There Goes The Neighborhood

[conrad_johnson]

Hello hello hello -

Directed by a girl. Photographed by a boy.

We filmed this on an HVX.
We borrowed a bunch of lights from our friends.
We rented flags n scrims from a rental house.
We lost a bunch of footage and so we had to beg the rental house to lend us the HVX again. They cheerfully obliged.
We lost some pieces of our crane down an elevator shaft.
We made costumes out of boys' and girls' undies.
If you look carefully at the side of the blue passat, maybe you can see where our director/editor threw up all over the side of her car the night before. Hangovers during shoots are a bad thing. A very bad thing. Don't mix fruity rum drinks with beer, my friends.
Filmed on location in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Apple Valley, Minnesota.

Okay, and for the geeks, here's the relevant stuff:
edited on final cut pro
composites completed in adobe after effects
color correction completed in final cut pro
kino-flos and arri fresnels and chimeras
lions and tigers and bears
dolly was made with loving care by our carpenter friend, who moonlights as a real estate agent in the film. We wanted to ask our real-life realtor to act in the film, but ran out of time. Here's his website - he's awesome. http://www.realtorbobwilliams.com/

Okay, that's it. See ya.

[Mike McNeese]

Acting was GREAT!!! I smiled the whole way through. Very simple (good in a 5:00 movie)...well executed.

[Kholi]

Great Acting!

Great Visuals ( I smell HVX here. Am I wrong?) Particularly the first shot of the empty house. I liked that, it looked very spacious.

Great/Funny costumes.

Story was "hmm" but I liked the overall. Good job, Conrad.

[Aaron Marshall]

Oh man! I was rolling on the floor when those do gooders were at door. The way they were laughing and acting so fake! I loved the actors. I know people that act like them. They were like door to door cult member recruiters or something. It reminded me of "Strangers with Candy".

Excellent!

[Mark Dog]

yes conrad great film , was the movie dvx or hvx filmed ???????


peace n luv

Mark Dog

[conrad_johnson]

Thanks so much guys. yeah, we shot this one on the HVX, a very nice camera indeed. We had a lot of fun, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Beat Takeshi]

That was pretty good. Those people irked the crap out of me. I would kill them too if i had to live next to them. American action squad... ASSEMBLE! My kids were dying on that one. My daughter was like why does he have a garbage can lid if hes a super hero. The funny, consistant acting was great. It was almost like a kids show like power rangers but in a good way. Good job.

[Mike McNeese]

People need to be talking about this more. This was well-executed in every category. I will question you on the CC at the scene where Mr. and Mrs. Powers discover that Tom's been captured...everything looked like it had a green CC tint.

Can't critique you on anything else, though. Like I said before, the acting is very strong, very fitting. Good choice of music. The lighting is top-notch...it looks so appropriate, a lot of people are gonna overlook it.

Well done...this is one of the most entertaining!

[The Noble Robot]

I was drawn to this, particularly because I live in Minneapolis and I went to high school in Apple Valley. I actually live less than a mile from Realtor Bob Williams!

Awesome film. The acting was perfect, which is about the last thing that most indie filmmakers concern themselves with. I loved the evil lair, the props were right on. Could have used a few more dutch angles, but it was fine without them. ;-)

My only concern was that the "reveal" wasn't paced quite right. I knew it was him before the music and reaction confirmed it for me, that shot just dragged on. And then then post-action scene seemed a bit too long also. Otherwise, the pacing and editing were fantastic!

[Edgen]

:)

"American action sQuad.. AssemblE!! "
Was Great!

My Thoughts:
Over the top, quirky, great acting.
Sound was great for the most of the movie. Did you ADR or was it the original?
Only sound I didn't like was the BBQ outside.
The FX work here was great with the fire.
When the realtor hands him the keys the expression on the main guys' face is friggin' hilarious! It set itself up to be a quirky movie right off the bat. Like a really bad commercial in happyville or something.
I think some of the scenes were perhaps a little over exposed? but, it was consistent.
I think the film paced well and the acting was entertaining enough to keep my attention.
I agree about the end reveal. I would have liked to see his face first. I wasn't quite sure if that was actually him or not. Instead he comes in looking right at the ground. Not really an establishing angle that we've been used to. You don't really see it until he cocks his head and walks off camera. I would have liked to see that earlier to establish that was him.
I think if the entire sidewalk was filled with for sale signs that would have REALLY made the movie great and just really hammers home in that the neighborhood is indeed... funct.

Great short, great comedy. I had fun watching it.

/j

[david jerome]

I loved this. Very well done and written. I loved the costumes. I want to dress up like that with some friends next halloween. Thanks for making me laugh.

[wesley]

haha good idea and nicely executed. i loved the scene in the beginning where the nieghbors meet

[MsManhattan]

I enjoyed this -- I love the risk you took with the quirky acting style. It totally worked -- your cast really pulled it off. And, as a journalist, I appreciated the parody of the classic SuperHero front. Nice job!

[Blaine]

This was really goofy...and I mean that in a good way. The first time I watched it, I was getting annoyed with the acting until I realized it was supposed to look like bad acting. After that, everything was fine. Nice comedic touches sprinkled throughout. Steve Burns lighting the bbq, of course.

Your costuming was priceless. I loved the dead bushes look at the end, it kind of gave a The 'burbs feel to the piece.

What I really liked about you short was the fact that it had a well executed story...beginning, middle and end.

I will say, though, I had a better time watching it the second time around...

[PK Gillock]

This one was great. I really enjoyed it. The setting, story, and performances were incredible. Thanks for the entertainment. :)

[Dahopafilms]

Conrad,

Great, funny, entertaining film.

Some thoughts:

Others have already commented, but the acting was perfect. Over-the-top saccharine. And I think I know a "Sandy Powers". Every one of the actors was perfect. Hats off to them, and to you for managing to find them.
Between the oom-paa-paa/brass and the funkified guitar, the score was great.
The costumes were funny-bad. Of course, the actors themselves carried them off perfectly. (Were the female heroes wearing Playtex gloves? LOL!)
In the warehouse scene when they reached Dr. Toxic's lair, I have to admit that when I saw the pedestal-thingy in the middle of the frame I thought "Cool - what's that?" While I'm on the subject, what was it?
The guy playing Dr. Toxic was awesome. And his facial expressions reminded me of my brother-in-law. So based on personal experience, it was all so very real ... believable.
Maybe it's just me, but I like it when the good guys die in the end. Bwahahahahah ...

Just a few things that didn't come through so well for me:

The quick-mowing of the lawn effect was a little long for me and I would have liked a close-up on the lawn-mower (not the lawnmower) to introduce her as a character.
The "fixing-the-tire" scene. Was the husband supposed to be holding up the car for her? Or not? And if so, would he have been doing this on an open street? Hmmm.


I really enjoyed this one. If you have it, I really look forward to seeing a behind the scenes on the filming - I suspect/hope you guys had a blast making it. Thanks very much.
More, please.

[conrad_johnson]

Thanks everybody, the acting was my favorite part as well.

Dahopafilms:
1.Yeah, we lucked out on the actors and got some good ones. They were all feeding off of eachother and some of the outtakes are hillarious.

2.The score was written by a friend of mine. His name is Jeff Bailey and he's a local Jazz musician around Minneapolis here. I'm the cheif engineer at a recording studio around town so I know a lot of talent.

3. The costumes: the more rediculous the better.

4.That thing in the middle of the lair is a controller for a 32 track digital tape machine. As I said I'm a recording engineer so I had tons of stuff like that at my disposal.

5. Dan Hurlbert is the man.

6. Me too.

1. We did a mls of her as she waves to tom. Are you talking more than that or just a close-up instead of a mls.

2. Yeah, hes supposed to be holding up the car, i'm not sure why, but that didn't come off as well as I'd planned.
Thanks for the constructive comment, I can tell you really watch the fillms, thanks for that.

[MiataFilmSomething]

I need to watch this again. I'm really sorry, but it didn't do a lot for me when I saw it. This was one of the first, if not THEE first, movie that I watched, so maybe my mind frame was out of sorts. I'm going to watch it again and then I'll post more on it.

From what I can remember though, it did have some good camera quality and great use of color.

[Mike McNeese]

Miata, you do need to watch this again...this is one of the most entertaining movies in the fest. Have you ever seen 'A Clockwork Orange'? Where they pin the guy's eyes open...I'm gonna do that to you until you agree that I have good taste in short film.

BTW, people keep mentioning color, but I'm telling you people that the color pops because of proper lighting and iris management. Can we get some insight on what/if any CC was done?

[Jason]

Great camera work in the beginning part of the film. The lighting, colors, shot-choice, etc., were really nice.
The actors were great.

I think it's very solid until the ending. The secret lair bit needs some work in terms of shot choice and lighting--it becomes far less dynamic than the beginning had been.

You could have also done with a little more work on the script. The story seems to be about the weirdness and homogeny of small town-life, but that idea is dropped pretty quickly once we get to the lair. I'd suggest using that theme to infom the ending. It'll make for a tighter movie.

[conrad_johnson]

Miata, you do need to watch this again...this is one of the most entertaining movies in the fest. Have you ever seen 'A Clockwork Orange'? Where they pin the guy's eyes open...I'm gonna do that to you until you agree that I have good taste in short film.

BTW, people keep mentioning color, but I'm telling you people that the color pops because of proper lighting and iris management. Can we get some insight on what/if any CC was done?

Thanks mjmcneese,
I used Final cut pro for the color correction, but most of the colors are intentional. I chose everything in every scene to make it pop, ex. I't took me 3hours to set up, art direct and light the livingroom scene and it was only in the shot for about 10 seconds. I painted everything so the only colors were pink and green exept for the subject (TOM) and some blue flowers on the right side of the frame. So it takes a lot of time and consideration to make colors like that, nothing is in the background accidently.
thanks again.

[conrad_johnson]

Great camera work in the beginning part of the film. The lighting, colors, shot-choice, etc., were really nice.
The actors were great.

I think it's very solid until the ending. The secret lair bit needs some work in terms of shot choice and lighting--it becomes far less dynamic than the beginning had been.

You could have also done with a little more work on the script. The story seems to be about the weirdness and homogeny of small town-life, but that idea is dropped pretty quickly once we get to the lair. I'd suggest using that theme to infom the ending. It'll make for a tighter movie.

What about the lighting and shot choices didn't you like?
I don't know that the story is about the wierdness of small town life as much as it is about superheros trying to seem like normal individuals and not quite pulling it off. Thank you for the comments Jason! keep 'em comin.

[Shaun Patrick]

I really dug the film Conrad! The first half of the film is pitch perfect. The acting/premise during the first half really reminds me of Kids in the Hall in their prime. Simply put, the first half is hilarious.

Also, kudos, on the lighting and cinematography. Some really good looking stuff here and amongst the best in the contest.

The second half, though, left me wanting more. The premise (superheroes trying to seem like normal individuals in the neighborhood) just seemed to lose a lot of steam and punch when we were transported into their actual world. It would have been interesting to see the battle/confrontation between the superheroes/villain (with them still trying to act 'normally') play out in the neighborhood setting rather than in the villain's secret lair.

My two cents. Great job.

[conrad_johnson]

:)

"American action sQuad.. AssemblE!! "
Was Great!

My Thoughts:
Over the top, quirky, great acting.
Sound was great for the most of the movie. Did you ADR or was it the original?
Only sound I didn't like was the BBQ outside.
The FX work here was great with the fire.
When the realtor hands him the keys the expression on the main guys' face is friggin' hilarious! It set itself up to be a quirky movie right off the bat. Like a really bad commercial in happyville or something.
I think some of the scenes were perhaps a little over exposed? but, it was consistent.
I think the film paced well and the acting was entertaining enough to keep my attention.
I agree about the end reveal. I would have liked to see his face first. I wasn't quite sure if that was actually him or not. Instead he comes in looking right at the ground. Not really an establishing angle that we've been used to. You don't really see it until he cocks his head and walks off camera. I would have liked to see that earlier to establish that was him.
I think if the entire sidewalk was filled with for sale signs that would have REALLY made the movie great and just really hammers home in that the neighborhood is indeed... funct.

Great short, great comedy. I had fun watching it.

/j


The sound was all adr.
What didn't you like about the bbq sound?
I overexposed on purpose to get a really sunny feel to the piece. Is it out of taste?
thanks for the comments.

[Larry R]

I haven't read most of the comments yet, so I may repeat things that have already been said...that said, here's my review :)


This such a fun piece...I really enjoyed it. The over-the-top, quirky acting was hilarious.

I loved the overall image quality, that HVX is everything I hoped it would be. But I would liked to have seen some work done with the overall color of the film. It seemed like there was no color-correction done.

The audio sounded pretty good, except when the realtor hands over the keys...it was a little muffled or quiet there. Would like to hear that brought up. Would also like to hear more neighborhood ambience (sprinklers, ice cream truck, kids laughing, bicycles riding by, that kind of stuff); I remember hearing nature elements (birds in particular) but I think the others might help sell the location more.

The costumes were equally over-the-top and funny...I loved every one of them.

The effect of the fire from the finger starting the grill was really good...looked very seamless.

I liked the score as well...it sounded more like background music from a tv show than a film and I think that fit this piece very well.

"American Action Squad....Assemble" brilliant, I loved that line! It so reminded me of "Wonder Twin Powers...Activate" :)

Great job, I enjoyed this film very much.

Peace,
Larry

[Isaac_Brody]

I really dug this one. It was like an episode of Adam West's Batman on acid. :Drogar-Smoke(DBG):

I thought you could do without the tracking shot in the beginning. It's a cool maneuver, but I felt it slowed down the flow of the beginning.

I really liked the little details, how each character's last name revealed clues about their superpowers. I loved the over the top characters and that the actors never broke from their roles. It's hilarious after Tom closes the door and Gary does that big goofy smile before walking offscreen. Kind of reminded me of the Coen brothers Fargo.

The shot of Burns jumping on the roof is a little sloppy. It stands out. I would either clean it up, or take it out. It's already established that he's got funky powers when he lights the grill so losing the roof shot would give you some trimming room.

The zoom out to the house for sale signs could use some trimming. You started the shot before the zoom and it looks sloppy and automated. If you cut into the zoom you'll mask that jerkiness.

Loved the costumes, and sets. Egselent work... :evil:

[MiataFilmSomething]

[quote=mjmcneese2]Miata, you do need to watch this again...this is one of the most entertaining movies in the fest. Have you ever seen 'A Clockwork Orange'? Where they pin the guy's eyes open...I'm gonna do that to you until you agree that I have good taste in short film.



"That's right folks, your dear narrator, broken and weak, was strapped into a chair and forced to watch this movie over and over. Not even the comfort of Ludwig Von to keep him company..."

I watched this again. I'm sorry dude, it's just not there for me.

I mean this as a compliment, honestly: I think this is a movie you either love or hate. With movies like The Matrix and Napoleon Dynamite, you can say for the most part that people either love or hate it, there's little in between. Usually, I am the person that always loves it, and fights back against the nay sayers to defend the movie. But I'm on the opposite side on this one. Anyone who didnt' like a movie that I did before, I would basically say that "You just didn't get it", and if anyone wants to say that to me now, it is welcome and I even deserve it.

Pros - Some great camera angles and movements, and vibrant colors. I enjoyed many of the visuals. I also liked the quick montage sequence of the family using their super powers for household tasks, it really helped the premise of the movie. I liked the name Dr. Toxic too. It fit just right for this film.

Cons - The acting. I'm sorry, I'm probably alone in this, but it was just way over the top for me. I guess I've done a few improv things, and felt like it was an improv troop attempt. There's also the concept of glass houses too though, my acting was sub par in our movie, but that's explained in the thread...
The looks on the faces many times were just not funny to me.
I just didn't get it if they were super heros they were serious, and secret identity they were goofballs, but they were both at different times.

Overall - I'm accepting the blame on this one, I didn't get it. Ignore this post...

[Mike McNeese]

I watched this again. I'm sorry dude, it's just not there for me.

Man, you're missing out. This is in my top 5.

[Matt Sconce]

I just didn't get it if they were super heros they were serious, and secret identity they were goofballs, but they were both at different times.

Overall - I'm accepting the blame on this one, I didn't get it. Ignore this post...

I loved this film a ton and a half but this was my one quandry as well. The characters are extremely goofy, and then when they are planning with the map, they are serious. Sandy changes her voice to the quirky when they hear Tom at the door, giving the impression the corny voices and such are cover. But then they are quirky and weird again when they are going to save Tom, and not undercover. That is being extremely picky and it is the only thing I found strange about the film. Everything else was superb, and i LOVED the acting.:)

[MiataFilmSomething]

Man, you're missing out. This is in my top 5.


At least I tried again, most people don't even do that...



So, there.... and what's up with chubby lookin' doctor on your banner???:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[Mike McNeese]

I'm still shocked that no one is pointing out the lighting work in this one. What kinda light gear did you use outside? Bouncers? Foil?

"Remember that you're unique, just like everyone else..."

Nice sig...if you're like me, and I know I am, that'll make ya laugh.

[conrad_johnson]

I'm still shocked that no one is pointing out the lighting work in this one. What kinda light gear did you use outside? Bouncers? Foil?



Nice sig...if you're like me, and I know I am, that'll make ya laugh.
I used bounce cards for most of it. also, for the last closeup I had a 1k blasting at the shadow side of toms face, as well as a bounce card.

[conrad_johnson]

I really dug this one. It was like an episode of Adam West's Batman on acid. :Drogar-Smoke(DBG):

I thought you could do without the tracking shot in the beginning. It's a cool maneuver, but I felt it slowed down the flow of the beginning.

I really liked the little details, how each character's last name revealed clues about their superpowers. I loved the over the top characters and that the actors never broke from their roles. It's hilarious after Tom closes the door and Gary does that big goofy smile before walking offscreen. Kind of reminded me of the Coen brothers Fargo.

The shot of Burns jumping on the roof is a little sloppy. It stands out. I would either clean it up, or take it out. It's already established that he's got funky powers when he lights the grill so losing the roof shot would give you some trimming room.

The zoom out to the house for sale signs could use some trimming. You started the shot before the zoom and it looks sloppy and automated. If you cut into the zoom you'll mask that jerkiness.

Loved the costumes, and sets. Egselent work... :evil:

The guy Jumping isn't steve burns, it's a different guy.
The zoom idea is very good... great eye!
This was a very constructive and helpul post, thanks for taking the time.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

this was a lot of fun obviously.

I appreciated the consistent over the to perfoemance style that everyone exucuted so well.

this film scoreed high for me in many areas.

and that frickin hero walk -- I almost peed myself :grin:

[arielman]

Conrad ...what a great short ....I thought Tom would be the Super Hero , being clumsy and all .
Liked the BBQ scene and the guy leaping onto the roof .

The Ending...well well who would of guessed .
I gave high marks for this one ..

Always enjoy watching top notch films like yours ...gives me something to achive for .

Ian

[J.R. Hudson]

I totally enjoyed this piece.

This is another one this fest I really enjoyed. What stood out for me was the talent in front of the len's and the story. Too funny.

It appeared very well thought out and made sense from beginning to end. It hooked me. The photography worked, if a bit rudimentary at times.

The ADR actually made it better for some reason.

Well done; this one is getting high marks on my scorecard.

[conrad_johnson]

this was a lot of fun obviously.

I appreciated the consistent over the to perfoemance style that everyone exucuted so well.

this film scoreed high for me in many areas.

and that frickin hero walk -- I almost peed myself :grin:

Thanks dude,
Me and the director will have time to look at more films tonite and we'll get to yours. From what I hear I already like it!

[conrad_johnson]

Conrad ...what a great short ....I thought Tom would be the Super Hero , being clumsy and all .
Liked the BBQ scene and the guy leaping onto the roof .

The Ending...well well who would of guessed .
I gave high marks for this one ..

Always enjoy watching top notch films like yours ...gives me something to achive for .

Ian

Thanks I really appreciate that. I'm flattered.

[conrad_johnson]

I totally enjoyed this piece.

This is another one this fest I really enjoyed. What stood out for me was the talent in front of the len's and the story. Too funny.

It appeared very well thought out and made sense from beginning to end. It hooked me. The photography worked, if a bit rudimentary at times.

The ADR actually made it better for some reason.

Well done; this one is getting high marks on my scorecard.

Thanks John,
I used tons of lights to get a really natural look, at least thats what I was going for.

I agree with the adr thing I was going to fix it all and line it up, but decided that it was funnier to leave it a little off.

I was waiting to hear from you, I'm glad you liked it.

[Alex DePew]

I really liked this one a lot. The introduction scene was hilarious. I was laughing out loud with the last little facial expression and then the goofy walk off camera. I loved the hero trying to act like normal small town folks and going WAY over the top. Hilarious stuff.

But I felt the short took a downturn after Tom gets kidnapped. The humor is neglected and the story becomes about wrapping things up. Tom being the villain worked and the for sale signs were a great touch (though I would have had either more or further apart or both). But I felt the tone got lost at the end.

I really liked this short and it had way more going right for it than not. A strong first and second act, funny acting and ridiculous costumes. Great work.

Alex

[Matthew B. Moore]

Nice play with colors.
Way to build a different "Edward Scissorhand" planet.
Acting was cool and it kind of freaked me out.
I was entertained.
It was odd in that fun kind of way that most people get wrong. You guys, however did a great job with it.

[jpbankesmercer]

Conrad,

Great film, I loved Gary's expressions. Gary is ACE!
Funky bass and a good story what more could you want?

Damm that Dr Toxic...I could see you guys expanding on this.

I liked the visuals and pace, editing was smooth and the acting was great.
Thanx for giving me such a laugh.
Good work.
Jp

[Norm Sanders]

Other than reading your very first post, I wouldn't have known this was shot on a HVX ... I would have taken advantage of the 720P file that Jarred said the HVX crews could post up, would have looked even better.

In the beginning I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not, but it almost looked like there was a bit of a comic book look to the lead's skin as he's talking to the realtor ... like a FX/CC look. But I don't see it after that.

I also think this could have stood to have some further CC, as some of the shots looked a little flat.

That said, I thought he camera work on this (dolly shot in the house, etc.) was absolutely great, and your lead actor was FRIGGIN' AWESOME. He pulled off that weird creepy thing so incredibly well. All of the talent actually did a REALLY good job in this film for it's genre. KUDOS to the entire cast!

Good crane shot at 1:52, but is that ADR in that room? Sound seemed a little off, but could be the compression.

Great VFX at 2:30!

2:43 was a good idea, but I think a little motion blur on that video track (assuming you're masking between the two) would have helped sell the effect better of her going so fast mowing the lawn.

Pretty good VFX at 3:06 until he was walking on the roof, then it looked a little off.

2:57 LOVED him holding the car up by the bumper ... cool.

3:35+ GREAT lighting & location. What a bunch of whack heroes though ... funny & over the top.

5:03-5:12 would have been SO much better using the dolly shot vs. the zoom, but otherwise it worked.

Good job to your team on this one.

[WilderWorks]

This is another film in my top three. It's got a quirky tone and some great energy, particularly through the first half. The control of tone is excellent and consistant, the mark of solid filmmaking, particularly when that tone is peculiar like this.

Now, some have remarked that the ending doesn't entirely live up to the opening, and I think they're right about that. Unfortunately, I think you got sucked into the name "Toxic." You've got such awesome forward momentum in the beginning, a slow release and slow collapse from gas just doesn't allow you to keep it going. Had Toxic had another, livelier method to dispose of the heroes, the energy might have had a better chance at remaining high. At least, that was my reaction. Their death, and his reveal, needed the same bombastic spirit as the first half.

Great movie!

[Cryogenic Filmworks]

Directed by a girl. Photographed by a boy.
Ok, not sure what that's about but.... I really liked the movie, was very funny. My only problem was it was too bright in in some of the outside stuff and the guy walking on the roof. Overall though I really enjoyed it.

[concannon]

I have watched this one about 5 times now. I even showed it to the folks next door. I found the story idea very clever. Kind of a twist on the Incredables, loved how everyone was a reporter. Using the special effects shot to serve the story, I wish the rest of the world would do that.

The only thing that I don't feel worked for me IMO was the reveal of the super villain. For some reason I already knew that he was the villain before he was revealed. I don't know if anyone else got that or not.

There was a lot of time in that shot which makes me think you want us to dwell on that., so that is the only reason I bring that up.

Doing comedy right, is one of the most difficult things to do. Hats off to your actors. Can't wait to see how you rock the horror fest. Thank you for sharing your art with us.

[prezorg]

Very nice. I liked it even more after watching it the second time, all the Is were doted and Ts crossed. I maybe would have liked to have seen some more close ups and tighter shots. It just sorta felt like videotaped theatre. Or maybe not closeups but more reverse shots? But this is all a very tiny thing to focus on for the critique. Overall I like this one a lot. Its campy(appropriately so) and well thought out. The neighbors and Villain act so weird, but it all makes sense once you know the story. Nice attention to detail in nearly everything. I can't wait to see what you do next.

~Ian

[conrad_johnson]

But I felt the short took a downturn after Tom gets kidnapped. The humor is neglected and the story becomes about wrapping things up. Tom being the villain worked and the for sale signs were a great touch (though I would have had either more or further apart or both). But I felt the tone got lost at the end.


Alex

Thanks for the feedback. A lot of people don't like the ending to our short, so here's the requisite justification - we wanted to make this feel like a funny, lighthearted sketch about a man who is (unknowingly) out of place in a neighborhood full of covert superheroes - with a twist at the end where the "unknowing" neighbor turns out to be not-so-naive after all, and kills off his trusting new friends. We wanted this change to come abruptly, and for the good guys to be suddently and uneventfully annihilated. Boom - there goes the neighborhood. So that's the reason from a switch in tone from light-hearted humor to a flat and meaningless death scene.

The signs kind of became a pain in the butt. We couldn't find a more appropriate placement for them without putting them in the yards of neighbors who wouldn't have appreciated it. So we're glad that the point of them came across, at the very least.

[conrad_johnson]

Way to build a different "Edward Scissorhand" planet.

It was odd in that fun kind of way that most people get wrong. You guys, however did a great job with it.

Thanks - that's quite the compliment!

[conrad_johnson]

Great film, I loved Gary's expressions. Gary is ACE!

Jp

Gary is ACE - what is that from?

It seems familiar, and I can't place it...kids in the hall?

[conrad_johnson]

In the beginning I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not, but it almost looked like there was a bit of a comic book look to the lead's skin as he's talking to the realtor ... like a FX/CC look. But I don't see it after that.

I also think this could have stood to have some further CC, as some of the shots looked a little flat.

That said, I thought he camera work on this (dolly shot in the house, etc.) was absolutely great, and your lead actor was FRIGGIN' AWESOME. He pulled off that weird creepy thing so incredibly well. All of the talent actually did a REALLY good job in this film for it's genre. KUDOS to the entire cast!

Good crane shot at 1:52, but is that ADR in that room? Sound seemed a little off, but could be the compression.

Great VFX at 2:30!

2:43 was a good idea, but I think a little motion blur on that video track (assuming you're masking between the two) would have helped sell the effect better of her going so fast mowing the lawn.

Pretty good VFX at 3:06 until he was walking on the roof, then it looked a little off.

2:57 LOVED him holding the car up by the bumper ... cool.

3:35+ GREAT lighting & location. What a bunch of whack heroes though ... funny & over the top.

5:03-5:12 would have been SO much better using the dolly shot vs. the zoom, but otherwise it worked.

Good job to your team on this one.

Comic book thing at the beginning with the realtor - yeah, that wasn't on purpose. Not sure what caused it...

What do you mean by further color correction?

ADR in room - yep, that was ADR as was everything. When I was lining up the dialogue, I noticed some of it was a little off and kind of liked the way it looked - it made it look a little more cheesy and forced. So I left it.

Glad you caught the bumper thing - I didn't really like the way it turned out - didn't feel overt enough...

Thanks for your very detailed comments! I appreciate it.

[conrad_johnson]

This is another film in my top three. It's got a quirky tone and some great energy, particularly through the first half. The control of tone is excellent and consistant, the mark of solid filmmaking, particularly when that tone is peculiar like this.

Now, some have remarked that the ending doesn't entirely live up to the opening, and I think they're right about that. Unfortunately, I think you got sucked into the name "Toxic." You've got such awesome forward momentum in the beginning, a slow release and slow collapse from gas just doesn't allow you to keep it going. Had Toxic had another, livelier method to dispose of the heroes, the energy might have had a better chance at remaining high. At least, that was my reaction. Their death, and his reveal, needed the same bombastic spirit as the first half.

Great movie!

Thanks for the feedback! Glad to be in your top three.

I addressed the tone of the ending in a post above. We wanted it to be very abrupt and uneventful to contrast with the lighthearted feel of the beginning - almost like a let-down. So that's the reason for no big fight scene or anything more eventful at the end.

[conrad_johnson]

Ok, not sure what that's about but.... I really liked the movie, was very funny. My only problem was it was too bright in in some of the outside stuff and the guy walking on the roof. Overall though I really enjoyed it.

Thanks for the feedback. I liked the outside brightness - difference of opinion!

The short was directed by a girl and photographed by a boy. Not much more to it than that :).

[conrad_johnson]

Using the special effects shot to serve the story, I wish the rest of the world would do that.


Amen to that.

Thanks for the compliments.

[conrad_johnson]

I maybe would have liked to have seen some more close ups and tighter shots. It just sorta felt like videotaped theatre. Or maybe not closeups but more reverse shots?

~Ian

Thanks for the feedback. Can you name any places we could have added more of these (tighter shots and/or shot/reverse shots)?

[penfever]

Great effort.
Best gotcha ending of the fest, in fact the only gotcha ending that worked for me. The sudden shift in moods at the end gives you this unhappy, tingly feeling which is really top-notch. Good plotting.
This film was talk-heavy. Especially in the opening minutes, too much was said and not enough was done. When you did get to action later on in the film, it felt a little mistimed. We have to find out much sooner these are super-people, otherwise once they start doing super-things it's not easy to accept.
Once they get in costume and start doing their thing, this film really begins to shine. The set is fantastic, and the costumes get the point across very nicely. I would have preferred a bit more build-up before the heroes got beaten, but five minutes isn't much time to play.
Thanks for the film, and best of luck.
-Ben

[Rasquachemedia]

this film had a real high production value and some of the best cinematography in the fest. I really liked the lighting when the heroes are sitting at the table in garage.

as for the "flat" look, i appreciated the look you achieved. it was consistent with a suburban feel and no over cc'ing was a great decision.

Also i really liked the whole neighborhood thing, that superheros all live near each other.

Due to my personal taste, i didn't really like they way the heroes walked with that quirky motion in the wherehouse (last scene). it was overdone for me, but it i'm sure that's what you were going for.

if i recall correctly, you used the hvx. you really made it shine. there were some shots that, to me, looked like 35mm.

Oh, the lighting was great too. congrats on your film.