Trailer To My New Film GOD'S EARS

S

SquidLips

Well-known member
Hey gang,

Here is a rough trailer (temp text, etc.) of the film I just wrapped. It was shot back in June and should have it done in about 6 weeks. The film is about a boxer with autism that struggles with the effects of falling in love. Shot in HiDef there is no color correction via post on this, a few shots were done in camera though.

Hope you like it.

http://grizzlypeakfilms.com/GE Trailer.mov
 
What camera?

Edit:

Footage looks great. F900 is it?

John Saxon as well? Nightmare on Elm Street !!!!

Neato.
 
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Wow! That looked fantastic...I'd love to see the finished film. That music really had the perfect feel for thost shots too...was that custom music?
 
Yeah, it was the F900. The same camera I used on DUAL. I wanted to try the vericam but was convinced by my post supervisor to shoot the F900 again for the 1080 output. I used mainly cine lens' on the camera. Tried to stay with the zoom.

The music is not mine, but what we have composed is very close. The soundtrack to the film is very acoustic, brokeback mountain style.

And Saxon did a great job. I'll try and post a scene with him later...
 
Yeah, I have a production studio doing the final titles but just thought I would post the beta version for you guys. The titles were made from livetype actually.

The camera itself is great as long as you know how to light for it. Outside we almost only shoot morning and dusk. When the sun was harsh over top it was all interiors. The long zoom lens' work well too.
 
Looks very good as one would expect from someone with a low post count. Very cool to have John Saxon in your film. I'm totally into watching the finnished product!
 
I wonder if it would make any difference to HEAR few dialogue from the actors in the trailer. GREAT job btw...
Looks very good as one would expect from someone with a low post count.
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There is wisdom in this comment :)
 
Thanks again everyone.

I thought about using dialogue, and have on other film trailers, but felt this one would speak louder with images and being a film about autism and understanding how to communicate sans standard words, I thought it might be more appropriate. One of my favorite trailers of all time is Cliffhanger and there is no dialogue in that one either. I am also as a filmmaker trying to learn how to "write" less as I think I rely a lot on communicating through explaining and emoting. Some of my favorite filmmakers (like Tarkovsky, Hsiao Hou and Antonioni) do so much with just images.

Amyway, not to get too "cinephile" on the whole thing.....

But, this has certainly been the best experience I have had making a film. I feel I got closer to what I wanted than ever before and for having very limited funds and a tiny cast and crew (shooting in three very different locations across the state) we managed to get a lot in. Keep It Simple Stupid should be the moto of us low budget filmmakers.

But, I am really enjoying the HD and though I am ready to work with a 35mm again, I can honestly say I will continue to study and follow this format. I am curious to try shooting something with the "low end" HD next as I have an ultra low budget feature I think we are going to try in October....

Thanks again for the input!
 
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Some of my favorite filmmakers (like Tarkovsky, Hsiao Hou and Antonioni) do so much with just images.
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Hmm, there is nothing wrong about getting too 'cinephile'... It is really inspring to hear what you are after...
I am curious to try shooting something with the "low end" HD next
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Well i guess your next project will be shot with a HVX200 and Brevis35 then... :)
Good luck...
 
"Well i guess your next project will be shot with a HVX200 and Brevis35 then...
Good luck..."

You know, I have been eyeballing that HVX for almost a year now but I am startiing to read about the CineAlta PDW350 which seems to have some interesting possibilities. I'll have to research it some more but may try the HVX in a couple months. I may use the camera budget on the next one to buy a camera and use it for other features we shoot as the rentals can add up. Can't afford the high ends as a purchase but some of these more professional consumer ones may do the trick on some of our more "experimental" projects.

I used the F900 on another feature last year that we ended up selling to TV (premieres in September) and they were saying during the production "we don't like hidef. The image looks cheap"., etc. After they saw our film, not only did they buy it but said "we have to rethink this HD thing".....

Oh yeah, if anyone is in Idaho, come by The True West Film Festival and say "hi" as I'll be showing DUAL there.
 
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SquidLips said:
I used the F900 on another feature last year that we ended up selling to TV (premieres in September) and they were saying during the production "we don't like hidef. The image looks cheap"., etc. After they saw our film, not only did they buy it but said "we have to rethink this HD thing".....

Oh yeah, if anyone is in Idaho, come by The True West Film Festival and say "hi" as I'll be showing DUAL there.
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That's a really great compliment to recieve. The F900 is a great camera and produces great images stock. But that's not to say that it's automatically accepted.

I've seen F900 works come out looking more like DVX100, and while it's not bad, it should be better, right? It all comes down to who's using it and it seems, from your trailer, that you and your team have it down.

I think whatever camera you decide to shoot on, HVX or not, it'll look great.

DVXuser really has some great filmmakers in it's ranks.
 
Squidlips (I feel bad calling you that :) ) were you the writer, director, and star of God's Ears? I don't think this has been mentioned yet.
 
Kholi said:
That's a really great compliment to recieve. The F900 is a great camera and produces great images stock. But that's not to say that it's automatically accepted.

I've seen F900 works come out looking more like DVX100, and while it's not bad, it should be better, right? It all comes down to who's using it and it seems, from your trailer, that you and your team have it down.

I think whatever camera you decide to shoot on, HVX or not, it'll look great.

DVXuser really has some great filmmakers in it's ranks.
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You hit a big nail on the head. The production company was only reacting to what comes across their desk on a weekly basis and from their account the results have been less than stellar. Most of the hi def films they saw (and in all fairness, some may have been digital) were looking "cheap" in their words. I made sure to find someone that not only worked with hidef but really knew how to give it a filmic quality to make the audience feel more "comfortable". As the lighting, lens choice, color correction and even choice of tripod (when used) can make a difference in the image. I hate to say it, but even watching Miami Vice, the image at times looks much more "video" than the last film I did on it. Of course, Mann may like that look as it kind of gives the reality Cop TV show feel. But when we want the audience to forget they are watching a particular "look" it's really nice to get the image to as close to what people are used to as possible.

On DUAL, the loook was very extreme as the movie itself is "extreme" but shooting on film it would have taken us forever to get that look in post. With the F900 it was just some paint box tweaking and there you are (of course you are also stuck with that look so you have to be commited). I am just more and more facinated by the technology but there only seems to be a small "handfull" of people that know at this moment how to make the images look the best they can. And the more we see those "great images", the less resistance we will meet when we deliver on hi def as at this stage, from a purely producer's point of view, we are getting less money for projects shot on "video" than on film.

But in the end, it will always be more important to have good filmamkers than a good camera. But both are best!
 
that really was quite awesome, the look was so incredible and crips. the viewer coud easily feel (or atleast, i did) the tension among the conflicts of the film
 
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