Express Delivery: Coquille, OR

[Matt Harris]

XX, this was a really interesting short and I liked it for the great character work and acting. I really liked the mob boss a ton, he was perfect. He had a very natural delivery. The Indian was great as well, it was all very pulpy and it looks like you guys had a blast making this. I loved the location by the stream, and i liked how the older fella was down on the ground and in a tight spot at the end, i felt that. Good job, i look forward to more films from you!

[stinkpot]

This had a real "David Lynch" feel to it. I really enjoyed the story and the acting. Good job to you, your cast and your crew.

[4100xpb]

Nice introduction. I loved the boss character, he had a great charm and was entertaining and funny. Morlan, I had more trouble with. You start to develop some sympathy for him by putting him in that weird situation with all those oddball characters, but I don’t have enough by the time he kills the other guy, so from then on I don’t care what happens to him. I’m not sure if more of the backstory was lost in editing that would have helped there. You had some really nice shots and creative angles. Very well done.

[Blaine]

I was initially bugged by the way the mystery man on the telephone delivered his lines. By the time we see the rest of the cast, I realized it was a comedy and I really came to appreciate it. Big Al was well cast for the part.

A couple of shots struck me as odd. The first one was the knife-through-the-thumb, not sure what that was about. The other was at the 3:10 mark with your cowboy in close profile and the b.g. out of focus. For some reason, that shot pulled me out of the movie for a bit. Other than that, I was with you throughout, watching to see what happened next.

[Brian Parker]

Interesting film. Very unique characters who were all played well by the actors, the boss and the thief in particular. The guy the case was originally cuffed to seemed a little out of place. Production was good with crisp image and sound. I liked the offbeat style of the film. What's in the box?!

[dre83]

if the voice coming out of the phone is not important..it's ok... If it was important the level was little to low.

Did you use the on cam mike only ?

Your shots are ok. There not the "uncle Rob is fillming a wedding and talks to much" look :-p

I like the use of shadows.

The shot of the metronome, clock and... sand-thing... Is it to indicate something ? Or just because it was a cool shot ? I have a feeling "the boss" finds time important...

Maybe cut faster to the flashback of that old guy... Now it was a bit "broken" in sound etc...

Some levels could be louder...much louder.... about 10 - 15dB louder.
I know the older guy sits further from the indian in the "saloon" ? Well it looked more for a classroom to me :-p But anyway... in situations where someone is sitting further but the other guy hears that one guy, you can almost keep the same level... Maybe adding some reverb to make it more "roomy". Making the effect of "I hear it from further" is not only lowering the level.

I got a bit lost in the story....

aah ok...that other guy is the boss... Was it ment I knew it from the first moment I saw him with the axe ?

ok...I get it...but you have used a wrong key or a wrong lock...

[ZazaCast]

This had a real "David Lynch" feel to it. I really enjoyed the story and the acting. Good job to you, your cast and your crew.

I got the same thing...David Lynch! I like this film. Maybe just a little less DOF shots.
Other then that it was a good time.

...and hey... what's in the box?

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I loved the characters in this movie. The looks on their faces even when just in the background of a scene were great. The mystery behind it all was a lot of fun as well. I especially liked how the film opened. Nice setup.

Great ending as well.

Very different and refreshing. Nice job.

MAH

[xxrotinivol2]

XX, this was a really interesting short and I liked it for the great character work and acting. I really liked the mob boss a ton, he was perfect. He had a very natural delivery. The Indian was great as well, it was all very pulpy and it looks like you guys had a blast making this. I loved the location by the stream, and i liked how the older fella was down on the ground and in a tight spot at the end, i felt that. Good job, i look forward to more films from you!

Defcon, thank you so much for the positive notes, I was very happy with our cast. I look forward to making more shorts for the fest, and seeing more from you as well.

This had a real "David Lynch" feel to it. I really enjoyed the story and the acting. Good job to you, your cast and your crew.

Thanks, I looooove David Lynch. Guess somehow his influence crept into the film a lil' bit.

Nice introduction. I loved the boss character, he had a great charm and was entertaining and funny. Morlan, I had more trouble with. You start to develop some sympathy for him by putting him in that weird situation with all those oddball characters, but I don’t have enough by the time he kills the other guy, so from then on I don’t care what happens to him. I’m not sure if more of the backstory was lost in editing that would have helped there. You had some really nice shots and creative angles. Very well done.

4100xpb, the one problem we encountered is getting a script that we could barely get under 7, to fit into the 6 minute mark. As many people experience you just lose stuff in the edit. I think the final version, probably will run around 8-9 minutes will have more space to breathe, take in, pretty much everything cut is from Moreland.

I was initially bugged by the way the mystery man on the telephone delivered his lines. By the time we see the rest of the cast, I realized it was a comedy and I really came to appreciate it. Big Al was well cast for the part.

A couple of shots struck me as odd. The first one was the knife-through-the-thumb, not sure what that was about. The other was at the 3:10 mark with your cowboy in close profile and the b.g. out of focus. For some reason, that shot pulled me out of the movie for a bit. Other than that, I was with you throughout, watching to see what happened next.

Blaine, thanks for commenting and hanging in there throughout despite the distracting shots. The knife/thumb shot will work better in a sequence later once that scene is extended a bit, I think, and the cowboy shot, I think it's an example of me falling in love with a shot, but it doesn't quite fit in the sequence. Always enjoy reading your thoughts, so I'm happy you took the time to review this short.

Interesting film. Very unique characters who were all played well by the actors, the boss and the thief in particular. The guy the case was originally cuffed to seemed a little out of place. Production was good with crisp image and sound. I liked the offbeat style of the film. What's in the box?!

Brian, thank you. Filmed on a 5d and recorded a lav and boom onto my old PD170. Synched that up later. Loved seeing your work this time around! The whole cast, or at least my intention was, to make the whole cast all seem out of place, brought together by strange circumstances to carry this unknown briefcase across the country. So I guess I'm happy you found Phineas out of place... What's in the box? Well, let's just say it's something valuable...

Some levels could be louder...much louder.... about 10 - 15dB louder.
I know the older guy sits further from the indian in the "saloon" ? Well it looked more for a classroom to me :-p But anyway... in situations where someone is sitting further but the other guy hears that one guy, you can almost keep the same level... Maybe adding some reverb to make it more "roomy". Making the effect of "I hear it from further" is not only lowering the level.

Dre83, what levels do you recommend keeping the piece at? Also what filter do you recommend using to make something feel more roomy and far away? Thanks man, great comments!

I got the same thing...David Lynch! I like this film. Maybe just a little less DOF shots.
Other then that it was a good time.

...and hey... what's in the box?

LOL, ZAZA, ain't sayin!

I loved the characters in this movie. The looks on their faces even when just in the background of a scene were great. The mystery behind it all was a lot of fun as well. I especially liked how the film opened. Nice setup.

Great ending as well.

Very different and refreshing. Nice job.

MAH

Thanks for the comments, Hostile Destination was pretty pretty tite, and I cannot wait to see what you come up with next for the next festival. Glad you liked the set-up and the close, and the piece overall. I cannot thank the actors enough for being amazing.

[jasonthewho]

This was a really interesting short. I loved a lot of the imagery, especially the key, and the shots of the boss on the phone. From your avatar, I presume your a Gilliam fan, and I can definitely see his influence in your style. Great characters as well. Some of the film was incoherent for me, and some shots and audio didn't seem on par with the rest of the piece. Overall, though a compelling entry. Looking forward to seeing more.