Geoff Reisner - Project 47: Chaos

[Geoff_R]

---- NOW PLAYING ----
MIRROR 1 (http://www.dvxuser4.com/horrorfest/Project47_Chaos-GeoffReisner-Geoff_R_movieonly.mov)
MIRROR 2 (http://www.lingothree.com/horrorfest/Project47_Chaos-GeoffReisner-Geoff_R_movieonly.mov)

Teaser Poster #1
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/project47_teaser.jpg

SYNOPSIS
An infection is spreading into the cities which radically alters the genome of it's victims, turning them into swift, violent, and cunning killers. Mutation occurs with every transmission, rendering unique effects within each victim and leading scientists and officials to believe that a cure is hopeless. Carla; an abused drug addict, struggles to gain understanding of her own mortality while the world plummets into chaos.

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/cast_project47.gif
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/crew_project47.gif

PRODUCTION DETAILS
Shooting Location: Chicago, IL
Shooting Dates: Sept. 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th

CREW
Geoff Reisner - DIRECTOR/DP/PRODUCER/EDITOR
Damien Jackson - PRODUCER/EDITOR
Carly Armstrong - CO-PRODUCER/PRODUCTION DESIGNER/WARDROBE
Wes Carrosquillo - AC/GAFFER
Scott David Gross - BEST BOY
Dan Avi - SET DESIGNER
Katherine Colfer - STILL PHOTOGRAPHER
Luke Crumley - SPECIAL EFFECTS
Angel Amore - MAKEUP
Anthony Shamal Perera - COMPOSER/SOUND RECORDIST
Jeremy Reynolds - 3D ANIMATOR/COMPOSITOR
Kyle Hollings - PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

CAST
Kelsey Scheider
Nour Ayoub
Chris Jennings
Jake Paque
Damien Jackson
Luke Crumley
Ava Angelova
Michael Metreger
Elizabeth Gonzales

********************************************
WHAT ARE WE CURRENTLY DOING???? < October 1st >

*Trying to figure out why my upload to the server keeps stalling out 3/4 of the way through...

*Trying to stay awake, looking forward to a day of sleep...

< September 29th >

*Picture was locked on Thursday - FTP'd new Quicktime over to Anthony to start on new score. I should be receiving the new score tonight.

*3D VFX artist Jeremy Reynolds is coming over tonight so we can finish off one of our bigger VFX shots.

*20 other VFX shots; both small and large are finally finished.

*Halfway through the initial sound design run. *Sound really does make the movie in the end.*

*Still trying to find time to work up new poster for October 1st.

[cinealma]

Awesome. Looking forward to this one!


John G.

[Brandon Rice]

Wow, looks like you got your ducks in a row! Looking forward to this one!

[Geoff_R]

Status as of Sept. 7th, 2006:

We came up with this idea in the last week of August. I had been shooting something else for horrorfest but more and more it was coming out like a thriller. I didn't want to go that route so we postponed the project for the time being and started from scratch. Since we launched this project, every day has been crazy and full of one problem after another, but I absolutely love it. I haven't been this absorbed in a film since my sophomore year of high school when I spent a week making my first film.

We have a variety of special effects shots that we've been shooting/planning over the last week. I'll be posting boards of that by this weekend. We'll be comping in Shake and 3D is being done in lightwave. This is a character based story but we've our hands full with fx shots.

Today I finished casting the film and we're in the process of finishing a set which we're now building since we couldn't find a location that worked. Also, finally got all the guns I need for the film (replica shotguns, handguns, M-16s). Back to set building...

[Blaine]

You've almost got a Blade Runner look to your poster. You might want to have a mod move this to the right forum...
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/forumdisplay.php?f=91

[Matt Sconce]

I am looking forward to it!

[Dario Nieva]

Nice poster, looking foward to it.

[EJ Pennypacker]

Welcome! Looks cool!

EJ

[Geoff_R]

QUICK TEST COMPOSITE:
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/hallway_test_compare.gif
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/hallway_large_b.gif

Put this together rather quickly just to see if it was possibly to pull this shot off. I've been an After Effects user for a while but after getting into Shake, there's no going back. In the film, one of our characters discover a shredded body outside her apartment door.

I extracted a still from Shake and brought it into Photoshop and built up layers for the blood, walls, cracked mirror and then imported them all into Shake. I had to tweak the grain on the photoshop layers to match the original plate, that was the most time consuming as you have to constantly render small portions and tweak. The blood doesn't look that real but I only spent 15 minutes on the shot. Based off this, I think the final shot should come out looking really good.

[EJ Pennypacker]

Excellent post.

By the looks of it, nobody needs to ever dress a set anymore. :)

EJ

[MOVIE STUNTS]

Lots of fx shots planned?

[Geoff_R]

Yea, we've got our hands full with fx shots. We've got lots of secondary footage, news room footage, talk show hosts which will is all being shot against green screen this week and next week.

Then we have three major shots with CG, one wide shot of the city of Chicago with a dozen CG helicopters, fire and smoke. I shot the plate for that this morning at dawn but it was overcast and didn't have the look I wanted...so we'll have to redo that one on a day with clear skies.

Second CG shot is a city street shot with a bunch of trashed cars and destruction littering the street. We've been doing test comps with that and we might not need to use any CG in the final shot. We've been using high-rez still photos and comping those into a master shot and it's looking really good.

The third one is something I can't give away but my hopes are that no one will know it's CG at all and it will blend into the environment seamlessly. I'll talk about that after the film is out.

Beyond that, there are a few smaller fx shots with basic compositing and so forth. Earlier in the thread is some test comps from one of the smaller ones.

[Geoff_R]

Excellent post.

By the looks of it, nobody needs to ever dress a set anymore. :)

EJ

I think Sin City is a perfect example. Have you seen the Special Edition DVD where you can watch the entire movie as 'greenscreen? It's really interesting stuff. Now we all just need to learn 3D...great, more software.

[Geoff_R]

Update: Fully casted, all locations locked, main set done being built, head 3D animator and compositor onboard for FX work. Picking up all rented lights tomorrow and shooting some prelim green screen work and then principal productions starts on Friday.

[Edgen]

I'm definitely looking forward to this one. VFX galore, 3d... mutants? :) OOOH ya!! Good luck on finishing the shoot and post.

/j

[Geoff_R]

Thanks man! Things are getting tight and is it just me, or do these short little films seem so simple when you first think about them...and then each day, you find yourself adding a little shot...or a character...or a moment and before you know it, you're like, "how the heck am I going to do all this by Oct. 1st???"

[dvpixl]

looking forward to it.

[TheatreGuy]

Man, that is quite a project you have going there! I can't until I am up to speed on how to pull all of the crap off! I just put my camera on a tripod (somethimes!) and shoot. A dozen helocopters?! Trashed cars and a city on fire?!

I can't wait to see this one!!!

Good luck with all. Sounds great!

[cinealma]

Thanks man! Things are getting tight and is it just me, or do these short little films seem so simple when you first think about them...and then each day, you find yourself adding a little shot...or a character...or a moment and before you know it, you're like, "how the heck am I going to do all this by Oct. 1st???"

No doubt.


John G.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

welcome :)
looks wicked slick ... ducks in a row ... vfx ... nice poster ... looking forward to this one :thumbsup"

[Lingothree]

Wow. I don't know how to do any of that. I second TheatreGuy's comments.

It's nice to know that you can dirty a wall without actually throwing dirt on it. I very nearly ruined my newly-painted kitchen wall...

[Ralph Oshiro]

Looks excellent! Great poster graphics! Exciting VFX stuff you have planned! Looking forward to this one for sure! Plus, I just LOVE anything shot in Chicago! Sounds like a very sophisticated, visually rich project! Well, here's ANOTHER thread which deserves MUCH more attention than it's getting!

[Geoff_R]

UPDATE: Just wrapped principal photography yesterday. We shot over the weekend with main cast and did greenscreen 2nd unit on Sunday & Monday. Shot everything with one HVX and one P2 card; workflow was pretty smooth even with the one card. Total footage so far is 55 gigs; I think that comes out to about 137 minutes of footage. I spent the earlier part of today reviewing it all; definitely the best stuff I've shot in my life. In a lot of ways, it came out better than I had imagined it could with so little time to plan.

I think I'll end up doing two versions of the film. I know we have enough material to make a 10-15 minute version of this film, it's really thick. The script is only 6 pages but I've run into this problem before. I should have known better. The last film I shot was a 5 page script and turned into a 15 minute film...

Our 3D team is working up so very cool stuff for the film; we're rushing to get everything ready but I fear that some of the shots won't be ready for Horrorfest. But no matter what, they'll make it into the final version of the film which should be ready in November or so.

Time to start cutting...

[Geoff_R]

A few behind the scenes photos.

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/01_lukeandcreature.jpg
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/02_kelsey.jpg
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/02_nour.jpg
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/04_greenscreen.jpg
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/05_chris_geoff.jpg
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/06_transfer.jpg

[VersuS]

So is he transferring beer to the DVX or DV to the beer bottle?

[Geoff_R]

Our editor has a role in the film, I wanted him to be loose and relaxed so we gave him beer :)

[Brandon Rice]

Cool shots dude! I am really looking forward to seeing your film. Your cast looks good too!

[TheatreGuy]

Looks great! That head piece is awesome! That shot on the left of Kelsey Schieder looks like Leeloo from "The Fifth Element." Nice make-up.

Can't wait to see your film.... both versions of it!

Oh! And that open beer looks awfully close to that dvx IMO. tsk! tsk!

[Geoff_R]

Luke, the guy who designed the headpiece, was actually building a complete upper body suit but we ran out of money to finish it. All that latex, foam rubber and other material add up fast. I have no idea how to make any of that stuff; he surprised us all when he showed up. I had only seen the concept sketches he made prior to the shooting day.

Kelsey does look a lot like Leeloo in that shot. We had a really good make-up artist who designed that tattoo on her arm as well. It's makeup and special effects that constantly remind me: "you need good, talented people working every department to make a film. "

[Ralph Oshiro]

had a really good make-up artist who designed that tattoo on her arm as well. It's makeup and special effects that constantly remind me: "you need good, talented people working every department to make a film. "How true. Looks like you've gotten together a talented group of people on your film. Plus, your actress is a hottie! Wow, I'm REALLY excited to see this one now. The stills look great. Love your greenscreen set-up. Nice KinoFlo there, did you own or rent? Looks like you sure got your ducks in a row here. Can't wait to see it!

[Geoff_R]

We rented most of the lighting gear and borrowed some from friends. We had a mid-sized lighting package but I barely used the 650s or 1000s. It was mostly the Kino's and smaller 200-300w lights.

[Geoff_R]

POST UPDATE:

By some miracle, I was able to cut this thing down to under 6 minutes. I honestly didn't think it was possible but with some creative cutting and and lots of jump cuts, it works! I didn't even have to remove scenes which was going to be my next move if the last cut didn't work out. We also found a good way to use that time needed for credits...

We are starting on the sound design tonight. I couldn't get my hands on a nagra yet so we're using the HVX as the recorder unit which works but it's a little tedious because now all of our sound effects will have video attached to it...oh well.

I'm going to start color correcting tonight and finding a visual style. Essentially every shot in this film is going through either Shake or a batch process in Photoshop. Damien and I have been toying around a little with stills and have come up with some really great looking stuff. I'll post some grabs by the weekend.

[Geoff_R]

Some test CC'd grabs I've been working on. Nothing is final yet; we're still trying to give each scene it's own texture. Any comments would be appreciated.

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/carla_cc.gif
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/jake_cc.gif

[Geoff_R]

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/dexter_cc.gif

[GTP]

nice work, should be good...

[Brandon Rice]

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/dexter_cc.gif

This CC is awesome! I REALLY dig it... here's some ideas on the other two... maybe try going a bit more subtle on the images... what do you think?



http://www.noariceprod.com/jake_cc.jpg

http://www.noariceprod.com/carla_cc.jpg

[Ralph Oshiro]

Stuff looks great! But, I agree with Briceman on preferring the subtler look on the latter two. But we're seeing this is all out of context.--just do what you think "fits."

[SCARY STUFF!]

nah I really like the CC'ed one .. the greater contrast makes it pop more and makes it look less flat because there' more range of highlight to dark IMHO
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/jake_cc.gif

[MalcolmOng]

Hmm i really really like brandon's rendition of the girl, but your passes look great for the rest! Good job...only saw this thread today. Looks like a really really promising project!

[jpbankesmercer]

Looks tight, love that skull!

[VersuS]

I agree with Malcolm. I prefer Brandon's choice for the girl but I LOVE what you did with the guy and the M16 (I miss that old piece of crap). It's very nice and you can look at his left eye ;-)

[Geoff_R]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I like what you did with the girl as well Brandon. Looking at my own CC for the shot with Kelsey, it looks too dreamlike, too soft and that's not what that scene represents at all.

[Brandon Rice]

Cool glad I could help, and now looking at the guy shot, I think your more dramatic CC is the way to go on that... Glad you liked the subtle cc on Kelsey.

[jpbankesmercer]

Brandon your getting good with the ole CC.

[Geoff_R]

The last few days have been quite a rush. This was the first dvxfest I've entered and I'm extremely glad to have done so. I'm looking forward to many films and it's great to be a part of the excitement. As always, I wish I had more time or at least had started working on the project sooner. I'm satisfied with this version of the film but I know the final version will be a little longer and include more than a few moments which had to be removed completely in order to come in under six minutes. There's also a few insert shots; small VFX shots that definitely need to be re-shot or re-comped. I figure I'll have the final version of the film up on my website in about a month or so if anyone cares to check it out.

[Edgen]

Great to see you guys have finished. This is one of the those films I've been wanting to see since day one. Kudos on finishing... Now to sit back and watch. :)

/j

[mentatDUKE]

Nice. Sharpie on the arm, Superman shirt + tie. Compositing. This is a must see.

[TheatreGuy]

Hey Geoff, I commented on a thread somewhere else but I want to say it here...

THANK YOU for coming to my rescue in the middle of the night/morning with my compression whoes! I cannot - CANNOT - thank you enough. I was heading for bed without uploading because I thought that I just could not tame that beast.

You truly helped!

Congrats on your film. Looking forward to it!

Ted :dankk2: :dankk2: :dankk2:

[Geoff_R]

Ted,

You're welcome. I'm glad I was able to help out and be useful, and I'm extremely happy that you were able to get uploaded in time. I'm looking forward to your film! And that is definitely good advice you've got attached to your sig, "use good speakers...". I totally agree with you!

[imageonepictures]

Teaser Poster #1
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/project47_teaser.jpg

SYNOPSIS
An infection is spreading into the cities which radically alters the genome of it's victims, turning them into swift, violent, and cunning killers. Mutation occurs with every transmission, rendering unique effects within each victim and leading scientists and officials to believe that a cure is hopeless. Carla; an abused drug addict, struggles to gain understanding of her own mortality while the world plummets into chaos.

http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/cast_project47.gif
http://www.rawimagefilms.com/pictures/horrorshort/crew_project47.gif

PRODUCTION DETAILS
Shooting Location: Chicago, IL
Shooting Dates: Sept. 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th
Budget: $1,650 (as of Sept. 17th)

CREW
Geoff Reisner - DIRECTOR/DP/PRODUCER/EDITOR
Damien Jackson - PRODUCER/EDITOR
Carly Armstrong - CO-PRODUCER/PRODUCTION DESIGNER/WARDROBE
Wes Carrosquillo - AC/GAFFER
Scott David Gross - BEST BOY
Dan Avi - SET DESIGNER
Katherine Colfer - STILL PHOTOGRAPHER
Luke Crumley - SPECIAL EFFECTS
Angel Amore - MAKEUP
Anthony Shamal Perera - COMPOSER/SOUND RECORDIST
Jeremy Reynolds - 3D ANIMATOR/COMPOSITOR
Kyle Hollings - PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

CAST
Kelsey Scheider
Nour Ayoub
Chris Jennings
Jake Paque
Damien Jackson
Luke Crumley
Ava Angelova
Michael Metreger
Elizabeth Gonzales

********************************************
WHAT ARE WE CURRENTLY DOING???? < October 1st >

*Trying to figure out why my upload to the server keeps stalling out 3/4 of the way through...

*Trying to stay awake, looking forward to a day of sleep...

< September 29th >

*Picture was locked on Thursday - FTP'd new Quicktime over to Anthony to start on new score. I should be receiving the new score tonight.

*3D VFX artist Jeremy Reynolds is coming over tonight so we can finish off one of our bigger VFX shots.

*20 other VFX shots; both small and large are finally finished.

*Halfway through the initial sound design run. *Sound really does make the movie in the end.*

*Still trying to find time to work up new poster for October 1st.
Geoff,

Is there a website for this movie? Message me if there is. I'd like to learn more about it. How was it shot? 24p? HVX? DVX?

Chris

[Geoff_R]

Chris,

It'll be featured on my website in the future once the contest is over at rawimagefilms.com; as of now I can't put anything up on the film due to contest rules but eventually I'll have a lot of behind the scenes stuff posted on the site going over some of the visual effects that you'll see in the film.

But regarding camera, we shot 720p (24fps) with the HVX.

[luster]

those look like some great composite fx. can't wait to see what you've got

[Slimothy]

BTS looks awesome man. I'm really, really looking forward to this one.

Tim.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

yeah -- looking foreward to see all that shake compositing

very polished PR materials BTW :thumbsup:

[cinealma]

You see, this is one of those films that bothers me. Let me explain. This is a totally HIGH CONCEPT story. A little 28 Days Later, but with real monsters. The film is executed very well and looks GREAT. My only problem is that the actors playing the characters are or look too young for the film. And that pulls me out of the story because I don't buy the cast. Take out the youngsters and put in some "older" actors, you've got a pretty f*ckin' good little flick. I hope you do something more with this in the future!


John G.

[Lingothree]

Hello - Good job overall. Cinematography and lighting were both great. Score served the story well.

Some of your shots were cut a little short for my taste, and all the fading in and out, especially at the beginning, got to be a little too much.

The story was fine, but I didn't like the ending. Kind of feels like you shot for a longer movie but then lopped off the end when you ran out of time. Was that the case? Or what were you going for with the ending? It was lost on me...

I wasn't in love with your monster/killer guy. I really expected to see something that looked more human.

Acting was good. That superman shirt dude with the gun makes me laugh everytime I watch it.

Good job.

[Geoff_R]

The story was fine, but I didn't like the ending. Kind of feels like you shot for a longer movie but then lopped off the end when you ran out of time. Was that the case? Or what were you going for with the ending? It was lost on me...

Good job.

The movie was shot to be longer, I actually had to remove one of the earlier scenes we shot... Realistically, cutting it tight, the final version will run somewhere around 9 or 10 minutes. As for the ending of the film, it's supposed to be abrupt in the sense that the characters themselves have 'ran out of time'. I wanted to do something that stomped on any illusion or hope that they might survive. Sure, maybe if they had more time they'd figure something out...but they don't :)

And I'm glad the superman bit is funny! Believe or not, there is characterization purposes behind why we did that.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Geoff_R]

John,

I really appreciate your feedback and I'm curious as to why you think the characters look to young. I never thought that way but perhaps it's because I'm looking at the story differently. It's there a certain scene/element in particular that makes it feel like these characters should be older?

[Lingothree]

John,

I really appreciate your feedback and I'm curious as to why you think the characters look to young. I never thought that way but perhaps it's because I'm looking at the story differently. It's there a certain scene/element in particular that makes it feel like these characters should be older?

I actually thought their ages were perfect. It seems that a lot films in the horror genre feature teens or 20-somethings as the heroes/victims.

[cinealma]

I actually thought their ages were perfect. It seems that a lot films in the horror genre feature teens or 20-somethings as the heroes/victims.

That is true. A lot of horror films feature teens or 20-somethings. But I'm not sure this story works with younger actors.


John,

I really appreciate your feedback and I'm curious as to why you think the characters look to young. I never thought that way but perhaps it's because I'm looking at the story differently. It's there a certain scene/element in particular that makes it feel like these characters should be older?

Geoff:

I'm going to watch this one again. This is a very RICH film. I think younger folk are great for slasher type films and stuff like that, especially as lovelorn victims, but a story like Project 47 is just too BIG to have young-LOOKING actors as main characters, unless somehow it's weaved into the story. In the end, the kids might save the day, but they're not the ones who are usually in control of things for most of it.

Don't get me wrong. You have a really good looking film. I'm just not in tune with the casting.

I'll watch it again and try and pinpoint it a bit more.


John G.

[Edgen]

ggr.. I hate being late in the game. Ok, I'm just going to say my peace.

One of the better films I've seen. VFX were just enough and not too much. The interweaving of stories was good.

I loved how the credits rolled and you could still hear the action. I would argue that that was just a cop out not to shoot extra footage. Interweaving it in really helped. I really felt for those characters at the end. Score was really great at times, a lil jarring, but effective. The only thing that really got me was the constant edits. It was almost too much. as if you knew you were chopping this movie down to get it under the big 6. I would LOVE to see this film in its entirety without those fast cuts and dissolves. Otherwise it started to give me a headache much like watching traffic. (almost puked while watching(only movie ever to do so beside amistad))

Kudos man. Visually stunning. The dude in the superman shirt with the tie made me bust out laughing. Its the small humor man. the small humor.

good luck!
/j

[Ralph Oshiro]

I've only watched a handful of films so far, and haven't viewed many of the most anticipated films yet, but, so far yours is . . .

BEST in cinematography.
BEST in editing.
BEST in acting.
BEST in real-sounding dialogue writing.
BEST in lower-third TV graphics.
BEST in sound design.
BEST in art direction.
BEST in hot chick lead.
BEST in male lead/male supporting.
BEST in computer screen graphics/ancillary visuals.
BEST in "big movie" cinematic feel (i.e., most "movie-ish").

Simply put, this short f'n rocks, and I'm sure you may have feature-length plans. I think you could easily get a meeting at Artisan or Lion's Gate or New Line with the right treatment. Congratulations, man. You really pulled it off.

[Ralph Oshiro]

P.S.

I LIKE lots of edits and quick cuts. I LIKED your pacing. Your cast was PERFECT! A cool, tough male lead. A hot female lead that can act, and look interesting with nothing going on in the rest of the frame but her. A great "smart guy" character (the one with the Superman shirt). I thought they were all "just right," and that everyone's acting was excellent, and entirely credible. It really felt like they were just "talking" and NOT just "saying lines." I can't really think of anything I DIDN'T like. Again, this short had the BEST lighting, camera operation, composition, and editing I've seen so far.

[Ralph Oshiro]

Oh yeah, there was ONE thing I didn't like . . .

Your shower scene kicked ass on my shower scene, damnit! You had really cool drops of water on your shower curtain. You could still see the folds in my shower curtain, plus I hated the lighting in my shower (didn't want to electrocute the actress, so I only lit with the real bathroom light).

[Geoff_R]

Ralph,

Thanks for all the great compliments and feedback!! I really appreciate it and I'm glad you enjoyed the film! I had the good fortune of working with a very talented group of people who were dedicated beyond belief.

I still need to comment on your film (which I loved BTW! I know you're NC but so far you're holding top spot on my film ballot heh, your cinematography rocks but more on that later when I get to posting on your thread!!)

[Darkline]

Hi geoff,

First let me say well done on one of the more atmospheric shorts I've seen here.

I really liked the aliens analogy (the barracaded door, schematics etc). Cross cutting between scenes worked well and on top of it you used audio to convey what was going on in the outside world, instead of showing it. The radio, the banging.... very nice. I thought the corridor shot was nicely handled too - just a glmipse of what was out there. I like the films that show something epic from a very specific point of view. claustrophibic..

I did however find the skull guy completely out of place here. For me anyway it brought it down. Especially the way he was waving his arms around almost like a singer in an 80's band. He made me laugh as opposed to be scared. Sorry, but thats the first thing I thought of.

But it's a minor thing, I enjoyed everything else and you accomplished a lot with minimal locations. Very nice work and atmos. Technically I couldnt fault it.

[TheatreGuy]

Hey Geoff - I am sorry that I didn't get back to your thread yesterday... I am feeling like a kid in a candy store!

First of all, I LOVED your film! There are so many great things about it. The Directing, cinematography, lighting, editing, VFX, sound. This film has it all. I loved the use of the monitors, maps, and the plastic-covered set walls! What a blessing in disguise! As I was watching it, I noticed the plastic walls and thought, wow! What a cheap and easy solution to cover up a set that may not be suitable. Plastic! We're in a freakin' war zone, what else do you expect???

I have to watch this again, (and again) but I want you to know before any more time passes, that this was flat out an exciting and fun film to watch. So professional. So polished.

The only complaint that I have is the sudden ending. And that is self-serving... BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT IT TO END!!!!

GREAT JOB!!!! HUGE KUDOS!!!!!!!!

Ted

[JoshuaNitschke]

Very good. Great lighting, great camera work. Sound was a bit hard to hear at times, especially some of the dialogue. If I have to adjust my volume more than once through a short, I mark down sound points, so this brought down your score a bit.

Editing....Ok, I like jumpy editing (if you recall, mine had a bit of it) but I hate jumpy "fade" editing. Way way way way too many fades for my taste. One of my beefs about Boondock Saints is the amount of fades in it.

And I think you had about 200% more than they did. :D

I second the guy in the mask thing....didn't like that.

Otherwise, it was awesome.

Nice helicopter FX shot too.

[Geoff_R]

I really liked the aliens analogy (the barracaded door, schematics etc).

What's funny is that I referenced that scene to my composer by telling him to think 'Aliens.'



Editing....Ok, I like jumpy editing (if you recall, mine had a bit of it) but I hate jumpy "fade" editing. Way way way way too many fades for my taste. One of my beefs about Boondock Saints is the amount of fades in it.

I agree with you on this. I personally don't like this cut of the film. In fact, I haven't even emailed my actors a link to view the film here. I'm going to send them DVDs of the final version of the film in the future. In Final Cut Pro, I have about ten varied sequences of this film, each one a little shorter than the last. I had to cut the crap out of this film just to get it in under six minutes. I can't wait to re-cut this and add some of the beats/shots that are missing.



I have to watch this again, (and again) but I want you to know before any more time passes, that this was flat out an exciting and fun film to watch. So professional. So polished.

Ted, I'm really glad you enjoyed watching the film and thanks for your support!

[Kholi]

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

Hi Geoff. Didn't catch your thread at all, I was only around in the beginning of the fest and the moment I knew I had to drop out I took myself away from the category so that I wouldn't be soured by too much hype. So, here's my review untainted by others reviews and pre-fest expectations.

Script - I can't call it Zombie Horror, cause I'm not sure if that was a Zombie I saw. I get the gyst of it, worlds on lock-down Romero style from an epidemic that has people eating other people. Conceptually fine, I think the written execution might've left things to be desired. It seems like this wasn't written within six minute constraints, and there's going to be a longer version. With that said, I think that's the main downfall of your short. If it wasn't written with a flashback in the center then the cutting-floor needs to be cleaned. I saw some light in your stern leading male. I also saw the downfalls of narcotic abuse in your female, I can't see why she'd been doing it during a time like that. But I'm no druggie so I can't relate. A good concept, could've used tweaking or maybe I should read the script before stating that as my last word. Dialogue seemed okay. I might have to get a third run-through for that.

Direction - Strong. Taking advantage of a lot of things that were pontential road-blocks on set. A core example was the use of the apartment kitchen "window". You went hand-held and circled around the entrance to the kitchen, landing on your actor as he finished packing up. Then he delivers. I liked that. I also like the dialogue and facial expression coverage going on in the "safe room", as I'll refer to it. I think your hallway constrictions during the bathroom drug scene might've hurt you. It seemed like you were fighting for a good angle and had to settle. It's understandable, of course. Straight-on the needle in the arm. Seeing it penetrate would've been grim, but it works as it is. Your newscaster scene was the best shot. It looked like a real newsast. I think the direction was a strong point in your short. So good job.

Acting - Ton o'cast members. Rounded some nifty looks up. The girl fit the needle addict to me. Maybe it was the costuming/prepping-- the attention to raggedy hair and all; I hope that doesn't offend her. Your leading male had a hard jaw, he looked like a firm jerk. Line deliveries weren't as spotty as you tend to see in shorts like these, which is good. Your zombie/monster was too flowy for me. I know it's a choice by the production on how he should move, but his make-up didn't match the feminine hand movements he had going on. I think your best Actor was your lead male. Good job on scoring him.

Cine/Lighting - Another fest entry on the border of breaking the traditional DVX look. Was this even DVX? The "Safe room" scenes looked really nice. They had a little washed out tone that said this could be the last place these people ever see. The plastic all around made it look guarded, though I'm not sure if it serves a purpose in the story other than a look. Did they put it up for bloods sake? Does it stop the demons from sniffing them out? Or is it just looks and nothing else? Your apartment lighting was nice. Got a lot of fifty-percent shadows where they should be. All around good lighting and compositions.

Editing - I don't know if this has been said yet, but the editing wasn't consistant. I found in the beginning that I was almost ready to start skipping through because of the constant cut to blacks. I know it was for intensity, I know it was for pacing, but I don't think you needed the blacks in between. It made me strain my senses to get what was going on. It happened again and it had the same effect on me. As far as the entire cut, I think that the middle should be the beginning and the beginning should be the middle. I immediately got lost when we went from the present to the past. If the middle were at the beginning, the story would flow a lot better, I think. You see something happen, did she get hit by a car? THen the guy answers that quetion for you. The recut should be sweetened. There's good footage to work with and should be knifed with care.


Sound - Another weak point, for me. I didn't like the constant soundtrack. On the second time around I garnered that it was for mood/tone, but I don't think you need that for this. You have really strong dialogue delivery, a Romero-esque concept, I don't see the need to fill it all up with background music. The background ambience was nice. I liked the deep bass, I'm a fan of those sorts of things. Was there any ADR on this? The voices really sounded clean to me, for the most part.

Special Effects - Your monster/zombie costume was on. I didn't like the t-shirt and pants combo, though. I know, it's a budget. Maybe there wasn't another choice of outfit lying around for him? It seemed the plain white t-shirt should've been on your leading male, and the logo one should've been on the demon at least. I liked the mutation portions, though. Looked nasty. The needle in the arm was fine by me. The part where we assume she gets hit by a car was enough to suggest. Overall special effects were decent.

Scariest Moments - Hearing the "whatever it is" coming down into their "safe room". I've got on DJ headphones, so I got to hear that dark groaning. Nice.

Overall consensus - I don't think I've ever seen your work before but you've got good camera work going on. I also think your concept is worth retooling for a more pristine product. Horror is the easiest thing to sell and make, and a concept like this could go far if you really want it too. I'd like to see the longer cut, so keep all of us updated. Thanks for exhbiting, Geoff and team.

[Matt Sconce]

This film was so clean looking! The images were awesome and the story was good and subtle, and haunting. A nice what if scenario. The one thing I really didn't like was the monster. I think the lighting should have been more moody or dark when he comes in to mask the fact he is not real. Other than that, I loved it! One of the best here for sure!

[VersuS]

I dont know if you have seen 'BROKEN'...but this film in my opinion tops that! I am not saying it's the best in HorrorFest, it probably come in Top5 but I dont think it fits the genre, at least the 6' you delivered. I am saying however that this is a very professional job, it has good structure, lots of locations, nice cg and vfx, excellent acting, nice costumes and make up, seems to have been very well planned. Cinematography is great and I like the editing except for the parts where the mutant enters the flat and we have a lot of dip to black transitions that continue with her running in the street. Found this annoying...
But all in all....make a dvd, release it and talk about how you did all this...

[luster]

nice work.

great production values - everything was so slick and polished - it's amazing that you did that with such a small budget.

i'd love to see what you could do with more time because you obviously have a lot of talent... this sort of feels like a scene from a longer movie.

i would definitely develop this further - this could easily turn into a 25-30 min movie that would be really good

if you do end up doing more with this piece, you might consider doing more with the monster/mutant guy - something about him didn't look quite right.

[Geoff_R]

...Was this even DVX? The "Safe room" scenes looked really nice. They had a little washed out tone that said this could be the last place these people ever see. The plastic all around made it look guarded, though I'm not sure if it serves a purpose in the story other than a look...



I shot 720p with the HVX; this was my first real production experience with that camera and I'm happy to say it went very smooth even with one 4 gig card.

The set was pretty small and with the plastic sheeting (and lighting), we could make it look like there were other wings/rooms leading off to other areas. I didn't get a chance to include any of the wider shots because with the way this 'cut' of the film moves, they just weren't working.




...The recut should be sweetened. There's good footage to work with and should be knifed with care...



I really dislike this edited version of the film. It is way to much fading and jump cutting; black space, ect- but it was the only way to string all of this story together and get it in under six minutes. I realize now that I totally overshot this film. If I had shot this right, I could have done it in one day rather than two.




...Was there any ADR on this? The voices really sounded clean to me, for the most part.



All sound was straight into camera with an Oktava Mk012.




...It seemed the plain white t-shirt should've been on your leading male, and the logo one should've been on the demon at least....



The demon is actually wearing the tee with the red logo. That demon is actually supposed to be the drug dealer boyfriend returning...You can't tell because there's just so much blood on it. I tried highlighting it for a few frames and in the HD version of the film, it's a lot easier to spot but no one can pick it up with the h.264 version.




....I don't think I've ever seen your work before but you've got good camera work going on.

This is actually my first film. I've DP'd for a few films and worked on a ton of productions but in terms of writing/directing, this is my first piece.

Kholi,

Thanks for such an in-depth review. I'm glad you took the time to go into such detail and I really appreciate it. I'm learning a lot just from how people are responding to the film and seeing where I can improve.

[luster]

geoff,
i thought your sound was really good, too. what was your oktava setup like? which mount, wind protection, etc. ? thanks.

[Kholi]

The demon is actually wearing the tee with the red logo. That demon is actually supposed to be the drug dealer boyfriend returning...You can't tell because there's just so much blood on it. I tried highlighting it for a few frames and in the HD version of the film, it's a lot easier to spot but no one can pick it up with the h.264 version.



See, I did NOT know that. That needed to be heavily embelished on. Just knowing that makes this short a bit sweeter for me. I think because I didn't see any recognition in her eyes or her actions and that I couldn't see his wardrobe. If there was ANY way to reshoot that scene to make it stand out it would have so much more impact on the overall story.

And no problem on the review. It's the least I could do for everyone.

[Geoff_R]

geoff,
i thought your sound was really good, too. what was your oktava setup like? which mount, wind protection, etc. ? thanks.

Oktava enclosed in a Rycote BBG with a KSSM mount + sub-quality boom ($150). All in all, I spent about 400-500 I believe on sound and this was included in my budget for this.

[luster]

thanks, man. i gotta get me one of those.

[Rock Punk!]

Project 47 is in my top 5!

Some of the best acting I've seen in the 'fest.

[Mark Harris]

I really loved this movie. Obvious nods to 28 days, but that did not detract from my enjoyment at all.

Your shooting/acting/direction were all really, really fantastic, I thought. There was some cc in there, but it was just this side of too much. I think you showed some good taste and restraint in that department. It's easy to go overboard with that stuff and soon everything looks like a Mastercard ad.

I'm glad you said you didn't like the fades and jump cuts, cause they were EXTREMELY annoying.

What I liked also was that you created a very complete little world here.

And your use of sound effects was some of the best in the fest. I've said it several timnes in this fest, but I LOVE things that leave it to my imagination. It's just so much more powerful to me.

Only other glitch was the vocals often did not seem properly mixed with the rest of the audio.

The HVX looked amazing. Damn I wished we'd shot with one. Did you use any lenses, or stock? I want to say all stock.

[Geoff_R]

Project 47 is in my top 5!

Some of the best acting I've seen in the 'fest.

Thanks, never underestimate craigslist.com! Awesome resource and I was able to get our entire cast through that site. (minus Damien in his superman shirt- one of our editors and producers)

[Geoff_R]

...The HVX looked amazing. Damn I wished we'd shot with one. Did you use any lenses, or stock? I want to say all stock.

Thanks for the feedback desperatecomfort, I really appreciate it! We shot all stock, I really wanted to shoot with an M2 but alas, no funds for it yet. I tried finding someone local in Chicago with an M2 but nothing came up.

[Brandon Rice]

I am SO sorry I haven't gotten a full review of this gem up yet... I have been slammed... But will get one up soon... it's in my top 5!

[Geoff_R]

No worries Brandon! I know you're swamped with work and projects but I am definitely looking forward to your review!

[TheatreGuy]

Hey Geoff, CONGRATULATIONS on your film. TOP NOTCH work!

I totally loved watching your flick! I want to see more of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best of luck to you.

THANK YOU for coming to my rescue that awful Sunday Night/Monday Morning!

I'll never forget that! You helped me more than you'll ever know!

This has been a great time!

Ted

[jpbankesmercer]

Best of luck guys, enjoyed your film will leave a proper review later!

[Geoff_R]

Thanks Ted! You're right, it's been an amazing fest and it felt good to be a part of this one rather than just watching the films and wishing I had submitted a piece. I'm glad I was able to help that wild, crazy, nightmarish, uploading hell of a night!

Congrats on your 10 year anniversary!!