SINAMON PRODUCTIONS presents "FALLING"

[Zak Forsman]

i enjoyed the fight choreography, simon. thought the VO (even if it was luis caffesse) kind of killed the moment at the end by overstating it. nice work!

 

[stinkpot]

Hey. Great sound effects! I also really like the girl with the axe thing. As stated above, you can do without the voice-over. Good overall.

:beer:

 

[neosnare]

Loved the action! Especially the leg chop and the axe to the head (plus the run up shot before the axe was very well done, I liked having it all in one shot) Also, great locations, especially the bridge - it was cool seeing the climb up the side!

I do have to agree about the VO though, felt it would be better without it.

Overall, kick-ass short, I'd definitely be interested to see another story with those zombie creatures, that was a sweet effect!

 

[darkrequiem1134]

looks and sounds wicked BA cant wait to check this one in the voting

 

[Simon Höfer]

Woohoo! Simon - killer stunt action.
I watched your falling from that bridge about 10 times to be sure it´s no strings.

Also nice VFX. Realy liked the look of teh fighting scenes.
Verry Gladiatorish. Super fast shutter?

I have to confess I´m not sure I got the meaning in the end.

By the way, where is the second axe? I know you bought 2. Huh?

Frank

P.S. Did I miss the socket?

Thanks Frank! Definitely no wires

We actually wanted to use a higher shutter speed, but it was too dark in the forrest. There's lots of motion blur, which didn't help on the VFX end either.

You did see both axes in the film. One of them was grinded off, so it fit to the actors head. And the other one was used for the running scene and where she put the axe down.

And yes, you DID miss the socket, it is there


I'll answer to the other reviews later, but thanks alot already!

 

[hoz]

simon



SPOILER



awesome work!!!! the locations were spot on and so was the fighitng! man, you did an amazing job with making it all work so well. the shootings and the axe chops looked great! too cool when you sprayed the blood all over the place. i don't really know what the story was about but then again you showed enough cool things that i didnt even mind.

everyone else said it already but lose the voice over. i had no idea what was going on and the voice over didnt change things one way or the other. the creepy smiley guy did not disappoint!!!

your short showed a ton of work, i cant imagine what you would do with a solid kick butt story, great job!

 

[galbach]

Awesome work Simon... I loved the overall look and effects they were perfect!

 

[ZazaCast]

Excellent Film!!! This was very well done Simon...really good work. Loved all the camera moves and your shot choices. Wicked VFX! I was diggin' the grading too...the look really set the mood right from the start. Score kicked as much ass as you did! The only thing I can comment on in a negative sense was the VO... it pulled me out of the moment.

The chick on the bridge with the axe...brillant! (not to take anything away from your fight scenes or back flip... but the girl is alwys easier on the eyes!)

Excellent job to the cast & crew... this is sure to get one of my highest ratings.

 

[Maximus]

Simon, I really enjoyed your film. Specifically, that She-devil with the axe is the coolest thing I've ever seen on dvxuser! I've watched it a dozen times. I think part of the reason I enjoy it so much is it reminds me of my favorite commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8 A great unexpected surge of energy!

I also thought you did a great job on the makeup fx. Very original. You handled the action and stunts very well.

The story was not so strong. It felt more like a piece of a longer story.

You obviously put a lot of effort into this, and it shows. Great job! :beer:

 

[Simon Höfer]

Hey guys,
sorry that I didn't reply to most of the reviews yet. Haven't had much time during the last days. Have to catch up watching all the entries and to comment on their threads.

Did someone actually like the Voiceover? Hm, it never came to my mind that the VO would be such a problem, in my head it played just fine :evil: I have to thank Luis Caffesse for doing this though. You did a great job! It is purely my fault of not knowing any better. But that's why I am here, right?

Dang. 380.00? Very cool. You should also tell the female in the beginning she could have a career in doubling/falling. That was a very well done dead man she performed with no wires!

Good job, dude. Even if action fest doesn't roll around I'm looking forward to your next short if that's what it's going to be. At first thought I think this has the best action sequences I've seen on DVXuser. I'll have to keep thinking but I'm pretty sure.

Very well done stuff.

Hey Kholi,

I'll tell her about your compliments. Clarissa definitely did an amazing job!

And thanks again for your praise! Action fest would be my cup of tea, but I don't think it will happen either, now that we've got the themes going. Well, I could always do an action flick, but I think I am probably not participating in the next fest.

I watched yours first this morning, awesome SPFX...
Pauly

Thanks man, watched yours first aswell!

I'm impressed that you managed to pull off those action scenes without a stunt team.

The score and special effects were also highlights.

Agreed about what other reviewers said about the V.O.

You could say, perhaps, that this one is a little thin on story, but I get that you were aiming for something action packed (you succeeded), and it's hard to do that in such a short time.

I'm looking forward to watch more of your films.

Thanks man! I knew from the beginning that the story is not the essential part of this film

Just wanted to add.... great work for such a low budget! You will rule Action Fest someday.

Thx Mike. Yeah, that would be sweet!

Simon, my hat goes off to you. I like your style. The kill shots in here were really good. You'll have to tell me how you accomplished some of those. I was definately entertained.

Going to talk about a few effects later. Thanks alot and I am glad you were entertained!

I agree with the voiceover it feels tacked on, unnecessary but really that SPFX was fantastic, good work.

Thx!

Nice work. This one had me cheering when I saw those first stunts.

Thanks!

Whoa, you did back flip there!

Great job, very original, I like the sword and use of the ball. SFX are great and very realistic and credit to the music, perfectly fits the whole theme.
Oh yea, where's the second axe?

As said before, both axes were used in the film. One was grinded off, so it fit to the actors head and the other one was intact.

Yeah, did the backflip. Quite some self conquest for the first attempts, but after a few times I got used to it.

really nice action sequences in this. I also like the color grading, it felt european foresty to me and that is probably bc it was shot in one. top notch vfx with the faces. Story a little one dimensional but over all high quality and high on the coolness quotient. Lose the V.O.

Thanks! Always nice to get sch valuable input, especially from someone like you!

Great location, Simon. Loved the gun shots, blood, and stunts. -- Definitely your strong point.

I second bosindy. Ditch the voiceover. It did nothing for your film, and the voice was certainly not cut out for it. He sounded cynical, too young, as if he was mimicking the voice of the trailer-voice-guy and wasn't pulling it off.

As a matter of fact, the voiceover killed it for me.

Otherwise, beautiful job, Simon! I found myself replaying the sequence when the zombie-witch-chick was shot to the ground. GREAT STUNT!!

Thanks Kyle! Sad that the voiceover killed it for you though.

The shot of the girl is also one of my favorite parts!

Simon, that was awesome, dude! You're the mutha poo pooin' MAN!

Ha, thank you so much Tom! Just replied to you PM aswell.

I want the second axe Simon. You promised us axes (multiple) not ax (singular). Nice stunts dude. I gotta go through and watch it again, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. Will give a more thorough review later. For right now: you poo pooing rock!

Thanks Rodney! Looking forward to your thourough review. As said before, you saw both axes! But I think you shouldn't be disappointed, I threw in a sword and a gun :evil:

HAH!

Ok... I didn't get the last line about "falling hard to have your eyes opened" but man, what a great little short... I enjoyed the ride, and really loved the visuals... also, not sure if anyone's mentioned this but the costume choices were right on, paired with the great accessories like the sword, etc. Nice work.

Thanks for your detailed review Brandon

that was actually very similar to the sword I'd chosen for Blood & Coffee... glad I didn't use it.

Hehe, can#t wait for your film man!

Now that was one kick ass soundtrack. Everything else was good, but soundtrack was WOAH!!!!

Nice work Simon. Story was a little flat, as were some of the shots, but vfx, stunts and soundtrack were excellent.

Yeah, Herman Witkam did an amazing job on the soundtrack. Can't say enought good things about him

i enjoyed the fight choreography, simon. thought the VO (even if it was luis caffesse) kind of killed the moment at the end by overstating it. nice work!

Thanks for your input Zak!

Hey. Great sound effects! I also really like the girl with the axe thing. As stated above, you can do without the voice-over. Good overall.

Thank you

Loved the action! Especially the leg chop and the axe to the head (plus the run up shot before the axe was very well done, I liked having it all in one shot) Also, great locations, especially the bridge - it was cool seeing the climb up the side!
...
Overall, kick-ass short, I'd definitely be interested to see another story with those zombie creatures, that was a sweet effect!

Thanks man! And you put a smile on my girlfriends face!

looks and sounds wicked BA cant wait to check this one in the voting

What?

simon



SPOILER



awesome work!!!! the locations were spot on and so was the fighitng! man, you did an amazing job with making it all work so well. the shootings and the axe chops looked great! too cool when you sprayed the blood all over the place. i don't really know what the story was about but then again you showed enough cool things that i didnt even mind.

everyone else said it already but lose the voice over. i had no idea what was going on and the voice over didnt change things one way or the other. the creepy smiley guy did not disappoint!!!

your short showed a ton of work, i cant imagine what you would do with a solid kick butt story, great job!

Thanks for your thorough review! I saved the solid kick butt story for my next short, so you other guys have a chance this time :evil:

Awesome work Simon... I loved the overall look and effects they were perfect!

:dankk2:

Excellent Film!!! This was very well done Simon...really good work. Loved all the camera moves and your shot choices. Wicked VFX! I was diggin' the grading too...the look really set the mood right from the start. Score kicked as much ass as you did! The only thing I can comment on in a negative sense was the VO... it pulled me out of the moment.

The chick on the bridge with the axe...brillant! (not to take anything away from your fight scenes or back flip... but the girl is alwys easier on the eyes!)

Excellent job to the cast & crew... this is sure to get one of my highest ratings.

Thank you so much Zasa!

Simon, I really enjoyed your film. Specifically, that She-devil with the axe is the coolest thing I've ever seen on dvxuser! I've watched it a dozen times. I think part of the reason I enjoy it so much is it reminds me of my favorite commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8 A great unexpected surge of energy!

I also thought you did a great job on the makeup fx. Very original. You handled the action and stunts very well.

The story was not so strong. It felt more like a piece of a longer story.

You obviously put a lot of effort into this, and it shows. Great job!

Haha, thanks man! That is one wicked commercial. I guess a running girl with an axe is always a good thing.

 

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Simon! I LOVE it! You have AMAZING progression from your timefest entry to this.

Couple of minor things, like others have said, I would get rid of the narration, it doesn't really fit.
Second, I had no idea why the guy was alive at the end...wasn't he shot? The accents sound weird...is that Germans trying to sound American? Or maybe I'm just not used to those type of German accents? I've spent time with native Germans (exchange students) so I thought I was.

Anyways, excellent job here. And I too LOVE the ax to head from running girl

 

[Bryce A]

Fun flick. Felt like it was in the vein of cemetery man, evil dead, etc… Good special effects, fun hokey acting, and competent direction. I felt the script was the biggest problem. The story and characters kind of just happened. There wasn’t much pull from one direction or the other. I’ve seen this ‘dropped in the action’ work in many films, but it just fell flat for me here. The lesson at then end was odd as well. Still, though, the film was competent and kept me watching. Besides those gripes it really was a well made flick. Plus you get points for having a horse.
Look forward to your next piece.

 

[Simon Höfer]

Simon! I LOVE it! You have AMAZING progression from your timefest entry to this.

Couple of minor things, like others have said, I would get rid of the narration, it doesn't really fit.
Second, I had no idea why the guy was alive at the end...wasn't he shot? The accents sound weird...is that Germans trying to sound American? Or maybe I'm just not used to those type of German accents? I've spent time with native Germans (exchange students) so I thought I was.

Anyways, excellent job here. And I too LOVE the ax to head from running girl

Thank you very much Shawn!

About the guy at the end. Well, I actually wanted to add some blood to his shoulder at the end, but it just got lost somewhere. And I am surpised that you are the first to ask.

About the accents. Frank should be German. originally I had planned that he sweared in german one time, but that didn't happen. The other character is talking with a russian accent and his name is Ivan. i hope that explains it.

Fun flick. Felt like it was in the vein of cemetery man, evil dead, etc… Good special effects, fun hokey acting, and competent direction. I felt the script was the biggest problem. The story and characters kind of just happened. There wasn’t much pull from one direction or the other. I’ve seen this ‘dropped in the action’ work in many films, but it just fell flat for me here. The lesson at then end was odd as well. Still, though, the film was competent and kept me watching. Besides those gripes it really was a well made flick. Plus you get points for having a horse.
Look forward to your next piece.

Thanks I knew about the story weakness from the beginning on. I started this project from an action point of view. Yes, the story and characters kind of just happened, but that was my intention. I wanted to show a small adventure, which is part of a much bigger story. I didn't want to explain the whole world and what happened before.

Ha, the horse! Was a fun shoot as well and pushed the production value up

 

[Mike Manning]

Hey Simon... can't remember if I posted a review in here..
But just wanted to say I thought it was a lot of fun. The effects are money and I really dug the choreography/fighting. Never mind the story, we get the basic character goals... get to the bridge... don't die from zombies/mutants. it's because of the basic premise that you should probably nix the VO. It's not necessary. But yeah man, great job! Congrats.

-M

PS.. did you get a chance to watch "A Work Of Art"? I can't wait to hear what you think..

 

[Steve Strickland]

That was a cool action flick!

Great job with the cinematography and editing. Your love for action movies really shines through here. The special effects looked incredible. That bridge gunshot was cool. I bet you've been waiting to show off that backflip move, huh?

Overall, the story seemed like part of a longer movie. From what I've seen, I want to watch a longer cut. The world you created drew me in.

Fine work, my man. This is one you should be proud of.

 

[Troy Ruff]

Really really good, I really enjoyed the slow motion head shot on scene one. That was great! Really camera work. I think the story was good for a short. Over all one of my top favorites. Great job!

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

Review was as I watched it (again). I watched first for enjoyment. Second time for for comments.

Voiceover has to go. Definitely not working within the story structure you set up.

Great shots, awesome CU on the witch. Good music and excellent stunts. AWESOME camera work dude. your shots are freaking awesome. Dialog needs some work though, especially some kind of explanantion as to why they need to reach the bridge.

Good shots in the woods, nice effects. Felt the fall down the hill was a little TOO much. looked like a stunt and not a real fall. Also: no bruise?

The story feels like part of a much bigger script. Maybe that's causing some problems storywise.

Great flip off the side of the brige. and the reveal of the girl with the axe ROCKED!. Awesome camerawork once again.

Now how the heck did dude survive the gunshot AND the fall? The girl didn't even seem concerned with his wounds.

Some parts of this worked for me. Dialog and story were the weakest parts, but those are easliy fixed. You have awesome skills visually and sell the action really well and I have to commend you for that. Makes me want to go and shoot and action movie now...

Dude this was a fun movie to watch (my gripes aside). Thanks for the show.

 

[Simon Höfer]

Hey Simon... can't remember if I posted a review in here..
But just wanted to say I thought it was a lot of fun. The effects are money and I really dug the choreography/fighting. Never mind the story, we get the basic character goals... get to the bridge... don't die from zombies/mutants. it's because of the basic premise that you should probably nix the VO. It's not necessary. But yeah man, great job! Congrats.

-M

PS.. did you get a chance to watch "A Work Of Art"? I can't wait to hear what you think..

Hey, thanks for your kind words!

I already watched your film. Was one of my first, but I haven't had time then to comment. Will re watch it soon and then get back to you in your thread

That was a cool action flick!

Great job with the cinematography and editing. Your love for action movies really shines through here. The special effects looked incredible. That bridge gunshot was cool. I bet you've been waiting to show off that backflip move, huh?

Overall, the story seemed like part of a longer movie. From what I've seen, I want to watch a longer cut. The world you created drew me in.

Fine work, my man. This is one you should be proud of.

Thanks man! I am definitely proud, especially after all these nice comments here Never expected that!

Well, the backflip. I actually planned a different version, but came to the conclusion that this one looks more realistic and is easier to do. Going to release a vid of the other version I did at the stunttraining.

Really really good, I really enjoyed the slow motion head shot on scene one. That was great! Really camera work. I think the story was good for a short. Over all one of my top favorites. Great job!

:dankk2:

Review was as I watched it (again). I watched first for enjoyment. Second time for for comments.

Voiceover has to go. Definitely not working within the story structure you set up.

Great shots, awesome CU on the witch. Good music and excellent stunts. AWESOME camera work dude. your shots are freaking awesome. Dialog needs some work though, especially some kind of explanantion as to why they need to reach the bridge.

Well, I left that open on purpose.

Good shots in the woods, nice effects. Felt the fall down the hill was a little TOO much. looked like a stunt and not a real fall. Also: no bruise?

Hehe, yeah. Wasn't happy with this fall either. I tried quite a few version, but I couldn't get it right. The other ones look even more staged. Probably going to release a blooper vid later.

The story feels like part of a much bigger script. Maybe that's causing some problems storywise.

Great flip off the side of the brige. and the reveal of the girl with the axe ROCKED!. Awesome camerawork once again.

Now how the heck did dude survive the gunshot AND the fall? The girl didn't even seem concerned with his wounds.

Good question

Some parts of this worked for me. Dialog and story were the weakest parts, but those are easliy fixed. You have awesome skills visually and sell the action really well and I have to commend you for that. Makes me want to go and shoot and action movie now...

Dude this was a fun movie to watch (my gripes aside). Thanks for the show.

Thanks for your really thorough review Rodney! You ROCK :beer:

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

My pleasure!

 

[Susanne G.]

Hi Simon,

This was a very impressiv work. You changed your style of filmmaking for 360°. You jumped on the action boat. All these stunts are great and the special effects too. This location is fantastic. I loved the whole work from the photography side and the score was perfect. The acting was enjoyable. Your dialog part was a little bit unfortunately, but only a minor detail. I adore the girl at the end. She has a very interesting face! :beer:
The story worked very well, but I had the sensation that your film was a little bit a puzzle of elements from different other films I saw before! All together a big affort with a great result, but I prefer your style from the TimeFest - it was simple more a individual style!

Susanne