EXILE trailer HVX sci-fi/ adventure feature

[Mike Conway]

I shot on a standard HVX, during a 19 day shoot in Utah and Nevada - March/April, 2007. FX by James Rogers, using Maya.

EDIT: Here is the 2010 trailer:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv5MkHWEK4c (Youtube)

 

[Brandon Rice]

Looks like you shot in 60i??!!

 

[Mike Conway]

I shot 24 P (but not advanced, which I probably should have done). I'm editing on a Matrox/Premiere CS2 system and for some reason, I couldn't edit 24P realtime. I'm editing 29.97.

For all the hype of 24P, what I really care about is Panasonic cinegamma and how nicely it handles light.

BTW, although I shot HD, I had to edit this trailer in SD, because the HD space shots are not rendered. (Kind of a pain to experiment with color correction and output from the SD.) It should look better when I resolve it from the edited HD source.

 

[Brandon Rice]

Hm. that is strange. Question: why didn't you shoot 24Pn? It just doesn't look like very good quality here... especially considering you shot HVX.

 

[Mike Conway]

Hm. that is strange. Question: why didn't you shoot 24Pn? It just doesn't look like very good quality here... especially considering you shot HVX.

I shot in 1080P mode. HVX native modes are in 720, correct? This project called for the most res I could get.

Trust me the footage looks fab. I already explained that this trailer was a downconvert to SD and then CCed at that stage, which does not offer a lot of latitude for a render. Here are some actual framegrabs, posted on this thread, from a few months ago.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=95678&highlight=EXILE

Anyway, I also scored the music, wrote, produced and directed this. I found out the day before shooting that my DP was not going to be on board, so I ended up shooting and lighting it, too. I'm not the most technical person, but I made the most out of the situation. Would love to hear some filmmaking comments.

 

[Brandon Rice]

Don't listen to him dude. That guy is notorious for cruising through everyone's new film bulletins and leaving condescending remarks.

Some people just have a knack for not being able to :lipsrseal.

Chris

HA HA. Are you serious? I actually try to stay positive about things... if you have something you need to say to me, just PM me... keep it off the threads.

And... don't post anything unless you can take the compliments AND the critique.

I shot in 1080P mode. HVX native modes are in 720, correct? This project called for the most res I could get.

Trust me the footage looks fab. I already explained that this trailer was a downconvert to SD and then CCed at that stage, which does not offer a lot of latitude for a render. Here are some actual framegrabs, posted on this thread, from a few months ago.

Cool. I remember seeing these before... they do look pretty good. :thumbsup: it was probably the compression that killed the trailer.

 

[Mike Conway]

Watch the wmv version. YouTube quality kind of stinks. I only put both, for people who might not be able to play the wmv link.

 

[Brandon Rice]

Yeah, I did... compression still kinda killed your shots on that one (IMO) but it's all good... the screen shots look good.

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I actually thought that the wmv file looked quite bad as well. The screenshots look much better though.

Except the one with the laser sight, it looks quite grainy.

Can you put out a brief 10 second HD clip so that we can see what it looks like?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[MojoTrancer]

I agree that you're taking a beating with the compression. Wmv or otherwise. You might want to give it another go.

BTW

Great location. Where'd you find it?

UDPATE:
Nevermind, i read it in your other post. Very cool. Adds a lot of production value.

 

[Reflex Films]

If you can - go to h.264 for web delivery -

700 - 1000kbs settings give great video quality at around 7 - 15 mb per 90 seconds

(off a DV timeline)

run dont walk! Its soooo much better than wmv -

I posted some reccomended settings in the work flow section

i know there is nothing worse than compresison killing your hard work on lighting and editing!

 

[Mike Conway]

If you can - go to h.264 for web delivery

Hi, Reflex. What is that?

I'm about to install Sony Vegas 8, so I'll see what options are on that.

 

[Mike Conway]

2010 UPDATE:





I added the 2010 trailer into the the original post from 3 years ago.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv5MkHWEK4chttp://www.dvxuser.com/V6/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=109594





We had a premiere at Xanadu Las Vegas and the Las Vegas IndieMeet (both 2009).

I followed up with my own DVDs.

Struck a few deals with Comcast VOD, Japan and Thailand:

The latest I heard is that Disney's JOHN CARTER OF MARS saw some of these internet pics and liked them so much that they are shooting in the same location, west of Fillmore, Utah:

 

[Zblock]

HA HA. Are you serious? I actually try to stay positive about things... if you have something you need to say to me, just PM me... keep it off the threads.



I have to agree. Brandon's very active on a lot of threads and all his critiques are in good order, informative, and sincere.

The big alien effects are crazy. Ramp up the starships stuff to that quality and you'll have a really impressive trailer. Did you use a special effects coordinator onset while you were shooting so you could put the alien in or did you just figure it out after?

I'm looking at shooting a movie with creature effects and I think I need someone who know what there doing watching me film so I don't butcher it.

 

[Mike Conway]

Did you use a special effects coordinator onset while you were shooting so you could put the alien in or did you just figure it out after?

The alien was physically constructed and was actually in the shots. However, more slime and blinking eyes were added in digitally. For example:


Tentacles - raw footage:

Now, compare to the shot with digital slime added in:

 

[Zblock]

The alien was physically constructed and was actually in the shots. However, more slime and blinking eyes were added in digitally. For example:


Tentacles - raw footage:






Now, compare to the shot with digital slime added in:

Wow

 

[Nathyn]

I like this trailer. It needs some work but I'm interested. But I'll say this (and everyone knows what's coming) the Japan/Thailand cover is phat but that US cover/poster looks a bit too Grade B. I had this issue with my original "Wages of Sin" cover. This cover doesn't show the quality of the film.

-Nate

 

[n1c02]

Just curious.. how do yo ugo about getting a deal with Comcast VOD.. and if any.. do they pay ok for something like this?

Terry

 

[Mike Conway]

Thanks for the comment, Nate. Admittedly, I'm not much of a graphic artist, but I put what happens in the movie, on that cover. It is how I like it depicted. That first DVD cover is what I made, for selling my own copies. If it gets U.S. DVD distribution, I guarantee they will do what they want. For instance, my movie, TERRARIUM (aka WAR OF THE PLANETS, aka LOST VOYAGER) has multiple covers:

It's all the same movie. I'm past the point of caring what title and art work they use, as long as it gets out there. If anything, the differet titles just make it appear that I'm really prolific! rogar-BigGrin(DBG)

 

[Mike Conway]

Just curious.. how do yo ugo about getting a deal with Comcast VOD.. and if any.. do they pay ok for something like this?
Terry

EXILE and two of my other features, THE AWAKENING and TERRARIUM, are represented by the same sales agent, Inferno Film:

http://www.infernofilm.com/availabilities.html


Inferno made a package deal for a large part of their catalogue, with Comcast. I haven't seen royalties, yet, but Comcast is supposed to roll out an indie channel, starting in Philadelphia and then expand nationally. (It was supposed to start, already, but the economy is messing with everyone's timelines.) For each download (VOD rental), I'm supposed to get around 92 cents (Inferno gets 20 cents of that). I'm sure this amount varies with every agent or deal, especially as this was a package.

All I want is for a measley 5 million people to order...! :cheesy:


THE AWAKENING thread is also posted in this forum:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=206880