"Corrado" - A production blog

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hey Adam, don't let a couple of negative comments get you down. You saw this whole thing through so far. Had you listened to nay-sayers not a single frame of Corrado would ever have been shot. How many people do you think would have laughed at you had you told them in post #2 "I want to make a movie with Tom Sizemore, Messner and some actors from the Sopranos for 150k and no real previous experience" You have to immunize yourself to the negative, you should take note of the remarks as you always might learn something new but nothing more. There are always gonna be people that don't like your movie be it from a story- or a technical point of view. Even bad movies (sometime) get distribution... (not saying you have a bad movie...)

Keep ploughing straight ahead! :kali:



Cheers
 
Hey Adam. Apologies, but I don't have any credits I can extend. However, from the footage I saw, I did see a lot of possibilities. I see the rough pieces you've assembled, and can visualize a pretty decent trailer from them. This is not criticism, but a comment.

Each separate piece had several very good dramatic cuts within them to direct action as if a mini-action-movie. I'd say, from watching it several times, one - two second scenes, cutting on the action (head turn, eye shift, action at the points of the shoulders in a physical turn), would give you the pace you want. (For instance, when Tom Sizemore yells "Stop", just that word is dramatic and says a lot). You probably are already doing this though, as my impression was that you intended to show what shots you were going to pull from, rather than what others here assumed - in that this "was" the trailer.

The music is good - adds energy. The text overlays are long - could be shortened by a second or two. I couldn't tell from the youtube thing, was the dialog positioned within the stereo field where the actor on the left had his dialog positioned on the left (and visa-versa)?

Some excellent shots overall. What's the time-limit on the trailer you're shooting for? It looked like around 30-35 seconds to me after editing.
 
I really wish I'd seen it. I will say, from experience, that it pays to have an editor to act as a detached, objective player in the process.

Chin up - you can't edit a feature (or a trailer for that matter) in ten minutes. I know you've been transparent with this thing from the outset, but it might be time to turn in a bit - not to hide anything, but to honor your vision with a little introspection?

Anyway, I'll limit my advice to the aforementioned editor comment.

e
 
Had a chance to sleep on your comments - many of them are very valid. I've more or less decided not to post here until the movie is done and distributed although. I'm not saying I'm going to take my ball and play somewhere else - rather I need some time off from here....lots of time. I've got a bit of gear to sell in a couple weeks and that's it.

It's been an amazing effort to post here during the making of the film, and listening to all these opinions on how the movie should turn out is really killing my creativity. It's making me want to mold the footage to the way some of you want to see it instead of the way I want to see it. And heretofore I've never asked your opinion on anything - nor have I needed it.

I'm going to have to defer to two people: Frank Sinatra "I did it my way" and my buddy Tom who had a great line in this movie"

"I decide what's right and wrong in THIS motherfuuccker" And I do.

It isn't even about criticism any more - can I take it - sure. But I really don't need to. I had a great talk with my distribs, I know what they want and what they are expecting, and frankly nothing else matters.

Ain't it cool can go shove it in their ass - I have a movie to finish, and another soon to go in prepro and what matters is what the people who write the checks think - not a bunch of armchair quarterbacks. Who are some of you to lecture me or talk down about the project???

I'm not pissed, but I'll tell you what, I'm very disappointed about this place. As soon as some people saw 2 minutes of footage they didn't like, the sense of community evaporated overnight, and all the hard work I had done for months here went down the toilet. I'm not trying to surround myself with people who say what I want to hear, but.....wow.

Didn't like the stuff? I can accept that. You have a voice - but you know what - I don't need to be ripped on. How about the old restaurant axiom - "Like the food? Tell everyone. Didn't like it? Keep it to yourself."

In conclusion, you guys are going to have to get your news on this project the way everyone else does - go read about it. There are a few articles coming out, a CNN piece, a couple radio interviews.

And if you ever read some shitty review on rotten tomatoes, or ain't it cool, it will be because the movie was released - but you can bet I am sitting somewhere with my check and firmly in the midst of production on my second film.

Keep in touch with yourselves.
 
taormina said:
It isn't even about criticism any more - can I take it - sure. But I really don't need to. I had a great talk with my distribs, I know what they want and what they are expecting, and frankly nothing else matters.
Click to expand...

Good luck with the project Adam! To me what you said above makes the most sense. You know what they want. I know I sure dont know what they want. Deliver it man. Looking forward to the release.
 
I feel for you, everyone that has finished a serious project, knows what a tuff moment it is to see what you got in the can. I think it is safe to say its a traumatizing experience which makes you feel like you got no talent at all. But in my experience as you start working on the cut, it will get better and better and i want to say that you can almost ad 70% of quality back to it in the cut and so bring it back to the original idea that sparked the story.
Making a movie is such an extremely hard job, especially when you go it alone, that i can very well understand the longing to be done, finished, get a pat on your back, a word of praise. Why? Because you need it, because you've earned it.
Truth is that of course it is not over, yes you can stop on this sand bank, but you got to go back in there and keep swimming, keep being brave, keep beating the odds.
What i learned in my own experience is that getting criticism was fine as it solidly put your feet back on the ground, but at the same time it was clear that it also has a very negative impact making one feel even smaller than one already feel when faced with the result of months or years of work, also the reason for the criticism where as varied as the critics and as tarmina pointed out, most lacked the insight to see what they are seeing, so there opinions, while valid, are just that. In the end the criticism that helped me the most in my initial faze of editing was that of my wife, it was not a comment on the film, but just a pat on the back and a kind word and frankly that was all i really needed at that time.
I think every one here should maybe consider before offering there "expert" opinions is what is really needed in this situation and what it is like to be on the receiving end.
Here is someone that when out of his way to give you unparalleled insight in to the process of making a movie, essentially playing with an open hand all the way through, and he did it so, so you his fellow film makers could see and learn from his successes and failures and by doing so maybe created the most relevant most comprehensive thread about film production on DVXuser. That does not mean you should not call it as it is, but maybe go in with the attitude how can we fix it, the bottle is half full not empty... It should be your ambition to help him get up, not to put him down just because you can. In the end if he wins, you win and so the circle is complete.
 
That sucks man.

For every loudmouth hater there's a hundred or more of us quieter types who are rooting you on.

Keep us in the loop!
 
Adam, please don't give this place up so fast! This has been an amazing thread and you have been so generous to give us all this information. And I am sure that so many users here are really thankful for your effort. Please don't give up now and let them ruin your accomplishment. Don't listen to the haters. They are just a small amount here on DVXuser.

People should be ashamed to be so harsh. What are you thinking who you are? In a blink of an eye, based on a rough crappy cut (which he made for US, because we are so impatient) you bashed the hard effort he put in this project for months. Whats wrong with you guys? Just be patient and thankful that he even let us see some footage in an such an early stage.

Just wait until we see a proper trailer and until we see the real film. If you still think it's a bad movie, ok thats your opinion. Then you can tell him nicely what you don't like. He has been kind to us so we can also be kind to him, even if you don't like him. He deserves some respect, he accomplished something big, which only a few people are able to do.

And in the end, he will be the winner anyway, he get his check and laugh at you all. So please don't destroy our chance to follow his adventure by flaming and hating on this board. That sucks and helps nobody.
 
Not to mention, can you even imagine how bad a rough cut for the trailer of the ever quoted El Mariaci would have looked like. Cut him some slack guys.
 
Simon Höfer said:
People should be ashamed to be so harsh. What are you thinking who you are?
Click to expand...

Although I choose not to comment, those that did are exactly the type of people Adam is going to see in real world. I find it very interesting this community's reaction to what he posted wasn't tainted and all back-slappingly happy from following the thread. Good for them for calling out what they thought they needed to bring attention to.

Film isn't like other art forms you can show "before it's done." People are going to take whatever they put in front of you as a final product no matter what you preface it with.
 
Let's not jump the gun guys.
I don't think this is an issue of criticism or 'hurt feelings' - Adam has shown throughout this thread that he really isn't interested or worried about criticism. I think it's an issue of noise and focus.

He said himself that he found himself rethinking things based on feedback he got here - and that's not where he wants to be. Sometimes you've just got to unplug for a little while to clear your head and get some perspective. Anything outside of what the distributors are telling him they want is really just a distraction at this point - and distractions are never good for getting work done.
 
William_Robinette said:
Although I choose not to comment, those that did are exactly the type of people Adam is going to see in real world. I find it very interesting this community's reaction to what he posted wasn't tainted and all back-slappingly happy from following the thread. Good for them for calling out what they thought they needed to bring attention to.

Film isn't like other art forms you can show "before it's done." People are going to take whatever they put in front of you as a final product no matter what you preface it with.
Click to expand...

Of course criticism is alright. He will get lots of it and he can deal with it. But here it is about a favor he is doing for us. It is not about his movie, it is about how we talk to each other here. How we respect his effort to give us information. He doesn't need to do all that. he can just make his movie and move along.

And comments like this:
oh man. i got to be honest. i was following this thread with great anticipation but seeing the footage is a HUGE disappointment. i had no idea it was going to be such a trite, hackneyed, run of the mill mafia picture. just goes to show that anyone can get a picture made, but not everyone can make a picture.
__________________
Click to expand...

Make me sick. This comment helps nobody. It only produces hate. period.
 
Telling the community to butt out if they haven't made a feature length film is bothering me a bit.

The audience will eventually decide the films fate and none of them (generally speaking) are feature filmmakers. I have seen many a time, a filmmaker post a film, trailer, music video and when getting less than stellar reviews or LOOKS AWESOME comments, they get defensive or accuse people of being haters.

Frankly, I find that disappointing and immature. This community is designed on a peer platform and the ones who can take the hits and embrace constructive criticism are the ones who grow in their artform.

The trailer I saw and my personal comments were not aimed at the story nor performances as I understand it is only a trailer (a rough cut at that). The performances aren't jumping out at me and do feel in the B Movie realm (SciFi Channel, etc) but I can take that with a grain of salt.

I'm also not stressing on the sound at this point if the sound design mix hasn't been done and everyone knows YouTube sucks. But instead of making excuses, why not post to VIMEO ? There is not a lack of quality on that site.

What really got my attention was the general lack of sophistication in the camera and lighting. The composition and framing and the flat lighting just aren't working for me. I personally expect these two areas to be there when watching a film.

Additionally, telling people to put a sock in it if they haven't made a feature is just defensive and bad business. You put it out there for the community and then tell them to 'Eff Off' because the people who have a more discerning eye and higher standards are not impressed ? You then say you are disappointed with the THIS community; because of the honesty ?

You asked "WOULD YOU WANT TO WATCH THIS MOVIE?"

Many have chimed in and said NO and then you get mad. I think you have two choices here; accepting the good and the bad and taking it in and growing and learning ...

... or maybe find another blog avenue to pimp your product.

I'd like to see you grow personally and become the masta blasta. It's your call.
 
Adam, it's sad to hear you're taking a "leave of absence"

I think you should be able to filter through the comments, some are good, and could be helpful to you, other's aren't because they are either too vague, or you can tell the person isn't on the same page with your vision... where as the helpful comments are in line with your vision but could potentially make it that much better...
 
Hudson gets the Gold Star Post of the Week!

Adam, sorry to see you go. But I'm not going to make excuses or apologize on behalf of the community for bringing a little unfiltered truth your way. This community thrives on it. I've gotten plenty of feedback on my work here and the most valuable was the most critical. in the spirit of this community, i've always accepted it graciously and gave serious thought as to why something didn't quite work for them. It has often resulted in me making much better choices down the road.
 
Last edited:
I think Adam's right and here's my reasoning why:

This thread became like Two-Face in a matter of minutes. He had supporters left and right and suddenly all he had was haters, because of some raw footage. We of ALL people should know that what a raw image looks like, will hardly ever resemble the final product. Yes, some of you mentioned composition and camera angles, but how do you know these weren't just "cool" shots for to entertain us and stuff that may never even make the final cut?

Jesus, you guys think this is CONSTRUCTIVE criticsm? Oh boy, if ANY entry in LoveFest or soon-to-be TimeFest gets a review like this, I can't wait to see the hell that break loose. Everyone can jump the gun and offer their "constructive", unfounded opinions, but can't take it when it's dished back out to them.

He even said himself that not all of the footage will be put into the final movie. Personally, everyone keeps harping on the damned fact that it was a "trailer". The title on YouTube doesn't even say "trailer". I think what Adam did was compile footage for US, DVXusers to see and we just ripped him a new one. Many of us praised his blog like the new "Rebel Without A Crew" - modern edition...this was like him releasing a teaser for his book and having it instantly flamed. That's not cool. If you like his concept, if you believed in his words, give him TIME.

He has every right to be dissapointed, but I'm not shocked. I saw this coming - some of us just have no idea what forum ettiquette is, how to phrase a response or are just plain ignorant. Whatever your beef is, you ruined it for everyone. Instead of crying for Adam to come back, suck it up, move on and wait for the movie to come out.

Oh and as for Adam "pimping" his film here? He could have easily done that anywhere else. He offered a wealth of information and he doesn't seem to have ANY problem in regards to marketing his film, so his leaving is only our loss, not his.

-Kegan
 
Verna Fields, affectionately named "Mother Cutter" by the Jaws crew because of her ability to cut film, saved Jaws from ending Spielberg's career. Producers and backers of the film actually said this to him after seeing dailies of the film. "Your career is over". It wasn't Williams score that saved the film, although it certainly was brilliant, it was Verna convincing Spielberg that seeing the shark for more than a few frames at a time was killing it. The shark looked too fake. She was right and the rest is history.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top