PANDORA - Presented by Envision and Waltind

Thanks Brian, I know Chris appreciates that comment, and I'd agree that it's the glue that pulled everything together, at least in our eyes.
 
I found this to be quite the step up from the last entry we saw from you Norm ! Well done

You have shown maturity and growth as a filmmkaer and that is the key I think. I foound myself entertained and interested from the start. At times, it screams for a more polsihed script andf dialogue but no matter, the sound design surely works for you

I look forward to seeing more work from you as it is obvious you are making strides as a filmmaker
 
BrianV said:
The score drove me through most of it... even when some things crept up that normally would take me out of a movie, the score helped anchor me. Not to take away from the other members of the creative team, but the score definately helped me stay the course.

*thumbs uppers*
Click to expand...


Thanks for the positive feedback Brian! I definitely tried to create a cohesive aural experience that would keep the viewer engaged all the way through to the end credits. I had thought about mixing musical genres, adding some hard rock or electronica, but in the end I went with the tried and true orchestral score. The primary challenge for me was in trying to keep the orchestral score sounding modern throughout, I hope I achieved that. The mickey-mousing of certain action elements was also tricky and I'm sure will come easier to me in the future if I can get more practice with action films.

One scene I'd like to mention, and possibly get feedback on, is the Flashback Sequence. Instead of cutting to an action packed music cue mirroring the sci-fi events taking place on screen I decided to slow the pace down and heighten the dreamlike atmosphere of the scene, without losing the dramatic element. I introduced a solo trumpet, which I think added both the air of a military burial, and brought to mind a sense of loss. Then the entire orchestra reintroduces the opening theme, this time played very slowly and as if full of regret. I also chose to add some heavy reverb to the dialogue, to further enhance the Flashback feeling.

Does anyone think all the elements came together correctly?



C.R.
http://rmistudios.com
 
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John, thanks for commenting and I'm so glad you got to watch our film ... I was really looking forward to having you watch it & say something! I know our next film (already planning - may not fit for a DVXfest though depending on theme) is only going to be that much better with what we learned on this.

Oh yes, jumping from Chris' last post, the flashback scene is my personal favorite of the short for CC, blur, FX, music, audio, and just overall feel. The music was great, and the heavy reverb was TOTALLY Chris' original idea, which we loved & worked perfectly.

Chris did test/experiment with the mixed genre (harder rock/electric sounds) at the beginning of the warehouse, but quickly decided against it ... with some support from us in that decision as well! :) That said, the dude can ROCK, which we knew from the start when we listened to his Sample Score Ideas (Indian Rock, WWF, etc.).
 
Hey - Well executed overall, although the production seemed rushed in the final scenes. The score, while good, was distracting.
 
I specially liked the overall acting and the lighting into the house.
The story is catching too, though it took some time for me to get the point, as english is not my language.
I like the FX, impressive that you did yourself the last three days.
Pablo
 
RMI Studios said:
... Flashback Sequence ... Instead of cutting to an action packed music cue mirroring the sci-fi events taking place on screen I decided to slow the pace down and heighten the dreamlike atmosphere of the scene, without losing the dramatic element. I introduced a solo trumpet, which I think added both the air of a military burial, and brought to mind a sense of loss. Then the entire orchestra reintroduces the opening theme, this time played very slowly and as if full of regret. I also chose to add some heavy reverb to the dialogue, to further enhance the Flashback feeling.

Does anyone think all the elements came together correctly?
http://rmistudios.com
Click to expand...
Once we are done moving I look foreward to sitting down and reviewing this section and giving you some feedback Chris -- sounds like an interesting discussion.
 
This one is strange to me. I enjoyed parts of it then hated parts of it.

I think the main actor is acting way to hard.
The actresses are hot but are lacking something.
What was the Pandora device?
This looked like a preview to a longer film.

With a little more work I think this could pretty cool.
 
LOL! Thanks lookatmeimbender for the honest critique.

The main actor stunk, mutually agreed. The PANDORA device is left unknown, as I didn't want it to be the focus. It wasn't about the device, it was about the characters and what they were going through & how they were reacting to the situation(s) at hand. To go into the device would have taken time away from the other stuff we wanted to explore.

It's supposed to work as either a compressed first act of a film, or the first of 2-3 shorts.
 
yeah something about him just felt like he was reading lines. the other two main actors were pretty good. It felt like ghost buster at one point lol. I understand the character are key but The main actor kept it from feeling that way I think if a little more was told about it then it would have been better.
 
I guess it's been mentioned before, but I like the DoF work in the opening scene. From a tone and dialogue POV, it reminded me of something like HEAT. Bunch of heavy hitters all sitting around, discussing some very serious.

EJ
 
Loved the title shots and opening sequence. I wasnt sure where the group of guys were, location-wise, in the beginning. I first thought they were in a hospital, but then on a wider shot, I was thinking Starbucks. :)

Score was great, I envy all you who do that part well. :mad: :p

Audio was good, but I'm not a fan of the "voice enhancer" thing. Even in big budget films. But that could just be me. I've tried it myself in some things I've done and I dont like it there either. :D

This is one I would like to see a BTS commentary on, for some of the shots. Like when Nicki (?) comes back and lifts that one guy up, how you got some of the shots to look so good. Great edits, imo.

Good job!
 
Thanks, thartley. I was hoping to post some BTS shots (before & after CC/FX), but we all have to wait until after judging to show any frames from the films.

We had Jerry Buxbaum, a professional stunt/FX coordinator come out with all his gear for the weekend (ladders, tools, pulleys, Fear Factor style body harnesses, guns, FX, etc.). That particular shot in raising up Mike involved the harness, a pulley attached to a beam about 20-25 feet above, then running that down at a 45 degree angle to the base of one of the main support poles about 40 feet away, where it hit another pulley and we had four guys on the end of the line pulling.

The shot I'm really wanting to show is a before/after of when we look like we're craning up and we see the two poles in the foreground, her choking him as his feet are completely off the ground.

Those poles are fake ... or at least were never there. That was our money shot, and it wasn't until post I realized that Steve (played Dan) and I were just standing there, practically with our hands in our pockets watching ... yet just a frame before that Dan's supposed to have his gun drawn on her. So I took a picture of one of the poles that made it into a BTS still, cropped it out, and placed it over the footage with gaussian blur. I flipped it, added even more blur and zoomed in & put it on the other side. One to cover my relaxed face/expression, the other to cover JUST in front of Dan, where his gun would be. Then, to add some character depth, I panned up within the frame in the NLE, moving the poles seperately, as we never actually had a crane for that shot.

So what WAS a static shot, with our two characters looking WAY too relaxed, not to mention a continuity issue, is now hopefully a more interesting crane looking shot with our POV poking through between a couple of warehouse poles. To further sell that those were really there, I had to have them moving out of frame in a couple subsequent shots. So you'll see poles moving out of frame immediately after she drops Mike, that were never actually there.

Everything else was just a matter of using a plate & matting out the guys & ladder that were in the BG. Ryan Walters did a good job of rotoscoping Kelly out via Photoshop, for the initial blast, as there were a LOT of people & ladders in the BG there as well ... which will also have a befre/after, once we can post stills.

Hope that helps you on the BTS commentary for now.
 
Great job.

What can I say about the lighting, framing, etc. except to say it was excellent. I felt like i was watching a movie on television (yes, that is a compliment).

I liked the transitions you used - they had a Star Wars feel to them.

The soundtrack was a little too prominent in some places but very good.

Obviously one of the best I have viewed so far.
 
NEW Screengrabs on first post of this thread

NEW Screengrabs on first post of this thread

Thanks Timothy, glad you enjoyed it! Also just posted some misc. screen grabs on the first page, which also include some before/after shots.
 
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