HERITAGE - Geoff Reisner

Geoff_R said:
Thanks for taking the time to give your thoughts and comments, Robert!

As for the sound setup (both location & voiceover), it was all recorded with an Oktava MK012 w/ hyper cap. Sound went straight into XLR input 2 on the HVX; then I had both channels set to record from the same input, one riding a lil high, one riding a lil low.
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I like the "lil high, lil low" method. Saved me several times...(I'm no audio pro)

MK012 sounded pretty good. How close did you have it most of the time?
I have one and my complaint with it was that it's pretty base heavy and removing the base makes it sound incomplete. How did you deal with it?
 
Danielleus said:
...And that I enjoyed it a lot. I'll be be back when I get the chance.
Thanks again
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Thanks for the comments :) I really enjoyed 'Breathe'; the concept is very interesting and the film intelligently written/edited.
 
FatBird19 said:
I like the "lil high, lil low" method. Saved me several times...(I'm no audio pro)

MK012 sounded pretty good. How close did you have it most of the time?
I have one and my complaint with it was that it's pretty base heavy and removing the base makes it sound incomplete. How did you deal with it?
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At max, it'd be three-four feet away but we'd aim for two feet on average. I'm not a pro audio guy either, but I do believe that proximity is pretty much the 'numero uno' rule when it comes to location sound recording. (audio pros feel free to educate me if needed!) So if the sound is decent, it's probably because I framed up shots that allowed us to get in close.

I barely touched the source audio recording in post ( I wouldn't know what to do...) So I didn't remove any base or adjust it. The only thing I touched up was the dialogue in the kitchen; there was the hum of the fridge. I took that into Soundtrack Pro, sampled the fridge hum and applied a 'noise removal' filter which eliminated most of the hum.

I have a feeling the source audio could be cleaned up a bit so I'm hoping I can get one of my buddies in sound to take a look at it in the future for the final version of the film.

EDIT* Do you think it's base heavy as it stands now? I have bad ears, I can't even tell! lol
 
I liked this a lot. Outstanding work. I loved the mood and the music. I think I saw a comment a page or two ago from someone saying that they didn't like the exposition because it was done through an extensive monologue instead of visually, but I'd like to say I'm glad you that instead of using some lame cutaway. A lot of the shorts entered seem to try too hard to trunkate a longer story by compressing scenes or using obvious techniques such as flashbacks. But instead you used that pseudo-voiceover with a few key, but very vague--and often cryptic--visuals, that represent the style the story is told in. The film is ambiguous and subtly stylistic, without resorting to "drama" conventions such as unrealistic, over-emoting and sappy, over-the-top music. At a first glance the film doesn't appear to be a "drama" beacause of that, but it really is in a very loose, non-literal, unique way. This film is my favorite thus far.
 
Geoff, I just wanted to add to what you were saying about the sound. I think for us, getting good sound comes from not having a post sound guy. So we practice and try our best to get great sound on location rather than think we can fix it in post. We just assume that we can't fix it, so we try get the best we can initially.
Like when we did the bedroom scene, we tried different positions for the boom to get good sound. I think it came out pretty good.
 
RobertE said:
Heritage – review

You must have spent a lot of time setting up lighting because it was rich and I really enjoyed just seeing some of those shots. It made the movie for me.
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Geoff, I just wanted to answer RobertE about the lighting setups. The setups were roughly 20 mins to 40mins...then a few extra minutes for adjusting. I think the most time we spent on lighting was in the bedroom with the girl on the couch. That scene took us like 40 minutes to light. We tried to stay simplistic but with an edge.
Geoff had this shoot scheduled out pretty good.
 
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Billy Pilgrim, thanks for the wonderful thoughts and comments! I'm glad you enjoyed the film.

Christopher Barry, thank you! I know it's a tough decision with a lot of great entries! I deeply appreciate your vote! :)
 
Very enjoyable short

Very enjoyable short

Geoff, thanks again for your help uploading.

I really REALLY enjoyed Heritage. All the elements of this film came together in a clean, precise way. Your female leads acting was slightly off beat for me, but didn't hurt the overall experience. I love the twist. This is a haunting short worth watching again!
 
Hi Geoff,

My fondest congrats on this short. It's either my favourite or second favourite; like Eighteen Seconds it was the only other short where I felt a real director's presence and vision. A short which pulls you in by the sheer ambience and mood.

It achieved something rare, similar to David Lynch where you feel pulled into the story by the way in which it is crafted and not by expository dialogue. The mood of this piece was spot on, and while I say I still dont get it 100% narratively; it didn't matter. I was satisfied emotionally, competely enveloped in a world at an acute angle to normality; Expertly directed.

Watching it mute shows how much the sound really added to this piece. It's great that this isnt overlooked, you used this to compliement the overall vision and not just to 'tell a story'.

I would have been very proud to have made this short. Really well done Geoff.
 
Ladyhazle said:
I really REALLY enjoyed Heritage.
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I'm glad you enjoyed the film and many thanks for your thoughts and comments!

Darkline, thanks for the compliments! They are very appreciated!!! Especially coming from you. I remember enjoying your horrorfest entry, 'Halfway'.
 
Geoff, great job. This is one of the best if not the best short in the fest. I really dug the mood you set in this piece. Right off the bat you throw the viewer into a very unsettling state of mind. That is no easy feat. The lighting was well done and the compositions were good. The one section when the male lead is in the office opening the package felt a bit to bright to me. It really stood out compared to the rest of the scenes. The music for this short was key. Not to take away from all of 'you' that went into this short but the music is what really sold this one for me. Anthony Shamal Perera did a great job in giving this flick a real sense of unease. The acting to me felt as if it wasn't quite up to par with the script you wrote. Maybe the script was too smart and could have been humanized a bit. I do have to give props to you and the lead for actually acting during his voice over parts. It seem so many tend to just read the parts. The last line in the short was excellent. Great way to end it. This is a stand out for sure. It may just be the one. Need to think. Good job and can't wait for the next one.
 
AmbassadorTex said:
REALLY enjoyed watching this. Great feel for lighting in the bedroom shots. You used Chicago very well and gave your film a big feel in just the right places. Lead actor is very good - VO work is right in line w/ the tone you were going for, I think. Maybe the ending needs something more...a punch or final shot (something very quietly menacing)?
More later b/c I want to watch again without distractions...definitely one of my favorites so far.
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As I mentioned earlier - on balance this is possibly the best film in the fest (considering story, technical elements, style, acting, etc.).

Great opening - pacing of the edit - interesting composition in many places (1st conversation b/t lead and girlfriend) - kitchen monologue is unnatural in many places ("to anyone else would've resembled a cold amusement")...would prob. feel better if it were V.O. - great moment: "Why did he whisper?"

Great job showing his increasing paranoia visually. Great sound design. Still think that some small, quietly menacing visual tag at the end would really improve the payoff of your final line.

Thanks - very glad to see your work.
 
jontuttle said:
Anthony Shamal Perera did a great job in giving this flick a real sense of unease.
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Thanks for your thoughts and comments Jon. I really owe a great deal to Anthony. He put the score together last minute in a matter of hours. We had discussed it in detail and he knew the plan of attack but I couldn't give him a picture cut until the day before uploading.

He's a terrific musician & composer and I'm thankful to have the pleasure of working with him.

AmbassadorTex said:
Still think that some small, quietly menacing visual tag at the end would really improve the payoff of your final line.
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I hadn't thought of it, but now you got me thinking of some ideas I wish I had put in at the end... :)
 
Hey, this was a really great effort -- I was lured by the tension and the pacing. I thought the energy was definitely dark and alluring. Great job, Geoff!
 
Justin Reade said:
Hey, this was a really great effort -- I was lured by the tension and the pacing. I thought the energy was definitely dark and alluring. Great job, Geoff!
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Thanks Justin! Glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate your feedback.
 
I just got to see "Heritage" and I think it's great. It's very solid in all form of production. There really wasn't anything glaring that jumped out to me in a bad way. Perhaps the ending can use a little more. I can't put my finger on exactly what. I hate to be so vague in my comments but it is really solid and a nice change of pace from the majority of entries that I've had a chance to see.

Nice Job!
 
Congrats on having your entry appreciated and received so well! You've got something special here and its so nice to see it recognized by a knowledgeable audience. You definitely are in contention here for the big enchilada. Enjoy it!
 
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