"Nine to Five Ninja" by msconce

[Matt Sconce]

To view Nine to Five Ninja on the mirror site:

http://www.nrestudios.com/hero_mirror/msconce-mattsconce-nine_to_five_ninja%20{Use%20This%20One}.movhttp://www.nrestudios.com/hero_mirror/msconce-mattsconce-nine_to_five_ninja {Use This%


This is our first short filmed with a DVX, and we are excited to see what you guys think. We have learned so much from this site and from you, and hope you enjoy our film "Nine to Five Ninja". Our first contest.....WOOHOO!!:dankk2:


:costumed-smiley-047 I pity duh foo who dont use DVXUSER.COM

9 to 5 Ninja Master Dave Johnson
Ninja 1 Max Corral
Ninja 2 Chris Taylor
Boss David Gilders
Scotsman Chad Orrin
Kid with fire Josh Borden
Voice for Ninja Master Signal David Gilders

Director Matthew Sconce
Co-Director David Gilders
Producers David Gilders and Matthew Sconce
Written by Matthew Sconce and David Gilders
Concept by Matthew Sconce

Director of Photography Matthew Sconce
Editor Matthew Sconce
Editing Supervisor David Gilders
Foley artists David Gilders and Matthew Sconce
Composer Joel Warkentin

Grips David Gilders, Gary Sconce, Max Corral, Chris Taylor, Chad Orrin, Matthew Sconce, Master Dave Johnson
Main Boom Operator David Gilders
Co-boom operator Nick Marr
Smoke Machine Operator (The Smoke Guy) Gary Sconce
Fight Choreography Master Dave Johnson, Max Corral, Chris Taylor, Matthew Sconce
Stunts Max Corral, Chris Taylor, Master Dave Johnson
Law Enforcement officer on site Gary Sconce
Seamstress Isa Tenchio
Catering David Gilders

 

[Matt Sconce]

Huzzah! Ours is uploaded!rogar-BigGrin(DBG) We look forward to your comments!

 

[Aaron Marshall]

I loved all the smoke effects you had going on. The ninja outfits look superb. You had a great atmosphere going on. I was entertained by this short.

 

[Matt Sconce]

I loved all the smoke effects you had going on. The ninja outfits look superb. You had a great atmosphere going on. I was entertained by this short.

We are glad you were entertained. That was definitely the goal. I'm glad you liked the atmosphere, that was one of our main focuses. Thanks for all the comments! For all of you who have seen the movie, send your comments our way. We would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Kholi]

Easily one of my favorites of this fest. I thought the ninja theme wouldve soured it but it wasn't bad at all.The fights were too long for what you were capable of pulling off well but everything outside of the fighting was actually executed quite nicely.In regards to the fight scenes again, I noticed a very intuitive and or rather prepared camera. As in... the camera moved at the right timed actually covering the action. I really applaud you guys on that, the camera op, director. fight director. and dp.Great job. By the by, I noticed that your footage was rather clean. Good job on that as well.

 

[Matt Sconce]

Thank you for all the compliments and constructive criticism, we are glad you liked the movie. The "Ninjas" are great guys who provided their own Ninja Suits and all. I think people will be surprised by our film as it has a clean, crisp image for being shot at night. I was absolutely amazed at the way the DVX100b performed. I was hard pressed to find noise in my image. It was just very clean.
Thank you for the comments about the camera movement. I tried to make the camera angles allow the viewer to feel they were involved in the action without drawing attention to the movements themselves.

For those of you who have not commented, I hope you do. It is nice to hear feedback on something in which so much time was placed, and I love to learn from your opinions. That is one of the reasons I love this site. I am always learning.

 

[mrpunch]

I thoroughly enjoyed the way the fight was filmed. Amazed actually! The low camera on the shot where he flips them both was awesome, and the way it cut with the preceeding and after shot was superb!
I would have liked for him to maybe say something while he was in the office. The manager was over excited and I didn't know why. But it fits with the mood, once the mood is set with the ninja dialogue. Maybe having the lead say something in that voice as he walked away or was leaving the office would have set that more.
Was the smoke added in post or did you use something while filming?
Hats off to the fight coreography and the shot selection!

 

[Kholi]

So was it really the DVX100b that produced such a crisp/stark image?

Damn, it's really freaking clean.

 

[Matt Sconce]

So was it really the DVX100b that produced such a crisp/stark image?

Damn, it's really freaking clean.

It was indeed. I also made sure to light well. But, we turned the lights on outside (the first time we had ever seen the DVX100b at night) and almost passed out at the amazing, noise free image. Each shot, we were sitting there with our jaws on the ground. I hope you all enjoy this and comment. We have some neat behind the scene stuff to upload when it is done.

 

[Matt Sconce]

I loved all the smoke effects you had going on.

Was the smoke added in post or did you use something while filming?

I will now talk about the smoke. I definitely think it made the look of the film complete. We debated doing post production smoke but settled on using a fog machine. We borrowed one, and the fog juice too. (These are the types of fog machines you can pick up from a local store). My dad (an immense help and a local sheriff...also greatly helpful...)would attempt to see which way the wind was blowing and fog the scene before we rolled camera.

Because it was so cold, the fog heat mechanism, that produces the fog, kept turning off. We would have to wait for long periods of time between shots for it to heat back up and if we did not get the scenes right, would have to wait again. I am definitely glad we used it though!! It added atmosphere and helped with the overall feel of the night scene.

 

[Edgen]

Welp, same with before, don't want to repeat, but here it goes.

My Thoughts:

overall, i really really enjoyed it. The pacing for the waking/office scene was effective. I liked the dolly shots.
The ninja plaque made me laugh. Nice touch.
The 'glass/bandanna' case in the drawer actually made me think of the scene in "The Brief Case" from the sci fest. Didn't know if it was alive or not.
The boss's dialog, "Come in here" was dominated by the score. (tone that down a wee bit?
Score.. First part friggin' amazing. Very, very effective. I even dug the techno elments in the fight. I wish the composer would have blended the two together and really brought that out.
The knife on the tree/cut VO was one of my fav parts of the film.
Acting. I really enjoyed the 9-5's performance. Is he a karate guy for real? I think if you sped up the fighting it would have been a bit more belieavable. Seemed 'thought out' and planned. Amazing none the less. bravo there.
The kid and forest fires. Meh. That could have been something else. Cliched and you knew what the 9-5 was about to say.
I dug the final hit into the camera. That made my laugh.
Lighting was great. Smoke effects.. I think i used the same smoke effect in mine (me thinks its the same digital footage?)(@3:21?)
The scotish guy? Ok.. Yes. I bout peed my pants... FREEEEDOM!
Audio, I dug. I think the compression could have been a bit better but we are limited on that.

Cheers! I enjoyed it!
/j

 

[DerrickTempleton]

first half is pretty bad, but the second half is amazing. Really hilarious and cool at the same time. The part in the office with the boss just doesn't add anything positive...but at least you make up for it with the wind blowing out the lighter at the end...soooooo great!

 

[Matt Sconce]

first half is pretty bad, but the second half is amazing.

It is funny where people's viewing likes and dislikes differ. I loved the first part of the film for things the DP and Director of a film loves (the dolly shots, framing, subtle stuff) It is nice to see other opinions and it helps me learn what to do differently in the future. Is there anything in particular you didn't like in that first part?

The part in the office with the boss just doesn't add anything positive...but at least you make up for it with the wind blowing out the lighter at the end...soooooo great!

I am glad you liked that part of the film. It is one of my favorites as well. That actor is a junior high schooler. He had just gone through a loss in his family so we had him come onto the project, so he could have time to do something fun and get away from the sadness for a while. He also was a great little actor. He loved it and is always talking about how much fun it was. Thank you for your comments and critiques.

 

[Matt Sconce]

Welp, same with before, don't want to repeat, but here it goes.

My Thoughts:

overall, i really really enjoyed it. The pacing for the waking/office scene was effective. I liked the dolly shots.

Thank you. I wanted to keep it interesting but build to the knife throw. Wait until the BTS. The dolly shot is a funny story...

The boss's dialog, "Come in here" was dominated by the score. (tone that down a wee bit?

Yeah, I see what you are saying. I played with the levels for that moment, but always came back to my final settings. Maybe, it is my speakers, but I always felt it was too loud when the music was quieter. It is probably because I knew that line was coming.

The knife on the tree/cut VO was one of my fav parts of the film.

Thanks! This is one of my favorite shots as well. The Kanji on the knife says Seieido "Way of the Elite"

Acting. I really enjoyed the 9-5's performance. Is he a karate guy for real? I think if you sped up the fighting it would have been a bit more belieavable. Seemed 'thought out' and planned. Amazing none the less. bravo there.

He is an actor who graciously agreed to do our film for free. He is a grandmaster in Seieido... here is his website (www.masterjohnson.com), he is also a master in Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, and Shotokan Karate. He is also over 50 years old, and in great shape. I think he rocks!

The kid and forest fires. Meh. That could have been something else. Cliched and you knew what the 9-5 was about to say.

It seems people are split on this. Some people think it is the funniest thing ever and others think we should have left it out. I personally chuckle when I see it...the master saves scotsman from ninjas and helps preserve the forest..hehe

I dug the final hit into the camera. That made my laugh.

Mission accomplished! hehe. I am glad you liked it.

The scotish guy? Ok.. Yes. I bout peed my pants... FREEEEDOM!

That was great...We planned and changed our minds for a long time on who the ninjas would be attacking. The Scottish guy won out. He is a bonified Scott and provided all his own costuming.


Thank you for your in depth comments and critiques. This helps me so much. I look forward to the others that I will receive to help me make better films in the future. :love4:

 

[Edgen]

Thank you for your in depth comments and critiques. This helps me so much. I look forward to the others that I will receive to help me make better films in the future. :love4:

You are most welcome! Everyone's provided some really great feedback on these shorts.

now that you say that the 9-5 was out saving Scots and preventing forest fires, it makes it that much funnier. 50 years old??! Dang! ya, I couldn't tell if that was a gut or if he's actually that beefed up. I'll have to check out his site and shoot him a congrats email.

cheers and looking forward to seeing your next.
/j

 

[Ian Slessor]

What can I add?

Everyone's covered pretty much what I would say.

Excellent coverage and composition.
Great lighting.
Sound, well, you know about the boss' line so we'll leave it at that.
The music rocked but I'm wondering if some "Eastern" influence couldn't have been added to the fight mix?
The acting was great...."FREEEDOM!!!" LOL!!!!

Yeah. That last punch into the screen was the only way to end it, IMO.

But is it Hero or....Kung Fu?

I think that might be the only place you might lose points with me.

But that's just me. Perhaps ONLY me.

Regardless. That was one great short.

Well done.


sincerely,


ian

 

[wesley]

thought it was very well shoty especially the first half. good angles and shot that complimented the story. also liked the music in the first half.

the second half feels a bit more messy to me but still good. smoke looked cool and shots were really nice and crisp.

overall very good job

 

[Matt Sconce]

But is it Hero or....Kung Fu?

I think that might be the only place you might lose points with me.

But that's just me. Perhaps ONLY me.

Regardless. That was one great short.

Well done.


sincerely,


ian

Man is getting attacked......man gets saved by Nine to Five Ninja.....Nine to Five Ninja=HERO.... rogar-Evil(DBG):

I hope that helps. I believe he is a hero and what he does is quite super with his bandana of power and all.

 

[Matt Sconce]

What can I add?

Everyone's covered pretty much what I would say.

Excellent coverage and composition.
Great lighting.
The music rocked but I'm wondering if some "Eastern" influence couldn't have been added to the fight mix?

I am glad you liked the lighting, composition, etc. Yeah, I think the eastern influence would have helped add a dimension the film was lacking, but I am happy with the music. If I would redo it, that is definitely something i would change.Thanks for the helpful feedback!

The acting was great...."FREEEDOM!!!" LOL!!!! ?

haha! I laugh at that everytime. Definitely one of my favorite moments in the film. That is what comes about when you sit with your co-director for hours at Wienerschnitzel coming up with your dialogue. Chili dogs+long hours=strange things.

 

[Shaun Patrick]

I really dug this one. It had a great 80's Dolph Lundgren/Steven Seagal direct-to-video action movie look/feel to it--I mean that as a very high compliment. Great job!