My DramaFest Entry - ERICA

So important! I love people who don't cut any corners when it comes to sound. It really brings the film to another level when you've got professional sound.
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I agree, although I don't have much experience I do get what you are saying. This was Nate's debut... He has never been in a movie set before... he did not even know what to expect. But I trusted him.

When Nate and I met is was through a "blind date" kind of deal... a worship leader at a local church sent out and email to Nate and I introducing each-other because Nate has been interested in filmmaking... they church knew about me from volunteering to produce some of their videos.

At the first meeting, Nate came to my office and brought a CD with about 5 sample score that he had played with... I was very impressed with the quality of his work. I loved it. He even had an untitled peace which was my favorite because it aligned to a story I am developing on for a foreign feature film back in Dominican Republic... he let me give it a title so now is "Yola" which is a kind of boat.

Anyways, thats how we hit it off. Me, not being an audio person, gave him a description of what a movie set is like for the sound mixer and how things run... he took that went onto Professional Sound Service and gave me a list of equipment he recommended me to rent.

Sound Devices 744T 4 Track Recorder (Flash or HardDrive) -- $100
Sound Devices 442 Mixer -- $30
Timecode Slate -- $50
3 Lectrosonics wireless lav mics w/ receivers -- $150 (we did not get this.. I was tight in money)
Boompole -- $10
Shotgun mic -- $25
3 Closedback headphones -- $15

Then we got %25 Off... of the total rental cost... thats how cool rental house was.

Nate did a fabulous job. You can listen to his stuff at his personal website: http://www.ksoundproductions.com/
 
I love that shot. Is that a fish I see? I have a few of those in my movie. This is turning out to be a cool fest. Can't wait to see your film.

david jerome
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Hey David, thanks.

Yes thats a fish. The working title of the movie was "Go Fish" but I had to delete a major scene because of time and then changed the titled... because it no longer made sense.
 
I have to say that production sound was the single hardest part about the post process on our film because we didn't have money for wireless and went solely with a boom mic. In hindsight, I really wish we had just spent the money.

As far as your shoot went, how did it go with just the boom, and did you guys actually use the 744 and sync everything in post?
 
I have to say that production sound was the single hardest part about the post process on our film because we didn't have money for wireless and went solely with a boom mic. In hindsight, I really wish we had just spent the money.

As far as your shoot went, how did it go with just the boom, and did you guys actually use the 744 and sync everything in post?
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Finnia,
First of all I love your avatar.

The audio was really good with just one boon mike. Nathan spent a lot of hours though cleaning the audio and creating sound follies because we did not record everything. The 744 is a sweet machine... we did not sync many of the shoots because we forgot... but further into production we started to take advantage of the slate... so for all the audio from each scene, Nate had to do the tedious job of syncing.

Good thing we came up with a workflow that was organized for post and that made things so much easier. I could talk about it but it was so simple that I am sure anyone can figure out their own method of work.
 
RomanJaquez said:
Finnia,
First of all I love your avatar.
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Thanks, that's my baby. A few extras make the old DVX look new again, eh?

DVXLetus.jpg



The 744 is a sweet machine... we did not sync many of the shoots because we forgot... but further into production we started to take advantage of the slate... so for all the audio from each scene, Nate had to do the tedious job of syncing.
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I can only imagine how much fun that was. I see production sound mixers all the time with the 744. They love to use it as backup and run and gun situations. Nice to see so much attention to detail in the sound department.
 
MY ex girl friends sister had a friend who hung himself. and they went through a similar rejection. This really got that subtlety. Good work.
 
MY ex girl friends sister had a friend who hung himself. and they went through a similar rejection. This really got that subtlety. Good work.
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Timur, sorry to hear that!... I chose such a delicate theme and spent some time researching the subject.

Thank you guys~!
 
REVIEW: ERICA

Pretty decent visuals, they kept me around to find out what was going on.

Unfortunately, as great as they are, they didn't help me to care about either of these guys.. I don't feel like there's a tangible conflict here.

At one point, as it began, I thought you were going to delve into the idae that the death of a friend has separated these two buddies. At the moment, they're both kind of the same person, stuck in the moment. That's what made it feel like a dragging six minutes, to me.

I've got no suggestions, and I respect your creative decisions. I think it looks great, I just didn't become engaged in either character due to the fact that there seemed to be a lack of tangible content.

Great exhibition, guys. I'm totally jealous.
 
The music for this film was wonderful! Kudos to nathan. Loved the subtle piano.

Visually, it was great. I don't think the Crow character worked for me. but then again, what do I know about the dark world?

thanks for showing this film.
/j
 
I liked the music to this and was disappointed that Eric didn't speak up, otherwise I might've liked the movie more.
Thank you.
 
good

good

Well I gotta tell ya, this goes into the front runner list for me.

Beatifully shot, great sound, and wonderful performances. The only thing I'm actually not thrilled about is the piano score. I mean, it was written and performed very well, enchantingly, but I don't feel like it fit the movie. Why not a guitar score to compliment the characters, and it could be blended right into the scene of him playing?
 
The film had many good elements, but didn't gel into a piece as moving as it could have been. I really enjoyed how you let the story unfold at its own pace and respected the actors. With more subtext and a longer running time i could see this being a festival entry elsewhere.

Did you rehearse the actors a lot? The improv/character style of that combined with more shooting may be worthwhile. (a longer cut with extra scenes)

Skating in the park introduction was smooth. You got good colours out of the DVX and graded it well. Perhaps, complete naturalism would suit the story better ? I’d wager that the film would be better without any score at all (except for the multiple audio tracks of sfx) btw – the shot of them with the bridge behind them made me smile. It’s a perfect example of composition.

Cheers.
 
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I liked the music to this and was disappointed that Eric didn't speak up, otherwise I might've liked the movie more.
Thank you.
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iSTy, thank you. We did, well Nate did have a bit of a problem with Eric's audio... but he is a great actor. We did not realize that his voice was so much lower up until the shoot was over. Nate did a great job at "leveling the" the audio for the characters.

ell I gotta tell ya, this goes into the front runner list for me.

Beautifully shot, great sound, and wonderful performances. The only thing I'm actually not thrilled about is the piano score. I mean, it was written and performed very well, enchantingly, but I don't feel like it fit the movie. Why not a guitar score to compliment the characters, and it could be blended right into the scene of him playing?
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Thank you mojoprofilms,
I am glad you liked it and that is a front runner for you :)
When I first met with Nate for the score, what I had envisioned was an acoustic guitar. I even considered punk rock... eventually we played around with different tunes and instruments... and he out of the blue gave me something he has been working on, on his own... it was the piano... the first thing you hear at the beginning... I loved it. I felt the drama, the aticipation of something bad has happened, and then their pain... I loved it and asked him to develop on that. Since then, he gave me a number of different scores derived from that one tune... boy did he make it hard for me to choose... but after working closely with him, listening and making suggestions... this guy would email at 5:30 am after doing something about my taste of music from our 9am meeting.

Now, you may ask yourself, how did you find a guy like Nate to work so hard and good for free? :) just pray and hope God will assemble your team. :)

The point, you have a good question about the strings, we tried it and it did not fit as well as the piano.

Thank you for your comments :)


The film had many good elements, but didn't gel into a piece as moving as it could have been. I really enjoyed how you let the story unfold at its own pace and respected the actors. With more subtext and a longer running time i could see this being a festival entry elsewhere.

Did you rehearse the actors a lot? The improv/character style of that combined with more shooting may be worthwhile. (a longer cut with extra scenes)

Skating in the park introduction was smooth. You got good colours out of the DVX and graded it well. Perhaps, complete naturalism would suit the story better ? I’d wager that the film would be better without any score at all (except for the multiple audio tracks of sfx) btw – the shot of them with the bridge behind them made me smile. It’s a perfect example of composition.

Cheers.
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Hey D_and_G,
Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate your comments and questions.

The original cut of this movie is 12 minutes long. In order for me to keep it to 5 minutes, I had to delete a scene and cut words from their lines... I literally butchered the actor's line getting read of about 50% of the background story that explain why their day ends the way it did. I will polish that 12 minutes film into a solid picture that I had in mind which I am pleased with the results.

I am excited to keep learning more about how to improve it... again this is my first short and am eager to learn from it.
 
Hey Roman, nice job on your film but I got confused. First of all, it was really hard to hear the dialogue from Eric. I had to go back several times and try and make out what he said. And I don't know if there is parts of the story missing here, but I don't quite get some things.

One, had the Blonde guy ever been inside Eric's apartment before? It seems like he hadn't as he was looking around at all of the photos. I am guessing that he has been in the apartment, or at least seen inside it before, and that the photos were put up for the anniversary of Erica's disappearance. If this is the case, then I would like to have seen Eric hanging all of the photos in the beginning instead of the camera just picking them up.

Two, for some reason I kept thinking that Eric used to be Erica. This was due to the names, the fact that Eric looks feminine and that in the photos, I couldn't "really" identify Eric in them. Because of this thinking, I interpreted the dialogue very differently. Lines like, "she's not coming back" and all of the "dudes" played with my mind. BUT, after I "got it" and realized that they were not one in the same, I re-watched without this confusion.

I didn't quite believe the sudden change in emotion from the Blonde guy. This is were I am thinking that some of the story may have got cut.

Enough about the story.

I thought that the film looked excellent. I loved the way it was shot and thought that the cinematography was well done. I particularly liked the lighting in the bedroom. Beautiful with that window light coming in.

I thought the editing was good for the most part. There is one cut that jumps out in the bedroom when Eric's head changes direction. I don't mean to be picky. It just stood out and that was the only one.

I would like to have seen a shot a Eric crossing through the park before or as the Blonde guy sees and recognizes him.

Overall, I found that the story was thoughtful and sincere. I liked the performances from your actors. Very natural. I really liked the Blonde guy and he had one particular moment in the bedroom that I just loved. (sorry, I forgot his character name!)

Great job. Really. Congrats! I'd like to see more of your work.

Oh! I wanted to add that I liked the piano score. I thought it was a little too loud at times (especially during the dialogue) but I liked it.
 
Hey Roman, nice job on your film but I got confused. First of all, it was really hard to hear the dialogue from Eric. I had to go back several times and try and make out what he said. And I don't know if there is parts of the story missing here, but I don't quite get some things.
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Hey Ted,
Thank you for such an elaborate criticism. As I try to give feedback to your comments, I want to say that I agree with you opinion... and that I don't try to find excuses. Thank you for your honest thoughts.

We had a very difficult time with Eric's character's speech... at times the jacket is too loud and it over-power his voice. I thought of putting subtitle. I take the blame for not spotting it during shooting... is the only take with had... this was at 19hrs of filming already. Everyone was ready to rest.

One, had the Blonde guy ever been inside Eric's apartment before? It seems like he hadn't as he was looking around at all of the photos. I am guessing that he has been in the apartment, or at least seen inside it before, and that the photos were put up for the anniversary of Erica's disappearance. If this is the case, then I would like to have seen Eric hanging all of the photos in the beginning instead of the camera just picking them up.
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Like I have mentioned before, I had deleted a good chunk of each character's line... for Eric, in the 12 minutes version we learn that he is a depressed guy who has his room decorated the way it is since she despaired. Eric is just not moving on. Isaac (the blond) on the other hand, in the 12 minutes version, we learn that he is afraid to even hear the name Erica. He doesn't recognize her and is very harsh on Eric for keeping the room the way he does... which for the same reason, Isaac is horrified to see the room because he knows about the pictures. I know thats not very clear in the 5 minutes version. Isaac has been in the apartment but not the bedroom... thats his fear. Thats why he hesitate to get in... more clear in the 12 minutes cut.

Two, for some reason I kept thinking that Eric used to be Erica. This was due to the names, the fact that Eric looks feminine and that in the photos, I couldn't "really" identify Eric in them. Because of this thinking, I interpreted the dialogue very differently. Lines like, "she's not coming back" and all of the "dudes" played with my mind. BUT, after I "got it" and realized that they were not one in the same, I re-watched without this confusion.
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I think this is funny,
I can see how this can be interpreted in such a way... it can be confusing.

I didn't quite believe the sudden change in emotion from the Blonde guy. This is were I am thinking that some of the story may have got cut.
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When I posted this thread, I thought to myself, "I wonder if the synopsis do just for the 5 minutes cut?" so I thought of rewriting but then just left it as is. It was because I did not see a sudden change in either of character's like in the longer version... which has extended scenes and another-one that does not appears here.

Enough about the story.

I thought that the film looked excellent. I loved the way it was shot and thought that the cinematography was well done. I particularly liked the lighting in the bedroom. Beautiful with that window light coming in.
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Thank you, Jessica and Thomas did a great job on the camera.

I thought the editing was good for the most part. There is one cut that jumps out in the bedroom when Eric's head changes direction. I don't mean to be picky. It just stood out and that was the only one.

I would like to have seen a shot a Eric crossing through the park before or as the Blonde guy sees and recognizes him.
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Good eye... I will go back to check on that.

I would have liked to seen Eric crossing through the park too... I couldn't shoot it although it was planned... time was killing the production... and I had to settle.

Overall, I found that the story was thoughtful and sincere. I liked the performances from your actors. Very natural. I really liked the Blonde guy and he had one particular moment in the bedroom that I just loved. (sorry, I forgot his character name!)
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Thank you, I am sure they will appreciate to hear it from someone else too. They are very talented... we had a good time working together.

Great job. Really. Congrats! I'd like to see more of your work.
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Thank you sir
 
Thank you for following up on my critique. I never read other people's comments before I make mine so I am sorry that I made you repeat yourself.

I love hearing the "missing elements." Man, now it makes a lot of sense. I knew that there was more to the story here.

Great job again. I really like the story you have here and am looking forward to the 12 min. cut!
 
Hey Roman,
Well pretty much everything has been said all ready that was bugging me and I think that most of my issues with it will be fixed in the longer cut. I really liked the characters and the differences they had, I like your idea of Isaac can't come to terms of the death and the other one can't let it go but to me it just didn't come through in this cut or "arc" fully in this cut so... like I said think a lot of my issues will be fixed. I hope to see the longer version and just want to say this is very impressive for your first outing in the movie world and it looks and sounds like you have a good team, hold on to them with all your might.
jeremy
 
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