6 Images from "The Aggie"

Chris Messineo

Chris Messineo

Veteran
We have posted 6 images from our rough cut of "The Aggie" on our web site at: http://www.OffStageFilms.com (each image can be enlarged by clicking on it).

We are about to do color correction and I would appreciate any advice/suggestions on how to enhance the look of the film.

Thanks a lot,

Chris Messineo
Off Stage Films
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

First of all, some great looking stuff. You guys are obviously very talented. As to the coloring, it's kind of going to depend on the mood of the story. What's your story about? What kind of feeling is it supposed to leave you with? What are the scores like? Fast, slow, dreamy, racy, sci-fi?

Just thought it would be better to try and get a feel for where you're trying to go with this, rather than just barf up an opinion.

Great work,
Chico
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

Chico,

"barfed up opinions" are always welcome.

As for the story, it is a 7 page short and you can read the script online at: http://www.offstagefilms.com/Files/The Aggie.pdf

If you don't want to read it, it is basically a twilight zone style short about a lonely boy obsessed with a marble.

We are trying to achieve a dark and dramatic look to the picture.  I would like to have a lot of shadows in the interiors and over saturate the exteriors (like the french film Amelie).

Finally, thanks for the kind words, we are all fairly knew to filmmaking, but have spent the last six months in preproduction doing our homework and learning as much as we could so we hopefully wouldn't look like complete idiots (partial idiots is okay).

So any thoughts, as we are always trying to learn, is much appreciated.

Chris Messineo
Off Stage Films
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

im sorry, couldnt offer a barfed up opinion. those shots look very very professional. good work
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

Yeah the over head shot with the girl and boy laying on the sidewalk looks awesome.  What camera settings were you guys using for that shot?  
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

Thanks for all the kind words.

Kyle, as far as settings go, we started with F6 and then after much testing we tweaked it a bit.  As soon as I get a chance I will post them.

The overhead shot was a bit of a challenge because we created the shadows ourselves (holding a branch with leaves over the actors) and then had to reflect sunlight on each of the actors to prevent them from just disappearing in the darkness.

Monklife, I also love the attic shot, but that was a nightmare (I'm beginning to think all the best shots are).  We lit the attic with over 3000 watts of light and even the window light on the floor had to be created with a homemade gobo.  By the time we got that shot at the end of the day, it was easily over 130 degrees in the attic.

Theos, the framing was something we kept playing with since this is our first shoot.  I read several books on the subject that were a big help and of course now when I watch movies all I seem to notice anymore are the camera angles.

Finally, while I love all the compliments, if someone sees something they don't like, please feel free to speak up.  We are still learning and want to be the best that we can be.

Thanks everyone,

Chris
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

Post a link to the film as soon as possible! I can't wait to see the finished product...I will play critic then ;)
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

The stills look great. Are you going to post the finished short on your site or are you going to submit to festivals?
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

Hi Chris,

It is very difficult to comment on peoples work from still images downloaded from the web. I have a few comments and suggestions that I will share. First, nice work, as the cliché goes “the hardest part of any project is getting started,” and it looks like you are off to a good start.

Good shot composition and use of shadows. DV tends to flatten out scenes; shadows and lighting are what you can use to ad depth, the Aggie on the table is a good example. In the shots where the kids are outside under the tree it would have been better if you could have bounced a little more light on the actors, this would enable you to shallow out the depth of field and make the house across the street slightly out of focus giving the scene more depth. Both of these shots seem to drift slightly towards the green, color correcting will help liven up the shots.

I am guessing that the “Spilt Milk” and “Tommy’s Last Look” scenes were shot in someone’s dinning room and that you did not have a lighting grid or room to add more lights. Although both of these shots are well composed they both demonstrate how “flat” a picture can look. Adding more light to the background walls and backlighting the subject would help separate the foreground and give the illusion of more depth. Since that might not have been possible in your setup, you could have cheated the table away from the wall and changed the angle slightly to force perspective, thereby opening the scene up a bit. Again, this might not be the look you were going for.

Ozan Biron in this same forum – DVX100A footage, provides a great example of what I am trying to say. If you have not already done so, you should check it out.

Keep up the great work. I hope that when you are finished you will share it with the rest of us, I for one look forward to seeing it.

Good luck. ;D
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

ChuckS,

Thanks a lot for the thoughtful and detailed response.

In looking at our footage we definitely feel like the area we most need to improve in is lighting. While we have a cheap light kit and reflectors it feels like we are guessing most of the time.

What was very frustrating during lighting was trying to avoid creating unnatural shadows while at the same time not lighting everything so that it looked very flat. Unfortunately, in this area I think we had mixed results.

Hopefully, with time and practice we will improve.

Thanks again for your thoughts (I agree with them all),

Chris
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

Just read the script. Great short story. :)

As for color correction... subjectively... The shots look good. The dining room shots (spilt milk and last look) are little dark and flat.

But, overall I think you have a winner.
 
Re: 6 Images from "The Aggie"

Haven't had time to read the script yet but just looked at the test shot of the marble rolling across the table. Looked great! And I thought the screen shots where pretty good to, some nice intersting angles and lighting. I will be interested to see the finished product.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top