Check-

[jamesh]

This is my dark horse for spyfest. I loved it. Your leading man put in great performance. I liked the mystery, but then again i'm one of those people who like to be strung along without being told whats happening (so i like Lost). I liked the casting of the different spys & loved the dude's crazy beard. Cinematography was very good and natural. My fave shots are the shot of the girl looking out of window. The music is really well suited to the mood of the film and helps it alot. The ending for me with the headshots again is superb.

Only thing i didn't think was too great was when he splashes the coffee cup over the guy in the shop. You don't hear a splash or actually see much coffee spill, but it's no biggy. Also the audio of the strangers grabbing the guy at the end is a bit weird & loud.

And also, i'm not sure if anyone else has brought this up but the bits where you do the tv static effect seems to have spilled onto your cropped black widescreen bars, maybe this was intentional but i reckon it would look better if you kept them clean.

Overall, i thought it was a very tight, individual film bringing a much needed sense of mystery to spyfest. thankyou.

 

[deedive]

Is this your first film?

second, at least i would admit to directing. Did some DP jobs. Helped friends with there movie, etc

I still love your short. This will probably be my first choice (if I could vote - got to post about 30 more replies before I get to 100 :huh: ).
pd. "Check - check - check - check " - I love that!

You got my vote!

Shes off getting a facial. Dale you did a great job on the story. I felt the idea as soon as i read the script. I think I said this was like a Twighlight Zone joint. Once you put the full version up I think people will like it even more. I am glad to be a part of Check.

I'm glad we did this bro. We took long enough to do a project together! Hopefully it is the start of a bunch of films. It was a great experience. I learned and am learning alot.

Only thing i didn't think was too great was when he splashes the coffee cup over the guy in the shop. You don't hear a splash or actually see much coffee spill, but it's no biggy. Also the audio of the strangers grabbing the guy at the end is a bit weird & loud.

And also, i'm not sure if anyone else has brought this up but the bits where you do the tv static effect seems to have spilled onto your cropped black widescreen bars, maybe this was intentional but i reckon it would look better if you kept them clean.

Workin oh these things for the longer version. but sorry guys it wont have too many answers to the questions people are askin (maybe one). may have even have more questions, lol

its crazy at work, gotta watch more films.

 

[MsManhattan]

Wow! I am so happy to see all of these positive responses. Thanks to everyone for all of your comments, and a special thanks to Dale and Aram for the props. I appreciate it!

It's easy to be a motivated and energetic producer when you have a script that's worth going to bat for, and as soon as I read Dale's first draft, I was sold.

Regarding the several comments about what is really going on -- who are these people watching Rob and why and how exactly do they co-opt him at the end -- I said to Dale from the very beginning: "I don't really know who these people are or why they picked Rob or how they get him in the end, but I don't need to. I understand what is going on and I can bring my own interpretation to it."

And to this day, even after having made the movie and knowing how we made it and all the tricks and the direction given to the actors, etc., the story is still a pleasant mystery to me and I have a different take on it every time I watch it. And that's just magical, and if you know Dale, well, that's Dale, that's kind of the core of his aesthetic. So it was very powerful to work on something that had so much vision and to support a writer/director who managed to be flexible without sacrificing his vision.

I wish I had some great "war stories" to tell about the making of the film, but it really went quite smoothly because Dale truly understood the value of working with a producer and was quite committed to a lengthy pre-production process that paid off big-time when we got to production and post. We struck a really good give-and-take right from the get-go that was centered on problem-solving and working within the confines of no/lo budget, and respecting our actors' time and schedules, and reworking scenes to fit within the location options we had, etc. , all with an eye on preserving the vision and attaining the highest possible production values. It was a tremendous experience as a producer, and I am definitely ready to do it again soon!

Dale, where's your next script???

Thanks again to everyone for watching and responding. It's just the icing on the cake.

 

[Paul Coleman]

This film has the power of a dream. Strong acting from all. Also, I notice the office dialog seems like chit chat -- but is actually right in line with the theme of the film. Smart writing.

The girl is choosing people from a high place -- is she God? She also seems to control angels/minions. Fascinating. (4:29) At one point she seems to be reaching out to the main character. But he rejects her.

Amazing work. Congrats to the whole team. :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Hmmm, what to say...

Well definitely bold choices, which I like. Good acting, and good casting (I love a variety of looks). The plot was confusing up until the end, then it was deliberately vague. It seems like one of those plots that pretends to be deep, but rather there's hardly anything there.

The cinematography was a mixed bag. Framing was generally very good (with a few exceptions, such as the randomly placed hero angle in the coffee shop) but the exposure and camera settings were terrible.

Again, fantastic directing of the actors. Next time have a real plot and better mastery of your camera and I think you'd hit one out of the park.

 

[Beat Takeshi]

Explain what you mean by terrible. I don't see what you mean. If you mean contrast in the shots, it was deliberate to have milky grey shadows and blueish tint. We went for that look which we had another movie to reference and we matched it pretty perfectly.

As far as plots, it is left open so people can bring their own experiences to the story. I guess if you don't have any experiences, you have a plot thats hardly there.

 

[Chris Messineo]

This was fantastic. My second favorite film in the contest. It looked great, the performances were excellent, and I loved the story. Perfect ending.

 

[deedive]

Hmmm, what to say...

Well definitely bold choices, which I like. Good acting, and good casting (I love a variety of looks). The plot was confusing up until the end, then it was deliberately vague. It seems like one of those plots that pretends to be deep, but rather there's hardly anything there.

The cinematography was a mixed bag. Framing was generally very good (with a few exceptions, such as the randomly placed hero angle in the coffee shop) but the exposure and camera settings were terrible.

Again, fantastic directing of the actors. Next time have a real plot and better mastery of your camera and I think you'd hit one out of the park.

definitely wasnt tryin to be deep. Don't really even know what u mean by that.
"next time have a real plot" i think me and u have different ideas of what a plot should be. Thats why there are alot of different movies. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[TimurCivan]

i like the unnerving feel.

Steve rocked hard.

I like pastel colors.

I like movies that leave alot ot the imagination. I hate being told what ot think. this let me make up my own paranoid story.

I like it.

 

[Beat Takeshi]

this let me make up my own paranoid story.

I like it.

Hahaha. I like that.

Thanks Chris and Timur. Steve rocks.

 

[deedive]

This was fantastic. My second favorite film in the contest. It looked great, the performances were excellent, and I loved the story. Perfect ending.

thanx man

i like the unnerving feel. Steve rocked hard. I like pastel colors. I like movies that leave alot ot the imagination. I hate being told what ot think. this let me make up my own paranoid story. I like it.

thax man. This was the first time i ever worked with steve. I have to agree with u guys, Steve will rock your face off. When i was thinking about the feel all i had to do was think of what people where gonna think of the movie on the board and id get real scared and paranoid. hopefully that worked its way into the movie. thanx everyone for your comments.

Dale, where's your next script???

That means alot coming from one of the dvx veterens, and about the script.... (mad scientist laugh) MUUAHAHAHAHAHH

 

[Michael_Petro]

dude i was totally digging this.... I might mention i had the lights off and the headphones on... and I was like oo **** is this a horrfest movie i missed kick ass dude! loved it..

 

[Dr.Cyclops]

Great job man! Definetly an unsettling vibe. Audio seemed to have some issues, but besides that, I loved it! The lead guy did a really good job. Congrats!

 

[Dennis Wood]

I can't tell you guys how cool it was to watch this knowing a few of our adapters were on the job for the shooting. I was watching the film wondering where it was all going right up until the last scene. The score, cc, and shooting style all worked together to give this piece a slightly surreal feel...a bit like "Matrix" meets "The Ring". Congrats Dale, Aram, and the rest of the crew on your achievement.

 

[abalex]

Really liked this movie, one of my top 3 for sure. Love the opening scene and how it repeats at the end of the movie. Loved the look of the main character, love the look of the bad guys. The ending was chilling, loved it. Nice piece my friend.

GV.

 

[Aaron Marshall]

Pros: I liked all the actors in the film. The main guy nailed it. You did a great job framing up the scenes. The music worked very well. I would like to hear Witkam's version. This seems like a case of Ridley Scott's Legend - Tangerine Dream/Jerry Goldsmith type dealio. Both versions worked really well, so I like have both in my collection.

Cons: I didn't like the blue tint all over everything. It seemed like you did it in post instead of white balancing on camera. I could be wrong. Everything just seemed slightly too blue.

Along with a cool story and all the pros above I couldn't help but have a Smurfy good time. This film is in my top 3. I dug the ending.

 

[Darkline]

Great short.

Really well executed. I'm having a hard time picking my absolute favourite, but this is top 3 for me. (I havent seen them all yet).

Im a real fan of films which resolve a story on one level but leave the bigger picture open. You did this with some style too.

I loved the final shot where he also showed some hesitation. Sure, I dont know what it means but it made me think more about the possible connections. He seemed hesitant, almost like he was reluctant to do what he was doing. You got the impession as time went on he'd be comfortable and automated about it as the other guys are. Almost like his whole being hadnt been cosumed 100%, not yet anyway.

I really like films that deal with identity and this had that 'body snatcher' 'stepford wives' vibe going on. And to get a girl in on it too make it all the more creepier. It almost makes the motive more ambigious becuse you cant tie any of the people together. This was a good call because without her it might have seemed like just a bunch of spy recruits - but with her the film takes on a more surreal unearthy feel.

A really simple but good story told with some flair. A great little piece of film-making where the ending leaves you with a chill.

 

[deedive]

dude i was totally digging this.... I might mention i had the lights off and the headphones on... and I was like oo shi* is this a horrfest movie i missed kick ass dude! loved it..

Great job man! Definetly an unsettling vibe. Audio seemed to have some issues, but besides that, I loved it! The lead guy did a really good job. Congrats!

thanx, audio problem where all my fault. i gotta get barry on the forum so he can see the love he is getting.

I can't tell you guys how cool it was to watch this knowing a few of our adapters were on the job for the shooting. I was watching the film wondering where it was all going right up until the last scene. The score, cc, and shooting style all worked together to give this piece a slightly surreal feel...a bit like "Matrix" meets "The Ring". Congrats Dale, Aram, and the rest of the crew on your achievement.

thanx dennis, justin and aram did a wonderful job. The movie has officially been brevisized.

Really liked this movie, one of my top 3 for sure. Love the opening scene and how it repeats at the end of the movie. Loved the look of the main character, love the look of the bad guys. The ending was chilling, loved it. Nice piece my friend.

thanx, i liked your film alot, i was going to atch it again tonight. I remember from my first viewing it was Amazingly shot and had a good tension.

Pros: I liked all the actors in the film. The main guy nailed it. You did a great job framing up the scenes. The music worked very well. I would like to hear Witkam's version. This seems like a case of Ridley Scott's Legend - Tangerine Dream/Jerry Goldsmith type dealio. Both versions worked really well, so I like have both in my collection.

Cons: I didn't like the blue tint all over everything. It seemed like you did it in post instead of white balancing on camera. I could be wrong. Everything just seemed slightly too blue.

Along with a cool story and all the pros above I couldn't help but have a Smurfy good time. This film is in my top 3. I dug the ending.

Funny u say smurfy, we did add the blue in post. We thought that was the way to go. more control. Both will be on the dvd, like legend. JK i dont think there will be a dvd. but i will talk to herman about showing that version later.

Great short.

Really well executed. I'm having a hard time picking my absolute favourite, but this is top 3 for me. (I havent seen them all yet).

Im a real fan of films which resolve a story on one level but leave the bigger picture open. You did this with some style too.

I loved the final shot where he also showed some hesitation. Sure, I dont know what it means but it made me think more about the possible connections. He seemed hesitant, almost like he was reluctant to do what he was doing. You got the impession as time went on he'd be comfortable and automated about it as the other guys are. Almost like his whole being hadnt been cosumed 100%, not yet anyway.

I really like films that deal with identity and this had that 'body snatcher' 'stepford wives' vibe going on. And to get a girl in on it too make it all the more creepier. It almost makes the motive more ambigious becuse you cant tie any of the people together. This was a good call because without her it might have seemed like just a bunch of spy recruits - but with her the film takes on a more surreal unearthy feel.

A really simple but good story told with some flair. A great little piece of film-making where the ending leaves you with a chill.

This means alot coming from u. Your film was one of my favorites of all dvxfests. As u know i am a fan of the revolving story. Halfway was great! This is my first entry and i have to say im enjoying every minute of the experience.

 

[Mark Harris]

Good stuff Dale. After the fest, I want to see a 720p version though, if i can. I feel like I am missing out on the look at this size.

If I were to nit-pick, I would say for some reason I think you can let us identify with the lead more. And I think it's as simple as giving him a little more screen time. For instance, in the office scene, you play it mostly on the other guy. That might be a choice, though I don't see what it specifically gets you, when we spend all of our time looking at this guy we don't care about and will never see again.

Likewise, if you have any more footage of him in the beginning. It's hard to put my finger on, but I think it can focus a little more on him. It's the question: "Who's story is this?"

Anyway, nice work.

Oh yeah, in the cafe, I was like: "Hey, I recognize that strip of light!"

 

[Beat Takeshi]

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