DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

hey just finished watching them all..made my vote.

good stuff here...some pleasant suprises! well done everyone!
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

wow what a contest! some great entries, a lot of great talent - im glad that my short made people laugh, thanks!

good luck to you all ;D
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

thanks for the compliments on "king and angel" - i'll pass it onto to the actor who wants to get into more VO work - i think his voice is terrific. has a lot of presence. i am thinking we can do more little shorts like this one with him - it was just so much fun to just take the camera out last week and go film. i really appreciate having this contest here as a motivating tool... and LA looked great in the rain. don't get to shoot much of that here...

also, just wanted to comment on the great variety of talent i saw in the other shorts - what's exciting is that people have all these different ways of looking at reality and film, and having to do something quickly kind of forces you to rely on your instinctive personality, i would think. and i must say the "herbert and christmas" film just had something so oddly funny about it - cuz it was campy and earnest at the same time.

good times in the new year. :)
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

once i heard the voice start on King & Angel I searched for a way to pull my film from the contest, as my short was 99% voice over. great talent on that one pasha.

and thanks mino. it was fun. if only i had more time. or energy. or desire. alas.  :(

thanks for the compliments wesley and pk...
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

[quote author=pashapasha link=board=movies;num=1104644911;start=30#42 date=01/02/05 at 19:31:52]...it was campy and earnest at the same time.    

good times in the new year.  :)[/quote]

My sentiments exactly. :)
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

Herbert made my Top 3. Some of the best lines:

"It's a trap!"

"No, please. Not HIM! Not now." (funny scene - chong wong & sidekick)

"Wuuu haaa haaaa! Wuuu haaa haaaa!"

"One day I saw Angela waiting for her pyschotic boyfriend."

"She said something that brought out the man in me."

"Don't worry, I'm an electrical engineer..."

Funny stuff Herbert. Or should I say Young-"Herbert"_Lee.
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

yeah, youngs was great...very funny. i love how he kinda sounded like steven hawkins, or one of those robot voices you can get MACs to speak your emails back to you in. dude, you need some credits in that thing.


Herbert totaly getting some ash.
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

man pk.. that was great! i was laughing so hard. GenJerDan's and Young's had me on the floor too

all of the entries rule!
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

..i just finished watching all the films. congrats guys. these were all great. frankly, i was really earnestly impressed by these. i really enjoyed them. im not sure which one ill be voting for yet, im going to run them by my wife, and look them over again before i make any decision. a couple of these just really blew me away for how much effort and talent went into them. congrats again to all entrants for making some great films, and making this a great contest.
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

All Roads Lead Here was pretty freaking fantastic. I voted for that.

Gotta give props to Bedford Village for the production value. Dialogue wasn't very good, but like I said, great production value.

Cool SpecialFX on Poker Night. Looked very pro. What was the CG done with?
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

thanks a lot guys! I thought PK's loner had a really cool twist at the end, I showed it to my friend and he said The Loner was one of his favorites of the contest as well

I also really liked King and Angel - something about it feels so, warm

and of course, bedford, poker, the village - all looked great, cant wait till next months batch of entries
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

LuzCruz, thanks alot!! Slower Sound is a very clever and well crafted music video! You should be proud. I remember seeing your grabs a few weeks ago and wondered what it was for. Mystery solved!

Young, you already know how much I and others liked yours. :)

It's a tough decision because they're all very different. How do you compare an industrial video (Prati) with a beautiful indie flick (King & Angel) or a visually stunning Poker Night and campy comedy (Herbert) with films like Night Lights/Bedford, or a skillfully crafted All Roads with great quick flicks like Smoking/Hungry Tiger/Samurai? My brain hurts.

Good luck everyone!
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

Please keep in mind these are my opinions, not flames. I tend to be a little bit harder critic than a lot of people here.



Bedford Village
Submitted by user Bischofftep
 
This one was tough to watch because I've seen the same thing done with Star Wars fan films. You can build the bridge of a star destroyer in your backyard and fill it with 40 guys in stormtrooper armor, but if you can't get good writers or actors its all wasted (or all just for fun which is ok if you've got the spare time). Bedford Village has the locations, the re-enacters, and even a good cinematographer. Now just take it too the next level, hold auditions and enlist real actors for the speaking parts (god I hope you didn't). Then take the script to a writer for revision. Granted this seems like a part of a longer project in which case it could just be the writing was dry in this scene.

While definitely a step above the rest as far as production value, the acting, writing, and the feeling this is a scene from a longer story makes me pass on this one.



All Roads Lead Here
Submitted by user Bob Gundu

This was extremely well done. There were so many things I liked about it. The subtle old film effect worked great, so many people try to take it over the top with scratches and dirt. Lots of 'experimental' style shots that worked for you like the tabla player entering the club. The editing was just incredible throughout. I like that it had an interesting storyline without overpowering the music. I think the only criticism I have is that there were some hand held shots that I think were unecessary. Some of the hand held shots were motivated by the scene which works for me. Others just seemed excessive and pulled me out of the 'old film' feel. I hope that makes sense, its just my personal taste so take it for what its worth. :)

Great job, one of the best indie music videos I've seen in a long time. I learned a lot by watching it. I hope we get to see more of your work!



Prati, Donaduzzi : We Produce Health
Submitted by user Brasuca

My biggest problem with this is that the voice over had a strong accent. I would think a corporation that is making an English version of their video would be doing so for two markets a) people that speak English, and b) people whose common second language is English. An example of 'b' would be a company in Brazil doing business with a company in Romania...since its not likely to have a video with a Romanian VO you send them the English one since it is very likely their corporate execs speak English rather than Portuguese. In either situation the VO should be as clear as possible. I think it would have been pretty easy for you to find someone who could speak English without an accent. But who knows, maybe you just threw the English VO on there for us and it was never actually intended for an English market...in which case nevermind. :)

I also thought the graphics that went over the forklift shots were a little weak, maybe they need some kind of motion like increasing the scale. The one of South America needed some kind of background to help it stand out from the video. The video shots over all were well done however I would cut out about 3 of the forklift shots. I liked the use of narrow depth of field and the segments fit the voice over well.

The ending was also kind of weak. I wanted to hear a quick one line summary of all the segments maybe even with accompanying graphics and tied together by their slogan "we produce health".



Samurai
Submitted by user ecoloco

LOL...I went to sevenseats.com to rate you but didn't see it. Have you submitted yet? Anyways, short flick, short review. Excellent job...the look and sound were great. I think the writing (subtitles) could have used a little more punch but funny anyways.




Br()ken  
Submitted by user Lincolnlog

Watched it a couple times but I don't get it. Probably just me being dense so I can't hold it against you. I'll have to read back through all the posts to see if I'm the only one who didn't understand it, I wouldn't be surprised. :)

The audio was really bad, overpowered by the music in the restaurant scene also. I also think the rack focus was over used. Too much back and forth. It may be the way you like it but to me it seemed like someone with a new toy wanting to play with it too much. I liked a couple of the stylistic shots you came up with like when they walked up the steps to the house. Can't really say much more since I didn't understand the story too much. The scene when he goes through all the pictures was cool though. I got the idea that she had dated all those guys but didn't make the connection with the guy walking through the library and falling down, etc.



Slower Sound
Submitted by user LuzCruz

Cute concept with the bear. The cinematography and direction wasn't so hot. I think you could have done a lot more creatively to make the bear appear more alive. The editing was pretty tight and a few of the visual effects were pulled off nicely. Over all it looked pretty rough though. I'm curious to know if it was due to time constraints since it looks like there were quite a few locations used.



Hungry Tiger  
Submitted by user GenJerDan

Ok, what a rip off. :P



OMG there are seven more, including my favorite. I'll have to come back to this.
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

Oh no, mines in the next group. So much for getting sleep tonight! Be gentle ExFilms, ...don't hit the face. :D

Your comments are dead-on and not slamming at all. They are why we all come to this forum. But I think there hasn't been any critics post (yet) because contests are a little different than the Grabs/DVX Clips section. Brutal honesty is requested over there.  Right now members are patting each other on the back, for a job well done, and complimenting each other on their videos. Like after a marathon. It's the meet and greet part of the film festival. Speaking of... Hey Barry, where's the buffet??!!
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

Ok, part two.



Poker Night
Submitted by user antOmic

This one was a close call but came short only in story. It was so impressive to me in every other aspect. A one man show, music, effects, everything. I look at it and can't think of anything I would have done differently, hell I couldn't even do half of what you did (without outside help). Excellent job!



Smoking
Submitted by user Horse

It could have used a couple of closer shots of the girl to build intimacy but it was still effective. Funny commentary on cigarette companies paying for anti-smoking public service announcements. lol Every time I see one of those it makes me want to light up. :)



Beautiful Love Ad
Submitted by user Code37films
 
Simple but nice. On some of the shots in the middle there is too much headroom for my taste. Something that can easily be corrected with the widescreen matte. The shots in the beginning when both heads are profiled in the frame with the mic's are really nice. There was kind of a jerky movement to some of the shots that didn't seem to fit the music, was that intentional or a problem with the compression? Hard to say more without seeing the whole thing. I'm the type of MTV watcher that wants to have a cut every 1.5 seconds but I know that this kind of song doesn't need it. Shots looked really clean though, nice job.



King & Angel in the Rain
Submitted by user Pashapasha

See...it doesn't all have to be widescreen. :P This was a beautifully shot art film. Great job. Thats about it because I don't like art films too much, just a little too boring for my taste. Like poetry...nothing wrong with it...just doesn't interest me. But excellent work. Great acting, very believable. The zoom and the random mixture of hand held shots along the fence didn't look as nice as the shots in the beginning and the end. Many shots that showed the glory of the DVX. Were the clouds at the end done in post?



Night Lights
Submitted by user disjecta

I'm normally a big fan of disjecta's work but this one didn't hold me. Maybe it was an experiment that didn't quite work (for me anyways). I didn't feel like you put the same effort into this as you do your nature documentary.



Adventures of Herbert the Engineer: The Christmas Hope
Submitted by user Young-H._Lee

That was funny. Good job. Looked like it was fun to make also. There were a lot of technical problems but it seems you are headed in the right direction. Just keep making films because we all need light hearted fun. "Don't worry, I'm an electrical engineer" LOL classic. Nice flick.



The Loner  
Submitted by user P.K. Gillock
 
By far my favorite. P.K. has the eye. From that first shot in the theater that screams 'loner' and the way the titles rest beside him...beautiful. I love how he tells the story visually without using the narration as a crutch. And speaking of the narration...superb writing. Comparing a new neighbor to the guy who sits next to you in an empty theater gives loads of depth to the character. I can relate to him now. I'm hooked. The humor has great timing and is well paced throughout ("or, do you make out" lmao). The DVXuser.com "work" is icing on the cake and won't even distract a viewer not 'in' on it. I'm pretty sure you filmed this yourself but I didn't even pick up on that till about half way through. The composition of the shots is pretty spot on and you even took the time to get the appropriate inserts and cut aways. Great story for a short with a nice unexpected twist at the end.

Not to mention your acting is really good. Above par for short films. I hate to sound like I'm stroking you but if I could go out and shoot a short film like this basically by myself and with no budget...man thats all I would ever do.

Two comments I would make is that the color seems off in some of the shots, and who in the world sets an empty toilet paper roll back on top of the dispenser? :P

Writing the letter from one apartment to another was hilarious and leaving out the part we think is obvious is very clever...those details are great.

Its not production value, effects, fancy post and editing...its about the story telling. You've got a gift for it. Enter this in festivals. Make some more films. Move back to the states so I can work with you!


antOmic and Bob Gundu are both very talented. antOmic with a technically perfect one man show and sweet effects. Bob Gundu able to put a vivid and creative imagination on screen with beautiful editing skills. But P.K. shows me a story, a complete package that draws me further in with each shot. He gets my vote.


I think its so great that so many of you submitted films. Trust me I know that just completing something is hard enough and most of you have blown away anything I've ever done. I look forward to competing with you all in the future even if I have to go kidnap someones DVX. (you better hide it John) ;)
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

Thanks for the comments ExFilms, I enjoyed reading them and appreciate the time it took you.
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

PK, awesome work on your short. It's a fully fledged piece. I've got a wicked flu right now but during my strange flu dreams I was thinking about Loner. Hope you submit it to festivals.
 
Re: DECEMBER DVXFEST SHORTS

ExFilms - Thanks for the comments! I shot, edited and uploaded "Smoking" in about an hour on New Years Eve. I was in a rush because my girlfriend kept bugging me that we were late to go meet some friends. I'll try to put more time into further entries. ;D
 
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