"My Christmas Soldier" DVD Now Available - HVX200 + RedRock M2! (DVXUser Discount)

Owen

Owen

Photoshop Savant
"My Christmas Soldier" DVD Now Available - HVX200 + RedRock M2! (DVXUser Discount)

"Every nation should see this film!
It is a film of hope, and a perfect Christmas story."
-The Dove Foundation

"Wonderfully made Holiday Heartwarmer"
-Rogue Cinema
My Christmas Soldier: $14.99 with FREE Shipping for DVXUsers!
(Save $2.99 and buy yourself a nice chamois eyepiece or something!)
>>>Order Page<<<
 (These are professionally replicated/pressed discs,
so they should work in all DVD players. They are NTSC, Region Free)

Trailer [link]
 _____

A small Georgia town struggles with the rationing and sacrifices of America at war.
Christmas is no exception as 11-year-old Gordy and his sister Priscilla sense a fear
in the train station where they await their father’s homecoming. Propaganda
posters and tense adult talk drive home the evil of the enemy.

When a train loaded with German prisoners arrives in the station, Gordy’s curiosity
is stronger than his fear. He dares to approach the prison train and makes contact
with a young German soldier named Hans. Through the courage to trust and the
song Silent Night, friends and foes learn the true meaning of Peace on Earth,
Goodwill Towards Men, and hearts are forever changed.

Narrated by Mac Powell of THIRD DAY.
______
Finally -- DVDs are in my hands! This project started in the Fall of 2005, shot in June of 2006, and got out of post production around Labor Day... so there's a definite sigh of relief here that it's all wrapped up in time for Christmas!

As a supplemental feature to the DVD, I'll update this thread periodically with behind the scenes info and pictures... and answers to any questions you might have.

Here's a good start with answers to some of the usual questions:

Shooting format:
720pN on the HVX200 with RedRock M2 Adapter
Nikon Lenses (28mm, 50mm, 30 - 70mm, 80 - 200mm)
Two 4gb P2 cards

DVXUser gear:
1). The famous Rowe Cine Dolly
Used with great results!
2). DVXUser batteries
(and the stock HVX battery, which never saw use
due to the long-life of DVXUser batts!)

Soundtrack:
I did the original score for this movie with
Garritan Personal Orchestra. It was my first experience
with Garritan and I am EXTREMELY pleased.
I was planning to use stock music, but can't stand the lack of control,
so I bought GPO and spent a few weeks scoring.
Much of the soundtrack is based on Christmas carols,
so they provided a fantastic starting point.
I'll post some clips later on in the thread.

Click any thumbnail for a larger image:




​
 
Last edited:
Hey people. I was one of the people that pre-ordered this back a few months ago and I recieved my copy today.

This is definitely a short worth purchasing. I have yet to check out the rest of the features on the Disc, the movie itself held it's own.

The holiday story is a great traditional story to check out. The visual quality is downright professional-class and the acting is a compliment to the picture.

This is also a VERY VERY good DVD to show off the technical advancements in Digital Cinematography. I'm sure you could sell nearly any production off of the visuals here, so that's just an extra reason to purchase Owen's movie.

I recommend it to everyone.
 
I rec'd my copy yesterday as well (thanks Owen!) ... haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but when I do I'll post a full review of the film & DVD content. :beer:
 
I received my yesterday and watched it through. What is really impressive is that it seems to be a small number of sets - primarily one it seems - and yet it does an excellent job of creating a sense of a complete town and time. nice work!
 
Thanks for the comments everyone! Reviews appreciated. The movie had its first festival screening last night and sure enough the biggest question was "what on earth was that shot on?!" :)

One thing I did a bit differently for this film was a complete note by note original score. In the past I've started out with Acid loops and heavily modified them, adding custom melody lines etc. I've pretty much worn out those libraries and want more control, so I purchased a copy of Garritan Personal Orchestra and set to work on creating an original soundtrack.

Many of the cues I wrote for the movie are inspired by (and contain bits and pieces of) well-known Christmas carols. This served as a great foundation for the score. I've always thought of Christmas as a holiday that comes with its own soundtrack, so what better source of inspiration?

Click the image below for a link to the opening theme for the film. The song "Silent Night" plays a key role in the story, so you will hear a tiny bit of that hinted at in the opening piece. It's not enough to give it away, but if you listen for it you should pick up on it pretty easily.

Enjoy!

​
 
Very cool, Owen. You're SUPER talented indeed to be not only the filmmaker, a graphics design/Photoshop guru, but able to score your own stuff as well. Really envy that skill set ... something to aspire to.

Question: Why'd you choose 24pN vs. 24PA?
 
Heh -- it's just years of piano lessons finally starting to pay off! ;)

On the HVX, pN mode records 24 progressive frames per second and takes up the least amount of space on the P2. 720p mode would record extra frames that I would have discarded in post anyway. pN is the common choice for HVX.
 
Calling all Georgia-based DVX Users!
ATLANTA PREMIERE NOVEMBER 1st:


***LANDMARK THEATRES MIDTOWN ART CINEMA in Atlanta***

Wednesday, Novebmer 1st, 2006

Two screenings:

7:30PM (SOLD OUT!)
and
8:45PM

Tickets available at the box office. Click for directions.

Hope to see you there!




Additional Upcoming Screenings:

***SOUTHEASTERN RAILWAY MUSEUM in Duluth, GA***

Friday, Novebmer 17th, 2006

Two screenings: 7:00PM and 8:00PM

FREE! Click for directions.



***ATLANTA HISTORY CENTER***

Thursday, December 7th, 2006

Screenings throughout the day for Pearl Harbor School Day.

Free with museum admission. Click for directions.

Tuesday, December 12th, 2006

Tuesday, December 19th, 2006

Screenings all evening as part of Candlenight Lights event.

Screenings from 5:30PM to 9:00PM

Free with event admission. Click for directions.



And for the Alabama Users amongst us:



***ALICEVILLE MUSEUM, ALICEVILLE, ALABAMA***

Thursday, December 14th, 2006

Special screening at the former POW camp in Aliceville, AL

7:00PM

Click for directions.​
 
Last edited:
Owen, I finally got to see the full short the other night. It was terrific! Great set, great costumes, great lighting, great story! I especially liked the message at the end... very touching :) The children were very well cast! A lot of times in lower budget pictures you see child actors that aren't so good... not the case here... they were fantastic!
 
The first screening for this Wednesday's premiere at 7:30PM in Atlanta is SOLD OUT! Tickets still available for the 8:45PM show, in case any Atlanta folks want to come check it out.

​
 
Last edited:
Mac Powell

Mac Powell

Dude,

Mac Powell... Sweet! How'd you get Mac? I interviewed him about six years ago here in Portland. We talked for about two hours before a show. He was awesome!

For those of you who don't know who Mac Powell is... let's just say he ROCKS! He's in a rock band and has the greatest voice ever! It's like a gravel bass with a Georgia accent!

Mac AND the HVX how lucky are you? I just have the HVX (Steadicam Flyer, Redrock M2, Zeiss Lenses and more). Ordered the DVD and your clip looks great. Can't wait to see it.

Peace,
Bryan
 
I was able to meet Mac through a few local jobs I got working on some Third Day productions here in town. He really is a great guy on and off the stage, with the perfect voice for this role!

New review is up over at Rogue Cinema!
http://www.roguecinema.com/article-813--0-0.html

"wonderfully made holiday heartwarmer"
"a solid piece of film making"
"may very well become a holiday classic"
 
This Friday -- free screenings near Atlanta at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth. This is where most of the movie was filmed.

Hope to meet some local DVXUsers there!

7PM and 8PM

Info and directions on the web site.
 
This week's coverage in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/printedition/2006/12/04/nfkwar1204a.html

NEWS FOR KIDS: In movie, Georgians see enemy up close

By Mary Beth Bishop
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/04/06

Do you like movies? You might want to see a new Christmas film that was made here in Georgia. It's about World War II, and now is an especially good time to see it, because Thursday is Pearl Harbor Day. That's when Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, and our country went to war.
"My Christmas Soldier" is based on a true story that happened during World War II, when trains would come through Georgia taking German prisoners to camps. The Germans were one of our enemies in that war. They were led by Adolf Hitler, one of the meanest people in history.


In the movie, when 11-year-old Gordy meets a German soldier at a train station, the soldier doesn't seem like one of the bad guys. Why would that be? Director Owen Smith explained that many German soldiers didn't know about the horrible things Hitler was doing. Many Germans became very angry after the war when they heard about how innocent people, including children, had died because of Hitler.


Here's something that really happened that's shown in the movie. People in a Georgia town were surprised when, shortly before Christmas, they heard enemy soldiers singing "Silent Night" in German while they were being shipped to a prison camp in Mississippi. The Georgians joined in, singing "Silent Night" along with them. That would be a Christmas they would never forget.
Not everything in the movie really happened, but you can imagine that it might have happened. This includes when Gordy walks up to a car full of German prisoners. He's curious about the men inside. We won't tell you the whole story, but it involves candy, a war medal and lots of surprises.
Aidan Rogers, 11, plays Gordy, who "got to go on trains and meet new people," he said. Aidan studies the German language at Kittredge Magnet School in Dunwoody, so it was kind of like doing homework when he heard German in the movie. English translations are shown on the screen when soldiers talk in German, and most of the movie is in English.


This was Aidan's third time to be in a movie, and he wants to make acting a career.


Emily Jordan of Dunwoody is in the film, too. She plays the little sister of Aidan's character.


You can see "My Christmas Soldier" this month at the Atlanta History Center. It's also being sold as a DVD, which has the movie and an extra section about Camp Shelby, in Mississippi, where enemy soldiers were held. There's even an interview with a German who talks about being a prisoner there.
Some things about Camp Shelby might surprise you. The German soldiers there grew food in a garden and started an orchestra. They also had a soccer team, which would go to other prison camps to play. And at least one German soldier married his sweetheart while at Camp Shelby, even though she was back home in Germany!


ABOUT THE FILM
WHAT: "My Christmas Soldier," a 36-minute movie.


WHERE: Atlanta History Center, 103 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W.


WHEN: There will be a special Pearl Habor Day showing for home-schooled children and others at 11 a.m. and noon Thursday. It also will be shown (over and over) during the History Center's Candlelight Night celebrations from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Dec. 12 and 19.


TICKETS: The movie is included with History Center admission, which is $10 for ages 4 to 12, $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens and older students, and free for ages 3 and under.


FOR MORE INFO: Call the History Center at 404-814-4116 or check its Web site at www.atlhist.org or the movie's Web site at www.mychristmassoldier.com. That's also where the DVD can be ordered. It costs $14.99.
 
Was that kid in an episode of Arrested Development? I could have sworn I saw him in some flashback scene where he was pretending to be a little prison convict.
 
No -- but I'll be sure to tell his mother that he reminds people of a convict!
er...on second thought...

I'm pretty sure this was his screen-debut... it's been the theatrical stage up until this year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top