the domestic scene, like poeple should be rushing to their battlestations or something - which he was, but we didn't really know that yet, and even then I think it might have seemed a tad manufactured in that scene.

but again was admiring the crane shot in the coffe shop and the cool score at that one part imparticular.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

gratuitous post-prod footage...shot with my cell phone in January...

let me know if it makes you laugh as hard as it makes me!

Pandora Scoring Session - french horn action (right click/save as) (http://www.rmistudios.com/pandorascoresession.mpg)


C.R.
http://www.rmistudios.com
lol chris ... that was a both a silly clip and cool to see you working at the same time.

I'd love to work with a composer someday. ODD SQUAD was royalty free but I did my own for SHED -- I'm a hack, no where up to your level, but I don't know how I would work with a composer who's not me as I'm always barely getting my projects done by the 2nd or 3rd extended deadline.

Q: what was your turn around time for Pandora's box/what's the quickest you think you could have done something comparible to the finished product you delivered?

Watching you work on this reminded me that I have been trying to figure out how to get some Matrix sounding chord clusters ... I've tried various google searches, but to no avail.

Q: Could you give me a matrix sounding chord cluster recipe if there is such a thing? :D

[Norm Sanders]

I think Chris is like lots of us ... once he gets in his groove, he's a working monster. The guy cranked in some serious hours, and I'd imagine that from start to finish he'd have had that done in about 4-5 days, but I could be speaking out of turn.

Let me correct myself, I AM speaking out of turn, but I could be wrong about the guess. :)

[235 Studios]

was just looking at this again ... gotta get me a crane ...

but again was admiring the crane shot in the coffe shop and the cool score at that one part imparticular.


Thanks. Having a crane is lots of fun! I like the movement and the perspective that it adds to my shooting abilities. To be able to go from looking up at someone from a low angle to looking down at them from a high angle can say a lot in the telling of a story. It also adds a lot of production value to the shot as well, IMO.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Thanks. Having a crane ... also adds a lot of production value to the shot as well, IMO.
EXACTLY!:D

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Norm -- stop promoting in my thread -- hold on I have something in my throat

coughODDSQUADcough
ah ah ah achewODDSQUAD!

[Brandon Rice]

So, I heard about this great film called A PRICE TOO HIGH. My friend worked on it, and he said when he was shooting A PRICE TOO HIGH he had a great time, and learned a lot. Then he entered A PRICE TOO HIGH into this online film festival at dvxuser.com, and lots of people seemed to like A PRICE TOO HIGH. I think I might just go watch A PRICE TOO HIGH :)

[235 Studios]

Norm -- stop promoting in my thread -- hold on I have something in my throat

coughODDSQUADcough
ah ah ah achewODDSQUAD!

LOL!!!

Nice one J! :beer:

[Norm Sanders]

Norm -- stop promoting in my thread -- hold on I have something in my throat

coughODDSQUADcough
ah ah ah achewODDSQUAD!

LOL!!! Funny stuff. Nonetheless, it's a bump, and I have YOU to thank for it. *cue sappy music*

Oh, and Briceman, NICE try, but SO unoriginal. :)

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

alright we've got to stop -- we seriOusly are paDDing now and tainting otherwiSe legitimate Queries with All this Divergent Drivel :D

[235 Studios]

D[/b]ivergent

Good use of the word Divergent.

A bump is a bump, that's a bump ... yeah probably better stop with this extra padding. Thanks for adding to it for us J.
:beer:

[Norm Sanders]

Funny, to see Jack doing what I'd already dropped in his and Briceman's thread ... just a little more obvious with mine:

Personally, I liked this film.
At first, as in from the start, it really grips us.
Not like some others that take forever go get to the story.
Do you know what I mean?
Of course you do.
Really a great flick to watch!
A must see!

[235 Studios]

OK, it's official, we've got to much time on our hands ... get back to work, or something :)

[Brandon Rice]

Glad you liked my funny Norm ;)

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

err ... your post in my thread is stamped 12:42
and mine is stamped 12:40
I'll give you props for copying my idea so quickly -- but don't go claimin' like you all came up with it n' sh@t :D


Funny, to see Jack doing what I'd already dropped in his and Briceman's thread ... just a little more obvious with mine:

Personally, I liked this film.
At first, as in from the start, it really grips us.
Not like some others that take forever go get to the story.
Do you know what I mean?
Of course you do.
Really a great flick to watch!
A must see!

OK I'm logging off and watching Walk The Line for the 1st time with the GF (on hotel pay per view)

[Norm Sanders]

Yeah, but I STARTED before you. Besides, takes mOre work to start a sentence from one letter, than it Does to just go through & BOLD the letters you want to Stand out. See, Q, I even promoted your own stinkin' film in oUr threAD! Yeah, I'm a giver, it's what I do.

[Brandon Rice]

HAHA! You are the man Norm. I should really do something productive right now, but I don't want to!!! Like my poster? ;)

[arielman]

Personally, I liked this film.
At first, as in from the start, it really grips us.
Not like some others that take forever go get to the story.
Do you know what I mean?
Of course you do.
Really a great flick to watch!
A must see!__________________
-Norm :cheesy:

Couldn't have said it better Norm
Ian

[Norm Sanders]

Ian, thanks for that. Funny, at first I thought YOU did that ... then I'm like, well that looks familiar. :)

Brandon, I just realized what a huge dump you took in this thread. When I saw your post about about the poster last night, I had NO clue what you were talking about ... then I skip back a page & get smacked with that advertisement.

Funny!. Now scoop it up. :)

[Brandon Rice]

HAHA! You got it Norm, I cleaned up my mess ;) Glad you have a good sense of humor!

[Norm Sanders]

No problem, it WAS funny ... even funnier it took me 'till the next day to even SEE it. :)

[kimko]

Sfx Was Kool. Beginning Was Well I For Got. They Were Sitting Around Drinking ?the Actors Had A Good Look To Them. I Liked The Beam Shot In The Chest, Shoot I Got To See This Again,i've Only Seen These Once. I'll Be Back

[Norm Sanders]

Look forward to it, kimko, thanks. That's why I had to watch a film, score it, and immediately critique/comment in their thread ... or I'd NEVER remember. :) Shoot, that's why I even created several threads for the film makers, because I needed to comment right away, or it just wouldn't happen later.

[Brandon Rice]

Nice new avatar Norm! I like!

[Norm Sanders]

Old school, actually. My original one that's not been seen in a while. Thanks. Thought I'd wave the company flag.

[Beat Takeshi]

Hey Norm, I really liked the story idea. The audio needed some tweaking in the warehouse but it was still watchable. I thought the acting was good all around and the effects were good also. I thought the ending shot of the guys eyes nailed it dead on. Good one dude.
Peace

[235 Studios]

I Liked The Beam Shot In The Chest

Thanks.
We wnet through several variations on those SFX until we came up with something we were happy with. Norm was using Particle Illusion, and I think he did a good job of comping in the SFX, as it was a pain for some of the shots- So it is nice to know that they are liked- especially after he worked so hard on them.

:violent5:

(Smily doesn't really have anything to do with anything, I just saw it and thought it looked cool.)

[Trent]

Overall, Pandora is one of my favorites so far.

Cinematography, SFX, screenplay… everything was well produced and executed. Though I am sure this project did not go with-out it’s share of issues, you both were able to put together an excellent short.

Only small problems that seem to stand out to me are as follows.

During the “domestic scene” while the couple (Mitchell and Trisha) where close in each others arms… the lighting does not always seem consistent from one cut to another.

And my only other note… the SFX of the orb seem to be a tad bit to in focus. Maybe if you soften them a bit, it will seem more part of the shot and less something placed on top.

Oh and I do have to say that Mitchell is a really cutie. :D (Norm, just had to pick on you…)

Congratulations to you both, you did a great job.

[235 Studios]

Thanks for your input Trent.

As fr the lighting issues- It might be a CC issue as we kept the setup the same though out the scene, the only place where it changed was at the end when Mitchell walks away. So the actual lights did not move at all.

Although you may be referring to what we did with the CC durring that part of the scene- which if you are good job on picking up on that- When mitchell gets the phone call and realizes what has happened to nicki and her baby we slowly fade from the CC'd image back to the non-CC'd image. So if that is what you are referring to good eye. No one has caught that yet. :)

[iSTy]

Although I haven't read all the comments, I offer mine.

The acting was pretty good, I enjoyed the fight at the end and I didn't think too much of the sound quality.

[Larry Rutledge]

I just watched this again and had to chime in on the scene with the truck racing up to the warehouse...that is my favorite scene of the whole piece. It just looks really good, the framing, the color...the speed is right, the Letus adapter makes this shot "pop".

Not that the rest of the film doesn't, but this is my favorite shot of the whole film. By the way, I turned in my score sheet yesterday and afterwards I finally looked at the "total score" column....I thought you (Norm and Ryan) would be happy to know you got the top spot on my sheet :2vrolijk_08:

Peace,
Larry

[235 Studios]

I didn't think too much of the sound quality.

Would mind elaborating on what you didn't like about it? More spacifics would help us do better in the future. Thanks for the critique.



:kali:

(I just love these "new" smilies!)

[235 Studios]

I turned in my score sheet yesterday and afterwards I finally looked at the "total score" column....I thought you (Norm and Ryan) would be happy to know you got the top spot on my sheet :2vrolijk_08:

Peace,
Larry

Thanks Larry, glad you liked it!
:dankk2: :cool:

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks for your input Trent.

As fr the lighting issues- It might be a CC issue as we kept the setup the same though out the scene, the only place where it changed was at the end when Mitchell walks away. So the actual lights did not move at all.

Although you may be referring to what we did with the CC durring that part of the scene- which if you are good job on picking up on that- When mitchell gets the phone call and realizes what has happened to nicki and her baby we slowly fade from the CC'd image back to the non-CC'd image. So if that is what you are referring to good eye. No one has caught that yet. :)

I did notice that CC change the first time I saw it. I assumed it was an error in the file, and didn't pay attention to it. So it was intentional?

[235 Studios]

I did notice that CC change the first time I saw it. I assumed it was an error in the file, and didn't pay attention to it. So it was intentional?

We wanted to convey visually what mitch was feeling emotionally. His life is starting to come crashing down around him as he realizes that something has happened. As he hears about the life of the baby being sucked away, and the reality of the situation sets in, everything is sucked out of his world- so we took the CC out as well to add emphasis to it.

[Brandon Rice]

Interesting choice. Thanks for clearing that up for me :)

[Norm Sanders]

It wasn't so much of taking the CC out, as it was desaturating the colors ... so the world kind of drains away as he's hearing the bad news, and then even more worse news. I believe it would have worked MUCH better, had it not been for the changes in lighting that are apparent, as it the first time I personally notice the change is when we cut back to a CU of Trisha.

That said, if that's what people are noticing, and thinking it's an error, it's perhaps we pull it from the 8.5 cut.

Larry, what can I say? Wow, THANK YOU for your past feedback on this, and we're extremely greatful/honored you enjoyed the short that much!

Trent, good idea on the Orb's FX ... I can not believe I never thought to add a SLIGHT guassian blur, which I'll see about going back & doing that ... though it'll be daunting, as I had to do all those FX in pieces for my system to handle it (working with blown up 1280x720 frames - HD).

Also, I THINK the difference in lighting is most noted in the CU when Mitchell is first about to say that Nikki's lost the baby, and we cut to a CU of the left side of his face ... I'll see if I can CC that more to mix better, or possibly cut that shot, which I'll discuss with Ryan for the 8.5 version. While the lights didn't move, they may not have been ideal for that particular angle, as I could have been in a bit of a pocket there ... at least that's the only reason I can think it looked so different.

Thanks for the feedback, and glad you enjoyed it!

[iSTy]

Would mind elaborating on what you didn't like about it? More spacifics would help us do better in the future. Thanks for the critique

I couldn't hear the woman very well when the guy first got home. and I also found that the music sometimes took over the voices.

That's all. otherwise I thought the 'film' was good.

[235 Studios]

I couldn't hear the woman very well when the guy first got home. and I also found that the music sometimes took over the voices.

That's all. otherwise I thought the 'film' was good.

Thanks, that is helpful info.

[Ramon Boutviseth]

EnVISION,

just got done watching your flick! Pretty cool man!.. it felt like a movie. Thats what you were probably going for right? it was very dramatic.. the music ,the framing,hot chics.. it was all good. I really enjoyed it.. my favorite scene is where the *demonic* woman fights off everyone..& nice sfx work too *the ending shot of the eyes*.

[235 Studios]

Thanks. Glad you liked it.

Norm put a lot of time into the SFX, using Particle Illusion and key framing everything so that it tracked correctly with the images.

[kimko]

finally got to see again well done in the scene sequencing very much like a movie. didn't quite understand the story i had to watch twice.the girl at the end i didn't know who she was then the ending was like the 50s dialogue when she was obsessed i think she could have made a different choice and maybe a closeup of her looking down on the ball just her eyes and the light of the ball as she looks crazed. but the dialogue moved well

[xilixfilms]

where is the link please?

[PaPa]

lol i too am looking for this link.

[Norm Sanders]

I'll get a couple files online ASAP, and post here when they're up.

[Norm Sanders]

www.eefilm.com/test/pandora-final.wmv (http://www.eefilm.com/test/pandora-final.wmv)

This is a temporary link of the entire 8.5 minute film ... also posted on the first page. Perm. links will be up eventually at www.eefilm.com/pandora (http://www.eefilm.com/pandora)