A Little Mouth to Feed: MACGREGOR, BARRY GREEN, JIMERSON, HUDSON & JDS

Hey Jack, I in no way meant my post to be taken as not discussing the elements of the story, or the ENCODING/DECODING method you wrote above (which is exactly what a director has to do right(ENCODE) so that the audience can DECODE it, and it make sense)

I am just saying, have an open mind, and watch to be entertained... and as I said above... if something doesn't work, analyze, and if something works great, analyze. :)
 
Thanks for all the responses and the PM's.

I think I know here I may have taken a mis-step. In an effort to move things along at the speed of short film, we had Flora accept the baby and what it does immediately. We worried if this would be believable or not. Apparently it is so believable that the movie feels somewhat over.

So I am definitely going to try to recut the scene so that she accepts the baby immediately but then ends on an ambiguous note when the baby eats the midwife. The baby definitely needs to eat the midwife because we need to know what it does before the last scene. But I can find a shot where Flora looks slightly perplexed about the eating I think ...

The bulb and the rest will play at the end because now the movie will (hopefully) be slightly ahead of the viewer. Seeing the bulb will be how we learn that Flora ultimately was OK with the baby eating people and exactly what she is doing now.

We will move the start of the supense scoring from her closeup at the end of the previous scene "I can't wait to show him to you" to the moment the door opens to the bedroom or when they are walking down the hall and hopefully use some scoring at the end of the scene that says she is conflicted.

May not work. But it is a good plan. If it does work then I think it will be the best combination of what I was going for and what the audience is getting out of it.
 
OFF TOPIC in JACKS THREAD

I first and foremost want to be entertained

Fest after fest after fest, that has been my mantra

'At the end of the day, was I entertained?'

I have picked my FAVORITE films based soley on that element alone; Zombiefest, Scifest, all of them.

I do not judge on technical merit. But I need all of those categories to be at least competent for me to be entertained. Maybe the filmmaker in me cannot help but notice things the average viewer would not; but aren't we a more discerning voice than the average viewer ?

As long as the competency level is met; it's all good for me.

THREAD JACK OVER ! (Get it, THREAD Jack?)
 
Brandon Rice said:
Hey Jack, I in no way meant my post to be taken as not discussing the elements of the story, or the ENCODING/DECODING method you wrote above (which is exactly what a director has to do right(ENCODE) so that the audience can DECODE it, and it make sense)

I am just saying, have an open mind, and watch to be entertained... and as I said above... if something doesn't work, analyze, and if something works great, analyze. :)
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No no I didn't take it that way.

Haha I feel like my thread has gone from super contentious to super polite.

There are no eggshells here amongst my friends.
 
Jack, I think that would be better than the original.

Having her motives being slightly unclear will definitely make the ending more suspenseful and interesting.

Hopefully you can find that perfect shot.
 
J.R. Hudson said:
OFF TOPIC in JACKS THREAD

I first and foremost want to be entertained

Fest after fest after fest, that has been my mantra

'At the end of the day, was I entertained?'

I have picked my FAVORITE films based soley on that element alone; Zombiefest, Scifest, all of them.

I do not judge on technical merit. But I need all of those categories to be at least competent for me to be entertained. Maybe the filmmaker in me cannot help but notice things the average viewer would not; but aren't we a more discerning voice than the average viewer ?

As long as the competency level is met; it's all good for me.

THREAD JACK OVER ! (Get it, THREAD Jack?)
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Yeah J.R.!

I agree 100%, and technical "issues" can pull a viewer OUT of a film, hence the reason a film must be somewhat technically sound to work IMHO.

But yes, it's about being entertained, it's about going along for the ride, and feeling satisfied at the end of it... :beer:

Jack Daniel Stanley said:
No no I didn't take it that way.

Haha I feel like my thread has gone from super contentious to super polite.

There are no eggshells here amongst my friends.
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Awesome Jack! Ok :) cool. Wasn't worried about being polite, just clear in the point I was making. Though I hope I am polite most of the time as well :) :beer:
 
J.R. Hudson said:
'At the end of the day, was I entertained?'
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Reminds me of...

"Are you not entertained?"
1194317991.jpg


:grin:

I was definitely entertained.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Back on topic... :)

Jack, I loved her reaction and acceptance of what the baby did to the midwife. I think it would be a shame to lose that moment. The choice is really yours though of course. Just my 2 cents...

Cheers,

Mike
 
Kyser said:
Back on topic... :)

Jack, I loved her reaction and acceptance of what the baby did to the midwife. I think it would be a shame to lose that moment. The choice is really yours though of course. Just my 2 cents...

Cheers,

Mike
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and Jack, I tend to agree... it makes the whole film that much darker... she's completely accepted the life she'll live... and she's happy with the deal she made with the devil.
 
Jack Daniel Stanley said:
I think I know here I may have taken a mis-step. In an effort to move things along at the speed of short film, we had Flora accept the baby and what it does immediately. We worried if this would be believable or not. Apparently it is so believable that the movie feels somewhat over.

So I am definitely going to try to recut the scene so that she accepts the baby immediately but then ends on an ambiguous note when the baby eats the midwife. The baby definitely needs to eat the midwife because we need to know what it does before the last scene. But I can find a shot where Flora looks slightly perplexed about the eating I think ...

The bulb and the rest will play at the end because now the movie will (hopefully) be slightly ahead of the viewer. Seeing the bulb will be how we learn that Flora ultimately was OK with the baby eating people and exactly what she is doing now.
Click to expand...

I for one, like it the way it is. Her reaction gives it a bit of a campy feel that works well with the babies attack on the mid wife ( that I find very humorous in a dark way). If you want the end to be more serious then you should cut it and show her more conflicted, but for me it works the way it is.
 
I applaud Jack for being so open about the process.

The difference is that on here we're all at least aspiring film-makers, DVX is unique in that it's the only festival that offers the feedback from peers across the globe. It's not a normal festival. The 'sit back and enjoy' is certainly an element, but discussion is what this board is famous for.

I'd have shut up sooner :-) but Jack could have just said 'thanks for the comments' and I'd have taken the hint. I only discussed it futher because he showed an interest in doing so.

You might be right to take a break from it Jack. I just read a script of mine that I remember being really happy with 2 weeks ago. Today its chessy as s**t. Sometimes a bit of breathing space is good before diving in.

Your original instincts may have been spot on. Except it needed more porn for MM's sake.
 
I'd like to see the cut with the ambiguity in it. This was one of those things we struggled with; how to play her reaction to this horrifying scene. The way it plays out now it takes a humorous twist, accented by the baby yanking the 250-pound body quickly offscreen. Which also makes Clovis' bloody pleading play a bit more humorously than it might otherwise.

If she has a tad of shock before accepting, that reconfirms her decision at the cross-turning: second-thoughts, then plunging forward. Will it make it better? I don't know, but it'll be a somewhat different journey, and probably worth exploring.
 
If she has a tad of shock before accepting, that reconfirms her decision at the cross-turning: second-thoughts, then plunging forward. Will it make it better? I don't know, but it'll be a somewhat different journey, and probably worth exploring.
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To be completely honest, the slightly humorous aspect at the end took me from, "I'm going to show this all of my friends that I have told about DVXuser to showcase some of its members' talent," to "I really enjoyed that and it entertained me."

It was still great on every level, but like all films, it could have some improvement.

I still think it's one of the best festival entries I've seen in the history of the DVXuser festival, along with Similo.
 
Jason Ramsey said:
The thing that pushes it over the bounds of the choice that I hear described in the thread here is the midwife. If there were more time to establish her family history as being tied to the family history of Flora, then it could completely work for me and make it a very compelling choice.
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Jason you know what I find interesting is, as an actress reading the script I could easily see why there was a midwife. I mean here was this back wood couple who probably don't go to doctors hardly ever to begin with. She is uber religious and he is not. Someone else suggested maybe he had to deliver the baby and all I could think is...Clovis would be the type to walk out. The idea of a midwife seemed exactly right to me when I read it. It was one of the things I never questioned for a moment. As an actor reading all of this it really surprised me to see so many bring that point up.

J.R. Hudson said:
I think the new shot is more effective in setting up the location Jack; I like it, it is a wider shot that establishes a world.
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I understand why so many like it because it ties things up in a neat package. I guess I am about to sound jaded for the first time. The first shot worked fine for me. The new shot does not work as much in my view and for the first time I understand Kubrik a bit better (did i spell that right). His work often bothers me because it leaves to many questions. The fact so many are worried about the time line when that pregnancy test is there is interesting to say the least.

As a 'talent' and not a writer or reviewer or critique watching you all discuss this has been enlightening

Darkline said:
Hey Jack,

For me, the most distracting element was the ending. I just felt once we had the reveal of the devil eating baby, well, it wasnt enough to have the end being another eating baby scene. It didnt really provide us with anything new...
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Hmmm Darkline I guess I see where you are coming from but when I read the script I felt like the midwifes death was something Flora accepted as part of her babies life...However I think she set up Clovis on purpose which was new...for Flora at least.

Darkline said:
All good points Jack.

For Flora this moment has already happened in the previous scene. Maybe delaying that moment fully to the final scene would add to the satisfaction. Your suggestion may well work.
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Your making me think it could work....dag nab it stop making me think

Jack Daniel Stanley said:
So I am definitely going to try to recut the scene so that she accepts the baby immediately but then ends on an ambiguous note when the baby eats the midwife. The baby definitely needs to eat the midwife because we need to know what it does before the last scene. But I can find a shot where Flora looks slightly perplexed about the eating I think ...
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I look forward to seeing that. Hope it does not lose that feeling it has now and I admit liking the dark humor of that line but if you have to lose it...you have to lose it

Jack Daniel Stanley said:
No no I didn't take it that way.

Haha I feel like my thread has gone from super contentious to super polite.

There are no eggshells here amongst my friends.
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HA HA HA HA....OF COURSE IT HAS...I joined and have the baby with me...do you think that any of them dare to be rude to you with me watching? Clovis Junior has not eaten since this afternoon....anyone want to come over and help feed the baby? First one to mess with Clovis Juniors Uncle Jack gets to change the next dirty diaper!

Brandon Rice said:
and Jack, I tend to agree... it makes the whole film that much darker... she's completely accepted the life she'll live... and she's happy with the deal she made with the devil.
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See...that is what I thought the first death was too. Her accepting it...but the second death she set up herself and planned. I guess that is why I don't ultimately want Jack to change that moment but it is his baby....I mean Clovis's baby...I mean Satan's....oh never mind... :)
 
Hi Michele... I'm never clear. I didn't mean that I didn't think there should be a midwife. On the contrary. I just meant that she was portrayed as from the same 'mold' as your character and the husband. That made me want a little something more to justify (wrong word) that choice. I didn't mean to imply that I didn't think the midwife character should be there. Just the fact that her being from the same mold as your character took it somewhere that made me wish I had a little more info on the relationship history between her and Clovis... or that she had represented that 'outside' world. But, she was definitely a valid character, and looked a lot like the midwife who delivered our two children. Without the costume :)

My wife and I had a midwife for our second Baby last week by the way. Midwives are the way to go.... THough ours was born in a hospital.... but if I had to do it over again, we would do it at home... The hospital was the worst part of the experience :)

Take care,
Jason
 
Jason Ramsey said:
Hi Michele... I'm never clear. I didn't mean that I didn't think there should be a midwife.
My wife and I had a midwife for our second Baby last week by the way.
Take care,
Jason
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Jason

I am sleepy as heck and might have made a bad word choice too. I did not think you thought the midwife should not be there but I am curious now that you mention your wife used a midwife...may I ask this?

How well did your wife know her? Did they have a history together other than things related to the pregnancy? Do you live in a fairly large town?

The reason I ask is partly based on how I see it from the female point of view and having once lived in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I know a few women in big cities who went that route and they 'shopped' for the midwife and the facility to have the child in. But often in rural areas, even today...there is a local midwife everyone knows about and that is who they call on when it is time. There is often no relationship between them other than that of need.

I guess that is why the whole debate on the midwife kind of makes me wonder. Is it because a lot of men are talking about it and they seldom actually consider the birthing process? Not trying to assume that you or other men did not pay attention but even men I know who went in the delivery room tend to see the whole thing from a very different perspective.

I really assumed when I was reading the script that the midwife character was the local woman everyone in this rural community called on when the time came because the hospital was too far away or to costly.

Maybe that is just me though...right now I wish there were other women on the thread to throw an opinion to see if it is just me.
 
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