'The Cake' - The Allentown Film Crew

mjjason

mjjason

Well-known member
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Tagline - The Cake - Purple, Green, and Gold Icing with a romantic filling


View the film:
http://www.dvxfest.com/lossfest/index.php?id=2900491


Cast
Margot.................................Samantha Elmer
Tom......................................Dan Maher
Simon...................................Alex Funes
Jessie...................................Robert F. Killion
Black Cat..............................Jane Horvath
Kid on Bike...........................Mason Trauger
Trick or Treater 1.................Marena Trauger
Trick or Treater 2.................Mason Trauger
Spartan Cheerleader...........Jamie Jackson
Fairy....................................Michelle "Micki" Montoro
Baseball Player....................Colleen Johnson
Feathered Friend.................Buddy Thompson
V for Vendetta Extra............Bryan Bocich
Drunk A**hole.....................Sundar J.M. Brown


Crew
Producer..............................Steve Cameron
Producer..............................Maher Mahmud
Director................................Dessaline Stevens
Director of Photography.......Ed Ballinger
Writer...................................Vanessa Kimi Mravich
Production Manager.............Steve Cameron
Production Coordinator........Maher Mahmud
Production Designer.............Vanessa Kimi Mravich
1st Assistant Director...........Jim DiCamillo
Camera Operator.................Maher Mahmud
Boom Operator.....................Luke Ramer
Lighting Coordinator.............Ann Marie Rivera
Lighting Technician...............Moses Garcia
Lighting Technician...............Mark Ritchey
Script Supervisor..................Salome Kingsley
Key Hair/Makeup..................Amy Trauger
Location Manager................Jane Horvath
Production Assistant............Buddy Thompson
Production Assistant............Jamie Jackson
P2 Technician.......................Maher Mahmud
Production Stills...................Scott Cameron
BTS Photographer................Alex Funes

Post Production Supervisor..Scott Cameron
Editor...................................Ed Ballinger
Colorist................................Scott Cameron
Sound Designer...................Sean Cameron
Music Coordinator................Dessaline Stevens
Music Coordinator................Ed Ballinger

Special Thanks.....................Joe Horvath

Allentown Film Crew
www.meetup.com/allentownfilmcrew

io house ltd.
www.iohouse.com

Punkmonkey Pictures
www.punkmonkeypictures.com
 
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Zak Forsman said:
allentown!!! anyone on this shoot involved with the southside film festival?
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I am not involved with it personally though the Allentown/Bethlehem film community is such a small group. I am quite sure a few of our crew is involved or has worked on the Southside Film fest in some form or another.
 
Really competent film. I know that sounds like a nice way of saying "good try" but I mean it. The filmmaking was just right to get OUT of the way of the story and let it play. Which made me quickly forget the filmmaking and just focus on the story.

I think for the role of the Liberace guy, you could have encouraged him to have more fun. He seemed to be the life of the party kind of dude, and was, but I think he could have played with it more.

The scene of her decorating the cake and getting jealous at the slutty girl, plays fine, but doesn't seem to have any real point in the story. It turns out the slutty girl is no real threat. So I dunno, maybe that scene can go?

The scene at the end was real, no bullshit, honest, and sweet.

I didn't completely get what was up with grumpy-pants. Was he just a grumpy guy? You did this really nice walk about the party to settle on him, and she joins him, but it seems that he has no real significance to the story. I might have saved that move to land on the guy she likes just entering the party. It's a great shot, but seemed misplaced a little.

Your lead actress looks mighty good in a belly-dancing outfit :)

Great work, guys. Seems like you have a nice crew to work with down there.

P.S. - Isn't Liberace coming over a little early? Seems like it's about two in the afternoon :)
 
Plot

Plot

Mark,

Sure, I'm a little biased here, but without the "black cat", there's no antagonist, not even a hint of conflict. Even Simon (the Deli guy) adds some tension. I agree that the scenes could have been played a little differently, but removing them completely would leave a pretty stale story.

I agree that Liberace could have hads a few more lines and given us some more laughs, but again, where would the conflict be?
 
"What's shakin sugar bacon?" - I love that.

This was such a sweet film. I wish there was a little more conflict in the story, but the characters were all great.

I enjoyed this. Best of luck with the fest.
 
I see the problem with the conflict. The scene with the black cat didn't translate as well as I would have liked. Should have given her more to do. I think I got so caught up in trying to sell the whole gimmick with the missing earring that the conflict fell a little by the wayside.
 
The conflict was fine, considering the tension levels and all that was going on while filming that fireplace scene (with only 3 take...gives the editor much less to work with at the end). All in all, it turned out better than I had expected. I was half-expecting not to see a finished product at all.

Of course, all projects are going to leave us thinking "we could have done this better" or "maybe we should have added that."

I just wanted to reply to that guy from a few posts back that taking out the scene entirely would have left a pretty big void. I guess we could have changed the entire story and had the cops show up or something more dramatic, but really, you can't please everyone. Perhaps if black kitty was humping Drac's leg, she would have seemed more of a threat :). I really liked the back-and-forth fireplace-to-kitchen with the song in the background, Margot getting more and more annoyed. I felt the tension.

A few more thoughts...

The intro was really fantastic. I loved the song choice as Liberace entered the scene and pointed at the kid on the bike. It really set the mood. The friendship between him and Margot seemed very real, as did their dialogue. They both did a very good job.

The core was a solid, feel-good story with some genuine laughs. There were a few scenes that were a little unclear, like the scene where Margot realizes she's lost her earring. The angle on her face wasn't quite close enough to show her concern for losing her earring. If I hadn't read the script, I wouldn't have had a clue what that scene signified.

The party camera-follow that begins with the *clink* was cool, but the Simon/Margot scene was about 5 seconds too long. Simon was really good as a cranky guy and I thought he added some dry humor with the scene with Jesse at the door. "I thought you were supposed to say 'Trick or Treat', Dracula"..with that slight accent of his...funny.

The story was clear, cute, and fun. It ended very well due to the great on-screen chemistry between Margot and Jesse. I think the credits rolled a little too fast, though, and people/jobs were listed that weren't in the film, and vice-versa.

I could go on and on, but I'll let some more people throw their 2 cents in first.
 
Jane Doe said:
I just wanted to reply to that guy from a few posts back that taking out the scene entirely would have left a pretty big void. I guess we could have changed the entire story and had the cops show up or something more dramatic, but really, you can't please everyone. Perhaps if black kitty was humping Drac's leg, she would have seemed more of a threat :). I really liked the back-and-forth fireplace-to-kitchen with the song in the background, Margot getting more and more annoyed. I felt the tension.
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People put movies into these fests for feedback. All feedback. They take that feedback and use it to become better filmmakers.

If you just want someone to lick your ass and tell you how great you are, you should probably stick to showing it your mommy and not waste our f*cking time.
 
Mark Harris said:
People put movies into these fests for feedback. All feedback. They take that feedback and use it to become better filmmakers.

If you just want someone to lick your ass and tell you how great you are, you should probably stick to showing it your mommy and not waste our f*cking time.
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You really should read the thread about feedback etiquette. Please take your hostility elsewhere.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=151066
 
I would like to avoid a public spat. Mark's original comments were constructive. That kind of straight feedback is what drives this site and hopefully should allow us to be more critical of our work.

The personal comments that followed is something I would like to avoid and hope others do to.
 
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