"The Morning After" A sexy new horror film by Jeremy Poindexter

[luster]

"The Morning After" is in the Sci-Fi Channel's Exposure short film contest.
Check it out and vote: http://www.scifi.com/exposure/

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/11576/1159335047.jpg

This will be my first ever dvxuserFEST entry (if I can finish it in time).

MORE DETAILS COMING SOON!!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

BUDGET DETAILS
One of my goals for this film is to keep it cheap. My target was around $100.

Here's what I've bought so far:
wallpaper $25
answering machine $ 5
fake blood $ 5
custom belt buckle $12
music library $110
makeup $15

TOTAL $172


PRODUCTION NOTES

9/29
Got a lot done in the last two days. Now I might actually finish this thing by the deadline.

I still needed to cast and record some voice-overs for some answering machine messages. I went to the local community college to hit up the fundamentals of acting class for some actors. I was a bit weary of the fundamentals class, so I went in with my fingers crossed. I lucked out when I got there because rehearsals for a play were letting out. I was able to round up a group of experienced actors and record some voice-overs on the spot.

I also shot the final scene - which went very smoothly. It was a little tough because I had to shoot in a tiny bathroom, but I'm super happy with the footage.


9/28
I borrowed all the lights for the project, so that helped save a bunch of money. Buying the music library put me over budget, but I figured it was worth it because I found the PERFECT song for this film - I feel like it adds so much. I also got a bunch of other songs which might come in handy for some other projects.

I've still got another scene to shoot, but I think I already have everything I need for it.

[Brandon Rice]

You have not yet shot?

[luster]

I've shot about 98% so far - I still have one short scene that I still need to shoot.

[Brandon Rice]

Ah ok, cool. Welcome to horrorfest!

[cinealma]

All right, J.P.! Can't wait to see what you've got! :thumbsup:

Love the poster, dude!


John G.

[Matt Sconce]

That poster freaks me out....I think about pregnancy, and that blood spot, put those two things together and get all grossed out. Nice job!

[VersuS]

Pregnancy?? .....how come??? ...by the way if you try to put pregnancy and blood spot together you need more spots...more like a blood pool....

[Matt Sconce]

Because of the Morning After pill......

[VersuS]

oooooooh.....I see....loool....

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

diggin' the poster / title / and what I at least assume the milieu to be :thumbsup:

[Ralph Oshiro]

Great poster! Great type treatments! I don't know how you guys keep your projects to yourselves for so long!

[Ralph Oshiro]

Oh yeah . . . can't wait to see the "sexy" parts!!!

[luster]

Glad you guys like the poster.
I was a little worried that nobody was going to get the subtext of the title.

[7CS]

So you got the bug after shooting the cure! I'd offer to help but I've got no free time till Monday this week.

[cinealma]

Oh yeah . . . can't wait to see the "sexy" parts!!!

J.P. is bringing the sexy back to horror films! :thumbsup:


John G.

[Lingothree]

Glad you guys like the poster.
I was a little worried that nobody was going to get the subtext of the title.

Yeesh - really? I'm loving this already...

[GTP]

Great poster...

[luster]

Added some updates about the budget.

[luster]

The production had WRAPPED. I've also updated the production notes. Now I'll be busting me arse in post.

[cinealma]

Looking good! Try and get a LITTLE sleep this weekend. :)


John G.

[luster]

YES.
Uploading.
It's crazy how long compression and uploading take. I need a new computer.

[concannon]

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/11576/1159335047.jpg

This will be my first ever dvxuserFEST entry (if I can finish it in time).

MORE DETAILS COMING SOON!!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

BUDGET DETAILS
One of my goals for this film is to keep it cheap. My target was around $100.

Here's what I've bought so far:
wallpaper $25
answering machine $ 5
fake blood $ 5
custom belt buckle $12
music library $110
makeup $15

TOTAL $172


PRODUCTION NOTES

9/29
Got a lot done in the last two days. Now I might actually finish this thing by the deadline.

I still needed to cast and record some voice-overs for some answering machine messages. I went to the local community college to hit up the fundamentals of acting class for some actors. I was a bit weary of the fundamentals class, so I went in with my fingers crossed. I lucked out when I got there because rehearsals for a play were letting out. I was able to round up a group of experienced actors and record some voice-overs on the spot.

I also shot the final scene - which went very smoothly. It was a little tough because I had to shoot in a tiny bathroom, but I'm super happy with the footage.


9/28
I borrowed all the lights for the project, so that helped save a bunch of money. Buying the music library put me over budget, but I figured it was worth it because I found the PERFECT song for this film - I feel like it adds so much. I also got a bunch of other songs which might come in handy for some other projects.

I've still got another scene to shoot, but I think I already have everything I need for it.

So far this one has my vote for best poster. I love the design!

[cinealma]

YES.
Uploading.
It's crazy how long compression and uploading take. I need a new computer.

Tell me about it. After SEVERAL hours trying to get an H264 .mov file out of Vegas, I gave up and went with an mp4. Got it in around 48 megs. And it looked pretty ok to me.


John G.

[luster]

Thanks for the kind words about the poster. Hopefully people will like the movie too.

[gwmesler]

Your tag line will get lots of attention. Is it really sexy? Or, will we be disappointed?

[luster]

I consider it a sexy movie, but it's not tasteless.....so if you're expecting some softcore action you'll probably be dissapointed.

[gwmesler]

Great! I'm glad you're not just using the term to get attention. Tasteful sexy is good.

[luster]

In the delirium of a long editing session, I put a secret message in my film.

Let's see if anyone can find it.
PM me if you get it.

[cinealma]

In the delirium of a long editing session, I put a secret message in my film.

Let's see if anyone can find it.
PM me if you get it.

Ooh! That's good!


John G.

[mentatDUKE]

I must decode that message..... :)

[gwmesler]

I didn't get the secret message, but I loved the short. I laughed my ass off at the end. Indeed, it was sexy!

[luster]

thanks.
the secret message is pretty subtle - you'd probably have to watch it a few times to get it :)

[luster]

Anyone else checked out "The Morning After" yet? I'd love to hear some comments. Thanks.

[TheatreGuy]

Hey, just saw it! Nice production work. That really stood out to me. The images were so clean. Crisp.

I liked the story a lot. So simple yet effective. I loved the use of the answering machine replaying the night before.

I will be watching this again, not only for the secret message, but because I really liked how simple it was and yet enjoyable.

Nice job! Congrats!

Oh, I guess I would like to comment on her at the john getting sick. She didn't appear to be sick when she got up. Maybe I'll catch it on the second time through, but it struck me as weird.

But overall, a very smooth film.

Ted

[cinealma]

Good job, J.P. Looked like an after-school special gone terribly wrong! Excellent. Very subtle translation of the genre. This could definitely be expanded into a pretty good 10 - 12 minute gem. I liked the use of the answering machine as the "dialogue" of the film.


John G.

[Geoff_R]

I really liked this film. It works great for the short film genre; everything is summed up in six minutes. Good characterization and a flowing story that concludes itself quite well. Simple and effective plot, easy to follow and appreciate.

I think this is the best example I've seen yet on how 'short films' are supposed to work. In so many films, I feel like we're trying to cram too much into a six-minute window (I did it with my own film!)

Excellent work!

[Lingothree]

This is one of my favorites for sure.

Everything (cinematography, editing, writing, score, acting) was very fluid and natural, and made the whole process seem invisible. Great job on all of the above. I especially felt that the very subtle score served the story well - and it kind of reminded me of Home Alone, and how the score to that moves the story along without being intrusive.

I guarantee you I'm the only one referencing Home Alone in the horrorfest threads. Sheesh.

Liked all the little subtleties, like the blood not visible on her legs until she's facing away from the camera, and that she takes her shoes off when getting out of bed (poor drunk girl fell asleep with her shoes on) only to put the back on again to do some stabbin'. Those are both great little details.

I loved the ending. Way to bring it around full circle, and end the movie in a proper manner.

What exactly did he do to make her so upset? Slip her a mickey? Give her herpes? Not find the clitoris? Or is that what the secret message is about?

[Beat Takeshi]

I also liked this one and the use of the answering machine. The pacing was good and the shots were nice. I liked the unexpressive expressivness of her face.

[JoshuaNitschke]

Creative for sure, and it looked nice, but I didn't really get the motivation for her killing him.

Is she mad that he knocked her up or something? I just don't quite get it.

Props for creativity though.

[luster]

thanks for the kind words everyone, and thanks for taking the time to comment.

i'm dying to see what everyone else did, but i won't get to watch them until tomorrow.

[VersuS]

Again, we see here how well you can do with just one actor (or actress) in a single location.

The images were great. Cinematography/editing was solid and thought through and that made me relax while watching it in a good way. I loved the answering machine concept but still I didnt really get the story. Does she kill him coz he slept with her and she lost her virginity? That's not so bad, I mean, if she just turned psycho on him I'd want to see that and not just crush his skull with her heels. However the end where it plays her message ('i m doing something important ...') and we see her looking away after the kill was GREAT.
The blood looked fake but that's a minor thing in the overall feel to it.
Very well delivered! Great stuff!

[Geoff_R]

...However the end where it plays her message ('i m doing something important ...') and we see her looking away after the kill was GREAT.


Absolutely!! That shot/setup is brilliant. I love it; best example of how to tell people something in a film but not tell people all at the same time. It's kind of like show, don't tell...they're hard to explain but once you see it, it all makes sense. The ending beat is such a perfect closer.

BTW, my gf and co-producer on my film really loves your short. I was trying to watch these things in order and she called me up and told me I had to watch it. She was right!

[luster]

thanks. that means a lot that it stood out to your gf/co-producer as being something worth watching.

you put so much hard work into these things not knowing if anyone is going to care, but once you get at least one person to take notice it seems to make it all the worth it.

i think showing not telling is really the hardest thing to do in a short film - but it's also one of the most important things because it makes it feel complete instead of like it's a trailer or a watered down version of a feature.

i'm flattered that you got that sense from this piece.

[TimurCivan]

The sound was good, the images great! but i just didint get the story. I thnk i missed it something some where.ive watched it twice. I dont get it. she kills guy for fun? was she raped? why was there blood trickling form between her legs? was she Roofied? i dont get it. But the at thesame time this is also why it stuck in my mind. i read alot in to it. Its criticism, but not bad either. so dont take it the wrong way. I like the questions it raised.

Super beautiful though. you catually got a high hscore on the technichal merits :)

[luster]

SPOILER ALERT
PLEASE DON'T READ UNTIL AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE.

many people aren't exactly sure what happens in the movie.

here is my quick response:
i definitely wanted to leave some details of what happened the night before ambiguous - that's really the whole point of the story.

i was trying to explore the traditional killer/victim roles in this piece. most would probably assume from the outset that this girl is the victim in this story, but is she?

first we see the girl, and we know it's a horror, so most probably think that she is going to be the victim.

then we hear these answering machine messages that lead us to believe that this guy, bobby jenkins, is probably the bad guy.

then we find out that bobby was there the night before, and that the main character has blood on her legs and in her bed. most would assume that bobby jenkins is the bad guy and he probably raped her or at least that something bad happened to her.

then when we find out that bobby is still at her place, and we get an unexpected reaction from the main character. she's not scared. she seems calm and she seems calculated in her killing.

so what happened the night before?? it's up to the viewer to decide.

[VersuS]

so what happened the night before?? it's up to the viewer to decide.

he said 'what's that smell?'

[cinealma]

SPOILER ALERT
PLEASE DON'T READ UNTIL AFTER WATCHING THE MOVIE.

...i was trying to explore the traditional killer/victim roles in this piece. most would probably assume from the outset that this girl is the victim in this story, but is she?

...so what happened the night before?? it's up to the viewer to decide.

This is exactly what I like about it. I always wanted to do a little piece with two guys, similar in appearance, one is chasing the other through the woods with a gun. He catches him and kills him. And that's it. This leaves the question: who was the good guy and who was the bad guy? What unconscious clues can the viewer pick up to determine for one's self who is who?


John G.

[VersuS]

They did something like that in a CSI Las Vegas episode season 5 i think...two kids took some drugs, episode starts with one of them running naked and scared...than they find him dead...he was with his friend...they are led to believe it was a killer of some sort...then Grishom works his geekness around a bit and BAM...the 2nd guy killed his friend coz they got spooked enough with the drugs....never saw it coming....never....

[luster]

VersuS: i based the blood splatters on some forensic analysis photos, but i know that sometimes real doesn't look real in a movie. what do you think would make the blood look more real? any suggestions?

[VersuS]

fake in terms of color..not the way you splattered it across the sheets and her legs...the color was off...

[luster]

gotcha. i think you're right about the color. i might tweak it later in after effects.

[Mark Harris]

Just watched this the second time. I see what you were going for, but in my view, it was just too long and the beats just not specific enough. I felt like at about 2 min MAX this would have kicked ass. However, I thank you for letting me look at your actress for 4 :)

Also, your shooting is really, really great, though I am not a huge fan of the BSG zooms.

[luster]

thanks for watching.

every one of these i've seen without frenetic editing gets the comment that it's too slow. damn mtv for killing our attention spans.

[Mark Harris]

Well, not sure if that's the case. It's pretty subjective too.

I thought the actor was really great, and I do NOT like frenetic editing. All I'm saying is it felt like not ENOUGH story to fill the time. But I know you didn't like aspects of what we did, so like I said there is a lot of subjectivity to it all. The work is all there though.

Dude, you are a kick-assed shooter. I like the work on Cinealma's movie too. It's a great range between this and that.

[luster]

thanks man.
and just to clear things up I really liked "Bloody Mary" i just wanted to give you guys some honest criticsm so your next movie can be even better. in my mind it's the honest criticsm, not the "nice reviews" that ultimatley make you a better filmmaker.

[Mark Harris]

No no, of course. And same here. That's why I said what I did, like to me a 2 min version would knock this out of the park, and leave the audience going: "Yikes!"

BTW, is the title any reference to RU-486? Like she prevents unwanted pregnancy by KILLING the guy before he gets in there? :)

[luster]

yeah, i was definitely going for the double meaning with the title.
when you have a chance, i'd love to hear what parts of the film you would cut to make a tighter version. thanks.

[Mark Harris]

That might be easier in person. Maybe you could fly your actress to NYC, and I can meet with her to discuss it...:)

I'll post some more later tonight, or tomorrow, heading out to the Coney Island Film Fest in a bit.

Actually, this would be stupid of me to suggest edits. I think I get caught up sometimes in how I would make a movie. Personally, I do think it was too long, but that may just be because I would have made it shorter. I think it just boils down to personal taste.

[Lingothree]

Mark Harris is naughty.

I liked the slow pace of this movie. It really set it apart from the others, and it made it feel like a lazy, hung-over morning. Good choice.

[TimurCivan]

Mark Harris is naughty.




You have no idea......... ;)

[Matt Sconce]

Matt Sconce's Review of The Morning After
*****POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW********

Script
Wonderful...loved the pacing, messages etc.
Acting
The girl did a great job!
Cinematography
You are a definite shooter. I enjoyed the angles you chose.
Editing
I liked the cuts and I liked the drowsyness of the pace.

Overall Impressions
I think this is one of the better done films of the fest. Congrats on shooting something different and awesome!

[wesley]

enjoyed this one. well shot with a clean image, nice story and good acting.

good job

[luster]

thanks for watching, guys.

[Ralph Oshiro]

I LOVED THIS FILM!

It's cute, clever, well-shot, well-acted (especially the voice acting), well-scored, unexpected, and unconventional. This is festival material! Plus, your actress is way hot (always a good thing)! It's definitely one of the most "finished" audience-ready films in the fest. Well done!

[Ralph Oshiro]

P.S.

I thought the pacing was perfect! I wasn't bored for one second!

[Mark Harris]

Mark Harris is naughty.

I think your movie requires a little discussion too, lady. Send me your actress as well. And the make-up artist to do her up for me just like in the last scene. Grrrrrrrr.....

Updated my post, luster

M

[luster]

I LOVED THIS FILM!

It's cute, clever, well-shot, well-acted (especially the voice acting), well-scored, unexpected, and unconventional. This is festival material! Plus, your actress is way hot (always a good thing)! It's definitely one of the most "finished" audience-ready films in the fest. Well done!

rezfactor: thanks for watching, and thanks for the support, it really means a lot, especially after seeing how beautifully you shot "runway"

[luster]

Actually, this would be stupid of me to suggest edits. I think I get caught up sometimes in how I would make a movie.

thanks for taking another look at the film - the pacing is definitely slower than a lot of other films in this fest, but i think it fits this film nicely.

[Ralph Oshiro]

HEY! Has everyone seen this film yet? It's GREAT! I just thought this thread deserves more attention!

[luster]

UPDATE: I added a little review roundup and some links to the movie.

REVIEWS
This is festival material! It's definitely one of the most "finished" audience-ready films in the fest. -rezfactor

I think this is one of the better done films of the fest. Congrats on shooting something different and awesome! - msconce

I loved the ending. Way to bring it around full circle, and end the movie in a proper manner. -lingothree

I think this is the best example I've seen yet on how 'short films' are supposed to work. - geoff_R

[Darkline]

Hi Luster

I saw your thread asking for more comments so I thought I'd take a stab.

The reason I havent commented before is simply because I didnt know what to say. You know when a film seems to do what it does well but it just isnt your bag ? so I have been reluctant to remark.

But here goes.

I like the fact you had the film play out with answer machine dialogue only. The rest is visual. That was very nice. It's underplayed and understated and I also liked that. It was one short here that wasnt afraid to take it's time. No cramming in war and peace into 6 mins....

But I have to say I found the whole thing a little flat. The short relies on the simple premise of 'shes brought this guy home to kill him - or has mostly killed him already'. Once you figure that out, there is nothing else to feed on. Since we have no informtaion about the girl, given no insight into her character or real motivation for doing this, it doesnt really have any high or lows? Equally we dont see him so no empathy is drawn for either character. Am I making any sense? The short came across as a statement rather than anything emotionally or dramatically engaging. There was no conflict, either inner, or outer. Maybe if she was in two minds, had a decision to make, or even if she regretted what she had done, or we felt something for the man instead - it would have given the film something for me at least to grab onto...

So as it stood it was more voyeuristic than anything - if thats your intention then I apologise. You did a fine job!

What was your intention with the short? what sort of reaction did you want from the audience?

[TheatreGuy]

Hi again, luster... just checking out your film again.

I really do like the simplicity of the story. As I've said in an earlier post, I love the camera work for the most part. The scenes in the bathroom have too much zooms in and out for me. I imagine that there is a reason, because it only happens in the bathroom. Is there a connection here?

Also, I had stated that I didn't feel like she was sick and needed to throw-up. I felt differently the second time through. Maybe because I knew that is where she was headed. (I imagine that it is the direction to have her unemotional and why I didn't feel that she was sick. But I love the unemotional existence of her. It's what makes your film work.)

I love the reveal of Bobby on the buckle. Nice touch!

I don't like the color of your fake blood. It is too bright red. There is a very simple recipe for fake blood that looks great and is tasty!

Blood Recipe: corn syrup, chocolate syrup and red food dye. The chocolate syrup is what gives the dark, deep color that is missing.

I love the music that accompanies the film. Playful, like the story...

I just read darklines review above (something that I don't like to do before I critique) but I have to agree with him on the issue of "conflict."

To me, even in a simple story, conflict is what drives a film and keeps a viewer's attention.

All in all, I still like this film a lot. I love the cinematography and the use of the message machine to establish the information that we need.

Congratulations on your work!

Ted

[EJ Pennypacker]

From a technical POV, it was all groovy.

That last phone call right at the end, that was the moment I was hoping for a twist in the tale. Perhaps Bobby was innocent, and it was some other guy, or even herself who did all those bruises.

Either way, I was hoping for a final TWIST at the end, something that makes you think crap after what she did.

On another plus side, all the actresses sounded totally natural over the phone, so that's cool.

EJ

[Michael_Petro]

Ok I liked this one pretty good.. like the music . like the answering machine doing the story telling. I liked to overall look and feel. Bedroom scenes looked really good. the bathroom scenes where ok.. The wack a mole scene made an interesting floral pattern on the wall :)

Thanks for calling and sharing..

[luster]

Thanks for the comments guys. They are truly helpful.

I like to be subtle in my writing, and sometimes I think this leaves some people feeling like there's nothing there. I think about half of the people who watch this don't get the fact that there is a huge chance that the Bobby character actually raped the girl the night before. That's where the conflict was meant to arise.

The answering machine messages are supposed to lead you to believe that she is the victim of Bobby Jenkins, then her unexpected reaction to bobby still being in the room is supposed to be something of a twist. It's supposed to raise the question did he rape her? OR was he a victim of her all along. You're left to decide for yourself using the information you have been given.

I had also hoped that the answering machine greeting would be enough to characterize the main character as a sort of fun-loving party girl. The type of girl that everyone knows and has come into contact with before. This is what was supposed to make the whole thing a bit creepy.

My favorite movies are the movies that don't tell you everything, they leave certain things up for interpretation, they show you things and let you put them together rather than putting them together for you. This is what I was going for.

[Darkline]

good point luster. As I said, thats only my opnion and as worth as much or little as anyone deicdes to take it.

I did wonder if he had tried rape her, but she looked quite relaxed.

[Matt Sconce]

I thought she was so drunk, she could not remeber what happened to her and remembered little by little, and then saw he was still there at the end and took vengeance for the rape, or the possible loss of her virginity as she was so drunk.

[luster]

msconce: That is also a possibility I was trying to put out there - I'm glad you were able to pick up on that.

Thanks.

[conrad_johnson]

Yeah........my favorite.
This is the first film that made me feel like you have real filmmaking skills and not just -cool kid flashy skills- the feeling is perfect the photography.............all great. thats all I gots to say.

[hvxabuser]

cool concept and story. but not shot well to grab me. use lighting more and you got something.

[luster]

thanks for checking out the movie. it's nice to see that people who aren't in the contest are watching these films.


cool concept and story. use lighting more and you got something. care to elaborate?

[Vern]

well done.
i was in chemistry class with you.
and now here we are.
short looks good.

[luster]

chemistry class? that's madness. where?

[Mark Harris]

One more thing, you tout this as the sexy new horror film. Are you bringing sexy back to horror? And if so, doesn't that kind of make you the Justin Timberlake of DVXUser?

Just a thought.

[luster]

if only i could dance

[luster]

I feel dirty doing this, but it seems like the in thing to do.

On Friday the 13th at 9pm (PST) I will hold a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. The winner will choose the store - Amazon, B&H, iTunes, whatever you want.

There are two different ways to get into the drawing.

1) The hard way: Find the hidden message in "The Morning After" and PM the answer to me. (Warning: it is very tough to spot)

OR

2) The easy way: Watch "The Morning After" and write a thoughtful, detailed review. If you think it sucks, tell me why... If you thought it was good, tell me why... If you don't get it, tell me what you would do to make it better... etc.

You can do either one of these things to get into the drawing. If you do both, you'll be entered into the drawing twice.

Good Luck.

[sean90291]

THIS SHORT FILM ROCKS. AND SO AS NOT TO SPOIL IT FOR YA, I HAVE TO WARN YOU NOT TO READ THIS BEFORE SEEING THE MORNING AFTER YOURSELF!

So it's 1 am and I'm trying to cram the last of the Horrorfest films in before bed. I literally had two films left: The Morning After and Stricken. Stricken's not in competition apparently. And I hadn't come across any buzz about The Morning After. I thought I had picked my favourites. Which were Halfway, The Girl Next Door and Crawlspace. But one of 'em just got bumped out of my top three by The Morning After. I simply loved this short film. I thought, finally, a horror film with something to say. I was totally convinced by the filmmakers' use of subtle details to convey the typical "morning after" from a big party as experienced by the typical early-twenties-something girl. And the innocence of the phone messages continued to heighten my curiosity and dread. Surely Bobby is bad. Surely he's coming back. Oh God, that means I'm probably going to see another short film about a girl getting stabbed. I'd estimate there are probably 30 such films in this Horrorfest. I want something different. And then surprise, finally, The Morning After gave it to me in spades. The camera work and colors are artfully controlled. It's simple and so innocuous in its slow build. The reveal is exactly what I want from a well told story. And frankly, my biggest complaint about all the shorts in Horrorfest (and the other dvxuser fests) has been weak, poorly written stories. This is an expertly written story. With subtext and craft no less. Music and performances were absolutely pitch-perfect.

Okay, what didn't I like? As much as I praise the writing (the phone messages were flawless) and the wonderfully twisted twist ending...there is one thing vaguely unclear to me. And that is something that stems from the shot when we first see blood on her fingertips and then blood on the back of her legs. My first thought is rape, of course. That's what the filmmaker intends, I presume. And it's a hauntingly realistic presumption. We've heard the stories--this has happened to girls at colleges everywhere. Certainly, the answering maching messages reinforce this conclusion. Then the arm coming up over the bed--unsettling and perfectly freaky. The filmmaker has masterfully got us where he wants us. I'm thinkin', girl, RUN! But then when our lovely heroine commits her final act, I find I am left with two possible interpretations of the ending: 1) that the blood on her legs was Bobby's blood...meaning she hadn't finished the job she started last night--and this is the ending I believe the filmmaker intends, because it's smart and so far the whole film is smart; but it could, possibly, also be 2) the blood on her legs is her blood, from a rape, and simply in retaliation she's killing the drunk dude. I don't think it's #2. I hope it's not. It's way more down-the-middle ordinary. But there's just that shred of doubt in my mind. And so the only thing I could think to totally clarify and deliver the intended #1 ending is when she first gets out of bed and takes off her shoes, I wish one was missing...she only had one on...and doesn't think much of it yet...and then when she returns to the bed and dials the phone and the arm comes up and over, she sees it...then finds the other shoe under the bed...the heel is broken...it's bloody...she puts them both on anyway (presumably to run? we're not sure...it's strange and I like it), then she goes around the side of the bed and...well you know the rest. It would simply tell me that she's finishing the job she started. At the very least, if she was wearing both heels to bed, one might be broken (I realize revealing some blood on it too early might screw with the careful unraveling of the story).

So that's it. This is a filmmaker I'd trust to deliver a story on a bigger scale. It's hard to say that about many. A lot of the short films here looked amazing, but didn't deliver a story that stood up nor performances I believed. And so here's the film that's got it all. Close call between The Morning After and Halfway for me for top film of the fest!

I bet only the filmmaker read this far. But anyone else who did GO WATCH MORNING AFTER NOW!

[jeans]

Overall I thought this short was good. For me it's well enough lit, well composed, and I had no gripes with the audio. I was fooled into thinking she didn't know the guy was there. Even after his hand came up and she didn't react, I thought it was just delayed due to shock.

I will try to list the issues I had in order.

(phone message) If she had gone home with the guy, why would he be calling her cell? Why would her friend think that?

There is a close up scene while the girl is looking in the mirror that is too blown out in the background. Other than that though, all the shots looked really good to me.

The blood on her legs and on the bed looks fake, especially considering that it's been there all night. It would be more crusty and brown by now. Even if not brown, a deeper red would have been nice. The blood we see is kind of orange and still looks wet.

The first time watching this short I just figured she attacked him but didn't quite kill him the night before. However, watching it again, I'm wondering if they just had sex and he took her long guarded virginity. There are three things that lead me to at least suspect this.
1. The blood is kind of between her legs, and there wasn't that much of it. However this could have also been menstrual blood. But if that was the case, I can't think of why it would be in the short. Also, as before mentioned, it could have been evidence of rape. But I don't think so. I don't think rape automatically means blood. If it was supposed to have been rape, I think we would see some ripped clothes, bruises, or a black eye or something.
2. The way the guy reaches his arm up over the bed and clears his throat a bit, just seems like a guy who went to sleep on the floor or fell off the bed in the middle of the night but was too drunk to care. It doesn't seem like he is someone who is dying. Now I'm really not sure which way you intended it. Either way, I think it could have been a bit more clear. It's tough since we don't get to see a lot of what's going on in this girls head through her facial expressions.
3. If she had already tried to kill the guy the night before, why would she be calling someone after seeing the blood? Also her nervous shaking while the phone rang suggested to me that she was not sinister, and genuinely concerned needing to talk to someone. Then again maybe it's just a bit of a red herring. It could also be interpreted differently I'm sure.

Anyway that's my take. Despite any issues, I still enjoyed this short. I looked for the secrete message a bit, but to no avail.

[TheatreGuy]

Hey luster, congratulations on your film. You know you have a fan here!

I really liked what you did, as I've said.

Best of luck to you! This has been a blast!

Ted

[jpbankesmercer]

Best of luck guys!

[Charli]

REVIEW:

First of all, I liked the title, it worked for the short. The title should have something
to do with the story and this was spot on. Using the answering machine instead
of voice over, outstanding. I am not a fan of the voice over, but this was thinking
outside of the box and was a clever way of telling us withing being
inside her head.

When it was stated, "I hope you didn't go home with him" I would have liked
a close-up of her eyes, that realization of - oops, did I? The shot you have now
I don't think was as dramatic as it could have been. Sleeping in her freakin' high heel shoes, now that just cracked me to no end.

I do tire of the washing hands or face in bathroom scenes in shorts. It's overdone. Another pet peeve is that without dialogue, all this gal had
to do was look sleep, act hung-over and stomp. Not much acting to do there.
The blood on the hands, tired. The blood on the legs, didn't buy it, didn't
look real, like the shade was off.

I liked that you used the answering machine to tie it all back to the beginning
but I felt the entire short lacking. You had us asking questions, but you
didn't answer them, that left an empty feeling. In the end, I didn't give a
wha-hoo about this girl. Nor Bobby, so if I don't care about your protag, what
does it matter? At least get me to like them.

I liked the shoes and I don't even like high heels.

**
Love the contest btw.

[luster]

Thanks for the input, Charli.

[Brandon Rice]

I am FINALLY getting around to some of these other films to give reviews.... sorry for the LONG time coming.

The Morning After


Script
Pretty cleverly written. I think it’s a good premise for this genre and it didn’t feel so formulaic as some of the other films.

Acting
Only one main actor here, and she did a great job! I also liked the voicemails on the phone.

Cinematography
Nice, nice, nice nice lighting! Very natural and subtle, but it all worked great!

Editing
Could use to be tightened up a bit. I think getting to the payoff sooner would have helped.

Score
Loved the score, fit well.

Overall Impressions
This film is in my top 10, it’s well executed, and you didn’t try to do too much. Thanks!

[Mark Johnson]

Ok, my review of The Morning After:

In my opinion, this one was shot absolutely beautifully. Different people have different tastes and some people want different things from their shorts. I disagree with Charli in several respects on this film because I was in love with the acting and don't agree that your lead merely had to act sleepy and tired. There are so many subtleties in her performance to my view and I believe few could have pulled it off with the projection of attitude while also keeping the ambivalence the script required.

I've finally seen all of the films in the festival and The Morning After is in my very small group that I consider the picks of the litter (which says a lot given some of the wonderful stuff in this crop). It is difficult to compare among the films in this elite group because they work on such different levels. Some shorts such as Bloody Mary and Broken Circle are tours de force of character interaction with seamless blocking and camera work. Then there are films like this one that I consider to be "quiet" and subtle with a reliance on nonverbal cues and framing to carry the story. The factors that make The Morning After work for me are similar to those in Welcome (which is a strong compliment).
I cannot say enough for your actress and your pacing. Portions of this film are near flawless and the ambiguities were absolutely a major plus in my opinion.

Let me mention a few minor critiques, if I may:

Beautifully scripted telephone messages. However, I would strongly recommend that you add a sense of room space by adding a tiny bit of verb. Moreover, when the camera shifts distance from the bed to wide if you slightly reduce the volume of the track the viewer subliminally buys the machine as the source of the sound as opposed to it floating as a constant disembodied presence similar to a VO.

While I appreciated the shift to hand-held work in the bathroom, there are a couple of shakes that jar too much and call attention to the fact that this is a small camera being hand-held.

Although I liked the profile shot of the actress with the background blown out it created a continuity problem for me when you cut to the next scenes that have almost no lighting on the left side of her face. It called out "new setup" to me and when you are shooting a truly small space such as a bathroom it is important that all shots be compatible in terms of perceived lighting to not break the suspension of disbelief.

I would much preferred to not have the actress's lengthy pause that reveals the blood on her legs. That's such a critical moment of discovery and by lingering you diminish the impact and cue the viewer that this is something you want them to see. Believe me, we would have seen it and gasped had she walked through the scene to the bed and it would have had much more power. Moreover, shortly thereafter we see the backs of her legs again as she discovers the bloody handprint on the sheets. This makes the previous long pause further redundant in my mind. Interestingly, if there were no blood on her legs I could see the pause working as a way to convey indecision or pondering on the part of the actress. However, its the blood that strikes you in the face so that whatever the motives of the character, the facile display of the blood is what comes across in the scene to me.

That's all the critique I can offer. This is marvelous and I wouldn't change a thing from your script. I LOVE the girl's attempted telephone call with no answer. Look at the two very subtle places where whe shakes her legs while waiting for an answer. That tiny body language is so natural and real. This girl just blew me away with her acting. Given the way this plays out as an extended ambiguity her reactions and motions were so absolutely natural.
What wonderful lighting you used in the bedroom. Completely beautiful shots and I completely bought this as morning light through the window.

Finally, her shoe strike at the end completely caught me by surprise and was absolutely believable. I loved the splatter on the wall and her semi-casual and brutal demeanor shown as she delivered the additional blows. WOW.
I liked the score very much but I don't see any credit for it. However you came by this music, though, it was a perfect fit.

There are so very few of these shorts that I would honestly recommend be taken to other festivals. Yours is one that I believe would do very well. If you could take this to a short festival not limited to horror I believe you'd get great attention because it really would catch an audience by surprise.

I give this short enthusiastic two-thumbs up. Oh, and I loved the shoes and I DO have a thing for high heels.


p.s., looked all night for the hidden message and finally have given up. Wherever it is, it's hidden well.

[luster]

Mark,
Thanks for the great insight. You really picked up on a lot of the subtleties of the film which seem to be lost on many viewers.

Thanks for the suggestions, also, they are really great. I probably will try massaging the audio mix a bit like you've suggested. And I've been considering reediting the bathroom scene a bit. I'll probably take out all but one of the little zooms so the one remaining zoom will have more impact. You're right about the lighting continuity in the bathroom, it's a bit off but I just love that shot with the blown out background- the way the medium breaks down on her face when it blows out works so well for me thematically.

Thanks for taking the time to watch and write great criticism. I know how hard it is with the amount of films in the fest.

[Brandon Rice]

Oh, forgot to mention this.... the way in which she killed the guy... WHOA. Pretty insane.. and she did it so casually which made it even more sickening.

[Mark Johnson]

I'm not being sycophantic when I say that this is truly one of my top picks. Maybe because I KNOW many people don't care for or seek the subtleties is why I like this one so much. I also know what you mean about loving that profile shot with the backlighting in the bathroom. It's my favorite shot of the scene too. However, when you have that much light shown in such a specific place in a small room its important that the next cut not conflict with viewer's perception of the space. If you've got anything else to cut to in the bathroom that doesn't so drastically conflict with the bright source on the left side you could get away with going to the subsequent shots. It's just the juxtaposition of bright left light and suddenly no light when we see the left side of her face that troubles me.

So, what's the deal with the score? I'm really curious because I do like it so much and wonder where you got it.

Also, how about speaking about the bedroom lighting? Is that a key with a gobo?

I mean this in all sincerity ... if you cut a new version of this would you kindly send me a copy?

[Brandon Rice]

Yeah, the score was one of my faves. Who did it?

[luster]

Thanks, Brandon, for your input. I'm glad you like the killing scene - the thought of a woman casually stomping me to death with high heels has always freaked me out.

[luster]

the score..... I'm glad you guys liked it, and some proper credits are definitely in order (I ran out of time for submission)

I'm sort of embarrassed about where I got it, and I'm not sure how to credit it.

At work they have this stock music library - I browsed it, and most of the stuff was really lame, but I happened upon this piece which was almost perfect, but something about it didn't work.

The cool thing is, the way it's set up all the instruments are on different tracks, so I played with it and took out a lot of the instruments and was left with what I put in the piece, which just fit so perfectly with the tone of the piece - sort of playful, but somber.

I then made the variation in the middle by taking out even more of the instruments.

I broke down and bought the library for myself, because I didn't want to get screwed on the rights somehow. It put me over budget, but hopefully the tracks will be useful for someting else.

Overall, it was quite a miracle that I found this song because I started this project way too late to hire a composer.

[Mark Johnson]

That's wonderful. It's the perfect score for your film and I love the fact that you could pull out the instrumental tracks to make it work exactly as you wanted.

[luster]

the bedroom lighting...
You guessed it. I placed the keylight (arri 1k open face) low to get the long shadows of early morning. I added some orange/yellow gel, and put a homemade cookie in front of it to get the shadow pattern.

There was also a bit of soft fill coming from a 500w china ball.

[cinealma]

J.P.,

So when you say "secret message", do you mean that there's a clue there that might give you a hint as to what happened? I think I found something that maybe people haven't noticed.


John G.

[luster]

J.P.,

So when you say "secret message", do you mean that there's a clue there that might give you a hint as to what happened? I think I found something that maybe people haven't noticed.


John G.


Well, the film is supposed to stand on it's own without the need for the viewer to get secret stuff, so it's probably not it.

But, I'm curious about what you've got. PM me.

[Charli]

luster - oh I caught the sublties, but I'm a writer, I write words, hence my
dislike for VO and lack of words. Too bad Mark is into high heels, I suppose
he and I won't get along, I'd rather go with barefeet.

[Mark Johnson]

People can change, Charli. Maybe I'll convince you to wear stilettos when we pick up our oscars someday.

[Charli]

Mark - if I pick up an Oscar I'll be wearing a bullfighter's vested wear & hat
with those bullfighter's shoes, don't ask me why, just thought it would be cute
if made by the right designer - lol, I'm so not into long flowing gowns, hard to
believe all through grade school all I did was wear dresses.

So luster, what size are those shoes? Maybe I should borrow them - lol

[Mark Johnson]

I'm so not into long flowing gowns

How about a simple short tight mini, then? LOL


So luster, what size are those shoes? Maybe I should borrow them

Um, as attire or weaponry?

[luster]

Charli: the shoes broke during the beating.

Don't forget that there is a lot more to film writing than dialogue. I fancy myself a writer too, but I believe that telling a story (exposition) though dialogue is actually one of the biggest copouts there is - except for maybe voiceover.

One of my goals for this film was to challenge the notion that voiceover is automatically bad. I used what I thought was a pretty clever device to make the voicevoer diagetic to the story, I was also very careful to not completely spell out the story through the voiceover. I went for subtlety and suggestion in the writing. I think in most cases, subtlety is one of the things that sets a great film apart from a crap film so that's what I strive for.

btw: I am indebted to you for your inspirational marketing advice.

[CallaghanFilms]

...Don't forget that there is a lot more to film writing than dialogue. I fancy myself a writer too, but I believe that telling a story (exposition) though dialogue is actually one of the biggest copouts there is - except for maybe voiceover...

:huh: Not for nothing, but you make it sound like all dialogue is expository dialogue.

I agree with VO being a cop-out in most cases...but comparing it to dialogue in general?
WTF?!
There is such a concept as good, well-rounded, story-driving dialogue...however elusive it may sometimes seem.:huh:

[luster]

you make it sound like all dialogue is expository dialogue.

Sorry for the confusion. I'm in no way saying that all dialogue is bad or expository. What I was trying to say is that I think dialogue is the cheapest way to present exposition. I think the best writers continually try to get the exposition out in much more eloquent ways...ways that are so slick that you don't even notice them when you're watching the film.

For me, the challenge of film writing is in finding creative ways to SHOW the story rather then just telling it.

Here's something that I think is an interesting exercise: any time you have a story idea, ask yourself what medium the story would best be presented in: there are many options a novel, a play, a movie, etc. Think about what the advantages are of each medium, and you'll be surprised sometimes.

[Mattykins]

As promised, your review...I am pretty blunt, so don't take any of this as if I dislike you. Only expanding for improvement.

Alright, general story line, I was entirely lost. I won't lie, I had absolutly no idea what was going on. What I gathered from the film was that a girl went out, got drunk, then date raped, then she killed the guy. I think...unless there was something else I was missing. I think it is more of a 'rar, I hate you, I will kill you' movie and not a horror film. I mean you tried, so that was cool. I just really disliked the story line.

Filming wasn't all that bad. I kind of liked it. Granted it was odd. But the angles were not that bad. They were composed well I will say. my cpmplaint was more the editing that anything. There were some cuts that were just too short. Really jumpy almost. I mean, you have the time. It is a 6:00 min run time, so you should use it. Especially for more character development. Essentially we learned nothing about the lead character save she likes to party. Really we only learned about some girl through the answering machine. I really didn't make the association until the end. I see what you wanted to do, not quite sure if it was executed well though. Thats just my take on having the phone calls tell the story.

Sound: The levels were extreamly low. I needed to actually boost the volume quite a bit to hear any of it. The soundtrack was odd. It brought an odd sense of tranquility for a murder in progress. haha. But I am glad you filtered the telephone calls. Some people don't do that.

VFX: Was alright, I mean it was odd when she killed him. I am slightly confused as to why he would just lay there while being attacked. During the attack scene, there really wasn't any good sound effects. It was a slight thud. I would have expected more of a graphic representation of the attack. Thats just me.

COlor: I though was on the dark side. It might have been due to compression, but it seemed warm, yet a tad dark. Actually when I bring it back, she kinda looks orange.

So there is my review. I say use the entire time, character develpopment is key. Good luck on other projects.

And I watched it over several times and can't find the hidden message. Sorry

-Matty

[luster]

Thanks for the input, Matty. Those are some great things that I'll consider in my next film.

It might sound weird, but I'm curoius how old you are? I think maybe a lot of younger aren't getting this movie at all.

[Mattykins]

I'm 18. A younger film maker. I am really upset I never entered. Only reason was I didn't have a DVX. But I played the movie at least seven times before writing a single line. And it still didn't click. Maybe I am a tad slow. I went back in this forum and read all the posts (I don't read the posts of films I talk about so as I can be totally unbiased) and saw your explaination. I still really didnt understand it.

Might just be me. But don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching it. Else I wouldn't have watched it over and over again. And when I said "odd" for the filming I didn't mean that as a bad odd. If that makes any sense at all.

Like I said, good film!

-Matty

[luster]

Well, thanks a lot for watching and really trying to get it. The movie's definitely different, and not for everyone. Your input is very valid, I was just trying to get a sense of where it was coming from.

Also, what kind of sytem were you viewing and listening on? You were the only one who complained about the sound and darkness, so I'm wondering what the problem was.

Thanks again for watching.

[Mattykins]

I'll bring it up again on my editing system a little later and get back to you. It was running its typical virus scans so I took it on my other computer.

[Aaron Marshall]

I really liked this film. It took a situation that is common (a drunken night out for a college student) and put a clever twist on it. You didn't know whether she was hung over or what. Come to find out she's as cold blooded as a viper. I liked the spike heels.

Great job. I gave this film high ratings on the ballot.

[CallaghanFilms]

Sorry for the confusion. I'm in no way saying that all dialogue is bad or expository. What I was trying to say is that I think dialogue is the cheapest way to present exposition. I think the best writers continually try to get the exposition out in much more eloquent ways...ways that are so slick that you don't even notice them when you're watching the film.

For me, the challenge of film writing is in finding creative ways to SHOW the story rather then just telling it...
I see what you are saying; and of course film is foremost a visual medium...but I say the best case scenario is to have earth-trembling dialogue written in conjunction with the eye candy. Take for example any of these films: http://www.premiere.com/article.asp?section_id=6&article_id=2723&page_number=1


Here's something that I think is an interesting exercise: any time you have a story idea, ask yourself what medium the story would best be presented in: there are many options a novel, a play, a movie...Great point...that should be number one on every scribe's checklist! He should ask himself, "What am I writing here? Is it a song (little-to-no-depth)? Is it a music video (some -however little- structure present)? Is it a novel (structure, but no multiple dimensions)? Or is it a full-fledged movie (in glorious 3-D)?

I know I use this for my checks and balances each and every time.



Enough of the sidebar...




I did enjoy your film, by the way.:beer:



↑

[Mark Johnson]

I love this film more each time I watch it. I hope you have time to do another edit with some of the very small tweaks discussed in this thread. I really believe this would screen well out here in some of the short film festivals I attend.

[luster]

I love this film more each time I watch it. I hope you have time to do another edit with some of the very small tweaks discussed in this thread. I really believe this would screen well out here in some of the short film festivals I attend.

Thanks again, Mark. I'm gonna do a re-edit within a couple of weeks. Any suggestions on film fests where you think it might do well? Thanks.

[luster]

I've moved the deadline for the $100 contest to the time when the winner is announced.

[luster]

A hint for the secret message:
It involves the times that the phone messages were recorded.

[luster]

Another hint: It has nothing to do with the movie, it's more of a subliminal thing dealing with the specific times the messages were recorded.

[Kholi]

9 minutes apart?

[Mark Johnson]

11:22 MESSAGE ONE
11:31 Friday - Message Two
11:40 MESSAGE THREE

I think those are the only times, right?

[mameragex]

SEE THE BALLOT COUNT HERE!!! >>>CLICK HERE<<< (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=74864)

[Kholi]

911?

[Mark Johnson]

It's counting down to midnight?

[MOVIE MASTER]

This Snuff Is Gold! Baby! Am I In The Drawing!

[Mark Johnson]

Friday the 13th?

[Kholi]

HAHA! Good one! I think Mark got it.

[Mark Johnson]

Yes, Movie Master. That's a brilliant review. Wunnerful.

[luster]

nobody's gotten it yet

[Mark Johnson]

I saw on your thread that "luster" is a collaboration between the two of you. So, exactly who is writing these posts?

[luster]

This is Jeremy.

[Mark Johnson]

Well, Jeremy,

Congrats on a great film. Also, your lead is hot. ... and a really really fine actress, I might add.

[luster]

Thanks again. And I'll send her the kind words.

[luster]

You guys are close with those numbers. Keep crunching them.

[Mark Johnson]

Hey ,

Are my numbers correct? Are those the ONLY timed messages?

[luster]

yeah, those are the numbers.

[kalibanos]

Where can I download this movie? it sounds interesting :thumbup:

[Mark Harris]

Well, it looks like you can download it HERE!!!!!!

http://www.sundancechannel.com/exposure/

Isn't that your film, Jeremy? I can't get it to play yet...

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

sometimes you have to hit refresh a lot until you get a new commercial infront of the short ... if you have a commercial that isn't linked properly then the short after it won't play ... so hit refresh til you get a new commercial

might work

[Mark Harris]

This girl's so hot, she even looks sexy when she pukes.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Ah Mark, if I had a nickle for every time I've heard you say that ...

[luster]

damn, i just found out it was on there. they don't even email you or anything. congrats to Bloody Mary and RFeyeD for winning their week.

[Vern]

ventura high school. cougars. chemistry AP. memories.