"1-UP" A Brian Parker Film

I really really liked this. I thought it was very well thought out. The animation scene with: "Nah, I could never pull that off" came off extra-poignant because you just did pull it off...

The comedy section seemed to drag on a little bit, and I didn't think the music fit, but I liked the acting.

The general premise of a filmmaker looking for a film to make was done very well here in my opinion, and I hope this does well.
 
Imo the comedy one (although not neccessarily humor) pulled me in as a story. I was kind of dissapointed when it went back to "reality" because I liked where the comedy scene was going.

Did you actually do that whole CG scene yourself? modelling/uv mapping/texturing/animating/rendering all that?!?!?!

If so thats infrickencredible the amount of time you put into that film. And if so then you have mad skills. Just modelling that girl or that monster (not even textures) would take me more time than I spent on my entire film.
 
Liked this one. Cool concept with the struggling screenwriter! Liked how you incorporated multiple stories, multiple characters. I like the noir one the most.. I'm a sucker for noir material :) Thanks for sharing.
 
Ryanrjack - Thanks Ryan. Yeah, it's one of the many crosses we must bear. Glad you had fun with it.

puckthemad - Man, I'm not sure if I qualify but I'm more than flattered to even be considered. :beer:

John LaBonney - It's really cool that you enjoyed it. I haven't gotten a chance to watch Saint Anthony yet but I'll definately stop by your thread when I do. The animation sequence was a little intense, but fun to make.

Yeah, the comedy sequence is definitely in need of the most revamping. I just broke the director's rule and let myself get attatched to it so I didn't trim as much as I should have.

Glad you liked it and thanks for the feedback!

orchidsofwrath - LOL...glad you enjoyed the comedy scene. We had a lot of fun making that one and got a couple of good outtakes.

I must confess that I didn't do all of the animation scene from scratch. I bought the warehouse set and the demon from a 3D modeling site and then changed his texture maps because he was a boring solid red color. The girl, I did design and I did do texture work on her. The lighting took a really long time for some reason but I was pleased with how it came out. I did all of the animation from scratch start to finish, fx, sound design. I rendered it out myself. I have an animation background (half animator on my mother's side) and I would have loved to model the demon as well but time wouldn't allow. I didn't even get the idea for 1-Up as it stands until the beginning of February.

All that being said, I hope the fact that I bought the demon model doesn't cheapen the film any. I still worked like hell on the sequence and I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Thanks for the feedback!

Geoff_R - That means a lot since I've been so impressed with your previous work. I'm really looking forward to when I get to your new one. Yeah, noir stuff is awesome. Glad you liked it man. :dankk2:
 
Champloo said:
All that being said, I hope the fact that I bought the demon model doesn't cheapen the film any. I still worked like hell on the sequence and I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
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Naw man I hate it now :). jk ofcourse thats still a HELLUVA lotta work and am still utterly impressed. I wish I wasn't such a useless animator. How long have you been doing cg and where did you learn if you don't mind me asking?
 
orchidsofwrath said:
Naw man I hate it now :). jk ofcourse thats still a HELLUVA lotta work and am still utterly impressed. I wish I wasn't such a useless animator. How long have you been doing cg and where did you learn if you don't mind me asking?
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Thanks man. I've been trying to make cartoons since I was a kid but I started working with cg like back in '02. I went to Art Institute of Atlanta and studied Media Arts and Animation. Got to senior year but couldn't finish because I ran out of money. It's a good program but a lot of cg skills can be self taught. I mean you can get some good books and training DVDs(Gnomon DVDs are really good) and work hard at it and you'll get better really fast. Some people like 3DS Max, but Maya is my home. Let me know if you want to learn and I can hook you up with some good links and reference materials.

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Champloo said:
I mean you can get some good books and training DVDs(Gnomon DVDs are really good) and work hard at it and you'll get better really fast. Some people like 3DS Max, but Maya is my home. Let me know if you want to learn and I can hook you up with some good links and reference materials.
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pm sent.
 
You have a really good screen presence. I enjoyed your performance in the piece quite a bit.

As has been said, I think the comedy section is the weakest part. The situation is funny, but I think the editing could really be tightened up to accelerate the pacing. As it is now we're left waiting for the punchline for a few too many beats, whereas if the lines came faster, almost on top of each other, it would strengthen that section.
 
I liked this film,,,,man I can relate!! Trying to come up with an idea!! I liked the writer thinking of an idea then it is acted out. I might cut the comedy scene down some. It was funny but hey comedy is hard to do!! Good idea. Nice work.
 
This was fun. Pretty well put together actually.

A few nitpicks, the focus seemed off on the closeups of his face when in the apartment. The focus seemed to be on the background in the distance, not his face. The lighting was also pretty harsh/shadows during the comedy piece.

As for the movie, it was pretty good and very well thought out. I was engaged and interested to see what he was going to come up with next.

Nice finish as well.

MAH
 
Dustin R. Rogan said:
Hmm, I have an award named after me? Cool.

I always like seeing film makers in their own films.

Thanks for sharing

Rogan
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My quote in your signature cracks me up *pushes glasses back up onto nose*
Your sig is just a riot in general. I like your sense of humor. :thumbsup:

And Brian, I'll be checking your film out very soon. Looking forward to it. Heard good things.
 
Really enjoyed it. Kind of showed your versatality as a writer and also as a filmaker, not sure how to phrase that. I thought you covered a lot of theme styles in there and handled them really well. Very cool.
 
krestofre - heh heh...thanks. I enjoy doing the acting thing too from time to time. I'm definately going to re-edit the comedy scene to tighten it up. I hadn't made an attempt at comedy since I was a little kid trying to make improvised scriptless movies around the neighborhood and was always afraid of trying. Having done it, it really is fun. Just have to tweak it. Thanks for the feedback!

Zim - Thanks! Glad it was relateable. Yeah, I need to pick up my pacing. It's great though that you guys are unanimous in that regard so that I know a definite direction to go in order to improve. Glad you liked it!

Michael Anthony Horrigan - Thanks man. I'm a fan of your stuff so it's good to hear you liked it. Yeah, I shot the scenes in the apartment with a Canon HV-10 on a tripod so I had some focus issues. Oh yeah, the comedy lighting was blown out in spots. It was my first real attempt at actually lighting a scene instead of using one worklight to the side or something. I'm glad that it kept you interested and that you got some enjoyment from it. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.

Dustin R. Rogan - Thanks for watching man. Always cool to be seen by a DVXuser celebrity.

Lawsuit Boy - Cool man. I'm behind on my viewing but I've heard some good stuff about Tiny Dancer as well. I'll swing by your page after I watch it.

Raptor365 - Thanks. The fact that you thing I showed versatility and theme well really means a lot to me. I appreciate the feedback.
 
This was really good Brian! Great way to get a bunch of different feels into one film...like a great club sandwich, it's in there. I'd like to see you expand on a few of those ideas.

Edit was cool, and as always, the music was too. There were a few funky things with the light in the kitchen scene, but other than that it was a fun ride! Thanks for sharing.
 
ZazaCast - Thanks! I'd thought about doing some further work with the super shorts. Still working on my lighting skills so hopefully I'll get better in time for the next one. Glad you had fun. Thanks for watching!
 
Champloo said:
Lawsuit Boy - Cool man. I'm behind on my viewing but I've heard some good stuff about Tiny Dancer as well. I'll swing by your page after I watch it.
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Cool man. I hope you enjoy it.

Anyway, onto the review! Gotta love crime films. Oh wait...WHAT?

Haha, that was a very good start to the film. I loved the reel ending on the projector and coming into the reality of the scene. Loved the Tarantino line. :thumbsup: But you know, I suppose we have Godard to thank for starting the chain of reactions with his saying, "All you need to make a good movie is a girl and a gun."

The toenail...priceless. This film is chock full of charming and poignant lines that actually tend to carry a bit of weight with them once dissected a bit. From the get-go, I really became attached to what was happening. As a fellow filmmaker and creative mind, an audience member like myself simply cannot help but feel a genuine relation to the characters and the material. Presenting the protagonist's struggles to write a good film screenplay as separate cut-aways to possible visions of his future film is not necessarily a technique that hasn't been done before, but it is most certainly fresh in this film and keeps the comedic beats flowing in a strong, even rhythm. And man, it's just really difficult to not fall in love with the protagonist and wish to see him succeed.

The juxtaposition of "cinematic" style in the ideas and more grounded, documented 16:9 frame is a great way to discern reality from imagination, just like all of us sitting around in probably mundane atmospheres, that with the touch of a clever and imaginative mind, will be transformed into a location that's new even to the writer.

And I agree that comedies are very difficult to make correctly (and cause the majority of viewers to laugh), but this was pulled off very well.

I also felt, as other did, that some of the reality sequences expressed slightly improper focus. There were little hiccups in the lighting from shot to shot on occasion, and one or two sound hiccups, but the sound and image were very consistent throughout. There were a few awkward cuts as well (one in particular was during the noir scene).

Really, this was such a fun and charming film. I also commend you for jumping into the film noir arena! You did a great job creating the typical soft, high-key lighting on the woman as one would see in a film noir. Great work! :beer:
 
Champloo said:
Michael Anthony Horrigan - Thanks man. I'm a fan of your stuff so it's good to hear you liked it. Yeah, I shot the scenes in the apartment with a Canon HV-10 on a tripod so I had some focus issues. Oh yeah, the comedy lighting was blown out in spots. It was my first real attempt at actually lighting a scene instead of using one worklight to the side or something. I'm glad that it kept you interested and that you got some enjoyment from it. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
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No problem, man. I'm sure this film taught you a lot in so many different areas. Can't wait to see what you do next.

MAH
 
i love a movie thats interesting and easy to sit through, the type you dont want to end because you're sure there is more to be done, that was this movie for me. great job, keep up the good work
 
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