"FALLING UP" a Flyin' Monkey Films production

Awesome! Acting was great! Continuity and pacing were great! An attention keeper and a very fun UPLIFTING story :).

I'm sure people have mentioned (didn't read through the thread) that there were some perspective twisting shots as she was at the door leaving. Then the tragic clipping audio when shes angry before she leaves. Some shots could have greatly benefited from some more contrast imo. But still a very solid short. I really dug it!
 
Sprocketboy said:
This story has a nice, natural feel to it. The actors are spot on. Your editing is very good. There is probably not one edit I would change. The music is great. You got a feature film soundtrack you can sell now. But, there is always a “but…” The lighting and sound are two issues that need to be addressed. The ADR did work during some moments in the beginning, but then it distracted me when it became too unnatural, or out of sync. I’m guilty of this as well, in previous endeavors. You need a little more light with purpose during the interior scenes. Overall, I like the organic feel of your shots and editing, and the performances your lead actors belted out. Bravo.
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Thanks dude. I'm glad you liked the movie so well. I watched yours last night and your technical prowess is quite a thing to behold. I'll give you the full review in your thread (and yes it does include that line). So coming from you that is high praise indeed.

We'll work on the ADR mix post festival sine this is being received so well, and go all out for the longer more realized edit. We had to cut out so much out of character development just to make it fit, that I was worried anyone would get the story.

I come from a darker method of story telling and this was my first comeday in years. The previous comedy had been lit by my old DP back in Houston. Everything else I have done has been horror. So I had to constantly remind myself to try to light for comedy. I ended up going for realisom, which added more drama to the scene than I had originally intended. Maybe that helped with the organic look and feel of the film.

We actually had a few discussions about the characters and their motivations... the subtext of each scene, and Mark and Jessica really took a lot out of that to build their characters and give a performance that was real to them. More genuine. I didn't call it until I got that authenticity out of them. Even if it meant pissing Jessica off for real.

Boy did I piss her off! But she brought it and appreciated it. I think it allowed her to dig deeper into herself and give more.

Anyway, thanks for the review. I'll be heading over to your thread shortly.
 
pia12254 said:
Hey Rodney,

Great film man! I've watched both of yours and you have a very natural sense with the camera...I always feel like the shots are motivated and flow well (probably a nod to your editing skills there as well)!

I think the actors did a great job. They both seemed natural to me and had a good chemistry/compliment. The male lead reminds me a lot of Topher Grace (That 70's Show) for some reason!

And the ending really worked for me. I had the same feeling that I get at the end of a good romantic comedy (yes I do watch them on occasion) and you did it in only 6-minutes! Congrats dude!
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"very natural sense with the camera..." very quotable there. :grin:. thanks! That is a great compliment. Maybe it helps that I also edit so I'm mostly self-editing as I shoot. I actually cut the scenes together the same evening to see how everything flowed. If it wasn;t working for one reason or the other, i would do a reshoot based on the edit, so I knew EXACTLY what shots I wanted, or just do pickups.

I think I may incorporate this into on location rehearsals from now on. Shoot it, edit it and then shoot it for real.. could be a consideration if I have more time to play with....

I'm glad you liked the ending. That thing I rewrote over and over again until it felt right. Better and cheaper than trying to get a shot of him floating away into the stratosphere... and a natural end.
 
Kholi said:
Despite the technical flaws, honestly, this is a pretty solid effort. In fact, a little more than solid. A lot of the camera action, composition, and cutting was very well motivated and looked hyper-cinematic.

Not to mention, floating on a budget TOTALLY worked for me. This all feels really fluid and the floating wasn't the center-piece, only the problem and how it effected this guys relationship. It works, man. And works well.
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Thanks Kholi. Glad you got the subtle nuances of my dance with story. Took a few rewrites and actual story development, but I got there eventually. After a few kicks in the ass from Mike Horrigan. (thanks Mike)

Kholi said:
2.35:1 -- Why did you choose this? It's a bit off in the Quicktime, I had to change the dimensions to get it to look proper which was okay, but I'm wonderring what the reason was behind it? I wonder what the 16:9 looks like as well?
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I actually framed for 2.35.1. Had tape over my monitor so I could frame it better, so the 16:9 has way too much headroom.

Kholi said:
I'm being dead honest when I say I like this, and if the technical difficulties are ironed out, it's a really damned solid short. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. A tangible conflict and some really nice camera direction.

I actually think the acting might be great for a no-budget piece, but the Audio interferes a lot.
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Damian and myself are already talking about the solution for sound and where we're going to go next, so he's got a good sound mixer coming on board. I'll definitely keep you posted.


Kholi said:
Oh, and by the way: Don't you just hate turning the lens the wrong way for focusing? LOL. That used to be one of my hang-ups when I first started pulling focus. Moved to Contax Zeiss, those issues stopped.
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Yeah, I hate going the wrong way, even after I've made my marks to I know where I'm going. Sometimes the raw emotion of a scene gets to the actors and they end up going the opposite direction of where they had intended... either that or I just screw up.

Gotta get the budget for Contax Zeiss. Would be well worth it...
 
Great job on this film Puck! I really liked the story and it left me with a warm feeling...nice, cute...smile-on-the-face kind of thing. The actors did a great job, but I'm sure that's because of your awesome directing chops. Excellent camera work too.

The only thing that tweaked me a little was the ADR...seemed out of place...too dead (I saw how you made the VO booth). Next time, just do it in the room and let them stand back away from the mic so you can capture the space too.

Congratulations to all involved on a job well done! Cheers.
 
Loki said:
http://enroutefilm.com/2007-selection/upside-down-girl-en/

I tell no lies sir.
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Pot calling the kettle black?

This sums it up HERE
From THIS thread of yours.

You really shouldn't be throwing stones here. That idea that you shot has been done to death. Far from original.
Where as this one is very different from the link you posted.

Why don't we get back on topic?
You obviously have an agenda since you've barely posted about any other entries but seem focused solely on Puck's.

MAH
 
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orchidsofwrath said:
Awesome! Acting was great! Continuity and pacing were great! An attention keeper and a very fun UPLIFTING story :).

I'm sure people have mentioned (didn't read through the thread) that there were some perspective twisting shots as she was at the door leaving. Then the tragic clipping audio when shes angry before she leaves. Some shots could have greatly benefited from some more contrast imo. But still a very solid short. I really dug it!
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Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad you dug it so much. Good quote from you there with the puns. :beer:
 
Jessica really does justice to her characters and any film she's in. Really a great performance.

Enjoyed this one a lot. Yeah, it's been done before, but so have hamburgers, and some will always be better than others!


Nice job, Puck. The trailer didn't disappoint.


alex
 
Puck! Really good film man. I love movies like these. Lot of good moments. Everyboy's performances were great, especially Jessica. I liked the concepts in this one. The concept of falling up, the Bubba Sean show, etc.

You had some really good shots and camera movements but my fave is definately when he first hits the ceiling in the kitchen and is looking down at her.

People have been pointing out the audio and while I do understand where they are coming from, I can't really say anything because I have audio issues of my own. There were sometimes when I felt that the music track and the dialogue track were in a volume competition. That being said, the dialouge was well written and the score was great.

Great job man!
 
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Hey Rodney this was the first one i watched i enjoyed the story but the audio did throw me just a touch. Great job over all man. I hope you do well in the festival circuit...
Pauly
 
Hey, nice work! Like most people have said, the ADR put me off. It took me out of the moment; otherwise - solid, solid storytelling. I was surprised that you squeezed so much of an arc out of the short format. Most are usually not able to do that. You really had a clear three-act going on. And - it didn't drag, which is good.
Keep working on this on, very good potential.
 
A very sweet and funny story. Sure the sound was a problem at points, but overall I enjoyed the story and thought it paid off well in the end.
 
Wow, so much to say here! I've not read through the rest of this MASSIVE thread, so forgive any repeat questions, etc.

Despite the bad ADR through the entire film (what happened to your audio that you had to try & rebuild the entire thing from scratch??), I still rated this quite high, and in fact among the highest of the films I've watched. I really, TRULY enjoyed this film! It has such a light, fun feel to it ... the stuff I'm envious about because I really want to be able to make something like this.

The music/score was SO perfect! Again, light & fun, care free. The talent I think would have done a stand out job, as I liked what I SAW ... just not what I heard as much because it wasn't captured as well as what I saw ... with the exception of the female lead, who still got me caught up in her performance, most notably her attractive personality.

Some really creative work with the whole floating thing for him ... believable. :)

Last question ... what kind of ratio were you going for on this? 3:1? I noticed it was already what appeared to be a 2:35.1 ratio, but you even had THAT matted with bars. Forget Cinemascope ... Pencilscope! :)

Again, an enjoyable film, and goes in my "worth watching again" folder for sure.
 
Hello Puck,

That music was so good in this! Did someone make it for you or is it just a royalty free thing? Either way, nice choice.

I thought the actors were really good too man. You got some good stuff out of them. Editing was great too. Nicely done sir.
 
Nick_Lee said:
Hello Puck,

That music was so good in this! Did someone make it for you or is it just a royalty free thing? Either way, nice choice.

I thought the actors were really good too man. You got some good stuff out of them. Editing was great too. Nicely done sir.
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Thanks Nick. The music was composed for the movie by Damian Sanchez (Ghennek on the board). Extremely talented young man.

I'll pass you comments on to the actors (but I'm sure they're reading the thread, especially Jessica). They were very gracious and allowed me to pull the best performances out of them, even if I WAS almost hit with a pillow.....
 
I'll pass you comments on to the actors (but I'm sure they're reading the thread, especially Jessica). They were very gracious and allowed me to pull the best performances out of them, even if I WAS almost hit with a pillow.....[/quote]

Quiet you. I'm lurking. Don't burn my cover. what is the matter with you?!
 
puckthemad said:
Thanks Nick. The music was composed for the movie by Damian Sanchez (Ghennek on the board). Extremely talented young man.

I'll pass you comments on to the actors (but I'm sure they're reading the thread, especially Jessica). They were very gracious and allowed me to pull the best performances out of them, even if I WAS almost hit with a pillow.....
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Quiet you. I'm lurking. Don't be blowin' my cover...geez. What's the matter with you?!
 
Hey Rodney, I thought this was a lot of fun. The music was mixed too high for me though - distracted me from the dialogue and the story sometimes. It was a cool idea and your actors are just so damned likeable!
 
Rodney, dude, I LOVED this! GREAT concept here and solid execution (except audio, which I'm sure people have told you already).

Great acting by both leads, very natural and light considering the comedic absurdity of the whole thing.

Loss of gravity, lol, i love it.
 
This is my favorite of the entire fest, there's just something about it that i really like. the progression, the acting and chemistry between both the characters. i dunno im almost as a "loss" for words.haha great great job.
 
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