trailer for my Cricket film

valdez

valdez

Active member
Hey folks,
I posted in the clips/ screen grabs section but everyone there was too good to look at my trailer, maybe the doc section is less cut-throght. As I said before, I know it's too long to really be a trailer but I was under a lot of pressure to explain the whole international conflict before I got to the meat of what the movie is about which is friendship with this group of guys here in Chicago. I can't wait to make a shorter punchier version when we're closer to finishing the actual film. This is a long teaser of sorts. Thanks for looking if anyone does.
http://www.legbeforewicket.org/trailer.php
 
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Valdez.. looks excellent.. like the speed and music with which you introduce it.. hope the documentary keeps up the energy!! Would love to see it.

Are you Indian or Pakistani, or was the whole two months very foreign to you? Great experience, Im jealous!

J
 
I'd say valdez isn't really an Indian or Pakistani name but Valdez isn't my real name anyway, which you'd discover by looking at that site in any detail, though I am Latino. Yes I am one of those dorks who never uses thier real name online, not sure why. Yeah, the whole thing was a pretty eye opening culture shock. In previous months I had been to Bolivia where my Dad is from and felt like I'd seen poverty and desolation unlike anything I'd seen in the US, but India makes Bolivia look like a paradise of wealth and comfort. The constant sensory overload is unbelievable. Maybe the most uncomfortable I've ever been anywhere, I have pretty light skin so I really stand out. I had grown out a big beard, though, and wore traditional clothing most of the time so it actually was easier to blend in in Pakistan if I kept my mouth shut because there are many very light skinned Pakistanis. All in all people were wonderful with us and I learned alot but the language and the food hardships on my body where so taxing that I was sick or uncomfortable the entire 2 months. i.e. carrying lots of stuff, cold and underdressed, hacking up black stuff from the smog, painful times in the can, cold showers with no pressure, etc. It's the little things that make the biggest difference. The scarier obvious things with people and interviews and danger, I expected and dealt with just fine. Anyway, it was a wonderful experience overall, I hope the film comes out well, theres so much more work to do though, almost 300 hours of footage (just 60 from the trip most of it is just about the team here).
 
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I watched a clip of LBW when you originally posted in the DVX Clips forum and didn't quite get your point then. Your current trailer is really fine and much more to the point of your doc. Since you're asking for comments I have a couple. I understand what the title of your film is only by going to your website, would it be possible to introduce what Leg Before Wicket means early in the film? Not trying to play producer here, but just a little set up might help with the name and bring the film's central theme together more quickly.
Since I haven't seen your completed work this comment isn't based on anything other than my viewing the trailer. It seemed to need snappier editing during the musical sections with maybe some nat sound here and there to draw me into the game.
Really like what you've done here and I'm sure the film will be informative and inspiring with it's message. Thanks!
 
Hi valdez, I am from India (but I live in the US now) and can understand the pain that you would have gone through to make this film. Excellent work. I am currently visiting Bambay and have been thinking about making a film on the various local cricket compititions that take place. Not sure what angle i will take but the idea is to capture local cricket scene and in the process learn a thing or two about film making. Any suggestions ?

Cheers,

-Krish
 
Good stuff, really liked the way you took a national event between two nations and made it into a personnel story. Keep up the good work, any chance of getting a view when completed, im in the uk

Regards
Ismail
 
The trailer has REALLY caught my attention I think its a really interesting story and am excited to see what happens with it. Really pleasing shots too.
 
Wow, thanks

Wow, thanks

It's interesting to get a cross-section of responses from people. South-Asians and English and anyone from Cricket nations are ecstatic and seem to understand it all and want to see the movie from it. Americans, on the other hand, are baffled and bored until some loud music comes in. This makes sense (I was born in the US too), but part of what I'd like to accomplish is to use these personal stories to explain some of these things to an American audience so they can see a little of why this is such a big deal (cricket as a sport and the attempts at peace talks between India/Pakistan). Just the trailer is way too long, but jeez, how do you explain such a huge subject and make it entertaining in such a short time. Eventually I'll just make it really short and punchy, but my partner wanted to explain all this stuff for fundraising and such, in the first trailer. Americans have critisized the title, the use of archival interviews and say it's all rambling and pointless. Only real problem is they just don't get cricket and they have to actually see the movie before they'll even come close, I don't think they even understand how big a sport it is in other places. Also explaining what the Partition is and the effect it's had on both societies, is difficult to do quickly and fairly, but that's what's at the center of the story and why it's so intruiging that these guys play together here in Chicago. Anyway, thanks for all the positive responses, I appreciate it, and I'll keep people posted when I'm further along. Also to Krish, if you're trying to capture the actual games just get as high as you can behind the Bowler and zoom in close so the Batsman and Bowler look like they're right in front of each other, you can see this in professional games; it takes a really long lens, though. Just get to know the people as well as you can before you even start, and have your camera with you, get legal- release forms from them, and keep them involved in your process whatever that is. People need to know that they are important to you and that you're not trying to just "get the goods" and run off and make a movie about them, so it helps to actually make it THIER movie in a way and keep them informed every step of the way. If you do this, I promise you they will open thier hearts to you and tell you anything you want to know, but you must be genuinely interested in thier well being and telling thier story in a way that respects thier wishes.
 
American's are baffled and bored until some music comes in.
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Is that a fact ? What's your problem anyway's ? These are the soundbites I'm getting from you:

I posted in the clips/ screen grabs section but everyone there was too good to look at my trailer, maybe the doc section is less cut-throat
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Valdez isn't my real name anyway, which you'd discover by looking at that site in any detail,
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Why don't you take the chip off your shoulder and mellow out. You'd be surprised to see how many friends and supporters you may have on this site if you do.

--

This look's fascinating (Even without the Metallica soundtrack). The photography leaves alot to be desired; very rudimentary but that kind of add's to the imtimacy.

I'm not getting the trailer jist of it as it is very long and lack's impact until you get through it and see what it is about. I think a re-cut with some nie titles would hammer across the point you are trying to make (For a trailer I mean) and to better get some attention.

I think this a great effort form I am seeing so far.

Stay loose dude. You're amongst friends here.
 
Sorry about that, I see how it looks really snippy. To clarify, though I don't mean the "Americans" thing that way. I myself am from the US, I just mean I'm thinking out loud of ways to appeal to a western audience with a sport that no-one over here understands, including myself until I started doing this.
I guess I meant most "viewers" by "Americans" since it's intended to play to an American audience ultimately, and I don't fault anyone for being baffled, I just think that's what Cricket does, unless you watch or play it a lot; took me a long time to get it, and now I'm trying to find the best way to portray it. Anyone English, Australian South Asian, or West Indian gets it all right away and freaks out when they see it, so I knew the US audience we're hoping to reach would be tough, but worth trying for so posting here is painful but eye opening. It's just not a pasttime here, so it makes perfect sense.
It's so hard to stay on task with all of it. It's true though, no one would leave any feedback in the clips section and all the other stuff seems to be about what Hardware people use, it's really intimidating.
Not Metallica, it's a real popular "Bollywood" theme in India /Pakistan right now, and it had an interesting irony to it, I thought, with the mix of eastern and western dance music.
Yeah, getting solid shots I needed has been really difficult, I am shooting alone with no crew not even a sound person, and in large groups and overseas sometime dangerous situations with no lights, etc. Anyway, I hope I didin't offend anyone. I've learned a lot coming here and people do usually seem really nice.
 
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valdez said:
...but jeez, how do you explain such a huge subject and make it entertaining in such a short time.... they just don't get cricket and they have to actually see the movie before they'll even come close... explaining what the Partition is and the effect it's had on both societies, is difficult to do quickly and fairly.
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This won't help with the trailer but when you get further along, I'd check out Murderball with the director's commentary if you haven't seen it already. In particular, they talk about trying to deal with the expository material - how to explain the nature of quadroplegia as well as an unfamiliar game in a way that doesn't interrupt the flow of the story. Nice clip and a cool subject. Good luck!
 
Hey, Valdez - I finally had a chance to check out your trailer. Very, very nice work. I'm about to travel to Copenhagen to shoot a trailer for a doc, so I can truly appreciate the work you've done.

I think some of the comments youve received here come from folks who don't usually work with documentaries. There is a confusion between what we think of as a "coming attractions" trailer that we see when we go to see "Snakes on a Plane", and a documentary fundraising trailer, which is what you have made.

The Coming Attractions trailer is fast, doesn't necessarily tell you what the story is, but draws you in with fast cuts and the most visceral moments. A documentary fundraising trailer is usually 5-10 minutes long, with 7 minutes being about average. Your trailer clocks in at 6m 30s, so I'd say you're right on the money. A documentary fundraising trailer is intended to show funders that; you know how to tell a story (in complete scenes); you have access to your subjects; and that you have the technical skills to present the story in a visually and aurally compelling way. A fundraising trailer doesn't have to have perfect color correction or effects in place, as long as the above mentioned elements demonstrate that the filmmaker has a handle on the material and the technical skills needed to deliver a compelling story. I think your trailer demonstrates all of the above.

I am concerned about your interview lighting. I would chalk it up to the limitations of available light, but most of your interviews share a common theme; lots of light in the background and not enough on your subject. I don't know if this was intentional, but it feels to me like it was, and that it was simply done wrong. There is one interview in your piece that stands out because the lighting is perfect. I would study it as an example of good interview lighting, and set that as a standard, when possible, for future interviews. But the most important thing is that, if nothing else, there should be lighting in front (and somewhat to the side) of your subject, even if its just a little L-light with an umbrella on it.

On the other hand, a whole lot of your non-interview shots are absolutely gorgeous, in terms of lighting, composition and movement. I certainly wouldn't call them rudimentary.

I do feel that your narrative doesn't quite move forward towards the cliff hanger that will make funders want to know more (the best way to get them to give you money to complete your project). You don't have to encapsulate your whole story in your trailer, you just need to tell the most compelling aspects of it, and leave the outcome a mystery that only your feature length doc can unravel. But I think you're very close and if you have the time to take a break and walk away for a short period of time, I would recommend doing so. Come back to it with fresh eyes and energy and correct the narrative flaws that you already know are there.

Bear in mind that I dispense all of this advice without yet having produced a trailer of my own. But seeing your work made me realize what is needed in my own process, and it was inspiring in a lot of ways. If you haven't already read it, you might want to check out "Trailer Mechanics" by Fernanda Rossi. I'm re-reading it, so the process and challenges of making a trailer are in the forefront of my thoughts at the moment (that and the fact that I'm leaving next week to shoot one of my own).

I'm really looking forward to seeing your finished piece.

Best,

Robert
 
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Thank you,
and you're right on all accounts. Some of the interviews not shown are a little better, but almost all of the overseas stuff is really bad; I was alone with no lights, and we basically walked in with a few minutes of setup before talking. The ones here are lots better. I do know interview lighting very well, but it was tough "on the fly" shooting, so we had to do what we had to do.
 
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I'm trying to get my production company off the ground but I am having trouble looking for grants to even get the equipment necessary to start anything. Does someone have any idea of any honest websites that could help with grants or fundraising ideas that work.
 
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