The Door Between - a story about life and death

[VersuS]

"The Door Between"
"Music is fantastic!" - Ted Arabian
"Looking forward to seeing how other members view this little gem." - Mark Johnson
"I LOVED the intro...music rocked!" - Matt Sconce
" Your intro had me smiling. Loved it! Totally Dario Argento." - Darkline




UPDATE 27/09
------------------
Tonight we will record the voice over for the movie. We will also work with my brother on the score, thinking of doing a hard rock 80s theme for the intro and something mellow for the end credits. We will also start making a list with all the sounds we will be putting....apart from ambient noise I dont think we will be using anything from our captured shots in terms of sound. Foley all the way!
The 16:9 export went great so I am waiting for the sound and music (I gave him a Friday evening deadline) in order to add subtitles Saturday morning and do final exports by Saturday noon.



UPDATE 19/09
------------------

Added head shots for the cast/crew.....


UPDATE 18/09
------------------

Last night we finished with our shooting schedule (finally!).
It didn't go well but it didn't go bad either. The weather was not on our side, it was too cloudy ('be careful what you wish for' kind of thing) and after a while shooting inside the old building was a pain since we ain't got no lights.

After a while there was some drizzle but we did ok with our exterior shots, however during the last scenes we were running up and down and going like 'ok stay there, look at him, look at the tree, move up, move down, that's a wrap! get the beers!, somebody please roll me a cig!!!'.

At the end of the day (after eating and drinking) I got home, transfered the footage and had a first look at it....what I said to myself was this 'oh crap, more post work for me.....'. Unfortunately I will have to spend more hours than I had anticipated editing this f****.

I have to finish this by Sunday (that's when my brother comes back from his honeymoon) so we can do the VO and the sound editing next week.....

oh and by the way

THIS MOVIE IS FOR EXHIBITION ONLY

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/DoorBetweenPoster.jpg


http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/TeaserPoster.jpg


Title: The Door Between

Cast:
John Lahanis
Stratos Filalithis
Barouir Aivazian

Crew:
there is no f*** crew, this is the good ship lifestyle!

Written,Screenplay & Edited by John Lahanis

Directed by John Lahanis & Stratos Filalithis

Composer & Sound Engineer - Jimmy Lahanis

Make Up Artist - Miss X

Produced by cut 2 the chase productions!


PHOTOS FROM THE CAST AND CREW

Director/Producer/Actor/Pimp ---> John Lahanis a.k.a. VersuS
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/JOHN_HEAD.jpg

Director(says who?)/Producer/Lead Actor (lol)/Little (S)hoe ----> Stratos Filalithis
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/STRATOS_HEAD.jpg

Actor/Santa's Little Helper ----> Barouir Aivazian
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BAROUIR_HEAD.jpg

Our sound/musician guru, my sibling ----> Jimmy Lahanis (pic from his wedding 2 weeks ago)
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/JIMMY_HEAD.jpg


MakeUp Artist (coz she's a girl and knows this stuff) and Little (S)hoe's Girl and an excellent driver (:P) ----> Miss X
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/MISSX_HEAD.jpg

[R.L. Scott]

good luck bro. it's not the budget that makes a great film, it's the content.

[VersuS]

Thanx man! We always try to do our best and learn each step of the way. I read about all you casting and all that, and I feel so 'small' in comparison. We're just two guys who love making stories with pictures that's all.

Good luck to you too! Love your stuff!

[OmaR]

Thanx man! We always try to do our best and learn each step of the way. I read about all you casting and all that, and I feel so 'small' in comparison. We're just two guys who love making stories with pictures that's all.

Good luck to you too! Love your stuff!
You are very lucky... It seems that where I live I'm the only one who love making stories with pictures... for me it's hard to find an actor!!! :crybaby:

[Mark Johnson]

Good luck on your project man! Given that I also work on a shoestring with no crew I envy the guys here who have assembled such incredible teams. I can tell you love what you do and that's the most important element.

[VersuS]

If we didn't love it we would have given up after the first film. Sometimes our daily schedule is so tough that weeks go by and we don't have the time to even remember that we do movies but when it strikes me that we have all these ideas and equipment that we just love using, well...you just have to make time.

Anyway, my mate is somewhere in the Aegean right now taking some time off work for the summer and he'll be coming back on Monday so next week I hope that we will have done the last scenes and start editing the final shots :D

[TheGreenOne]

Cool, I love the vampire films (aka the one I just shot.) Can't wait to see it!

[VersuS]

UPDATE: Just finished the poster, not so sophisticated....but I enjoyed it..

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

2 flicks eh? Cool. Love vampire stuff too.

[VersuS]

Ok 2 grabs here, 1st one is from the movie, 2nd one is right before a scene where we messed up the bedroom of my friend's parents pretty bad.

They were away.

PS. thank god i live alone and I can do whatever I want to my appartment ;)

PS2. As you can see so far I've been working with 2 people during shooting which kinda shows when you see the flicks. But I ve been blessed with a fantastic sound engineer (my brother) who has been working his magik in every project we ever did so far and sort of boosts the quality of our stuff.

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Door_Grab1.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Door_Grab2.jpg

[Slimothy]

You seem like you're having a good time and learning and that's all you can really ask for. That's why these contests are great. Tim.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

You seem like you're having a good time and learning and that's all you can really ask for. That's why these contests are great. Tim.Word.:costumed-smiley-047

[VersuS]

Hey Jack, I watched your 3 movies and I must say WOW to you! I LOVED!!!! The zombie film. Showed me how many things you can really do with just one person in a room. What I saw in all the films though is how good you are with lights...wish I were able to put the money and the effort to do so myself. Cant wait to see your horror flick as well. Cheers!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

thanks Versus ...
as for $ and lights ... Shed was lit with 4 500 watt work lights from the hardware store ($10 each) and one $40 camera light.

Go to the lighting section of this forum and it will link you to the Scott Spears poor man's lighting kit.

Also look for the izzy podcast DV links there.

When you watch the izzypodcasts, he'll give a shout out to his dad's still photography podcast which has a good video tutorial on three point lighting for still photography as well, which is pretty much the same as lighting for video.

Also you can get the "prpfessional" light kit I just purchased 2 weeks ago for $200 at B&H. This is the first kit I've ever owned.

I had help and a friend's gear for bonehand.

Shed was shot outdoors using just reflectors.

hope that's helpful,

Jack

[VersuS]

Hey guys and Jack (since you are my big no.1 in here) I didn't really know where to post this idea or even if I should but I have just been listening to the soundtrack from Rocky Horror Picture Show (huge fan, seen the theatre production as well) and thought that the next DVXUSER FEST should be something like that.

Without the singing and the songs, but something so surreal and funny and kitsch. What do you guys think?

(ok so I may be cheating a bit since I have a script in my drawer, a comedy one-location piece, that I could transform with a few drag queens, lace, vinyl and wigs...lol....something funny for next time??? what do ya say?)

[Ben Sliker]

hmm ... comedyfest? i like.

[VersuS]

yes
and think about it
comedy can have it all
zombies, horror, sci-fi, noir, action, romance
comedy screws (or unscrews) all genres!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Funny Fest has been brought up a few times ... who knows?

[VersuS]

A few updates.

I am just waiting for an order I made (fangs!!) to come through so that we can shoot the last scene.

We will be shooting a few more scenes hopefully later this week. I love how the story keeps evolving. When the first draft of the script was made it had a completely different approach than the one it currently has. So I guess this can go either way, good or bad.

Since I haven't talked about equipment and stuff...

In 'Love is the most deceptive feeling' I used obviously my DVX100. I didn't record any sound since I wrote the piece that is used (as I said, it could be a video clip/movie kinda thing). But it has a plot, a meaning and a story, a beginning, a middle and an end.

For this one, The Door Between, I used apart from the DVX100, my RODE mic , I also made a boom pole on my own and we made a dolly too (thanx to DVCamera Rigs). I hope that I will get some shots when we shoot, to show you the dolly.

[VersuS]

Just to post a brief synopsis of this movie. Here goes...

A dream leads a man to a room with a mystifying door. What lies beyond the door? Is the door an obstacle or it just stands between his boring life and greater things to come? If you had to choose between life and death what would you choose? 'life is pleasant, death is peaceful, it's the transition that's troublesome (asimov)'.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Cool, lol, Asimov wrote your synopsis :laugh:
Hows this project going, any updates, are you totally wrapped on this, or am I confusing it with your other entry.

[VersuS]

No you're doing great ;) this is the unfinished one. I am still waiting on those fangs to arrive so that we can shoot our last scenes. It's frustrating all this waiting and it makes going back to the script again, looking at details...trying to use this time to find anything that I could add in the scenes or in post.

I still haven't found any music but I guess I'll use my brother who has a lot of original pieces that he wrote.

And I have done some post work already for the pieces I've already shot....doing that I realize that:
a)no sound or music makes the visual bit kinda boring...feels naked...you know what I mean...

b)no serious lighting really hurts man! I must use the time after we do this project to come up with ideas about getting a decent lighting kit

[VersuS]

Got a new poster up and running. Had some today with my morning cup of coffee...:)

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

hey i like that ... "the door opens Oct. 1st" :thumbsup:

[VersuS]

hey i like that ... the door opens "Oct. 1st" :thumbsup:

nicotine,caffeine....gives a boost....:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[MOVIE STUNTS]

Nice grabs! Just like R.L. Scott said, it's all about content. Good luck. Makes me glad i asked if we could do 2 films; though unless a miracle happens, I will probably only be rolling out one.

[Mark Johnson]

I hope you get both done, man. If you can pull that off, I bow to you sir! I like this poster too.

[VersuS]

Thanx vis, but wait til you see them before you start hurting your back ;-)

[VersuS]

Woke up in the middle of the night, couldnt get much sleep in all this heat, so I thought I'd post a few location shots. This place is awesome and we'll use it for some of the scenes we're missing.

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Location2.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Location4.jpg

This is from the roof:

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Location5.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Location6.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Location7.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Location1.jpg

[VersuS]

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!
FINALLY!!!!!!!
We shot new scenes tonight!!!! I think it went great! We had a nice discussion with my mate about the story and shot a few scenes. So now we only have the outdoor scenes left, waiting for Barouir to come back from his holidays.
I am posting some BTS and also a few production stills of myself and stratos and our Dolly...we decided to decorate it and wrote all the names of our finished projects so far along with a dvxuser tribute!

Hope you enjoy

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Glasses.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BloodyVersuS.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/HorrorFestTribute.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/c2tc_august2006.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/MeDolly&DVX.jpg

[VersuS]

the last 2 were shot when it was dark and since we have no light kits...well....I did the terrible terrible thing to push the gain up....I put some filters to see how I can make it look better....what do you think? the original shots without the filters are sh****


http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Falling.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/outside.jpg

[VersuS]

Seeing as how many of you talk about budget.....well...the door between so far has cost something like 10$ for the fangs that I bought....

We didn't buy/make any equipment/stuff/props...we had everything we used from previous productions...we don't use lights to get any stuff for that either....the blood was bought in spring and we have LOTS of it.....no costumes.....food...well....when you go to shoot with your friends and you finish the day eating out that doesnt qualify for budget right?

oh sweet lord....this project will be so cheap.....

[VersuS]

Ok I decided to post the following pic just to show you how professional we are.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: it's not from the movie, when we finished the other night we decided to shoot something in case the next fest is NINJA FEST

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/tiger&dragon.JPG

[Matt Sconce]

Ok I decided to post the following pic just to show you how professional we are.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: it's not from the movie, when we finished the other night we decided to shoot something in case the next fest is NINJA FEST

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/tiger&dragon.JPG

Man wish we had waited for Ninja Fest!
http://www.ninetofiveninja.com



I think you pulled off an interesting look with the filters in the top two posts. It doesn't look horrid so I think so saved it!

[VersuS]

Man wish we had waited for Ninja Fest!
http://www.ninetofiveninja.com



I think you pulled off an interesting look with the filters in the top two posts. It doesn't look horrid so I think so saved it!

Thanx! I really hope it works out fine. We are thinking of one to approach those shots....it's gonna be interesting if we can pull this off (what we have in mind)....

[VersuS]

UPDATE: I just got back from somewhere in Greece...went to spend a few hours in the country and by the sea and under the sun...etc etc....So now I'm home right in the middle of a heatwave..talking about 42 degrees C (not F) my air conditioning is broken and I have to edit and I'm watching my 'Speedfan' like crazy...waiting for the cpu to melt.....

I'll come back tomorrow (if not tonight) with more...

[VersuS]

Goodmorning everyone....I just woke up and after a few things I tried, my PC is up and running again. Last night as I was doing some rendering and was watching the temperature rise to 73degrees C, the PC shut down and was unable to fix it. It was so ****** hot that I didnt have the courage to try anything so went to bed. I hope things work out today when I get back from the office....

Stupid HEAT!

[VersuS]

We're still in the middle of a heatwave here in Athens and I dare not open Premiere or After....however...I finalised the script....I added some information inside the script about some stock footage I will be using (I guess it's ok to use license-free stock footage right? anyone?) and I have also made a list with the sound post editing.

As I have already mentioned, my brother is doing the sound editing and sometimes the music composing for our projects. And he is getting married on the 15th of September going to Paris for his honeymoon the week after that...SH*** ON ME as Gideon was saying in the Crow...SH*** ON ME!!!!

My other friend who will be playing the 3rd part is still in Crete and today I learnt that he ll be coming back on the 28th...so the last scenes wont be shot until the end of August....and work at the office is piling up for a dramatic climax in September. Did I mention that I will be taking driving lessons for a motorbike in September? Oh yes....

If 'the door between' is finished by October 1st then I will take go and dance naked on my rooftop singing OH THE THINGS WE DO!!!!

[VersuS]

I was just doing some post work......what do you think of this?

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Creepy.jpg

[Brandon Rice]

what's it supposed to look like?

[VersuS]

What do you mean?

[Brandon Rice]

the image has a ghostly look to it, so I am asking if that's what you want the look to be :)

[VersuS]

actually it goes like a thunder.....its not a filter I ll be keeping....it's light....and to be honest...we werent looking of doing something like that...I have no clue how this flash came during shooting....I was going through the footage and saw it...and got myself a nice way to use it....

[VersuS]

Ok, things have been slow lately, havent done much work I must admit....

However I am ready to face this weekend (it's Friday afternoon here)...

I went by the video store to rend CSI Season 5...and decided to rend a few horror movies as well....and it struck me...

I got Lost Boys (I am terribly ashamed for not having it in my collection already coz I LOVE this film - yes , we loved Kiefer long before Jack Bauer)

So I ll be doing some research with Lost Boys (I consider it one of the best vampire films)...before we shoot our remaining scenes (they include the climax-ending) next week.

[Matt Sconce]

Ok, things have been slow lately, havent done much work I must admit....

However I am ready to face this weekend (it's Friday afternoon here)...

I went by the video store to rend CSI Season 5...and decided to rend a few horror movies as well....and it struck me...

I got Lost Boys (I am terribly ashamed for not having it in my collection already coz I LOVE this film - yes , we loved Kiefer long before Jack Bauer)

So I ll be doing some research with Lost Boys (I consider it one of the best vampire films)...before we shoot our remaining scenes (they include the climax-ending) next week.

Good luck with all of this! I hope it all goes well! :)

[VersuS]

Thanx!!! I started doing the credits sequence...I am trying something different this time for my credits...(you'll see)....it is going well...but I will also see if I can do something better with AfterFX tomorrow.

[Matt Sconce]

Thanx!!! I started doing the credits sequence...I am trying something different this time for my credits...(you'll see)....it is going well...but I will also see if I can do something better with AfterFX tomorrow.

Very cool! I am also trying to figure credits out. I look forward to seeing yours!

[VersuS]

I like credits because they can do so much for a movie...it all happened after 7even....credits were never the same again...

[cinealma]

That's the bitch about this project. I LOVE opening credit sequences. But with only 6 minutes to work with, even only a measley 30 SECONDS of credit time is almost 10% of your total running time. So, I think's it going to hard unless you can pull of a spectacular WHAM! BAM! 10 second intro. Doable, but tough.

John G.

[VersuS]

well that's why I am working on a...something...well I m doing a combo...putting the credits in the movie's flow...so that I can work my story along with the credit...

[VersuS]

Houston, we have a problem.....

Ok so far the credits/opening sequence seems to be going my way...which is a huge relief...and I am glad that I don't have lots of tools and know lots of programs because I prefer to keep my options to a limited number...

So what's the problem you might ask? Well...I haven't reached a definite ending for my script....I keep changing it...I know where it will be (location is planned)....I know the characters involved...I have a clear picture for most of it...but since it will be the big climax I don't want to spread my seed on this one (that's a discreet way of putting it don't you think?)....

So a quick poll....does a horror film work better with a positive ending or should it follow a grim and gritty path? Or should we leave everything open?

Anyone? What's your view on this one...

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

I think its up to you.

what do YOU want the viewer to come away with,
feel,
think,
say to someone right after,
say to someone the next week,
think about next time they are alone in the dark or hear a bump in the night.

But basically what do you want them to think and feel as the credits roll. I think we've all seen happy endings and where the right people live and have a new beginning and tragedies where everyone gets it.

Here are your 4 possible story outcomes BTW, and it may help you to think of it in these terms.

1) Success / Good
2) Success / Bad
3) Failure / Bad
4) Failure / Good

Success or Failure refers to the main characters goals and whether she achieves them or not. Good or Bad refers to the audience judgement on that outcome.

So in 1) Success / Good (maybe the most common) The character sets out to achieve something - say, getting the girl, and at the end he achieves it and the audience thinks this is good.

2) Success / Bad: The Character gets what they want but the cost is too high. Say, the character sets out to and eventually becomes the biggest star in the world. Along the way however, she denies her roots, alienates her friends, and has become entirely narcissistic. (rare)

3) Failure / Bad: Nobody gets what they want and we think this is a bad thing.

4) Failure / Good: (My Favorite) The Character does not get what they want and we see this as a good thing. Say the character wants to a great novelist. She never gets her chance and gets stuck tutoring at a special needs school. 40 years later and she is ready for retirement, has never written a novel, but has had an incredibly rich life that has touched many others. The key to this one is that the Protag learns something and the audience will value that growth more than they would achieving the explicit goal. Ibsen's A Doll House is a great example. Nora wants to keep her marriage together and fails as she leaves her husband AND children at the end of the play. The audience is supposed to think this is a good thing because she learns at the end of the play that her husband was not the man she and the audience thought he was and that their relationship is based on a fallacy. As such, the audience is mean to value truth over the blind adherence to the original goal.

[VersuS]

Thanx Jack! That was very well put. However, I never really thought of my stories and these two in particular, this way......What I mean is I never saw my stories in a way of success/failure (by the way I knew about the 4 categories but it's because they might not apply here I was asking for some guidance)...

Generally with my stories I am trying to puzzle rather than give a clear view of what is happening /has happened.

This is because I live my life always through a WHAT IF scenario...and think of the things we do in a multi-level dimension....

I think that I will probably go for the 'nobody wins with a slight bit of hope' story....

As for your opening statement....what will the audience think,feel,say....If only there were people so intrigued by my stories that they would talk about them....I know that technically I am below medium and my experience is....nada...but I believe in my stories....


PS. when the time comes...watch carefully 'love is the most deceptive feeling', I prefer the story in that one, 'The door between' is not so deep in meaning, more of your typical vampire film...lost boys meet blade while interviewing the vampire.....

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Well if your protag doesn't want anything tangible and/or we never understand what that is then all bets are off and we have antiplot, which is fine, but otherwise it's impossible for the 4 not to apply.

And for the other point, it was not so much what do you want the buzz to be about your film, but just what effect do you want it to have on the audience member.
Hooray Happy ending?
Tsk Tsk, you are really psycho and i can't believe you made that or that I sat through all of it.
Wow that was really depressing.
Etc.

So less about them running out and saying this or that, but even if you are more David Lynch than David Lynch where even the filmmaker can't say exactly what the film is about, it's still a communicative process between the filmmaker (encoder) and audience (decoder) and you want to effect them in some way right? So what do you want them to take away as their personal experience from the film? That's your ending.

[VersuS]

I want them.......I want them......(standing - moving towards the window)...I want them to ADORE ME!!! (hands lifted towards the sky) AND I WANT TO RULE THE WORLD!

ps. thanx a lot jack!!!!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

haha!
you go then!

[VersuS]

YES! Just finished my credits/sequence!! looks good I guess!

Now I gotta send it to my brother to write the music....cant wait to see it finished..it kinda sucks now with no sound....

I am 'appy (in the words of giancarlo)....

[VersuS]

I finished the story and the script as well! Found myself an ending I like, its the approach I was thinking of from the very beginning...I just hope it works out well coz the last scenes are the essence of the film.

We are going to try and plan them as thorough as possible and be prepared. They are supposed to be night scenes but since we have no lights, we ll probably shoot just before sundown and play with filters/cc afterwards....I am just crossing my fingers here.....

[griffin]

I was just doing some post work......what do you think of this?

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Creepy.jpg

If it's for a dream type sequence it'd be pretty cool.

[VersuS]

Just to post a screenshot...
I wonder what lurks inside this room.....

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/Lurking.jpg

[VersuS]

If it's for a dream type sequence it'd be pretty cool.

Right on the money griffin!!!!!!!! :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[VersuS]

OK! Some updates....from my post....What are you looking at....well....all I will say is that the 2nd shot, is something I tried to come up with in terms of 'vampire vision'....I'd rather have the tools or knowledge to pull something like the 'vein' thing from Night Watch...but....



http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/FightLight.jpg
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/VampireEyes.jpg

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Is the second one vampire vision or both. I like the second one a lot.

looks like the fake lens flare could be better motivated from some of the light soureces in the image ... in less it's standing in for something else here.

But pretty cool on the 2nd one I'd say :thumbsup:

[VersuS]

The second one is the vampire vision...sometimes when you dont have the right resources while shooting you come up with some pretty interesting things in post...or even manipulating the original script...

The lens flare is supposed to have a meaning in this shot...not sure if it is what I want to be honest...I ll keep thinking about it....

Glad you like it Jack!

[Matt Sconce]

The second one is the vampire vision...sometimes when you dont have the right resources while shooting you come up with some pretty interesting things in post...or even manipulating the original script...


So true so true. I look forward to seeing what you come up with....I like...vampires.....Muah ha Ha! http://users.telenet.be/eforum/emoticons4u/evil/1192.gif

[VersuS]

I like humans too....:Drogar-Evil(DBG):

[Matt Sconce]

I like humans too....:Drogar-Evil(DBG):

hehe Hope everything is going well!

[VersuS]

I was just lookng through my editing sequence last night...couldnt find something else to do.....have to wait for the last scenes to be shot....so frustrating.....GIVE ME SOMETHING TO DO!

[VersuS]

now that Greece won 101-95...can I get the HVX off contest?

[Matt Sconce]

now that Greece won 101-95...can I get the HVX off contest?

Hehe, I want one too!

[VersuS]

are you greek? :p
(just kidding)

now that we are going to get the gold in the world cup, takes a lot off my shoulders in here, we dont have to prove anything through my participation in this contest...lol....whatever you have to say about my films I ll be like 'yeah yeah 101-95!'

[MOVIE MASTER]

Looks Cool Cant Wait To See It Good Luck!

[VersuS]

thanx a lot movie master!!!

[Matt Sconce]

are you greek? :p
(just kidding)

I could be for an HVX.......

[VersuS]

I could be for an HVX.......

lol matt!!!! for an hvx I can be a las vegas stripper

[VersuS]

UPDATE: Final version of script is done. Equipment check done! Wardrobe for final scenes (almost) done! We're going to the location mid-week to check on any loose ends and next Sunday (10th) we're shooting.

After that, it's about 10 days of editing, subtitles, fx etc 'til my brother gets back from his honeymoon so we can add music,foley and edit sound...OH and do the voice over bits....

PS. there is a slight chance I'll be posting this one for exhibition only...I have 5' so far and the remaining scenes might go up to 2'....I can't cut anything out from what I have so far...and I don't want to mess the last scenes since they contain the climax and vital clues to what the story is about...so....anyway there was never any chance of getting any votes....but it would be neat to make it to the DVD.....let's wait and see...

[mameragex]

It looks interesting.... I think it's cool that you're still gonna submit it, Even if it's only for show or not.... I just like seeng the outcome of these contest movies. So much energy and time is put into them.

Good luck

[VersuS]

Unless the actors say their lines in FFW x16...I wont get the 6' rule....not that I feel devastated to be honest....if the movie works out fine it'll be like winning for us

[Matt Sconce]

Unless the actors say their lines in FFW x16...I wont get the 6' rule....not that I feel devastated to be honest....if the movie works out fine it'll be like winning for us

That si what I found out when I realized my movie would be long. I realized I would rather make my movie the way I wanted to for the sake of making it, than to try to squish it into the time frame. It is all about the process and the amazing things you learn along the way. Was, I slightly bummed I had not entered when I saw the prize listed...a little, but my philosophy is that if I make my movie the way I want, then hopefully it will have legs of its own and run toward the place where I can afford the camera on my own.

I totally understand Versus. Just make your movie the way you want it to be and then enjoy it.

[VersuS]

Things are not going the way I wanted....seems that we may cancel our shooting for Sunday as it was planned due to heavy workload at the office...:(

[Matt Sconce]

Things are not going the way I wanted....seems that we may cancel our shooting for Sunday as it was planned due to heavy workload at the office...:(
Bummer! I hope everything lines up for you!

[VersuS]

So things are not going well for The Door Between....if we cant get the shoot done this Sunday (17th) then its almost certain that we wont make it in time.....everybody's daily schedule is so messed up that we cant get together... :(

And we are so close it hurts...

[VersuS]

Last night we did a final check on our equipment and props that we will be using for our last scenes. It seems that we can make it for Sunday, everyone seems to be on board...so unless the weather plays a part...Sunday night I'll be editing our last scenes!!! Pretty exciting.

We also did some rehearsals and went through the shot lists looking at the videos we have from the locations...so we believe we are pretty well prepared. There are some shots that normally would require more props or fx but there is no budget and time at this moment so we tried to improvise and came up with a few alternatives...actually it's quite fun trying to make up for lack of equipment and experience by going round your obstacles (hopefully in the most creative way possible)...

So fingers crossed, another 48 hours and I'll be out of this hell hole and far away from Movie Master ;-)

[TheatreGuy]

Hey VersuS, glad to hear you're going to pull it together! Great news!

Good luck on Sunday! I don't know how the weather is in Hell, but in the Northeast, it is supposed to be beautiful!

Looking for to your film!

Best! Ted

[VersuS]

there's been talk about possible showers on Sunday but I hope it's the usual stupid forecast....I could use some clouds however....

another good thing is that I've managed to gather a few more people to help us on Sunday, girlfriends actually...lol.....so it's going to be fun! and if the weather's bad ...well...we can say...screw that, let's go home and fool around ;-)

[TheatreGuy]

HAHAHA! Now, that is covering your bases!!!

And I have to agree with the clouds. Not having the gear to block the sun's harsh rays, I love a nice cloud deck!

Good luck!

Ted

[VersuS]

I just finished the script...going through some final details..made some changes...there'll be lots of voice over so I had to look at it...figure out the times etc....its always bad going to post and finding out there's no room for your voice over that you've written....less than 24 hours!!!! am I mr. excited or what?????? :D :D :D

[Jaime V]

I heard voice over stuff can be a pain in the butt...but I have never tried it yet. Good luck on your shoot on Sunday!

[VersuS]

I heard voice over stuff can be a pain in the butt...but I have never tried it yet. Good luck on your shoot on Sunday!

there are lots of things you need to consider when doing VO...time for one thing...especially if VO is brought in a scene when there is action involved...for instance...I will be having VO while shooting my lead actor standing still....this is easy coz all I have to do is shoot and extend the shoots a bit to make up for anything that might occur during VO-editing and recording...but we are also gonna have VO in a scene when the lead actor is moving...and interacting with another actor...this is gonna be tougher especially when you have multiple angles...you have to have a pretty good idea of the final edited scene to know how much you have to shoot and dont overdo it....but generally its better to shoot more and cut later

another thing with VO has to do with sound editing which is actually a thing that your sound engineer should lose his sleep on and not you...my brother is an incredible sound engineer and always did his best so I have no worries about editing and recording the VO...even when you have to make the VO recordings fit nicely with your scenes in terms of sound levels, ambience etc...like its really there during shooting and not something recorded in a studio/home...

last but not least, VO demands IMHO more skill from the actors than actual acting...in our first short we did everything in VO since it was part of the whole story...

my brother did a great job recording and adding VO in the movie...but the voices sucked! we did it in one night as we had to submit the movie in a festival and we didnt work with the VO beforehand...so it all came out like there were 2 guys reading from the script rather than acting their way through the lines....

so generally I am always afraid of VO but it all depends in the script you've written and the people doing their best...

[TheatreGuy]

Sounds like you know what you're doing! (um, pun actually not intended!) I may have to copy your post in my tech data file for VO 101.

Good luck!

Ted

[VersuS]

Sounds like you know what you're doing! (um, pun actually not intended!) I may have to copy your post in my tech data file for VO 101.

Good luck!

Ted

glad i could be of any use Ted!

[VersuS]

We Finished Shooting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!hop Hop!!hoorayyyyyyyyy

[VersuS]

my abs are doing great!!! we laughed so hard tonight.........there were some scenes were the villain is talking but as he is a vampire he is wearing his fake teeth....no budget means crappy vampire teeth....so you can imagine how he sounded when he spoke with the teeth on....I REALLY need to get this video in here.......

in the path that showed MovieMaster ====> GRABS COMING SOON!

[VersuS]

I have a grab here from tonight...tried 4 different approaches....wonder if any of you could tell me which one is better....

1
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/CC1.jpg

2
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/CC2.jpg

3
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/CC3.jpg

4
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/CC5.jpg

[TheatreGuy]

Hey John, Congrats on the wrap!

First of all, I love the candles on the wall. Very nice.

As for choices... it really depends on what you are doing (obviously).

For me...

#3 is out - too dark. Loss of detail in shadow.
#4 is nice, but I like the cool tone better than the warm tone. (but again, I don't know the context.)
#1 has nice detail and cool darkness. Seems a bit too sharp, but if the sharp look works, use this over #3.
#2 looks great but a bit dreamy or on a foggy night. If that works in the context, I'd use that.

So, for me... #1 or #2, depending on the context. #4 if you want the warmer look (it appears to be properly white balanced). #3 is out (for me).

That's my two cents! Looking forward to your film!

Ted

[Tom Marshall]

Congratulations on getting it in the can :thumbsup:

As far as which grab, I'd go with #2. The bluish tint gives it a nice night time feel...

[VersuS]

Thanx guys, I like 1 & 2 as well.....this is supposed to be a night scene (even though it isnt) so I am trying to get the best possible result. I will try to find the time and work today on it and post some more...

[Mark Harris]

I liked #2 the best. There is a slight blur/glow to it.

Versus, I thought you were in Athens, is that right? If so, will your movie be in Greek?

[VersuS]

I liked #2 the best. There is a slight blur/glow to it.

Versus, I thought you were in Athens, is that right? If so, will your movie be in Greek?

Yeah, dialogue's gonna be in greek but I will subtitle it. However I dont have much experience with subs so be kind. :beer:

[Mark Harris]

Yeah, dialogue's gonna be in greek but I will subtitle it. However I dont have much experience with subs so be kind. :beer:


I understand some Greek anyway, so no worries. At least I will enjoy it :) Girlfriend's family from Chios.

[VersuS]

Cool!!! Never been to Chios myself but it's a nice island from what I hear.

[VersuS]

I added some updates (page #1)

[VersuS]

I put some contrast in the 2nd one and think it came out nice...

No Contrast

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/CC2.jpg

With Contrast

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/contrasted.jpg

[Jaime V]

nice...the second shot does look pretty creepy dude. The graffiti on the wall adds to the affect; looks like it could be some sort of scary mystical lettering :-)

Was that there already or did you add it?

[TheatreGuy]

Looking good VersuS! Contrast grab is nice but I am curious about the aqua tint. It is awfully bright. In my opinion, it looks like the scene is on the edge of lit swimming pool. (I'm not trying to be funny or anything. It just has that "feel" because of the color.)

Also, in the contrast grab... your beautiful candle glows become a bit blown-out. It is a nice look but is it what you want?

Keep up the great work!

[VersuS]

nice...the second shot does look pretty creepy dude. The graffiti on the wall adds to the affect; looks like it could be some sort of scary mystical lettering :-)

Was that there already or did you add it?

I'd like to say that we added the graffiti but no, it was already there.

[VersuS]

Looking good VersuS! Contrast grab is nice but I am cuious about the aqua tint. It is awfully bright. In my opinion, it looks like the scene is on the edge of lit swimming pool. (I'm not trying to be funny or anything. It just has that "feel" because of the color.)

Also, in the contrast grab... your beautiful candle glows become a bit blown-out. It is a nice look but is it what you want?

Keep up the great work!

I know what you mean with the swimming pool effect....never crossed my mind but it certainly looks that way...I'll see how it goes in the scene...

[TheatreGuy]

Hey VersuS, how you making out? Any of the chatter between us working for you?

[VersuS]

Hey VersuS, how you making out? Any of the chatter between us working for you?

Hey Ted, unfortunately I didn't have time to check it out. I started editing the new material, got frustrated with the crappy lights and stayed up til very late trying out various MB etc ... I hope that I will find the time tonight....

Thanx for checking up !:dankk2:

[TheatreGuy]

Cool. I am reading threads right now trying to figure out the best and proper way to color correct. I have Magic Bullet and have played with many of the presets. Very drastic changes it produces! I am not sure that is what I want to do.

I am basically trying to "correct" my footage so one scene to the next doesn't look jarring!

Anyone have any advice, would love to be referred to threads or post on my thread "ID" in the horrorfest individual film discussion section. (or just click on my banner below!)

BTW, I use FCP.

Thanks to anyone who may offer advice.

And VersuS, keep plugging away and let me know how you do!

Ted

[VersuS]

At first I got really depressed when I saw how dark some scenes turned out to be....then I started playing around....re-wrote some parts of the script...so I believe I have a nice way to handle the footage from now on....

The most challenging bit will be (as I was explaining this to my co-director) keeping the same look throughout the film...coz it's easy to think of a pattern in terms of filters and look when it comes to indoors, outdoors, dreams, tension, gore scenes.....e.g. 'I want my dream sequence to look yellow' it's easy to make a plan like that...it's a pain in the butt to make it work when you have shot without lights and with little experience coz you find yourself with footage that when the same filters are applied you get totally different looks coz the scenes where shot in different angles and those different angles produced or captured different shadows etc....

So what would take me 2 days i post will probably take 4-5 ....well If I wasn't working in the morning it would probably take less...

[Jaime V]

I feel your pain man. But I'm sure you're up to the challenge. Good luck and keep us posted! More grabs :-)

[VersuS]

*UPDATE*

Headshots added....

[Matt Sconce]

*UPDATE*

Headshots added....

Cool! The nicknames are funny!

[VersuS]

Cool! The nicknames are funny!

see how you can turn people's attention AWAY from your lousy movie....tell a joke :Drogar-Smoke(DBG):

[VersuS]

Now it's time to add some BTS photos

This was our location for our last day of shooting
http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BTS1a.jpg


http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BTS2a.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BTS6a.jpg


This is Miss X preping up our lead actor and that's me behind them

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BTS3a.jpg

That's me again outside with most of our stuff trying to figure out where is the light kit....(lol)



http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BTS5a.jpg


This is Movie Master ....

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BTS7a.jpg

This is me and Stratos and Miss X at the back during one scene, see how good I am directing, I can shoot my man while checking out his girl :p

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BTS8a.jpg

Putting on some fake teeth

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BTS9a.jpg

Just finished shooting! Let's grab a beer!

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BTS10a.jpg

[Ralph Oshiro]

Cool locations, man! Provocative premise! Sounds like an interesting project!

[VersuS]

Cool locations, man! Provocative premise! Sounds like an interesting project!

Thanx! From the first moment we found this location we KNEW that we were gonna use it for a project! The exciting thing is that Athens (as most cities I guess) is full of locations such as this one. However it's not always safe...e.g. this building was in a terrible state, full of garbage, s*** and leftovers from junkies. So we had to be extra careful while being there not to touch anything that shouldn't be touched, not to step on anything that shouldn't be stepped on etc.

Though I did step on some toes (metaphorically speaking :p).

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

yah - cool location - looking forward to it even more so now.

[TheatreGuy]

Hey John, that location is fantastic! I love the look of it with those square pillars and that slanted wall. Very nice.

Question... The candles on the wall, is that something you rigged or does that wall have small "ledges" to place them there. Which ever, it is a very nice touch and looks great in your shot.

Fun BTS shots! Thanks for sharing.

Ted

[VersuS]

There were small ledges and it was Miss X's idea to place candles on them, so THANK YOU MISS X!

[TheatreGuy]

Sounds like everyone needs a Miss X on set! Any particular reason she wouldn't let you put up a head shot of her?

[VersuS]

She's too shy! (hush hush)!

[TheatreGuy]

I figured as much. That's why she's the set decorator, make-up artist and driver! Right?

[VersuS]

[/evil mode on] Well we had 2 drivers, the part about her being an excellent driver was an inside joke since she had a minor accident saturday night [/evil mode off]

[TheatreGuy]

Ah! Got it. Maybe you should put a picture of the damaged vehicle in place of her headshot!

[VersuS]

Ah! Got it. Maybe you should put a picture of the damaged vehicle in place of her headshot!

Ok....having my best friend (Stratos) wanna jump all over me with a knife because of the comment of me checking her out is one thing I can handle....having a crazy Miss X chasing me with a damaged car is a totally different situation!!!

[TheatreGuy]

sounds like you have your hands full. Better skip my idea! The pic you have up now works just fine! :happy: (better safe than sorry)

[VersuS]

The great thing is that we realised that we can work really good together and help each other so it's nice knowing that little by little we're putting together a very nice team and above all that since last year when we first took a crappy Canon mini-DV out on the streets, that we've come this far. Most of you probably know what it feels to look back at the beginning and see that in a very short period of time you have learnt so many things (even if you're still not in a position to put them in practice).

Our plan is to finish this one (on a high we hope) and take the next 3 months off to gather our strengths, discard our weaknesses, get some light kits, and prep for our next project which will be my first serious attempt at film making (so if I f*** that one as well I'll sell the devilX and get myself a few weeks off work, somewhere in the world).

[VersuS]

My first cut is done and we're at 11mins !!!!! And to think I wanted to enter the 6minute festival....lol.....

[VersuS]

not the best job in the world but below you can see what I managed to do only in adobe premiere pro 2

could i do a better job with after effects? anyone????? please!!!!!

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/LANDED_naked.jpg


http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/LANDED.jpg

[Brandon Rice]

That looks pretty darn good dude!

[Matt Sconce]

Very Good!!!!

[TheatreGuy]

Wow! John. That looks great! Curious, what would you do if you had AE?

[VersuS]

OK! I have to put on my puzzled face here....I am not trying to play the smartass here by saying that I thought it was not that good so you can all say 'no its great'. I really thought it was not that good. :D Thanx a lot guys!!!!!!!!

[Matt Sconce]

OK! I have to put on my puzzled face here....I am not trying to play the smartass here by saying that I thought it was not that good so you can all say 'no its great'. I really thought it was not that good. :D Thanx a lot guys!!!!!!!!

I love the dark feel to it. Reminds me of Underworld.

[Charli]

It reminds me of Santa Cruz on a really foggy day. Nice.

[Lingothree]

Ooh vampire vision. Nice locations, too. Looking forward to it!

[conrad_johnson]

I always pictured vampire vision to be reddish yellow....i'm not sure why.

[VersuS]

I love the dark feel to it. Reminds me of Underworld.

:dankk2:I only wish we had a Kate running around dressed in leather!

[VersuS]

I always pictured vampire vision to be reddish yellow....i'm not sure why.

When it comes to vampires I consider myself a huge fan and something like an encyclopedia.

Throughout the years I came across 2 versions of the vampire myth that really shook my whole body up and down with excitement.

The first one was the books by Brian Lumley, 'The Necroscope'. It's probably what I belive to be the BEST origin scenario for the vampire myth. It portrays their behaviour, their nature, their powers....EVERYTHING in the most logical and interesting way that anyone else ever managed to do.

The second one was the film 'Night Watch' (Nochnoy Dozor) the first part of a Russian trilogy on vampires. AMAZING work! Incredible stuff, they wrote a great script and they used some really unique techniques on how to present vampires and their behaviour as well as their interaction with the world!!!

[deneb79]

Hi all,

I am Stratos Filalithis, the lead actor (since we have no others), director (says ME John) and many other helpful things for all our projects!!! :)

Actually, I think that the whole filming process is extremely interesting, even though not as much as John himself who is a natural born film maker... That's why I was thrilled last year when we started our very first project using a borrowed miniDV camera. We have gone a long way since then and learned one or two things. I hope that all this will be shown in this and future projects.

The best thing is that we have a small team, with the addition of Santa's little helper (Barouir) and Miss X (that's my girl), so our future prospects seem good... :) Of course, nothing could be achieved without John who is the heart and soul of Cut 2 The Chase and has more commitment than all of us... :P

As for 'The Door Between', I am happy that you like these screenshots, I sure hope that you like the final outcome... Cheers!

[VersuS]

Hey!!! Didn't know you were gonna post!!! Cheers mate!!!

[TheatreGuy]

Dang John, looks like your actor there is out of control!!! :grin:

Taking your director credit and talking smack! I also noted the "founding member" wording next to your production company. True or False?

Hey Stratos! Welcome to the boards. Looking forward to your film. I loved what I've seen.

Now you just need 99 more posts to be able to vote for your own film!!!

MwaaahMwaaaahMwaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

[VersuS]

Now you just need 99 more posts to be able to vote for your own film!!!

MwaaahMwaaaahMwaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

I'll just point him towards the lingothree/theatreguy scheme....

as for the founding member ...yes he is one of two, me being the other one

[deneb79]

98 posts to vote for my own film... and counting! :P

We loved making this film. We had lots of laughs and there is a series of bloopers ready for the DVD Version... ;)

All the things I said about John are true. Even though we started filming together, he has all the motivation and arranges everything etc. We are good buddies and always end up laughing, even after our well-known fights during the preparation for our next shoot... (and of course his earlier comment about miss-x during filming... watch out John, there is a vampire coming after you tonight)!

[TheatreGuy]

I'll just point him towards the lingothree/theatreguy scheme....


Hey buddy, I had over 100 posts before I ever started my "networking" techniques.

And I'd like to think that I offered a little substance to all of those posts that I left.

[VersuS]

Hey buddy, I had over 100 posts before I ever started my "networking" techniques.

And I'd like to think that I offered a little substance to all of those posts that I left.

Wow...I was just kidding!!!! There's been a lot of talk about these brandonisms, and networking techniques and I believed it was all part of joking and having a good time!!!! Seriously man I was just kidding!!!! You should know how highly I rate you and our conversations!!

[TheatreGuy]

Wow...I was just kidding!!!! There's been a lot of talk about these brandonisms, and networking techniques and I believed it was all part of joking and having a good time!!!! Seriously man I was just kidding!!!! You should know how highly I rate you and our conversations!!
Ooops! I guess you couldn't hear the jovial tone in my voice when I said that!

Sorry. Perhaps I should have covered it with smilies!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[VersuS]

Yep smilies always help :D :D :D

I don't think it's a good idea to create tension inside a horrorfest forum, there are lots of people around with enough sick ideas already...wouldnt want them to start thinking about turning them into reality

[TheatreGuy]

:) :) :)

[VersuS]

it's already 5.34pm and I still dont have an idea about the time I'll be off work....so I dont know if I'll manage to do some editing tonight....I will have to do a lot of work for the office from my place during the weekend as well, monday will be a 24-hour at the office as well...so I am taking it easy....sitting back...trying to relax....don't know if I'll finish the movie on time...lol.....last night I put all the shots in context..tried to make a concrete and robust whole out of all our footage,so all that's left is applying the filters (which is a huge pain though as you liked what I did so far it gave me quite a boost in morale), I have to visit my brother next week to record the voice over with Stratos and discuss music and sounds (foley) and then I'll have to subtitle the damn thing not to mention export the 16:9 version....

[TheatreGuy]

I hear you, man! Lot's to do.... BUT YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!

Doing the same with my piece of... film right now. Putting it together and looking what shots I need to re-shoot or pick-up. Hopefully will get to color correction! As for a soundtrack... hmmmm.... yeah... right.

Good luck with all. Way to keep us all posted!

Ted

[VersuS]

In my line of work you never know when the shit is gonna hit the fan so maybe I should install a premiere copy at work and work from here as well! i just cant sit without working on the movie...and most of the days I get back home very late (coz you have to keep up with your social life as well) and I sit in front of the pc and I just stare at the windows trying to roll a cigarette that keeps falling off of my hands...looool.....

[TheatreGuy]

LOL!

What do you do for work?

[VersuS]

I work as a pre-sales IT consultant for a company. We do web portals,web services and stuff, mainly focused on big projects for the public sector. We do LOTS of tenders (RFPs for those who are close to this kind of game) so our schedule can suddenly become tighter than you can possibly imagine.

[TheatreGuy]

That sounds better than flipping burgers. At least you are surrounded by technology.

I see you've changed your avatar. I need to get one like that with me working the camera. I like it!

[VersuS]

This I need to share!!! So here we are at the office, trying to finish up this RFP, and since we re almost the only ones left on the floor, I put on some music, so I choose Highway To Hell, song starts, a colleague says 'Nice choice man' , 'Yeah' then all of a sudden HUGE THUNDERCLAP and all hell break loose outside!!!

Is this a sign or what? ;-)

[TheatreGuy]

well, after all... you are in Hell (according to your avatar)!!! Only seems appropriate.

Maybe the power will fail and then you can go home and work on your film!

[Brandon Rice]

Wow, thats kinda freaky... So, are you done shooting yet?

[VersuS]

Wow, thats kinda freaky... So, are you done shooting yet?

I am done shooting yeah. Actually I should re-shoot a few scenes and add a couple more, but there is no time to do this and I believe it wouldnt change much.

We're in the editing process, color correction, vfx improvising and we'll do next week the VO recording, the music composing, subs and sound design.

And I thought shooting was the hard part.....:Drogar-Smoke(DBG):

[Brandon Rice]

Yeah, post is tough, good luck dude.

[VersuS]

Yeah, post is tough, good luck dude.

Thanx B-Man!

[TheatreGuy]

Alright John, I'm jumping back to your thread.

Seriously, you cracked me up with that reply! I think we should make that a sticky!

So, if I write a book for first-time filmmaking, I want you to write the opposing chapters!

[VersuS]

Alright John, I'm jumping back to your thread.

Seriously, you cracked me up with that reply! I think we should make that a sticky!

So, if I write a book for first-time filmmaking, I want you to write the opposing chapters!

Is it just me or are you really implying I am an anti-filmmaker? :p

look smilies ----> :):):):):)

[TheatreGuy]

HAHAHA! :) :) :)

No, I just meant that I could write the humbling experiences I am having and you could interpret them with your comical style. Your writing of the lens cap removal was great!

[VersuS]

I just pictured it as a living thing, like a leech or something....;-)

[TheatreGuy]

Well, I do consider my dvx to be a living thing. Let's just say that I take better care of it than I do my cat!

[VersuS]

I confess to kissing mine from time to time :p

[TheatreGuy]

I kissed mine when I first got it! True. I am sure that many of us did.

[VersuS]

I kiss mine every time we finish shooting!

[TheatreGuy]

Yeah, I am not surprised! :grin:

[VersuS]

Ok Guys, a few more 'night' shots to let me know what you think...remember this is supposed to be night time, inside this building, ONLY light source is supposed to be coming from the small candles and outside from 2 small windows and the entrance....

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/GOING_naked.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/GOING.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BARSHOT_naked.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/BARSHOT.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/STAND_naked.jpg

http://www.c2tc-movies.com/TheDoor/STAND.jpg

[Brandon Rice]

I like the top one a lot.

[VersuS]

OK! Just fixed some problems I had with uploading the images here. So there are 3 sets now.

Brandon I believe the top one you liked is the second one now right?

[Brandon Rice]

Actually, now that I see all of them, they all look good... nice!

[conrad_johnson]

In the bottom set of two, the guy in the picture looks like he's farting.:)

[TheatreGuy]

Damn Dude, looking cool! Seriously, you've got some nice CC going on there!

[VersuS]

Actually, now that I see all of them, they all look good... nice!

Gee thanx man! Seriously though...if you think that there is a chance to make something better please do tell. Unless you feel that with the shots I have in hand there's not much more to make.....

[TheatreGuy]

In the bottom set of two, the guy in the picture looks like he's farting.:)
Man, I went and looked back at those two pics and you were right! AND THEN, I smelled gas!

Either a heck of a memory recall sensation or John's got him some nice smell-o-vision happening there!

[Brandon Rice]

Ok, the last shot just looks too dark... try keeping some of the highlights brighter... and I think on ALL of them, I'd tone the blue down a TAD.

[VersuS]

In the bottom set of two, the guy in the picture looks like he's farting.:)

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No he's not farting, he was just taking a s***!

Actually it's a lousy grab! LoL!!!! Dude you rock! I cant wait to show him your comment!!!

[VersuS]

Ok, the last shot just looks too dark... try keeping some of the highlights brighter... and I think on ALL of them, I'd tone the blue down a TAD.

Thank You! I'll try that right now!

[TheatreGuy]

Gee thanx man! Seriously though...if you think that there is a chance to make something better please do tell. Unless you feel that with the shots I have in hand there's not much more to make.....
You know, John. The two outdoor shots look great as is. The indoor shot looks good but could stand to have the subject pop out of the darkness a bit (especially at the top). But I don't know much about CC to give you direction. I am sure that there are those who know how to isolate areas and do some detail work.

But other than that, they really work.

[VersuS]

You know, John. The two outdoor shots look great as is. The indoor shot looks good but could stand to have the subject pop out of the darkness a bit (especially at the top). But I don't know much about CC to give you direction. I am sure that there are those who know how to isolate areas and do some detail work.

But other than that, they really work.
:dankk2:

[deneb79]

Hey guys, I can assure you:
No actors farted during the filming of this movie :beer:

As for John... well... :kali: JOHN LAHANIS! (for the lousy grab)

Seriously now, as John have mentioned several times, lighting our scenes have been a pain in the a$$ as it was really cloudy (good because there are no shadows, bad because of the lack of light) and the inside shoots were really difficult. As we wrapped up the inside shooting we couldn't see anything in two metres distance!

But, as you can see, John can work miracles in post production and gives this overall night-creepy feeling which I like very much... :thumbup:

[TheatreGuy]

Spoken like a true co-producer! :beer:

Seriously, I think that you guys are doing an amazing job! :) :) :)

(Wow! Stratos! You've been a member since Oct 2005 and today was your first post??? No one can accuse you of "Brice----" Oh, nevermind! [wink]

[VersuS]

Oh crap..I go to bed ...I wake up to get a glass of water and what do I find? my co-producer running wild in here.....don't mind him, he's just.....he's just......[grabbing a mike, jumping on the table]

HE'S JUST TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU

:P

ok, water drank....back to bed...

[TheatreGuy]

Funny man! LOL funny!

I was surprised to see you online. I fugure it must be in the middle of the night in Greece.

[VersuS]

It's 4.17 am....we had some late night pizza fest yesterday (it is officially yesterday) at work and I feel like a pregnant woman carrying the child of dough...
(after the children of the corn...we have the children of the dough.....that is scary....)

[spooky138]

Children of the Dough Versus Night of the Living Bread! Mwah haha!

[VersuS]

(Wow! Stratos! You've been a member since Oct 2005 and today was your first post???
talk about voyeurism.....

[VersuS]

Children of the Dough Versus Night of the Living Bread! Mwah haha!

ROFL!!!!!! Try to do that with some of the entries in here....Bread Inside! (like the sign at a store) The Spread Within (talking about a sandwich maybe?), Into the Oven....and so on.....

[TheatreGuy]

talk about voyerism.....
HAHAHA!

So there was something that I was going to write to you but I can't even think of it. Sucks too, because I was all wrapped up in editing and thought of it but didn't want to back out of my program.

I guess it will have to wait until tomorrow (for me) and this afternoon (for you).

I figure, you are 7 hours ahead of me. It is 9:31 pm right now for me and, I believe, 4:31 for you.

Great chatting with you today. Look forward to our next conversation!

BTW - I am feeling so much better about my film right now. The rough editing is not looking as bad as I feared.

Till later - Ted

[VersuS]

Great news about your editing Ted! In my experience, it's after the rough editing that I can start and feel a bit relaxed about a project....the next phase is when we start doing the sound design where I ALWAYS realise how much boost sound and music give to a production...

[Lingothree]

Ooops! I guess you couldn't hear the jovial tone in my voice when I said that!

Sorry. Perhaps I should have covered it with smilies!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
Thanks, guys, for helping me get to 100 posts. Now that I have them, I will never speak to you again. :crybaby:

[MOVIE MASTER]

Does Any One Know Where To Get Good Chinese?

[VersuS]

Someone mistook this thread for the yellow pages....

[TheatreGuy]

John, your sense of humor cracks me up! :grin:

And thanks about the comments above. I tell you, I slept well last night for the first time in a long while. I wasn't playing the film in my head over and over trying to visualize it.

It is very exciting! My wife, who was butt-ass tired from a long day of work, came home and watched my 4 minutes of golden joy and LOVED IT! (of course, she has to say that!) But, seriously, we watched in together 4 times and really, really like what I am seeing.

We'll see how that last 2 minutes of it go and the CC, foley and soundtrack work. Yikes, we're seriously running out of days.

Why and I posting all of this here? I should be updating my site.

BUT, I know what I wanted to tell last night.....

I KISSED MY DVX AFTER MY DAY OF SHOOTING! :kiss: :kiss: :kiss: And it felt good.

Have a good day. I hope to be too busy to chat!!!

[VersuS]

Thanx for sharing Ted!!! It's good to know that you love your project!!! I never played however my film in my head...the last few weeks all I think about all the time is the driving lessons I'm taking to get my license for a bike. Brake....hold the clutch...release the clutch...accelerate.....yooohooooo

[TheatreGuy]

Thanx for sharing Ted!!! It's good to know that you love your project!!! I never played however my film in my head...the last few weeks all I think about all the time is the driving lessons I'm taking to get my license for a bike. Brake....hold the clutch...release the clutch...accelerate.....yooohooooo
Ahhhhh! A motorcycle? I loved riding a bike! Have little use for one in New Hampshire... miss it.

Good luck on that! :thumbup:

I just storyboarded my last scene.... time to go shoot it!

To quote a friend.... "Brake...hold the clutch...release the clutch...and shoot!.....yooohooooooo!" :)

[VersuS]

Congrats on the 200th post in here :) I love riding a bike as well, I have my eyes on a beautiful piece that I want to buy as soon as possible, probably late October.
So things are quite crazy around here, I have to read about theory (signs and mechanical stuff) about the exams, I have to find time to go for practice, I have LOTS of work at the office, I love my girlfriend (and that means make up some quality time NOT in front of the PC)...and I have to finish my post process....

At least I cant say that I'm bored....

[TheatreGuy]

I hear you! Not bored at all!

Keep that girl happy! She deserves it!

Good luck wrapping (and unwrapping! wink!)

:)

[VersuS]

I hear you! Not bored at all!

Keep that girl happy! She deserves it!

Good luck wrapping (and unwrapping! wink!)

:)

LOOOOOL!!!! :Drogar-Love(DBG):

[VersuS]

Because sometimes the talent is out there (along with the truth, bikinis, margaritas and more)...

http://www.funny.co.uk/fun-and-games/art_170-4204-Chad-Vader-Day-Shift-Manager.html

[TheatreGuy]

LMAO!!!! That's CLASSIC! :grin:

I can't wait to show that to my wife!!!!

Thanks for sharing!

[VersuS]

http://politicalhumor.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=politicalhumor&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.storewars.org%2Fflash%2Findex. html

LOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!

[TheatreGuy]

http://politicalhumor.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=politicalhumor&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.storewars.org%2Fflash%2Findex. html

LOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!
DUUUUDE! That is SOOOO Freakin funny! :grin:

OMG!

I ahve got to stop! I have a basement scene to shoot!

[VersuS]

call me chewbrocoli from now on, or yo-gurt....lol....gee I am sooooooooooo tired, I'm going to bed, it's been one hellish week and its not getting better, so I need to gather my strength.

see you all after A LOT of hours

[deneb79]

As a great fan of Star Wars, I got to say that these two videos are hilariously funny... LOL

I have to say I have used my producer position to put John to work. He has been very lazy lately, and this shall not be tolerated! He has edited the best part of our movie already and said to me that he thinks that all will be done till tommorrow... Then I locked him back in his cold, little dungeon to continue work!

Next week we will go to his brother's house to record the voiceovers, check out the sounds etc. I think this will be equally important as everything else because the music and the acting (well, what we will try to do is... act, nevermind the result) help to create the right atmosphere. Last time we had a great laugh because we didn't know what to expect, more or less we didn't know what to do... And the result was: great music & sound f/x, lousy % flat voices... I believe that this time we will do better. Whatever the result may be, we will have fun for sure...

[VersuS]

-pounding at the dungeon doors-

[VersuS]

ps. dont get fooled by my friend's use of the english language, he is NOT movie master (evil)

[deneb79]

Very Funny John... Now, don't make too much noise moving around with these chains on your feet, it makes me nervous...

I have posted a new thread under the D.I.Y. section regarding our camera dolly. Fell free to visit and comment: Our easy-to-construct D.I.Y. Camera Dolly :)
(http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=72213)

[TheatreGuy]

Hey guys! You two sound like a coule of bickering wives! :) :) :)

Great job Stratos on the progress report. Way to keep us updated!

And I really liked your photos of your rig. Nice Job! :thumbup:

Ted

Oh! And yes, I am a big fan of the first three Star Wars movies. (not so much on the last three but enjoyed them anyways.) And those 2 links John sent were great!!! I showed them to my wife this morning. She loved them! :love4:

[VersuS]

I'm still struggling to escape this damn dungeon.....editing moves slowly....but it moves....

[VersuS]

Captain's Log Saturday the 23rd, September 2006

We came across a storm today....lost a lot of men....the ship is holding on but I don't know for how much longer....I fear for the worst....

ps. all together now "YMCA..ITS FUN TO STAY AT THE YMCAAAAAAAA"

ps2. as you can see, I'm losing it.....

[VersuS]

As a warm tear runs down my left cheek, I am proud to announce that I've just finished editing the movie and CCing as well.
I would never have imagined that this time it'd take so much effort....I feel exhausted after 48hours...I've had the worst mood ever, I was this close to start a fight with everybody, my friend, my girlfriend....

We had some CRAPPY shots from last time that were no good, either they were underexposed or they were just too damn stupid to produce something concrete out of them. Working solely with an editing suite is NOT what you should do to color correct CORRECTLY and I dont have the time to learn AE or anything else, however I will try Matt's guidance on noise removal with AE and prey I can do it.

I have to export now in 16:9 using what Ted suggested in a PM a few days ago...but I dont know if that will work either....

And then I have to transfer everything to my mobile HD and go to my brother to record voice over and talk about sound design and music so he can start working on that.

After he's done I have to take back the audio file and export...and then export for QT H.264....

SHIT! I forgot about subtitles....

I HATE THIS! I HATE YOU! I HATE MOVIE MASTER! I HATE BRITNEY SPEARS! I HATE I HATE I HATE....


ps. UNLEASH THE DRAGON

ps2. ok ok....I am ok now....

ps3. seriously I'm ok....

ps4. stop staring at me like that! I SAID I'M OK! WHAT THE F*** DO YOU WANT????

see---->smilies :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[Brandon Rice]

Hey man CONGRATS! You are one of the few that's now pretty well done! Good work looking forward to "The Door Between!"

[VersuS]

Seriously man if you watch the door between you will look for the door heading out!!!!

[conrad_johnson]

Seriously man if you watch the door between you will look for the door heading out!!!!
Oh shush:)

[VersuS]

Oh shush:)

:tongue:

[VersuS]

Way to Go MATT!!! I ve just started doing my noise removal with AE following Matt Sconce's guidance (see his thread on Stricken) and all I can say is WOW! I've had A LOT of noise in my movie due to lack of proper lighting etc. so this has come really handy. Now I have to wait to render 11minutes and that will take a while.....

ps. does anyone know of a nice online tutorial for AE?

[Lingothree]

As a warm tear runs down my left cheek, I am proud to announce that I've just finished editing the movie and CCing as well.



Congratulations! Good luck with the titles.

[VersuS]

Oh I have done the titles already, the titles is something I really like coz they are embedded with the intro....so you get something like 1 minute of the movie that is titles + story....I really loved my titles.....but I guess I'll do some end credits as well....

[Lingothree]

Don't you have yet to do the subtitling?

[VersuS]

Oh that's what you meant by titles...;-)

[deneb79]

It's glad to know that most post-production is so close to be finished. The thing is that I feel kind of guilty because I can't really help at this stage (except lifting John's morale). It's weird just waiting for all this work to be finished and can only hear about CC, effects, filters and stuff (and maybe recommend some things even I don't know if they 're feasible or not). :huh:

It's not that I don't find these things interesting but I really, realy don't have the time to have a proper look and learn about this part of work, and even if I knew it I believe that it is better for one person to work on an entire project and complete it in his own vision than actually edit in different styles etc. And John IS the man for this job... :thumbup:

I suppose I have to make up for it while recording the voices, someday this week, along with Jim (John's brother) and act a little... just for a change! :Drogar-Thinking(DBG

Actually, it was a really strange w/e for both John and I, no need to get into much details, even though for me it ended on a high note. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

At the bottom line, a new week has started already in Athens (Monday counts 1 hour and 42 minutes of life), and since I am an optimistic person I believe that everything will end up well and in time... :)

My bed is calling me... Ciao!

P/S: When, last week, I saw the unedited version of our last takes I turned to John and said: "Hey man, I believe that if we edit the right parts we can make a great comedy out of it"... So, DVD Version Spoiler: Lots and lots of funny extras :evil:

[VersuS]

Good morning and a great week to all of you. It's the final countdown for many of us these days...

I am at the office right now and left my PC to render in A.E. the grain removal, however I encountered some severe problems with applying it (actually rendering it) correctly. I hope Matt will help me out on this one.

I watched parts of the final edited version of my movie and I must admit I was OK with it...even though I was quite bitter with what we've done on Sunday....

I am quite certain that when we do the sounds and music, everything will fall into place and we'll have an end result that we're not totally ashamed of :P lol!

[Brandon Rice]

Coolness! Good luck with everything dude...

[conrad_johnson]

Good morning and a great week to all of you. It's the final countdown for many of us these days...

I am at the office right now and left my PC to render in A.E. the grain removal, however I encountered some severe problems with applying it (actually rendering it) correctly. I hope Matt will help me out on this one.

I watched parts of the final edited version of my movie and I must admit I was OK with it...even though I was quite bitter with what we've done on Sunday....

I am quite certain that when we do the sounds and music, everything will fall into place and we'll have an end result that we're not totally ashamed of :P lol!
Good to hear.

Dosn't it feel good when everything pulls together after all that hard work.:Drogar-Smoke(DBG):

[VersuS]

It certainly does! However every time I finish a project I cant wait to get started on a new one and put in use all the things I learned from the last one!

[conrad_johnson]

It certainly does! However every time I finish a project I cant wait to get started on a new one and put in use all the things I learned from the last one!
I know how you feel. I already want to shoot a new project and we haven't even submitted our two horrorfest entires.:Drogar-Evil(DBG):

[VersuS]

Now that you said 2 entries!!! I HAVENT EXPORTED IN 16:9 my 2nd entry 'love is the most deceptive feeling'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and this one's up for the contest!

[conrad_johnson]

Now that you said 2 entries!!! I HAVENT EXPORTED IN 16:9 my 2nd entry 'love is the most deceptive feeling'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and this one's up for the contest!
you'd better get on it boy!

[VersuS]

this is the worst week ever! so many men so little time....errrr...sorry....got confused by the song :P....SO MANY ENTRIES, SO LITTLE TIME!

[VersuS]

I just had a conversation over the phone with my brother about the score and decided to go in the poser-rock-80s direction that I think will be great.... I have total confidence in him on this part of the movie and am very excited to give him the opportunity to let his work be known to all of you, I tell you, he is one tough sound engineer/musician!

[VersuS]

I came home at 1.30 AM from work (oh yeah baby) and found that the exported file from A.E. with the remove grain was AGAIN a piece of crap...so I followed Wise Matt's advice and this morning I woke up to find it OK!!!! So now WE CAN MOVE ON !!!!!!!!!

:) :) :)

[Matt Sconce]

I came home at 1.30 AM from work (oh yeah baby) and found that the exported file from A.E. with the remove grain was AGAIN a piece of crap...so I followed Wise Matt's advice and this morning I woke up to find it OK!!!! So now WE CAN MOVE ON !!!!!!!!!

:) :) :)

Glad I could help dude! :thumbup: :)

[VersuS]

I just listened to a very very rough idea of what my brother is thinking of doing for the score...it rocks! as I expected, music and sound are going to be awesome!

[VersuS]

So I am finally home, happy that all I have to do tonight is make the end credits (just a roll down) and export in QT wide to take to my brother's studio tomorrow to edit sound. And I play the movie only to find that there is a lousy vfx that I put but didnt really watch when rendered to notice how lousy it is (did I mention it was lousy?) and also I didnt pay attention to a cross dissolve I put somewhere that 'revealed' part of the footage that wasnt supposed to be revealed....

so back to the editing suite now to edit AGAIN..export uncompressed AGAIN....remove grain AGAIN....AGAIN ...AGAIN....

[Matt Sconce]

Bummer dude! I wish you the best! Let me know if you need any help! :-)

[TheatreGuy]

Wow John, Sounds like you've had your hands full since I last checked out your thread.

I hope you get all these demons tackled!!! :evil:

[VersuS]

I put together my end credits, just a simple roll down thing, after all i have a nice intro....i took out that LOUSY (did i mention it was lousy) vfx....and decided to export the movie in 2 parts, each uncompressed avi, so that i can work with them in AE7...

so I export the first part (5mins) took a while....and I started exporting the second one....which is taking muchos longer....so I have some time to spare...and decide to play the first part....and its stuttery....whY?? why god why????? i dare not stop the export process of the 2nd part...its at 50% now...so i dont know if the 2nd part is stuttery as well...but yesterday i did the same thing and they didnt stutter....

so my options right now.......

no strength left to think about options....

[Matt Sconce]

It is probably stuttery becaause your video card is trying to play uncompressed AVI. Render it in the timeline first and then watch it or, export it as compressed to test it. Just some possibilities. i know that when I try to watch uncompressed avis with Windows Media Player, my computer is stuttery and laughs at me. Try rendering the timeline first before export as well to see what it looks like in PP. :-)

[VersuS]

I'm on it....I think this is it ;) thanx Matt!

[VersuS]

Wow John, Sounds like you've had your hands full since I last checked out your thread.

I hope you get all these demons tackled!!! :evil:

Thanx Ted for checking up on me! I hope there is a happy ending after all these problems....

[VersuS]

I finished with Premiere....phew....I am exporting now an uncompressed avi that I will try and use in A.E. to adjust some minor problems (minor...lol...) with CC and grain...all that's left to do with Prem. is add the subtitles on Saturday morning and export in 16:9....

by the way, does anyone know of any good tips on subtitles? fonts, size etc....

[TheatreGuy]

Damn John, It's almost 1am for you, isn't it? GO TO BED!!!!
:) :) :)

[VersuS]

and I have my alarm clock set at 07.30 coz I have a motorbike driving session at 08.45......

[Brandon Rice]

I generally stay up till 1am and wake up at 6am every morning :) one gets used to it I guess...