Scene 1 test build of a Sci-Fi-ish feature

Rakesh Jacob

Rakesh Jacob

Veteran
Just completed day 1 of a new feature me and my fellow "infoPimps" are embarking on. I was too damn excited and thought I'd do a test build of the footage I had.

The hopeful feature is called HyperStrain and is about a Pharmacuticle company that is manufacturing a highly powerful, addictive and dangerous illegal drug named UltraBlack.
Maybe it's not so much Sci-Fi and more of a Suspense Thirller. I'm not really good at labeling things unless their GoshDamn NeoCons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rECiMbM5LNQ
Anyway it's youtube.... yada yada yada, compression, yada yada, not as dark and crapy in person, yada yada yada, ever in Houston just drop by the house so I can show you in person and maybe we could watch re-runs of Andy Griffith and be best friends forever :violin:

Just incase anyone doesn't think it completely sucks and wants some technical details.
1) Plain old DVX100a (Was waiting for $MONEY$ for adapter but... ok, I'll be honest, I'm kind of a bum and dependent on my wife and she just doesn't get it, you know what I'm saying? I'm all like telling her how "freaking rich and famous I'm gonna be if just had SHLLOWER DEPTH OF FIELD," and she's like "all the credit cards are allready filled up with the rest of your crap," and I'm like "SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD. WHAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND? It's like I'm talking to a retarded monkey." So anyway she'll probably kill me before this feature is finished because, ok, I'll be honest again, not only am I a bum, I'm also verbaly abusive.)
2) Lighiting... I love dramatic lighting, love it, love it, love it! I tried a higher key at first and it looked like a damn sitcom (it felt like Ross and Rachel were gonna walk into the kitchen and Rachel was gonna say, "Oh my God Ross a dead black guy." Ross: "I know, Monica is gonna be sooo pissed.") But I digress... I used available lighiting: 1 over the range, 1 over the sink and 1 on a fan behind the camera position. If I needed extra ambient light for closeups I bounced in a 650w soft light from an adjacent room.
3) Edited with Vegas 7 (This is just a test build, although I like it a lot, but I might do some stuff in After Effects with Time Ramping. Should look cool with the glass breaking and the smoking and what not.)
4) Color: DVX 24pa (Scene file 6 with minor adjustments, can't remember exactly what) Vegas 7 Color Curves, Crash blacks slightly and bump highlights a chesthair or two.
5) Music is just stand in (for now) from the Davinci Code. Please don't tell the Jesuits, Knights Templar or Tom Hanks!!!:embarasse
 
Pretty good thus far. I am not one to tell you what you "should" or "shouldn't" do with your project, but its cool from what I've seen. Keep at it!
 
Personally, were it me, I'd try for a different lighting scheme. Shadows and light tell us what to focus on, providing exposition without forcing it onto the viewer. Color sets our mood. Write down what you're trying to convey, and use that.

If I were the one shooting this, I'd use three lights. One on the counter with the glass. Another, dimmer light, on the door (so the shot doesn't look off kilter) and a third, much brighter light, on the actor to provide focus. In AE I'd play with the levels to crush the blacks a bit and desaturate the whole image, except for the liquid. I'd bring up the greens on a seperate layer. Then once he drinks maybe re-saturate everything and oversaturate the greens. The use of shadows to tell the audience where to look, and color to convey what's happening.

On the plus side : I really like the blood.
Negatory : that cut when he finally lit the cig. That was detracting.
 
FallenWyvern said:
Personally, were it me, I'd try for a different lighting scheme. Shadows and light tell us what to focus on, providing exposition without forcing it onto the viewer. Color sets our mood. Write down what you're trying to convey, and use that.

If I were the one shooting this, I'd use three lights. One on the counter with the glass. Another, dimmer light, on the door (so the shot doesn't look off kilter) and a third, much brighter light, on the actor to provide focus. In AE I'd play with the levels to crush the blacks a bit and desaturate the whole image, except for the liquid. I'd bring up the greens on a seperate layer. Then once he drinks maybe re-saturate everything and oversaturate the greens. The use of shadows to tell the audience where to look, and color to convey what's happening.

On the plus side : I really like the blood.
Negatory : that cut when he finally lit the cig. That was detracting.
Click to expand...

Thnx for the responses guys.
The final color correction isn't done. I have to crush it a lot more to create the shadows I want. And actually I've been playing with MB and the "Big Country" setting is dope for the green look. I always pictured the scene pushed green that's wny I placed a bunch of green stuff in the scene like the koolaid, koolaid packs, dish soap and tony chachere's etc... The big country is really bright but the greens look awesome and pushing the hell outta the contrast on that preset looks dope.

The cig lighting throws me off too, it looks sooooo fake. I put in just to stretch time to fit the accents on the music I was using. I plan to cut it out for the final edit.

Once again thnx:thumbsup:
 
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