Cure for Writer's Block: No. 9

[cinealma]

WELCOME TO THE
CURE FOR WRITER'S BLOCK: NO. 9
OFFICIAL HORRORFEST THREAD



POSTER from DVXUser HorrorFest 2006

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/13091/1159990240.jpg


ORIGINAL POSTCARDS
(click on thumbs for actual images)


http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/13091/1157650931.jpg (http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/13091/1157061091.jpg) http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/13091/1157650967.jpg (http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/13091/1157067820.jpg)




UPDATES:

10.03.06

Official DVXUser HorrorFest 2006 poster released.

**********


09.24.06

THAT'S A WRAP!

More soon...


John G.

[MOVIE STUNTS]

Good luck on this one, Gothic horror is cool by me.

[VersuS]

Good luck man on this one! Title sounds intriguing!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

cure for writer's block ... KILL SOMETHING ... love it :thumbsup:

[cinealma]

08.23.06 Updated Above.

[cinealma]

08.25.06 updated above.

[The Machinist]

Whenever i get writer's block i watch Barton Fink.

Helps about 80% of the time.

[Kholi]

Hey Cinealma--

Good job on scoring a DP in SoCal. They all want an arm and a leg. Well, not all, but most. I remember when I had to search for one, met some COOKY people but it turned out for the best.

Your worst case scenario sounds pretty fun. Building a set in your backyard sounds cool, man. No matter which way you walk, hope you get what you want out of it.

What part of SoCal are you in, anyway?

[cinealma]

I'm up in Camarillo, about 40 minutes up the 101 from L.A. (well, 40 minutes at 4:00 am on a Sunday morning).

I'm hoping to secure a warehouse or empty building for a week that has power. That way, I can schedule some regular shooting hours. My wife is acting as the production manager on this one, and she's going to put some calls in to a friend of hers who's in real estate. So, I'm crossing my fingers.

John G.

[Kholi]

I have a mini-wife. It's really called a girlfriend but she tends to act like she can run my life... so she'd might as well be a wife.

Good luck on your location. Those are a biotch to score in CA without much money to pay for insurance and all that. Guerilla style.

[cinealma]

Guerilla style.


All the way, baby!

[cinealma]

08.26.06 updated above.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Congrats on the home depot discount - we're all jealous!

Let us know how the meeting with the DP went.

Any partucular strategies arise for the shoot? If so how did you get there?

[cinealma]

08.28.06 updated above.

[cinealma]

Congrats on the home depot discount - we're all jealous!

Let us know how the meeting with the DP went.

Any partucular strategies arise for the shoot? If so how did you get there?


The meeting went excellent. I think I really lucked out in finding a local DP who's into what I want to shoot. Also, he's an NYU grad who studied experimental filmmaking. What more can I say? :thumbsup:


A lot of the "strategizing" is still to come once we have a location locked to build our sets on. One thing we are going to do is shoot MOS and add all of the sound in post. There's no dialogue in the film, so we have the luxury of not having to deal with location sound. So, we should be able to knock out, what, 150... 200 set-ups a day? :)

I'm doing a LOT of the sound design ahead of time, so that will definitely save in post time. Another strategy, I guess.


John G.

[cinealma]

08.31.06 update above.

[cinealma]

New poster is up at top.

[Brandon Rice]

I am digging the new poster!

[Matt Sconce]

Poster rocks! I like it a lot!

[cinealma]

I am digging the new poster!


Poster rocks! I like it a lot!

Thanks, guys. I appreciate your comments.

I've added poster No. 2 above.



John G.

[Herman Witkam]

Poster is looking good, John - looking forward to this one!

[cinealma]

09.04.06 updated above.

[Mark Harris]

Eeeks, that poster is pretty creepy. I do not envy you though pushing your shoot back a week. With as much as we STILL have to do, I am super glad we got shooting done last week...

[SloMocean]

Looking forward to this one ... I'm not quite sure what to expect, but that's a good thing.

Good luck with starting the shoot late .. I'm right there with ya

[cinealma]

Eeeks, that poster is pretty creepy. I do not envy you though pushing your shoot back a week. With as much as we STILL have to do, I am super glad we got shooting done last week...

Thanks for the word-up on the posters. Yes, it will definitely be a ball buster shoot, but I've got 6 free days to put in for post. I think I can pull it off, by george.



Looking forward to this one ... I'm not quite sure what to expect, but that's a good thing.

Good luck with starting the shoot late .. I'm right there with ya

Thanks!


John G.

[cinealma]

09.09.06 updated above.

Only three weeks until the deadline. Yikes! :eek:

[Tom Marshall]

Hey John, did you do your casting today? If you did, how did it go?

[cinealma]

Hey John, did you do your casting today? If you did, how did it go?

Tom, as far as I can tell, it went fine. This is actually my first casting experience. I interviewed eight actors this morning and I'm trying to decide between two, maybe three, of them. I was a little nervous and anxious about it, but after about two of them, I kind of got into a groove with it.

The only real problem I had was that the place where I was renting a casting booth from is on Highland, and it just so happened that today was some cycling event, so the whole northbound side of Highland was shut down from Hollywood down to Melrose or further. So traffic/parking was a pain in the butt for the actors.

So now, I need to make a decision. It's going to be tough, but I made a deadline of Tuesday to have the cast in place. So, just gotta pick one!

The smaller parts I all ready have cast with friends and family, so that was easy. :thumbsup:


John G.

[Tom Marshall]

This is actually my first casting experience. I interviewed eight actors this morning and I'm trying to decide between two, maybe three, of them. I was a little nervous and anxious about it, but after about two of them, I kind of got into a groove with it.
It was mine too... and yeah, after the second one, I felt much more comfortable! I've got about 30 to choose from. This one girl came today and wound up staying for a couple of hours. She kind of got a free acting class... :D

This one guy came in yesterday and kind of scared the crap out of us... the guy is supposed to kill the kids at the end and we though he was gonna kill us! So I said... 'wow, yeah... you're hired.' :cheesy:

[cinealma]

Haven't updated in a while. Busy, busy, busy, you know!

Lead actor has been cast. I'll be contructing flats this weekend have all the props, etc. purchased. Still working on effects. A pain, but real fun.

I'm going out of town on businees most of next week, so I really have to get everything organized this weekend before I leave. My wife has been a real sport in letting me pretty much turn our house into a movie studio. :thumbsup:

We prep on Fri. 9/22 and shoot on Sat. and Sun, 9/23-9/24.

I tell you, I'll be SO relieved once it's in the can. Then I've got a week to post, which will be pure bliss.


John G.

[TheatreGuy]

.... We prep on Fri. 9/22 and shoot on Sat. and Sun, 9/23-9/24.

I tell you, I'll be SO relieved once it's in the can. ..... John G.
I'll Bet!!! WOW! That is really tight!

Good luck man! Have fun! And hats off to understanding wives!!! May every man have one!!!

Ted

[cinealma]

I'll Bet!!! WOW! That is really tight!

Good luck man! Have fun! And hats off to understanding wives!!! May every man have one!!!

Ted

Thanks! And you betcha! :thumbsup:


John G.

[Tom Marshall]

Hey John, you ready to film this thing?? One week my friend... no pressure... :thumbsup:

[cinealma]

Yep. Gearing up to shoot the f*cker. I SHOULD have everything good to go by the end of this weekend. When I get back in town on Thursday, I'll start putting the sets together, painting, etc. AND, if all goes well, we can prep and pre-light on Friday night.

Looks good on paper, anyway. :happy:


John G.

[Lingothree]

Hurry hurry hurry!

[Kyle Stebbins]

wow thats cutting it close! i guess my big shoot date is on the 24th... haha. -- oh man, it's always more fun when youre pushed for time! =) bring on the beer!!!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

When are you gonna shoot your other movie John?

[cinealma]

When are you gonna shoot your other movie John?

:happy: JDS, are you just razzing me now or what?

It's 1:00 in the A.M. here on Friday night (or Saturday morning, however you want to look at it). Call time is 5:00pm tomorrow. I still have a SH*TLOAD to do. But hey, this is filmmaking baby! I'll be dead by Monday, but I'll be smiling! There's a pile of gear stacked up in the corner. Thievery's on the CD player keepin' me chillin'. And I'm sucking down a giant Coke from JntB to keep me awake.

My DP will be here at 2:00pm and Tom (tommyinla) and Chris (7CS) will be here at 3:00pm to lend a hand. I'd better go now and get back to work. Sleep is for, well, those who get to sleep.


John G.

[Brandon Rice]

Whoot! Way to go dude... good luck tomorrow!

[Tom Marshall]

:happy: JDS, are you just razzing me now or what?

It's 1:00 in the A.M. here on Friday night (or Saturday morning, however you want to look at it). Call time is 5:00pm tomorrow. I still have a SH*TLOAD to do. But hey, this is filmmaking baby! I'll be dead by Monday, but I'll be smiling! There's a pile of gear stacked up in the corner. Thievery's on the CD player keepin' me chillin'. And I'm sucking down a giant Coke from JntB to keep me awake.

My DP will be here at 2:00pm and Tom (tommyinla) and Chris (7CS) will be here at 3:00pm to lend a hand. I'd better go now and get back to work. Sleep is for, well, those who get to sleep.


John G.

John, I'm so sorry I couldn't make it... perfect time for my back to go out on me... :(

[cinealma]

THAT'S A WRAP!

Whew... this filmmaking stuff is hard work. :thumbsup:

I came out of production mostly unscathed. Although, I can't feel my big and second toes on my right foot. I think I blew a nerve out.

Thanks to J.P. (luster) my D.P. He kicked butt! Seriously, hire this guy!

Thanks to Paul, our actor. Boy, he put up with a lot of crap, but was a REAL PRO through the whole "ordeal".

Thanks to my wife, Kathy, who let me transform our house into a mini-movie studio. Baby, I promise I'll the get the living room back to normal... even the stains!

And a special thanks to Chris (7CS). He was truly a life saver on this shoot and without his help, I don't think we could have finished it. This guy kicked some major butt!

Tom (tommyinla), we missed you, but no worries! Nothing you can do about a bad back, my friend. Take care and get well!

There are many more people who helped make this film a reality, and thanks to them all.

Post-pro starts tomorrow. Time to sleep.


John G.

[Mark Harris]

Sweet. Throw up some grabs.

[7CS]

It was my pleasure! Just wish I could have stayed longer Sunday.

[Brandon Rice]

I'd love to see some grabs... Sorry I couldn't be there, wasn't sure what day/time you were shooting.

[luster]

Thanks for the compliment, John. I had a great time shooting this one.

The imagery you came up with for this piece is really cool. I can't wait to see how it turns out when the editing is done.

[cinealma]

Ok, folks. Here's a few shots. I haven't completely fine-tuned the black and white.

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/13091/1159341060.jpg

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http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/13091/1159341099.jpg

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http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/13091/1159341137.jpg

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http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/13091/1159341222.jpg

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John G.

[Matt Sconce]

Dude! These are awesome! I love the lighting!

[cinealma]

Dude! These are awesome! I love the lighting!

Thanks mucho. My D.P., Jeremy Poindexter, is da man. I brought in a good package of lights and he threw it down! :thumbsup:


John G.

[Ralph Oshiro]

Whew... this filmmaking stuff is hard work.Wow, man, you said it! Everytime I shoot something for myself, for some reason I always think I can shoot way more than I actually can. Your grabs look great! Did you use a diopter for the macro shot? If you did, what power diopter did you use? Anyway, it's great to shoot on actual SETS--things that are specifically designed to be SHOT, isn't it? Kudos to you for building them!

[luster]

The eyeball shot was done with a century optics +2 diopter. The toughest part was keeping the actor still so he wouldn't go out of focus.

[cinealma]

Anyway, it's great to shoot on actual SETS--things that are specifically designed to be SHOT, isn't it? Kudos to you for building them!

Thanks! Yes, I knew I was going to have to build a set for this project. I guess I can put "flat construction" on my resume now. :) Only thing is, I can't feel the top of my right foot up to the ankle from crouching too much in tight work shoes. :(

But, hey, no pain, no gain!


John G.

[cinealma]

Shooting pick-ups tonight. Then I'll start editing again at midnight. Gonna be an all-nighter!


John G.

[cinealma]

It's about 12:45pm here on Sunday. I'm about to step out and grab a burger to refuel for the final push. I should have it all together by 6:00 and hopefully I can render out in a reasonable time. I hope it won't take that long to render. I hope I'll have a little time to mess around with the compression. Wait, I've never really worked with compression much before. Oh, my. I'm babbling. I haven't slept much in the last week. Gotta suck it up and finish. Sleep. Edit. Sleep. Edit. AAaaaiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeee........

[cinealma]

Welp, folks, what's done it done... and that's my film! Hooray! Break out the tequila! After 24 hours of rendering/uploading hell, which is a HorrorFest film entry in itself, everything is looking good. I can't wait to see what everybody is bringing to the table. Looks like at least 50 films and probably between 60 and 70. This should definitely be a good one!


John G.

[TheatreGuy]

Congrats cinealma! Congrats!

[Tom Marshall]

Good job John!!! Can't wait to see your short... :)

What was your budget by the way? Ours is closely inching towards the 7k mark and it's scaring the crap out of me... :undecided

[cinealma]

Good job John!!! Can't wait to see your short... :)

What was your budget by the way? Ours is closely inching towards the 7k mark and it's scaring the crap out of me... :undecided

7K would scare the crap out of me, too. I guess it's all relative, though, huh?

My DP, lead actor and lighting/equip rentals, food and tapes ran about $1K. I lost track on how much I spent on set construction, props and such. I'm guessing about $2K more or less.


John G.

[Tom Marshall]

Well, the location is 2000 alone plus 1500 for a permit... why am I doing this, again? haha

I figure this is going to be sort of my calling card, really. The title alone should pique some interest in someone who's director hunting to actually take a look at the short and maybe (I hope!) I'll be able to land a major directing job. One can dream, can't one? :)

[mentatDUKE]

Wow! Very ambitious. Can't wait to see it. And yes, the title definitely makes people wanna give it a look. (We all want to know the cure!)

[luster]

I got to see a prescreening of one scene from this film, and I don't want to give anything away but... you definitely want to check this one out.

[TheatreGuy]

Hell, I'm checking them ALL OUT!!!!

Not going to miss a one!

[cinealma]

Hell, I'm checking them ALL OUT!!!!

Not going to miss a one!

Yes, this community type stuff is great! I've only met a couple of people from DVXUser personally, but I am pulling for everybody. I mean, we all just spent the last couple of months making movies. AND WE FINISHED THEM (mostly)! And now we're all going to watch 'em and discuss them. Is this great or what?

This sure beats film school! :thumbsup: (No offense to HAPPY film school grads).


John G.

[Tom Marshall]

Well, I spent the last day and a half on the contest... BUT it led to this major production that we're going to be doing... and the good news is there's no deadline and no length limit...

[cinealma]

The official DVXUser HorrorFest 2006 poster has been released. Check it out on page one or in the posters thread in the general HorrorFest section.


John G.

[luster]

I like the new poster.

[cinealma]

Thanks man. I don't know who did the photography, but it looks pretty good. :thumbsup:


John G.

[Tom Marshall]

Sweet poster, John!!

[cinealma]

Thanks, Tom. I'm gearing up to watch all these films. Gonna be fun! Best of luck to everybody!


John G.

[Charli]

Cine - though I am not a fan of shorts without dialogue, I totally got yours.
Just watched it. I liked the camera work, the shadows, liked the transition
with the boy. Rather cool.

[cinealma]

Thanks Charli! I can't wait to see yours!


John G.

[Michael_Petro]

Can i borrow your type writer i know this guy.... wait nevermind..

all I could think of was twilight zone.. I loved watching that show...

[cinealma]

Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. Twilight Zone is definitely one of my favorite series.


John G.

[Cynic821]

Visually it was really nice, i think the best looking shots were of the kid. But i think everything went on too long.

SPOILER ALERT:






His death was too drawn out, almost like you know it looked cool, but i dont think it needed to be that long, i felt like this could have been 2 minutes shorter. Great lighting though, good to see some highlights instead of blacks and barely mids and natural lighting like ive seen a ton of today.

[Charli]

FEEDBACK W/SPOILERS

Script: I'm not a fan again of scripts without dialogue, but because you used
black and white, I could dig this. The inherent problem however is pacing.
Hard to speed things up when no one is talking.

Direction: Solid.

Acting: Without dialogue it's difficult to rate. You either look forlorn or you look
like you want to be forlorn.

Audio: No issues here.

Editing: Good because you had a good base of direction to work with.

Overall: Going outside the box by black and white was outstanding. I like the
tone and overall feel to the short, I was intrigued. I would however like to see
dialogue and have you stretch the actors. A bit faster pace will ensue. For
this type of film, you did alright by it.

[Tom Marshall]

Hey John, nice job man. Very David Lynch-ish :)

[Beat Takeshi]

I really liked the style of this. That boy dragging the box was great. All the little vignettes were great. I thought it held too long on the head stuck in the typewriter though. I thought the art direction on this was very good. Great job.

[VersuS]

Ladies and Gentlemen...HERE IS THE GUY WHO PUT DAVID CRONENBERG AND Π IN ONE BOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dont care about no dialogue...you couldnt have a dialogue in here that simple. I LOVED IT and would try and promote it as much as possible. Honestly man, send a copy to Cronenberg and Aronofski NOW!

[penfever]

Writer's Block Team;
Congratulations on another film. As always, interesting to watch.
This was one of the weaker films I saw so far in an overall sense, but it also was more ambitious than a number of other films in this festival, so I think it evens out somewhat. The key in a film without dialogue is to have the rhythm so tight, so perfect, that there's no way the audience can lose focus on what the hero is going through. Cronenberg, or Lynch in his Eraserhead/Blue Velvet days, are a good example of this. They don't just give you frightening images - they put you squarely in the space of the hero. The opening eye shot is a reasonable way to attempt that, but we don't get enough sense of who this guy is to really care when he's destroyed.
It's just hard, it's very hard. I think a more violent editing style, and more of a sense of menace from the grate character, would have helped this film along. Also, if inanimate objects are going to take on anthropomorphic characteristics, what is the guiding principle? You know? Why does the mirror zap him? Why is the gate growling at him? Are they connected? Is the whole room 'out to get him'? Why is a mirror electrical, particularly. The gate looks like a mouth, so the growl works, sort of. It's hard to imagine that sound coming out of something that we recognize as a grate in black and white.
This is a bit disjointed, I apologize for that. But I really think that the heart of a great film should be story, not style, and there wasn't enough character at work here for my taste.
Thanks for the film, and good luck in voting.
-Ben

[VersuS]

I think that for a 6 minute film, what he decided to do was great. Looking for answers like 'why did the mirror zap him' are not the same as 'why did he kill her' (example). I 've seen some pretty straight forward stories in here, you know, killer, victims, screaming...yet they lacked in story and character and YES you HAD TO KNOW in their cases why some things were happening. But when you go the Lynch/Cronenberg/Aronofski way...as Cinealma did...then you're mostly about style and how style delivers the story (personal opinion). There is a story in this one and a very nice one. Going through details like the gate and the mirror are a perfect example of this kind of cinema. They PUT YOU through this psycho puzzles and that's their power! I d love to sit this one down and discuss the mirror and the typewriter, and the kid...over a cup of coffee, it would be a good mental exercise, a way to see at our perception towards cinema and stories and other philosophical issues as well. But its different to have a girl washing up after killing some deranged crawler that came from nowhere, then calling her bf, then having a bath....(girl next door, sorry about that, needed an example) and having to figure out what on earth is she thinking!!!

What I m trying to point out is that questions like why did the mirror zap him, or why was the dead crawler in Girl next door bald...are irrelevant to the true nature of the story. It's part of the writer's /director's vision, they want it to zap him, so they did it, big deal, maybe they have an explanation that rocks, maybe they dont, but this has nothing to do with the STORY. You have a tree and branches. You cant second guess the nature of the tree just because one of the brances is shorter than the other (or even grows tomatos!). Gee sometimes I crack myself with my metaphors....

[Inexistence]

I agree with VersuS. This is definitely a film that has life after the fest to be
discussed and constantly evaluated as to what meanings might apply to the
imagery. This is beyond the average film with clear cut-and-dry storylines,
actions and such. I would not dare to classify this as an art film either because
that in itself would be cliche and would mean it was grossly misunderstood.

Technically I thought it was pretty solid. I feel the lighting could use more
drama. But that's nit-picking when compared to the thoughts behind the
visuals.

[luster]

Finally got to see this. Good Job.

I'm glad you decided to add the stuff with the kid putting up the numbers - it really adds a lot to the piece.

The black and white look really sets this apart from the other films in the contest. Not to mention that the cinematography is top-notch :)

I have to say that you really have a knack for editing. Knowing the amount of footage we had, I could tell that you had to make some tough choices. I also disagree with the comments about the editing being too slow. I liked the deliberate pacing.

I liked the music and sound design, but I think that it's one area where you can push this piece further. One thing that made your scratch track so effective was it kept building tension while the guys head was being eaten, then once he died it all released. It was brilliant. I'd mess around with the score and try to caprture that same arc.

My favorite part is, of course, the typewriter eating the guys head - it came out so much better than I thought it would.

Great stuff.

[penfever]

Well, VersuS, you have a good point - many times the 'dream logic' thing is very effective, and the relevant names definitely do toss symbols at you without necessarily explaining what they mean - anyone care to define the blue box in Mulholland Drive? Probably someone, now that I think of it.
Personal taste is just that - I found that in this particular film, the actions of 'the room' pulled me out of the story instead of making me curious about the mystery. In another film, the same tricks might play just fine.

[cinealma]

Finally got to see this. Good Job.

I'm glad you decided to add the stuff with the kid putting up the numbers - it really adds a lot to the piece.

The black and white look really sets this apart from the other films in the contest. Not to mention that the cinematography is top-notch :)

I have to say that you really have a knack for editing. Knowing the amount of footage we had, I could tell that you had to make some tough choices. I also disagree with the comments about the editing being too slow. I liked the deliberate pacing.

I liked the music and sound design, but I think that it's one area where you can push this piece further. One thing that made your scratch track so effective was it kept building tension while the guys head was being eaten, then once he died it all released. It was brilliant. I'd mess around with the score and try to caprture that same arc.

My favorite part is, of course, the typewriter eating the guys head - it came out so much better than I thought it would.

Great stuff.

My D.P. ladies and gentlemen! (Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap) :)

I've been reading through all of the comments and I do appreciate the feedback. It's all very constructive and I like that.

There is DEFINITELY a lot more life for this film. Some people have suggested cutting it down, but I feel it actually needs more room to breathe. There's additional scenes I want to shoot (hear that J.P.!) that will add to the overall "story" of the piece.

It's funny. The typewriter "event" was the first thing I cut. I kind of left it alone until sound editing and I did think at that time that it needs to be trimmed a bit. But with the deadline looming, I left it alone.

This is not a finished project by any means and I'll keep you all updated.

Thanks,


John G.

[TheatreGuy]

Hey John, HOW CAN I SEE YOUR FILM?????????????

I have been trying on mirror #2 since yesterday!

Any advice for me? I'm on mac and can only use that mirror, I believe.

Ted

[gwmesler]

This might just be #1 in my opinion. Throughout the film, the soundtrack made me think of David Lynch's Eraserhead. Too coincidental that the writer's name is Whitehead. Even the heating duct (radiator) was speaking to us.

This was simply executed, black and white, very direct and concise. That allowed me to focus on the story, the message, and the audio and visual. Because it is neat, it is perfect.

Nothing in this film is gratuitous or unnecessary. The shaking table lamp was all that was needed when the typewriter was munching. Oh, and those close-ups of the typewriter! Fantastic.

I received a very strong message from this film. Maybe I missed your intended message, but as with all art, it is subject to interpretation. For me, the key was that he looked into the mirror. Not, just a look, but close examination, to see what was on the other side (the inside) of the reflected image. It was after this intense introspection, that he returned to the task of writing, only to be consumed, and possibly, destroyed by what he wrote (saw).

Brilliant!

[Peter Murphy]

finally watched this one, I really liked the imagery and the spooky sound design. The kid dragging the box really conjured up something, it was really eerie, how alone everyone was. Good job!

[TimurCivan]

It looked great! but somethign about it really reminded me of a combination of Eraserhead and NAked Lunch.

This however is not a bad thing. It hough it was refreshing and i liek the images. The type writer was GREAT!!!!!!

But i cant help but htinking it was tOOOOOO close to David lynch. Jsut tooo close.

[Mark Harris]

I thought the photography was amazing and I sat there going: "Why didn't WE shoot BW???"

And though I guess I should have said: "No story, blah blah blah," I kept watching to see what would happen next. I wish a little that SOMETHING big would have happened at the end, but I enjoyed it just the same.

[Beat Takeshi]

It was B&W? Oh damn, I didn't even notice. I was so caught up in the imagery and still missed that.

I just went and looked. I guess the hell it was.

[VersuS]

It was B&W? Oh damn, I didn't even notice. I was so caught up in the imagery and still missed that.

seriously???

[TimurCivan]

(aram is still on pain medication........ he's got a MEtal ass.)

[cinealma]

Thanks guys. You really crack me up sometimes! :2vrolijk_08:


John G.

[avatuar]

Cure for writers block, well I must say I enjoyed the look you were going for here. Silent films have never been my thing, but this film had good moments. The typewriter fx scored big for me. Good job guys!

[Lingothree]

This is one of my favorites. Those first few shots had me buying it right away. The whole thing was very visually appealing, and everything looked great technically as well. Pacing was perfect. All very good.

My only criticism - I would have skipped all the gory stuff when the typewriter gets into his head (were they brains?) - that took me out of the flow a bit, and I think just a tiny bit of blood would have effectively gotten the point across without being a distraction.

But then, perhaps, you would have had people crying "not horror!" ? I don't know...

Good job.

[TimurCivan]

but you know the the real brilliance of it is it never hit that Ptetentious mark. not even close. it really hit the "art" in me. And to do that with a moving image is SUPER hard, especailly with me because im so picky about Vidoe art.

( we say, it reminds me of eraser head, DUDE, i would kill to be referenced seriously in the same breath as DAvid Lynch)

[cinealma]

( we say, it reminds me of eraser head, DUDE, i would kill to be referenced seriously in the same breath as DAvid Lynch)

Dude, I'm not EVEN complaining. I appreciate the comments. If this reminds somebody of Eraserhead, hey, great! I can dig it!


John G.

[Matt Sconce]

This was beautiful, scary, absolutely gross, and captivating all at the same time. Congratulations!

[JoshuaNitschke]

Pretty cool, but the -shredding- wasn't intense enough. And it lasted too long!

Little bit faster, or more quick cuts to make it interesting would have been cool.

Still, pretty original and I liked it for the most part.

Reminded me a LOT of Metallica's The Unforgiven video.

[wesley]

one of the best so far, haven't watched that many yet though

the cinematagrophy, the minimalistyc style, the music it all kinda reminded me of a david lynch meets jim jarmusch film. and thats a good thing :D

great job on the good visuals and sound design that kept me intrigued

ps: yeah it did remind me of that metallica video as well

[musicman]

My compliments: one simple original idea beginning to end presented ABA; very good music; audio technically excellent; stark lighting and sets are strong escpecially in BW. Overall, I very much enjoyed the show. It was pro work.

My criticisms: Why didn't you develop the music all the way through instead of all the SFX? Your musical idea has so much potential than the SFX. Musically it could have been developed in many powerful directions. I would like to have more quiet in the typewriter scenes with more tiny foley which would have added tension.

[J.R. Hudson]

This was a great fun film for more abstract work. People always ask, what makes art in film ? I always say, like porn, you know it when you see it.

This is art.

I'd like too see more work from you.

[Jaime V]

I just finished watching this film.

I find myself a little lost thinking of how to review it though. I didn't really understand exactly what was going on (so it was an experiment, but who was running it and why?), but I liked the visuals nonetheless. They were very evocative.

I liked the music, and the fact that there was no dialog at all. It leaves so many questions unanswered, but in this case, maybe that's a good thing?

[cinealma]

one of the best so far, haven't watched that many yet though

the cinematagrophy, the minimalistyc style, the music it all kinda reminded me of a david lynch meets jim jarmusch film. and thats a good thing :D

great job on the good visuals and sound design that kept me intrigued

ps: yeah it did remind me of that metallica video as well

It's interesting you say Jim Jarmusch, because at one point, I was going to shoot this thing in one long take!

Thanks for the kind words.


John G.

[cinealma]

This was a great fun film for more abstract work. People always ask, what makes art in film ? I always say, like porn, you know it when you see it.

This is art.

I'd like too see more work from you.


Thanks John, and you definitely will.


John G.

[Darkline]

I'm sure some people have said it - but very Lynch!

It's hard to review a film like this because you can't apply the traditional criteria to it..

But I can say it was a confidently directed piece from someone who seems to know exactly what they want, and here created a disjointed but fatalistic cyclic world (i cant think of any other way to phrase it?!). Ok it may not be to everyones taste, but from this I think you're someone who's going to do your own thing no matter what people say about it. You're not here to please the masses and that shows an inner passion for the medium.

I like a lot fo what you did, and some of it I didnt like at all..... but it's beyond the realms of a conventional review. All I can say is I would watch other work you posted for sure.

[Kyle Stebbins]

What a fantastic show of cinematography! I loved it!!

It was disgusting, vulgar, and completely awesome.

Loved the kid with the box and the speaker that spattered nonsense sounds. The words didn't matter, we knew what it was saying.

Bravo!

[TheatreGuy]

John, I finally got to see this and I am so glad that I did! Wow! What a beautiful film. Pure art!

I can relate to that guy 100%!!!

I thought that your cinematography was glorious! Stunning work!

I am guessing that the vent was his "enemy" because it was a noise that was drawing his focus as he was stuck in his mind-void? Is that correct? If not, I'd love to know what the vent symbolized.

The small boy DRAGGING the toolbox was Brilliant.

What a metaphor!

GREAT JOB!

Congratulations to you!!!

Ted

[Kholi]

Review | POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT! I watch the movies first time around strictly for enjoyment, second and third for review.

Hey Cinealma. I had go to back to a few that I missed, yours is one of them. I thought that it was a rather artistic venture into the realm of horror. Your typerwriter was a menace and obviously had been fed up with being pounded on too often.

I think the kid dragging the box was neato.

The air vent? I had no idea what was up with him/her; co consiprator?

Neato overall. I get the whole writers block thing. I've seen a lot of these types of things in short film contests and student films. Thanks for exhibiting!

[Brandon Rice]

This was an excellent work of cinematography, and that death had me wanting to look away... wow. great work.

[Noah]

My absolute favorite film I've seen so far. Loved that you took this contest to an experimental end that most people wouldn't. The scene of the kid changing the numbers was fantastic. It was one of those scenes where i'm like, "Shit! I wish I had done that!" And that, my friend, is the biggest compliment I can give.

[jeans]

This movie was somewhere between Eraser Head and Naked Lunch. Sorry just to relate it to other movies. I know that can be annoying. Seriously though, it was very beautiful to look at. It was the best looking black and white I've seen on the DVX, or was it an HVX? Either way the comment stands. As far as I saw the exposure was perfect in every shot, not to mention how nice those shots were. The only thing that I didn't totally like was the way the typewriter grabbed him, or how he responded to it. It seemed like he could have done more to try and get free, particularly with his hands. I know it must have been a very difficult thing to do, and it wasn't bad, just not as good as the rest of the movie in my opinion. Definitely in my top 10, maybe in top 5.

[Ed Kishel]

very very well done, a breath of fresh air, currently my number 1!

[cinealma]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the comments. I really hope everybody gets a chance to see my film. The feedback here is extremely valuable and your time is very much appreciated.


John G.

[arielman]

WOW did this look good . really liked the shots of the young lad pulling is tool box and putting up the numbers , getting down and dragging his tool box away .
I was trying to place the look of this Short and just read the above post ...DAVID CRONENBERG ...is right .

This was an excellent short to watch ..nicely done !!!!!

Ian

[kimko]

photographs in motion, good artsey short. liked it for originality, and it gave me flashbacks of my acid induced days.

[hvxabuser]

this movie is very lynch like great job on that.

[sean90291]

Very stylish. Loved the look and feel. If any of you have seen David Lynch's black and white shorts, this film feels to be in a similar vein, and just as good when it comes to delivering disturbing/creepy imagery. Although, I felt that when we first went from close-ups to a wider shot, and saw the writer pacing in his room, it suddenly took me out of it. Not as cinematic. But that's just a shot. Loved the sound and feel over all. Lighting is first rate.

[TheatreGuy]

Hey John, In my critique I questioned the vent. Can you elaborate on that? Very curious.

[cinealma]

Thanks for the comments. Much appreciated.


Hey John, In my critique I questioned the vent. Can you elaborate on that? Very curious.

Firstly, let me say that I generally don't like to explain my films. I don't really set out to create a puzzle for people to figure out. Some people might interpret my film as I wrote it. Some people might relate to all of it or a little of it in their own personal way. Some might not be able to relate to a single frame. In the end, one person's understanding is just as valid as another's, and I am ok with that.

Back to the vent. Well, it's actually supposed to be an old speaker. That's all I'll really say about it.

With this film, everything is what it is. A rose is a rose is a rose... you know? Every character, every object, every space plays a role.

But I will say this: the ACTUAL time frame of this film is very short.


John G.

[jpbankesmercer]

Acting: Great.
Script: Weird.
Direction: Superb, had an amazing feel to it.
Music: Loved it!
Editing: Smooth.
Lighting: Love your contrasty look.
Loved: The opening, (it felt like a real film), B.W., (Very tasty), the eyeshot, (not easy to do!), mirror shot, reaching up on the toes. Barb wire. Everything else! Top notch.
Hated: Nothing.
Overall: I absolutely loved this film! Amazing job.

Just wanted to know. Did you start making this film with the typewriter in-front of the body image in your head?

[cinealma]

Just wanted to know. Did you start making this film with the typewriter in-front of the body image in your head?

The image of a writer being pulled into his typewriter came at a later stage of thought, but was one of the first real visual images that revealed itself. The first thing that really came to me was the speaker and how it could be a conduit to another place, or even a state of thought. Eventually, it led to the suffering seen in the room.

There is much more to the speaker and this will be seen in the longer version of this film.

Thanks for watching! I'm glad you like it.


John G.

[TheatreGuy]

Thanks for the comments. Much appreciated.



Firstly, let me say that I generally don't like to explain my films. I don't really set out to create a puzzle for people to figure out. Some people might interpret my film as I wrote it. Some people might relate to all of it or a little of it in their own personal way. Some might not be able to relate to a single frame. In the end, one person's understanding is just as valid as another's, and I am ok with that.

Back to the vent. Well, it's actually supposed to be an old speaker. That's all I'll really say about it.

With this film, everything is what it is. A rose is a rose is a rose... you know? Every character, every object, every space plays a role.

But I will say this: the ACTUAL time frame of this film is very short.


John G.
Sorry, didn't mean to pry.

[Future user]

I enjoyed the silent and the black and white qualities. Well shot, well done.

[cinealma]

Sorry, didn't mean to pry.

I hope you didn't take my reply to your question as a put-off. I apologize if it sounded that way. Damn, I hate texting!!!

No, you asked a real valid question. I just don't really want to answer it as I feel this is a totally personal film open for interpretation. I don't want to say, ok, the speaker respresented this and blah, blah, blah. A lot of people thought it was a vent. I didn't correct anybody, as you can see. It's VERY SATISFYING to see how other people interpret your art and what they can relate to and how. It's kind of like listening to music. You might interpret the lyrics one way. And then you happen to listen to an interview with the songwriter and they explain it and you're like, F*CK, so that's what it was really about??? And then it kind of kills the mood and feelings you had for the song. And then it's gone and you can't really get it back completely, if at all.

I hope you understand that I wasn't trying to be an assh*le or anything.

Again, I'm sorry if I came off that way.


John G.

[jpbankesmercer]

Cinealma, just wanted you to know my review was short. The reason because I couldn't fault it. The time flew by so I wasn't taking notes. This film had a real impact on me. I truly love it.

J.P.

[TheatreGuy]

I hope you didn't take my reply to your question as a put-off. I apologize if it sounded that way. Damn, I hate texting!!!

No, you asked a real valid question. I just don't really want to answer it as I feel this is a totally personal film open for interpretation. I don't want to say, ok, the speaker respresented this and blah, blah, blah. A lot of people thought it was a vent. I didn't correct anybody, as you can see. It's VERY SATISFYING to see how other people interpret your art and what they can relate to and how. It's kind of like listening to music. You might interpret the lyrics one way. And then you happen to listen to an interview with the songwriter and they explain it and you're like, F*CK, so that's what it was really about??? And then it kind of kills the mood and feelings you had for the song. And then it's gone and you can't really get it back completely, if at all.

I hope you understand that I wasn't trying to be an assh*le or anything.

Again, I'm sorry if I came off that way.


John G.
Hey John, No... sorry, I don't think that your an a$$hole or anything. I did feel like you didn't want me to ask, so that's why I backed off.

I do appreciate where you are coming from and I respect that. I have never participated in a festival like this before. I feel like we are submitting our films for critique and feedback. I maybe felt TOO comfortable by asking what the filmmaker was thinking.

It has just been an incredible week of sharing.

Thanks for following up.

Seriously nice work you have done here. You know that.

Ted

[cinealma]

Hey John, No... sorry, I don't think that your an a$$hole or anything. I did feel like you didn't want me to ask, so that's why I backed off.

I do appreciate where you are coming from and I respect that. I have never participated in a festival like this before. I feel like we are submitting our films for critique and feedback. I maybe felt TOO comfortable by asking what the filmmaker was thinking.

It has just been an incredible week of sharing.

Thanks for following up.

Seriously nice work you have done here. You know that.

Ted

Ted, I don't mind the inquiry. It actually MEANS A LOT that you are asking. It shows that you found something in the film that was worthy of continued thought. That really affirms a lot to me as an artist. Now, I might not be able to answer some of your questions, but I will do my best to answer those I feel I can.

Thanks for understanding,


John G.

[theAlchemist]

No real review at the moment, i'll try later in october. This was an interesting short. At times it felt very much like a sort of lesser Cronenberg movie, and trust me that is a very big compliment coming from me. Great job!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

nicely shot with some really compelling imagery
llke Sameul Beckett, Cronenbeg, LYNCH, and Burroughs had a beautiful black and white celluoid baby.

[TheatreGuy]

Hey John! CONGRATULATIONS on your film! What a great piece of work!!!

I loved it!

Best of luck to you!

Been a great time!

Ted

[jpbankesmercer]

Best of luck guys!

[cinealma]

nicely shot with some really compelling imagery
llke Sameul Beckett, Cronenbeg, LYNCH, and Burroughs had a beautiful black and white celluoid baby.

Thanks Jack! There's been a lot of comparison to Cronenberg and Lynch and I am very gracious.

But, the Beckett and Burroughs reference, though, touches me the most.

Thanks for watching.


John G.

[mentatDUKE]

This was extremely compelling and provocative. The cinematography was excellent. Probably the best out of the fest.

The imagery and motifs were very interesting. That kid. Very odd and disturbing.

Your actors were very emotive and possesed character. Your son? was great. The dirty feet, the way he jumps down. Dragging the box. Nice.

Storywise... well it's a very impressionistic piece. Almost an inkblot test. Not my style per se, but I can tell a lot of creativity went into this so I respect it even though I'm not wowed by it.

Very good sound effects. The visual effects were good too. Practicals. Isn't that nice?

I liked this. Well done.

[Dario Nieva]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD


Wow holy shit. This movie has to be the only one in the competition that actually freaked me out. The sounds/score was amazing. I kinda wanted to hear him typing on the typwriter/cranking it, but I could do without.

I didn't really know what was going on, but thats OK. I felt like I was watching that tape from "The Ring". Very disturbing, very scary. Awesome, Awesome, Awesome movie.

::Watches the phone:: ¬_¬

[macintosh]

CINEMATOGRAPHY:

You had some really good shots, and I think you did a good job with the lighting. In the opening shots with the CU on the man, I really liked the lighting job. I liked your shot selection and they all seemed to fit the mood and pace.

EDITING:

Nice and simple. As much as I like watching films with flashy editing and interesting visual effects between cuts and whatnot, I'll always love watching films that have a simple, yet effective editing style. It allows me to pay more attention to the story then get caught up in the appearance of a good film because of flashy effects. I liked how you varied the time between cuts.

SCORE:

I thought that the score was a good match with the film. It had a nice atmospheric feel to it.

SCREENPLAY:

Well, I wasn't exactly sure what the story was about when I first watched it, and after watching it again I'm still not 100% sure. Maybe it's because I'm not sure what the story is, but it just felt as if it took way too long to get into it. I wasn't sure what to expect after going through about 3 minutes and nothing had really occurred. When the type writer began to attack him, I was really surprised and seeing what was happening to him was pretty disturbing. That was a interesting way to show an attack.

ACTING:

I didn't really notice anything that was wrong with the acting. The man appeared to fit the mood and feel of the film so nothing jumped out saying it was awkward or fake or anything of the sort.

Overall, besides not really understanding the story, I thought that visually this film was good. Like I said, you had some great shots and great editing. I wasn't exactly sure what the object was that kept flashing on screen so I'm curious to know what it is.

[MsManhattan]

I loved this. The cinematography was just awesome, and your in-scene fX were flawless. And, of course, gotta love that old Underwood; I have the same model... Congratulations on a great job!

[Norm Sanders]

Just finally getting the time to copy the notes I compiled in a Word doc while watching the shorts:

I’m at a TOTAL loss on what this was about, other than a writer had a hard time coming up with something, and the typewriter killed him. No clue what the boy dragging the tool box was for or doing, other than changing numbers of what experiment was next? The VFX were fairly good, once his brain started to get munched & diced, but prior to that it was a little weak. Sound was weak too in that the sounds sounded like they were all post production vs. anything from on set, no real score to speak of, and didn’t know what the growls from the vent were for. All that, which I know sounds harsh, but I will say that the opening really had me hoping for more because that opening shot of the keys was absolute MONEY! Beautifully timed, the lighting, etc. was excellent. Also liked the simple courier font you were using, which of course couldn’t be more appropriate for the title.

[cinealma]

I just wanted to say thanks to everybody that watched my film, those that voted, and especially to the people that left feedback. This was my first "real" film project and I have learned a lot. HorrorFest for me was mainly an impetus to get off my ass and do something. I think it was Bill Cosby that said, "If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you need to do is wake up."

I'm now awake.

This film finished up in 11th place out of all competition films. Not too shabby, I say. I am going to be shooting some additional scenes and give this film a lot more attention in the sound department as not enough time was spent in this area. I will keep you all in the loop during the post-post-production and inevitable release into the festival world.

Thanks again. And to all those who are still sitting around, waiting for the "right time", I say this:

Get off your ass! Life is short! Go make a f*cking film already!


John G.

[Tom Marshall]

I think it was Bill Cosby that said, "If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you need to do is wake up."

I'm now awake.

...And to all those who are still sitting around, waiting for the "right time", I say this:

Get off your ass! Life is short! Go make a f*cking film already!


John G.

Very well put. This festival did the same thing for me. Even though I didn't get a chance to meet the deadline, we still got out there and made the movie... the first step to achieving a dream...

[cinealma]

The official Cure for Writer's Block: No. 9 thread has been started in the "User Films" area. Please go to:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=87176



John G.

[FutureDVXUser]

I think somebody should make a: " Cure for: Too many ideas and not to know what to go with first!"