"BASS COPS" by THX-1138

I'm loving all the sci-fi entries that aren't so serious. This was hilarious! I love the bass cop dancing over the white collar criminal's crippled bodies. I loved the direct adress shot where he points to the camera and lipsyncs with the music, "You're under bass arrest." Also love the text: He fights white collar crime with low frequency bass. Probably the strangest entry, but right up my alley. Loved it THX-1138.
 
Yeah most of the story I didnt understand until you spelled it out for us in that post. It just seemed like you had a song you fell in love with and you had to make a video around it, which in my opinion limited you a bit... it would have been cool to see him have a partner. After all, it was Bass Cops.
 
KevinPeeples said:
Yeah most of the story I didnt understand until you spelled it out for us in that post. It just seemed like you had a song you fell in love with and you had to make a video around it, which in my opinion limited you a bit... it would have been cool to see him have a partner. After all, it was Bass Cops.

Yes, I agree, it did limit me a bit but I'm ok with that. As I said in an earlier post I teamed up with electronic group who's song idea inspired my video. And with no melody I felt it acceptable as an entry in the contest.

As for a partner? I had all to do to get the first one.....as other filmmakers have said maybe the sequel.

Thanks for watching.

Kip Kubin
 
CallaghanFilms said:
I'm not trying to be overly critical, but there was one basic rule for Sci-Fest...
"Your film must be Science Fiction".
:beer: Cheers

Websters-
Science fiction: highly imaginative novels and stories centered around some projected, often fantastic, scientific development .

As far as I know no police force is using low frequency bass to fight crime. Although they may in the future. So acording to Websters my film is science fiction.
 
My fake quote...

My fake quote...

What about my fake quote in the begining? Didn't anybody like that? I'm most proud of that...and my two dolly shots of course.:huh:
 
THX-1138 said:
...As far as I know no police force is using low frequency bass to fight crime. Although they may in the future...
Is that what he was doing? Because as mentioned in an earlier post, in the confines of the music video medium what little narrative is achievable is often groggy and incoherent. Perceived plot is what counts. Without reading your detailed description in your thread I would have thought I just watched a music video.

And besides...low frequency bass itself is not "some projected, often fantastic, scientific development". Neither are xrays, and if a character kills people with xrays in a story (which doesn't happen in real life I bet)...I would not consider that story sci-fi either.

Lookit, like I said I feel you have talent, and I'll add that your camerawork was quite good (and I did notice your pair of dolly shots:).) My biggest gripe is whether or not it qualifies as Sci-Fi.

:beer:
 
I'm gonna throw in with the idea it does qualify as sci-fi--Gamma rays exist, but gamma rays don't turn you into the Incredible Hulk, so does the Hulk qualify as sci-fi? I'd say so. Any time science doesn't behave in the way we know and expect it to, I'd qualify it as fictitious sci-fi. It does blur the line between sci-fi and fantasy, but so many things do...
 
CallaghanFilms said:
Is that what he was doing? Because as mentioned in an earlier post, in the confines of the music video medium what little narrative is achievable is often groggy and incoherent. Perceived plot is what counts. Without reading your detailed description in your thread I would have thought I just watched a music video.

And besides...low frequency bass itself is not "some projected, often fantastic, scientific development". Neither are xrays, and if a character kills people with xrays in a story (which doesn't happen in real life I bet)...I would not consider that story sci-fi either.

Lookit, like I said I feel you have talent, and I'll add that your camerawork was quite good (and I did notice your pair of dolly shots:).) My biggest gripe is whether or not it qualifies as Sci-Fi.

:beer:

I guess I have a very broad deffinition of Science Fiction. I gave this debate with my wife because I think Lord Of The Rings is science fiction and she doen't.

And you are right based on some of the other posts, my story can be confusing, I would not concider myself a writer by any means but somebody had to write it and I was the only one around.

Thanks for noticing my camerawork. And writing your critique.

Kip Kubin
 
Scifi is definately broad. At its simplest base, scifi requires commentary on humanity that may include technological breakthrough, extrahumanity contact, or humans indeed "more than human."

It can even be more general than that :)

As for Lord of the Rings... I don't think it's science fiction... but that's another thread for another time ;) hehe
 
Traufaut concidered "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" to be science fiction simply because the actor sang their lines rather than speaking them.
 
One can get into a debate about the nature of science fiction versus speculative fiction and fantasy, but when you have a machine, inescapably a product of science, (the speakers) doing something fictional, you're rather stuck admitting that it's science fiction. It may not be deeply philosophical sci-fi, but it's sci-fi. :)
 
I enjoyed this movie. I like the tongue-in cheek nature, a very different approach. Entertaining and fun. Well done!
 
Bass Cops

Bass Cops

darkfader said:
This was pretty funny and even if it was more of a music video so be it. Good work

It's funny, in Nashville where I live, it's not a music video unless you have a band flailing about on a stage. Lots of backward thinking around here.

Funny is a good compliment because it was supposed to be.


So far I think I'm in the lead with # of F bombs in a short.

Kip
 
There were only a few films in this fest that JTyner and I disagreed on, and this was one of them ;) -- He liked it way more than I did. I didn't like it at all.

It's really comes down to personal preference in this one... I just hated the music, which made it very hard to watch. For me, it was like trying to watch the story of a music video I'd never choose to watch because I hate the band... so it was torture to sit through and try to figure out. Had I dug the music, it probably would have afforded me more opportunity to form a better opinion.

But that's part of the problem with basing a film around one song/band like this. Some people just aren't going to like the music and the film will suffer for it. If you hate Aimee Mann music, Magnolia might rub you the wrong way.

I DID like your use of black & white... the contrast and lighting were EXCELLENT, and your cinematography and lighting were very well done... very professional looking.

Ultimately though, it struck me as either a confusing film with bad music, or a way-too-long bad music video. It didn't strike me as sci-fi at all... it was more MTV (when they still actually played music) gone amateur.

Sorry to sound so negative and even harsh... like I said, I think for me this one just hinged too much on personal preferences, and without being into the song, it just lost so much. I did try to give it a chance and attempted to get through it several times (with success at viewing the whole thing only once)... the music was just a huge hurdle I couldn't get over.
 
Last edited:
Music

Music

EditPhish said:
There were only a few films in this fest that JTyner and I disagreed on, and this was one of them ;) -- He liked it way more than I did. I didn't like it at all.

It's really comes down to personal preference in this one... I just hated the music, which made it very hard to watch. For me, it was like trying to watch the story of a music video I'd never choose to watch because I hate the band... so it was torture to sit through and try to figure out. Had I dug the music, it probably would have afforded me more opportunity to form a better opinion.

But that's part of the problem with basing a film around one song/band like this. Some people just aren't going to like the music and the film will suffer for it. If you hate Aimee Mann music, Magnolia might rub you the wrong way.

I totally understand your point of view. Even 5 min is too long if you can't stand an element of a film. Music most of all.

As a professional electronic musician it's hard for me to get away from using the style of music I love. And that style is not popular with the masses. But that's what makes all our films different. The choices we make based on our personal experiances.

I'm glad you watched and wrote in.

Thanks

Kip Kubin
 
Thanks for taking my criticism graciously Kip... I never want to really hurt anyone's feelings, but do feel we all learn the most when we hear honest opinions. Music is JTyners passion, and he is probaby more diverse in his tastes than I, and I can't tell you what bugged me about this song in particular... but rest assured, I don't hate ALL electronic music :)

Thanks again...
 
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