"On The Lot" tonight

I know this has been mentioned before, but I just want to echo it again:

I happened to get a link to Zach's film months ago.(not sure exactly when, but before the 1st show aired). These films are not new, they're basically qualifying films.

This can't be much fun for these guys... unless they are shooting stuff now for future shows. Right now it's sorta like they are actors. The show is playing it like they just made these films and they have to act like they're still in the moment, fresh off the shoot.

Though I'll continue to watch the show, the thing that stands out most is there is no WOW factor.

I'm not a reality tv guy by any means, but if I ever see 5 minutes of Idol, or Can you Dance, or whatever, there's always someone doing something that is pretty amazing, something the average person couldn't do with a bit of training.

On this show, it's pretty much average filmmaking using filmmaking basics. I commend Marty for at least showing some flair and style. I commend Zach for attempting the wow factor.

I was really impressed with some of the spy-fest films. This community is a way better gauge for the future of filmmaking than On the Lot is imho.
 
You guys are all wrong wrong wrong. The top 50% of these movies hold up to any movies anybody here could make in five days. Anybody. I've been on DVXUser for 3 years now. I'd say in that time I've seen maybe 3 or 4 pieces where I just went, "wow, this person has amazing talent". Otherwise, there's some good stuff and a lot of really really bad stuff. I challenge anyone here to make a movie in five days that wows me.

I said it before and I'll say it again. It's a flaw of the show. You give someone only five days and they're going to come up with something mediocre. Give them a month, and you'd see VASTLY different films that would show these directors true talent. Who here can write, direct, edit, (do their own effects), and score a movie in five days that wows people?? NOBODY! Yeah, Cinealma, rock on buddy. Take Scorcese. Just remember he planned out Gangs of New York for 25 years and how did that work out for him? Give him 5 days to make a movie?? Maybe he'll come up with something half as good as "Bringing Out The Dead". Oh wait, he had six months to make that masterpiece.

And oh yeah, that girl's piece of sh*t movie was so incredibly bad. She is the poster child for why nobody should go to NYU film school. You could've dressed her up in a hula costume and as soon as I saw that movie I could've told you that she went to NYU. It's one thing to "experiment", it's another to complete "bore" an audience to death. God do I hate people like that. It's too bad, cause she's kinda pretty. And to top things off, she's got that angry "I hate the world" vibe going on.

And to clear up the confusion, yes they made these movies a long time ago, but they were still GIVEN 5 DAYS to do so. These are NOT the same movies as the initial submission films. Zack's submission film was widely publicized (with both the introduction where he shoots down an alien ship and then a ten minute movie with no cuts where a guy runs through his neighborhood getting into trouble). So once they were accepted, they were given 5 days to make another film. These are those films. Now whether they just wanted to see what these guys could do in five days, or if they always intended on these "5 day films" to be the first entries in the voting part of the show, that's not clear.
 
ugafan said:
was anyone else wondering what the judges didn't get about jason's film?
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the point I think

the plot was not hard to understand, guy does drugs, he has magic healing blood, he gets shot and it's supposedly tragic

But the second act of the film was the doctor just telling the guy what a blessing he was, what a gift, what a miracle ... like 3 or 4 minutes of that, even in voice over, begs the question "what is the significance of this miracle and the fact that he was tragically lost."

Don't do drugs? Probably, but it's vague.

I'm not saying every film's argument should be so overt it hits you over the head. But for a story with a completely conflict free 1st act and Middle act that is just composed of placing a certain value on a thing, his specialness, then to have him killed ... says what. Again we know it is supposed to be a tragic loss here, but what ever the moral is, and I think he was going for one, was ambiguous.
Blaine said:
The look of Blood Born was horrible. It looked like it was done with available light and was so blown out as to be almost unwatchable.
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And then had that supersoft glowy Magic Bullshit thrown over it. I use MB all the time for different things but I hate, hate, hate that look. The pilot episode of House, before they were picked up and funded I guess, looks exactly like it.
FutureDVXUser said:
I can't believe nobody from this site is there... Look at the Spyfest movies, than look at the On The Lot movies... I don't understand...
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Only Norm entered I think. Maybe just a couple of others.

c.g._eads said:
You guys are all wrong wrong wrong. The top 50% of these movies hold up to any movies anybody here could make in five days. Anybody...
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I think the technical level is comparable between DVXuser shorts and On the Lot Shorts. But with the exception of 4 or 5 of the finalists, they have no idea how to tell a story in a short amount of time or even what a story is really.

So the 5 day thing doesn't mean that much to me because we are not talking about poor execution for the most part, we are talking about poor storytelling and sometimes poor concept.

I happen to think they are not all that awful for the most part BTW. I enjoy most of the shorts. Frank Marshall is a PIP, and I happen to agree with everything Carrie Fisher says regarding the narrative shorts, except for her immediate distaste of potty humor. I also REALLY enjoy how poorly the show itself is put together. And the host is so nice to look at ... so nice ... so very very nice.
 
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Marty shouldn't have been eliminated.

Glass Eye - slightly amusing

Blood Born - too much Tony Scott-like style choices here. I still liked it, overall.

Sunshine Girl - the effect of taking out the sun, causing total darkness was cool.
However, Carrie Fisher saw a story here and I didn't. A girl takes out the sun and puts it back. Big deal. I'd like to see this guy do a film where he doesn't have to rely on visual effects or some gimmick.

Lost - well-made but there was nothing special here. Very generic.

The Orchard - a horror masterpiece. HA! Right. This was awful. Nothing happened. I did like the atmosphere, but it was wasted. The general public wants to be entertained and intrigued, not be bored to tears with an experimental film that goes nowhere.

Next week, the filmmakers get to show more comedies. Great...because if this show needs one thing, it's another round of crappy comedies. I'm really looking forward to the week that they take on horror.

By the way...um...Wes? Horror is not just about blood.
 
i thought of blood born more as a tragedy with religious overtones than a moral film. the end kind of reminded me of american history x. right after his life changes his sins catch up with him.
 
ugafan said:
i thought of blood born more as a tragedy with religious overtones than a moral film. the end kind of reminded me of american history x. right after his life changes his sins catch up with him.
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yeah I can see that.
maybe it was his comments before the film about his values that colored mine and the judges viewing.
 
c.g._eads said:
You guys are all wrong wrong wrong. The top 50% of these movies hold up to any movies anybody here could make in five days. Anybody. I've been on DVXUser for 3 years now. I'd say in that time I've seen maybe 3 or 4 pieces where I just went, "wow, this person has amazing talent". Otherwise, there's some good stuff and a lot of really really bad stuff. I challenge anyone here to make a movie in five days that wows me.
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Maybe DVXUser should have an "On the Lot" challenge!

Give everyone 5 days to make a movie, it just has to be new so you may need to add a catch or something. :)

I'm too busy at the moment but I would love to see the results.

Frankly, I have a lot of faith in some of the members here. On saying that... SOME of the On the Lot movies aren't bad.

The tree one was just ridiculous though. I can't believe she went to film school.

What a waste of money and time.

Mike
 
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how good of a short can somebody make in 5 days anyway? is that even a real life situation if you were a working hollywood director? how often would this actually happen?????

"Okay Mr. Director, we're filming Spider Man 4 and we want you to direct it but....you have 5 days to write, edit, produce and score the music...GO!"
 
FilmBoy77 said:
how good of a short can somebody make in 5 days anyway? is that even a real life situation if you were a working hollywood director? how often would this actually happen?????

"Okay Mr. Director, we're filming Spider Man 4 and we want you to direct it but....you have 5 days to write, edit, produce and score the music...GO!"
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Well... if Spider-Man 4 was only 3 minutes long they might be able to pull something off. :happy:
They're not filming features.

Mike
 
it actually is truth in this. I know for csi once it is written a director comes in 3 days before they shoot and then shoot for 7 (more depending on complexity) then get it ready for the season.

so yes a director can be thrown right into itand go from there.

thats why they get paid 70,000 - 100,000 an episode.
 
Next week comedies...

then horror films....

then... OTL is off the air... hehe :)


On another note, Jack, you KNOW you would DESTROY these people if you were on the show... DESTROY.
 
FutureDVXUser said:
I can't believe nobody from this site is there... Look at the Spyfest movies, than look at the On The Lot movies... I don't understand...
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From what I know I was the only to make it to the third round before being eliminated, Producers said, "too violent" but they said spielburg saw my work... neat.
 
spidey said:
From what I know I was the only to make it to the third round before being eliminated, Producers said, "too violent" but they said spielburg saw my work... neat.
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Wow, you made it to the third round and then got eliminated?

I think the BROKEN guys (Alex Ferrari) made it to the "Do another 2 1/2 min. film in 5 days" round.
 
yeah it was a trailer for a longer film... it got us in :p i was like what when i heard back ... now im like i havent seen the show in like 4 weeks.
 
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