GHOSTS FOR HEROES - Geoff Reisner

Geoff i loved this, i'm most impressed with your story timeline, how it wove in and out of flashbacks. And the editing was great, it had a dreamy quality. All 3 actors were solid
and you really directed this nicely.
 
Geoff, looks fantastic. Can't wait to see it with some CC!
I still can't believe you pulled off what you did in that amount of time with no permits.
Crazy stuff man. I'm wayyyy too nervous for that kind of stuff.

I also love how you jump in time with straight cuts.
 
Geoff,

You are without a doubt one of the best here with the camera and it shows with this film. Really lovely shots through out. Your two leads gave excellent performances. I absolutely loved the opening.

The non linear story telling became a bit overwrought in spots and it could have had greater impact if it was used to a lesser degree IMO. This is more taste though than anything else and I definitely got a sense for the style you were after.

your work is top notch and I am amazed that you were able to put this together in such a short period of time. congrats!

Jim
 
Thanks guys! Yea, the story is a little crazy at some points, Jim. I'm so biased at this point that I cannot view it objectively but I can imagine it being difficult to follow at times with so many different story timelines intercutting. In a sense, it might be taking the viewer out of story and forcing them to think a little too much rather than just enjoying the film. I think it's okay for a short film, but for a long feature, I could see people getting headaches trying to make sense of it all :)
 
Geoff! Dude, you have been on my short list of "fellow indies to pay attention to" ever since I saw Heritage. Your strides in cinematography are outstanding, I can't wait to see what you do with a Red and being really turned loose on something. It sucks that you're in Hell-Eh cuz I'd be running all my scripts through ya!

Anyhow, to the film at hand. First off, I'm a fan. That said, it shows that you rushed it. Don't get me wrong, the look is good, and I like the concept, but it wasn't polished to where it needed to be. The non-linear didn't work for me so I thought about it. I think if you'd reversed it: have the robbery be the current thread with flashbacks to the couple (instead of flashing forward) it would have made a lot more sense. I would have raised the stakes considerably, such as having him in a tense standoff situation with SWAT outside, etc.

That said, the concept totally works for me, love it! Keep it going dude. Cheers.
 
shawneous said:
...I would have raised the stakes considerably, such as having him in a tense standoff situation with SWAT outside, etc...
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Nice idea, that would have been awesome. I'm picturing how much better his death would have been in that situation, getting shot up by like 4 or 5 SWAT guys...

Thanks for checking the film out, Shawn. Appreciate your thoughts and comments.
 
Wow, even with all the back flashes and quick cuts I totally got what was going on when I saw the insurance paper. This tugged at my heart the most so far.
 
shawneous said:
I would have raised the stakes considerably, such as having him in a tense standoff situation with SWAT outside, etc.

That said, the concept totally works for me, love it! Keep it going dude. Cheers.
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I might have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. SWAT vs. a Bank Robber in a non-hostage situation sounds overcooked. Too much for such a personal episode. The insurance paper states (thankfully, without saying) that it's a do-or-die situation and the outcome is a life in exchange or happily ever after. To bring on a slew of tactical forces may serve to remove the invested emotion in this microcosm in exchange for small thrills.

Perhaps, had the story the time and money, still the same one-gun versus robber but a better established point of intervene? SWAT, though, is unrealistic for a non-hostage bank robbery situation.
 
Hey Geoff,

Sorry for getting to this so late, after you've heard what every one else has to say, etc. AND I'm sorry for reasking questions that other people might have already asked but I just can't go through all 13 (at this count) pages of postings. Please bear with me.

First off, loved it. One of my top favorites. I expected nothing less and sure enough, you delivered. I was just sorry to see it NC. Damn you Geoff, damn you. But pressure of getting it done and all. Totally understand. But still. Damn you.

Otherwise, my only critique is that I thought it could have been shorter. But I only say that because I watched it and thought, "man, is this NC cause it couldn't have been 6 min or were there other issues?" And as I've read it seems like there was tons of time constraints and I think its because of that you weren't able to get it in.

Now, when I say shorter I don't mean that it felt long. Oh, no. But I did watch it again, and again, to see if you could have edited it down to six. And when I did I thought yeah, some of it was a little bit more than needed to be there or stuff that could have gone. It COULD be tighter. Not saying it could be six minutes but I think there are places where a slightly longer take could push the emotion enough so you wouldn't have to do so many shot/reverse shots. It might shave off a second or two here, maybe one or more there.

But this is an observers POV who wouldn't have to re-score it, etc. And that could keep you from cutting it down. Aside from that minor detail I thought the acting, editing, mood, music, sound, story, lighting, etc. (yeah, really the rest of it) was tip top and really great. Welcome back to the directing chair. FOr my money, doesn't look like your gears have rusted at all.

The only technical question I have is what you shot on with what attachments. If you've answered this before please point me to the page and I'll read it. Or just say so and I'd be happy to mine your thread for it.

Anyway, loved it. Can't wait to see more. Too bad it was NC, but congrats on another great film.
 
Danielleus said:
Hey Geoff,

Sorry for getting to this so late, after you've heard what every one else has to say, etc. AND I'm sorry for reasking questions that other people might have already asked but I just can't go through all 13 (at this count) pages of postings. Please bear with me.

First off, loved it. One of my top favorites. I expected nothing less and sure enough, you delivered. I was just sorry to see it NC. Damn you Geoff, damn you. But pressure of getting it done and all. Totally understand. But still. Damn you.

Otherwise, my only critique is that I thought it could have been shorter. But I only say that because I watched it and thought, "man, is this NC cause it couldn't have been 6 min or were there other issues?" And as I've read it seems like there was tons of time constraints and I think its because of that you weren't able to get it in.

Now, when I say shorter I don't mean that it felt long. Oh, no. But I did watch it again, and again, to see if you could have edited it down to six. And when I did I thought yeah, some of it was a little bit more than needed to be there or stuff that could have gone. It COULD be tighter. Not saying it could be six minutes but I think there are places where a slightly longer take could push the emotion enough so you wouldn't have to do so many shot/reverse shots. It might shave off a second or two here, maybe one or more there.

But this is an observers POV who wouldn't have to re-score it, etc. And that could keep you from cutting it down. Aside from that minor detail I thought the acting, editing, mood, music, sound, story, lighting, etc. (yeah, really the rest of it) was tip top and really great. Welcome back to the directing chair. FOr my money, doesn't look like your gears have rusted at all.

The only technical question I have is what you shot on with what attachments. If you've answered this before please point me to the page and I'll read it. Or just say so and I'd be happy to mine your thread for it.

Anyway, loved it. Can't wait to see more. Too bad it was NC, but congrats on another great film.
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There was a six minute version of the film in time for the deadline but I wasn't satisfied with the music at that point at all. It still needed a lot of work, so I decided to just hold off from the competition and spend a few days working with the composer on the score. While this was happening, I decided to go through and recut since it didn't matter if it were over 6 mins. I mainly spent time on the ending, giving it more breathing room and extending the credits. I could probably trim a little more and perhaps I will in a few weeks when I go back to finish this up. I just don't have the time right now to do; too many shooting gigs, lots of prep needed.

As for what GFH was shot on/with; HVX with the SGpro 35mm adapter. I was an avid M2 user for the longest time but I'm a recent convert to the SGpro. It's a great adapter, a little less light loss than the M2 and better edge to edge sharpness (IMO). 95% of the film was shot with a 50mm nikon.

Thanks so much for checking out the film :)
 
haha...well, we switched to the 24 for like a shot or two....It was hard because those are both 2.8 lenses and I only had one light. The 50 is a 1.4. And yes, perhaps I just really like the look of my 50...
 
Geoff_R said:
haha...well, we switched to the 24 for like a shot or two....It was hard because those are both 2.8 lenses and I only had one light. The 50 is a 1.4. And yes, perhaps I just really like the look of my 50...
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LoL I'm just messin' I showed Britney, she said she really likes it. Quote: It's a real movie.
 
Kholi said:
LoL I'm just messin' I showed Britney, she said she really likes it. Quote: It's a real movie.
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Cool man. Too bad you can't shoot with us this week. I got the fat boy sitting on the desk right now....but next week will be going four or five days too.
 
Geoff_R said:
Cool man. Too bad you can't shoot with us this week. I got the fat boy sitting on the desk right now....but next week will be going four or five days too.
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Noo waaaaay. I should be up for week after this one!!! What glass you got for it?

UGH. I wish I could come and pull focus for Wes!!! GAHD.
 
Great great film Geoff. Completely pro. Liked the casting (the detective had like a young James Woods thing going on) and thought they did a good job. Cinematography, editing, music...all of it, top notch. Well done.
 
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Right now just the 18-50 but I did some tests this afternoon, doing lots of 2k, 3k shooting...at 2k we can get the 'perceived impression' of a 100mm. We're trying to get an 85 prime by Tuesday if possible.
 
Champloo said:
Great great film Geoff. Completely pro. Liked the casting (the detective had like a young James Woods thing going on) and thought they did a good job. Cinematography, editing, music...all of it, top notch. Well done.
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Hey man, thanks for checking the film out. I still have a lot of films to get through, I'll be on your thread soon :)
 
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