"MODEL / PHOTOGRAPHER" - an ELOQUENT GRAFFITI prelude – a film by SABI

Wow Zak, wow. This is absolutely one of the best, you've set the bar rather high. It's impressive how you've constructed such a visually appealing story and maintained a strong pace with barely any dialogue. I was surprised when it ended. Even though there seems to be stuff missing I KNOW its there, like the whispers, the looks, they're all pointing to more. I am waiting eagerly to see the whole product. Beautifully captured.
 
Solid work here. VERY simple story/moment in life between two people. You can FEEL the rapture he has for her, and her not so much in him ... and the awkwardness & pain she feels about it afterwards, and the frustration/hurt that stirs his soul.

Some great timing on the edits ... really letting us hang in there to feel their moments when words aren't being spoken.

Great camera work as well ... beautiful stuff all around.

I found myself questioning why he would whisper to her when they're all alone on the roof, but I later took that as his way of having an excuse to get closer to her, be able to smell her hair, be more intimate, or whatever.

For me, this wasn't so much an incredible film (something that feels like it has a beginning, middle, and end0, but an incredible moment we were privy to see & experience ... and I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all.
 
Jessica's computer hates quicktime files, so I burned the movies onto DVD for her to watch. I think you just stole her away from me Zak. Since that's the case, can we do a trade?
 
puckthemad said:
Jessica's computer hates quicktime files, so I burned the movies onto DVD for her to watch. I think you just stole her away from me Zak. Since that's the case, can we do a trade?
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Stop whining about my computer and fix my laptop dammit....

And yes I totally forgot to mention your lady! She was great....excellent face...I know that sounds a little silence of The Lambs...but she had such great emotion...it was so important for her to have that so i'm glad she did!
 
great film! 2 scenes really stood out for me... right after the model opened the door, the photog did an amazing reaction- he looked so damn guilty. awesome. and after he kissed her- the model had an amazing reaction. really strong there in both instances. to me this is what single handedly sold the film.

that said, i am in awe of the shots you got. awe. too cool. loved the blue look outside, the interior of the car, the apartment door. all of it. only thing that was a bit off was the blur factor on the model when she opened the door. maybe that was too long, minor thing!

great film, congrats!!!
 
the chemistry between the actors was locked on! i loved it. it was simple, elegant and beautiful. very easy to relate to and kept me watching the entire time.
 
Man I can't believe that was shot on a D90...Zak: How do you know which camera to use when? Like what made you decide to use the D90 versus a dvx or hvx, etc...? Can you describe the different kinds of looks they give?

I just love the picture and feel that this one gave so much. I just want to run out and do something just like this. It's inspired me!

If anyone can answer my questions too by all means FEEL FREE!
 
Well, I hear Zak has a Ouija board in his basement...before he starts shooting a film he goes to it and it will start to spell out something. "H...V..."

You get the idea!

:evil:
 
Great film, great acting, great music, great color. You really need to elaborate on the lighting a bit more. This reminded me of a Wong Kar-Wai film like 2046 or My Blueberry Nights.

Based on the behind the scenes it looks like you just used available light on the roof scene. Was it really bright outside or is the D90 ISO and low noise just that good. Was the blue tint comming from the moon or some other lighting source. Also, on the indoor shots in the recording studio did you just use standard 100w colored bulbs?

That roof scene never would have worked with a HVX 35mm adapter combo.

Edit: ok, watched it 10 times now. Only thing that bothers me is the framing of the girl in the left hand side of the frame on the turnaround at the front door and on the roof. Otherwise, rock on!
 
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Jimmy Moss said:
Edit: ok, watched it 10 times now. Only thing that bothers me is the framing of the girl in the left hand side of the frame on the turnaround at the front door and on the roof. Otherwise, rock on!
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thanks for the compliments jimmy. let me share with you my motivations for her framing. there were practical and creative considerations --

first, i wanted to introduce a visual representation of her being "closed off" to romantic possibilities. nothing overt, just something you feel without being able to put your finger on. you'll notice that while his frame leaves a very "open" personal space in front of him, her's is closed off. again, the intent is to give the casual viewer an unspoken indication, the smallest visual manifestation of where each of them are emotionally.

the second, more practical reason, is for purposes of eye-trace across the cuts. with the 2.35:1 frame, cutting between complimentary over the shoulders can be a little jarring when your eyes have to jump back and forth between the left and right sides of the frame on each edit. so by placing the focal point of every shot at the same point.

did it work? idk. with every film I experiment with something new. on IFHY it was monitoring the cameras upside down to make it harder to find the frame and keep focus.

thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts! very much appreciated!
 
Zak,

Beautiful film. Once again you've lived up to the Sabi brand which includes among other things: terrific acting and great sound design, quite possibly the two most overlooked things among short filmmakers.

I haven't been following this thread for a long time because I wanted to know as little as possible going into the film. Without knowing anything about the film (or how it changed from eloquent graffiti) I can honestly say that this little piece has me hooked into the story and engaged in the character's lives. The characters were able to create great depth and back story with little else than their subtle actions and reactions. Looking forward to the continuation of this film.

ps. Glad to see a departure from the long lenses and overly shaking camera work. The cinematography complemented the story nicely. I felt like the actors had room and time to breathe on this one.
 
The framing was exquisite. The composition was of the fresh new wave of fashion inspired commercials, music videos, and high end polished films. very beautiful.
 
Nice work again. Short and simple.

I thought timing the car alarm with the kiss was a little too much for how minimalist the rest of the style was, but that's just me. The rest of the music and sound choices were all great.

I loved the look of the film. Everything flowed very nicely together and fit with the mood and tone of the story and performances.
 
I forgot to mention how powerful the male actor in this movie came off in the end when he shed tears of heart brokeness and rejection.
 
Sabilicious.

Really like the shots through the windshield. Like some ethereal floating world in a Sumi-e painting, colorized of course!

Acting is superb, virtually dialogue free! Lot of 'history' established in minimal 'wordage'. More Sumi-e restraint!

Nice framing all around. Really like the shot of the vanishing point hall behind John as he waits for Mary Elise to open the door (killer wood on the door BTW).

We never got a reference on where he actually went, but deduction filled in the blanks.

Enjoyed it, Zak.


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I'm not familiar with many on this site. But I see Zak'z name a lot and for good reason. This film is humanity at it's purest. great piece. At the end his eyes tear up at precisely the right moment, then gone....perfection.
 
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