based on Harry Potter... new short

If it is in Focus it will supersharp.

I use a newspaper (The Front page headline) in front of my subject to focus when settgin up the shot.
 
Do you think this piece has anything positive about it. Please understand where I am coming from. I have no training in any of this. I picked it all up by myself. I am only 17.
 
I'm not quite understanding where this focus issue is coming from. Granted it's very small but it looks sharp to me. Am I the only one that's going to give this person credit for doing some nice work on this project? I don't get it, I've seen some pretty bad stuff on this forum that get's all kinds of great reviews from the members here. I don't understand the undue praise that some stuff gets and then lack of comments on others work that is obviously of better quality and content. I've thought that it was just this forums way of being encouraging to new filmmakers, until this thread.

What about the opening titles of this film....that's some pretty nice stuff and how about the lightening bolt off the staff at the end? But all I read is about better focus, seems like this group could be doing better than that.

Marlene
 
videoav said:
Do you think this piece has anything positive about it. Please understand where I am coming from. I have no training in any of this. I picked it all up by myself. I am only 17.
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There are people that young here. The second higest group is 18-20 year olds. I'm in that category. And most of us picked this up on our own.

The positive thing about this piece is that there is a piece at all. So many people say they are going to do something and then never do. So the fact that you have something completed to show is commendable. Like I said in my previous post, practice makes perfect. All of the "negative" comments are not meant in any mean way. Most grab threads have people knocking up work. When I show something to my film buds I want them to beat it to peices so I can see every perspective.

Also, the quality is so small that the only thing visible is the mistakes. I would export it larger resolution so we can see more detail. That may help a little ;)
 
1) Video size of the potter short was way too small. Way.

2) When you make a music video, lip sync is probably the MOST important thing.
 
Once again, thanks Marlene for your support. I really feel encouraged. I am aware that the size is very small. I would also be annoyed at it. Just understand I made this for my sister's birthday not for WB. The lip sync is off at the begining but I think it gets on track a few more seconds in. I couldn't really control that, It was a very very long night for my sister and I. I'm working on getting the potter thing in a bigger size. Until then, peace.

AND HERE IT IS BIGGER....

http://www.videoav.runtwo.com/OUTPUT.wmv
 
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videoav: Most everyone here is NOT a "commercial" filmmaker. They post their clips - they get reviewed, done! Some is good, some is bad.
Qualifying it with: "I am only 17, I am only 17, I am only 17" is a tad off-putting. Do you see what I mean? You should be seeking critique on the quality of the film, NOT based on your "handicap".
Heck, you don't see me go around posting clips saying: "I did this short film, please critique. But remember, I am married!"
;-)

P.S. I did already post my "review" and it was positive.
 
Come to think of it.....I was more creative and put out better shorts when I was 17 than I do now....after 30 years of working in the "creative" field.

Marlene
 
marlenedegrood said:
Come to think of it.....I was more creative and put out better shorts when I was 17 than I do now....after 30 years of working in the "creative" field.

Marlene
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hahaha! I know what you mean! I guess we have our creativity zapped out of us by life, government, bad friends and "the man"!
 
Stick it to "the man." I have only been in the filmmaking industry for 5 years. I know it's inevitable but I hope my run in with "the man" is very little.
 
Hey, I tried watching the potter video when it was small but couldnt make it through it, but I watched the bigger version now that you posted it. I feel like it was a good excercise for you and shows you can shoot a scene...which is a good thing. Unfourtunatley there isnt much of a calling for fan films and the piece itself didnt do that much for me. I think that you are definately on the right track, making movies and keeping buisy, but now my suggestion to you is to go after a more serious project. You have now 2 pieces of work to show to people that show you know what you're doing even if they arent crazy about the subject matter. I'd try to do an original(not based on someone elses work) short film or a music video for a real band. I think for you that that would be a good next step, and would be able to yield something youd be proud to put on a reel.

And about the whole "I'm 17" thing, I have to say that I'm with vidled. I felt somewhat annoyed that you told use your age in almost every post you made and used it like some big excuse. Its a good thing to let us know...once, but at the end of the day it doesnt mean all that much. It is a good idea for us to know the obstacles you faced(like your age) when we watch a piece so that we can look at it through the right lense and be able to give you better feedback BUT your age or obstacles dont mean anything when it comes to the final product. You wont win a film festival with a lousy film (not saying your stuff is lousy) no matter what kind of obstacles you faced while making it...you are still left with a lousy film. But when we evaluate your work we might comment differently on you as a 17 year old who has time to grow and learn as a filmmaker compared to somone who has gone through film school and is trying to make it as a pro.

Anyways, I too am a 17 year old filmmaker, and I think that it should be my/your goal to rise above the age obstacle and try to create good work that doesnt need to be prefaced by our age to be appreciated. And, here I am...being somewhat critical of you when I'm no master by any means at all...so take my advice and comments with a grain of salt. I'm still stuck producing stuff that is "alright for a 17 year old"(which means it sucks) so I probably have no right to talk. I am trying to keep buisy tho and do as much work as I can to get as good as I can. Hopefully one day we will both be able to produce films that are good for anyone to have produced.

Good Luck
 
I guess the reason I kept saying i was 17 was because I am not as lucky as most of you who have the money to buy all these things that make your production much much better. I don't have the money to buy cranes, stabilizers, software, lights, mics, etc. You guys all have actors who WANT to participate. I have a few friendly family members who i got to do this little short with me. I dont know any bands at all. I dont know bands that want to do a music video. All the dvx user ppl are like my "film parents". Encourenging me and giving me feedback. My parents dont rlly care about it so much so i rely on all you. Feedback for the video's are greatly appreciated.
 
I wanted to say good job on the lightning and the titles at the beginning. And I dont know what effect you had on the house for the first outside shot, if you did anything, but it looked really cool and kept the intro pretty solid.

And like some people have said before, the best way to learn is to watch films, study, and copy scenes. Even if you dont have time to actually refilm every scene, at least go through them cut by cut and ask yourself why did they decide to cut there versus moving the camera here, etc.

I liked alot of your shots (I have to say the beard was a bit distracting, also because I tried that effect in an alien movie I did when I was little, but I used biscut dough)

Anyways, as far as the feedback you are looking for, I would say practice shooting from more angles and use camera angles and camera movenents that help tell and advance the story.
Its not just coming up with an idea and pointing a camera at the subject. Figure out if you want the audience to be one step ahead of the characters, or if the audience needs to go along with the story and learn about the situation and the conflict as the characters do, etc. For example, you can shoot the same scene 3 different ways, and each way can tell a different aspect of the story. ( Or tell if from a different perspective)
Some camera movements can add drama, suspense, or fear, whether that fear be knowing something that the characters dont, or telling the audience that theres something they dont know about that could be coming. So in the scene you shot, decide if the audience needs to be on the professors side, or the 3 other peoples side (sorry I cant remember their characters because its 4 am and I should be in bed), or if the audience needs to be an outside viewer that is watching as if sitting in a classroom. Its all about what experience you want to put the audience through. There is so much you can say with just subtle movements of the camera that can end up being more powerful than words. And you dont always need a bunch of fancy equimpent to do that. Like you could put the camera on a box on the table facing a character (creating a midshot) and put the box on a small blanket or towel and slowly pull the blanket and box away from the actor ( creating a slow dolly out type effect, but of course practice this and if all goes well, it should slide pretty smoothly without jerky movement). Heck, even slow zooms can sometimes mimic dolly shots. Even standing on a high chair or a small ladder with a very subtly slow pan of the camera can give the look of a crane, and you dont have to have swooping shots from high to low, but just the fact that the camera is shooting from a high perspective and theres a little bit of movement is sometimes all you need. Its all in what the camera sees. If it looks like you did it, the audience believes you had the equipment to do it. There are many professional hollywood directors that still use weird ways of getting shots sometimes and the audience never knows the difference.

But the biggest piece of advice I think I can give is just practice and experiment, and dont be afraid to try things. While youre young you can mess up all you want because you dont have a name for yourself and you have nothing holding you back. Dont be afraid to try things that could fail. The more you shoot, the more you see, and the more you become familiar with the art of capturing beautiful images from life around you. Always take your camera around with you. Shoot for the heck of it, and experiment ALL the time. Practice, copy, and study as much as you can.
Well I really need to go to bed. I hope all of this is good feedback, as I am extremely tired and could be saying something Im not aware of. I usually sound funny after 3am. Well keep up the good work and never give up. It can get hard sometimes, but if this is your passion, keep at it my friend.
 
Wow Kev. Thanks alot. Your right. I'm going to try to shoot another music video in a couple of weeks. Since I know of any bands that want ot make a music video, I will use a song by any artist. Thnks
 
videoav said:
I guess the reason I kept saying i was 17 was because I am not as lucky as most of you who have the money to buy all these things that make your production much much better. I don't have the money to buy cranes, stabilizers, software, lights, mics, etc. You guys all have actors who WANT to participate. I have a few friendly family members who i got to do this little short with me. I dont know any bands at all. I dont know bands that want to do a music video. All the dvx user ppl are like my "film parents". Encourenging me and giving me feedback. My parents dont rlly care about it so much so i rely on all you. Feedback for the video's are greatly appreciated.
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Well....for 17, you are certainly lucky to have a $3,000 camera. When I was 16 I worked at a hospital washing dishes. I saved as much as I could and bought my first, pretty crummy, but cheap, "movie camera". It was amazing what I turned out witout a lot of fancy stuff.....I was forced into being creative with what I had. I continued to work, go to school and buy a few accessories. I went to a junior college and continued to work then onto Brooks Institute.....all the time working part time. If you're not working....then I wouldn't complain about not being able to buy accessories right now. You have the camera and the desire, you can make it work.

Marlene
 
videoav said:
I guess the reason I kept saying i was 17 was because I am not as lucky as most of you who have the money to buy all these things that make your production much much better. I don't have the money to buy cranes, stabilizers, software, lights, mics, etc. You guys all have actors who WANT to participate. I have a few friendly family members who i got to do this little short with me. I dont know any bands at all. I dont know bands that want to do a music video. All the dvx user ppl are like my "film parents". Encouraging me and giving me feedback. My parents dont rlly care about it so much so i rely on all you. Feedback for the video's are greatly appreciated.
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Most of us? All of us? What?

I'm 18 years old. I bought my camera with my own money because I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth; my parents have always supported me in my goals to be a filmmaker, but they didn't have the money to buy my camera. Because of labor laws, I had an incredibly hard time getting a part time job before I turned 18. Right after I did, I applied to a job at a hospital and got hired. Since then I've worked my way to the camera. With the money I've saved from earlier years, I was able to buy my camera last January. I already had two microphones that I had bought before since I had known somebody with a DVX who was gonna let me use it, but that fell through.

Now, I have all of one good friend, and one or two others who aren't really interested in helping out on the acting side. I have some crappy open lights someone gave my friend, and I have a still photography tripod my dad used to use. I made my own steadicam for 35 dollars.

I made my first short, put it here and on another forum. I got one or two really good posts in response, but not really much feedback.

But that's ok. I'll make more stuff and eventually I'll be like Disjecta who gets pages and pages of "Wow you rock" comments. :D

Point is, just because you're 17 and don't have money for equipment, don't assume that the rest of us are rich or were born with silver spoons in our mouths. I resent that, I worked really hard at a job I hate to get what I have right now; and I'm sure that can be said for most of the people here, 17 or not.
 
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Well, thanks everyone for the feedback. In a couple of weeks I'm going to try to do ANOTHER music video. Hopefully i've learned a ton from these forums. If anyone can reccomend some books for me that would be great. I'm a beginner so I need to start at an easier book. I want to read about film making and Music Videos.
 
Just watched that music video again. You actually had some really great shots in there. The only one that really bothered me was when her skin was really really purple. I loved the close ups of her (with the white bkg) and all the shots where she was in the black sweater with the yellow and purple digital backgrounds.
In my opinion, there was about 60% that was solid, and the other parts were a bit weak. But the challenging thing is to sit down and really be hard on yourself and see which shots work and which shots dont work. In every project that I do, some shots give me a weird feeling that I usually choose to ignore, and Im in love with them because I shot them, but I have to be honest with myself and really sift out the great shots from the mediocre shots, and then practice which shots need work and which ones are those "stand alone" images. But you did a really good job, even if you dont have a band, and Im excited to see your next music video.
 
videoav said:
I guess the reason I kept saying i was 17 was because I am not as lucky as most of you who have the money to buy all these things that make your production much much better. I don't have the money to buy cranes, stabilizers, software, lights, mics, etc. You guys all have actors who WANT to participate. I have a few friendly family members who i got to do this little short with me. I dont know any bands at all. I dont know bands that want to do a music video. All the dvx user ppl are like my "film parents". Encourenging me and giving me feedback. My parents dont rlly care about it so much so i rely on all you. Feedback for the video's are greatly appreciated.
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my feedback?

don't whine. don't make excuses. take what you get here and learn from it. No reason to state your age as a crutch- there are people here twice your age in the same situation. Simply post your video and ask for critique, you'll get it, and you did. Hearing "I'm only 17" several times is a definite turn off, but I watched your video- and it was decent.

I am also a fan of originality- but this was interesting- the acting was great. Keep working on your talent- and dont be discouraged by constructive criticism. Everyone is here to help

-Zach
 
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