The Damage Done

Curugon, based on the stills and the crew involved, I thought this was gonna suck!
Just kidding obviously, this really lived up to the beautiful DP work from the screengrabs (nice work Kholi). I like that you fit many scenes into the 6 minute length. You gave us an intro, the hostage, the fight to free the hostage, the cave scene etc. There is a lot of work that went into all this and you guys really nailed it. I loved the mystical lead who feels no pain, it's a great concept.
 
Thanks so much for the critiques guys, we really appreciate them.

Defcon - I can't take credit for the concept, it's a real disease called CIPA, or congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis. It's extremely rare, but I thought it might make for an interesting addition to a western.

Very sorry for the folks who can't view it (I still can't myself). Hopefully it'll get fixed soon. In the meantime, here's the direct link.
 
Of course you guys' production value was bananas!! Everything here was top-notch and this is just a prime example of what a dvxuser collabo can do. I enjoyed the acting and cinematography. The location was stellar as well. I thought the action was pretty good, but there were a couple of places where I thought some added sound effects would have put it over the top. I'll go back and watch it again though.

I really felt like this was a scene from a real movie and the lead for some reason just totally reminded me of Christian Bale. There was one thing that confused me a little though, did the girl jump in front of the shot and get shot or what? I'll give it a second viewing and see if I can figure it out.

Excellent work guys and BTW - that ending shot into the setting sun - very nice. Good luck!
 
The Damage Done

Technically flawless. It seemed you had more story to tell in 6 minutes. Some minor acting quibbles from your original baddie (bow tie guy) and the lady. Strong lead. The plot itself was very cliche and I wish I would have "felt" more for the emotional lead. Great work on the whole! Congrats to the entire team! Can't wait to see the full version.
 
Amazing short, the costuming was flawless. You set the bar high. Your thread made me make enter a short in this contest.
 
This fest it tough....yet another excellent film! Everything about this is just top-notch as I knew it would be. Strong acting, score, camera work, sound design, etc.

Congratulations to all!
 
My only two gripes with this otherwise fantastic entry are the wobbly music and the jump cut when it seemed the lady was going to catch a bullet but instead all four were fighting closely.

Beautifully shot.
 
Very cool production. Pretty much can't find anything to critique-- I especially like the editing during your fight sequences, and the score. Of course the cinematography was top notch and the acting quite believable as well. Good job yall! :D
 
Jordan_S said:
My only two gripes with this otherwise fantastic entry are the wobbly music and the jump cut when it seemed the lady was going to catch a bullet but instead all four were fighting closely.

Beautifully shot.
Click to expand...

Ditto there. In the action sequence the bad deputy seems to teleport down to where the other bad guy was and then when the lady jumps to her right was she going to take the bullet for the protagonist or just push him out of the bullet's path? Either way she ends up in the next cut instantaneously standing up on the opposite side of him. If she pushed him she would still be to his left, and if she took the bullet she would have most likely been down, not up.

For realism, I needed the sheriff and deputy to be on horses. They would have been important people and would have not been off their horses in the chasing down of a bank robber who also would have been on a horse. At the end the female could have gotten on the deputy's or bow tie guy's horse as she made her get away.

These tiny flaws are small potatoes though as the RED images are sharp, the cinematography was wonderful, the shots framed beautifully and the story good. It was actually kind of a super hero film if you think about it.

You put out a magnificent film that was a joy to watch. Thanks. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
Okay, I was able to go back and watch and see where the sound was missing. It was at the part at then end where they're all fighting. The hero seems to hit the deputy in the face with the gun to knock him to the ground, but there's no sound of the gun hitting him in the face. It looked like a hit, but maybe it was intended to be a shove.

Anyway, again, excellent film!
 
I appreciated the lack of front titles/obnoxious production company spamming.

Best actors of the fest. Especially the lead. I liked how all of them had a differentiated look. Details like the grime on the one guy's teeth is the kind of thing I found missing from nearly every other entry.

The coloring, locations, costuming were all top notch. The costuming in particular is without equal (or even near-equal).

My only complaint is with how all the characters are suddenly compressed together immediately after the lady does...what exactly? Jumps in front of the bullet? I've re-watched that moment a few times and I still can't make heads or tails of it.

All in all, a fine looking film.
 
WOW! best movie, bar none, in this fest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
amazing that it was only six minutes!
GREAT JOB!!!:laugh:
 
This was amazing. Loved every min of it... I can't wait to see what you have done with the full version because I can feel that there was much character development cut out.

The acting was top notch. The story was very good and the twist of having the hero not be able to feel pain but still be able to be hurt gave him an almost angelic appeal. Loved it. I did not see the twist of the deputy going rogue but still loved that.

I loved the opening with the Sherif, deputy and your hero standing looking off and discussing the villain. It reminded me of those movies where the hero has to track someone using his basic instincts (Last of the Mohicans).

I was wondering how you got it to look so good but I read you shot on the Red so that explains that... koodos...

Anyway you have my top vote man...
 
Wow thanks everybody, I've passed along your kind words to the cast & crew. It means a lot to us.

We had to decide whether to try an outside-the-box take on the western, or sticking with the tried and true formula. In the end I felt it would be fun to tell a very straightforward story - definitely not groundbreaking in any way - but add the minor twist of the main character's condition. It was a blast playing cowboy, and being out in fairly rugged terrain with those costumes was an unexpected delight.

I really want to thank our cast, crew and everyone who helped make this one of the most enjoyable productions I've had the privilege being a part of.

Gary - yes the editing at that moment got severely truncated in the 6 minute version, causing the Deputy to "teleport" down to the action! Sorry if some of the choreography was confusing - hopefully it'll make more sense in the full version.

Agreed on the lack of horses. Unfortunately the location didn't allow them for filming. Ah well, maybe for the feature :)

Gaer - yes most of the stuff that was cut is character development and pacing. A lot of motivation/backstory had to be lost, especially for the lead, deputy and the "washed up loser." A few really choice traveling shots too, which I miss.

We all feel very honored to be a part of this fest, alongside such excellent entries.
 
Wow. Just wow. I'm stunned. That was some damn fine work there gentlemen, great take on the genre, beautifully filmed and your cast was flawless. Your props were awesome too although I had to stop and think for a minute about the money bags being so clean... but then I rememry.bered: in those times the bags would have been damn close to brand new, so that was a great touch of detail there. I loved your twist, the characters... it was great storytelling all around.

Flawless victory.
 
Excellent film all around. Extremely professional. Some minor sound issues and editing problems that were no doubt caused by having to cut so much out but that's all been mentioned. Especially during the fight/grapple scenes.

I would say it's the best of the Fest and well deserved. Kudos to the entire cast and crew on this one. Looking forward to the extended cut.

Cheers,

MAH
 
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