Scene from my short film - Thoughts please on image quality

S

sstanek

Member
Hi Everyone,
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.
If anyone is curious please take a look at this link http://vimeo.com/25858519 password: mitchmitch
I shot this scene in exactly one hour with available light, I run and gunned it because of the firepit in the scene. I didn't want to get busted, we were shooting next to the train tracks in Burbank.

I'm still trying to get a clean image out of my AF100, I'm getting obsessed about pixel peeping and all that stuff. I'd really appreciate your thoughts on the the look and feel of the scene. Don't hold back. Sound is temp.

Thanks
 
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Thank you for checking it out Chuck. I kept the ISO at 400. I used the Voigt 25mm at .95 and for the CU's I used the Nikon 135mm 2.0.
I'm out of town and don't have the camera with me. As soon as I get back I'll give you the settings.
 
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The noisy bokeh balls was kinda distracting. I kept looking at them. Looks like noise or compression made them pick up static. Never noticed that before. Something about the dialog felt a bit unnatural, but that could just be my take on a single scene without any context. I thought it looked nice. The guy on the right was a little too dark though.
 
The noise in the Bokeh balls was a direct result from the heat waves as I shot over the fire. The dialog is a matter of taste and I appreciate your honesty on that. Yes, the guy on the right turned out to be a little darker. I'm just happy I was able to get the scene before the cops showed up. We were pretty rushed so somethings fell through the cracks. I had 3 other people to help, we were short handed. Thanks for checking it out.
 
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Snazzy Flapper said:
The noisy bokeh balls was kinda distracting. I kept looking at them. Looks like noise or compression made them pick up static. Never noticed that before. Something about the dialog felt a bit unnatural, but that could just be my take on a single scene without any context. I thought it looked nice. The guy on the right was a little too dark though.
Click to expand...

Thats not noise its the heat ripples.


I think it looks quite stunning.
 
Wow, that is very good. I really liked it. I think the image quality is very good. I mean, I understand the guerrilla nature of the shoot... which is where I live and breathe also, but If I had my "Druthers", and a bit of budget, It would be nice to see the warm firelight on the two gentleman contrasted with maybe a colder, bluer background light. I understand that was not possible for this film. Maybe, though, in a similar guerrilla situation, you might want to think about just a tad bit of edge light, or back light, to give your subjects some separation. At the light levels you are working with, and the glass that you have, you could do this with inexpensive xenon flashlights. Even if just hand held, they could give a nice little edge, and some separation. Just a suggestion, ya know.

My only real complaint, is not about the image quality, but about the props. The liquor bottles, while not probably TOP SHELF, are for spirits that I believe would probably not be consumed by individuals represented by your characters, in the setting they are in. I know, that is very nit picky... and I apologize, but it did catch my attention. I hate being that guy, sorry again. When I saw what they were drinking out of I couldn't help but think, well, I guess that you used left over spirit bottles from your last party! I spent quit a bit of time in the very low income inner city environment (I worked as a Paramedic in and around Detroit Michigan for almost 20 years) and had the honor of serving individuals like your characters. The spirits of choice would probably be plastic half pint bottles of inexpensive rum, vodka or gin. On a good day, a full pint might be consumed at a time. Like I said, your choice of props is a very nit picky complaint for such a good film. It is just that little details like that are important, IMHO. However, in the context of your film, which I think is very good, it is a minor point.

I also liked your audio. How did you mic the talent? What did you record to? It was very good. Well done on that.


I really liked your film. Great job. My little critiques are just minor points actually. Thanks for sharing.
 
Really liked the "bokeh balls". Yep, heat waves from the fire rippling across them was great. And I like when a DP lets some shots go dark. Too often scenes are just too well lit. This isn't radio folks, its about the imagery and how it carries a scene. In this case I think the soft rendering of light sources added a beautiful tone to the scene which conveys the heartfelt sentiment of the main character. Nicely done all around, sstanek.
 
David G. Smith,
I let the actors pick the bottles, I figured they are the ones in that situation and there isn't really a right or wrong because they could have found those bottles in life anywhere and would drink just about anything. I felt they looked a bit awkward and liked that it wasn't overly designed and perfect. I do appreciate you pointing it out.
As far as separating with a bit of rim lighting that was not possible in that situation but I didn't really mind it not looking like there was not a lot of source lighting and sticking with what was available was important. As I said I did not have much time and I did not want to draw more attention to myself as this was totally a stolen shot. At one point a real homeless guy came up to me and asked if I had permits...only in Hollywood. I understand and appreciate your comments they are very valid and I have other shots in this film that have those elements of design.

I used Sennheiser lavs with Sanken mics. It was a bit challenging because I was getting a lot of interference. I recorded in camera. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch and comment.
 
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I liked it a lot. My attention was drawn from the actors to the bokeh in the shot. The audio sounded great, nice little script.
 
Great job.

The "look" really works for me ...and especially when I consider how under resourced you were.
Working with what you had (time and lighting wise) and getting this result is a credit to you.

I liked the scene, the dialogue and the acting.
 
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