Mercy by Troy Ruff

sfoster said:
Yep, we ran a hose from across the street for water for that shot. I think the fact that some of it was going sideways made it seem fake, but it wasn't.
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Actually, I paid a sweet little old lady that was just south of the location for the water. The water on the car was the Aftershock Rain Rig, (also used in STRICKEN). The water pressure was fantastic and I shot the final rain with a high velocity nozzle that I rapidly shook to spread the drops. The sideways spray was the bounce spray off the HVX Raincoat we had on the camera on the 21 foot tall HyperCrane head. I loved the pull out the window into the rain, and liked the stormy feel.
 
hoz said:
i liked this film. a simple and potentially strong story. good acting. not great only because there are moments where the shooter kinda falls out of it. maybe its because he is trying to act out the same kind of line over and over and thats why it comes off as a bit unnatural - what am i saying - what the hell is natural when your brother turns into a zombie? - well, i don't know !

maybe make the brother revert to some personal moment he had with the shooter while the shooter is holding the gun to his face. something really personal, like when they were boys. and quick cuts back and forth might impress a much stronger sense of urgency.

that said, its a fine short, congrats!
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lol, thank you, i actually have already planned a shoot for that exact thing. I will be shooting a flashback of when they are maybe kids or maybe a fews years back, just when they were having a good time together, for when he is aiming the gun at his brother. :) You read my mind, Im glad you confirmed its a good idea. I will be doing that and get it ready for Action on film International Film Festival in June. Thank you for your review, always helpful. :)
 
Gary Sconce said:
Actually, I paid a sweet little old lady that was just south of the location for the water. The water on the car was the Aftershock Rain Rig, (also used in STRICKEN). The water pressure was fantastic and I shot the final rain with a high velocity nozzle that I rapidly shook to spread the drops. The sideways spray was the bounce spray off the HVX Raincoat we had on the camera on the 21 foot tall HyperCrane head. I loved the pull out the window into the rain, and liked the stormy feel.
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ya thanks gary, you are the most amazing key grip, always ready for everything and anything, if we need something, you will build it. :2vrolijk_08: Your crane, rain rig, hyper chariot, works amazingly. Thanks again for all your help.
 
I liked this!... the acting was really good... It just seemed a little dark in some scenes... hard to see.. but overall really good!
 
Great short Troy. It seems that the simpler stories in this fest are the ones which are the best told.

I thought you cranked up the tension really well, and while at first I was smirking when the chained guy started moaning, by then end of the sequence he was really beginning to grate on me and I wanted to shoot him myself, so you did that well.

One of the best on show.
 
thanks darkline, Im excited to get this to other fests as well. Im glad you enjoyed it. I was hoping people by the end of the brother screaming they would want to shoot him. So thats good you wanted to . :)
 
Darkline said:
Great short Troy. It seems that the simpler stories in this fest are the ones which are the best told.

I thought you cranked up the tension really well, and while at first I was smirking when the chained guy started moaning, by then end of the sequence he was really beginning to grate on me and I wanted to shoot him myself, so you did that well.

One of the best on show.
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Shooting a zombie is a joy anytime! Thanks for the memories Troy!
 
WOW some really nice shots. Great job. A couple of ouch moments for me that stood out.

0:48

HER What the hell happened out there.
HIM I dont ****ing know how could you let this happen.

Always find word repetition is really awkward for actors, and sounds a bit off as well.

The other thing I wanted to mention is when he grabs her throat. I dont think it was necessary and really puts me out momentarily.

I mean no disrespect Troy, but this scenario has been done quite a bit. But I dont mean that to detract from your very worthy version.

Well done.
 
This film struck me as well executed. It obvious had a strong crew of artists on board.

To begin, I must admit that I was both happy with and a little uneasy with a lot of the similes between this film and 28 Days Later. The locations (three people riding in a car, one injured; a basement/warehouse-type area), the rain, the situation of survivors having to kill a member of their group(Frank's death), the type of behavior the zombies demonstrate, etc. The girl waiting in the shadow, possibly a zombie, reminded me of a revert of the scene where Jim stands in the shadow after killing the soldier and Selena thinks he's a zombie. In this situation, the person actually IS a zombie! Which was a fun way to turn things on the protagonist.

I'm not mentioning these things as a way to detract from your film, but as a study of how elements of other works transmigrate from piece to piece.

On a technical level, this film is very skillful. I was impressed with the direction of the camera. A shot that stood out was the pull-back from the unconscious man in shackles to a two-shot of the two main characters. That was very effective in setting up the scenario. The lighting felt quite natural and accented the harsh story well. I really enjoyed the shots that set up all three characters in good perspective (zombie on left, protagonist in center, girl at end on frame-right). I'm not a huge fan of rack focusing, but the one from the protagonist to the gun firing was very good. And I must say, the effects work done for the gun shot and the bullet hitting the zombie's skull (not to mention the blood work) was quite realistic and very impressive.

The only thing that really struck me as discordant in this film was actually the acting. I felt like things went a little too rough, too quickly. Some of the shouting seemed a little uncomfortable and not quite reactive like it should be, and I really wasn't a fan of how the protagonist grabbed the girl's neck. Maybe it's the sociologist in me, but I take issue with this implicit act of male domination. It might not be meant that way, but it's just something I was thinking about. It's so much a machismo behavior. I feel like it could have been more effective (and easier on the actor, since he might have been uncomfortable having to grab her neck) if he would have grabbed her shirt or arm. I wanted to sympathize with him but the grabbing of the neck really turned me off of the character. I still felt bad for them all because they performed well from then on, though.

The sound was really strong throughout. The pulsating sound of rain beating down on the building helped tremendously as did the thunder. Heck, a storm is just a great way to set a mood!

Overall, this is definitely one of the stronger entries in the festival. Really fun viewing! :thumbsup:
 
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Noel Evans said:
WOW some really nice shots. Great job. A couple of ouch moments for me that stood out.

0:48

HER What the hell happened out there.
HIM I dont poo pooing know how could you let this happen.

Always find word repetition is really awkward for actors, and sounds a bit off as well.

The other thing I wanted to mention is when he grabs her throat. I dont think it was necessary and really puts me out momentarily.

I mean no disrespect Troy, but this scenario has been done quite a bit. But I dont mean that to detract from your very worthy version.

Well done.
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Hah, we practically gave the same review, Noel. Just a minute or so apart.
 
Very intriguing story and good acting. The main actor, who killed at the end his brother was fantastic. His way of being indecisive was perfect - it convinced me completely. It must be so difficult to play this part and the actor was that good. The whole story took me from the beginning to the end. The twist at the end when she surprised him was hilarious. Very good work. Compliments!

Susanne
 
Congrats making the cut Troy! In the famous words of Jesse from full house...combined into a horrific pun. "Haaaaave Mercy!"
 
Matt Sconce said:
Congrats making the cut Troy! In the famous words of Jesse from full house...combined into a horrific pun. "Haaaaave Mercy!"
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lol thanks matt, Im so glad our hard work pays off, even if not winners of a fest, we still have a great film. Which is most important. Thank you to everyone that voted for me and enjoyed my film. All of this is such a fun and crazy process. :)
 
Nice piece of work, guys. Then I looked the credits and thought: "No duh nice work, look who's on this thing!"

I would agree with Jon Coy above, the only thing I think really could have used some more work was the acting. They come in on a really high note, very hard for actors to pull off. So I might have spent more time helping them find it.

But overall, I like the simple story for 6 min, the situation, and the shooting was great. Cinematography really stood out for me.
 
Noel Evans said:
WOW some really nice shots. Great job. A couple of ouch moments for me that stood out.

0:48

HER What the hell happened out there.
HIM I dont poo pooing know how could you let this happen.

Always find word repetition is really awkward for actors, and sounds a bit off as well.

The other thing I wanted to mention is when he grabs her throat. I dont think it was necessary and really puts me out momentarily.

I mean no disrespect Troy, but this scenario has been done quite a bit. But I dont mean that to detract from your very worthy version.

Well done.
Click to expand...


Lawsuit_Boy said:
This film struck me as well executed. It obvious had a strong crew of artists on board.

To begin, I must admit that I was both happy with and a little uneasy with a lot of the similes between this film and 28 Days Later. The locations (three people riding in a car, one injured; a basement/warehouse-type area), the rain, the situation of survivors having to kill a member of their group(Frank's death), the type of behavior the zombies demonstrate, etc. The girl waiting in the shadow, possibly a zombie, reminded me of a revert of the scene where Jim stands in the shadow after killing the soldier and Selena thinks he's a zombie. In this situation, the person actually IS a zombie! Which was a fun way to turn things on the protagonist.

I'm not mentioning these things as a way to detract from your film, but as a study of how elements of other works transmigrate from piece to piece.

On a technical level, this film is very skillful. I was impressed with the direction of the camera. A shot that stood out was the pull-back from the unconscious man in shackles to a two-shot of the two main characters. That was very effective in setting up the scenario. The lighting felt quite natural and accented the harsh story well. I really enjoyed the shots that set up all three characters in good perspective (zombie on left, protagonist in center, girl at end on frame-right). I'm not a huge fan of rack focusing, but the one from the protagonist to the gun firing was very good. And I must say, the effects work done for the gun shot and the bullet hitting the zombie's skull (not to mention the blood work) was quite realistic and very impressive.

The only thing that really struck me as discordant in this film was actually the acting. I felt like things went a little too rough, too quickly. Some of the shouting seemed a little uncomfortable and not quite reactive like it should be, and I really wasn't a fan of how the protagonist grabbed the girl's neck. Maybe it's the sociologist in me, but I take issue with this implicit act of male domination. It might not be meant that way, but it's just something I was thinking about. It's so much a machismo behavior. I feel like it could have been more effective (and easier on the actor, since he might have been uncomfortable having to grab her neck) if he would have grabbed her shirt or arm. I wanted to sympathize with him but the grabbing of the neck really turned me off of the character. I still felt bad for them all because they performed well from then on, though.

The sound was really strong throughout. The pulsating sound of rain beating down on the building helped tremendously as did the thunder. Heck, a storm is just a great way to set a mood!

Overall, this is definitely one of the stronger entries in the festival. Really fun viewing! :thumbsup:
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Thank you for your in-depth critique. I love getting feedback from viewers, fans or not so much fans. Its what helps us grow. I do see how the neck grab would make you turn your feelings away from him. Thats a great call, I really glad you enjoyed it. It was a month of planning and one long day of shooting, man if i had two days of filming it would have been even better. :) Thanks again and I really appreciate your review.
 
Righto - very pretty film! But perhaps too pretty - I don't know if such an indoor studio look is too effective in helping to maintain an impression of conflict and incoming disaster.

Funnily enough a form of cinematography that is in itself indicative (expressive) of great control on the part of a dop will have an effect on the audience. They see tamed and controlled visuals - go figure, it ends up lending an uneasy competition with actors trying to build upon a momentum of suspense.

In this case the acting is a little inconsistent (acceptable by par) but at times, its a little relaxed, informal, awkward. The energy doesn't seem to be maintained throughout.

We don't know much of the backstory here, and in a way such a glossy representation of a very well tried and tested formula of horror genre is a bit unimaginative.

That said it is pretty - and the monster our chap becomes and his death is spectacular enough to be rousing - even if the rest seems to slip by a little.

Never the less a deserved finalist and expressive of confident direction and good production talent.
 
lawriejaffa said:
Righto - very pretty film! But perhaps too pretty - I don't know if such an indoor studio look is too effective in helping to maintain an impression of conflict and incoming disaster.

Funnily enough a form of cinematography that is in itself indicative (expressive) of great control on the part of a dop will have an effect on the audience. They see tamed and controlled visuals - go figure, it ends up lending an uneasy competition with actors trying to build upon a momentum of suspense.

In this case the acting is a little inconsistent (acceptable by par) but at times, its a little relaxed, informal, awkward. The energy doesn't seem to be maintained throughout.

We don't know much of the backstory here, and in a way such a glossy representation of a very well tried and tested formula of horror genre is a bit unimaginative.

That said it is pretty - and the monster our chap becomes and his death is spectacular enough to be rousing - even if the rest seems to slip by a little.

Never the less a deserved finalist and expressive of confident direction and good production talent.
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Thanks for your review. most of the critiques are similar throughout my posts so Im really going to go back and think about some of the areas spoken and maybe tweak some stuff to make it flow a little better. Thanks again.
 
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