GLASSJAW - A Soul Studio 7 Production

City of Angels, baby! You know what really worked for this film was the soundtrack. And I use the term soundtrack instead of score in a good way! It really helped give the film a cool vibe.

The aged look I don't think you really needed.

If you're going to blow somebody away, the still splatter frame doesn't work for me. I wanted to see some ****ed up people.

I liked all the nicknames. Awesome!

Candidate for best dialogue in fest:

"I'm bangin' that!"
"Impressive"


Good job. Thanks for screening.
 
I also reckon you could have done without the old dirty film effect, as to me it felt like you were trying to spoof an old 70's show, when it was actually better than that.

I laughed out loud at the 'i'm bangin that' line!

I like film starting at the end and showing you how he got to that point. I was kind of waiting for twist at the end and for Glassjaw to get killed because of his cocky ego in the voiceover but it was still entertaining. wicked array of weaponry, good acting, solid film.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys, i appreciate it and i totally agree with your points.

Bottomline: I knew noone was gonna like the grain filter!

I was in fact making a grindouse-ish flick inluenced by late 70's to early 80's stuff (like MADMAX, THIEF, DIRTY HARRY). Im a full on self admitted genre director and im just obsessed with movies that came out in 1981: Blade Runner, Road Warrior, Friday The 13th 2, Wrath Of Kahn, Outland, Empire Strikes Back, Escape From NY etc.

Using the aged film filter, to my eye, makes me feel like im a part of that early 80's genre. I should probably use it to a lesser degree though.

As for the music, i'm a huge fan of (suprise!) early 80's synthesizer scores like
John Carpenters Escape From New York or Terminator. I cant get enough of Vangelis or Tangerine Dream!

You'll be happy to know that...
I'll be doing a total re-edit, now that i have time, with CG blood, better cc, and complete ADR.

And i'll do a version with NO GRAIN, promise.

Excellent call with the tonal shift of the short, the gun dealer scene is rather tongue and cheek whereas the rest of it is more serious and hardcore. I will be completely
re-editing this scene with alternate takes, maybe i can get it to be more serious.
 
No! don't take the dealer's lines out! I thought they added a bit of sparkle to the whole film, the humor works for me.
 
I liked your film man. Your lead has a gravitas about him. The film was very stylistic and very LA (in a good way) I would lighten up on the filter a slight amount. Congrats!

p.s. I watched it with someone and they really liked it too.
 
this film was awesome. The first one I've seen in this fest that looked fun to make. Maybe it was hell, but it looked like you guys were having the time of your lives and that came through in the final product. It was hilarious, and REALLY hit the Carpenter vibe. man, what a pleasure.

The grain was over the top, but Jesus people, the whole movie was over the top. The B-picture bad guys, the hard boiled V/O. The crazy grain and hair and stuff fit it all to a T.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Mark, somebody gets it! We did have a blast, i mean this is supposed to be fun right? And yeah, with lines like "he was so nervous i could almost hear him sweating" and non-sensical stuff like "they never hear me coming, cause i was never there" we clearly were knee-deep in B-movie territory.

We definitely ran around LA with guns out, probably not the smartest move but... well we've all read THE DV REBELS GUIDE right? If you havent go get it, its awesome. It has a chapter with this dude running through a real crowd (not actors) and he's waving a gun thats the color of green screen. Later on, after they steal the shot in broad daylight, they color the green gun black in after effects. pretty cool.
 
Last edited:
Defcon said:
Thanks Mark, somebody gets it! We did have a blast, i mean this is supposed to be fun right? And yeah, with lines like "he was so nervous i could almost hear him sweating" and non-sensical stuff like "they never hear me coming, cause i was never there" we clearly were knee-deep in B-movie territory.

We definitely ran around LA with guns out, probably not the smartest move but... well we've all read THE DV REBELS GUIDE right? If you havent go get it, its awesome. It has a chapter with this dude running through a real crowd (not actors) and he's waving a gun thats the color of green screen. Later on, after they steal the shot in broad daylight, they color the green gun black in after effects. pretty cool.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have that book and love it too. I am not a big EFX guy, but I've gotten a lot of good stuff out of that book for my films as well, particularly in the CC section. And the forum for the book is cool too. I've gotten some GREAT AE advice over there.
 
grain was good

grain was good

I have to say I loved the grain. i think it distracted the eye from things that would have given away the peice as a lower budget film. I'd rather people be talking about how you didn't need the grain than how it could hae been better. The dialogue was great! The story moved and the characters were interesting. No 2D characters, they all seemed to have some sort of back story even though the film was brief... great job! I'd love to see more.

http://www.dvxfest.com/spyfest/loader.php?id=27648
 
Thanks Mike. Be careful what you wish for, we're in preproduction to shoot a 90 minute full length feature to be completed by Spring 2008. Im currently looking for a DP (with an HVX so we can go multiple camera) in the LA area to collbo so PM me if anyone's interested.
 
The best part of this was the cinematography. I love the wide angle shots, it really adds to the feel, makes this short work. I also enjoyed the CC and film grit effect, although it was overdone a bit. All the location changes were also fun, lots of production value. I do think you should have tried more CU's. We can barely see their eyes, most of the time the shots are very wide, which works for action but not for the viewer to empathize with the characters or their motives.

This was pure fun. I like that everyone gets killed. Even the cute chick. Very unpredictable, which is good.
 
Matt, nice job on your film. I thought the camera work was good and I especially liked the wide angles you used. It really worked with the setting. I thought the actors were mostly believable. At times I felt like I was peaking in at some peoples' lives, rather than a movie, so that shows a job well done in my book! I had a little bit of a hard time hearing the excessive smoker guy, but that is minor. I understand this is your first entry? If so, wow! I can't wait to see what you come up with next.
 
Thanks Rebecca, its a bit rough around the edges but i had to upload to make the deadline. I'll be doing proper ADR, the villain (a good friend of mine) is a pack-a-day type guy with a raspy voice!
 
I felt like you had something to say but didn't fit the time, it came out to me a bit confusing. It had its funny scenes, nice - and when he walks out with the dog great though!
 
I dont disagree. It was my first time writing and directing and i over wrote the whole thing. The short came to 9 minutes. So in order to cut it down to 6... well just say it was a challenge to retain the storyline. I had to cut a few things out and move some of the VO around.

The non deadlined/non time constrained cut im working on right now breathes a little better and seems to be working smoother. I'll be posting the revise next week. Thanks for watching and commenting.
 
Defcon said:
I dont disagree. It was my first time writing and directing and i over wrote the whole thing. The short came to 9 minutes. So in order to cut it down to 6... well just say it was a challenge to retain the storyline. I had to cut a few things out and move some of the VO around.
Click to expand...

i know what you mean, my first cut was 9 minutes. Your film is like your baby. then they tell u to cut off your baby's legs cuz it need to be shorter, lol

I enjoyed your film, thought the editing played very well with the music. I think i liked the editing the most. And the way glassjaw inhale at 2:45:) only thing that got to me was the gunshot with no blood or holes.

also love the banner and graphic work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top