The Day the World Forgot - short film

I liked it, but I'm a sucker for movies like this.

I love the fact that you left me wondering...

Why does everyone wander into the ocean?
What is it about the music?
Who left it for them to listen to, and why?

Very strange and odd... the acting was a little stale in spots but I still enjoyed it. The camera work was quite good as well.

Keep them guessing! ;)

Cheers,

Mike
 
Hey, nice job. I really enjoyed this!

Not everything has to come with a full explanation. It was unsettling and vague and the characters had a sort of grim logic to them. I'm still having fun trying to think of what larger scenario this could possibly be a part of.

Congrats on finishing, hope it takes you places.
 
eustace said:
Very cool idea and some sweet shots.

In regard to some of the previous postings about it being confusing or not making sense: I think the lack of resolution and revelation is central to the story and part of what makes it so interesting.

However, I understand their frustration as, in the film, the dialogue builds and points toward a climax where something will be revealed about the situation. The difference with Matheson's short story is that the characters feel our (the audience's) frustration, not understanding the situation but being strangely drawn to it. Reordon keeps saying, "I just don't get it."

I think a cool way of remedying this problem (if indeed, this seems like a problem to anyone) would be to cut most or all of the dialogue and just present visually the strange occurrence. I know that's probably not practical as all that money and time was spent for it to be what it was, but as someone else said earlier, it's basically a silent film with the dialogue not contributing a whole lot.

Sorry if that sounds harsh: I know you wrote it. I think the story is great though, and the dialogue isn't bad; it just doesn't add much to the story. I think if the cuts were made, it could go from a decent to a pretty great short film. It would keep the audience thinking and talking about what it could mean long after the viewing, instead of dismissing the whole thing moments after because the end wasn't satisfying.

Also, this would allow the music and sound design to carry the mood and tone of the film (which I think would be a good thing). The acting and dialogue recording (though very good in my opinion) are the only parts that I think may draw the audience to thinking it amateur. Everything else is very tight and professional.

But... since you will most likely disregard all of the above due to the dramatic revisions it calls for (as well as, perhaps, to my lack of insight), I have a couple other minor comments/criticisms for you, the editor:
First, I think you should keep the audio levels of the waves crashing, etc. the same or at least much closer to the same when you cut to the wide shots looking down to the characters. It makes sense technically to cut the levels since the camera (and thus, we, the audience) is further away, but I think it's distracting and though it works for true reality it doesn't work for film reality.
And secondly, I'm not sure if I like the dissolves at the end where the main character is in the van, restless. I think it's an abrupt change in the mood from the rest of the film, and the dissolve to the wide shot of him getting out of the van especially just doesn't look right.

Anyway, sorry for the lack of brevity in this post. And, with all that said, I think, overall, it was a fantastic short film. I hardly ever comment on other people's work in these forums and yet this film impelled me to write all this.

Thanks for posting! I look forward to the final draft.
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Eustace,

Don't be sorry at all. All comments are completely valid. In regards to cutting the dialogue... while the idea is interesting... I can't do it. It would kill me and the director would kill be again soon after. As far as the technical notes, I agree completely. The sound should stay the same between those shots. As far as the dissolves at the end are concerned though I'm simply going to color correct it so it looks like it became later in the day and then the dissolves will have more of a purpose. Thanks for your support!

Also to everybody else, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the feedback.

-Robin
 
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Hey Robin,

I dont know if you remember my face from SDSU... I graduated with Erik C. in December of 06.... anyway, you guys got yourself a very cool short here!

It looks great, sound and editing are great too. Can't really say anything about it... yeah the waves should have been a bit louder for the wider cutaway, but then I didnt really see any waves crashing on shore.....

Overall, I really liked it. It's different, makes you stick out from the rest..... one thing: I feel like you guys should have showed the people walking into the water a bit more. I mean, yeah you see that in long shots, but this is what the film is about. There is no closer shot (if I remember correctly) where you see one or two persons walking into the water, being in the water while they keep walking. A closer shot of that would have emphasized it a bit more..... just would have been cool to see someone Zombie-like walking into the water and walking and walking....

other than that it is good stuff. Makes you wonder, thinking....

Hope you guys shop this around to festivals! Say what up to Chris Engle from me....

David
 
eustace said:
...

But... since you will most likely disregard all of the above due to the dramatic revisions it calls for (as well as, perhaps, to my lack of insight), I have a couple other minor comments/criticisms for you, the editor:
First, I think you should keep the audio levels of the waves crashing, etc. the same or at least much closer to the same when you cut to the wide shots looking down to the characters. It makes sense technically to cut the levels since the camera (and thus, we, the audience) is further away, but I think it's distracting and though it works for true reality it doesn't work for film reality.
And secondly, I'm not sure if I like the dissolves at the end where the main character is in the van, restless. I think it's an abrupt change in the mood from the rest of the film, and the dissolve to the wide shot of him getting out of the van especially just doesn't look right.

...
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I thought this as well while I was watching it. At least don't make the difference in sound levels quite so harsh. Also, the intentional differences in the sound of the music was confusing, and it left me with no idea as to where it was coming from.

I did really enjoy the movie, though. The fact that it's completely unresolved means its more likely to leave a lasting impression.
 
robinbuday said:
I'm simply going to color correct it so it looks like it became later in the day and then the dissolves will have more of a purpose.
-Robin
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Robin,
I like that idea. I think that will work really well.

And yeah, I totally understand about not cutting the dialogue. It would basically destroy what you all worked for. Just thought it might be worth suggesting - maybe just to have an alternate version to look at.

I have one other comment/suggestion (after watching it again with a couple buddies). What would you think about trimming the opening shot so it starts when the face of the dude with the baby is just about fully in frame? You could play the audio of the waves and the baby crying over black and the title until it gets to that point.
The reason I suggest this is that my buddies and I all initially thought the film was going to be a comedy because of the slow crane up on the somewhat tight-pantsed, bare-chested dude.
I don't know if anyone else felt this way - or maybe it was intentional - but I thought I'd throw it out there.

I also forgot to say on the original post how much I dug the shot of the main character getting into his car and the dolly move with him. Very cool!

Nice work.
 
I really liked your film. I agree with a previous post concerning the one shot where the character rises out of the shot, but hey what are you going to do when you're shooting on film. Sometimes you just have to move on. The performances could have been a bit deeper considering the circumstances, but the overall mood, shot composition and the most important-story were top notch and very moving. Kudos to you and your team.
 
Haha, you guys thought it was going to be a comedy huh? For me the only thing I don't like about the opening shot (and just about the only thing I agree with OldCorpse about) is the fake looking child. I think I'm going to remove the crying and work on having his footsteps open the shot so that way people won't expect the child to be moving. Besides, after seeing this movie a thousand times that crying is starting to annoy me anyway.

That dolly shot was a concept that the director Chris Engle and the DP Drew Dorsey came up with. Initially I was opposed to it and wanted to handle the reveal in a cut but hey, I'm not always right.

I should have a new version of the film up soon with some of the changes done. As far as handling where the music is coming from I think I'm going to leave that ominous. Some people will be left questioning the source while others will find it awkward. Can't please everyone... Thanks again for everybody's comments! It's really rewarding to know that this film is stirring so much debate...
 
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eustace said:
Very cool idea and some sweet shots.

In regard to some of the previous postings about it being confusing or not making sense: I think the lack of resolution and revelation is central to the story and part of what makes it so interesting.

However, I understand their frustration as, in the film, the dialogue builds and points toward a climax where something will be revealed about the situation. The difference with Matheson's short story is that the characters feel our (the audience's) frustration, not understanding the situation but being strangely drawn to it. Reordon keeps saying, "I just don't get it."

I think a cool way of remedying this problem (if indeed, this seems like a problem to anyone) would be to cut most or all of the dialogue and just present visually the strange occurrence. I know that's probably not practical as all that money and time was spent for it to be what it was, but as someone else said earlier, it's basically a silent film with the dialogue not contributing a whole lot.

Sorry if that sounds harsh: I know you wrote it. I think the story is great though, and the dialogue isn't bad; it just doesn't add much to the story. I think if the cuts were made, it could go from a decent to a pretty great short film. It would keep the audience thinking and talking about what it could mean long after the viewing, instead of dismissing the whole thing moments after because the end wasn't satisfying.

Also, this would allow the music and sound design to carry the mood and tone of the film (which I think would be a good thing). The acting and dialogue recording (though very good in my opinion) are the only parts that I think may draw the audience to thinking it amateur. Everything else is very tight and professional.

But... since you will most likely disregard all of the above due to the dramatic revisions it calls for (as well as, perhaps, to my lack of insight), I have a couple other minor comments/criticisms for you, the editor:
First, I think you should keep the audio levels of the waves crashing, etc. the same or at least much closer to the same when you cut to the wide shots looking down to the characters. It makes sense technically to cut the levels since the camera (and thus, we, the audience) is further away, but I think it's distracting and though it works for true reality it doesn't work for film reality.
And secondly, I'm not sure if I like the dissolves at the end where the main character is in the van, restless. I think it's an abrupt change in the mood from the rest of the film, and the dissolve to the wide shot of him getting out of the van especially just doesn't look right.

Anyway, sorry for the lack of brevity in this post. And, with all that said, I think, overall, it was a fantastic short film. I hardly ever comment on other people's work in these forums and yet this film impelled me to write all this.

Thanks for posting! I look forward to the final draft.
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First of all I'd like to say that I watched this three times and really enjoyed it. I took breaks inbetween my viewings--washed dishes, had a snack etc. and kept thinking about it. Upon first viewing I really enjoyed the images but like others I came way very frustrated because I did not understand it. So I watched the film a second time and listened very closely to the dialogue. I had still not read any of the posts. After my second viewing I read about 3 or 4 posts and got to Robin's first response indicating it was not supposed to have a meaning. I had not read Eustace's comments yet or Robin's further explanation that it was based on a short story.

So I watched it yet again and thought to myself what I would have done differently with the film to emphasize all the emotions that this concept is trying to deliver. I think the bones are all in place it just needs minor tweaking. I thought it would probably have been stronger without dialogue or much less dialogue and I also wanted to see more shots of people walking into the water--a constant never ending trail. I basically agree with everything Eustace is saying but came to this on my own so perhaps in numbers there is some validity? However, I don't think removing the dialogue is an absolute. In fact you might maintain a more constructed feel and stronger intention by keeping some of the dialogue and just modifying it. Perhaps you could consider taking out just some of the dialogue or overlap it so it is even more frustrating for the audience because they simply can't understand or hear it all.

With that all being said, I really get what you're doing and admire it very much. I'm really into horror pictures and this pastiche is terrific.

Completely off the subject: Robin, I am directing a low budget dance video. Is there a way you can share with me a breakdown of the budget? What accounting software is used for low budget productions these days?
 
Is it only me, or are parts of the audio out of sync with the talking mouths? It looks like a foreign film with voice overs sometimes.

Well shot though, I enjoyed this film.
 
Anybody out there with some extra bandwidth that wants to support a 1080p version of this film? :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
The 250D Fuji seems slightly grainy based on some of the shots in your short. Is it because you were losing light and the grain comes up due to matching the footage during telecine?

I've never shot 250D Fuji but I'm comparing it based on 250D Kodak that I've used and it's not as grainy. Do enlighten!


(p.s. I'm lifting my own text from prodigi's thread cuz I accidentally posted on his thread instead of yours. How embarassing lol.)
 
The Fugi Eterna 250D is naturally grainy from what I understand. The people over there at Fugi recommended it to us because it was the same stock they used a lot of on War of the Worlds which is similar to the muted, grainy look we were going for.
 
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I love it man, unlike most, i grew up without tv in a middle of the rain forest, so we were forced to use are imagination. So this was very refreshing to see compared to a lot of what i see
 
I liked it for what it was as well. Thank you for at least going out on a limb with this one.

I am going to go out on a limb now...

This is just a thought I had after seeing the film one time and there could be continuity problems with this idea. I am only suggesting this as an inspired idea after watching your film so don't take it as "I see your film in a better way than you".

What about starting the film with the end? Take all those shots of the guy walking around the empty cars and checking them out and put that first. Then cut into the footage of him talking to the other guy for a bit. Go to the shot of the family taking the little girl down to the beach and end it with the shots of people going into the ocean.

This way the tension and interest could be created from the first frame of the film. I know the abandoned cars are the money shots but you might try and just mix the whole thing up to see how it hits people. There might be little more of a resolution if the audience learns, only at the end, what is happening on some level.

Just my 2 cents and keep up the good work. Hey at least you got my imagination going!!!!!
 
Arman said:
I liked it for what it was as well. Thank you for at least going out on a limb with this one.

I am going to go out on a limb now...

This is just a thought I had after seeing the film one time and there could be continuity problems with this idea. I am only suggesting this as an inspired idea after watching your film so don't take it as "I see your film in a better way than you".

What about starting the film with the end? Take all those shots of the guy walking around the empty cars and checking them out and put that first. Then cut into the footage of him talking to the other guy for a bit. Go to the shot of the family taking the little girl down to the beach and end it with the shots of people going into the ocean.

This way the tension and interest could be created from the first frame of the film. I know the abandoned cars are the money shots but you might try and just mix the whole thing up to see how it hits people. There might be little more of a resolution if the audience learns, only at the end, what is happening on some level.

Just my 2 cents and keep up the good work. Hey at least you got my imagination going!!!!!
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There are so many ways of rearranging this film. One guy wanted to remove all the dialogue scenes and play it silent. Another wanted to cut in half-way into our opening shot. You want me to go in reverse. Personally, I'm waiting for someone to say, "Drop the whole thing to black and white!" Seriously though, thanks for your comments.
 
No prob ... just a suggestion.

So are you going to replace the audio, or is this the final edit?
 
Robin,

Did you use a tilt-shift lense for some of your shots or did you apply that in post? I think I see some of that happening.

Fidelio
 
Fidelio said:
Robin,

Did you use a tilt-shift lense for some of your shots or did you apply that in post? I think I see some of that happening.

Fidelio
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I'm not sure but what I can tell you is that there were no post effects what-so-ever unless you include color correction... I know that for some of the shots like of the little girl and the part where the main leads stands into frame after grabbing the cigarettes the DP used a 40mm Panavision Primo lens that blurs the edges of the screen so that your attention is drawn to the center. I believe he called it a portrait lens... If you can tell me a shot in particular that you are looking at I can call the DP and ask him what he used. He never forgets that stuff... :)
 
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