FEATURE: NO GREATER LOVE - Official Thread - Feature Film

hey Brandon some of my Non Christian facebook/school friends have seen the NGL facebook page in my groups and want to know when it will be out. I thought it was the coolest thing when they asked me this evening, when it would be out. They want to see it.
 
When do you suppose the rest of us might have a chance to see NGL? Any plans to screen in the NYC area? I'd be there in a heartbeat.
 
Ted, thanks for asking... I think these two focus groups will suffice for what we're trying to do right now... but I will certainly let EVERYONE here on DVXuser know when the actual screenings will begin, or a release date...

Here's a photo from last night...

Eric Bivens-Bush (T.J.) is on left, and Anthony Tyler Quinn (Jeff Baker) to the right.

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Hello , i wondering why nobody asked but what did you do to get this kind of movement from actors ,this doesnt look like dvx at all ,what was the shutter settings when you recorded ? Could you tell why it looks like a film not video ? And beside the lights and actors ,there is something else ,and i think its the shutter speed ,could you tell why it looks like a film or its a secret ? What was recording frame rate ,in trailer its 23.976 ,did you converted it somehow to get this film like movement of actors ?
 
24 or 23.976 ? And you didnt changed shutter speed ? I dont own this cam but its hard to believe after watching other vids from this camcorder.
Ive seen some footage with it and 35mm adapter and it still wasnt like a film cause movement was kinda too smooth like under water.
 
bwwd said:
24 or 23.976 ? And you didnt changed shutter speed ? I dont own this cam but its hard to believe after watching other vids from this camcorder.
Ive seen some footage with it and 35mm adapter and it still wasnt like a film cause movement was kinda too smooth like under water.
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We had an amazing gaffer who did an excellent job on the lighting... and Geoff of course has world class compositions and shots... :beer:

Ryan Dunlap said:
Nice background banner. :) Make sure you get a lot of use out of it!
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Ah yeah... we certainly intend to! :thumbup:
 
We had an amazing gaffer who did an excellent job on the lighting... and Geoff of course has world class compositions and shots...
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Brandon, did Geoff not light this film? You make it sound like his gaffer came up with all the lighting schemes and placement on his own...Maybe he did.
 
bwwd said:
24 or 23.976 ? And you didnt changed shutter speed ? I dont own this cam but its hard to believe after watching other vids from this camcorder.
Ive seen some footage with it and 35mm adapter and it still wasnt like a film cause movement was kinda too smooth like under water.
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23.98 frame rate. Shutter varied... for some scenes I'd go for a 1/48 shutter... other times a 1/60. It depends on the scene and what kind of mood I'm trying to draw upon.
 
Andrew Brinkhaus said:
Brandon, did Geoff not light this film? You make it sound like his gaffer came up with all the lighting schemes and placement on his own...Maybe he did.
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Here's basically how Marcello and I worked on this project... It was a lot different from many of my prior projects. On smaller shoots, I tend to be very hands on with lighting and sometimes double as the gaffer if needed.

With NGL, we had a ton of material to cover each and every day. Before we even started shooting, I knew the following; there was not going to be time for me to go around tweaking lights and nudging c-stands around... I'd have to rely on my crew solely and be able to communicate what's needed. I also knew I was working with a man, Marcello, whom was heavily experienced and very passionate about his craft. From our first few meetings, I knew we'd get along and work together well.

Once we started shooting, things fell into place very nicely, even on the first day... I've been on semi-long shoots before but this was one of the smoothest first days I've ever had. Everyone busted their butt and knew their role on the set. We didn't get everything we needed in that first day, but we caught up in full by the end of day 2...

On a scene by scene basis... I'd run over the shot list with the director really quick and then run over every shot with Marcello. I'd tell him my angles, moves, placement, everything... We'd then talk about what kind of look we're going for, mood, tone, etc. We'd talk about ideas and then he'd give me options on what he's thinking. I knew he had more technical know-how when it came to lighting (he's been doing it for a heck of a lot longer than I have).

Lights start going up, I start setting my first frame... now we start tweaking... usually both Marcello and I (and sometimes Brad if he wasn't busy with actors) watch the monitor and we'd talk about what is working, what isn't working. He might say, "what do you think If I add a little something 'here'... or I might ask to add an eyelight or more rim light... it was a very collaborative effort and we constantly poured ideas into the setups. The working relationship we had on this set was one of the best I've had.

I learned a ton from watching this guy work, he's incredibly talented and cares so deeply for his art. He's a huge reason why this movie looks so good, no doubt... It also was a relief to work with someone whom I could communicate so effectively with. That's the only way we were able to move as fast as we did and get this whole movie shot in such a short amount of time.

In regards to lighting schemes/placement/etc. It's much more the gaffer in a physical sense, of course... He is the one issuing out the orders and placements of the lights to the G&E team. But we talk in depth prior to those orders going out and talk yet again in depth as we tweak and finalize. This was great for me because it gave me more time to work with the director and go over the shots in great detail. I could really focus on the 'overall image'. In much of my past work, I was always over focused on the lighting... because I was the DP/Gaffer... In the end, something is being sacrificed. Either the lighting is great but the camera placement/move could have been better thought out... OR the camera/move is great but the lighting is just okay... I'm always dealing with a finite amount of time so there's always going to be some creative limitation to any shot or setup. With NGL, I was able to focus in a much broader sense; bouncing back between lighting and camera seamlessly while work continued in the background. It allowed me a creative flexibility that I had never had prior.

Long post... Hope that helps! :)
 
I totally understand and that is a common style for DP's I think. I think Brandon's post was just worded strangely for me, and I wanted to see how you guys were working. On films I shoot I often am undercrewed, so like you Geoff, I tend to have to pay much more attention to the assembly of a shot in regards to lighting, instead of discussing what I'd like with my gaffer before hand and letting him handle the assembly while the director and I collaborate, then when they are done, going into tweaking.

It's very nice to get to work with somebody who really understands lighting and rigging like a second language. It allows us to focus on the bigger picture like you mentioned, and I agree that you can usually obtain a better result that way in regards to both camera and lighting.
 
Yep, the way I look at it...at the end of the day, it's a mixture of so many things, the lighting, the composition, the movement, lens choice, camera placement, foreground elements, background elements, even the actors expression! The more creative time that can be applied to these elements (by the Director, DP & Gaffer), the better the overall image will be in the end.

I should also add that I'm much more a cameraman than a gaffer... I think DPs tend to gravitate to one of those areas or another... I'm decent at lighting but I'm no Marcello :) And while there's definitely a difference between my pre-NGL work and post-NGL work (in regards to lighting)... my strengths are composition, movement, overall connections, and shooting for the edit.
 
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Thanks for clearing that all up Geoff :) It was amazing see you two work together on set... and I sure hope to see that again!
 
lawriejaffa said:
Hey just adding to the chorus of well dones and good lucks mate :) Really impressed with the trailer - looking good!
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Thanks so much!

Numbers that came back from the LA screening were equal to or better than the SD screening... in case anyone was wondering :)
 
Update 12/23/08

Update 12/23/08

As we approach the holidays... things will slow down... yesterday and today I've been working on the edit a bit (very minor) in working on some transitions between scenes. After changing a couple around, I'm very pleased with what I have... I'm rendering out a new DVD file now, and I'll be taking it to Brad for review tonight...

Then I'm going to get some time off for the Christmas weekend! :)

to all of you, Merry Christmas!!
 
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