"Lakeside" - by: Matt Thompson & Justin R. Durban

[Edgen]

Now Playing:
"Lakeside"
1835851

http://www.edgen.com/images/lakeside_bts_qt.jpg (http://www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_bts.mov)

http://www.oasisdesignstudios.com/dvxpost.jpg



- Now Playing -
43.3 mb - 6:00 minutes
Download Mirror 1 (http://www.dvxuser4.com/horrorfest/Lakeside-MattThompson_JustinRDurban-Avatuar_Edgen.mov)
Download Mirror 2 (http://www.edgenmusic.com/Lakeside-MattThompson_JustinRDurban-Avatuar_Edgen.mov)
Download Mirror 3 (http://www.nrestudios.com/Lakeside-MattThompson_JustinRDurban-Avatuar_Edgen.mov)
Download Mirror 4 (http://dvxuser.mikkowilson.com/horrorfest/Lakeside-MattThompson_JustinRDurban-Avatuar_Edgen.mov)




DOWNLOAD the Score:
"Lakeside (http://www.edgenmusic.com/edgen_lakeside.mp3)" by: Justin R. Durban

"Cruisin' Down to Big Bear (http://www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_cruisin_down_to_big_bear.mp3)"
Performed by: Matt Thompson

Opening Song:
"We Believe"
By: Strip The Image
www.striptheimage.com (http://www.striptheimage.com/)



visit this page (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=70427&page=10) to start the crits


Here's a Few Reviews. Thank you everyone for Viewing our film, "Lakeside".




Great work.
Nice use of Jib/crane and dolly. They weren't overdone and added a nice production quality. Score and Sound was great! The effects of the creature were great as well. It all had that 80's horror movie feel, which is great. The flow and pace in the cabin were great. You held the suspense very well. Cuts worked well.
Overall great job guys! Congrats.
EDIT: also, nice job fitting it into 6 minutes. I liked where the story ended.
- snodart
Senior Member


I forgot about looking at technical stuff and just got sucked into enjoying it...which is the highest achievement.
- desperatecomfort
Senior Member


This was awesome. Great casting and the opening jib shot was sweet. I totally can see millions of teens chomping popcorn watching this on a date.
-FlintMI
Senior Member


Dude, I have watched a bunch and this one feels like I was watching a feature and wanted more. You have done a really good job with this. One of my favs. I really liked the way you kept us in the dark too near the end.
- Aram Bauman
Two-Hip Shakur


This film is so well done. I am just floored at the production values. The action is captured so wonderfully. I loved it!

The shots are so professional. The story is cliche but I think that is on purpose. I found the ending to be jarring. Maybe it is because I didn't want it to end. I will be watching this again and will post more. Just wanted to pass this along. BTW, the actor who played the "cop" was great! What a find!!! Again, fantastic action!
- TheatreGuy
Senior Member



Wow, it was really well made.
- Virum
Senior Member



From the moment the Lakeside title came in I was like "this guy". Man, excellent work. I want to check out the feature, so please keep us updated. I want to see the feature you're putting out. You got me interested. Stars Above had nothing on this whatsoever. Shows what you can do when you have some of the things you need, dude. GREAT STUFF!!!
- Kholi
Senior Member



Script - good work here. Nothing seemed really out of place and the lines followed very well in the film. Good work, Matt.
Directing - I agree - this was very strong. Some great moments, the dialogue coverage in the car with the cop was great. Also really felt that the bit where the cop gets out of his car was really cool. The line "I don't remember askin' you, city slicker" was delivered superbly and I loved the shot here...was one of the strongest points in the film - all things combined. Good work!!


Overall you should ALL be proud of this film. Well written, shot, acted, cut, scored etc. Good job and I look forward to seeing more from you.
- ChrisHurn
Senior Member



Your Stuff Is Gold!
- MOVIE MASTER
Senior Member



I really enjoyed this one. Probably the strongest opening scene I've seen yet, looked awesome. I was thoroughly entertained throughout.
Great job guys.
- Slimothy
Senior Member



Totally enjoyed that from start to finish good acting good setup. I want part2
- Michael_Petro
Senior Member



I think you mentioned earlier it was a part of a feature, if so, let's see the feature! What you wrote here is good, feels very Hollywood, which is good, if you want the script produced! Your lead male was pretty good, and he looked like Joaquin Phoenix! It moved along briskly. One note in particular, I loved the cutaways to the dog on the girl's lap when they were in the car, very nicely done there! I want to see the feature. It had a polished feel to it. One other note, the effects were cool! The first creature shot made me jump. Nice work there!
- Brandon Rice
Many Things



This is a great showase of your abilities. It scores in every checkbox for me. I can't commend you on your skills and professionalism enough. You could go places with this....
- Darkline
Senior Member



Acting was REALLY nice! The creepy guy just ACED and I wanted MORE from him!
- VersuS
Senior Member



Best opening shot! I saw that truck blazing down the trail and then the Title appear and thought to myself..."and here is our horrorfest winner...."
- Geoff_R
Senior Member



Lakeside
This is one of my favorites and I am, leaning on it being my personal favorite. I only give out one 10 each fest and I am strongly considering this one to be it. It was just plain fun. It had a solid cast who actually had character. Everything worked for me on this one. It just clicks and is fun to be a part of it! Well done on all levels!
- John_Hudson
The Anti Ray Carney

Cast:
http://www.oasisdesignstudios.com/newcast.jpg


Cast:
Christian David : Kevin
Jaklyn Lyons : Chelsi
Matt Thompson : Brett
Taleia Mueller : Katie
Saul Dapsis as "The Ranger"


Crew:
Written & Directed by: Matt Thompson
Co-directed by: Justin R. Durban
Executive Producer - Susan Laine
DP - Yuri Sadovnikov
Animation/VFX by: - Elliot Worman
Composer / Sound Design / Edited by: - Justin R. Durban

Special Thanks:
San Bernadino National Forest
Susan Burg
Russell & Kathleen Flynn
Pat / Electrical (Juice)
Captain Craig M. Smith for the Bronco
Tim Hyten a.k.a. Slimothy
Officer Gina Thompson
Tim Stithem
Strip The Image (Music, "We Believe")

Audio:
"Cruisin' Down to Big Bear" :)
Performed by: Matt Thompson
www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_cruisin_down_to_big_bear.mp3 (http://www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_cruisin_down_to_big_bear.mp3)

Production Notes:

10.02.06
Lakeside has officially been uploaded! Time to sit back and enjoy our short.

10.01.06
Down to the home stretch... I finished all the sound design, logo opening, a few VFX shots, and last minute CC and score clippits. Matt and I did a small little interview talking about the DVXuser.com community and how these short films really push the envelope of everyone around us and hopefully will take everyone to the next level. We are just waiting on the VFX guy to get back to me and once that's all set in place, I'll be ready to export this puppy out and submit it for everyone to see. it's now 5:00 and I haven't heard back from Elliot. He must be off smoozing the ladies or something. You can watch the BTS video here, and we plan on releasing the longer cut once the festival wraps. http://www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_bts.mov


09.29.06
Just finished the score tonight. Working on the CC at the moment and I've got to do some last minute score adjustments and a few more sound fx/stingers. Crunch time.. crunch time. Captain Crunch Time. And for your listening pleasure and emmy worthy performance, we created a small audio clip for our Ranger to cruise to while on the open back country roads: www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_cruisin_down_to_big_bear.mp3 (http://www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_cruisin_down_to_big_bear.mp3)

09.27.06
Susan, Matt, and I sat down tonight and fine-tuned/adjusted and wrapped the final locked edit with all the Sound FX in place. We've rendered out all the VFX plates for the 3D artist, and next thing I have to do is Score this son'o'gun. I'm thinking high strings and lots of stingers. (orchestral percussive hits). Perhaps a few more sound FX tweaks, some color correction and the opening Title Credits for the beginning and end. I think for this festival, we'll have a very short credit list and after that, we'll do the proper scroll and additional music + logos, etc. I have to say I'm pretty happy with the film so far and I think you guys will enjoy our short. It was great to let a few fresh eyes and ears watch the film as it added a lot of value to the overall flow. Definitely a must. So... put it down for a few days and come back later with a fresh mindset. Till the next update!
/j

09.25.06
Vice-Principal Photographical Intake Valve has been completed! We had a fantastic weekend and everything went according to plan. Met at 7:00 am. and wrapped around 2:30 a.m. We had additional pickups the next morning for audio room tone and misc outdoor footage of trees and vehicles. The only downfall of the shoot was the weather. At night it started to get extremely cold and the only way for the actress to stay warm was sit by the fire in the cabin while we slaved outside setting up lights. So we shot, she goes back in, we stayed outside setting up the next angle, brought out the talent, shot, and the process all over again. Luckily, we had our Exec Producer Susan to do all the stand ins to get our blocking. She was a trooper.

The Cabin itself was infested with Rat turds, spiders, webs, and dusty as all get out. So, it was definitely a creepy place that has not been used in a LOOONG time. Luckily, there was an old space heater and of course the fireplace. Without that, we probably would have called the entire production off. That or everyone would have sat in the cars outside.

We also ended up getting the Bronco from Captain Craig from the Fawnskin Fire department, a few leashes for free from the pet store, electricity for free from a random neighbor along with so many other random stuff from various people.

The Cast was amazing and did a wonderful job. I can't say enough on the professionalism. I would highly recommend them to anyone here looking for a lead or principal part for their own projects. Same with the crew. It was small, quint and cozy. Only additional crew member I wish had... A PA. But... alas. you learn as you go. Looking forward to sharing some BTS and additional production notes on the film. I highly recommend shooting up at Big Bear, but at the same time, get ready to go through a ton of obstacles and unforseen issues that will pop up when you least expect it.
/j


09.21.06
We just got our 'insurance' to shoot up at bigbear lake and locked down the permit. Soooo we are actually making this thing completely legit. (although I'd just assume just to shoot off the seat of my pants) Our Katie character fell through due to other 'obligations' so we are holding another casting call for that character. Since we are pretty picky and we are looking for the perfect character this tasks has been quite tedious. Alas we'll find a way.
/j

09.18.06
More roadblocks in the hills of Cali. We finally got in touch with some peeps that owned the cabin and I think they'll let us use it. However, in order to do so, I think we need the filming permits. Everyone's out to make a frackin' buck these days. So... hopefully they'll be cool with it. So, we had to postpone the shoot date till the 23/24th of this month. We are friggin' cutting it really close now. HOpefully our DP and his crew will still be able to re-schedule for this weekend. I added some storyboards to give an idear of one of the scenes. These are crude.. yes... but at least its a basic roadmap on our way to a finished product. The excitement and energy is still here... but maybe coming down the very last pipes on this one. I'm most afraid of not getting the final VFX completed in time. Lets see what kind of rabbits we can pull from our filming hats.
/j

09.12.06
Welp... One of our cast members just bailed out on us. So, we are back to plan b with another actress to play the role of "Katie". You probably wouldn't even know the difference. I guess we live and learn. Actors are not always dependable. Either that, or they have other 'obligations' higher than our own. Always an adventure and the adventure continues forward without her.
/j

09.10.06
Cast has been set. So far, everyone aboard is gung ho. We just met with Elliot our VFX guy for the creature design and masking/compositing for all those shots. Elliot has this machine that comes straight out of Star Trek and its some sort of 3d printer/replicator. You can take any 3d model and 4-5 hours later, this machine creates a perfect mold. From there, you ship it out and another company actually makes the mold from that cast. Waaay too cool and waayyyy over my head. :) We still need to confirm our involvement with the Ranger service, but I don't see that as a problem. We've already set up a few back up plans just in case.

09.08.06
Welp... Here it is. The second film I'm working on for the horror fest competition. My buddy Matt Thompson and I are scheduled to head out on the 18/19th of this month for the initial shoot. We just had our auditions this morning here in LA. AMAZING talent showed up and I think we've got our cast nailed down. Storyboards and script is finished... Cabin, Trail, and Park Ranger vehicles have been scouted and just need final approval... Other than that... we are definitely cutting it close, but so far, this thing is looking friggin' amazing. "Lakeside" is an excerpt from the feature length script and we are in hopes of getting the final funding.
/j

Artwork / Preproduction

http://www.edgen.com/lakeside/lakeside_storyboards.jpg


Location:
The Beautiful Big Bear Lake
http://www.edgen.com/lakeside/lakeside_cabinfront.jpg

Vehicles / Props:
http://www.edgen.com/lakeside/lakeside_bronco.jpg

Budget:
Millions and Millions of Dollars

http://www.oasisdesignstudios.com/dvxpost6.jpg

****


/j

[MOVIE STUNTS]

Woah... That looks like the cabin from Cabin Fever.

[Brandon Rice]

Nice nice stuff dude! Really looking forward to this!

[Edgen]

cool! thanks guys.. I'm just waiting on the final final word on our cast and I'll post them here soon.

Just landed a 3dfx guy as well. Its coming together. HOpefully we'll pull it off before the deadline! :)

/j

[Brandon Rice]

Heard the cast was great... get that confirmed so we can see!!! Nice job on getting the effects guy!

[Beat Takeshi]

Yo homey, Good luck with your production. We will be rooting for you.

[Edgen]

Alrighty! Posted a better promo poster and the Cast members along with some more production notes. It's coming together nicely.

http://www.edgen.com/lakeside/lakeside_logo.jpg


Cast:
http://www.edgen.com/lakeside/lakeside_cast.jpg

/j

[Brandon Rice]

Wow, way to go dude, very cool stuff about the VFX guy too!

[BLUESPIDER]

lookin good bro!

[TheatreGuy]

Man, that poster is nice! I love that misty fog. (natural or photoshop?)

And that cabin looks RUSTIC. Great looking location. And that VFX stuff sounds cool. Can't wait to see the creature!

Sounds like a TIGHT schedule. Good luck with all.

Ted

PS - Why does your actor Matt Thompson look familiar?

[cinealma]

Looking excellent! It amazes me how fast people can put projects together to shoot. I guess it's who you know, huh? I gotta get my ass moved down to L.A.!


John G.

[Beat Takeshi]

Great looking cast. Can't wait to see some screen shots.

[Tom Marshall]

I gotta get my ass moved down to L.A.!

Yeah you do!!! :)

So what's your area of expertise if I might ask?

[conrad_johnson]

Nice set of actors there Justin! Can't wait to see some shots.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Ah cool!

I thought your project was waylayed (sp?).

REALLY glad you are in the mix again this time broheime (sp?)

[Edgen]

thanks guys!! :) OOh no Jack, I've still got the two films I'm submitting. Cept.. this one, "Lakeside" is actually shot with a DVX Camera

I know we are cutting it short but I think we can pull it off nicely. We just shot a 8 minute short just this last saturday with only 3 people, a DVX, and a small light kit so I think with even more help, we can do something really snazzy. Basically, at around 8:30 saturday night we were going to hit up a movie and I was like, "Funct it.. lets do something else." So, Matt fired up final draft, came up with a short, I called up Susan, and kablamo, took a ride back to his apartment to get his gear, drove back and around 11:30, we started setting up. Wrapped at 4:00 a.m. and shot the last scene on Sunday evening.

area of expertise? Focus Pulling. :)

actually, i'm not sure. I like every aspect of it I guess. Better than just sitting around watching TV.

/j

[Edgen]

Yeah you do!!! :)

So what's your area of expertise if I might ask?
Ooh. I like to call myself a composer. Establish myself in those respects to gain the right contacts to make my own movie, Kings and Kingdoms. www.kingsandkingdomsmovie.com

:thumbsup:

/j

[TheatreGuy]

...Basically, at around 8:30 saturday night we were going to hit up a movie and I was like, "Funct it.. lets do something else." So, Matt fired up final draft, came up with a short, I called up Susan, and kablamo, took a ride back to his apartment to get his gear, drove back and around 11:30, we started setting up. Wrapped at 4:00 a.m. and shot the last scene on Sunday evening./j
That sounds like a good time! Certainly more fun then hitting up a movie. Except for missing out on popcorn! :beer:

[Lingothree]

nice location. looking forward to it!

[Edgen]

here's a few storyboards for LakeSide. Still working on the final scene. Its all in the head but hard to draw out on paper. :)

http://www.edgen.com/lakeside/lakeside_storyboards.jpg


/j

[TheatreGuy]

Nice storyboards! I am glad to see that they are wearing their seatbelts!

Seriously, very cool. I drew up some boards... in the dirt with my finger! Guess I need to remember to always have a pencil and paper handy!

Looking forward to that Brown Waters!

[Jaime V]

here's a few storyboards for LakeSide. Still working on the final scene. Its all in the head but hard to draw out on paper. :)

http://www.edgen.com/lakeside/lakeside_storyboards.jpg


/j

Your Storyboard-Fu is strong grasshopper. You must have gone through all 35 chambers. I'm seriously impressed...I would be ashamed to show any feeble attempt at storyboarding I tried. And I love the template you've got there for the descriptions and all...cool stuff!

[Lingothree]

I figure the worse my storyboards look, the better it makes the filmed version look. I had never thought of drawing in the dirt, but I'm sure that would result in an even better translation!

[avatuar]

http://www.oasisdesignstudios.com/dvxpost.jpg

[Brandon Rice]

Wow... GREAT poster!

[Jaime V]

that is a really nice poster. The only thing I would change is the size of the headshots. In my opinion, I think it would look better if they were all relatively the same size. That's just me though.

[avatuar]

HEY GUYS WE'RE TAKING CARE OF PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON SATURDAY 9-23-06 if you can help and have any kind of equipment that might lend a hand and are in the LA or surrounding areas please contact me ASAP!!!!

-Matt/Avatuar

[Edgen]

Sweet poster Matt! We just need to find our "Katie" and we are all set to go!

/j

[Brandon Rice]

How old does Katie need to be?

[avatuar]

Katie is about 18-21 range. Brunette, girl next door type. Does anyone have equipment? jib, anamorphic? PLZZZZZZ HLP!

[Brandon Rice]

Katie is about 18-21 range. Brunette, girl next door type.

Well, my sister may be interested.... I'll shoot you off a PM.

[n8ture]

Awesome poster!

[Tom Marshall]

Sweet poster Matt! We just need to find our "Katie" and we are all set to go!

/j

You guys still haven't found an actress??

[avatuar]

We got a couple we just haven't decided lol. We're picky bastards!!! lol

[Tom Marshall]

Oh I know the feeling, believe me!

[Ralph Oshiro]

Hey, Edgen!

I didn't realize this was your thread! That's probably the slickest poster in the contest. Very professional. Terrific type treatment, graphic design, and photography! Good find on the picture car and location too! Cool boards--who's the artist? Hope you make it through hell okay! Good luck this weekend!

[Edgen]

Thanks Rez! Matt created the poster so HUGE props to him. ya, we are definitely going all out for this project. But, we are going all out at the last minute. Cutting down to the wire for sure!

Storyboards.. those are my crappy sketches. But hey... at least its somethin' :)

I hope you guys enjoy our short!

OOh, You wouldn't happen to have any kickass gear for us to borrow do you? :)

/j

[Ralph Oshiro]

What are you talking about? Those are some of the best storyboards I've seen! Very pro! About the gear--sorry, but I'm shooting up until the last minute myself! BELIEVE me, my prayers are with you guys this weekend, 'cause I know how really #$@#%$# hard this stuff is to do, especially on such a remote location. Good luck, man!

[avatuar]

SHOOTING TOMORROW ANYONE WITH GEAR: anamorphic/jib/glidecam/lights PLEASE HELP!!! Contact me asap to be a part of our project. Thanks guys!

-Matt

[Edgen]

What are you talking about? Those are some of the best storyboards I've seen! Very pro! About the gear--sorry, but I'm shooting up until the last minute myself! BELIEVE me, my prayers are with you guys this weekend, 'cause I know how really #$@#%$# hard this stuff is to do, especially on such a remote location. Good luck, man!

Thanks Rez!!

Watch us get there and just completely run out of battery power :) yeee haw! Sitting dead ducks.

Its been a learning experience that's for sure.
#1. secure the Location date first.
#2.Get all the gear secured 2nd.
#3.Find cast members that are dedicated to stay.
#4. wait till after the shoot to get the remaining things of what 'not to do'.

This is just such a bigger project that it requires a lot more people and time. Smaller shows are definitely just as challenging.

Hope to get you guys screen grabs soon!
/j

[Brandon Rice]

I know the feeling.... it's a blast though! Can't wait to see some stuff.

[Beat Takeshi]

Yo that poster is shhweeet! I just sent you a rough cut to get a jump on. Good luck on your shoot.

[Brandon Rice]

How did shooting go?

[Ralph Oshiro]

What happened? How'd it go? I'm sure you're too tired to be typing on DVXUSER for now!

[Edgen]

Shooting is finished!!! Everything went great and had a wonderful time working with everyone. Now, to hit the cutting room floor, send the footage to the VFX guy and to edit the puppy down to 6 minutes :)

Matt and I are going to start editing the film tonight so we'll get you some screen grabs here soon.

HUGE props to Slimothy by letting us use his Jib. It was a rockstar and made some of these shots friggin' badass!

/j

[Brandon Rice]

Yeah dude, can't wait to see some grabs! I am really happy ya'll will get this submitted in time!

[Edgen]

Shooting Production Notes.

09.25.06
Vice-Principal Photographical Intake Valve has been completed! We had a fantastic weekend and everything went according to plan. Met at 7:00 am. and wrapped around 2:30 a.m. We had additional pickups the next morning for audio room tone and misc outdoor footage of trees and vehicles. The only downfall of the shoot was the weather. At night it started to get extremely cold and the only way for the actress to stay warm was sit by the fire in the cabin while we slaved outside setting up lights. So we shot, she goes back in, we stayed outside setting up the next angle, brought out the talent, shot, and the process all over again. Luckily, we had our Exec Producer Susan to do all the stand ins to get our blocking. She was a trooper.

The Cabin itself was infested with Rat turds, spiders, webs, and dusty as all get out. So, it was definitely a creepy place that has not been used in a LOOONG time. Luckily, there was an old space heater and of course the fireplace. Without that, we probably would have called the entire production off. That or everyone would have sat in the cars outside.

We also ended up getting the Bronco from Captain Craig from the Fawnskin Fire department, a few leashes for free from the pet store, electricity for free from a random neighbor along with so many other random stuff from various people.

The Cast was amazing and did a wonderful job. I can't say enough on the professionalism. I would highly recommend them to anyone here looking for a lead or principal part for their own projects. Same with the crew. It was small, quint and cozy. Only additional crew member I wish had... A PA. But... alas. you learn as you go. Looking forward to sharing some BTS and additional production notes on the film. I highly recommend shooting up at Big Bear, but at the same time, get ready to go through a ton of obstacles and unforseen issues that will pop up when you least expect it.

Huge props to Slimothy again for allowing us to use some of his lights and Jib.
Gota thank the Captain Craig from Fawnskin for letting us use his Bronco that was for sale infront of the Fire Department. and.. ya.. everyone else. Of course that will all be in the credits.

I hope you guys will enjoy our little short. Many more to come after this one. :) (either that or get the funding to actually shoot the feature)

/j

[Ralph Oshiro]

Edgen:

Whew! I'm so relieved everything went well, and that you got all your coverage. I know how much money you had in this by getting insurance and permits and everything--that's a lot of pressure to get it all in the can. Looks like you had a lot of good fortune and good will on your side on this one. That's so damned rare, what with Murphy's law typically plaguing every production. And huge kudos for Slimothy helping out with the jib--what a great friend! A friend with a jib is a very good thing to have! Looking forward to your end product!

[avatuar]

It's Coming..........
http://www.oasisdesignstudios.com/dvxpost6.jpg

[Edgen]

yee haw! niiiiiice. Badass Matt!

I can smell the rat droppings already. :)

/j

[Brandon Rice]

NICE poster... it's really based on a true story, huh?

[avatuar]

Ahhh, not true story, "true legend" lol ;) same thing I guess... This short was created and extracted from a feature length script I have been working on for four years.

[HorseFilms]

I like what I see, guys:beer:

[avatuar]

thanks man!

[Suzyinatutu]

wow this looks great! crystal clear and nice looking cast..how does the crew look?

[Ben Sliker]

true legend ... that ... doesn't make sense .... does not compute *ben's brain explodes*

like it is "true" that there is a legend?

oh, and kick ass poster.

[Michael_Petro]

very cool poster cant wait to check it out..

[avatuar]

Yes, just like it says. "Based On A True Legend" therefore it's based off of something that people have really claimed to encounter and has a story behind it.

[Ralph Oshiro]

No grabs or BTS stills to tease us with, Edgen, Matt?

[Edgen]

Susan, Matt, and I sat down tonight and fine-tuned/adjusted and wrapped the final locked edit with all the Sound FX in place. We've rendered out all the VFX plates for the 3D artist, and next thing I have to do is Score this son'o'gun. I'm thinking high strings and lots of stingers. (orchestral percussive hits). Perhaps a few more sound FX tweaks, some color correction and the opening Title Credits for the beginning and end. I think for this festival, we'll have a very short credit list and after that, we'll do the proper scroll and additional music + logos, etc. I have to say I'm pretty happy with the film so far and I think you guys will enjoy our short. It was great to let a few fresh eyes and ears watch the film as it added a lot of value to the overall flow. Definitely a must. So... put it down for a few days and come back later with a fresh mindset. Till the next update!

Rez... Screen Grabs Cometh' :)

/j

[Ralph Oshiro]

I'm thinking high strings and lots of stingers. (orchestral percussive hits).Yup, that oughta do it! Wow! You've really got a lot going into this film! Getting pretty excited to see it now!

[avatuar]

Hey Justin, give me a call before we post any screen grabs, I dont want to give anything away;)

[Brandon Rice]

I'd love to check out some grabs fellas!

[Edgen]

Hey Justin, give me a call before we post any screen grabs, I dont want to give anything away;)

screen grabs are all you brotha.

/j

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

speaking of "brotha"

hook a brotha up with some screen grabs yo

[avatuar]

Missed em' ;)

[Brandon Rice]

Those look GREAT! What an awesome location! NICE!

[Edgen]

alriiight... a little more BTS audio clip.

This is what our Ranger Jams to while pestering our young whipper snappers. :)
www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_cruisin_down_to_big_bear.mp3 (http://www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_cruisin_down_to_big_bear.mp3)

yeee haw!

:beer:

/j

[Brandon Rice]

LOL! Nice! haha

[Weston]

hmm....i dont know how ive missed this one before. Looks like youve got a really cool location. That cabin is awesome. Sweet storyboards too.

I'm definately looking forward to this ine now

[avatuar]

http://www.oasisdesignstudios.com/newcast.jpg

[Matt Sconce]

From the detail put into this one, I am excited to see what it turns out like. Good promo guys!

[Edgen]

hey hey!! Just posted a BTS video. It's hotter than fish greese on a cold florida day.

http://www.edgen.com/images/lakeside_bts_qt.jpg (http://www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_bts.mov)

/j

[Tom Marshall]

Very cool man... looks like this thing is gonna be sweet... :)

[avatuar]

Lakeside Bts Vid Upp Yeeeee Haw!!!

[Sid Barnhoorn]

Ey, very nice BTS. :)

[kimko]

damn Justin why you not tell me about this brudder!

[Edgen]

damn Justin why you not tell me about this brudder!

Kimko, ah! Well, I guess it was kinda last minute. We actually shot this past weekend. (Sept 23rd) I suppose my head was out in right field. But alas!! Next time. :)

I hope you'll enjoy our lil' film. Still waiting on the VFX guy to get us the final footage. I'd had to rotoscope the 'legend' at the last minute. Time is running out!!

/j

[snodart]

Nice BTS video. Funny stuff. Can't wait to see it guys.

[Edgen]

*10.01.06*
Down to the home stretch on our film, "Lakeside" ... I finished all the sound design, logo opening, a few VFX shots, and last minute CC and score clippits. Matt and I did a small little interview talking about the DVXuser.com community and how these short films really push the envelope of everyone around us and hopefully will take everyone to the next level. We are just waiting on the VFX guy to get back to me and once that's all set in place, I'll be ready to export this puppy out and submit it for everyone to see. it's now 5:00 and I haven't heard back from Elliot. He must be off smoozing the ladies or something. You can watch the BTS video here, and we plan on releasing the longer cut once the festival wraps. http://www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_bts.mov

[Brandon Rice]

Cool BTS dude :) can't wait for your film!

[Edgen]

yozers.. finally.. Uploading. Neeeedd. sleep...

I couldn't get that frackin' h264 to work worth a shit. I'll try a few more passes when I wake up.. oh, say around 6:30 pm.

eesh.

/j

[Edgen]

YAY! File is uploaded and ready to rock! Now.. to crack open a few more beers and relax for a few days. Sheew!

http://www.oasisdesignstudios.com/banner.jpg
..is ready to goooooo...



/j

[Brandon Rice]

whoot! Rock on dude!

[Edgen]

thanks man. I stayed up all night and went to bed at 11:00 a.m. this morning just to make sure it was uploaded :)

/j

[Brandon Rice]

that's diligence!

[ChrisHurn]

wahoo congrats man!! Needless to say - this film looks and sounds very impressive from what I've seen so far...very much looking foward to seeing (and hearing) it!!

-Chris

[Edgen]

Thanks Chris! Ya, in terms of score.. its definitely not much theme. Just good ole' pure action stingers typical of all slasher movies. Makes me wish I had a few more libraries of sounds to work with, but I consider half the movie a sound FX anyway. :)

Yes, diligence and retardedness. boy am I feeling it today. my fingers couldn't even type when I woke up at 1:30 pm. All part of the fun. Now... to sit here and wait to watch the madness.

/j

[Darkline]

This looks fun. We've got some good movies to watch this week it seems.

[avatuar]

In the words of Movie Master "You have no idea of the death that comith into the realm of lightness" muhahahahahahahahaha!:)

[kimko]

i've got to see these on someone elses computer since i have dial up! but i can't wait to see it bro!

[snodart]

Hey guys. I just watched it. Great work.

Nice use of Jib/crane and dolly. They weren't overdone and added a nice production quality. Score and Sound was great! The effects of the creature were great as well. It all had that 80's horror movie feel, which is great. The flow and pace in the cabin were great. You held the suspense very well. Cuts worked well.

The only things that caught my eye... the acting was good... but not great. The ranger character was perfect, but some of the lines and accent felt a little forced.

Some of the interior car shots had that digital feel. That's not necessarily a problem depending on taste, but it pulled me out for a second there and reminded me that somebody was working a camera.

Overall great job guys! Congrats.

EDIT: also, nice job fitting it into 6 minutes. I liked where the story ended.

[Edgen]

Thanks Justin!

/j

[Edgen]

"LAKESIDE"

- Now Playing -
43.3 mb - 6:00 minutes
Download Mirror 1 (http://www.dvxuser4.com/horrorfest/Lakeside-MattThompson_JustinRDurban-Avatuar_Edgen.mov)
Download Mirror 2 (http://www.edgenmusic.com/Lakeside-MattThompson_JustinRDurban-Avatuar_Edgen.mov)
Download Mirror 3 (http://www.nrestudios.com/Lakeside-MattThompson_JustinRDurban-Avatuar_Edgen.mov)
Download Mirror 4 (http://dvxuser.mikkowilson.com/horrorfest/Lakeside-MattThompson_JustinRDurban-Avatuar_Edgen.mov)




DOWNLOAD the Score:
"Lakeside (http://www.edgenmusic.com/edgen_lakeside.mp3)" by: Justin R. Durban

"Cruisin' Down to Big Bear (http://www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_cruisin_down_to_big_bear.mp3)"
Performed by: Matt Thompson

Opening Song:
"We Believe"
By: Strip The Image
www.striptheimage.com (http://www.striptheimage.com)




enjoy! :)

/j

[Mark Harris]

Ha ha, I grew up going to Big Bear every summer to fish, and every winter to ski!

Justin, don't take this the wrong way, but is Lakeside done? I mean, do you want to make a longer version?

I love the Raimi homages in there.

2nd time: The reason I asked about the longer version was it felt like sort of a feature film length build up to the cabin. That's not really a criticism, if that's what you guys intended, but I am always thinking about these things in terms of efficiency of time.

The only other thing that bothered me was the...thing. Don't want to give anything away, but I felt like it lost some impact done the way it was done.

Otherwise, this one succeeded in that I forgot about looking at technical stuff and just got sucked into enjoying it...which is the highest achievement.

[Edgen]

thank you. Yes.. Matt Thompson has a feature length script ready. We just wanted to shoot this short to get it in front of the right people for the bigger budget funding. Then, we'll head back up with an entire team, named actors/actresses, and spend a month or so shooting.

Raimi Homages? ut oh. I'm not sure what those were. I think I saw his darkness movie once as a kid? Zombie movie right?

Thanks for the kind words.
/j

[Mark Harris]

Well, there is definitely a raimi cam in there. And the whole feel has a little "Evil Dead" to it.

[FlintMI]

This was awesome. Great casting and the opening jib shot was sweet. I totally can see millions of teens chomping popcorn watching this on a date.

[Edgen]

Well, there is definitely a raimi cam in there. And the whole feel has a little "Evil Dead" to it.

you're gonna hate me, but I've never seen evil dead. and I have no clue what the raimi cam is. Unless you are referring to the running into the cabin shot. :) (which was, btw, the very very last scenes shot that night. we were picking up and cleaning the cabin and I was just running around out like like a friggin' idiot. I'd love to show some of that footage too when its all said and done.

Thanks Flint! that's the point! Sell the feature for the teenie boppers. It sells :)

/j

[Beat Takeshi]

Dude, I have watched a bunch and this one feels like I was watching a feature and wanted more. You have done a really good job with this. One of my favs. I really liked the way you kept us in the dark too near the end.

[Mark Harris]

you're gonna hate me, but I've never seen evil dead. and I have no clue what the raimi cam is. Unless you are referring to the running into the cabin shot. :) (which was, btw, the very very last scenes shot that night. we were picking up and cleaning the cabin and I was just running around out like like a friggin' idiot. I'd love to show some of that footage too when its all said and done.

Thanks Flint! that's the point! Sell the feature for the teenie boppers. It sells :)

/j

Yeah, if you haven't seen Evil Dead, your "make a horror film" license is officially revoked. :):)

Run, don't walk, to the video store and get it.

[Edgen]

Yeah, if you haven't seen Evil Dead, your "make a horror film" license is officially revoked. :):)

Run, don't walk, to the video store and get it.

Ha!!! My "make a horror film License" expired as soon as I saw the movie, "Troll". about 15 years ago. I've never watched horror movies since. (at least the supernatural/slasher/jason/zombie genre). and to be honest..(can't say the same about the rest of the cast and crew of Lakeside) I really don't like those horror films. HOwever; sci-fi creatures and aliens have always fascinated me. I assume that's consider horror too correct?

perhaps I will check the film out. But, i doubt it anytime soon. :beer::thumbup:

/j

[TheatreGuy]

This film is so well done. I am just floored at the production values. The action is captured so wonderfully. I loved it!

The shots are so professional. The story is cliche but I think that is one purpose. (I hope!)

I found the ending to be jarring. Maybe it is because I didn't want it to end.

I will be watching this again and will post more. Just wanted to pass this along.

BTW, the actor who played the "cop" was great! What a find!!!

Again, fantastic action!

[Beat Takeshi]

Yeah that cop guy was scary. Hes the kind of cop you never want to meet up with.

[JoshuaNitschke]

Wow, it was really well made.

What killed it for me is there was no real end. Where's the gore and the nasty killings? In this kind of story everyone is supposed to die except for one person who barely makes it out alive. Or everyone dies, either way... ;)

Needed more blood and an ending. If it had that you I'd give you the prize right now.....as it is, screenplay is getting a lower grade because it has the beginning and the middle, but no end.

[Edgen]

We knew someone would comment on the no blood part.

Do all movies have to have blood to be successfull and tell a story?

It's an excerpt from the feature. They don't die... yet!!. MUUHAHAHAHAHA In the script the creature toys with them like pets. One by one, it survey's its surroundings and plans its next move.

We chose not to have blood is the bottom line. We figured this fest would fill enough blood and gore scenes to lick everyone's chops.

Thanks for the review Virum and Aram! keep em coming. :)

/j

[Kholi]

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

Edgen you're such a designer. From the moment the Lakeside title came in I was like "this guy". Man, excellent work. I want to check out the feature, so please keep us updated.

Script - Straight forward cabin trip gone wrong. Asshole for the leader, a weird crazy cop trying to keep the legend a secret. This is what the horror genre is made of. I'm surprised you haven't seen Evil Dead, though. You're on punishment. It's going to suffer from cheesy hero lines, people knowing too much about a legend, but hell that's what it's supposed to be. So please, DVD?

Direction - STRONG! Even for an excerpt I can tell the production value and directing is going to be SEVERED. I want to see it dude. I love the way you tracked that flash light. It was probably on the camera but I'll have to do a third time around to make sure. I also LOVED the shots on the vehicles. And the Dialogue coverage in the car. NICE.

Acting - I hope to see your Hillbilly Cop shows up a lot more. He's your strongest actor IMO. I was grossed out when he spit. So gross. The chics fell short, so did the guy in the back-seat but your driver wasn't too bad.

Cine/Lighting - Nice night-time scenes dude. I saw the dog get swooped and it was great. Poor puppy. Nice scene comps and all.

Editing - Clean editing in this one. Seamless where it needed to be, like the tire running over the rock. Nice one.

Sound - Heard it all. The growl when she was outside messing with the dog was neat in my headphones.

Special Effects - Tire over the Rock was well done. If there's anyway to composite the rock and some more dirt that'd be good. But I can see the process you used and it was effective. Dog getting swooped, I can dig it.

Scariest Moments - Door opening behind the Blonde who's destined to get it from behind. No Pun intended. That was a nice grab and snatch scene.

Overall consensus - I want to see the feature you're putting out. You got me interested. Stars Above had nothing on this whatsoever. Shows what you can do when you have some of the things you need, dude. GREAT STUFF!!!

[Edgen]

Thank you kholi! Very kind words :) Credit definitely goes out to Matt. (who played the wimp in the back seat). He's a great graphic artist as well, and we'll most definitely be making more like these. We've got an entire list of scripts and ideas all ready to go!

"Neat in my Headphones".. Ahh yes. The bliss. thank you. That's what I like to hear.

/j

[JoshuaNitschke]

Do all movies have to have blood to be successfull and tell a story?

No of course not. It's just a bit reminicent of evil dead though, so it would have been nice to have a some outrageous blood tribute....but you haven't seen it so we can forgive you I guess. ;)


It's an excerpt from the feature.
That's what it feels like. However, this is a 6 min short contest, not a 6 min. teaser contest, which is why I'm keeping the lower screenplay mark.

Cheers!

[ChrisHurn]

"Lakeside"

Script - good work here. Nothing seemd really out of place and the lines followed very well in the film. Good work, Matt.

Directing - I agree - this was very strong. Some great moments. The dialogue coverage in the car with the cop was great. Also really felt that the bit where the cop gets out of his car was really cool. The line "I don't remember askin' you, city slicker" was delivered superbly and I loved the shot here...was one of the strongest points in the film - all things combined. Good work!!

Acting - Nice work. Cop was very good with his deliveries, expression, etc. Good work there. Others were good too - and I started to get a feel for the characters... nice work everyone!

Cinematography/Lighting: Again, nice work with the shots. I really liked the hazey/warm sun before the cabin scenes. And the night shots were very good..nice!

Editing - Very good! Flowed very well and nothing seemed out of place. Very nice work on this.

Score- Good work Justin! loved the subtle stuff underneath the cop scene but I wish you had've kept the music going a LITTLE bit longer on some of those lines where you brought it out. Otherwise - very good work, some great stuff happening there!

Sound - Nice! Some really good work here with the 'howl' sounds etc. I loved the car shutting when the cop got out of the car...combine this with the shot - and you have a strong piece of film there. Nice.

Overall you should ALL be proud of this film. Well written, shot, acted, cut, scored etc. Good job and I look foward to seeing more from you.

-Chris

[Edgen]

Thank you so much Chris! Props again to matt on all the color correcting. While he was doing that, I was on my other computer doing After effects stuffs. :)

Virum. Thank you again. You are most definitely right about the 6 minutes. I think it was mentioned that a lot of these entries are 'teasers'.

/j

[Mark Harris]

updated my post.

[Edgen]

In terms of length, might be a question for Matt. :)

ya, the creature effects... Well, more or less 3 days. and even then I had to cut them down, fade them out, and blur them more/speed up. uggh. If you watched the cut without the creature, its pretty freaky on its own. I'm curious to your thoughts of course. after all.. there's a bigger one coming down the pipes. :)

/j

[Mark Harris]

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS make-up!!!!!!!! He looked digital and that makes it instantly NOT-scary in my eyes. :)

[MOVIE MASTER]

True True! But Compared To Alot Of Crappy Films Your Stuff Is Gold!

[Slimothy]

I really enjoyed this one. Probably the strongest opening scene I've seen yet, looked awesome. I enjoyed it pretty much all the way through, the only thing I didn't care for was the lack of an ending, but I was thoroughly entertained throughout.

Great job guys.
Tim.

[Edgen]

thanks Tim!! and we owe the opening all to you!
*Ladies and Gents.. Tim with the Jib*

I've been thinking what you guys said about the ending and you know, Im' not sure how that would have worked. Killing everyone but one member, does that actually end it? cause the creature is still out there. I've seen a lot of these shorts and that seems to be the consensus and those that do end wrap it so fast you are caught with your pants down in the dark and no one knows what in the world just happened.

Leaving it open ended we felt would be the best option and people wanting more.

Movie Master.. Where's your manners!? Go sit in the corner or apologize for your comment. The devil has to have a little heart now doesn't he/it?

/j

[Edgen]

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS make-up!!!!!!!! He looked digital and that makes it instantly NOT-scary in my eyes. :)

Ooh. That creature was digital. :) It was a 3d character created by elliot worman.

/j

[Michael_Petro]

Totally enjoyed that from start to finnish good acting good setup. I want part2 I even liked digital dude :)

[Beat Takeshi]

Well Tim did a kick as$ job on the jib shots.

[Edgen]

well... tim just loaned us the jib along with a few lights and a lil' monitor that we only used once. :)

Thanks Michael! I'm glad you digg. Digital dude needs more work and in the final cut, we are going to have elliot go back and redo those scenes. can't wait to put up the BTS footage of some of these fx shots. Some you'll have no idea. :)
(small stuff that urked the crap out of me)

/j

[Michael_Petro]

Yup completly understand the small stuff that urks....

[Brandon Rice]

Lakeside


Script
As many have said, it felt incomplete. I think you mentioned earlier it was a part of a feature, if so, let’s see the feature! What you wrote here is good, feels very Hollywood, which is good, if you want the script produced!

Acting
The Ranger was pretty good, but I felt the rest of the actors were a bit shaky. Lots of the lines felt forced. Your lead male was pretty good, and he looked like Joaquin Phoenix!

Cinematography
Nice. Dug the shots at the beginning especially! Some of the interior dark cabin scenes seemed too flat for me.

Editing
Pretty good stuff here as well, it moved along briskly. One note in particular, I loved the cutaways to the dog on the girl’s lap when they were in the car, very nicely done there!

Score
Good stuff, flowed right along in the piece, didn’t stand out, which is good in this case!

Overall Impressions
Felt a bit incomplete, but I want to see the feature. It had a polished feel to it. One other note, the effects were cool! The first creature shot made me jump. Nice work there!

[avatuar]

I'm likin' the comments guys thanks a ton I poured a lot of hard work into this as did everyone who worked on it. Justin has been a zombie editing and scoring! I'm really happy to hear that you guys want to see more! Many of these shorts end, well open ended... like Justin said killing them all off wouldn't solve anything either. My goal was to simply entertain and keep your attention for the full six minutes if we did it, let me know!!! I apperciate all you guys here and I'm lovin' the fest you guys are all so talented! Keep it up.

[Edgen]

Thank you brandon. Excellent and honest review.

Cabin lighting.. ehh.. was a bit tricky. I suppose there wasn't really much time to establish the badass fire place in the back.. Otherwise, I would have LOVED to have fired that thing up. (which, we did to keep our actresses warm)(Chris was a great help and a trooper in the frigggin' cold.

leaves you wanting more!! MORE!!! :) Btw, everyone listen to "Cruisin' Down to Big Bear (http://www.edgenmusic.com/lakeside_cruisin_down_to_big_bear.mp3)"? matt jumped on my guitar, loaded up sound forge and hit record. One pass boom. We had our ranger's tune. I recorded three other songs, but Have yet to release them yet. I think it would be a fun promotional package to have the Ranger's Soundtrack available. Stupid ass po-dunk music to really put you in the hill billy mood. :)

keep em' flowin. I think its at that point where people will nit pick the nitty gritty just to pick. Which... is perfect.

ditto to what matt just said.


/j

[Darkline]

Well, this has to be up there with the most professional looking entires here.

It really did look like the start to a feature film. Very well shot, edited, and acted.
As a start to a feature I really could not fault it, I wanted to know where it went from here. However, this being a short film competition I have to judge it as a 6 minute piece and it didn't really hit the mark.

I would guess that's not a problem for you as you could probably take this opening and get fuding for a feature film from it. This is a great showase of your abilities. It scores in every checkbox for me.

As a short though it just doesnt feel complete, it's more like a trailer for a much bigger event and as such it's a hard one to judge....

But I can't commend you on your skills and professionalism enough. You could go places with this....

[Edgen]

Well, this has to be up there with the most professional looking entires here.

It really did look like the start to a feature film. Very well shot, edited, and acted.
As a start to a feature I really could not fault it, I wanted to know where it went from here. However, this being a short film competition I have to judge it as a 6 minute piece and it didn't really hit the mark.

I would guess that's not a problem for you as you could probably take this opening and get fuding for a feature film from it. This is a great showase of your abilities. It scores in every checkbox for me.

As a short though it just doesnt feel complete, it's more like a trailer for a much bigger event and as such it's a hard one to judge....

But I can't commend you on your skills and professionalism enough. You could go places with this....

Thank you thank you! Yes.. Trailer'esk. I think Matt hit a good point. Either way, if we ended with the kids dying or the kids killing the creature, it still does not really end. We wanted to rattle your nerves for the full 6 minutes and keep you away from the stop button. :) (or volume control for that matter)

Your review was most helpful and always something to do better in the future.

cheers,
/j

[Darkline]

oh you certaintly had me gripped! no way was I going to turn off.

I agree there was no time to kill the kids or the monster. But as good as that is it's also part of the problem. The pacing throughout was that of a longer piece, not a short; if you had rushed the end it woulnd't have fit. So hard to say really, maybe you could have ended with more of a big cliffhanger, as it stood it almost seemed like someone turned the projecter off.... you know like "you wanna see more? give us $300,000!"

but seriously you could pitch this for funding...

[Edgen]

...but seriously you could pitch this for funding...

That is sweet words to my eyes if i've ever seen it. :) thank you! :thumbup:

/j

[VersuS]

How many sick sherrifs are there in USA? ;)

Very professional beginning, the shots of the car are very well established and how you cut to the in-car is great.
Acting was REALLY nice! The creepy guy just ACED and I wanted MORE from him!
I dont quite get why you'd leave such a small dog outside but I guess you had to for this movie, but for realism you wouldnt, its cruel to leave it there (just a side note).
Is there a longer version? I want to see what happens even though I know it's gonna be a bloody mess! Still it had me wanting more!
The sound design was ok but at the beginning the song was not very well received, maybe UP the level a bit.However the change to the in-car was very well done in terms of audio as well, nothing abrupt, all very smooth and normal as you would expect in a big production.

As for that demon-like thing...it was ok! It didnt bother me in terms of quality, but since you didnt mean to tell more of this story you could have gone away with just cameos and not a full body shot. It would be scarier that's what I'm saying, to keep a 'fog' around this villain. In my humble opinion, if this was a feature I guess the story goes with the creepy cop being something like a monster right? I know it's a cliche but I'd rather have the creepy cop being a mass murdered because you had there an excellent actor who would definitely scare the hell out of us even if he held a pen!

[Edgen]

Lakeside


Script
As many have said, it felt incomplete. I think you mentioned earlier it was a part of a feature, if so, let’s see the feature! What you wrote here is good, feels very Hollywood, which is good, if you want the script produced!

Acting
The Ranger was pretty good, but I felt the rest of the actors were a bit shaky. Lots of the lines felt forced. Your lead male was pretty good, and he looked like Joaquin Phoenix!

Cinematography
Nice. Dug the shots at the beginning especially! Some of the interior dark cabin scenes seemed too flat for me.

Editing
Pretty good stuff here as well, it moved along briskly. One note in particular, I loved the cutaways to the dog on the girl’s lap when they were in the car, very nicely done there!

Score
Good stuff, flowed right along in the piece, didn’t stand out, which is good in this case!

Overall Impressions
Felt a bit incomplete, but I want to see the feature. It had a polished feel to it. One other note, the effects were cool! The first creature shot made me jump. Nice work there!

Thank you brandon for your review! I'm glad it flowed for ya and of course made you jump!

ya, the score I worked closely with on Matt. It was actually probably the only 'heated' pull/tug that we encountered for the entire production process. I was screaming... YES!! more score! He was screaming.. "NO! MOre Metal Saw Sound fx!! " (j/k) . So, we comprimised. There was a lot more music, but we decided to let the sound FX soundtrack take care of that. Pull you in, take you out feel. Ya, Christian did a fantastic job. So did the rest of the cast. I'd definitely like to work with everyone again. Specially Mr. Dapsis. He was a real 'trooper'

/j

[Edgen]

How many sick sherrifs are there in USA? ;)

Very professional beginning, the shots of the car are very well established and how you cut to the in-car is great.
Acting was REALLY nice! The creepy guy just ACED and I wanted MORE from him!
I dont quite get why you'd leave such a small dog outside but I guess you had to for this movie, but for realism you wouldnt, its cruel to leave it there (just a side note).
Is there a longer version? I want to see what happens even though I know it's gonna be a bloody mess! Still it had me wanting more!
The sound design was ok but at the beginning the song was not very well received, maybe UP the level a bit.However the change to the in-car was very well done in terms of audio as well, nothing abrupt, all very smooth and normal as you would expect in a big production.

As for that demon-like thing...it was ok! It didnt bother me in terms of quality, but since you didnt mean to tell more of this story you could have gone away with just cameos and not a full body shot. It would be scarier that's what I'm saying, to keep a 'fog' around this villain. In my humble opinion, if this was a feature I guess the story goes with the creepy cop being something like a monster right? I know it's a cliche but I'd rather have the creepy cop being a mass murdered because you had there an excellent actor who would definitely scare the hell out of us even if he held a pen!

thank you versus for the review. (damn, i really need to goto bed)

Yes! Longer version. That's good right? I agree on the song. I wish I would have beefed it up more, but after watching and listening umpteen hundred times, I felt it was too abrupt and I didn't want people immediately reach for the volume to turn it down. WHICH.. i've had to do with SOOO many of these films in the fest. I guess I was right. :)

Saul. yes. He was awesome. SOooo much great stuff to choose from in terms of his performance. He's one of the nicest guys ever though.

FOg on the creature. I can see your point and I suppose we could darken/hide/fog him up a bit more. I would haev love to of gotten a close up right after he's in the doorway, but we wanted him in... and booOM! out. so there really wasn't much time.

Storyboards were definitely key to this film. I think when I did the initial edit, it was just over 7 minutes? Which, I think was a fantastic start and the SB's helped that pacing.

Thanks again! you rock!

keep em' cruisin'.

/j

[Edgen]

here's some more storyboards for you guys.

enjoy!


http://www.edgen.com/lakeside/lakeside_storyboards2.jpg


we wanted to have the dog pulled out and off to the right of screen and you can hear the sound FX for that FX shot, but that was one that look too damn stupid so we yanked it out.

OOh.. and for the dog. Yes, there's no way we'd leave such a cute little "Nestle" outside like that, but that unfortunately was the only dog we had! Good thing Matt bought that little furry coat right before dinner. Otherwise, we would have never seend the little guy "Freeze his ass off"

we wanted a white dog.. but, that fell through. make do with what ya got. Either that or use Matt's Fat Faced Kitten! :thumbup::beer:

/j

[Geoff_R]

Best opening shot! I saw that truck blazing down the trail and then the Title appear and thought to myself..."and here is our horrorfest winner...."

All around decent acting, but great performance from the sherrif. That guy literally disturbed me. If that was real life, I would have punched that guy in the face and drove off on the flat tire, haulin @$$ on rim at 50 mph. He was that f-in creepy!

Cinematography was brilliant in some parts and average in others. I almost feel like some shots/setups were pushed really fast whereas others allowed you adequate time to setup frame and lighting.

The one thing that kind of bothered me was the editing/pacing. I was so hyped in the beginning with the cinematic visuals and energy but the whole scene with the sherriff (while creepy as hell) slowed the story down way to much for me. I think it winds down too much and that carries into the rest of the film then as well. I'm not as pumped in the later action sequences with the creature.

[avatuar]

Hey guys wow! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying it. I know everyone keeps saying this feels like a feature. Well... good...;) Even though it's an excerpt from the feature it is takin' out and custom written for a short. I think it should leave you wanting more lol. I know a lot of these shorts have ended and I'm like "damn, no, keep going I like!!!!" Anyway I've been watching all the films and you guys the ones who aren't should be doing this professionally, serious competition and great talents! Can't wait to hear what else you guys have to say.

[TimurCivan]

Prety good guys. The acting in some points killed it for me. The "go get hmmers and nails" part let me down pretty bad. but the bat thing eating the chiuhauha ROCKED HARD. I love that part.

You score well. :) Great little flick. nice touches liek the bat thng killing the genny was great!

[avatuar]

Thanks glad you enjoyed it!

[J.R. Hudson]

Lakeside

This is one of my favorities and I am, leaning on it being my personal favorite. I only give out one 10 each fest and I am strongly considering this one to be it.

It was just plain fun. It had a solid cast who actually had character. Everything worked for me on this one. It just clicks and is fun to be a part of it!

Well done on all levels !

[Edgen]

Lakeside

This is one of my favorities and I am, leaning on it being my personal favorite. I only give out one 10 each fest and I am strongly considering this one to be it.

It was just plain fun. It had a solid cast who actually had character. Everything worked for me on this one. It just clicks and is fun to be a part of it!

Well done on all levels !

John, wow.

Thank you so much and I'm most definitely honored to hear this. I'm glad you enjoyed our film and I hope everyone else did too.

cheers! :beer:

keep those crits coming!

/j

[avatuar]

John, you have no idea how much that means to me coming from you *tear* been on here a while and honor your opion and work. Thanks man.

-Matt

[Aaron Marshall]

Lakeside was actually pretty decent. It had a few structure problems. The scene with the old sherriff went on for too long. I would have liked to have watched less of him and more of the action near the end. I liked the old actor but he over acted as the performance progressed. I would have liked to have seen him less alert with slowed down eyes slightly delayed behind his head movement.

As far as timeless filmmaking goes this would be put into the category of "Sci Fi Original programming". It's no "Halloween" or "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" BUT, and this is a big but, I love that you didn't try to rip off the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or some other film.

The BTS was kind of lame and almost took away from the film.

[avatuar]

I appreciate you opinion, but the general concencious is that the Ranger's scene was the best. Thanks for the compliments. My goal is to have Lakeside be a new spin on suspense. The feature script goes way deeper. I'm sorry you did not enjoy the BTS, I thought it was great, and better then nothing at all;) Hope to hit your taste buds for film in the feature!

[Gord.T]

I wont be voting and can't envy anyone who is. I mean, with films like this and others,I would be wracking my brains out. I thought the Ranger was a highlight. If there was anything that didn't quite hit the mark then it was minimal and easy to overlook for me. Anyways, I liked this one alot.
Good luck in the fest. -gordo.

[avatuar]

Thanks man means a lot I'm so happy that Lakeside predomintatley keeps everyone entertained and suspended for the full 6 minutes!

[EJ Pennypacker]

I enjoyed LAKESIDE. The acting kept the piece together, the guy Kevin I especially liked. LAKESIDE is kinda a more creepier version of CABIN FEVER...

Well done.

EJ

[avatuar]

Hey wow thanks, actually that's wierd because I had a producer check out the feature script and he said the same thing;) Anywho it's always good to get compared to a successful pic thanks man!

[MsManhattan]

I have to watch this again because the first time I was watching it on a laptop screen from across the room, but even from that vantage point, I was so friggin envious of your opening shot... Looking forward to watching it up close.

[J.R. Hudson]

I enjoyed LAKESIDE. The acting kept the piece together, the guy Kevin I especially liked. LAKESIDE is kinda a more creepier version of CABIN FEVER...

Well done.

EJ

LOL I agree

I'd rather watch Lakeside 20 times than that crap.

[Mark Harris]

Man, I was about to post that "Yeah, Lakeside's like Cabin Fever, except that Lakeside doesn't SUCK BALLS." :):)

[VersuS]

LOL I agree

I'd rather watch Lakeside 20 times than that crap.

When you said crap, was your finger pointing at my movies ? :Drogar-Smoke(DBG):

Joking of course. I knew you were pointing at my movies..oops did it again...

[gwmesler]

Wow! Everything was top-notch, especially the acting. That opening shot of the SUV going down the road with the title in the sky has a very professional look. You made it into my top 5 for sure.

[avatuar]

Awesome to hear, yeah Cabin Fever is one of those movies that just inspires you to vomit. ;)

[Weston]

Hey I liked this.

The first couple shots were very professional looking. Cool camera movement.

Watching it I wished you had more time to tell the story. Such as how they got from the truck to the cabin...more...i dunno....foreboding doom mood shots.

I think my favorite shot was the one outside the cabin with all the night sounds. It reminded me of the village....which for me is saying alot. That movie has some awesome woods-at-night sounds.

The acting was pretty good...it got progressively better as the movie went on. I didnt really like the Nick Nolte-ish forest ranger guy. He went a little overboard. But hey...he is a crazy forest ranger...so I guess he acted like one.

Your creature was cool. I liked it when the dog bit the dust there and the leash swings. It reminded me of the Jurassic Park goat slaying.

Anyway...this was a nice movie. I'd love a longer version.

[avatuar]

Wow man can't say thank you enough! It's a huge compliment when your work gets compared to a respected, succesful production.

[cinealma]

This film has received a lot of attention and deservedly so. The only things that stood out a bit to me was the abrupt ending (it felt like it was part of a bigger project) and the dialogue seemed to get a liitle lame towards the end.

But there is really good stuff here. The craft in all departments was top notch. Here's how it felt to me: like I was watching the opening bit to an X-Files episode, spot on! I was waiting for Mulder and Scully to be canvassing the cabin in the morning. Excellent!

Fine job!


John G.

[hvxabuser]

Looked great need some CC though. good job.

[Edgen]

Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments! Definitely keep them coming and looking forward to growing bigger and better!

HVXabuser.. Can you give us a better example of what scene needs better CC? We thought it was pretty consitent across the boards so pinpointing will help improve the film's look.

thanks!
/j

[CallaghanFilms]

...Here's how it felt to me: like I was watching the opening bit to an X-Files episode, spot on! I was waiting for Mulder and Scully to be canvassing the cabin in the morning... Ok...now that's just weird! That is exactly what my initial feeling was. I half expected http://youtube.com/watch?v=t5KJJ83MQUg to kick in! (...and what a helluva episode this woulda been!)

__________________________________________________ ____________________________________

Anyway... as it has been said, Lakeside had a definite film feel to it.

Right from the get-go it grabs the audience.

The lead actor has major poo pooing potential (my one critique would be that the supporting players couldn't quite play in his acting sandbox - most especially the gals...but I digress.) The cop's performance also stood out as one that'll long be remembered around these here parts.

For what it's worth, this flick now officially holds a spot on the infamous Callaghan Best Of List (at number three in the fest behind Broken Circle and Reunion.)

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

shi* this was good!
Take your asses down town and get funding for your feature gentleman.
Only a few edits I thought could'v been tightened up.

SPOILER ALERT
Lame when the thing pushed on the door and then they closed it. Was like they were just waiting for that and then it was a slow not forceful not scary easily counter acted push.


Nits to pick (more spoilers):
The medium shot of the girl looking around before the long shot of her when the doggy gets eaten behind her didn't cut well, too similar in size. Can we just cut to the long shot there where the VFX happens.

Can't remember if she's just turned around from talking to the dog, but cutting on her turning motion will help the edit too.

Also tighten up as much as you can in the cabin when the power goes out.

Do genny's in cabins kick on by themselves when power goes out?

Opening title. At one point the font seems to bump to slightly shorter and fatter, like it had been cut and one of the clips slightly resized.


Really nice handling of exposition and dialogue. You introduced the thing and then didn't spend a bunch of blah blah blah telling us all the specifics of it which we don't need especially for a short. Instead you just show us the C.U. of the girl in the passenger seat who knew what the legend was with an "Oh shi*" look on her face to button the scene. Perfect - show don't tell is the axiom and that's a great example.

Well done.

I think you could convince a producer that you are about as low a risk as you could get for first timers. Project is commercial and well done. If we can watch a movie about 7 chicks that go spelunking and Golum things eat them up then why not I know What you Did Last Summer meets Friday the 13th meets the Decent (but better than the decent).

Good for you guy :beer:

Jack

[Lingothree]

Hello -

This all looked great - very high quality. A few elements that didn't live up to the overall fine production of the short, though.
- editing was not so great at times
- there was a lot of build-up, and no real ending. it felt like this is supposed to be a 12 minute (or longer) movie and you just lopped off the ending.
of course, these are just the two things that could use work in relation to the great work you did elsewhere.
love love loved the sheriff/ranger. how did you get charlie manson out of prison to act in your movie? work release? that dude was cra-zee. so send a kudos out to your actor.

[Edgen]

- editing was not so great at times

Can you explain which parts specifically needed work? I would love to learn from my mistakes.

thanks for the review.

/j

[Lingothree]

Sure - and keep in mind, it was still better than most in the festival. Just wasn't on par with the rest of the production values of this short.

:24 - you cut to a shot of the dog's face before faces of any of your actors. they should be the focus, not the dog (even though he's the one to get knocked off first).

~:36 - I would have liked to see a cut back to the shot of the white SUV, to contextualize that this is the person pulling the kids over. As is, it felt like the white SUV was just a car full of their buddies out racing.
~:51 - second shot of car approaching rock came just a moment too late (or you should have cut away from first rock shot sooner)
1:23 - I'd dump the shot of the blonde girl waiting for the sheriff to arrive - makes you feel like she's the one the sheriff is going to approach, and there's really not a reason to include it. In fact, I would have dumped the previous two reaction shots of the two in the backseat (when the car stops) and replaced it with a reaction shot of the blonde girl (since she is presumably his girlfriend, and thus the one whose opinion he should value the most).
I would have tightened up all the edits in the sheriff/car scene - it drags just a tiny bit.
2:37 - the cut from one shot of the sheriff to a tighter shot didn't do it for me.
3:51 - cut to shot of dog is a little off-putting and w/o context. Would have been better from another angle, so you could see them entering the cabin in the background.
4:32 - I lost the context for where she was, so when they pull her into the cabin it was a bit disorienting. It continues to be a little clunky during that whole sequence where they bring her in, the monster tries to enter and they slam the door shut. Would've been great if you could have cut back to a reverse angle close up on her face reacting to door, to clean things up a bit.
5:09 - I would have left out that 2nd shot of male lead holding flashlight. It's a bit disorienting to go back to it so quickly and for such a brief time, and would have built tension better to hold on the shot of his friends in flashlight illumination. Plus it looked way too much like the 1st shot (in fact, did you use parts of the same shot twice?).
Around 5:10 - it looks like you doubled up on the movement of the camera from blonde to brunette girl and used it twice - that's off-putting. I would have just cut straight from that last flashlight shot you had (or if you eliminate, the shot of all three of them illuminated) to the tighter shot you have of the blonde girl getting grabbed.
5:24 - shot of the back of blonde girl's head - that one's confusing. Didn't she just get pulled out the door? If he pulled her back inside, we need to either see some evidence of that.
5:44 - that close up seems to come out of nowhere, and breaks continuity (since she should be hugging on to your male lead at that moment) - I would have cut to a close up of the blonde guy yelling, then back to your three-shot.

All nitpicky stuff, as you can see!

[avatuar]

Wow yup, well thanks for the detailed notes much apperciated. We're gonna have to consult with you on our next fest film before we release it lol. The thing that caused the lack of some of those extra needed shots was we had our permit and that location for only one day. In the next fest we're going ensure we have mucho time for everything like many of you did! We planned and planned and planned, but you can't plan for everything. BTW I liked you short disturbing, but high quality, NICE!

[jpbankesmercer]

Acting: Solid. But you got to listen to me. That COP, I don’t know what’s been said before, (and I don’t care), HE IS GOLD DUST. Reminds me of one of Captain Spalding’s crew, you’ve got to use him more. Perfect for horror, yeah over-the-top but perfect for horror.
Script: A little predictable but it worked, wanted more in the ending dept.
Direction: Some really nice shot choice and mix of ideas.
Music: Nice to hear not over done music, but sound scapes that drove the story. Stabs, short instrumentals. Nice man.:thumbup:
Editing: Choppy. I never like that cut to the same angle thing.
Lighting: Some really nice use of natural lighting/ flares.
Loved: How fast you got into it, low angle flare shot, (Nice!), tiny-crash zooms, the dog’s coat, the cabin scene, use of handheld done well.
Hated: That it ended so quickly.
Overall: It felt like something was missing, everything was there. It built really nicely guess I just wanted to see what happened. I kept thinking if these guys had a really solid script they would do amazing things, I’m sure you will. :thumbup:

I also think your ready for a 20/ 30 min film using the COP as a centeral character. Building it around how he got to be a COP, why he’s the only law officer for miles, what he does in his spare time! It would be ace, please do it.:huh:

Top job!

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS ON BROKEN CIRCLE (WE NEED EM!)

[Rock Punk!]

Lakeside is in my top 5!

In my opinion, a classic and refreshing take on the horror flix from the past.

[jpbankesmercer]

Best of luck guys, you did well with me.
J.P.

[TheatreGuy]

Hey Edgen, Thank you for bringing this quality piece of filmmaking to the festival!!!

It was such a great festival and experience for me. I loved this film. I really do intend to spend time analysing the work here. The shots in the cabin are amazing!

Great Job and Congratulations!!!

Ted

[Edgen]

Ted! Great to see you liked it and kept you entertained. Hopefully many more to follow. ... strike that. LOTS more to follow. :)

Thank you everybody sooooo much for watching and for contributing your wonderful feedback and support. With the help given here, we can make the next film that much better.

Also, huge kudos to all the other filmmakers and entries. I had quite a few good laughs and a few scares. :) Mission Accomplished with the fest.

cheers!
/justin

[Norm Sanders]

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

Another high scorer on my list. The opening was just MASSIVE production value. Killer opening with the truck racing by and the title appearing, motion tracking pretty darn well to the footage! The ranger was a little over the top at times, but I think the character was supposed to be that way, so I’d say the performance was pretty spot on. Sound design, VFX, etc. … all absolutely solid, very nicely done. Another great score by Justin too. I’d say the ONLY thing that really hurt his for me was the lead male’s acting. He was pretty acceptable until we get inside the cabin … he just saw something try & get inside to the point where he has to slam the door shut … and he’s saying they’ll all be fine? I’ll blame his lines on the script, but he still could have delivered them differently … just felt forced & unnatural. Other than that, I know why folks are saying this could be a contender! This ‘felt’ like it was longer than 6 minutes, which is a good thing … had a feature film quality to it for sure!

[avatuar]

Hey man thanks so much for that, that's hilarious I started to do the same thing with the word doc. as for the script, it's being re-written completley for the feature. Thanks guys I really apperciate your continued attention and comments!

[Norm Sanders]

Wow, very cool ... I'm hearing several projects with features coming out of them from this fest, and that's an awesome thing!

BTW, that BTS link is still broken on this thread as well. I WANNA SEE IT!!! :)

[avatuar]

Thanks man, PM Edgen he should be able to hook you up!

[Edgen]

yup. my server broke from mirroring all the files. No word back from my hosting provider, but hopefully it'll be back up soon.

Perhaps I'll upload it to my other server? stay tuned.

/j

[Norm Sanders]

Def. keep us posted ... looking forward to seeing it! If you need me to host it, just let me know.

[Darkline]

Ive posted this on my thread but I'll post it here too!

Lakeside is awesome! It was one of my favourites and I watched it about 5 times.... Take that out right now and get feature funding for it. I'm serious. you made a slick and amazingly fun taster of what you guys can do!

special thanks to you Edgen for being one of the first to welcome me to this festival and for leaving such detailed comments on my film! I'll alwasy be grateful for that!