Darkline Entertainment Presents 'Broadcast'

Nicely done, the more times you watch broadcast the more it grows on you.

Best of luck with your other projects too, I can see a lot of excellent work appearing in the future from you guys.

:beer:
 
Darkline said:
So this is potentially the thing that caused the devastation phoning into the studio - signalled by showing only the aftermath of it's call just like we only ever see the aftermath of destruction and not how or why it happened. Its a sign that something in this world has heard his broadcast and is responding to it. He doesnt know at this point if it's someone, or something.

The thing invades his studio, he goes missing, and again becomes a victim to the 'aftermath' shots of earlier. He joins the same fate, it comes full circle and he joins the pattern. Finally the record left scratching on the deck is noticed by the woman in the past and this sound continues to scratch over and over, indicating this worlds imminent destruction. It's all about to kick off. The way I see it there is no communication from the past to the present; his show is going out into the past, but he never realises that this potential warning is reaching them and neither do the audience until the final moments.
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I didn't pick up on any of that and yet, I still found myself really intrigued by it.

The look of it, the performance, the sound were all top notch. Even though, I wasn't quite sure what happened in the end, it was like a poem and it left me with me layers and questions unanswered and I thought it was fascinating.

Very well done.
 
I did not take it as he was broadcasting to the past at all. I assumed they were just flash backs of how the world was and he was the last man left, or so he thought. Did I simplify this film a little too much. I think I need to watch it again and think of it in terms of him broadcasting into the past. Either way this film is one of the two I gave 10 stars.
 
Hey Filthrich,

that's fine if you didn't pick that up. I'm really happy if people 'get' this without feeling it needs to be explained. That's what I was trying for. it is also quite legitimate to think this was all in his mind and his memory of how things used to be. Certainly there are no clues to believe otherwise until right up to the end. There is just a possibility that maybe there is an alternate time/world that has been hearing his broadcast all along. He had the chance to warn them but they are about to be hit by something terrible.

I was just responding to those who think it just 'ended'; which is why I elaborated more on how his character arc is concluded (with the broadcast coming back to bite him in the butt), how visually the ending cycles (with the desaturated aftermath shots claiming his own personal world), and how the connection between the worlds are linked towards the end.

If you were not aware of it but you felt it worked on some level then that is all I can ask for :-) . Thanks so much for the vote of confidence! (I will get round to your short soon too)

Chris - its great to hear you say that. I really like films that leave you thinking at the end and I tried my best to try that with Broadcast without putting too much into concrete.

I think I've overkilled my explanation now! I don't think directors should be ever be allowed to talk about their work. ;-)
 
I actually turned the directors commentary off on Donnie Darko because I loved the film and the more he told me what stuff meant the more I wish I'd have not heard it... I should take heed.
 
Darkline said:
I actually turned the directors commentary off on Donnie Darko because I loved the film and the more he told me what stuff meant the more I wish I'd have not heard it... I should take heed.
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There is one film in exception to not listening to director commentary. Oliver Stone commenting
about his film JKF. The IS the one instance where commentary is needed to clarify
some of the events off screen and fact vs fiction.
 
SPOILER (not really):

I have a different take on it now that you've given a hint as to what the shadow at the end means. I like it even more with this new information.
 
GORGEOUS. Loved the look and polish of this piece. Great job.

Darkline said:
well the abandoned shots were not that hard. Essentially I got up earlier than I would like, to go back to the same places and film them empty on a sunday morning. CC'd them, and exported reference stills to work on. Mark and I (mainly mark) did photoshop work on the images with 3d models but mainly stock photography to make them ruined, smashed windows, cars, rubble etc. you just have to look hard to get elements from the same angle or something that can be cheated to look right. Then throw those elements over the top of the plate footage in AE and mask the moving elements (such as the newspaper blowing) back over the top. The motorway is never empty so this was just patched together from several stills when there were maybe only 10 cars on the road and cloned out.

Notice all of those shots were locked down which really just makes it a retouch job on a still image and nothing super complicated. It prob looks more complex than it was.

The most technically interesting shot was pulling away from the building. It was shot in the car park just on a lower level and I replaced the floor with a 2D building side and a 3D banner. I kept the shots pretty simple due to our time limit. So that shot could be solved with a basic 2D track as it pulls directly back with no perspective change. I'd love to try something more ambitious with 3D tracking for the next short but time seems to run out.
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Thank you for explaining your workflow to achieve these awesome shots. These elements made the production value soar through the roof - while also propelling your story forward.

Kudos.
 
Mike, like I said before, I dig your work! Class A production, wonderful FX, and questionable ending.. what's there not to like?

Congrats on entering the fest!
/j
 
Really enjoyed this film, one of few that actually sent a chill up my spine, beautifully shot, and well put together, I loved the colors in this one!
 
Neal, Edgen and virus,

Thanks very much for commenting, really pleased you enjoyed it.

BTW it's Karl...But how would anyone know when i hide behind this username? :-)
 
You are a masterful filmmaker. I was blown away. I didn't know soft jazz could be so creepy!

:beer:
 
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What can I say, you are the master. I had a convo with another member who did not like the ending, but I am a fan of movies that make me think and work for it. Also, I feel like your mastery over the medium is such that your decisions about making me work for it are intentional.

As always, you rock.
 
Oh, I meant to comment in here.
If I had to crit anything I guess:

- the indoor lighting could be improved. After watching what Timur can do, it kind of makes me think a bit more about what's possible.

-The feedback audio track really tore my head off. I know it does in real life too but maybe bring down a bit in the mix, just this once?

On the positive side:

I enjoyed the acting. Lots of nice shots with DOF. The VFX and mattes were really good. ( The exception on the vfx side was some of the smoke. It's always a hard thing to pull off convincingly so I understand.)

I liked the sound design especially when he goes to the fridge, where the ambient carries over.
Liked the editing, but was getting a feeling it could have been better. Can't pinpoint it really, (because what do I know about editing :) ) but just a feeling it seemed a bit jaggy in parts.

Story was pretty good.

Pretty darn good overall. You should do okay.
Congrats on a nice entry.
 
Admired the filmmaking here. Great work.


Some specifics:

Like that you don't show us any devistation in the long shot of him parking. Leaving that for a later discovery = good thing.

Love the small look of dispare during the fooseball bit.

Love the push in on the radio booth.

Gotta love tracking shots of a guy in a radio booth with lots of lights in soft focus in the background.

Very nice CC in the devestation shots. Nice contrast withe the "normal" shots.

Really appreciate the moment when he says "here's a tune that always relaxes me at the end of a long day, so sit back and -" but can't go on.

Love the shot of his reflection in the glass. And the door swinging open at after the spilt milk.

I can see how you intended for an audience to get that his broadcast is somehow causing the destruction - I think that's what you explained - and I can see how we might be expected to get that since you show us a setting in perfect order, then show it again destroyed. But at the end, I don't know how we would ever get that that's the past. Yes that's the same woman that was making the cake, but it seems as if whatever was done is undone by him dissapearing rather than we've gone back to the past. I think you have to slugline that if you want an audience to get it. Show the needle then cut to her with the super imposed text "one week earlier". That will do two things, 1 some might get it, and 2 it will reinforce that there is a mysteriousl internal logic behind this soley by the fact of your specifity there.

Also - how does your explanation hold up if, when you show us the devistation shots, we're hearing the same music in the normal shots as opposed to a record scratching? I mean if it all started a week ago when the record went on scratch - then why are we hearing music when you show us the devistation scenes? Maybe I don't understand your explanation because now I'm wondering how he looks out over the devistation and why he's alone if it hasn't happened yet.

But I think that a broadcast somehow causing devistation is such an out there idea tha "A" "B"ing the before and after shots is not enough to draw that conclusion. For one thing you could just be flashing back in the nomal life shots and then showing us the current situation, hoping perhaps to highlight the tragedy of the devistaion by showing us how vibrant that setting once was. That was my understandig of it when I saw it, that you were showing us the vibrant life filled past and the abandoned devistation that he was now broadcasting to.

You and Zen purists may hate this idea. But if there was a quote, something about soundwaves used for desturction or the palpapable engery of soundwaves or something that could appear on a card before the film, that would at least get our minds ruminating in the right area. And give the work more resonance I think. We'll know you're working in that deep conceptual level whether we get it or not and part of the fun will be trying to get it while we watch.

One thing to consider - A BIG THING you have working against you is that we've seen lost of movies where a soul suvivor or survior broadcasts from a radio station, and there has never been any link between the broadcast and the destruction until in your furtive imagination brought us this piece. So we've been mass programmed to not think there would be a connection there. It's like "yeah yeah, he's broadcasting, that's what I woudl do to. NOW. WHAT caused the destruction." not knowing that we'd just glossed over it. This is not a good or bad thing in terms of your concept. Onlt to point out that that's part of the audience's baggage vs. if we'd never seen 28 Days Later, or I am Legen or whatever.


So I really enjoyed the filmmaking, and the ride, but not the destination.

In otherwords great film with wonderful nuanced subtelty, but I just don't really enjoy a film unless there is a point to it that I can get. Inentionally open ended work with two or three very possible and ascertainable outcomes is ok. Like a gun going off with the blackout and we're left to wonder over choice "A" this guy got shot or "B" the other guy got shot. But with an ending where when I watch it I have no idea save my own wild speculation compleletly independent of the film, I feel very unsatisfied.

However, it's told with so much sensitivity to simple human emotion and small detail with such elegant technical and artistic expression I can't help but admire it as well.

Thanks very much.

:beer:
 
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