January DVXfest Shorts

Re: January DVXfest Shorts

[quote author=monte link=board=movies;num=1107319181;start=30#38 date=02/02/05 at 21:12:31]Oh god I hope i made the right decision  :-/[/quote]

You didn't! ;D
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

My film was offline temporarily...but it's back up now, just in case anyone was trying to access it.
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

[quote author=michaelcorvin link=board=movies;num=1107319181;start=30#33 date=02/02/05 at 18:18:19]Thanks to everyone for the comments on Below the Belt.  Some of you mention that the sound is too low?  I'll have to fix that.[/quote]

I found this really cool feature on my speakers here. You turn this little knob and the sound gets louder. ;D Sounded fine, then. I think you could just rerender it with the audio boosted...no real need to make any other adjustments. Of course, I have 48 year old ears now. :(

And that 180-rule thing? I didn't even notice it until the second viewing. Maybe because it was consistently "wrong". That makes it an artistic decision. After all, the two of them were going round and around, right?

Loved it. Voted for it. Do some more.

Dan
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

How Do You Feel -

First thing I noticed was the lighting. I don't expect great lighting from anyone but it didn't really look like you tried. Any lights can help, a lamp from another room, anything. Even if a shot is supposed to look dark you have to use lights. A regular lamp placed off to the side of the bear (in the frame or not) would have cast a nice eerie light on it.

To me framing, size of the subjects, and what is included in the framing has a lot to do with telling the story. In a couple of your shots I mostly saw the window/blinds filling the frame. Set design can be incorporated even if you have little to work with. Moving your desk to the right would have allowed you to tighten your shot making your subject and the bear more prominent in the frame and cut out a lot of the empty space. Always be mindful of everything in the frame and why its there, even a blank wall or the sky.

I also felt the bear could have benefited from some close-ups, or an over the shoulder shot from your subject looking at the bear. Something like that would have better connected the subject with the bear, it also would have broken up the monotony of the long static shot when the bear begins its story. The split screen was interesting but was maybe used in the wrong place since it only served to further the seperation between the subject and the bear. I think if you had panned the audio to the left channel for the subject and the right channel for the bear during the split screen it may have felt like the voice he was hearing (whether in his head or actually from the bear) was more real to him.

I did like the subtle pedestal-like movement of the last shot, and any scene that involves stuffed animal dismemberment gets a thumbs up from me. :)



Robot vs Ninja -

Great effects job. Can't comment to much on this because thats about all it was, but it was very cool! The only problem I had was the perspective/proportion of the robot in a couple of the shots. Like at 0:17 the size of the robot looks diminutive in the frame and non-threatening. I know why you did it (to allow room for the live subject to do a ninja jump) but if you had planned that shot differently it would have maintained the powerful perspective of the robot. For example and over the shoulder shot behind the robot would have given the live subject room to jump while keeping the robot large and dominating in the frame. The shot at 0:22 had the same effect on me. Perhaps there a lower angle (like you used at 0:30) would have improved the shot.

Overall very cool stuff and I especially like the throwing star finale.



Timed Romance -

The first two minutes kept me interested and I like the subtle hints like the woman's deodorant. The variety of the shots help keep the pacing alive but at times it felt like a little too much. In a story like this where the twist or punchline is at the very end the pacing should increase all the way up to the climax. It's ok to over do it in the beginning but then pull shots out if you have to as you reach the end in order to compress the time and space.

When the camera leads her out of the house there is too much head room. The rest of that dialogue scene is fine and the audio trouble you had can be overlooked (as long as you learned from it).

The last minute and fifteen seconds worked really well but because your audience is waiting for this I feel it should have come about a minute sooner. I started to lose interest by around 3:00. After seeing the ending I didn't even really feel like I wanted to ever see them eating together. That scene could have been left out entirely and I would have enjoyed the short twice as much. Of course that's just my opinion.

Some of the hand held stuff worked and some didn't. Theres a real technique to hand held shots so they don't look jarring or unintentionally shaky. At least in some shots. The hand held of her leaving the house is ok because there is also her movement in the shot. But the hand held while they are sitting still dining was a little distracting. Action shots of course can usually be as jarring and shaky as you want.

The ending was great and the tie in to the beginning was great. Overall a very nice short and a good story. The creativity of some shots show that you definitely have a talent for this. Just don't be afraid to leave some out for the sake of the film.
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

Full Circle -

This was very creative for about the first minute. After that I expected what was going to happen and hoped the the style in which it was shot would change to help depict the story. There was a lot of potential in the technique you used for changes in speed or direction or even angle to help motivate the story and hold the viewers interest.

It also could have been a minute and a half shorter. The story was enough to hold together an artsy peice like this, but since it was a little predictable the viewer doesn't need to be strung on for so long.

Very sweet job on the technique though and totally seamless to me.



Below The Belt -

Crossing the line has already been hit on I think so I'll leave that alone. :)

Great acting for a short of this nature. Dry in some spots but above par. The writing kept me interested too. Those two things in addition to the excellent boxing analogy made this one an extremely close second.

I did feel like the dialogue in the first half needed a greater variety of shots, perhaps close ups, to make it feel more intimate when needed. The distance to the subjects is part of the story telling...closer when he's winning...further when he's knocked back.

The boxing shots looked great. The lighting totally worked for you and the physical effects looked spot on. I also like that your choice of black and white was motivated by the story.

The scene with the coach was also shot particularly well. The angles and everything, all very pro.

Excellent job on this short, very entertaining. I did notice the audio problem people have mentioned. Just seems like some levels need to be adjusted.



Being Disjecta -

Few shorts I watch on the internet have me laughing out loud as I watch. P.K.'s entry from last month is an example. This short was so original and funny that it edged out Below The Belt by a hair. Disjecta got my vote this month.

At first it almost seemed like a take off of P.K's Loner short but quickly went its own direction.

The megaphone and the ducks got a big laugh from me. Unfortunately I think some of the humor would be lost on people that don't know Disjecta like we do. At least until the type of film you are making is revealed.

The incredible nature shots you included were so beautiful but at the same time weren't over used and didn't distract me from the story.

All of the shots were right on and the creativity in some (like looking down at the kids, the tracking, panning, dollies, etc) fit perfectly and really added to the story. It never felt like a shot was gratuitous. It all felt like it had a purpose.

The mugshots were a nice touch and the acting by your kids was great.

The short was also technically stunning. Top notch. The use of the sped up shots can so easily look cheesy but didn't. I can't say enough good things about this. I knew that Disjecta could make nature flicks like nobodies business but his talent in a narrative really blew me away.

Great job Disjecta, I think you have this one in the bag.
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

Holy ****! PK, young, michaelcorvin, greeches and disjecta! All of your shorts were absolutely great! The skill and creativity among all of you is tremendous! For February I might make a short about making sweet love to all of your films – but we’ll talk about that later…

Thanks to john, strancali, ant0mic, michaelcorvin, PK, greeches, barry, lalo, bigtime and exfilms for taking the time and giving feedback on all of our shorts; positive, neutral or negative it is all welcome and appreciated. Thanks!

Technically, mine stood out from the rest (obviously not in a good way). I feel obligated to give an explanation for my technical mess of a short… sooo here it is:

I threw this idea at my roommate (the hunk in the film) at 9:00pm on January 31… I go to bed at 10:30 (I wake up early and cant function on any less sleep.. im a huge baby) anyhoo, we threw the shots together in 15 min. When I was shooting the shots looked like they had enough light.. but when I captured them to my computer, they were much darker than what I saw on the lcd.. does anyone else have that issue? So I edited it together really quick and did the voice over improv-style on a computer mic (I need equipment!). In the concept stage it was a fun/funny dark comedy (right on ant0mic!), but came out to be a disturbing, weird-fest.

But the good thing is, it stirred up emotions in people, so im very pleased about that!

Having that said, I want to give my quick praise to the other films:

Timed Romance – way creepy man.. I love it! The shot from the attic to the floor below was great! When the character carefully took the woman deodorant from the medicine cabinet was my favorite though, the way it was shot was perfect and gave me a weird feeling. And of course the last scene was amazing.

Full Circle – That effect is awesome PK. I like that there is a never-ending suspense. I am constantly excited to see what happens next! I love sad stories and you pulled it off incredibly! Resubmit that one next month.. I wont tell anyone…

Being Disjecta – wow man, every shot was perfect. The scene of you standing in the rain with your hood on is hilarious! the narrative was cohesive and enjoyable. I agree with Exfilms when he said that the sped up shots can look corny, but you pulled them off very well. It didn’t seem corny at all. Great job!

BoBo Robot vs. Ninja Wang – I watched this 20 times. I absolutely love it! Everything is perfect. Everyone is asking where the story is… I personally like how its open ended and leaves the viewer to imagine why the robot is after the ninja. When the ninja looks back it seems as if he has seen this robot before. I liked how short it was.. I think it fit the whole feel of the film. Or maybe that’s my ADD talking.. regardless.. awesome.

Below the Belt – the acting was seriously great in this film. I feel like ive seen this analogy before, but I didn’t even care. The way it was shot was unique and seemed very fresh. The script was great as well, very fluid and believable. The editing was really tight too. Great job man!

Can I vote 5 times?
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

[quote author=LuzCruz link=board=movies;num=1107319181;start=45#45 date=02/03/05 at 06:15:55]Can I vote 5 times?[/quote]

Yes, you can. ....PM me and I'll tell you how.



Joking. ;D


Thanks LuzCruz. Can't wait to see the next bear saga. It is a trilogy, right?
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

thanks luzcruz and everyone for the nice comments...john, i appreciate you voting for me last month, didnt realize that - sorry to dissapoint this time around, but fret not because better stuff will come along eventually

im still on my self-imposed vacation, ill be back with c&c of my own on everyone elses films later...and probably a tutorial or two


EDIT
ExFilms - you are right on about those angle things...my camera matching was way off (the focal length or something...) and so a lot of times my robot looked like he was walking onto a framed picture instead of 'into' a 3D space...appreciate the close critique
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

Last month I really wrestled with my vote (PK and you specifcally) and it came down to Herbert as I just laughed so hard; truly that was such fun and well thought out.
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

A lot have been said about the film quality of January contest, so I will not repeat but there is some excellent films this month, that's for sure.

I voted for Disjecta movie, it was so funny to watch, the photography, the details all along the story were just perfect. Excellent.
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

[quote author=P.K. Gillock link=board=movies;num=1107319181;start=45#50 date=02/03/05 at 09:27:20]:'(  Words hurt.[/quote]

But winning... [if you recall you did]... feels goood!
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

Really good shorts this month, people. Thanks for putting those together.

Barry- nice work on making it happen.
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

geez, the 180 rule. i haven't heard that since my film appreciation class in college (i was an art major). part of me feels a little silly for missing something many of you probably think is common sense. but seriously, i've watched this video many times while editing and i still don't see how breaking the 180 rule hurts it, well, except that a lot of people who've studied film are gonna get distracted. darnit. hmm. i could flip all the actresses shots, make sure you can't read any backwards book spines in the background, the only thing you might notice is that she switches what hand she's holding the pen in. but then i'd be catering to all you crazy film people with your crazy rules and such. decisions, decisions. how important is this 180 rule anyway? didn't all the french new wave folks break it all the time. silly french.
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

The 180 degree rule exists for a reason--and that reason is so viewers don't get disoriented. In this case it's clear from the very beginning that there are two characters facing each other having a conversation. Also, the reverse shot is only a few degrees past 180--just over the other shoulder. So, I sure wouldn't recut this just to satisfy the 180 rule.
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

I wouldn't either -- it works fine as-is. You've established who and where the characters are, and that they're talking to each other, so it's not nearly as disorienting as some "rulebreak" shots are...
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

now i feel like a turd for bringing it up. but i DID say it wasn't too bad, just something i noticed.
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

Timed Romance- At first I thought that he was listening to a self help tape in the shower. Then I realized what was actually going on. The theme was exceedingly ambiguous, and I felt that the cliff hanger at the end was lost on me because I was too busy wondering if it was all in his head, or who that guy was, or if she was cheating on him, why did he want to propose? Was he going to propose? Or was he going to kill her, if that's the case, why did he say he was going to pop the question. Perhaps I missed something. Either way, by the end, I felt uneasy about the shady character, and really wanted to know what was going to happen.

Full Circle- Ya know PK, it's not at all what I was expecting, however I did find myself enjoying this piece. My only critisism is that there should have been more action. More screen time with the girl, I didn't feel like I got to know her, I felt like I was simply viewing her life (from the midle of her appartment sitting on a spinning chair. ;)) The music was great, and really suited the mood. I like the color grading effects as well. Was that you in the picture frame? If so, I guess you got over your desire to be alone. (and if I'm not mistaken, was that not the girl next door?)

How Do You Feel About People?- Hmmm. Well, the first thing I noticed was the huge audio jumps in the dialog. Second thing was... I don't know what the second thing was, but this film was lacking something. A coherent story perhaps. Though I did get a laugh out of the "Good eeeeeeevening Becky. What's that look in your eyes? Are you on the meth again?"

Being Disjecta- An absolute masterpiece. I can't stress this enough, VERY well shot with a VERY good story. This one definitely recieved my vote. The only thing that bugged me was the shot of the wife beckoning you at the end. I don't know why, it just wasn't doing it for me.

BoBo Robot vs. Ninja Wang- I really don't dig films that serve strictly to show cg, therefore I did not enjoy this film very much. The animation was rudimentary, but entertaining enough for me to watch the whole thing attentively, but at the end, I felt very unsatisfied.

Below the Belt- This was definitely the biggest contender for Being Disjecta. I found myself laughing many, many times. The allusion was spectacular, and was a very fun ride. I loved the boxing ring, from a set design standpoint. The boxing coach was obviously just a friend, with little to no acting experience, though he did pull off the towel gag quite nicely.

There's my thoughts. Kudos to all of you, and congratulations to the winner.
 
Re: January DVXfest Shorts

Great entries again. My only real disappointment was that antOmic didn't enter this time! Oh well, there's always February... ;D
 
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