Some experimentation with the horror movie genre on DVX-200.

Allen McL said:
It's scene file 4, UHD 25p at 50mbps.
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...and certainly looks like it! :D I know it's not your project, but...

There's some pretty good performances out of the young cast. The "blood" looked like blood. It was in focus.

I didn't see a lot of screen direction. It looked like video. The lighting was really harsh. They pointedly lit the actors, and not the scene. I guess that's what they were going for? They should have had the GUTS to shoot V-log L. See what I did there? "Guts?" It's probably okay that the dude was in blue and the girls were in amber. But, it just looked like there was a blue street light off to the side. But, again, that could have been what they were going for. It certainly feels like a low-budget, campy, horror film. I actually thought it was funny. It also seemed like a gore highlight film. Eh.

I see a skit like this and I compare it thematically to the biker massacre scene from The Lost Boys. See why I'm jaded? Campfire massacres are going to be unfairly judged to THAT. lol

But, anyway...the actors were surprisingly decent for their age and the quality of the dialogue. Not too bad there. I wish it was more interesting. And that it was taken a bit more seriously. Didn't have to be party makeup at the end.

Nice try to them, though. Good effort. Keep going and keep learning, I say to them.

ADDENDUM

I watched it three more times.

It grows on you. I like it. Not the visual technical aspects, still. But I like the actors. They must have all had a blast.

I know it's not your project, Allen...just saying, for anyone else who hasn't seen Were, yet. It's not the best-looking use of a DVX200, but it is...cute? I don't know how to describe it. You can just tell they had fun making it and that's always nice to see. The kids are alright. If the whole thing could have just been reaction shots, I would have been fine with that.
 
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Great feedback Jason and thanks for taking the time too. None of them were particularly 'across' the genre or the camera either. The lighting brief was 'cartoon like' and budget was zilch, just something they wanted try for fun and I believe they had a lot of that doing it. A very young crew trying things out. The camera op didn't really have long to get to grips with the DVX-200, just a matter of hours really and trying to view as many of Barry's DVX-200 videos as possible. I was down to do it in the first instance but the day job got in the way at the last minute, which is ironic given it was a night shoot. It is a grower though, I didn't think much on first viewing either.
 
I gotta give them some credit... they went for a certain "comic book" look and stuck with it. Overall they pulled it off to the best of their ability and resources. The DVX isn't the best in low light but even that limitation still seems to add to the campy, contrasty vibe. Yeah, it's kids having fun, but hey - they had a plan, figured it out, hung lights, probably cleaned out someones stock of blue gels, got a bunch of friends together, and shot something! Props to them for actually DOING a project, however modest, rather than daydreaming about it! We all had to start somewhere and I'm sure they all learned a lot! :beer::beer:
 
I think they did a great job. It worked. I was eating home made chili at the time. Perhaps a violence rating and warning would be in order LOL. I think people forget the amount of work needed to produce this and I imagine little or no budget. Excellent story and acting. And the DVX held up well. Talented group
 
Design Media Consultants said:
It worked. I was eating home made chili at the time. Perhaps a violence rating and warning would be in order LOL.
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Yeah. Especially if you're eating home made chili. I was expecting the violence, though. In fact, I was hoping for it. Rooting for them to "go there" especially after the...transformation. Perfect mix of "huh?" with "oh snap!"
 
JRJphoto said:
Yeah. Especially if you're eating home made chili. I was expecting the violence, though. In fact, I was hoping for it. Rooting for them to "go there" especially after the...transformation. Perfect mix of "huh?" with "oh snap!"
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I am cutting down on my chili consumption. I think I was going overboard and eating it 3 times a day. What came out of those bodies actually would have been a great side dish with a bowl of my not so famous homemade chili.
 
I once worked on a short where the fake blood was made out of peanut butter. It tasted really good. I made sandwiches out of it.
 
I thought the lighting was great! I thought it looked fantastic. Very artistic. Argento-ish. And WOW the image the DVX200 produced is incredible! So sharp!
 
bigox said:
I thought the lighting was great! I thought it looked fantastic. Very artistic. Argento-ish. And WOW the image the DVX200 produced is incredible! So sharp!
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I think they did a great job. I believe this was the first time this group worked together and the first time using the DVX200. They borrowed the camera from the OP. Good story, good acting, and good camera work. Turned out great.
 
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