2:35 A.M. - Zombiequid

ZombieSquid

ZombieSquid

Well-known member
After seeing some of the other entries, I feel as if I've brought a Volkswagen to a Formula 1 race...Please be honest, Guys. There's nothing you can't say about my short that I haven't already! Thanks.
 
Hey
It was kind of wierd and it was the approach my friend was going towards kind of. I really liked the old mans acting when he talks about his father being shot. The military guys looked wierd without helmets. I thought it was good work. It seems like the guy at the beginning would know what was going on with the evacuation and everything because of the news... Good short
Brian
 
This is a perfect example of story being king.

For me it technically suffered. It screamed for a more experienced DP and the acting (sans the older man who says his father was shot) was rather bad. The military uniforms and attention to detail there suffered as well. On all of these elements I'd say you have your work cut out for you. Lighting for night is another technique that needs to be learned. I could probally go on and on technically from lighting to DP work to post work.......

But in the end; I was hooked into your story. You drew me in with this kind of 'Crazies' vibe and this government cover-up and the people questioning and being dragged from their homes; walking though the woods was very creepy and the military sounding radio audio fx was a nice touch.

And for this reason; I enjoyed this piece. I actually found myself caring in the end about the plight of these people.

Save for the DVD? I'd consider adding some atmosphere audibly to the short; the sounds of Woods in the woods for example. Birds, wind........

Keep shooting Zombiesquid.
 
Hey ZombieSquid:

Nice work! Overall the camera work was pretty good, and the story is interesting enough to keep pace with the length.

I did note some issues with sound quality, and unfortunately the voice over the radio has a distortion/static effect applied to it that renders it all but impossible to make out. Not a big deal normally, but since the ending of the film relies on us hearing what is said pretty clearly that is a drawback.

The acting is reasonably good, and the music is very nicely done.

Lastly, interior lighting could use some attention, though this may be a limitation of available gear.
 
I agree, other than the man talking about his father getting shot, the talent was a little weak. I did like the underlying story and was left wanting to know what happened next. This is a good thing in my book for a short. Either tell a complete story (hard to do in 5 mins) or tell part of a larger story that stands on its own.

Getting available light daytime exteriors to look good is harder than most people think. Its really better (and much easier) to use some golden hour shots, most of the day is just plain boring lighting (wrong angle of illumination). I watched this one more than once as the story was there.
 
I agree with John on this one. It was a good story but I feel there it was a little lacking. Like I said to a few other people maybe a few more camera angles and a little bit steadier shots and it would have been alot better. Also the low light grain is a little bad, I know compression isnt kind in this area either. Overall good story line..keep on going and keep reading the board so, so, so, so, so, so, so much information is on here.
 
Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you guys ae being honest and specific. I want to say that I pretty much agree with everything you've said.

As far as the acting, there is none. The only "real" actor is the old man. He's been involved with theater for years. Working with him is just great! The rest of the cast I just threw together out of whoever would agree to do it. It kind of hard to find actors in ALABAMA!

And yes, the lighting is a result of the limitation of equipment. Meaning, I have none. It was 100% available light.

This was supposed to be a 4 day shoot, but everyone has full time jobs and we ended up shooting everything after they leave house in around 7 hours on one day. Very rushed. Everything outside is handheld, and it was 105 degrees, so I just had to move move move and try to at least get most of the shots I needed. I'm just making excuses now....

John, you said you could go on and on technically, what are you referring to as far as the post work?
 
Hey, I liked your short, I agree with what most said, acting could have been better maybe but what was weird to me was whenyou cut from dark in the front of the guys house (2:35AM) to about noon out it looks like. It doesn't fit, shouldn't it still be dark out?
 
idvfilms said:
It started out well but then the story tanked. Maybe tried to squeeze in to much.
Click to expand...

I disagree. I thought the story was strong to the end, and it definitely ended on a high note. The older guy who's dad was killed was very good. The leader didn't make a convincing military officer with the facial hair.
 
-sam- said:
The leader didn't make a convincing military officer with the facial hair.
Click to expand...

Thanks everybody! :thumbsup: As far as the uniforms and facial hair, etc., I guess I should have made it more apparent that the soldiers are not standard military, they are part of a "special forces" unit that gets called in to deal with severe situations. That was all part of a larger story that I didn't have time to work in. There were about 4 pages of dialouge that were cut for time....
 
ZombieSquid said:
Thanks everybody! :thumbsup: As far as the uniforms and facial hair, etc., I guess I should have made it more apparent that the soldiers are not standard military, they are part of a "special forces" unit that gets called in to deal with severe situations. That was all part of a larger story that I didn't have time to work in. There were about 4 pages of dialouge that was cut for time....
Click to expand...

Ok, I considered that, or that maybe they were part of a rebel/militia force. It's tough to fit in everything you want to say in 5 min. Overall I liked it.

Sam
 
I also thought yours was a good story idea.

For me, the overall feel of the was that of a mini-series.

The lighting (especially at the opening) was an issue...as were some other technical set-backs, which have already been posted

Don't forget the (albeit cliche) Golden Rule: "If it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage."

IMHO you got it on the page already, it's your stage that needs a little something extra.
 
I didn't really care for the acting on this one, and I didn't believe that they were really military. Maybe if they were people pretending to be military to take advangage of people during a Zombie crisis, I don't know. To me I just didn't feel I was looking at real military people. Good job on the story as others have said. Some of the gore was cool, but the sound fx were cheezy. Like when the machine guns go off. Looked/Sounded really fake. Hope this helps. Tim.
 
My thoughts, without reading the previous posts: Ranked this with an average score. Good story, but poor acting in much of it, specifically the soldiers. Also some good camera work during the action & liked the idea of the zombies taking out the soldiers in that fashion, in the woods, etc. Also good SFX/FX with the gun fire.

Edit: Just saw Slimothy's post that he didn't like the gunfire ... funny! Maybe it just sounded good in my headphones. :)
 
I agree with what others have been saying. Acting/ shooting needed improvement, but good story.

John is going to kill me for this... but ever since 28 Days, I just can't get into the whole military thing. I'm sure that if it were done right, I could like it... but something about it just rubs me the wrong way.

Overall: I give you credit for effort under not such great circumstances; and for a story that has me wondering.
 
originally watch this a few days ago. My oldest son loved this short , thought it was awsome .
The opening scene was too dark for me . I thought the soldier wasn't aggressive enough in the first scene . It didn't feel right to me . I sensed this wasn't the Army when the soldier came out and said "All Clear" .Seemed more like a bunch of those Renegade Militia guys rather than the Army. Taking them done the desolate trail gave a feeling of uneasiness .
The only area here to tighten up a little was when the 2 were talking , I felt there was a bit of a delay before the Leader ask them " keep it down back there "( nick picking maybe )
The other scene I like was when they stopped .."no more talking" ....and the gentleman just went right into his line ..They killed my father ..nicely done I thought .
The attack on the Unit from the Zombies as my son says AWSOME . It was fast , you knew what was happening and it was over . I like the way it was shot .
Quarantine has been breached ...dispose of any civilians or survivors ....What a way to end this short . Which leaves that old age question ...what happens next ?.. Good one .....Ian
 
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