Pestilence - John Hudson

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Nice Job

Nice Job

Man those opening green screen shots WTF, I was like the jig is up. No way I can compete with this. Nice retro disaster movie feel with CC behind title and title font and music, the CC on the walk off shot beautiful. Flashes of big budget bang all over this thing.

I didn't read other's comments before doing my review so it wouldn't be infuenced, so I apologize if some of the following is redundandt.

I also engage in a bit of armchair quarterbacking below, which is much easier than actual quarterbacking and the least sophisticated form of cristicism - hope you will excuse it as it is inlcuded for the sake of clarity.

If the great score was written to a final cut and the film is past any tweaking then feel free to tell me to go **** myself

Blow By Blow:

• Quote about Dinner and Hell … didn’t see a direct correlation to the short … seemed like more eerie noise. Also, font was old evilish, appropriate for witchcraft or something, but inconsistent with the sci-fi, military vibe / suggested cause of the zombie outbreak later in your piece.
• Not a criticism, just a thought: Do we need her opening VO? Maybe – but I think you show us everything she says, and your images are powerful.
• Big Zombie coming over hill – cool image, but seemed like a clip from another part of the film or like a trailer here – what does this guy have to do with the Main Character’s POV – but damn it looked cool… If in love with this shot … and you have plenty of reason to be, maybe it could come before her with part of her voice over under it maybe or just as a teaser without her VO – then it might play as something she’s seen as she tells us about the world from a third person perspective, then we see her coming over the horizon and move from the third person to her first person experience of when her friend died and she was bitten.
• Monkey, Comet, Virus montage – seemed like a sampling of causes of Zombiefication. Not sure what it added and the still of the comet seemed out of place.
• Didn’t quite by the eating of the sleeveless shirt lady – not enough blood on zombie face and her movements seemed independent of whatever he was doing to her.
• Love love love the sun behind her running in near silhouette with the lens flair and the CC here, great retro feel, and just plain nice looking.
• Again, love the disaster movie font and the motion effects and music for the title.
• Nice use of sound to suggest bigger budget items like chopper and cop cars. You set up an interesting challenge for yourself though … you go so far into big budget success that the few places you aren’t able to achieve it are more apparent. The street looked pretty clean – and I don’t want to tick you off, I know the restrictions believe me brother, this is just my HO, and actually a mark of success for how high you set the bar at certain instances in your short.
• Continued nice CC inside the car, good positioning with the sunlight providing the backlit halos. I wonder if getting into the car could be tighter. Some jump cuts could heighten the tension here.
• That shot of the leg in the tourniquet is nice, could be used as a cutaway to chop up the dialogue scene some more.
• After the line “He was a monster like the rest of them” the rest of the dialogue before the military guys show up seems like place holder, you might be able to use the sound of the guys pulling up over the end of another shot so you could cut directly to the girls freaking out as the car drives up. “Are you OK” could come over the shot of the leg, hear the cars skid, cut to the car stopping and them freaking out?
• The shoot out and shaky cam and slow mo is all great and very effective in the action sequence, nice!
• Something seemed a little odd about guys in hazmat suits and one marine all shooting, seems like two different specialists with two different jobs. Also seemed a tad odd for the hazmat guys to get into a regular Explorer with a leather package and not come out of the back of some special looking vehicle, but again, I think this is a mark of where your grand vision, that you achieve so successfully on so many levels, butts up against the limitations of budget, and sticks out because other elements are convincingly big budget bling.
• Ok the money shot – she’s bitten and she transforms. Bite worked ok with the freeze frame, but the reveal and the transformation from a camera standpoint and an acting standpoint were lacking for me. She looks up so slow, (very unmenacing) and then there still seems to be some intelligence there albeit a slightly more canine one than human, but after the slow look up (in which she spikes camera briefly) she seems very aware of her surroundings and to have good muscle coordination and control, snarling seems like she’s taking things in rather than acting on pure instant or as an automaton. It may be such a cliché to have the post speed up neck snap up, but seems to work in all the shorts I see use it here and is definitely a better boo. To compensate for the performance, might be nice to bookend the piece with a freeze frame like the one at the top. As far as the camera, I didn’t feel like I knew where in the frame you wanted us to look or what the shot was “about”. And with that I would ask the question: “Is that moment played out as you pictured it and does it have the effect you wished?
• God that walk off into the sunset with the badass CC beautiful evocative totally pro like so much of this baby. Awesome.

Really looked great. Really liked the score. My overall impression is that this is a film made by someone with lots of talent and lots of vision. Like Mickey Mouse in Fantasia, you can flick your wrist and (or stroke a few keys on your NLE) and broomsticks will dance, pails of water will fly, and zombies will parade in front of ravaged cityscapes – lots and lots of wonderful big vision here. You have a lot of power and when you harness that behind a story and a single perspective within that story you will kick even more ass. It seems like “Luper” is your “Heavenly Creatures” and “Pestilence” is your “Frighteners”. Peter Jackson said he couldn’t have made “Lord of the Rings” so successfully had he not made the very successful “Heavenly Creatures” and then the less successful “Frighteners” because by making the “Frighteners” he learned how NOT to balance the SFX with the human story, so that he could do so successfully in “LOTR”. “Luper” did have a consistent POV and felt like it was all in service of that POV and story – like “Heavenly Creatures” so next I’m sure we’ll see something on par with “LOTR” from you. :thumbsup: You have both muscles, and I know you can use them together.

Thanks for making this fun to watch, entertaining, provocative film.:beer:

Best,

Jack

 

[J.R. Hudson]

Holy mother of....

What a glowing review and the detail and insight are much appreciated. And this coming from the Director of SHED which is one of the few select standouts in this FEST; thank you thank you........ (Graciously)

All of your thoughts seem appropriate and spot on. I can not argue any of the faults in this short nor can I justify them. I think the biggest reward for me is to have people recognize that I am growing (as you all have seen me start at Point A).

I will continue to grow and learn and always welcome the insight of my peers.

Thank you!!! (Bashfully)

 

[Barry_S]

Having seen an early rough cut of this film, I can really appreciate the magic you pulled out of a hat to create the final product. The cutting work you did is impressive considering the structural problems you faced. There's not a lot of story here, but you pulled it together for a cool ride and at no point does the film drag aimlessly. Kudos to Rich for those fx shots that really open up the film and double kudos to you for getting Rich's help. Filmmaking is such a collaborative art and good directing includes bringing in specialists like Rich when appropriate. Even in the rough cut, that opening scene in the street shone like a gem--it goes a long way to giving the film a "big" feel. The score is excellent, but maybe a bit overpowering at times. Your foley and sfx work is solid and adds a lot as well. The acting of the main character is sort of weak, but you effectively minimize the problems with your cutting. Overall, my biggest suggestion is to really think about fitting a tight logical story into your shorts. A lot of your instincts really lean towards building the structure of a feature, so either just go make a goddamn feature or tailor your story and structure appropriately for a short film If you find a good script and some professional level talent, I think you'll be unstoppable.

 

[J.R. Hudson]

Thank you Barry. (Barry was a sorta muse for me during production; frantic emails and rough cuts sent to him screaming "What the hell is this crap?!"

I give him a nod towards helping guide me somewhat in my struggles (see structural problems he mentions). I gave hjim a nod inthe credits if you look closely for this very reason.

Thanks for taking the time to look at the final cut; I would have sworn you would have been sick of it by now. My next short will have a STORY. I swear.

 

[Monglane]

Not harsh at all! Thanks for replying. Any specifics?

John, you asked for specifics, so here goes :

1. "The events in this short film are true" : this serves no purpose IMO, unless it is some kind of fun reference to another zombie movie (I readily admit my zombie movie culture is minimal).

2. The Gothic font for the quote : anachronistic IMO, difficult to read and too big.

3. Still image (or freeze frame) of the girl at the beginning : I don't see what purpose it serves. I would have cut directly to the second shot (guy running with burning bridge in the background), which is nicely done.

4. Still images of comet and monkey : I'm wondering why they are there... Is that to tell us that a comet was reponsible for the zombie outbreak ? Or that monkeys were somehow involved in the spreading of the disease ? I'm not sure what to think.

5. Zombie feasting on lady : not a very convicing scene, as was said by other people. I would have put the camera in a lower position, so as to have the zombie's head emerge in a more scaring manner (with more blood on his face !). Also, it looks like that lady tries to sit up at the end of the shot, alhtough she must be quite dead...

6. Shot of the girl walking/running holding her arm : why is that there ? I think what you meant to say (the main female charcater reminisces what happened before) was established well enough by the opening shot.

7. The first pan is interesting because of all the action but the camera banks a bit from left to right. Steadicam problem ? The same issue appears also in the next shots.

8. The girl driver's face is partly hidden by the wheel and her hand on it... and whatever is left of that face doesn't "say" much, so why keep the camera on her when it's her passenger that's talking ? Tracking right to left from driver to passenger and then to an approaching zombie could have been more interesting (with a nice rack focus to boot) :thumbsup:

9. The "car won't start" thingy *is* a little overused... and while it does convey the feeling of panic and urgency, it surprised me that the two girls thereafter proceeded to chat almost quietly for a moment before resuming the "let's get this thing started" activity...

10. The whole shooting/driving away sequence is well filmed and edited, with the right pace to it.

11. At about 03:04, there is a fade to a street scene with an apparently dead body, but the location is different from the previous scene and I wondered what it meant and who was that dead person...

General look and feel of images : quite "grainy", definition not up to par... maybe the compression settings are at fault here.

Anyway, those were my main points.

 

[J.R. Hudson]

John, you asked for specifics, so here goes :

1. "The events in this short film are true" : this serves no purpose IMO, unless it is some kind of fun reference to another zombie movie (I readily admit my zombie movie culture is minimal).

Homage to The Return of the LIving Dead; they use the same title card in their opening. Just paying respect! :cheesy:

2. The Gothic font for the quote : anachronistic IMO, difficult to read and too big.

I have gotten mixed reactions on this font design; the QOUTE is from Boccaccio in reference to the Bubonic Plague; I changed the last line from Paradise and/or heaven (depends onthe translation) to HELL. The FONT design was in reference to the period.

3. Still image (or freeze frame) of the girl at the beginning : I don't see what purpose it serves. I would have cut directly to the second shot (guy running with burning bridge in the background), which is nicely done.

A subjective choice and stylistic choice. It's a 5 minute short so it is just a freeze frame and focal point of the short (IN this case the girl)

4. Still images of comet and monkey : I'm wondering why they are there... Is that to tell us that a comet was reponsible for the zombie outbreak ? Or that monkeys were somehow involved in the spreading of the disease ? I'm not sure what to think.

MOre homage and maybe questions for those that get it. The COMET is in reference to ROMEROS NIght of the LIving Dead, the VIRUS is in reference to RESIDENT EVIL and the MONKEY Is reference to Danny Boyle's 28 DAYS LATER. It is suppossed to rasie question and not make a statement. The point being WE DONT KNOW

5. Zombie feasting on lady : not a very convicing scene, as was said by other people. I would have put the camera in a lower position, so as to have the zombie's head emerge in a more scaring manner (with more blood on his face !). Also, it looks like that lady tries to sit up at the end of the shot, alhtough she must be quite dead...

I think you mean look up with the camera? (The camera was at ground level; street level). I agree this scene is just not GORY and convinving. It could have been cool; but just fails. SHE GETS UP because she is now a ZOMBIE. Alot of people seem to miss this connection; nevertheless; a poorly executed idea.

6. Shot of the girl walking/running holding her arm : why is that there ? I think what you meant to say (the main female charcater reminisces what happened before) was established well enough by the opening shot.

Not sure why you don't get this part? The short revolves around this character. The idea was to tell the story as she makes her journey to the UNDEAD or the CHANGING; it's just a shot of the girl and not meant to have a profound effect on anyone.

7. The first pan is interesting because of all the action but the camera banks a bit from left to right. Steadicam problem ? The same issue appears also in the next shots.

You can chalk it up to STeadicam; I only had so many opportunities to get this shot (We were going Guerilla in the street and traffic was picking up). I've seen worse Steadicam work so I'm not sweating it. It was never meant to be a flawless ER SHOT; so given the chaos I was not bothered at all by the movement. IN fact, one of my favorite shots are the next two subsequnet shots where the glidecam seems to FLOAT into the action.... The GLidecam is a ***** and I profess to not being a pro with it.

8. The girl driver's face is partly hidden by the wheel and her hand on it... and whatever is left of that face doesn't "say" much, so why keep the camera on her when it's her passenger that's talking ? Tracking right to left from driver to passenger and then to an approaching zombie could have been more interesting (with a nice rack focus to boot)

A subjective choice? I feel you can see her eyes and that tells the story. We already kow she is stressed. Why the shot? It is homage to yet another film; HITCHCOCKS PHYCHO when Janet LEigh is driving it is a ONE SHOT with this COMP

As far as the tracking? Keeping the camera on her is just a SPLIT EDIT; I was trying to convey that she wasn't really listening or concerned at the moment that her passenger was talking BUT that she was more concerned with starting the car. (As far as your idea? I'll try that next time And yeah, a RACK FOCUS would be great.)

9. The "car won't start" thingy *is* a little overused... and while it does convey the feeling of panic and urgency, it surprised me that the two girls thereafter proceeded to chat almost quietly for a moment before resuming the "let's get this thing started" activity...

The dialogue is very weak in this scene and as Barry mentinos above I literally cut and chopped away as much fat as possible! The car starting issue? It has been used but I'm starting to think in how many movies? Can we think of more than 5 examples? Or are we assuming this? Its a cliche for sure; but why not? Its a fun one and your worst nightmare during this scenario. UNfortunatley we didnt capture the MANICNESS like we should have with the girls.

10. The whole shooting/driving away sequence is well filmed and edited, with the right pace to it.

Hey! There's one thing you like! Thanks.

11. At about 03:04, there is a fade to a street scene with an apparently dead body, but the location is different from the previous scene and I wondered what it meant and who was that dead person...

No in fact its the the same corner that we see when the girls are talking. All of this scence takes place on one block. Look again and you will see.

It merely implies more chaos as the GOV SUV bails. Another dead body; carnage inthe streets.

General look and feel of images : quite "grainy", definition not up to par... maybe the compression settings are at fault here.

I went for a really grainy look on the conceptual shots and have been told the girl scenes were almost too clean for this short. So hmmm.

It appears this short just doesnt work for you at all; which is the way it is sometimes. (and you've gone to great lengths you have gone to PICK IT APART! :thumbsup: :cheesy: :huh: :lipsrseal :undecided :shocked: ) This is fine and I really apprreciate the insight you have brought to the short. Personalyl I hate every second of it.

No really; hopefully I answered some issues you mayb have about this. Thanks for taking the time to really put some thought into it! It's refreshing to hear someone bag on it cause I generally I agree. :shocked: :cheesy: :thumbup:

 

[Monglane]

John, many thanks for taking the time to answer and comment. I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future... and I agree with everything you said regarding pre-production work and planning ! Lol !

 

[Curugon]

I think it's great Pestilence has gotten this kind of discussion. It deserves it!

What do you have planned for the future, John? let me know if I can be of any help.

 

[Final Design Studios]

Yikes, there has been so much said already.

But here are a couple of my coins for you.

I have to get this out of the way. I REALLY dislike the freeze frames. I've never liked them in any movie, not just yours. It totally takes me out of the event when suddenly the movement stops. If it were slo-mo, fine. When you totally stop all that was happening, especially in a tense moment, it grinds the nails on the chalkboard for me. The nature of film is movement, you want still......take a picture.

Whew, first hurdle over.

Okay, I liked you piece alot. It seemed like you did alot of new things and tried to grow as a filmmaker, just like JP said. I give you chops there, not alot of people would go out of their comfort zone.

Some of your new things worked, some of them didn't. I loved the epic feel. I thought your editing was pretty close to being seamless, a few things here and there felt choppy, but overall really good job.

Loved your camera work, you took shakey-cam and used it to a perfect degree. I never was lost in the shot, I always knew what was going on.

I don't like the "jumpy" timeline. I like stories to be told chronologically. I'm a bit old fashioned that way.

I don't think that the VO in the beginning is really necessary. Actually, it wouldn't feel so out of place if it weren't so biblical. "And the cities of the nations fell" A little over the top for me.

Title was over the top as well, bright red font is too old school daddy-o. :grin:

Also the font on the quote "The victims ate lunch..." I don't jive with that font either. Sometimes basic is good. I'm a minimalist at heart when it comes to graphic design.

Actings been spoken for, I agree.

I don't like the transitions, the wipes. Reminds me of Star Wars. So damn george lucas for ruining transisitons for me.

I think your story made a really easy mistep. It assumed we knew too much. With all the monkeys, comets, and virus's. Some things don't need to be explained, others are begging for it. I don't think it would have mattered how zombies started in yours.

THINGS I LOVE!!!!!
I made that all caps so you could just scroll down if you wanted.

I love the shot of the lone shirtless zombie dude stumbling towards the camera with the destruction in the background. This shot is my favorite in yours, hands down.

Your short from 2:28 to 3:00 is fantastic. The best part of the whole thing. Its here that everything completely gels and I can see what your were really going for.

Your CC. I think that a little bit more grit wouldn't have hurt. But I'm not sure how you're going to dirty up the town for your little film without some legal issues. Love the high contrast and the saturated colors. Reminds me very much of Dawn 2004. (one of my fav zombie movies).

Good sound. But I've never considered this to be a weak point for you. Love the mix of everything, music, effects, dialog. not bad at all.

Well gee, I hate for you to think that I thought it was terrible, because it wasn't. Its still one of the best I've seen in this tiny....I mean huge, contest we're having. Its just so easy for me to see the things I would have done differently. Although, I would have made my own mistakes I'm sure. It's nice to see you going for the whole epic scale. It added alot of value to the piece.

So now that you've tried new things. I encourage you to either refine them to the point where they feel right, or drop them altogether. You're so close to something extremely top notch, so close.


DISCLAIMER: Reviews are always subjective, so take what you want and leave the rest. I got my personal preference and you shouldn't hold yourself to it if it doesn't seem right. I on the other hand, will continue thinking my word is that of God because it works well for me.

:beer: Bottoms up! Its drinking time!

 

[Ralph Oshiro]

(We were going Guerilla in the street and traffic was picking up).

HOLY ****, JOHN! I was so WONDERING how you got that shot! Jesus! That was a GREAT scene! All with no permit, no insurance, and no traffic control? KUDOS!!!

 

[Final Design Studios]

Johns a mad man, he don't care about no law!

He's a cowboy rebel to the max!

 

[J.R. Hudson]

Thanks Bob for the detail. I appreciate it and am absorbing it.

NBC

Technically no film permit was needed and they asked me the following questions:

1. Will you be blocking traffic?
2. Will there be use of firearms?

It's a grey area don't you think?

 

[Ralph Oshiro]

No, typically not gray at all. You shot in a "NICE" city. City of Los Angeles, and Burbank REQUIRE permits for shooting ANYTHING, ANYWHERE within their city limits. Say you're shooting in your front yard--you need a permit, insurance, and a possible fire marshall site inspection (that YOU pay for at $85/hour, 4-hour minimum). No wonder everybody shoots in Canada. Anyway, good for you, John. Great scene!

 

[belarussian2001]

John,

Couple of quick comments before I go to sleep. Title: I'm voting no. I got that it was supposed to look campy, but it didn't fit with the feel of the piece, IMO. My favorite was the First/Last sequence of the girl walking. Like Taubkin said, the ending is usually the kicker and I pretty much saw where it was headed, but I didn't care because it was a well painted picture. Another positive. I could follow the plot (except for the monkey, was he a zombie monkey?-JK) which puts your film ahead of a lot I've seen so far--maybe I'm just too obtuse to follow the other ones, who knows.

The int. car scene was a bit of a turn off. I know the harsh language was supposed to bring out the urgency of the situation, but it kninda served to bring out the sub-par acting performance in that scene (note: Not bad actors, just a less than perfect performance)-it was words without purpose. Does this make sense? The other thing was the car scene lighting seemed to change in the middle of the scene.

Okay, so those are my initial thoughts...but I have to end with this...your film is the only one that actually made me jump---that's pretty awesome on a 17" monitor. And knew it was coming-!-when the girl gets her arm bitten. That was great. Good job.

 

[Ought2bCommitted]

I'm not sure what I can bring to the table with this one that hasn't already been said or been said better, but here goes.

I liked the visual style a lot. What's not to like? I didn't mind the title or opening graphics. I kind of liked them. Very 50s sci-fi feel.

The effects were all executed well from zombie to burning city. Impressive.

What I felt was lacking was story. There was no reason to care about her. The scene in the car was very cookie cutter B movie in the writing and the bad acting. It felt like 15 other movies.

Overall, I enjoyed the piece because I was impressed by the visuals. The ones that have stayed with me are the ones with a more fleshed out, sorry for the pun, story.

Really great work! It gives me something to look forward to and to strive for.

Robert

 

[Slimothy]

Okay....Here is my official review...I'm sure it will be a redundant as there are 100 posts on this thread. I like how on the first shots you went out of focus for a sec, then back in...nice touch. The CG done by Rich Lee is pretty cool. Definately a ballsy choice. Although I think it still looks kinda fake, but so does alot of the big budget CG. Someone probably already mentioned it, but at :41 seconds it looks as if part of a matte box or something has dipped in frame?(top right hand corner)

The guy eating the girl's stomach isn't really that believable. I would've like to see him really dig in, here he kinda bites her shirt and looks up. I think the girl looks pretty good though when she's convulsing then gets up. The blood also looks a bit too purplish although that may be due to the overall color correction (which I like by the way, kinda greenish tint works well w/ the style.)

Every time I watch it I change my mind about the titles. One day I like it, the next day I don't. Today I do, yesterday I didn't. Just ask me every other day from here on out and you should be goodI like how the camera zooms on the still picture of the girl during the title, gives the old-school feel.

"5:02 AM"-Looked like it was Noon. The street scene looked really good, what did you use to hold the camera, it kinda fluidly circles it's way through the street. Fig Rig?

The Acting I'm sure has been extensively covered. When the world is under attack by zombies it doesn't seem real to me that they would be saying things like "at least I have a ****ing car"-just seems unnatural to me.

Liked the SUV scene, camera work and all this scene was pretty cool, although you should've shown the headshot on the girl. Sound f/x from the guns were really good too. So many of the shorts gunshot sounds really sucked. The discombobulating camera work right around 3:04 I didn't really get. I noticed it so it must've been distracting.

It shows the girl walking in the beginning and throughout signifying time has passed (how much we don't know) so when it reveals that she is a zombie w/ the contacts and blood I think she looks WAY too clean. I think some more black soot style makeup, or more dark around the eyes would've sold her alot better. She just didn't look like a zombie to me at all. Blood on her lips, but not on her teeth, etc. Her walk in the end was good. Looked cool, the whole shot was set up nice.

I see how you kinda told the story backwards w/ the girl walking already infected in the beginning, and then you showing how it came to be, but I think you could have had a little more story. Not much happens throughout. You also finished a minute shorter which I think could have been used to develope more of a story. Of all the films, this one definately captured the chaos that would eventually ensue the best. I was expecting a bit more gore from you also!! I been telling people what I scored them but to give you an idea of how you did against some of the others:

Pestilence-7
The Shed-9
Texas Fortune-9
The Livings End-6
Shot in the dark-8 or 9

I'd really appreciate any comments you have on Human Endeavor:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V3/showthread.php?t=34759
Tim.

 

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Hudson's thread has 500 more views than the Fest bug thread, LOL. :grin:

 

[TC]

Anyone actually suprised by that?

 

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Anyone actually suprised by that?

No ... but LOL I say, damn you!

...make that 502

 

[J.R. Hudson]

First of all thank you very much for the detailed and insightful commentary; all of these critiques are very much valued and is helping me learn what works and what does not. Your review is on the way Slim (I'm gonna get to all of them people!)

...but at :41 seconds it looks as if part of a matte box or something has dipped in frame?(top right hand corner)

That is a bridge. I am underneath it on the otherside as she is walking down the hill towards me adn the underpass. I can see where this may distract an audience if they don't know the bridge is there. I'll pay more attention in the future.

The guy eating the girl's stomach isn't really that believable. I would've like to see him really dig in, here he kinda bites her shirt and looks up. I think the girl looks pretty good though when she's convulsing then gets up. The blood also looks a bit too purplish although that may be due to the overall color correction (which I like by the way, kinda greenish tint works well w/ the style.)

I know I know; everytime I see that part I wan't to scream. I hate it more than you do I promise.

Every time I watch it I change my mind about the titles. One day I like it, the next day I don't. Today I do, yesterday I didn't. Just ask me every other day from here on out and you should be goodI like how the camera zooms on the still picture of the girl during the title, gives the old-school feel.

I gotta stick with them; has a Devils Rejects vibe for me. I can see whereas some do and some do not like them however; it's a gamble.

"5:02 AM"-Looked like it was Noon. The street scene looked really good, what did you use to hold the camera, it kinda fluidly circles it's way through the street. Fig Rig?

Yes I know the time was whacky. That is 1 minute after the end time in RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD; just trying to be clever

The Acting I'm sure has been extensively covered. When the world is under attack by zombies it doesn't seem real to me that they would be saying things like "at least I have a ****ing car"-just seems unnatural to me.

This is a combination of no script for actors and no pre-production (rehearsal time) for them. But the reailty is they just can't act. This was a girl who I worked with who 'took' acting lesson's for like EVER and I just assumed she could act. I'll never make that mistake again.

Liked the SUV scene, camera work and all this scene was pretty cool, although you should've shown the headshot on the girl. Sound f/x from the guns were really good too. So many of the shorts gunshot sounds really sucked. The discombobulating camera work right around 3:04 I didn't really get. I noticed it so it must've been distracting.

Thanks slim. More people seem to like that sequence above everything else. I agree; showing the headshot (heading whipping back?) would have been cool. Both actressess bitched and moaned the whole time about 'How hot is was..." I was just rushing at this point. (Like the ****ing crew wasn't hot as well?) The camerawork at 3:04 sucks; at this point I'm just throwing **** in there in POST.

It shows the girl walking in the beginning and throughout signifying time has passed (how much we don't know) so when it reveals that she is a zombie w/ the contacts and blood I think she looks WAY too clean. I think some more black soot style makeup, or more dark around the eyes would've sold her alot better. She just didn't look like a zombie to me at all. Blood on her lips, but not on her teeth, etc. Her walk in the end was good. Looked cool, the whole shot was set up nice.

I do like the END WALK but next time I do a horro film I will have a dedcicated MAKE UP FX person. My zombie was a joke and an insult to the genre.

I was expecting a bit more gore from you also!!

I too expected more from myself. LOL. I am ashamed.

Pestilence-7
The Shed-9
Texas Fortune-9
Shot in the dark-8 or 9

Identical what I scored the films. Yes; I even scored my own film a 7.