"Sparrow" on DVD - OFFICIAL THREAD - <DVD AVAILABLE>

Envision said:
Hmm, I'll have to test one in my PC to see if there's any issues. I know I optimize them for TV/DVD, but don't know if there would be any crossover issues to PC's. Doubtful, but I'll let you know if I run into an issue on this end.
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:grin: I am watching on my PC... it's fine :)
 
I just tested it on one of my low-rent house PC's, and with the stock PowerDVD that came with it, it plays without a hitch (no problems). Hopefully you get one to work, Edgen, or at least can watch it on a standard DVD player.

Glad you found the rest, and that you liked the Comic Book intro, Paul. One of our PA's, who ended up being one of two on-set photographers with Nikon D70's, had this idea that he'd get coverage of all the shots, and then using a program with his Mac put together a comic book version of the film. I even thought about printing the thing out, and packaging it with the DVD.

When it was all said & done, however, he really only got enough coverage to cover the first entire scene, and since I didn't want it to go to waste decided to include it in the DVD, and allow the viewer to continue the film from where the last page of the 'Comic Book' leaves off. Thought it would be a fun idea. :)
 
Ok Norm, I got through most all the bonus features, and watched the film twice (three times if you count the commentary :)) and here's my review....

FILM

Visual Quality: Very good lighting and set design. Visually the film has a dark style, which is what the film is going for. I notice a slight grain on almost every shot. I've noticed this on several things shot with the Letus adapter series. I figure it's just the visceral feel you were going for. I thought the lighting and shots overall were very good.

Story and Script: I felt the script was good, as in the dialogue was well written. I think the story needed more... I felt it just moved too quickly. I'd show more backstory.

Acting: This I felt was the weakest part of the film overall. My favorite performance was that of Anita Lugliana. She really commanded the scenes she was in and did brilliantly. I felt that Rachelle's performance was very canned, and her dialogue delivery was very poor, specifically in the cockroach monologue. Ryan's performance was just flat for me, and he was a one note character (though maybe this is how he is written) I would have liked to see some more dynamics to his character.

Sound and Score: I felt the score and sound design was great! The score had a great feel for the film. The only time I felt the score weak was the break to the Rock song at the climax. But other than that the score was brilliant!

Effects: The effects were awesome! The greenscreen mattes were really clean, and the added effects were beautiful.

Overall: I enjoyed the film, and looked past the weak acting (IMO). I feel the look was really great, and the feel was good as well. I still wish the story had developed a bit more and moved a little slower... Overall, two thumbs up, as the visuals are great :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

BEHIND THE SCENES!

Wow! You really loaded this up! I watched the production diaries, which were a lot of fun to see the whole process of production. I enjoyed the cinematography featurette a lot and it was very informative. I also quite enjoyed the director's commentary! The thing that topped everything was that rib recipe! FUN STUFF! And I got hungry watching it, and now I want to go make them TOMORROW!!! Great job on the Special Features... top notch all around

OVERALL DVD PRESENTATION

Slick, slick, slick, slick! The menu's are awesome! I want you to design my DVD menus! These things rock. Perfect images and transitions to each menu, and the setup is simple and not cumbersome. Top notch stuff dude!
 
Wow, thanks Brandon for taking the extra time to put up that post, and with color coding too (I love it)!

On the visuals, yep the Letus35 added grain. I believe it's most noticeable in the darker mood/environment we had the film in, but it's okay as it also lends to the gritty feel. I have seen on a buddy's film, who I let rent the adapter & lenses from me, the Letus produce near grainless results. Absolutely stunning work with it. On the flip side, he also had a crew at his disposal with with 4 Ton Lighting/Grip truck with all the goodies, so they had a lot more lighting to help with it.

On the story, what can I say ... this was originally supposed to be a 6-minute short that just grew into more. :) If we ever do some kind of feature out of this, I'll guarantee there'll be more backstory, etc. If you look on the website, it's got a pretty in-depth backstory there as well, for those who want to know more about the history, characters, etc.

Acting: I bet there will be some debates/discussions on this, as it's very subjective (as is everything), and others during HeroFest had thought Meltdown (performed by Ryan Findley) had stolen the show, etc. All the same, I appreciate your comments & compliments. All the talent (IMO), did a great job, and I REALLY appreciate & value the time and energy they put into their performances.

Sound Design: Thanks.

Score: Yeah, Brian Moody did an excellent job. Very appreciative of how much he allowed me to push him on various things.

VFX: Steve_Arm (DVXuser member) saved us! He did a great job, and was also very patient on how much he allowed me to send him back to the drawing boards on things ... much of the time which was simply because of miscommunication, as English is not his native tongue, and we were litterally on opposite sides of the world with regards to time (10 hours ahead of us, as he's located in Athens, Greece).

BTS: Patrick (PDX_DVX) had over 20 hours of footage to work through for all the BTS, and did a wonderful job with the videos. Not only was he great for BTS, but he's just an overall awesome guy to work with, willing to do anything that's needed at a moment's notice. Really glad Ryan Walters (235 Studios) knew about him to bring him on board!

DVD & Menus: Thanks again. Very kind of you!
 
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norm.. just letting you know I got it to work. I think my computer just needed a nice kick in the reset button. :)

I'm looking forward to checking the bts!

/j
 
Cool man. I may look into that. The DVD looks HOT! I use Encore right now, and it's been good, but the DVD you did with the menu transitions and such is just rad.
 
Thanks again. I'm SURE Encore can do the same as DVDA3, it's just that for me I already know the program well & don't want a learning curve. In fact, one of the things Encore can do that DVDA3 can't (that I'm aware of), is place DATA content onto the DVD as well.

So someone can play the DVD in their DVD player, then put it in their PC and not only be able to play it, but pull whatever data files you put on their as well (i.e. in our case I would have put the script, etc. into the data section).

So you've got a great program ... just have to monkey around with the thing to figure out how to do transition videos, etc. There's two different ways to do those in DVDA3, both of which I just figured out on my own ... the program is THAT intuitive.
 
Still with the DVDA envision? Well im just glad nobody gets it then. Or maybe im the one whos immature. Carry on...
 
Vegas & DVDA rock, no excpetions. I've never had an issue with authored discs from it, and with both programs have been able to achieve as much if not more than any other straight prosumer NLE and authoring program combined. :thumbsup:

Can't wait for the newer versions to come out!
 
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