2012: Cyborg Apocalypse - Zombiesquid Productions

[ZombieSquid]

Give it to me straight. I need it. I like it rough.

[Brandon Rice]

Ok, you said straight. Here goes. I LOVED the shots of the motorcycle in the beginning. AWESOME! But I must say the dialogue was very long winded, and I wanted to see them hunt some Cyborgs! Good effort, and a huge improvement from your Zombiefest film! Good job.

[Kaz]

I echo B-Man about the cycle shots.
I thought some of your framing choices were odd, but hey...I watched it to the end and that's what counts, right?

[Norm Sanders]

"I like it rough" FUNNY!

This was, I believe, the very first film I watched last night. I was really impressed at first with the cycle shots, especially under the (bridge?) with the pillars passing by, POV of the rider, etc. But, once it got to the garage, it got long.

The comical part with the ball hitting the guy while he was doing the hologram conference was a nice touch. The main guy at first seemed interesting (the rider), and fit the role well as a good looking leader type, but then when it got into more dialogue/interaction it was starting to lose some interest.

The hologram was done pretty well, I feel, and I ESPECIALLY liked the fact that you gave it such a 3D feel to it with the various camera angles, etc. Traditionally, I think the holograms are 2D, so from other angles it would be flat, or you'd see a reverse of it (i.e. like in MINORITY REPORT), but since it's all still pretty much in the future, I guess it can look like anything you'd want it to. Eitherway, I thought you did a good job in that aspect.

If I were to really get on you for anything, it'd be more for the story/dialogue. Move it along, and keep it real.

[Blaine]

I need to go along with the others on this. The best part of the video was the hologram. I thought it was quite good. It fell apart for me after that. I just didn't see a story. When he ran out of gas I was like, "That's it?"

[ZombieSquid]

Haha! GOTCHA!

[Z B Brox]

I really liked the cheesy-80s-b-pic feel of it, and I thought it was pretty funny. I wasn't unpleasantly surrpised by the end, but maybe 'cause I wasn't fullscreen and could see the timer. ;) The hologram and the cycle shots were both pretty badass, but while I thought it was funny, the timing could've been better. The sound in that room was pretty rough, too, that really hurt the dialogue. Overall, some really good stuff and some real weaknesses. Was fun, though, thanks.

[ZombieSquid]

Thanks everybody. Noone's even mentioned the horrible fake rain at the end!

[Filmjunkie677]

Well, not much I can add to whats already been said...
The opening cycle shots were fantastic, but once they get to the garage, you lost me. It got very drawn out and i wanted to see what was going on outside!
But good job!

[Dahopafilms]

This was one of the first I watched, too. The opening was awesome (nice energy) and, for me, perhaps my expectations were set too high as a result. I wanted something to happen to these guys, but nothing really did - maybe that's the sign of a good film - hook the audience and get them invested (and I was). I just would have hoped for more deliverables.

I liked the hologram machine. Nice, complex look to it.

The eye lines on the actors on the reverse angle on the hologram sequence seemed a little high.

Some of the color/sound matches in the garage seemed a little off.

But I'm nit-picking here. I enjoyed the short, appreciate your efforts and was a sucker for the dry humor of a short that "runs out of gas at the end".

Thanks for this.

[ZFarms Productions]

i liked the hologram as well... looked really cool. the story was a little weird to me though. parts of it were funny as well. liked the bike shots. the story just seemed weird to me though...

just a little constructive criticism is all...

[Norm Sanders]

Zombie, had no idea the rain was fake, if you're talking particles/CG. Otherwise, are you talking about a garden hose? Stuff looked real to me!

[mikkowilson]

OK, I just had ot go back to see about the rain. It looked perfectly real to me the first time. ...But now that you mention it, it's got a little bit of flatness to it. But who cares!

I loved it. It had good rythem (great music) and the Hologram was top notch. I really liked the changing camera angles on it (well matched!)

The humor was a little weak.. so right on my level :grin:

Me likey.

- Mikko

[ProfD]

Loved the cycle shots and intro music.

[Slimothy]

I thought this one was lacking in alot of departments, but could have been(could be) a good story. Right when you get into it, and the story is established, it ends. So essentially it's about a guy getting briefed on a mission?? The CG was decent and the ball hitting the hologram was a nice touch. Overall, I thought it was very, very visually boring, I remember you mentioning you might throw something together real quick, and that's what it looks like (Unlike 2:35 A.M).



BTW: Didn't notice the rain was fake either.

[Daniel Skubal]

Alright, here's the honest truth:

The intro was great, I thought it was one of the best I've seen. I loved the music and the motorcycle montage... it was just very well done.

From there, everything seemed to unfold. I felt the ending was sort of a disappointment. As some have said, it just ends too quickly. The holograph sequence was really nice. Having to shoot your hologram from multiple angles to match the angles you had for your on-screen talent must have been a challenge. I was impressed with that little detail.

It seemed like you had a story in mind when you started but sort of lost strength as the shoot went on, and the story evolved into what it is.

I think the biggest weakness was the abrupt and unfullfilling ending, but don't be discouraged. I think your opening and hologram sequences were very well done and deserve much praise. It kept me entertained the whole time, despite the ending. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Excellent job mr. squid!

[penfever]

Yeah, I'm going with the majority. From the intro I was like, man, here's a contender, no doubt. But once he got off the cycle, things went downhill. Like many people, I think you had a tough time finding the right actors for your parts. They looked young to these eyes; but hang onto that blond guy, he's really handsome and would do a great younger leading man in some future DVXFEST movie.

[penfever]

OK, that thing just posted without me being finished. That was annoying.
Anyways, for a 'gotcha' ending to work the audience has to actually feel like it had a chance to see it coming. There's nothing in the film to indicate that the ending will come as it does- therefore, it smells faintly of cop-out. It's hard plotting a film, but always remember that audiences hate to feel 'out of the loop'. They want to be in on the fun - it's why they watch.
Big ups over Zombiefest, and keep on filming!

[pmark23]

I get it. Brilliant. The bad actors make it even better. The only distraction was the bad audio towards the end -- should have been ADR'd.

The ending is perfect.

[Z B Brox]

Maybe this flick appeals to you more if you're a fan of that certain style of really awful techno-synth-themed, amazingly-violent-but-utterly-bloodless, everything's-stylishly-dirty, rubber-monsters-and-plastic-robots film that shows on showtime at about 3 in the morning between episodes of "Beachhouse Confessions". ;)

[angrynerdrock07]

I have to disagree with a lot of people on this film. I thought the ending was very funny. I loved that the piece never really got anywhere because it felt like that was the point. With the intro were set up to believe that this is going to be a huge futuristic cyborg battle movie, but in reality it's a comedy about nothing. The Seinfeld of the Sci-fifest.

The only thing that bugged me was the eyelines on the reverse hologram shot. They look like they're looking at the guy's forehead! Oh well. I enjoyed it! Keep it up.

[ZombieSquid]

I have to disagree with a lot of people on this film. I thought the ending was very funny. I loved that the piece never really got anywhere because it felt like that was the point. With the intro were set up to believe that this is going to be a huge futuristic cyborg battle movie, but in reality it's a comedy about nothing. The Seinfeld of the Sci-fifest.

The only thing that bugged me was the eyelines on the reverse hologram shot. They look like they're looking at the guy's forehead! Oh well. I enjoyed it! Keep it up.

Finally! Someone who gets it! And as far as the rain at the end, it was a particle effect done as an afterthought with After Effects. I never intended for that to be an FX shot, but after finishing my first edit I had the idea and wanted to try it. I think it worked.

Thanks again for the feedback everyone.

[EditPhish]

I thought this one was lacking in alot of departments, but could have been(could be) a good story. Right when you get into it, and the story is established, it ends. So essentially it's about a guy getting briefed on a mission?? The CG was decent and the ball hitting the hologram was a nice touch. Overall, I thought it was very, very visually boring, I remember you mentioning you might throw something together real quick, and that's what it looks like (Unlike 2:35 A.M).
BTW: Didn't notice the rain was fake either.
Gotta agree 100% here.

The beginning had my expectations set high, and ended with me feeling a bit disappointied (and looking at the clock). The story really went nowhere, and if that was the point, well it's unsatisfying to the viewer (or at least some of us) ;)

Some of the framing of the shots was weird/off (eyelines already mentioned). The sound was also not so great, and the music fades/edits were really awkward.

I liked the hologram effect, and didn't really notice the rain. I also though the reverse shot of the one character holding the garage door open was too long.

Sorry for all the criticisms... but you said you wanted them :) -- I did take notes and am trying to be constructive... I appreciate that you shared your film with all of us here trying to learn along side you.

[ZombieSquid]

I think the biggest weakness was the abrupt and unfullfilling ending, but don't be discouraged.

Why would I be discouraged? Abrubt and unsatisfying was EXACTLY what I wanted the ending to be. It's made even more so apparent by the pumped-up intro. This movie was an experiment in viewer manipulation. I wanted to create a film that gave you a lot of promise in the beginning, and then completely failed to deliver in the end. The reactions that I've been getting here are totally what I was expecting to get because that's what I was trying to do with this movie. The parts that suck are supposed to suck. Its not like I finished the intro and said,

"You know what? That'll be enough, I'll just throw some stuff together and go ahead and submit this thing."

Thanks a bunch to you guys that "got it" and saw the humor. I think I represent part of a sub-genre of movie fanatics that love horrible films.

[Jeremy Ordan]

I haven't read anything that anyone else has said, so forgive me if I repeat anything (I'm getting sick of typing this before I copy and paste every review I did tonight)...

2012 Cyborg Apocalypse – Right off the back the sharp transition from this melodic music to this upbeat trancey techno was a jolt. I liked the motorcycle footage and it made me think of a cheesy sci fi movie on Friday nights at 4am. That is a compliment. The lighting in the garage at first was good, but what pulled me out of it was the acting. There was something about it that just came across stiff. The hologram effect worked well for me. The jokes didn’t really work for me and the story seemed more like a teaser than a compete film. Overall I liked the lighting and shot selection. I think you did a good job of mixing up your shots to make it work. I would look at the levels because at some points the rain seemed too loud and then the music too loud, but overall I thought it was a good project that I enjoyed.

[darkfader]

I triple echo all the comments about the bike scenes and I thought the hologram was great. I was waiting for the cyborg battle- but I guess you must be saving that for part two :)

[BrianV]

Yeah, got kind blue-oystered with no cyborg battle, but if you're trying to tease, then mission accomplished :)

[ZombieSquid]

"blue-oystered"?

[mikkowilson]

I can only think of one other blue-... saying.. and I think it explains this one. But why "oyster"?

- Mikko

[ZombieSquid]

Like the band?

[conrad_johnson]

Hey ZombieSquid -

Fun short. I liked the use of humor. It had a very exciting opening. In general, the editing during many of the shots with your two main actors was a little awkward. And did the guy with the beard lose his pants in one of those shots, or was that my imagination? Also, the sound was a little muddled. The hologram was great - loved that acting and the eyepatch. Great job!

[BrianV]

I can only think of one other blue-... saying.. and I think it explains this one. But why "oyster"?

- Mikko

*shrug* Not sure. Not sure what sort of guidelines one should have during these reviews. If I can say things like blueballed, balls, balling... umm testicles?

Well, at least it got people contemplating it.

Oysters probably in reference to Rocky Mountain Oysters (re: buffalo testicles, if memory serves). Yep. So there it is.

But yes, I was blue-balled for lack of cyborg battle. Balls.

[ZombieSquid]

But yes, I was blue-balled for lack of cyborg battle.

Ha! That's totally what I was shooting for.

[lookatmeimbender]

This movie felt like a big tease with the title. I expected cyborgs and I got no gas... kind of a let down. I like the begining shots though looked really cool. the hologram was cool the acting was a little weak. hope to see more are you improve.

[John C Lyons]

You guys started out with a scrolling story that set the bar way too high. The cycle shots were well done and got me interested from the start. Then unfortuantely the rest of the time was spent inside a garage, come on guys!

The hologram was well done. The ball toss was a nice highlight, good idea! I noticed the heavy set fella was looking above the hologram though in at least one shot. Funny gas joke, but this one just let me down overall, not enough substance.

[ZombieSquid]

I'd like to encourage all reviewers to read my previous response posts on this thread before they review. Thank you.

[thartley]

This was the first film I watched and I was blown away by the opening sequence, as I think everyone may have been. But I also am one of the ones who "get" this one. The humour was just my style, and the "NOT COOL!" line is something I've been repeating out loud and laughing about since I saw it. The very southern accents were great, btw. :)

I had no idea the rain was fake at the end. The hologram was very well done. None of the edits/cuts were distracting at all, which to me is always a good thing. I hate to watch something only to be drawn out of it by re-editing a scene in my head to fix what I just saw. So good job there. My only gripe would have been the audio in some parts and lack of foley in a couple spots. Otherwise, great job!

Terri

[Nature Shooter]

Along with everyone else here, the title sequence really got me interested. I couldn't wait to see how you pulled off the whole cyborg battle scene.

Everything was good for me until the lights were turned on in the garage. After that, I just couldn't get away from being critical of the lighting and sound. I know you were going for the comedic approach, but I think the jokes would have been much more effective if the whole mood wasn't shifted so drasitically. They would have been much more of a surprise and would be easier to concentrate on.

Aside from that, I really liked the jokes and was impressed by the look of the hologram and the various angles you showed of it. My only other critique is that the compostion/angles of the biker and the guy in the garage speaking to each other (around 1:30) could have been a little better, and the focus on the guy on the right was a little soft.

Brendan

[Captain KickAss]

Loved the intro. Enjoyed the irony of the ending. Was bored by everything in the middle. Talk, Talk, Talk....even the hologram, which was really cool by the way, was talk, talk, talk. I guess with a title like 2012:Cyborg Apocolypse, I was hoping for a bit more action and a lot less dialogue. And even that would have been much easier to forgive if it were not so hard to hear what your actors were saying. While part of that fell on poor field audio, the dialogue also seemed a bit rushed and mumbled.

[arielman]

Being a motorcycle nut I really loved the opening shots of the bike .
The guy with the beard sure looks like a buddy of mine who bounces at the local strip club.
As you requested , I read your responses before writting this .
I now understand in what you were trying to achieve here .
I think after watching 2:30 am ( well done) I had in my mind what kind of film I was going to watch. I think with that in my mind is what threw me off.
In all HONESTY I wish the guy left to do battle on the bike .
I don't want to repeat everyone elses comments BUT the guy running out of gas at the end Killed me ..Why ? Because I have done it ..lol
For a 4 min short , I think you did really good !!.

AS for no one understanding your short , Don't feel bad , No one understood mine as well ....lol
Ian

[ZombieSquid]

We spent 4 days shooting the intro and 2 hours shooting everything else...I thought it would be funny to put everyone through 3 and a half minutes of inaudible and mostly nonsensical dialouge. I say to myself "It would be funny if the hologram just rambled on forever!" and then that's what happened. Sorry. I'll do better next time.

[arielman]

ZombieSquid no need to appologive here .You set out to do a film for the Sci-Fi with an idea in mind and you did it .That's what counts here . doesn't it ?.
Sad only 55 members went and did a short .
My congrats to you and everyone who entered .
Ian

[Aaron Marshall]

I liked the holographic guy. I liked the southern sounding accents in a scifi film. The motorcycle shot was great. I just didn't buy that it was some post apocaplyptic world. If the garage would have been dressed up slightly more it would have been more believable. Overall it was pretty fun.

[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.


When this film started I was immediately impressed with the production value of the motorcycle. In particular the shots under the bridge were particularly nice. Overall I liked the framing of the majority of the shots and was generally impressed with the camera movement.

Where you lost me was with the acting. The three guys looked right for the parts, but were pretty stiff in their delivery. The guy in the hologram seemed the most natural of the bunch, but I never felt full immersed in the story.

The hologram fx was fantastic, in my opinion. I liked how seamlessly it appeared to interact with the environment. As the camera moved around the image the environment/actors showed through the hologram. I also particularly liked the 3d quality it seemed to have. As the camera moved around the hologram it felt like a projection of an actual person, rather than a flat projection like on a screen. The ball/object hitting him during the transmission and his subsequent reaction were amusing, however I didn't see the ball/object the first two times I watched. I was confused what he was talking about with the, "...not cool..." bit until the third time when I finally saw something strike him. Perhaps if the shot were wider it would have been more obvious - again, just my opinion.

The story starts out good, with the fairly quick dialog interaction between the actors. But when the hologram starts I quickly lost interest as it became a long speech. In the future you might want to find a quicker way to get the information across, or break it up so it isn't all in one chunk.

My only other gripe about this project is that it seemed like the opening teaser act for a television show. In other words, when this ends, it is like we are going to commercial, but never come back. I know it's hard to tell a story in 6 minutes, but it can be done. You have the start of a story here, it would be nice to see it re-worked to give us more.

The "out of gas" bit at the end was pretty funny :)

Good job.

Larry


edited to add: After posting my review I went back and read the other reviews...apparently I fell for the trick like everyone else. I guess that's what I get for not pre-reading the reviews, but I wanted to give a fair review to each film. Oh well, great job then, I guess

[John C Lyons]

ZombieSquid no need to appologive here .You set out to do a film for the Sci-Fi with an idea in mind and you did it .That's what counts here . doesn't it ?.

Agreed. Don't feel bad at all. You finished a film, congrats. And so the joke didn't work for everyone (myself included), doesn't mean anything, you can't please everyone. You obviously tickled some people's funny bones here, that's a good thing.

[Ought2bCommitted]

Hey Squid!

Some of my .02 worth may be repeatative, but I'll share them with you anyway.

I really liked your opening montage and text scrawl. It set up a nice mood. The montage with the bike and the opening credits was nice as well. Again a real nice mood established.

When we get to the garage though, it feels like a different piece.

I like the hologram effect. Worked well. Cute joke in the dialogue there. Liked it.

And then it kind of ends. It was a little disappointing at first. In the end, I felt like it was a cute, for lack of a better word, movie. It made me smile. I was hoping for something more meaty from the opening scrawl but maybe that's what you intended?

The biggest negative for me was the music. It came in and out at odd times and the transitions weren't smooth. I liked the score, but not so much how it was used.

Nice job! It was fun to watch!

-Robert

[hienben]

The opening was great, I liked the bike shots and the soundrtack was excellent. The picture was crisp and clear. The hologram was very well done but overall the story was really lacking. The conversation between the two guys in the garage was difficult to make out at times. Also, they looked a bit squeeky clean for guys who were meant to be fighting cyborgs. Maybe for your next film you can think about having a variety of locations, better sound equipment and make-up / costuming. Well done for making a film!

Ben

[Jared Meyer]

Hi ZombieSquid-

Nice job on this short. Much like everyone else here, I was totally impressed with your intro bike montage and hologram effects. You have some serious talent to put together cool shots like that.

I know you got a little frustrated with people not understanding your intent, which, I think you explained as an exercise in viewer manipulation.

I have to say that seems like a cop-out, given all the good things about this short. Go film those guys getting some cyborgs! I definitely liked your style and wanted more.

Good job. :)

[iSTy]

I started watching this, and thought, wow this is good then lost interest becouse of the bad acting, it made me smile when 'ran out of gas' though.

[ZombieSquid]

Go film those guys getting some cyborgs!


Now where the hell am I supposed to get cyborgs?

[Jared Meyer]

Sorry man, I can't tell if you're joking or not. :)

[ZombieSquid]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b58/schema84/orly_owl.jpg

[kimko]

i loved the beginning, then it kinda fell flat, the ending was fun. the audio in the garage was little far off maybe a little music with it?