Two for the price of one double feature!

T

The Evil Mariachi

Well-known member
Hello Everyone,

I've been an avid reader of this amazing forum even before I bought my DVX, and now I can finally contribute with my very own footage.

http://almundoproductions.com/lastcall.html --> This is part of a school project that's still being edited. It's about a guy going on a bad trip into his head. Shot 24pA at F6, with Magic Bullet's "Berlin" applied for the look.

kidnapped_demo1.jpg
kidnapped_demo2.jpg
kidnapped_demo3.jpg


http://almundoproductions.com/park.html --> This here is my homage to Chaplin. Big thanks to Andrew Kramer's "Old-Film Effect" tutorial.

A-Day-In-the-Park_Lg1.jpg
A-Day-In-the-Park_Lg2.jpg
A-Day-In-the-Park_Lg3.jpg


Comments?
 
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I definitely liked the Chaplin piece. its always good to see to pay tribute to someone great, and its different..... not like the mainstream nowadays.

i liked the first piece too, but it could have been so much better and more intensive if it wasnt so repetative. i know its hard to cut down a piece, but ususally you and the piece will benefit from it.

keep up the good work!
 
Loved the look and lighting of the first one, and felt the camerawork was great. I echo davidreimer's comment that it was boring, but it seemed like a demo, and it was great considering that. The chaplin piece was pretty fun thuogh!
 
Thanks for taking the time out to comment, guys, I appreciate it. David, Malcom, I agree, the piece is too long--it'll be more tightly paced once I mix it in with the rest of the story.

The Chaplin short came about as a school assignment where the teacher gave us a different piece of music to interpret and film a short around. Having just watched Chaplin's "The Circus" for the first time (first Chaplin I ever saw, really), there was no other choice, I had to do a silent film! I then rented "City Lights," "The Kid," and "Modern Times." Up to this point I hadn't really been exposed to silent films, and I was amazed at how much emotion and social commentary there was in these films--I was hooked! Then to realize just how much Chaplin did on his films, like writing, directing, acting...even composing and performing the score! Oh, and did I mention they're hilarious? It really put things into perspective.

I've been meaning to rent some Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd, I hear they make similar films, could anyone recommend some titles?

Once again, thanks for the constructive criticism.

P.S. TheComo: Andrew Kramer is the man. Everything I've learned, and continue to learn about After Effects is thanks to him and [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Aharon Rabinowitz from the cow. Someday, I hope to be able to give back to the community like those guys have.
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Hello Tommy,

I'm about to start my second year of the film program at Miami-Dade College in Miami, Florida. We don't have the latest, or the best equipment, but the program does count with an excellent faculty of working professionals.
 
Buster Keaton is AWESOME! I also loved Charlie Chaplin as a kid (oddly enough as i grew up in the 80's/90's.

I would never know where to look to find any buster keaton stuff but anything by him really is good, i can't remember titles.
 
Hey Nathan,

I did a little bit of digging, and added Keaton's "The General" to my Netflix queue. This seems to be a highly regarded one. I'm also going to get Harold Lloyd's "Comedy Collection."

I also have memories of this one silent film where a locomotive ran through buildings and another where the entire facade of a house tips over and falls over a man, but instead of being crushed, he goes through a window opening. I was shocked at how they were able to pull off this stunt. Anyone seen this, remember where it's from?
 
Awesome, I should get around to seeing those on dvd, then.

Y'know, having watched all these silent films (Metropolis just blew me away), I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great to see them projected on the big screen and with live musical accompaniment? But then again, who would be interested in something like this besides us cinephiles? Although, the more people decide to stay home instead of going to the theatres, and day-and-date releases across all mediums become mainstream, theater owners are going to have to find a way to make movie going an event/experience again. Imax didn't take, here in Miami, and maybe the new 3D movies will help, but I say bring back Cinerama and the live orchestra (right, fat chance)!

Anyhow, sorry for the rant. We return to our scheduled programming already in progress...
 
I agree mariachi going to the theater has become a frustrating experience. Either some half ass parent brings their baby to ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN, or the ghettoness (which is something that for the most i part i love about this city) interfere's and you get PEPITO COMEMIERDA yelling at premieres. I remember when sound was THX and you had that great intro, now SDDS makes everything sound weak and crappy in my opinion. We need a theatrical theater, (if that makes any sense) something that makes you want to go to the movies instead of downloading like many do or waiting for the dvd like i find myself doing a lot. anyhow keep up the good work homie. DALE!
 
Hey Evil Mariachi,

That was a great demo, the lighting was great!!!!! What was your setup like? And how much did you rely on cc?

All the best
 
Hey Manymoosh,

Thank you for the kind words. For the lighting I used two 650w Arri Fresnels and a collapsible reflector. In the scene where the man's tied up and being threatened, I placed one of the Arris at about 9 o'clock, and the reflector opposite the Arri at 3 o'clock to fill in the rest of the scene. Color correction was a huge part of the equation. While slow to render, Magic Bullet does some great things with footage, especially with the highlights.

Here's a couple of the camera originals so you can see the difference.

kidnapped1_before.jpg


Kidnapped2_before.jpg
 
Like the camera, the look, and the lighting of the first film. But it was boring, and to repetitive. Pretty much what those guys said up there.
 
Hey TheComo,

I agree with all the comments as well. It's way too long right now. This would actually be part of a longer short with other scenes that I never got around to editing. I gotta say, though...the music doesn't go well with it? You're nuts man! Hehe, maybe I'm a little too attached to that music, but I really think it works. What would you suggest, though?
 
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