"Nine to Five Ninja" by msconce

This was one of my favorites. It looked good enough, played it straight enough visually, it made the ridiculous moments ("Freedom!") actually work. I had a good time watching it, and the music really moved it along, particularly in the beginning, when little was happening. The only thing I was left wanting to know was why the master needed to get a 9-to-5 job, NOT because it was a story hole, but because I think there's a great joke hiding in that question, and maybe you could weave that into the opening, which some have noted as a bit slow. You know, a way to tie the two movie genres you're having fun with together -- why does a ninja end up in an office movie world? I know there's a gag there! :)
 
LOVED the opening titles and yours is the only one where I've ENJOYED watching the credits so far. Great idea to throw those BTS clips into the credits in that fashion.

I enjoyed most of the humor, though the forest fires part at the end was the only part that was just a touch too campy for my taste.

The camera & lighting were spot on for the most part, and thought the onsite smoke machine was very well handled.

My only real complaint for this one, which could have been the compression although the music sounded fine, was that the audio/dialogue just sounded way off ... like it was all through a pretty tough filter.

EDIT: Oh, and the editing in this was excellent.
 
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Jack Daniel Stanley said:
hey man -- funny weird short with some pretty nice camera moves and lighting

I iked the dolly crossfade from the bed to the bathroom for example.

I would have liked if the story had envloved him being a nine to five ninja vs. working nine to 5 and THEN being a ninja, as it was, each hafl was unrelated and you didn't get full comic potential out of it as you would if they da job had interfreared or intruded into the ninja storyline or vice versa


nice fight coreography

then end shot of the kid is one of the best in the fest with the smoke and all, but not a lot of people notice great shots in a farce to bad because that one was awesome.

nice job, I was entertained and i laughed and it was different,

thanks
Jack
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I appreciate the feedback. Linking the two together would have really helped bring the story together....Why didn't we think of that!!!??? :furious3:

The end shot with the Kid and the Master is my favorite part from a cinematographer's standpoint, but I understand what you are saying about a farce and recognition. I believe we have some extremely strong editing, Cinematography, and lighting,, but some people will not notice because of our story.

I am glad the movie made you laugh and kept you entertained. We hoped it would be a different element of the competition. By the way, we are already thinking....how can we make our movie look as good a s Jack's for Horrorfest.....:)

Kaz said:
When this ended I thought, "What the F%#K?" and then I realized there was a smile on my face.

I liked it. Good job!
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Haha! That is exactly the reaction I had when watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It was definitely our goal to bring a completely different element to Hero Fest. I am so glad you enjoyed it.


WilderWorks said:
This was one of my favorites. It looked good enough, played it straight enough visually, it made the ridiculous moments ("Freedom!") actually work. I had a good time watching it, and the music really moved it along, particularly in the beginning, when little was happening. The only thing I was left wanting to know was why the master needed to get a 9-to-5 job, NOT because it was a story hole, but because I think there's a great joke hiding in that question, and maybe you could weave that into the opening, which some have noted as a bit slow. You know, a way to tie the two movie genres you're having fun with together -- why does a ninja end up in an office movie world? I know there's a gag there! :)
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I LOVE that this was one of your favorites...It is a rewarding feeling to have someone appreciate our first movie and enjoy it that much. I love where you are going with discovering why the 9-5 Ninja needs a 9-5 job. That could have been hilarious!! I wish we had thought of it. :) Thanks for the feedback.


Envision said:
LOVED the opening titles and yours is the only one where I've ENJOYED watching the credits so far. Great idea to throw those BTS clips into the credits in that fashion.

I enjoyed most of the humor, though the forest fires part at the end was the only part that was just a touch too campy for my taste.

The camera & lighting were spot on for the most part, and thought the onsite smoke machine was very well handled.

My only real complaint for this one, which could have been the compression although the music sounded fine, was that the audio/dialogue just sounded way off ... like it was all through a pretty tough filter.

EDIT: Oh, and the editing in this was excellent.
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It figures that I would learn how to master sound and use compression filters, AFTER the contest. I actually learned how to handle Adobe Audition yesterday and use multiband compressors and de-essers. Too bad I did not know before, but this is our first movie and all. Our horro-fest short will benefit from this new audio knowledge.

Thank you for the comments on the smoke machine. My dad was great at that. I would see him run across the set, twirling around with the smoke to give it volume and then I would yell "Action". It was a long process, but it turned out good in the end.

Thank you for the compliments on the editing. My co-director, David, and I worked hard on making it flow well and always focus the viewer on the story, istead of what cut or fade we used.


Man, I appreciate these comments! Before the contest, people talked about feedback being the reason they enter these contests, and now I understand why. Thanks again!:dankk2:
 
Hey that's AWESOME that your dad's so supportive & helping out on set like that! Has he ever worked on film before, or is he just excited to see you guys doing it & pitching in where he can?

How old are you guys too? Just asking because I'm more than likely REALLY envious that you're starting this well before I ever did. :)
 
WilderWorks said:
This was one of my favorites. It looked good enough, played it straight enough visually, it made the ridiculous moments ("Freedom!") actually work. I had a good time watching it, and the music really moved it along, particularly in the beginning, when little was happening. The only thing I was left wanting to know was why the master needed to get a 9-to-5 job, NOT because it was a story hole, but because I think there's a great joke hiding in that question, and maybe you could weave that into the opening, which some have noted as a bit slow. You know, a way to tie the two movie genres you're having fun with together -- why does a ninja end up in an office movie world? I know there's a gag there! :)
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First of all, THANKS to all who have watched our movie. It is awesome to get recognition from people who's opinions we really value.

Here's the co-director finally on scene with an answer to the question about the need for an office job. When msconce and I were discussing it, since this was not a traditional hero movie, I felt we needed "traditional" hero gimmicks. The first that always comes to mind is the knife flinging into the tree. I pictured it kind of like the bat signal. Something to call him into action when he is needed. And the other two were straight from Superman. The first being the bandana that he dons to fight the ninjas. They[the ninjas] are kind of like Lois Lane when she sees Clark and he has his glasses on, he's just clark. But suddenly he removes the glasses and dons some spandex and he's superman. Not much changes, but to her and Metropolis, he is a completely different person. And the other Clark Kent thing is his job at the Daily Planet. Yeah, he's a superhero, but he's got to pay the bills somehow being he isn't as rich as Bruce Wayne. That's what I imagined when we made this thing. We went straight to the comics for some tools to move the hero along.
 
highland_watcher said:
When msconce and I were discussing it, since this was not a traditional hero movie, I felt we needed "traditional" hero gimmicks. The first that always comes to mind is the knife flinging into the tree. I pictured it kind of like the bat signal. Something to call him into action when he is needed. And the other two were straight from Superman. The first being the bandana that he dons to fight the ninjas. They[the ninjas] are kind of like Lois Lane when she sees Clark and he has his glasses on, he's just clark. But suddenly he removes the glasses and dons some spandex and he's superman.
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Yes, we definitely wanted the ninjas to be clueless until he puts the headband on. They say "Who are you?" and the 9-5 ninja says "You forget so quickly" (implying he has fought them before). He then dons the headband and suddenly they recognize him with the line "It is you!".

Oh, my co-director and I are both 25 years old.
 
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msconce said:
Yes, we definitely wanted the ninjas to be clueless until he puts the headband on. They say "Who are you?" and the 9-5 ninja says "You forget so quickly" (implying he has fought them before). He then dons the headband and suddenly they recognize him with the line "It is you!".

Oh, my co-director and I are both 25 years old.
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Now that I think about it, except for msconce's dad being there as "Officer on Site" and Master Johnson as the "9-5 Ninja," I was the oldest person there, and I'm 26. The 2 ninjas are 19 and the kid is in Jr. High.
 
Highlander3751 said:
Now that I think about it, except for msconce's dad being there as "Officer on Site" and Master Johnson as the "9-5 Ninja," I was the oldest person there, and I'm 26. The 2 ninjas are 19 and the kid is in Jr. High.
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You old fogey! :Drogar-Evil(DBG):

It was amazing how much I have learned from this process. It was invaluable to me. From all of the feedback I have received to the things I learned on set. I feel that I have a much better understanding of what to do next time to rise to the next level. I am very excited to begin the next project and look forward already to seeing the amazing things all of the filmmakers here at DVXuser.com make. I appreciate the comments. :)
 
Note: I haven't read the other posts yet, so I may repeat comments that have already been made.

When I saw the opening scene with the alarm clock and a guy waking up, I wasn't hoping for much. Seems like an overused opening....but then I realized it fits in with the title and story, just a typical guy going about his normal daily life when suddenly he is forced to deal with terror and mayhem.

I really liked the shot with the knife, when it quick zooms away from him and the knife is framed there...cool :)

The dialog sounded a little hollow/echo-y, but I think that may have been a compression problem.

The scene when he faces down the ninjas was amusing...I liked the quick head turns (with sound effect)....reminded me of Saturday afternoon kung-fu theatre when I was kid.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I was really hoping for more "typical" superhero films...but I guess everyone had other ideas.

The fighting looked good, well choreographed...though a little slow at times. It seemed too much like they were working through pre-arranged moves. Would like to have seen it sped up a bit more, really play into that stereotypical ninja fight sequence.

Good job.
 
Larry R said:
Note: I haven't read the other posts yet, so I may repeat comments that have already been made.

When I saw the opening scene with the alarm clock and a guy waking up, I wasn't hoping for much. Seems like an overused opening....but then I realized it fits in with the title and story, just a typical guy going about his normal daily life when suddenly he is forced to deal with terror and mayhem.

I really liked the shot with the knife, when it quick zooms away from him and the knife is framed there...cool :)

The dialog sounded a little hollow/echo-y, but I think that may have been a compression problem.

The scene when he faces down the ninjas was amusing...I liked the quick head turns (with sound effect)....reminded me of Saturday afternoon kung-fu theatre when I was kid.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I was really hoping for more "typical" superhero films...but I guess everyone had other ideas.

The fighting looked good, well choreographed...though a little slow at times. It seemed too much like they were working through pre-arranged moves. Would like to have seen it sped up a bit more, really play into that stereotypical ninja fight sequence.

Good job.
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I for one am glad that many filmakers chose to be creative in their positing of 'superheroness'. To have a guy in an office in a $500 suit that is also a Ninja master fighter by night... with 'knife signals' and 'watchers' informing the 'Master' of when he is needed is awesome! This is a tremendous farcical comedy short. It reminds me of the humor of the old Batman TV show, with the hero who had a paunch and a sidekick who always said, "HOLY ______(whatever)" all of the time.
 
Envision said:
LOVED the opening titles and yours is the only one where I've ENJOYED watching the credits so far. Great idea to throw those BTS clips into the credits in that fashion.

I enjoyed most of the humor, though the forest fires part at the end was the only part that was just a touch too campy for my taste.

The camera & lighting were spot on for the most part, and thought the onsite smoke machine was very well handled.

My only real complaint for this one, which could have been the compression although the music sounded fine, was that the audio/dialogue just sounded way off ... like it was all through a pretty tough filter.

EDIT: Oh, and the editing in this was excellent.
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I agree, the editing was excellent. I think that the sound is one of the strongest aspects of this film. The sound quality brought to the web could have been better.
 
jsemperparatus said:
I agree, the editing was excellent. I think that the sound is one of the strongest aspects of this film. The sound quality brought to the web could have been better.
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Seeing as we learned about mastering audio after we sent in our movie, the audio dialogue could have been better. It will be for Horror Fest!:Drogar-Evil(DBG): MAUHHAHAHAHA *In an evil scary voice*
 
I am surprised the fog turned out so well in our short. The wind was always changing, sometimes in mid shot, and it made getting fog coverage tricky. I have two favorite fog moments. One is the first time it cuts to a wide shot of the ninjas and the 9-5 ninja. I just like the way it moves. The second is the wide shot including the master and the fire kid. The way the fog swirls with the wind was great there. To get the wind effect we had someone crouched with an air blower shooting it up at the kid.
 
Fog movement

Fog movement

msconce said:
I am surprised the fog turned out so well in our short. The wind was always changing, sometimes in mid shot, and it made getting fog coverage tricky. I have two favorite fog moments. One is the first time it cuts to a wide shot of the ninjas and the 9-5 ninja. I just like the way it moves. The second is the wide shot including the master and the fire kid. The way the fog swirls with the wind was great there. To get the wind effect we had someone crouched with an air blower shooting it up at the kid.
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I like the angle of the shot upward at the kid. It almost seems as if you are inside the ground ahead of the kid, although I know you were set up down a hill, and very nearly sliding off onto a state highway with traffic. Hehehe.
 
msconce said:
Seeing as we learned about mastering audio after we sent in our movie, the audio dialogue could have been better. It will be for Horror Fest!:Drogar-Evil(DBG): MAUHHAHAHAHA *In an evil scary voice*
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MONSTERFEST sounds fun... :kali: :violent5::nads:

Need smoke? Ha!
 
highland_watcher said:
First of all, THANKS to all who have watched our movie. It is awesome to get recognition from people who's opinions we really value.

Here's the co-director finally on scene with an answer to the question about the need for an office job. When msconce and I were discussing it, since this was not a traditional hero movie, I felt we needed "traditional" hero gimmicks. The first that always comes to mind is the knife flinging into the tree. I pictured it kind of like the bat signal. Something to call him into action when he is needed. And the other two were straight from Superman. The first being the bandana that he dons to fight the ninjas. They[the ninjas] are kind of like Lois Lane when she sees Clark and he has his glasses on, he's just clark. But suddenly he removes the glasses and dons some spandex and he's superman. Not much changes, but to her and Metropolis, he is a completely different person. And the other Clark Kent thing is his job at the Daily Planet. Yeah, he's a superhero, but he's got to pay the bills somehow being he isn't as rich as Bruce Wayne. That's what I imagined when we made this thing. We went straight to the comics for some tools to move the hero along.
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Nice to hear from ya.
 
jsemperparatus said:
MONSTERFEST sounds fun... :kali: :violent5::nads:

Need smoke? Ha!
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I am definitely excited about Horror Fest. For this one, we got our camera and then had one month to plan, script, cast, storyboard, get location, choreograph, shoot, cut, foley, get music, do effects and put out an end product. It was insanely stressful. Now I have 4 months to put this together......Run in fear........and get your diapers because Horror Fest will rock!
 
For the most part I liked the camera work and lighting. Some spots seemed a little too dark. Like that transitional dolly shot at the beginning. The music towards the end with all the fighting seemed too muffled. After he gets called to the office the audio seems to take on the muffled, slightly reverby sound. Nice fight sequence. Congrats. Oh yea, liked the way you did the opening title with the throwing stars. :thumbsup:
 
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