Sonic Man by david jerome

[david jerome]

http://www.geobay.net/bloodbrother/sonicman-banner.jpg

Thanks to everyone that helped on this movie. It has been an experience. It is nice to know that I can still go several days without sleep.


http://www.bloodbrotherfilms.com/mystuff/sonic-projector-click.jpg (http://www.bloodbrotherfilms.com/home.html)

cast
Sonic Man - Cliff Sumner
The Buzzard - Leo Martin
The Bird - Leo Martin

written, directed, shot, edited
- David Jerome

original music
- Noel Ortiz
- Mick Luke

digital effects, graphics
- Leo Martin

best girl, boom operator, seamstress, behind scenes camera
- Bridget Anderson

behind the scenes camera, make up
- Lon Martin


Looking forward to your comments. I hate my computer. Love my dvx.

[Dahopafilms]

David,

OK - I really liked this film. Very, very crisp images - beautifully shot.

Here's the stuff I really liked:

Again, the cinematography was very ,very good.
The CGI with the bird at the beginning was nice. Very effective.
The killing of the guitar and your main character's reaction was great.
Loved the Bird Man's opening dialogue and the main character's reaction to it. Good writing. Nicely done.
The acting. Good jobs.
The CGI was well done, although do we seem to be getting a lot of the fiery trails into the sky recently.


The stuff I'd do a little differently:

I didn't really like the VO at the beginning. Sorry - not the dialogue, just the actor's voice. It might have worked better for me if your Bird Man had done the VO (he owned the forest, right?). But maybe that's just me.
Some inconsistency/wobbling with the lighting on Bird Man at the outset.
I never really got what was "sonic" about Sonic Man's super powers. Maybe the guitar...?
Am I smoking the drapes here, or did your Bird Man's accent drift a little among Australia, New Zealand and (heaven forbid) east-end English? If you told me I'm totally out-to-lunch on that one, I'd accept it. I'm just not sure ...


In short, really, really nicely done. Thanks a lot!

[david jerome]

Thanks for the comment. The VO is being changed. I did it myself in a crunch. I don't like it either. In the longer version it will be clearer about his sonicness by the buzzard's reaction. If you listen after sonic man lands there is a sonic boom. Apparently not enough of one though. Thanks again. Loved Bucketman.

[Aaron Marshall]

I love the metal title you have up top. That's a beaut. I like how you got out and shot on location in the woods. I'm a big fan of that. Your film has a certain comical flavor. I got the impression you would be a fun guy to hang out with. I like the snory cam type shots.

Good job David!

[conrad_johnson]

This was very good! well done.

dialogue audio and cinematography were both good.

acting was good - very comical.

this was funny and well-written.

i heart puppets.

[Mike McNeese]

I think this was well-done, but quirky just ain't my thing. Dialogue was well-delivered...just a lot of it.

Can I borrow Sonic Man's costume?! That's awesome.

[They are Them]

i just watched this one, i was cracking up the whole way through, great film

[Cygnus]

As a member of the cast of Sonic Man, I can say that David is indeed insane (almost completely), and therefore a lot of fun to work with.

As to the Buzzard's accent... well, it wasn't planned. Had no idea what was going to come out of my mouth 'til I got the costume on. Never actually tried a voice like that before, so I'm sure the accent is far from perfect, but then, the character is rather nuts too.

Well done Dave!

-Leo (The Buzz)

[RDragonFilms]

Hahaa Loved this one for sure! I started out watching it on one side of my screenm, working in the foreground and I saw the bright colored little bird chasing the guy and it totally grabbed my attention! Great idea, and very funny.. the "buzzards" Accent was great.. he reminded me of Rip Torn in dodgeball, if that makes sense to you

Great job :)

[conradcliff]

Sonic Man here! (super hero accent) Yeah, I agree about the narration. It's too bad someone else didn't take the time out of their day to drive out to Largo and record it in, say, I don’t know the voice of Sonic Man! Oh wait, I did do that! Thanks Dave for ruining it for everyone! Seriously though, thanks for the comments guys. This thing was allot more trouble than I expected it to be. But I would do it all over again. I love this stuff!

Sonic Man out!!!

[MsManhattan]

This really cracked me up. Congratulations on a job well done! Great casting!

[Beat Takeshi]

Hey guys, that was great. Reminded me of the kung fu flicks when they train to kill the man who killed their brother. The chicken guy was awsome with all his lines and Sonic man did a great job receiving them. Man sonic, you back must have been killing you running around with him on your back!!!

[Cygnus]

Sonic Man (Cliff) really was having quite a hard time carrying me on his back. In one of the outtakes, he actually dropped me. Hopefully, Dave will include that in the behind-the-scenes footage.

I only wish we had captured him on tape when he fell face first into the dirt right after doing that last dive for the dummy. He was literally picking the dirt out of his teeth! It was lots of fun watching him get abused. Especially when Dave would say "Let's do that one more time"... for the 10th time.

-Leo

[tmpafilmer25]

Good work David, awesome work!!! Thank you for letting me be a part of this. Cliff, Leo, great job. The acting was very good :thumbup: :thumbup:

-Noel

[david jerome]

Noel,
Thanks again for the awesome score. I am really looking forward to working together on some more projects. Did you ever come up with a name for that theme song?

David Jerome

[tmpafilmer25]

Noel,
Thanks again for the awesome score. I am really looking forward to working together on some more projects. Did you ever come up with a name for that theme song?

David Jerome


Anytime buddy. The name of the song is "Windrunner" I asked Mick to help me name the song and he just threw that name out there. I liked it:) I'm really looking forward to working with you in the future. I just read the thread about the upcoming Horrorfest and my mind is already racing with ideas as I'm sure yours is as well:D I can't wait to see what you come up with for that one. I was looking at some of the other superhero movies and there is so much potential here. Well, good luck with the contest buddy and let me know when I can be of service.

-Noel

[DerrickTempleton]

Wow that was very entertaining. Great characters. I noticed those effects are Particle Illusion, yes? I was hoping at the end it would say which awesome band made the music so I could pick it up...but it's original! Is there anyway I could get that song? Again, awesome movie. Well done.

[Cygnus]

Leo here... you are correct about my use of Particle Illusion Derrick. It was certainly used for several effects in the film.

But I must also give credit to After Effects, and of course my staple, Lightwave 3D... which I used for the Sonic Man logo, along with the earth, and the bird.

http://www.geobay.net/bloodbrother/globe.jpg


I used high res image maps (courtesy of Nasa) for the earth and clouds. And used a crumple texture for the clouds to give them a bit more depth... although it's hard to tell unless you look at the clouds that are right near the terminator.

http://www.geobay.net/bloodbrother/bird.jpg

And as to the bird... well... my apologies. I really threw him together quickly (under an hour). But then, I didn't want to spend a ton of time on his details for a 1.5 second glimpse. Fortunately, the cgi bird was never as big in the frame as he is in the picture above so I figured I could get away with it.

http://www.geobay.net/bloodbrother/small-logo.jpg

And of course, that's also a Particle Illusion explosion behind the logo at the end of the film. I also spiced up the logo a bit more with the Frischluft Flair plugin for After Effects.

There's more, but those are the main tools used for effects in a nutshell.

As for other effects... well, you'll have to ask Dave about the bag of dry cement mix.

-Leo

[david jerome]

Hey Derrick thanks for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Send Noel (tmpafilmer25) a private message about the song or go to his myspace page listed in his profile here and I'm sure he can work something out.

David

[DerrickTempleton]

awesome! I've watched the movie 4 times already! It doesn't get old!

[MiataFilmSomething]

Pros:

I liked the logo and the flying shot, very well done!

Cons:
This film just seemed too cheesy to me. I can see how it's a cool homage to the humilation training stories of the old kung fu movies, but it didn't work for me.

Overall - Entertaining in some areas, not entertaining in others.

[david jerome]

Pros:

I liked the logo and the flying shot, very well done!



So you liked the Logo. Next time I will make a movie of nothing but logos. :)

David

[WilderWorks]

It can't possibly be long before we see LogoFest. Or possibly, CreditSequenceFest. ;)

[MiataFilmSomething]

I think it's the little things that make a big difference sometimes, and your logo rocked! Think of the famous superhero logos, like Batman and Superman, they stay with you and the logo becomes a symbol and a way to stand for something. Instant recognition!

I'm waiting for the Sonic Man logo to be put on a T-shirt...

[david jerome]

LogoFest would be awesome. Maybe cut the time down to only 3 minutes. And The winner would have his logo on free T-shirts for every member of dvxuser.

Thanks for the comments and making me laugh. You guys are awesome.

David

[snodart]

lol. This creacked me up. I liked the Monty Python-ish humor. I can only imagine what kind of fun you all had making this.

FX were impressive.
Loved the puttet/CGI bird. Great addition.
acting was fitting and funny.
Guitar against tree and reaction were great.
"Old bird" dialog was great.


VO- already mentioned.

Good fun and nice work.

[Cygnus]

lol. This creacked me up. I liked the Monty Python-ish humor. I can only imagine what kind of fun you all had making this.

It truly was fun. Lots of work, but fun. Maybe not quite as fun for Dave. For every hour of work I put in, Dave probably logged about 20.

And you're right about the Python-ish humor. The buzzard was at least partially inspired by John Cleese as the insane drill sergeant training his men how to defend themselves against fresh fruit. :)

-Leo

[david jerome]

lol. This creacked me up. I liked the Monty Python-ish humor. I can only imagine what kind of fun you all had making this.

Hey Snodart, Thanks for the comment. We did have alot of fun making this. Here are a couple of behind the scenes clips from our very first takes if you want to check it out. It set the mood for the entire shoot. We look like the three stooges here but there was a slight method to the madness. That being, you got to have fun to make a funny movie. I think it shows on screen. Thanks again for watching.

Behind The Scenes 1 (http://www.geobay.net/bloodbrother/sonicman/behind-scenes1.mov) (10 megs)

Behind The Scenes 2 (http://www.geobay.net/bloodbrother/sonicman/behind-scenes2.mov) (8 megs)

David

[Mike McNeese]

Do I smell a Metallica font? Rockin' logo. I still want a Sonic Man get-up.

[Cygnus]

Do I smell a Metallica font? Rockin' logo. I still want a Sonic Man get-up.

Y'know... I'm a bit surprised that the Sonic Man logo is gettin' so much attention. And this kind of upsets me. Sure, the logo is cool and all, but not even one person has commented on just how way cool the Diaper Boy logo was!

http://www.geobay.net/bloodbrother/sonicman/diaper1.jpg


C'mon... it's sweet, you have to admit! Not only that, I had designed a second version as well. But Dave shot it down (He's such demanding director). It's truly rockin', and personally, it's my favorite (see below)


http://www.geobay.net/bloodbrother/sonicman/diaper2.jpg


And as a courtesy. I'll be glad to provide hi-res versions of the Diaper Boy logos for anyone that would like to utilize them for iron-on transfers. :)

-Leo

[Mike McNeese]

OK, I'll buy a Sonic Man outfit for me, and Diaper Boy for my brother.

[david jerome]

OK, I'll buy a Sonic Man outfit for me, and Diaper Boy for my brother.

Please specify Diaper Boy (test logo) or Diaper Boy (movie logo) for your order since there are two versions. And don't worry about specifying size, they only come in toddler.

David

[preston]

Yeah, I'd sport a Diaper Boy t-shirt! (the red logo from the film, not that pacifier one ;) )

But yeah guys, I really liked your film. Everything you did was done well - and I'm not just talking about the music and the logo. ha ha .

You had some cool shots; I especially liked the scene where Sonic Man was trapped in the box. It looked great and you cut it together well.

Also, you managed to pack a lot of story into 6 minutes - there is no filler!

Effects were good and not overdone.

and yeah, look at Metallica's 'Ride the Lightning' album cover - your Sonic font!

good job; glad you had fun . . .

P

[david jerome]

Hey P,
I am planning on putting together a longer version. I think it will end up being around 10 minutes. I had to cut out two scenes to make the 6 minutes. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comments.

David

[Cygnus]

Preston,

Actually, I had no idea when I picked out the font from my collection that it was the same as used by Metallica. It was just sheer coincidence that I gave it a "metalic" look. But good catch.

-Leo

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

bwahahah!

nice work guys

lots of great touches -- the diaper boy thing, both in conception and execution

Good acting on both parts

I enjoyed the Mystery Men homage withe th cockney version of the mystic.

It was like Monty Python meets Mystery Men!

Good VFX too.

Well cut and paced and ...

funny :grin:

and sign me up for a diaper boy tshirt as well.

Jack

[arielman]

David ..this was a little quirky,,but I loved it ..nicely shot !!

Diaper Boy..lmao ..I think your onto something!!

Congrats David on an excellent film
Ian

[david jerome]

and sign me up for a diaper boy tshirt as well.

Jack
Will do Jack. Thanks for watching.



Diaper Boy..lmao ..I think your onto something!!

Never underestimate the power of the diaper!

Thanks for the comment Ian.

[tmpafilmer25]

...I was hoping at the end it would say which awesome band made the music so I could pick it up...but it's original! Is there anyway I could get that song?...

Thank you for your kind words and expressing your interest for the song. I'll be sure to get you a copy.

-Noel

[sean90291]

I had to watch it twice. The first time through, I had overdosed on Herofest films, of wildly varying quality, and so my b.s. detector wasn't working--can you believe that at first I thought this short was to be taken seriously?! Now I realize it's just plain nuts...and really fun. You're insane and in the end I loved it. It's certainly unique.

[Matt Sconce]

I had to watch it twice. The first time through, I had overdosed on Herofest films, of wildly varying quality, and so my b.s. detector wasn't working--can you believe that at first I thought this short was to be taken seriously?! Now I realize it's just plain nuts...and really fun. You're insane and in the end I loved it. It's certainly unique.

The first time I watched this I thought it was good, but I just watched it again and I was BLOWN away!!!! This is hands down my most enjoyed film of the festival! I thought the humor was spot on and the story was hilarious. The thing that made the movie over the top awesome for me was that you maintained awesome humor while still delivering an epic ending that gave me chills. Congrats on an amazing movie!

:cheesy:

[DerrickTempleton]

yeah, the ending is so majestic...I wish I had 100+ posts so I could vote...this baby better win something!

[sean90291]

Hm...isn't the ending a total, campy, silly, ridiculous parody? Gave you chills? Maybe I wasn't so off in my first viewing then, when I couldn't quite tell if this flick was to be taken seriously or not. Ultimately, I decided it was all a parody and really funny. I mean that last shot of the hero with hands on his hips, or of him floating in the heavens is a total cliche...but if it's being taken seriously by some audience members then maybe the film isn't quite finding a consistent comedic tone?

[david jerome]

You're insane and in the end I loved it.
Now that's my kind of compliment. Thanks Sean.


this baby better win something!
Derrick it's not about winning, it's about creating and sharing your art. Oh screw that. SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!:)

[david jerome]

This is hands down my most enjoyed film of the festival! I thought the humor was spot on and the story was hilarious. The thing that made the movie over the top awesome for me was that you maintained awesome humor while still delivering an epic ending that gave me chills. Congrats on an amazing movie!

:cheesy:Thanks for the compliment. I'm really glad you enjoyed the ending.
Now come here so I can kiss you.

[DerrickTempleton]

sean##guy: I wasn't taking this film "seriously"..it was making me laugh the entire time. But that doesn't mean funny can't be cool. It is a very very cool ending, and I think that's what msconce and myself were talking about.

And D. Jerome: Don't stop rockin.

[MsManhattan]

Hey, David, I just watched this again... To be perfectly candid, I was half expecting that watching it a second time, and being in on the joke, I wouldn't find it that funny. But, to the contrary, I think I laughed even more the second time. The whole film just hangs together really well and it's funny and goofy without being over the top. I mean, the characters aren't clowns -- they're really likable and you can relate to them. It's shot well and the pacing is just right. Definitely one of my faves. Congrats again!

[MsManhattan]

Oh, Cygnus, I just figured out that you were the Buzzard... That it took me a while means I have been on this board and watching shorts TOOOOOOO long today. Anyway, awesome job! You're hilarious. Many congrats! (Just wanted to acknowledge you personally.)

[david jerome]

Thanks so much Leslie. And speaking of Cygnus, he is much more than The Buzzard. He is the Duke of Digital World, The Lord of Logos, and by some, that chicken guy.

[conradcliff]

Sonic Man! would like to thank everyone for their awesome comments!

[Cygnus]

Thanks for the kind words! I really became quite fond of the buzzard character as we filmed, and I hope (perhaps beyond hope) that I can reprise the role again in a sequel. I mean seriously, who wouldn't want to wear such a cool costume?

http://www.geobay.net/bloodbrother/sonicman/buzzardpic.jpg

-Leo (the Buzz)

[Norm Sanders]

Around 1:44 when our hero is listening to the bird man, I'd have him framed a little more to the left ... just feels like it needed it (boy, is that nit picking or what?!).

Okay, on to the more important stuff. This film ranked among the top for me. LOVED it. Really liked the crazy characters, and thought it was a fun script. Some great VFX in there as well.

At 3:32 I'm nearly falling out of my chair laughing. Love the saliva at 4:01.

5:15 - 5:21 NICE. Don't know why, but actually got chills at 5:36

Great job, and probably the best costume I've seen yet (still have a few to go).

[david jerome]

5:15 - 5:21 NICE. Don't know why, but actually got chills at 5:36


Thanks for watching Envision. The shot at 5:36 was the most important shot of the film for me. At least in my mind that's where the greatest emotion was to be conveyed. It means alot to me when someone else feels that. Thanks for the comments.

[tmpafilmer25]

I truly appreciate the response and the positive feedback I've received regarding the original score for Sonic Man. For those who have expressed interest, I've made a downloadable MP3 available throught the link below.

Windrunner - Original Score for SONIC MAN (http://www.geobay.net/bloodbrother/sonicman/Windrunner-Sonicman.mp3)

Thanks again for your support and I hope you enjoy this extended version of the score.

-Noel

[Cygnus]

Noel,

The music sounds great on my MP3 player. I really like the extended stuff (and the kickin' solo). Can't wait to see what you guys come up with for the next fest.

Once again, great job to you and Mick!

-Leo

[tmpafilmer25]

Noel,

The music sounds great on my MP3 player. I really like the extended stuff (and the kickin' solo). Can't wait to see what you guys come up with for the next fest.

Once again, great job to you and Mick!

-Leo


Thank you for your comment Leo. I had so much fun doing this that I am anxious to get started on Horror Fest.


-Noel

[Cryogenic Filmworks]

This was enjoyable to watch. The music was Kool and your FX work was very nice. :thumbsup:

[david jerome]

I'm glad you enjoyed it Cryogenic. It's been a great experience being a part of this Fest. I hope to do more.

[penfever]

David -
One of the best I've seen. Pick a style, stick with it, carry it through. This film chose a humorous/kinetic style and didn't bother to pick up the pieces, and I believe it was served well by that choice. The actors knew what film they were in and didn't try to do too much (or too little) with it.
The location felt very samey. I know it's all set in a wood, but within woods there are lots of distinct *things*. I think you should tie your characters more to portions of your location, everything is an indistinct green-brown. Maybe the buzzard likes open spaces, since he's a bird? Or treetops? Maybe sonic-man likes echoey caves? These are silly, but I'm just making a general point.
Great film - see you next fest.
-Ben

[Ted Arabian]

WOW! David, that was great!!! I love it.

The writing, the acting, the VFX, the cinematography.... all wonderful.

What a wonderful find!

Great job!

-Ted

[Lon]

The Buzzard is totally cool!