FS7: let me know what you think about our short doc

Really nice shooting. It is an excellent example of how a great look is achieved with available light. Well done.

My only critique is that the music overpowered the narration when I listened to it on my computer.
 
Love it. Amazing character(s). Beautifully shot, very nice use of slo-mo as a consistent look/feel rather than an effect. Edit pacing is excellent with just enough breathing space (which is becoming a rarity these days), and structure works nicely. On my monitors the sound mix was spot-on. I can imagine it might be tougher on some laptop speakers because the character's voice is so bassy and the music is more treble, so would dominate on small speakers, but who cares?! ;-)

I'm afraid to say however, the 'look' isn't doing it for me at all. It feels to me like the grade was simply a case of increasing the saturation slightly on a log image, and I found myself constantly craving contrast throughout TBH. I imagine that it may not have been a solely voluntary artistic choice, as the log does look 1-2 stops underexposed in many shots (particularly interiors), and so you'd end with some pretty low-key images if de-logged fully.

To me, the choice of thumbnail image on vimeo is revealing in itself. It looks gorgeous. It's not over-saturated, but has a full-range signal that hits pure blacks in the shadows under the bridge, and pure whites and clouds. If it were my piece then I'd be tempted to use a log-to-LC-709 LUT at a reduced opacity, to 'meet in the middle' somewhere between log and LC-709. Dropping the blacks would also have the added benefit of hiding much of the shadow noise that dominates some shots. They're rarely the most important parts of the image, and so why draw attention to them by leaving them as low greys, when they could be blacks?

Regardless of the choice of grade, it was a pleasure to watch so thanks for sharing. I hope you can see that I'm just applying the same critical eye that I would to a piece of my own work, and don't mean any offence.

Cheers,

jason
 
Well done!

What other gear were you using? Lenses, lighting, sound, etc?

I too love your pacing. The story of this man gives me hope for our world. Very well done.
 
Bravo! Content that provides a positive image of Black America(ns) is much needed. So much of what is in the headlines and the media in general is negative.

I am okay with the grade. I think the desaturated look fits with the subject matter and the overall tone of the piece. My only quibble with the grade is that it appears inconsistent to my eye. The shot at 4:35 is more milky ( possibly as a result of flare ) than is the shot that follows.

I like that the piece didn't make use of sliders / jib shots / drone shots that can take away from the doc feel and make a piece like this too "slick".

How was this documentary short funded?
 
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