New Short....

hmm... don't get it...
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Some people still seem to equate "Christian" with avocating non-violence even though more people are killed in the name of organized religion than any other idea/concept/belief in history.

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Seriously, the film captured my attention quickly and held on for 90%, then severely disappointed in the end. The final burst of dialogue trying to explain/ tie everything was just too much - imho. Plus the storyline was just ... old. Without some new twist it was just deflating.

Technically it's very very very good. The editing, flashbacks, pacing and flow were superb (I'm forgiving some things 'cause of the time crunch). Sound was so good it was actually noticeably good. 60 tracks is not a lot - and yes it was definitely worth it.

Lighting was - lets just say not to my taste. I'm very old school, don't believe scenes need to be f*#g near black to be sinister or ominous. Not sure when this started but losing detail in half of every scene is getting really old. That aside, the shot angles, placements and highlights were quite good.

Overall it was a pleasure to watch.

Thanks for sharing - look forward to more!:beer::beer:
 
Thanks Pixelated for your review :)

I really appreciate your input. I agree it's been done before and I'll definitely have to step it up next time. I'm more of a director than a writer and this is one i wrote. I'm starting pre-production for my next film, i plan on spending 6 months of pre-production and a month of shooting. It's going to be a new twist on an age old fairy-tale. I've never made a fantasy before so this is going to be a challenge.

I really appreciate the DVXuser community and in 20 years if i ever make it big i would still love to come here to chat with people. This is probably my favorite forum to be in :)

P.S. Hey Pixelated, are you in the audio field any? You sound 60 wasn't much. To be honest i'm not familiar with audio wrk at all. I just do it till it sounds acceptable. I'd love to learn more.
 
I was pleasently suprised by this short.
I read through all the responses thus far, and tried teasing out the subjective opinions versus actual objective critique etc so I could give some feedback that reflected objectively what I felt.
Anyway, I gave up on all that... all I can say is that I was blown away for an indie production. Most indie stuff that I see leaves me cold, but this had that 'slickness' that is not usually associated with indie shorts.

I'd be very proud of your production, and I expect that you will enjoy a successful future in this industry based on this offering.
 
I just do it till it sounds acceptable.
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Exactly! Fortunately, your standards were high enough that "acceptable" actually is.

Most everything I've learned about sound either came from or was instigated by the group over in the Audio forum here. Absolutely incredible resource - spent many many hours perusing the old threads before starting to assemble my kit. I can say without a doubt they saved me thousands of $$$. Could have saved even more if it were possible for me to follow their #1 advice and rent. Anyway, get to know Barry and Wabbit and Oleg and Jeremy and MattinSTL and SMuir and Plasky and so many others . . .

Jeremy's sticky "New to Audio" is a great start - just follow all the links and you'll come up knowing more than 90% of your peers. (most of the rest read the stickies too)

One of the best intro books out there is Audio Postproduction for Digital Video
by Jay Rose. Great intro to the art written mostly in human comprehendable verbage.

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On another note - your next project sounds really intriguing. Looking forward to hearing more.

Best wishes :beer::beer:
 
Thanks Pixelated!

I'll definitely check that stuff out. I'm gearing up to buy some new equipment in the next year (the real question, RED or not to RED). Also, how open is the DVX community in helping out film projects? Like, is it realistic to get reliable and passionate people from online forums? Just curious. I've never tried it but i might post something for my next project.

Thanks again!!
 
wow definitely amazing. If you ever need my help i'm just getting started in the filmmaking industry and I could learn from your set. If your ever in Virginia or Maryland or the east coast in general.

What film festivals did you send it to? and how quick were their responses?
 
Wow dude, very envious of the film.... as stated before 95% better than any short ive seen online... you've got some talent

all the pros are camera work, slowmo (i thought no slowmo shots weren't needed... they all seemed there for a purpose) and lighting... i loved the lighting. what lights were you using?

Not really any cons except the acting of some lines... Mr. Impressive was very well acted, in a feature, i could see him using a ton of very large words just said smoothly.... my favorite line of the film, which he said, "The board members will be happy" i was worried when he started saying it, i didn't think he was going to inflect it right, but he pulled it off.

Im liking the productiong value, the smashing of the wall was so unexpected..... and the blood effects, top of the line... do explain all of your beautiful techniques...



Z
 
so when you did that slow motion/speed up stuff, like when he busts through the wall, where you shooting 60P and then speeding it up in final cut or whatever?
 
Wow, thanks everybody for your responses! I haven't been on the forums in a couple days but I will write you all back later tonight :)

Thanks again tho! I really appreciate it.
 
Hey, I liked it. I agree that it is better than most I have seen posted. I thought the lighting worked well, but I am no expert.

I was especially impressed with the music. Tell how that was done. Canned stuff or original? In either case it worked well.

I would love to be able to put a cliche like this together. Impressive.
 
Well, i wrote this story on he way home from work one night in the car, filmed it the next week, and then edited it the next. So all in all a 3 full weeks.

It was shot with and HVX200 and a standard set of arri lights (1000, (2x)500's, 300). The blood i did myself and i just kept doing it until it looked right really. I've never had any makeup lessons or anything (but i am very interested if anybody has any material).

Most of the sound effects were just from canned stuff that i mixed together. Basically i just keep messing with them until they sound right or just trash it and find other sounds.

The wall smash was the hardest thing to do. I built a steadicam that was used to run around them during the motion.
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I filmed them slamming against the wall and then cut. Then i went home and built a duplicate wall in my garage (but because of restrictions had to actually shoot it facing the opposite direction) and reversed all their makeup and had him actually smash through it :) Ta da!

The music isn't canned, it's from a foreign movie that i put to it. When i enter it in festivals i can't use it cuz i don't have the rights yet (although i'm working on it).

Any other questions just lemme know! :)
 
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Not to point out errors, but the hero shot, when he stands up and cracks the guys skull.... needs to be reversed... the blood wound is on the wrong side....
 
I must say I agree with the others here...very well done! Stellar editing, solid sound, good lighting etc. I actually was scheduled to attend the LA Film Studies Center but I got a bad case of Mono my last semester. Pretty much all of my friends ended up going...but God works everything out in the end! :)

If you are a good representation it looks like they have some talented students there!

Keep up the good work. Would love to see more projects when you have them available...

Daniel
 
Some very good directing here. The fight scene was great and especially the shot going through the wall. Nice touch. The fast driving was good as well. The main actor did a good job, but his expressions in parts didn't seem to match the scene and then there were times where he didn't seem to have an expression at all. Example, in the beginning when he was tied up, it almost looked as if he were smiling when he wasn't supposed to be. He has a young face, so I would just suggest digging a little deeper - sometimes the camera doesn't recognize the subtleties of acting. Oh, forgot to mention how good I thought the lighting was too. Top notch job overall. Keep at it!
 
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