Short film "In Blood" (HVX200A)

The video just did not load at all for me....it was loading for about 5 mins then stopped with nothing.
 
Were you using an adapter? If so what Kind and what glass? Also, could you post your camera settings? It looked very sharp. Nice job.
 
Overall the image and sound quality were very nice.

My only comment about the editing is where the pen first hits paper and the image freezes. I can understand why you would not want a whole word to show, but that freeze and then dissolve to the next shot was a little weird for me. Start to show a word, maybe only the first two letters, while dissolving.

My comment on the overall story is that without knowing who the robed man is, the piece loses a great deal of impact. Is that God? Satan? Fate? An observer from an alien race? On this one, leaving it up to the viewer's imagination really comes across as lack of author's imagination. (Sorry if that's rude.)
 
Thanks for the feedback guys -- the positive and the negative.

To answer some of the technical questions:

- No lens adapter was used. The HVX200A Leica lens is great by itself.
- Scene file settings: Cine-like D, Master Pedestal -4 to -8 to get deep blacks, and everything else was at 0. The color and texture of the film was achieved the natural way: lighting and set design.
- The blood was standard stage blood (brand: Ben Nye). Yes, it primarily consists of syrup.

Thanks again guys. I hope to post more shorts soon!
 
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Jim Simon said:
Overall the image and sound quality were very nice.

My only comment about the editing is where the pen first hits paper and the image freezes. I can understand why you would not want a whole word to show, but that freeze and then dissolve to the next shot was a little weird for me. Start to show a word, maybe only the first two letters, while dissolving.

My comment on the overall story is that without knowing who the robed man is, the piece loses a great deal of impact. Is that God? Satan? Fate? An observer from an alien race? On this one, leaving it up to the viewer's imagination really comes across as lack of author's imagination. (Sorry if that's rude.)
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I agree with these statements. Although, I think that unmasking the robed man would do no good, as good chunks of written history was passed on by unknowns. To unmask him actually might hinder the short a little. I like that it is written in blood. A wipe of the brow at one point might have been a nice touch.

On the freezeframe: I also felt it was a bit jarring. The dissolve that followed was a nice choice, but right before a freezeframe, it just doesn't work. My only other technical critique is that at times, it felt a little too yellow overall, or overly saturated by a yellow hue. Obviously the candles burn a similar color to that, but in head-on shots where the man has the book raised in front of him, the book is nearly glowing yellow (perhaps the "glow" was intended?) That was the only other thing that threw me a little.

I really enjoyed it. :) Interesting music as well. It felt appropriate. (Although something like a gregorian chant might be interesting as well).
 
I think that unmasking the robed man would do no good, as good chunks of written history was passed on by unknowns.
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Written by unknown humans. Maybe I'm wrong, but I felt the robed figure was meant to be viewed as something or someone outside ordinary human experience. But exactly what or who is the missing piece, and I think the work as a whole lacks visceral impact because of it.

A well defined character, even in a short film, is a must for a successful story.
 
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