Bedtime Story by DJ Lewis

kurtmo said:
Cute wings. Were those CG or just composited?
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DJ made a last minute post that he needed some VFX and I always try to help whenever I can. I gave him full warning (made him sign thick papers releasing me from liability for lame VFX) and told him that we didn't have enough time to really do a good job, but that I'd try to give him some wings.

Those are CG wings (actually a dismembered 3D swan I had in the library). I actually had the shots completed on my laptop when it got stolen so I had to redo them in basically a day and poor DJ had to wait until 2 hours before deadline to get the last sequence.

Anyway, I'm delighted to see this beautiful little story and am honored to be able to help. Next time I told him we'll start earlier and have some really awesome effects.

Mark
 
:dankk2: Thanks for stepping in Mark, and thanks for your help on the flick. I hope you checked out the top of the thread.
 
The wings in the early stages were actually quite good, nice work!

This story was really well told. I had no problems with it and enjoyed the ride.
I thought the girl was quite good as well.

I probably would have went without the wings at the end but that's just me.

Nice entry.

Cheers,

Mike
 
I love the story and I'm so glad you were able to complete this in time (it's amazing actually).

Many of the shots are wonderful. You did a great job with the car hit.

The actors are a little rough around the edges and I think had there been time a little more rehearsal would of helped a lot.

Still, I enjoyed this a lot.
 
Thanks so much for the kind words. And you're right Chris; time was definatly a major factor in the production and post of this film. Given how little we had, I'm jazzed that we even pulled it off!
 
I can't believe no one else thought to use Cupid in a LoveFest! :) You did it in a pretty cool way. Cupid struggling with the meaning of love. That's an interesting concept, and I enjoyed the story line.

I think this is one that could have benefited a bit from longer time format, but it worked pretty well within the 6 minutes as well. All the pieces are there, but some of the moments could have benefited from greater fleshing.

I actually think the basic story line that you laid out,and the format would work well as a movie on lifetime, or Hallmark or something liek that... and I do mean that as a compliment, and I"m only referencing the storyline and the basic format you've laid out for us.

So, again, I enjoyed the story of this, but think it's a story (at least as you presented it to us) that would be better suited for a longer time frame.

Don't have much else to say. It really is another one of those entries that just oozed of cuteness... but it didn't strike me as a cheezy cuteness. :)

I'm just commenting on the story, b/c that's the thing that stood out for me here. I'd really like for you to explore making this into a made for tv feature length and try shopping the script around, or something. That's just where I see it.

ANyways...... :)

Thanks for sharing your work.

Take care,
Jason
 
congrats on your first film. Last night, I threw a few on for my girlfriend to watch and this was one of them. I liked this film. It reminded me of those 70's family type films one of the three networks would play on a Sunday night; the couple that doesn't get along and then they win each other over and one of them has a fun secret. There was a lot to like technically and story wise especially for your first film. I like the lead actress and think she did a good job. Your lead male could have been a little looser in his performance and maybe some more rehearsal could have helped. None of this was critical to what was accomplished though. Good job.

Jim
 
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Michael Braud..Gumby is that you? What the heck are you doing in a dvxuser film? Small world, I thought you for sure disappeared by now! He needs to give me a call.
 
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Bedtime Story! I really liked the car hit, I've been meaning to try one of those to see if I can get it right. Anyways, I thought it was pretty clever how the wings are in pieces later, nice touch.

The girl actress was really well cast IMO. I can see how time could have helped some stuff, but I think it's pretty solid as is. You should be proud.
 
DJ, this was a fun little story. I liked the way you used the bedtime story to tell us about Cupid finding love. :thumbsup:
 
Nice work I really enjoyed the story of this one and thought it was an original idea.
The bedroom scene at 3:06 really just didn't work for me acting wise. Rather rough, but the rest of it was fine.

The bruises looked excellent and the wings were very good as well.

Liked the music and costume design as well.
 
--------------BEDTIME STORY -- Spoilerific

I actually got to check this one out last night. However, I didn't have a chance to bring up my thoughts, or write 'em up anyway. I like the idea! And, I like the execution for the most part. There's actually a full blown narrative within this six minutes; nice.

Cupid is fitting for the theme, and I like the SOB better when he's dragged down to this humane state, trampled on, and taught a lil' lesson about what really happens when he goes shootin' people in the tail-end with those things. I think it works because we're all familiar with Cupid and what he does. We can all actually see him being COMPLETELY oblivious, as a world renowned character, to the hard lessons that love has to teach. So, by putting him in a situation that a lot of us can relate to on a very basic level (job failure in this case) and THEN shoveling his drunken heap into something that he's unfamiliar with (in this story) builds on a myth and creates a human out of it.

Suhweet.

I also like how I just totally forgot about the father and son scene in the beginning. Not because it was pointless, but because the scene right after it (jogging couple) introduced a completely different timeline yet still within context of the story. It went a ways toward "Oh! That's Cupid!" in the end. And, not in a way that I disliked, either. Honestly, it really worked. Good job.

Overall, it's a solid piece.

I do wonder, at the same time, if it's missing a target audience? For instance, in the beginning and in the end you have a solid G-rated short. In the center, it becomes pretty PGish PG-13esque because you're introducing alcohol and pregnancy. So there's two different ratings. I know I'm not the MPAA or anything, I bring it up because it seems like an audience shift back and forth. Nothing wrong with that! Just me thinkin' aloud.

Not gonna get into acting or anything else like that. You do what you can on no/low budget. I didn't have a huge problem with dialog, maybe a bit "thoughful" in the bedroom. Some times people don't exactly say what they mean, just as they sometimes don't mean what they say... that's what I mean.

=P

The title! Must be hard to really think of one for this but it's nowhere near as strong as the actual short.

Thanks for showin'! More Please!
 
Jason Ramsey said:
I can't believe no one else thought to use Cupid in a LoveFest! You did it in a pretty cool way.
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Yeah, I was shocked too!
Jason Ramsey said:
I actually think the basic story line that you laid out,and the format would work well as a movie on lifetime, or Hallmark or something liek that... and I do mean that as a compliment… I'd really like for you to explore making this into a made for tv feature length and try shopping the script around, or something.
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bosindy said:
It reminded me of those 70's family type films one of the three networks would play on a Sunday night;
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This is a huge compliment. I didn’t know if this type of film would play well to this mostly male audience. To my surprise, not only have you validated, but you’ve asked for more. Thank you.
 
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Slimothy said:
Bedtime Story! I really liked the car hit, I've been meaning to try one of those to see if I can get it right.
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What up, Fat Monsters! Thanks for you comments Slim and Baline...

I owe the car hit to Micheal (talent) and Wallace (dp). Both great guys who did some killer work. The talent is a trained stunt man, and we were able to shoot some footage of him flying off the back of the car, full impact to the ground, that didn't make the 6 minute cut. Hopefully you'll see that in an extended cut.
 
I really liked your story, and I'm glad I watched it through till the end.

After watching a few very technically accomplished films before yours, I grew a little impatient when Cupid came on screen. The adr was off, the composite was off, the costume, the vfx (sorry Mark! I know you were rushed), the washed out look, the whole vibe was making me very uncomfortable. lol. Even the road where the joggers were running was so ugly, I was starting to twitch. Just a personal thing, but production value should always be considered, eye candy if you will. I think you could have found a better exterior location (freebie) to set that scene... Anyway, I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.

Once the girl came into the picture, the story really picked up steam. I became involved in the story, and the relationship between the two. I love Witness, and you captured that "mending" thing perfectly. I was particularly impressed with the montage of her outside the door. Very well done. The ending was a nice surprise, and tied up everything really well. Again, unfortunately the wings destroyed the illusion. I can understand how on paper the image of a baby with wings is awesome, but pulling it off is something else.

If the time and resources aren't available to do VFX right, it is better to reconsider them. Make your budget limitations work for you, and not against.

Even if this wasn't your first film, you did a great job!
 
Thanks Max for sticking with it until the end! Very good comments too...

Earlier in the the thread, I pointed out that a lot of the issues in this film came from me dragging my feet before starting production. I broke a lot of my personal rules in this film, but not entering this fest was not an option.

Once the fest is over, the team and I will take everyone's insights into consideration for the re-edit. Thanks again!
 
DJ Lewis said:
Thanks Max for sticking with it until the end! Very good comments too...

Earlier in the the thread, I pointed out that a lot of the issues in this film came from me dragging my feet before starting production. I broke a lot of my personal rules in this film, but not entering this fest was not an option.

Once the fest is over, the team and I will take everyone's insights into consideration for the re-edit. Thanks again!
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Dj that's awesome... so glad to hear you're continuing to push forward on this. looking forward to seeing its next incarnation. :)
 
Kholi said:
I do wonder, at the same time, if it's missing a target audience? For instance, in the beginning and in the end you have a solid G-rated short. In the center, it becomes pretty PGish PG-13esque because you're introducing alcohol and pregnancy. So there's two different ratings. I know I'm not the MPAA or anything, I bring it up because it seems like an audience shift back and forth. Nothing wrong with that! Just me thinkin' aloud.
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Lol, yeah I got a personal note about Cupid's alocholoism really putting the person off, but I feel it worked. So far, that scene seems to be a crowd favorite.

Thank you for your comments Kholi!
 
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