S C H I T T E K A T T E R a Taylor Bryson Film

[Blake Balu]

Thanks Aaron. Huge coming from you. Dorian of the Dinner Guest was of my top 3 favorite roles I've done. The other 2 being theatre roles: Arnold Epstein in Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues and Jay in Robert Patrick's The Haunted Host. Fun Stuff. I'm a fan of your music BTW.

 

[kurtmo]

I thought this piece was pulled off really nicely. Loved the cinematic feel of the whole thing. Acting was super. Sound was excellent.

 

[Keystoned]

more ketchup

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Very very very great film. Its my favourite for this contest, and like a previous comment said, it looked like it came straight out of a larger movie, and i really felt you pulled it off amazingly well.

Thanks for watching and commenting. I very much appreciate it :beer:

Very, very cool.

I'm sorry not to have read all the posts here or seen this earlier. But here's my input:

• The sound. Excellent. Great audio all 'round. As close to perfect as you can get, in my view.
• The cast. Really, really good.
• How it was shot and framed. I liked the whole thing. Very pro.
• The story. Of course, I wanted to understand the title. And it was really interesting to me.

Here's the stuff I wasn't so convinced of:

• There's a really long take of the Boss with his back to the camera before he turns. It took so long for him to turn that it was a little distracting to me.
• I didn't buy the head bang into the concrete. Sorry. But I appreciate that's a hard effect to pull off.
• Wouldn't the snitch have had the wire under his t-shirt? And aren't I REALLY nitpicking now?
• I remember the problems you had with the location. I wonder if they were truly worth it in relation to the benefits you gained from the look. Sure it looked good, but couldn't all that have taken place in an alley, too? Just wondering.

This was terrific. Thanks so much for making it.

Thanks for the comments. As for the headaches of the location ... it's always a balance in guerilla filmmaking as to the benefit gained from a stolen shot vs. the likelihood that it could shut down your whole production or not. A plate shot of the white house, stolen in two seconds from a parked car that you are going to put in the background of a Ninja vs. the Secret Service battle in post? Maybe. Actually shooting the Ninja vs. Secret service battle in front of the white house? No way.

So basically well we did not foresee getting shut down, or at least we did not see it as likely. It's not like there were signs that said "top secret government location" and we shot for an entire day and 2/3rds there before they even noticed us. Also it is a spot where people come fish and sit and relax and Dane walks his dog there nightly.


I actually said to my AD / co producer Marcus as we pulled away from the location for the first time after Dane showed it to us ... ""so these are the levees ... couldn't we get in trouble for being here?" Dane basically assured us that this would be the perfect spot where no one would bother us had nowhere else to shoot . We trusted him as the most local local. It just needed to seem deserted and I wanted it to be by the water. In the end we got shut down not necessarily for being there, but for having a camera, which appeared to be telephoto with the 35 mm adapter, seemingly pointed at the underside of a large suspension bridge. If we had not been on break and stared blankly back at the coast guard when they came by and stared at us from some distance away on their boat, and had been punching each other and pointing the camera at the actors instead of having it lazily point on a slightly upward angle while we all stood around, then they may have guessed what we were actually doing and not cared. But they just saw a giant lens point up towards a prime terrorist target and a bunch of guys standing around. It also took then 2 full days to even notice we were there or care enough to come looking.

If I had had any clue that would happen we would have shot somewhere else of course. If I had had a crystal ball and knew exactly when and how it would happen, we would have shot there and just try to get it all in before they showed up.

But yeah it sucked to get kicked off your only location with 90 minutes of sunlight and have to find a new location to cheat for the current location and improvise an entirely new ending.

thanks again for taking the time to view, ponder, and comment

I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in here. I thought the hardened cop's acting was excellent and a highlight of the movie. I believe I saw him in Odd Squad. He was very engaging. The images captured were so brilliantly crisp and vibrant. I loved the location and thought it looked amazing.

The thing that made it hard for me was that I didn't believe two things. I dd not think the man was suficiently beaten to be a lost cause, and I didn't believe the hardened cop would shoot him. I got the sense that he cared about him more than the other cop. I can't put my finger on why, but that is what I got out of it.

You are not crazy. It is because the original ending, the one we felt we couldn't shoot after we got shut down, was very VERY different.

This was a great story, and I did not see the twist coming. I totally thought the man who was killed was wearing a wire somewhere, until the reveal.

What a great short.

Thanks so much, glad you liked it!

Just wanted to say that I enjoyed your film. Very well shot and directed. All of your actors were great except for that guy wearing the wire, he just seemed a little too 'off' compared to the rest of the characters...

Also, I'm not into dialogue, I usually find myself getting bored with too much dialogue but yo.u managed to hold my attention due to high-tension, good delivery and cinematic value.

Thanks for viewing and commenting. Glad we could hold you even though you are not a fan of dialogue intense stuff.

Personally I'd cut to black before he raises his head, that might help settle the issue of whether he's going to make it or not. When Blake is just lying there twitching, I thought he was done for, but then when he raises his head, that makes me think oh, he might make it after all...but no we're going to kill him on a snap descision, that's messed up. By cutting to black before that it leaves you with the question pointed out by Mr. Barry, and makes Rob, everybody's favorite character, more sympathetic either way you think about it. If he shot Blake, then it's definitely a mercy killing; Anthony, and justice is done. Just my longer-winded pair of pennies.

Thanks for coming back to continue the discussion. I think you have made a very astute observation and while it involves Blake I take 110% responsibility as the objective eye behind the camera.

When he is coughing and twitching, yeah the idea is fairly well sold that he will not make it, but when he raises up, it is too easy, the obstacle is no longer there. But at this point we only had 20 minutes of sunlight left, had just thrown this new ending at Blake within the last ten minutes and everyone was running around and going crazy because it was getting dark and we could not re shoot after today. So it is not Blake's fault, it is mine. He did exactly as directed and then I should have given the follow-up note to make it 100X's harder to get up, if he even could. Not sure if I even noticed the incongruity until I was home reviewing the footage. But anyway good point and good eye. Just falling down can kill you if you hit your head on the ground. Just the gun hit to the head could kill you. So while I buy the comments that the head beating doesn't look real, I don’t so much by the comments that it "would not be enough to kill someone" I think it is more that it doesn't look convincing and then we blow the suspension of disbelief here a bit because he is too strong when he raises up.

Thanks for the insightful comments :beer:

Taylor, great film. I loaded it onto my Mac Mini and watched it on my TV for a second screening. I was too busy watching your great photography to think that the Book might be the mole. I was just too caught up in the filmmaking. This was one of my top favorites. The only weak point, and others have said this, is the head bashing scene. It was too slow and hesitant (I'm sure because one actor didn't want to hurt the other.) But the blood effect was awesomely gory.

Nice work.

Thanks for taking the time to view and comment especially about the gun to the head hit. Proud of that little bit of compositing for the blood. Thanks again!


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Thanks everyone. Really helpful comments! I really appreciate all of them :beer:

 

[Keystoned]

ketchup ...

Very very very great film. Its my favourite for this contest, and like a previous comment said, it looked like it came straight out of a larger movie, and i really felt you pulled it off amazingly well.

Very good movie, very well acted, directed. Its just a dialog scene absically, but it felt very tense, because it was so well done. Only thing that i didn't really like was the way the head bashing on the ground was done. Also i didn't really buy the ending, although i liked the mood. Still i enjouyed it very much.

thanks very much for watching and commenting, glad it worked for you :thumbsup:

Very nicely done. I thought everything looked great, and actually had no problem with the head smashing part. The only thing that threw me a little was it seemed more like a scene to me, and less like a short film. While I would love to see the larger movie that this was a part of, I wasn't sure that the whole thing worked as it's own free-standing film with a definitive beginning, middle and end.

That aside, however, it's important to note that I was certainly drawn into the action immediately, and my attention was kept throughout. The cinematography was really strong, the editing was good, and I think the acting was good. Even the guy wearing the wire totally worked for me.

Nice job!

Thanks man. I wanted to challenge myself with a longer single location scene. Glad it pulled you in and worked for you on that level.

Yes Mr. Gobo, what I meant, yet not expressed correctly. Hold on Rob until just before he raises his head, cut to black. Taylor, your film man, not really for me to say, just a very general comment, nothing more. For me, this entry has punchy and dynamic performances, script and edit. There is something about it that makes it stand apart from the rest. :beer:

thanks for coming back and discussing the ending further. I will definitely look at these ending ideas.

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thanks again all. more ketchup miñana

 

[Keystoned]

Dane Rhodes is an excellent actor. Unfortunately, I felt that he overshadowed the others in this piece. You did a good job though and made an interesting movie. You made the most of minimal locations. It looks like there is still a vibrant filmmaking community in NOLA.

Thanks for the feedback Blaine. Yeah there's still some stuff goin' on in the big easy :beer:

Incredible film guys. I'm a big fan of Blake Balu from " The Dinner Guest" by Brian Kaz. If you haven't watched it; you should. It's one of my favorite short films.

I thought almost every aspect of this film was aces. One part was distracting and came off slightly amateurish. That was the head pounding. When you have something like that you must show it from initiation to completion or it's not believable. The jump cuts of Antony starting the pounding were too clever. A scene like that could really use a locked down camera position much like the one where Blake is struggling in the end. The two scenes should be siblings, one the journey, and the other the destination.

Hey interesting point on the two things sections being related, or that they should be related in the way they are shown. You may be on to something there.

The acting, the blocking, the blah blah blah I don't think you need me to tell you it was top notch. You know you're good, or at least I hope you do. I noticed a very strong Jack Daniel Stanley style feeling to the film. You guys must be two peas in an iPod from the same Nawlins school, or pool of experience.

heheh, peas in an iPod.

The music was great Herman and Sid. You guys are always nailing these works down. Top notch work, but again no surprise.

Great job overall. I an magnetically driven to vote this film first place, but I'm struggling with other films. oooh decisions decisions

Well it's important to trust your gut

I thought this piece was pulled off really nicely. Loved the cinematic feel of the whole thing. Acting was super. Sound was excellent.

Thanks. Always good to hear it worked but especially good to hear about the sound cuz the post about killed us - maybe the only un-fun part of the whole thing was the grueling audio post :crybaby:

 

[Herman Witkam]

The music was great Herman and Sid. You guys are always nailing these works down. Top notch work, but again no surprise.

Thanks man :beer:

 

[Norm Sanders]

I wish I had more to write, but it's so much easier to sum up what you loved about something, and usually even easier still to nit-pick the things you didn't think worked ... since so much DID work for me, I don't have too much to say other than the following:

INCREDIBLY well written & powerfully shot. Least convincing scene for me was the head bash into the concrete ... also think he still might have been able to live, so shooting seemed a TAD dramatic, but who knows. LOVED the humor that was delivered by the bookie "Oh, I've heard those are quite nice", etc. (again, excellent writing). VERY well acted by all!! Great job, a favorite of mine in the fest!

 

[arielman]

Great job guys !!
I enjoyed this short
Great acting !
Now I to decide who will get my # 1 vote .

Congrats and good luck.
Ian

 

[Keystoned]

Thanks for watching and commenting Norm and Ian!
Glad you liked it. :thumbsup:

And thanks again everyone.
It's been a blast and your comments have been very insightful and helpful.
Even with more negative criticisms everyone was super cool and diplomatic.
Couldn't ask for a better, more positive festival experience.
:beer:

 

[Edgen]

My Thoughts:

1st. AWFUL name. I've been wanting to say that since day one. I keep thinking **** and I'll continue to think "****". HOWEVER. THe movie was definitely not ****. It was probably one of my favs of the fest and I really enjoyed just about every aspect of the film.
I enjoyed all the characters performances and even the bozo clown guy.

Music and score.. great to see the colab again and looking forward to your next film.

Cheers!
/j

 

[Keystoned]

My Thoughts:

1st. AWFUL name. I've been wanting to say that since day one. I keep thinking shi* and I'll continue to think "shi*".

Well you kept thinking about it at least didn't you :evil:
To quote a prominent political leader of our day: Mission Accomplished

HOWEVER. THe movie was definitely not shi*. It was probably one of my favs of the fest and I really enjoyed just about every aspect of the film.
I enjoyed all the characters performances and even the bozo clown guy.

Music and score.. great to see the colab again and looking forward to your next film.

Cheers!
/j

Thanks for watching and commenting Justin. Catching up on my last few as well here in the 11th hour. Glad you liked the short if not the title :beer:

 

[RebeccaD]

Title was definitely of interest. I confess, I nicknamed it *&%tty kitty. :laugh:

Of course, as I've previously stated, that in no way is my opinion on your film, Taylor.

 

[Norm Sanders]

You got that nickname from me, lady. Give credit where credit is due, c'mon!

 

[gabrielflorit]

Wow, this one was amazing. Not one wasted frame here. The tension holds all the way to the end, which is very hard to do. I'll blame that on your excellent script. All these actors look very solid.

Can't find anything wrong with this entry. Looks Hollywood-quality all the way. My only criticism is that it's so good, so film-like, that it begs comparison with regular TV shows/Hollywood movies, and there it ends up being just one more framed-cop scene. But I only say that because the production was so slick. I guess this is the entry that most excels above the rest for me. It's like in a league of its own.

 

[Keystoned]

Heheh, thanks Gabriel, glad you liked it :thumbsup:

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Thanks everyone for you comments and feedback it was a wonderful experience :beer:

 

[gabrielflorit]

Hey congratulations! I'm really glad you got the award. This one would have been my 1st vote - if I could have voted.... stupid 100 posts rule....

 

[deedive]

congrates, it was one of my favorites, glad it was alot of other peoples too

 

[Mike@AF]

Glad you got some recognition. This was among the best. Great work!

 

[Keystoned]

Thanks again Gabriel, heheh.

Thanks Mike glad you got recognized as well - great setup and payoff in your flick.

Thanks Dale - that award was perfect for you movie. Such a strong convincing vision there.

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At this point thanks for my cast and crew is over due:

I'd like to first acknowledge Kory Von Holt who was our set photographer and did special effects makeup for the short but was inadvertently left off the credits for the contest cut. (Sorry Korey) His picks gave us something to start the thread with and the makeup looked great.

My Co-Producer Marcus who deserves half the filmmaking credit, as there would be no film without this dude.

Herman and Sid are not only geniuses but easy to work with. As I stumbled through post figuring out the role of music for this piece they were very patient.

Erik gave me a great head start on cleaning up the audio.

I could not have asked for a better cast. Blake, Dane, Antony, and Michael really brought it home on screen and despite the fact that some of them have major motion picture credits, they totally got the indie thing and were totally on board even hauling gear over the levee from where we were parked several miles away and rolling with being shut down and searched by the authorities. Throughout it all, their attitude was "what can I do next to help finish the film or make it better."

It was an honor guys. Thanks so much for working with me.

There will be a re-shoot of the original ending FYI, with permission to shoot under the bridge this time. So hang on to the clothes you wore. :thumbsup:

 

[Neil Rowe]

great job on this one. i thought it all came together very very well. the acting deserves mention that its really first rate. and the writing was very solid and believable. a very very good peice all in all. definitely on my list of stand outs from the fest. my only reservation mirrors gabrielflorit's .. in that being well done and of a typical crime drama genre, it felt like i had seen it before, or somehow knew what to expect as if it were another piece of an episode of CSI or something similar but better written. anyway it was great.