COLD CALLS by John Whalen featuring Blanchard Ryan (OpenWater) & Ben Bailey (CashCab)

[Ming]

Well done. Wow. The only part I thought could have been better was the very ending when she's having her little horror freak out reaction. It should have ended with the cops walking the guy out in cuffs as we catch a snipped of the detective telling our protagonist, "...yeah these guys are relentless.."

 

[Xrayspecs]

I think it was "shoes for penguins" or something, and if I'm right, yes that was one that Ben improvised.

Yep. That was the line I was referring to. I just assumed Jack came up with it.

 

[Brandon Rice]

Well done. Wow. The only part I thought could have been better was the very ending when she's having her little horror freak out reaction. It should have ended with the cops walking the guy out in cuffs as we catch a snipped of the detective telling our protagonist, "...yeah these guys are relentless.."

HAH! That would have been a nice little button.

 

[Mark Johnson]

Well done. Wow. The only part I thought could have been better was the very ending when she's having her little horror freak out reaction. It should have ended with the cops walking the guy out in cuffs as we catch a snipped of the detective telling our protagonist, "...yeah these guys are relentless.."

How about if Ben shuts the door, she freaks out and calls 911 ... then last shot is her being taken away in a straight jacket? Classic!

***

by the way, I always loved those old cliche shots with people being escorted out in straight jackets. Wonder if that ever really happened? Back in the 60's you'd see it in cartoons and B-movies all the time!

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

You guys. I swear... you guys. I'm not gonna gush this time and just contain myself. Film rocked. It made me laugh, then laugh some more and then I had to share it with my wife and she laughed and laughed (my son laughed too, but he's only 5 months old and laughs at anything we laugh at).

Thanks for the great story.

Now you got me wanting to make a comedy.... argh!

 

[Texture]

I've been off the board for months and was so happy to have stumbled back in time for the fest and glad to see that Jack and crew have created another great short. Was that Herman? Great music!!! Insanely impressive cinematography!

I've ordered a baby toupee from the Cafe Press link, the perfect gift for an upcoming christening!

Cheers,

E.

 

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Jack asked me to come up with a bunch of goofy sales pitch lines for that sequence. I sent him a batch and he picked his favorites. And then he added one of his own.

I did which one? Maybe Ben improvised it.

I think it was "shoes for penguins" or something, and if I'm right, yes that was one that Ben improvised.

Yep. That was the line I was referring to. I just assumed Jack came up with it.

Oh yeah that's it, that's one Ben improvised. Haha, always nice to have a surprise or two for the writer once he sees the film for the first time

 

[coalclear]

how the hell did u get the cash cab guy?!?!? everybody loves him, recognized the girl from beerfest, wow never seen such a great cast on dvxuser...

 

[Tom Marshall]

Jack caught a cab one day and wound up in the cash cab. Ben asked if Jack wanted to win some cash, but Jack said, "Actually, no. Hey, you do any acting? I could put you in something."

 

[majikfraug]

Just saw Cash Cab for the first time today (bored in a hotel in Illinois) and thought to myself, "Why does this guy look so familiar?" Then he started talking and for some reason I started thinking of penguin shoes and I realized where I'd seen him before.
I don't watch much TV.

 

[stinkpot]

OK, I just watch this and, well, the best thing about this flick was the EZ-jib. Freakin' cool shots you got with that thing. Very pro. Oh yeh, what's her name does a decent job acting as well.

:beer:

 

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Great Film, best one, easily.

Nice work., jds.

thanks guys :beer:

You guys. I swear... you guys. I'm not gonna gush this time and just contain myself. Film rocked. It made me laugh, then laugh some more and then I had to share it with my wife and she laughed and laughed (my son laughed too, but he's only 5 months old and laughs at anything we laugh at).

Thanks for the great story.

Now you got me wanting to make a comedy.... argh!

Do it dood. I wanna see it Glad you enjoyed ours.

Jack, I throughly enjoyed the film. I don't think it falls into any specific genre and that's one of the things I enjoy the most from this. It's got a mixture of thriller, horror and comedic elements entangled together and it works.

I think it's shot extremely well; much more classical than some of your prior work. Good mixture of soft, subtle dolly along with strong, highlighting moves such as the rush forward in the tub and the quick profile pass when we realize the caller is in the house. That's my favorite shot of the fest so far... 4:38-4:41...

Speaking of that... some Q's.... that entire setup... very nice Very early Speilbergian' if I might say. It reminded me of E.T. You've got strong horizontal blue flares coming from the lamp (what lenses did you use?) and that fresnel in the closet is nice and hazy, yet subtle (did you use a fogger at all?) These are probably both Timur and Jack Q's and I'm very interested in hearing more about this setup and how it was lit. Beautifully executed...

Cool to hear you say Speilberg and E.T. as they were specifically mentioned on set - that in the camera light with some flares and haze at time that's in E.T.. Also he returned to this some in A.I. But yeah the idea was some strong back sources.

The flare? Post baby.

The haze? Party Fogger. It looks pretty good except in your favorite shot and then there's actually hovering clouds in the closet but at least there is so much else to look at in that shot, I think most don't notice it.

Onwards...nice shot selection overall. I think this piece also highlights some solid growth in my opinion. Although I like some of your prior work better (18 seconds), this one feels much more cinematically precise that anything else you've done. It's very selective, very intentional. Each scene, each beat rather, is motivated nicely through shot selection. I think it's easy to piece together the beats of the story in the editing and it's something we all do at some points... But I feel like the majority of the beats here were constructed in a very deliberate fashion within the shots, on the set itself. Most importantly, this attention to detail is consistent throughout the film.

Thanks for the thorough review, man.
:beer:

I’ve watched Cold Calls three times and each time I found myself loving it!

It’s not hard in this case to point out, what makes this such an enjoyable short.

A classic “When A Stranger Calls” setup given a modern fitting, flawless acting, great dialogue; my favorite - the telemarketers offers in the calling montage, smooth and even editing that doesn’t distract the viewer from the plot, choreography matched perfectly for Dana’s character, and of course the music which brings out the uncertainty and non-materialized fear until the last scene, all add up to the film’s core values. Obviously there are many more factors at play, but as always I’m having a hard time making my words catch up to my thoughts, so… an edit should follow up shortly. Hopefully.

Now, some random thoughts about “CC”:

I really like how the dog appears at the beginning of the film, and gives a little “grr”. After I’ve watched it for the second time, it made me think of all the frustration and trouble that the telemarketer will make Dana experience. And the first time, I thought of it as a warning for Dana.

DJ Hazard was a really great choice to star as a stone cold cop. He could freeze a glass of water with just one glance.

In the scene when Dana’s running through the corridor, we can hear the pounding of the heart… or at least that’s what we think it is at the moment. Then, as we have her opening the closet that she just passed, it turns out to be the sound of the ball bouncing of the wall, thrown by Tim. That just made me burst out in laughter! :laugh:

P.S.
Thank Goodness, my phone is on the “Do not call list”. But then again, I wouldn’t mind having Ben Bailey in my closet. That would definitely make me one of the cool kids on the block ;P

Wow. Very thorough. Thanks very much :beer:

Well done. Wow. The only part I thought could have been better was the very ending when she's having her little horror freak out reaction. It should have ended with the cops walking the guy out in cuffs as we catch a snipped of the detective telling our protagonist, "...yeah these guys are relentless.."

Haha. Sure why not?

I've been off the board for months and was so happy to have stumbled back in time for the fest and glad to see that Jack and crew have created another great short. Was that Herman? Great music!!! Insanely impressive cinematography!

I've ordered a baby toupee from the Cafe Press link, the perfect gift for an upcoming christening!

Cheers,

E.

Yeah it's Herman. If you haven't seen this movie with decent speakers or headphones you haven't seen this movie. His music is maybe even better than the EZ jib

OK, I just watch this and, well, the best thing about this flick was the EZ-jib. Freakin' cool shots you got with that thing. Very pro. Oh yeh, what's her name does a decent job acting as well.

:beer:

Thanks for the review.

 

[Edgen]

Jack, It's interesting to see how you took someone's script and meshed it with your direction. I liked the film, but I think prefer your films better. It just seemed tame and I think someone mentioned 'precise'. Does that make sense? BUT... that could be because I read the script before hand for the scriptfest and subconsciously knew the story. From here on out, I think i just want to be surprised with every shot and every moment of dialog with your characters.

wonderfully shot and some great moments visually. Looking forward to your next (FEATURE) film.

(oh, wonderful score Herman. Looking forward to working with you one of these days)

/j

 

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

STORY BOARDS / SHOT LIST BY SCENE / A FEW GRABS
(to read process description first, skip to end)
​

interesting, how much was planned ahead or were you just creating on the set? I don't think I remember seeing story boards, but you might of had them or maybe you had a shot list.

Everything. Multiple scouting trips to the house, photos taken beforehand, storyboards laid out for every shot based on the actual location. Every shot was boarded.

Pretty much what Barry said, except for the scene in the closet, it was in the shot list which was posted a few pages back but I knew I was just going to cover it fairly standardly due to lack of space, nothing fancy, and that I would have to adapt once we got all the art direction etc. and big Ben in there. So given my other line producing hats I didn't see the point in storyboarding an over the shoulder on him, his medium close, a wide angle on her, her medium close, and then the Hitchcock zoom, when all of that was gonna change once we had all the elements, so I just shot listed that sequence. I'll repost the shot list for you tomorrow along with some of the boards.

should have know Barry with your affinity for boarding. I always find it difficult to do it bc I am a God awful drawer and articulating the shot to someone who can draw, things often get lost in translation. I then just make a shot list with description for the script.

How do you go about it?

Sometimes images just come to you so those come first.

The process or method I use in lieu of that and to check that the intuitive images are grounded in the story is as follows:

I'm not always this disciplined depending on how many production hats I'm wearing, and some areas of the script may get more attention than other for a variety of reasons, but the goal is to go into production knowing what you would glean from doing the following, either because you did all this homework or you've done this kind of work so often than it's nearly 100% intuitive at this juncture.

First, I break the script in to dramatic beats, labeling each, and give each scene a name. The names are related to why the beats/scenes are in the script. Now I have a goal of what I an trying to get across when I direct that beat, that scene that act. Then I break the screenplay up into acts and label each act.

Then I think about images. Then I draw. Then I label the frames of the drawing as A,B,C,D. So the first shot in scene 2 would be 2A for example. Then I divide the script into the shots and label them. Then I make a shot list, then I separate the scenes by location, day, availability of actors or props etc.
​

​

 

[Tim Joy]

First, I break the script in to dramatic beats, labeling each, and give each scene a name. The names are related to why the beats/scenes are in the script. Now I have a goal of what I an trying to get across when I direct that beat, that scene that act. Then I break the screenplay up into acts and label each act.

Then I think about images. Then I draw. Then I label the frames of the drawing as A,B,C,D. So the first shot in scene 2 would be 2A for example. Then I divide the script into the shots and label them. Then I make a shot list, then I separate the scenes by location, day, availability of actors or props etc.

This is a fantastic insight. Thanks Jack. I suspect that the "breaking it into beats" really comes from your theater background? Thought you said that somewhere...

For me, it really drives home the notion that everything is rooted in the script, and especially with shorts, (but all movies too) EVERYTHING must have a reason, purpose, relation, pull, juice...etc. for being in the movie. There's no time to have a scene or even a shot that doesn't further the story. If you look at Cold Calls, there's no fluff in it, anywhere. That stuff might be on the editing room floor where it belongs, (if you even shot it at all) but it seems like all the planning you did probably cut most of that out beforehand.

I'm a firm believer in the Robert Rodriguez school of thought, and apparently so are you, and that is: the more planning you can do, right down to the nitty gritty, the better it will be. I believe that just about anyone can make a good film if they plan enough. Then there are those who plan extensively AND have talent who can make a great film. I put you in the latter group. Bravo.

 

[MrKilloran]

Sometimes images just come to you so those come first.

The process or method I use in lieu of that and to check that the intuitive images are grounded in the story is as follows:

I'm not always this disciplined depending on how many production hats I'm wearing, and some areas of the script may get more attention than other for a variety of reasons, but the goal is to go into production knowing what you would glean from doing the following, either because you did all this homework or you've done this kind of work so often than it's nearly 100% intuitive at this juncture.

First, I break the script in to dramatic beats, labeling each, and give each scene a name. The names are related to why the beats/scenes are in the script. Now I have a goal of what I an trying to get across when I direct that beat, that scene that act. Then I break the screenplay up into acts and label each act.

Then I think about images. Then I draw. Then I label the frames of the drawing as A,B,C,D. So the first shot in scene 2 would be 2A for example. Then I divide the script into the shots and label them. Then I make a shot list, then I separate the scenes by location, day, availability of actors or props etc.
​

​

Wow, you certainly know how to organize and work things out. Thanks for the insight you've been giving on your process Jack. It's amazing to see how much detail and effort went into such a short piece. The pay-off at the end, to see how good this turned out, is even more worthwhile. :beer:

 

[thetvirus513]

I really enjoyed this one, You went a comedic route with the whole twilight theme and i loved that. Very solid acting from your two leads!

 

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

This is a fantastic insight. Thanks Jack. I suspect that the "breaking it into beats" really comes from your theater background? Thought you said that somewhere...

Yep. Back to my acting training 15 years ago. But actors break a scene into beats differently than directors. Actors break into larger beats of "what I want" an smaller beats of "what am I doing to get it", directors break it into shared beats that resolve or leave a story issue unresolved which involves both characters or several characters in a scene.

For me, it really drives home the notion that everything is rooted in the script, and especially with shorts, (but all movies too) EVERYTHING must have a reason, purpose, relation, pull, juice...etc. for being in the movie. There's no time to have a scene or even a shot that doesn't further the story. If you look at Cold Calls, there's no fluff in it, anywhere. That stuff might be on the editing room floor where it belongs, (if you even shot it at all) but it seems like all the planning you did probably cut most of that out beforehand.

Yeah, it's good in the development process to to do this, if you can't name it in a way that identifies it's purpose in the script, then maybe it's time for rewrite. It's also a good tool for the writer. Most writers probably have alreadly labelled sequences and scenes, but now that you label the beats, scenes, sequences, and acts, you know what's superfluous on the page, what can be cut.

There's a caveat here for comedy - it doesn't always have to move the story forward if its funny. I'd think twice about including a whole scene in a comedy that has no purpose but laughs -surely you could combine that hillarious bit with some other scene - but beats and tangents can be longer for the sake of a bit.

I'm a firm believer in the Robert Rodriguez school of thought, and apparently so are you, and that is: the more planning you can do, right down to the nitty gritty, the better it will be. I believe that just about anyone can make a good film if they plan enough. Then there are those who plan extensively AND have talent who can make a great film. I put you in the latter group. Bravo.

I just stress that I will waste people's time and that it will suck. Especially when we have people like Blanchard and Ben who we have for "X" days and that's it and it wouldn't be appropriate to ask them to do extra days for no money when they already are kind of donating a valuable and scarce commodity - there time.

Wow, you certainly know how to organize and work things out. Thanks for the insight you've been giving on your process Jack. It's amazing to see how much detail and effort went into such a short piece. The pay-off at the end, to see how good this turned out, is even more worthwhile. :beer:

Thanks. I'm never as prepared as I would like to be but I try.

I really enjoyed this one, You went a comedic route with the whole twilight theme and i loved that. Very solid acting from your two leads!

Thanks very much for watching :beer:

 

[Robert Eldon]

Jack,

This was one of my favorites. I thought each character was very strong and unique. The framing and composition was beautiful. The sound design was spot on. Everyone in my family enjoyed this and loved the ending. Great use of pauses and no dialog. Just great!

I think I like the scene that starts at about 2:18 the best. I love the texture of the walls, the lighting and the composition of the shot. I especially like the camera movement. Did you use a dolly, slider or subtle crane movement there?

I've tried not to read through your thread yet and you may have already answered these questions, but how many days of shooting did it take for this? What I have seen are your production notes in this thread and your insight and am looking forward to reading it all.

It goes without saying, that this was a wonderful piece. Congratulations to you and your producers, cast and crew!

 

[Herman Witkam]

(oh, wonderful score Herman. Looking forward to working with you one of these days)

/j

Thanks Justin!

We should definitely work together soon.