First short on the DVX

F

francheezie

Active member
Hey people, this is a friend of mine and I's first venture using the DVX100a. It is for a short film festival here in Chicago, not really expecting to get in, but we'll see. The sound is pretty jacked in most parts, our next purchase is a shotgun mic setup. Let me know what you think though anyways. It's called "Strange Bedfellows" and you can view it at: http://www.tudestudios.com/StrangeBedfellows.wmv. Peace out, Ben G.
 
look pretty good. but i was wondering...the interior shots look totally different than the exterior shots. were the interiors shot in 24p?
 
ill tell you what. i dont care how good it is. i stopped watching it because of the sound.. you really need to do something about it.. maybe its because i didnt have my speakers up enough but..you should take care of that.. definately get some mics.
 
Hey man it's an effort.. Don't let the bad man get you down.

Some advice. If you are switching angles make sure you don't cut the scene and put it back exactly one millisecond after hwere you cut it. It lookds like no time has elapsed since whatever has happened from another angle. Ya get me?

Secondly, what did you do to the shot outside? Did you dliberately blur that? If so, it was way too much. You really do need a better mic. I mean, you can only make do with what you have, that's understandable.. But when you do get a chance, do go for the mic.

Also, the quality? I just dunno what you did to your DVD but man, that didn't look dvx at all :(

I actually liked the script though. It wasn't bad at all :P
 
Alright as far as quality I would only echo what the others have already said. But this is the first short that had me laughing outloud! I thought it was so funny, U can never go wrong putting a drunk with a conservitave, especially a secretly psychotic one. The acting was pretty good! The drunk was dead on, I thought it was hella funny when he fell. Hope that was a dummy lol. No matter what this was shot on... It just goes to show how much good acting can make you ignore all of the rest, when your immersed in a good story everything else fades away. But then again I am a stickler for quality:)
 
Great feedback, keep it coming

Great feedback, keep it coming

Thanks for everybody's feedback so far, what an awesome community. To answer a couple of your questions:

1. Yes it was shot on a DVX, but only yesterday was shown how to switch to 24fps. So it turns out we were shooting in 60, oops!

2. My buddy threw on some extra filters for the outside shots, which I personally didn't like, but he thought added to the mystery and the misdirection that the film might be serious.

Do you guys recommend any shotgun mics under $300? I'd really like to go with the Sennheiser K6/ME66, but if guys have used or can recommend an Azden or Audio Technica, that'd be great. We'd be using it for indoor/outdoor stuff.
 
This short was really funny. But I agree with everyone here. It did not look good. It actually made me scared to shoot my feature on a dvx. Anyway, the stuff with the lockness monster? Hilarious. I was about to give up on it before that. That alone was worth the price of admission! What's the crazy dude's name? I think I might cast him in my next movie!
 
I think the acting does need some work, and the general directing of the actors and editing.. you can't use any fade transitions especially in a short film type of setting. Just keep doing takes until you get it right. Some criticism on the intro.. the shots of the hotel room interior as he's walking to it just seem out of place, and put there only because you wanted to have it cut to something.. just my observation. I thought the drunk guy did a good job of playing drunk.. his intro to the scene was humorous. Just use some light kits from now on.. don't rely on room light.
 
Hey, that looks like the motel on Peterson and Ridge.
I passed in front of that every day for 5 years.

Always thought it looked cool for a movie scene.
There goes one of my locations. :)
 
I don't think it looked to well...

Also, you need to record some room tone man. The sound was to jumpy between cuts. Maybe it's just me it doesn't sound good at all.

So did you guys rent this DVX or what? If you bought it and didn't know how to turn it to 24p then you should put it back in the box and send it back to Panny.
 
Stuff

Stuff

John, just ordered the AT897, thanks for the advice.

GZABetas, you got it, it's the Heart of Chicago motel. We really should've captured the exterior's more, it's such an awesome neon sign they have. I must say Chicago has some really amazing exteriors, I have no idea why "they" don't shoot more features here. I'm trying to break into the production business here, you know any contacts?

To everyone: We just bought the AT897 shotgun mic and we're wondering what the best set up is for a boom pole and windscreen? Trying to keep it under like $200. Just so you know, we're in Chicago and the wind is not a joke. Two weeks ago I saw an old woman get blown off the street into Lake Michigan. Luckily she dropped her purse so I made like a hundred bucks.
 
Wow...it's been awhile since I've looked at non 24fps footage. Looks like you shot in 30P and it definitely looks like reality, which hurts the piece. I agree with most of that's already been said. I think it could be worth trimming down the piece. The acting is fine, just not that natural.

Besides trimming down and tightening the writing you might want to consider reshooting this at 24PA. It won't solve story problems and acting, but at least it won't look like a reality show or tv soap.
 
I'm using the Gitzo G557C carbon fiber boom pole with my AT897.

I'm still looking for the right windscreen / softie. Anyone have specific recommendations? I was on the verge of placing an order for a Lightwave EQ-106, but am unsure whether it will fit the AT897. Will the K-Tek Fuzzy Z-FSO-M fit? Is either (or neither) of these preferred?
 
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