THE JONES' - Do you wanna' f***in' die?!

[NOBELO]

This was another one that my friends and I found very entertaining. Before I go into any more details I will say that I wished you had gone for better zombie makeup. That being said, I found it funny, entertaining, refreshing and stylized. Style seems to be one of the things lacking from a lot of the entries but this one had it's own thing going for it. I though a lot of the blood hits were done well and the comic book elements in the beginning were cool. What did you use for the bullet effect?

Nice work.

 

[Marlon Ladd]

Watched it 3 times. Loved it. This film had a different approach to the genre that was refreshing. The dialog was off the chain!! Snappy, well acted. Editing was also well done as was music queues. After effects were nicely executred. "You wanna Kung Fu theese M**F**? you wanna Tae Bo these M**F**?" LOL!!! Funny Funny Funny. This was a comedy that was expertly brought into the monster genre. The only thing I didn't care for was the zombies makeup. The rest of it was Top Notch and IMHO THE film to contend with in the competition.

PS Extra props for the comic book work!

WELL DONE MARLON! Would love to collaborate with you on a future project.

Thanks, Tommy. You know I was looking forward to you input. Glad you liked it and the dialogue appealed to you. It's a funny story about the "Hong Kong Fooey the M**F**?!" Initially I'd written the first "Kick-box these. . ." in, but the other actor (my brother) wanted to say, "Box these. . .." So, I thought about it and had him come up with several of them and say all of them and then in editing I threw them together and it turned out so funny! I still laugh at that part.

We can definitely collabo, man!!

I had to laugh at some of the lines. I even picked up a few new terms. Guess I'm out of touch, haha. What do I compare this too? Hollywood features and actors with a 300mil budget? I mean, poo poo. I got a kick out of it. The only thing that threw me off was maybe timing/pacing in the dialog. Being an old musician, I don't know, there's a flow or a rythym that I read about in acting. I don't know about that specifically but in music it's about the same thing, rythym/timng. I think it is most probably lost in the editing stages. I mean a 1/4 beat in comedic timing can make or break a line, seriously. Not that I'm an expert, I'm not, at all.
But, in comedy, the editing is so important, timing wise, almost or maybe more so (?) as much as in music, is it not?

Anyways, that's my big concern. Otherwise I loved it. The comedy allowed me to actually overlook maybe some of the cinematic elements, which I dont think you would generally expect in comedy anyways. So, that could be an area of discussion.

Yeah. It was good. I liked it. It was entertaining. I love the poster (although maybe a bit over sat, BUT I LOVE IT, haha).

Overall, it worked for me. That's all I care about. I enjoyed it and had a good time.

If I have to be a prick, I'd say tighten the editing for timing of the lines and I'll let the DOP's around here worry about the rest as I don't have a clue about that. haha.

-Cheers.

Thanks for you feedback, Raptor. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I mean that's really why we make films, isn't it? We want people to relax and be entertained if even for a little while to escape some of the pressures of everyday life. So, if I did that for you, then I did my job. Thanks so much for watching!

What a little gem hiding amongst these films here!.... Really enjoyed this...

Rough around the edges... but.... it most certainly had a very strong personality and an identity all its own, this film....

Loved how absolutely cheesy looking the zombies were, which played with the vibe of the two characters, and also contrasted well with some very nice effects that you incorporated, and the whole opening was fantastic...

It was definitely more a scene or a skit.... but seriously.... This is the beginning of something that really has a TON of potential...

When I see films in this fest that have their own unique personality, they get props from me, and get my attention...

I'm really glad I was able to watch this one. Thanks for taking the time to enter it in the fest...

You should seriously consider expanding on this whole idea... hell, I could even see this as an episodic web-series or something... Little bit of polish in the right places, and I think you've got something very marketable here.

This had such a strong identity, and I can just see such potential in it, that I can pretty much completely overlook the technical shortcomings and such... I think this has become one of my faves of the ones I have seen so far... I'm actually sitting here smiling typing this, and it's got me all geared up to watch another batch of films... There have been some surprises this fest. This one gets a strong vote from me for potential and personality.

later,
Jason

WOW!!!! Thanks, Jason!! I am so glad you liked the film. I knew the film would be funny, but you're never completely sure how people will respond to it and it has seemed to resonate with people. I wish I could say I had some control over that, but I don't. I wrote a funny script and did what we indie filmmakers do - do our best to make a solid film based on a huge lack of resources, including time and money. These fests are so good, because they keep people making films and the filmmakers here continue to step their games up. I can't tell you how much I've learned since I've been a part of this site and that all came together on "The Jones.'"

It seems that this film has taken on a life of it's own and really does have me revisiting the idea of making it something bigger. All the positive responses surely cannot be ignored!

I feel humbled by your presence in my thread and the presence and positive responses from so many talented filmmakers. Thank you and the other mods for keeping these fests going. It's a wonderful thing.

P.S. If you have time, please leave a note here, or PM with any notes about what you think I may need to tighten up or polish. Oh, and BTW - we have an additional scene for the end of the film that couldn't be added because of the time. Will throw that in for you guys after the fest.

Marlon this has got the be the hardest review I've ever written. Oh, before you freak out, I poo pooING LOVE THIS FILM! There. Iit's been said. Now I've had a bit of a battle writing this review. This is now attempt #3 after an inadvertent browser refresh. That lost review was brilliant and incisive and quite lengthy actually but it was one hell of a read. I may have even complimented you a couple of times in there. :grin:. But that is now lost. Attempt #2 was just lame.

So here goes: brilliant slice of a much bigger picture. There is history already going on, relationship stuff happening and real myth building stuff happening. I mean everyone hears about the zombie outbreaks and they may see the heroes, but you get right down and dirty to a pair of the most unlikely heroes to enjoy kicking zombie ASS!!! Gotta love it.

You have a brilliant knack for shooting AND editing action, which is alot harder than it looks. It's a hell of a talent for any filmmaker and you have it in spades. Stylized yes but one HELL of a style. The comedy was spot on and I really wanted to spend more time with these guys on their zombie killing spree. Kinda got the feeling that they got more kicks out of the chance to actually kill zombies than they were doing it for any noble reasons and that portral is key. After all who among us wouldn't like to grab firearms and shoot as many zombies as we can before losing count? Count me in.

Now with the zombies I had a couple of things that kept bugging me even on the 4th viewing. The makeup I can buy. Not too glaring there since it's such a comic book, but I would have loved to see more realistic makeup. Also the zombies just seem to stand around even when they're supposed to attack. I was actually waiting for the guys to be constantly bickering even while casually taking out the occasional rampaging zombie. The other zombies were just waiting around to die. Like the ex-girlfriend. I understand the set-up, but she should have torn his face off or at least tried to. There would have been an interesting joke right there in that situation.

Apart from that little quibble, it was a solid effort and went directly into my favorites. I wanted to give you a solid ten, but your bribe was a litle short. (kidding guys! kidding)

Solid improvement all around. You focused and brought the cat in out of the rain.

Time to poo pooing die!

It's about time, Rodney!!! I'm gonna' poo-pooing k :kali:. . .ah, I digress. I let you slide on this one. Hey, I got a 4th viewing?? Shoot, I'm thrilled about that! Sorry your first review got destroyed. I'm sure it was brilliant, because this one is. I appreciate the compliments and the high score. I respect your opinion for sure and you always leave excellent, in-depth reviews, so I was looking forward to it.

Well, that SHE zombie didn't attack, because she sort of, well you know, recognized the guy. Not that she wasn't going to kill him. She was just waiting for the right time to pounce and bit his freakin' head off, but alas, she didn't get her chance, because the brother took care of all that. And who knows, maybe Craig was going to "hit it" and she was going to let him. Did you ever think about that? I know you've heard of inter-zombie relationships. rogar-BigGrin(DBG)

Again, you influenced me to start early and it made all the difference, so thanks for that and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Appreciatcha' man.

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

A good early start can avoid most problems... (unless you;re stuck in New York without half of your gear) A nice long pre-production cycle is excellent to have. I guess the sweetspot for shooting is in the second month. Then you have time to edit and do your reshoots. Glad you had so much time on this. It gave you room to really stretch and use your unique style to its full potential. And you have LOTS of style and content.

 

[Marlon Ladd]

This was a fun campy romp. With the aweful makeup and the car marked for the junkyard I don't think you were going for anything deeper. I really loved their back and forth banter. It had some nice lines. I certainly laughed when he blew away the dudes ex. Good Job.

Thanks for the watch, Chris. I'm glad the humor appealed to you and I thank you for giving a review. Those damn ex zombie girlfriends. :kali:

Good stuff Marlon. Dialog was funny and you are getting better with every fest. Keep it up. I finally don't have any projects on the table and I'm jumping in the next one for sure this time. Great sound design too. I need an MP3 of those gunshots!

Thanks, Rich. I was wondering if you'd have time to stop through and check out the flicks. I know you've been busy. Yeah, you definitely better get in the next one. I can hook you up with the sound fx. I told you that. Let me know.

That was well cool. Fast dialog, well acted, excellent sound and a great concept with top notch production.
And green zombies

Outstanding.

Thanks, so much, MrFluffy. That name just cracks me up. LOL. Glad you could appreciate our film and thanks for stopping in to leave your comments. Means alot.

First off - you did wonders here. I had a feeling this was going to be good from the screen shots early on, and your two leads have what it takes to make this happen for you. Excellent performances all around. I like how you started off with the comic book pages, except the movements on them were a little erratic. It looks as though you had some trouble setting your motion splines correctly. Its an easy fix. Previous posts may have mentioned the out of focus shots. Get rid of it. Its jarring. Replace that moment with a cut away to a zombie or stay on the other character. Green zombies? It surprised me. But it didn't take long for me to accept. Your film is fast pace, gritty action with personality. It was done before I knew it. That's a good sign.

Yeah, I know exactly which shots you're talking about with the focus. That will be an adjustment I make. You saw some jarring? I'll have to go back and look at it and see what's what. Glad you could accept the green zombies. Some folks don't like 'em too much. LOL. Thanks for leaving a review. It's much appreciated! I liked your film as well. This stuff is just too much fun! :2vrolijk_08: :kali: rogar-BigGrin(DBG)

I definitely agree.

Extremely funny film. A good refresher to have some comedy in there. Their relationship and banter was very entertaining. It made me wonder if it were not scene taken right out of a feature.

Great work. High score. The only thing that holds me back is that I did not feel it was a complete story. Yes I was entertained and laughed the whole time regardless, but it still should have felt complete and less like a scene.

Great work!

Thanks AJ. Yeah, that's what I was going for, that it was a continuation of something or rather the beginning of something bigger in that respect. That's why the comic cover says Part 3, because there's a backstory to be made here as well as a continuation. I wanted the audience to come in on the middle of something (since there was such a short time limit). Thanks a million for the high score. Though I haven't watched all of the movies yet, yours was also one that I really liked.

This was a fun film! Really enjoyed it. The opening was very well done (and it should have been, you had this film in the can with about 2 months to go!) and set the episode in motion. I say episode because that's really what it was... a few pages from a comic book.

The acting was strong and I think you did a great job casting these two....the old girl friend thing had me rollin'! It's amazing how good direction, camera work and editing can make a film shine, which is what you did here. This film looked great to my eye.

The make-up on the zombies....MEH....hey, it's a comic book for Christ sake.

Congratulations to you, the cast, and the crew on a very sucessful production. I look forward to future films.

I was waiting for you to come by too Zaza! Great summation! You get it! You really get it and that's all a filmmaker can ask for. Thanks for the outstanding comments. I'll make sure and pass along the good news to the cast and crew!

"It's a comic book for Christ sake." :cheesy: Great line!

 

[Marlon Ladd]

A good early start can avoid most problems... (unless you;re stuck in New York without half of your gear) A nice long pre-production cycle is excellent to have. I guess the sweetspot for shooting is in the second month. Then you have time to edit and do your reshoots. Glad you had so much time on this. It gave you room to really stretch and use your unique style to its full potential. And you have LOTS of style and content.

Thanks, man. For real. And you ain't too damn shabby yerself!! So, when are you gonna' get started on your new thread for the next fest??

 

[Marlon Ladd]

This was another one that my friends and I found very entertaining. Before I go into any more details I will say that I wished you had gone for better zombie makeup. That being said, I found it funny, entertaining, refreshing and stylized. Style seems to be one of the things lacking from a lot of the entries but this one had it's own thing going for it. I though a lot of the blood hits were done well and the comic book elements in the beginning were cool. What did you use for the bullet effect?

Nice work.

Thanks, Nobelo. I'm so glad I was able to keep everybody's attention. That means alot. Yeah, some people are feeling the makeup and some aren't. Different strokes, I guess. The ones that aren't feeling it really don't like the green color and that may be something I change in post. That's an easy fix. If you're talking about the slo-mo bullet - well, I never give away my secrets!!! No, JK! I actually used AE (After Effects) I actually did several tests on that. I took my own screen shot of the bullet (very close up) and worked it through AE until it came out right and consistent with what a real bullet would be doing in that situation - spinning for instance. I had to key frame and change the light reflection on it as it moves towards the camera (little details are important). The trail was something that just happened with a bunch of effects I applied. I liked it and stuck with it and it came out nice, I guess. That was one of the things I was worried if people would like.

Thanks for stopping through. I thoroughly enjoyed your film too. Top-notch!

 

[Troy Ruff]

Great job guys, I really liked the comic book style and the opening credits. The two guys were great, very natural, and funny. I wanted to see more. I laughed out load with the whole driving miss daisy line. The only thing that pulled me out was the colored faced zombies. i know it was comic style, but over all it was fantastic! great job! one of my top films.

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

Thanks, man. For real. And you ain't too damn shabby yerself!! So, when are you gonna' get started on your new thread for the next fest??

I've already started the script! Just kidding! (or am I?)

 

[NOBELO]

I liked the bullet and thought it worked very well with the comic book theme you were going for. Nice job. I'd like to do a test like that some day. RPG slo mo? Next film!

Thanks, Nobelo. I'm so glad I was able to keep everybody's attention. That means alot. Yeah, some people are feeling the makeup and some aren't. Different strokes, I guess. The ones that aren't feeling it really don't like the green color and that may be something I change in post. That's an easy fix. If you're talking about the slo-mo bullet - well, I never give away my secrets!!! No, JK! I actually used AE (After Effects) I actually did several tests on that. I took my own screen shot of the bullet (very close up) and worked it through AE until it came out right and consistent with what a real bullet would be doing in that situation - spinning for instance. I had to key frame and change the light reflection on it as it moves towards the camera (little details are important). The trail was something that just happened with a bunch of effects I applied. I liked it and stuck with it and it came out nice, I guess. That was one of the things I was worried if people would like.

Thanks for stopping through. I thoroughly enjoyed your film too. Top-notch!

 

[Marlon Ladd]

I liked the bullet and thought it worked very well with the comic book theme you were going for. Nice job. I'd like to do a test like that some day. RPG slo mo? Next film!

Jeez, Nobel!! RPG slo mo?? Man, don't give me any ideas. LOL. Hey, was this your first film on here?

Yeah, the theme was the deciding factor in putting it in, because I was hoping it would be fine.

 

[NOBELO]

Jeez, Nobel!! RPG slo mo?? Man, don't give me any ideas. LOL. Hey, was this your first film on here?

Yeah, the theme was the deciding factor in putting it in, because I was hoping it would be fine.

I've worked on films here and there but this is my first entry personally.

Yea, it worked well. I would definitely keep it in there.

 

[Marlon Ladd]

Hey, talk to me about how you did the stake off in your film. Great first entry btw. That's how you comin' in party. Kickin' doors down and sh*T. What lenses did you use for your GH1?

 

[lyonfilms]

Marion -

Really liked the flick. The interplay between the two was a blast and they seemed liked brothers who love each other but love to give each other never ending sh*t. Great stuff. Good edit and camera work all around. I also thought the grade was solid.

I felt the front end with them behind the car was a bit long. The gag dragged a bit. Also, the zombies (the look anyway) was the weakest part. This was such a fun location and the guys were spot-on so the relatively "weaker" looking zombies distracted me. Especially the green - didn't like it. Now, I know that makeup and effects are the hardest and most expensive so I know what you were up against. That's me being farily nit-picky for a great flick.

 

[NOBELO]

I'm trying to gather some BTS stuff so I can show you guys the stake etc.

 

[hoz]

way cool flick!!

loved the beginning and the comic book intro. soo cool. and the brothers were great too. zombies were weak looking but that didnt matter to me that much since you worked in the comic book look here and there. had some really fun stuff in there. the two could def play these parts in a full length movie.

awesome job!!

 

[Marlon Ladd]

Marion -

Really liked the flick. The interplay between the two was a blast and they seemed liked brothers who love each other but love to give each other never ending sh*t. Great stuff. Good edit and camera work all around. I also thought the grade was solid.

I felt the front end with them behind the car was a bit long. The gag dragged a bit. Also, the zombies (the look anyway) was the weakest part. This was such a fun location and the guys were spot-on so the relatively "weaker" looking zombies distracted me. Especially the green - didn't like it. Now, I know that makeup and effects are the hardest and most expensive so I know what you were up against. That's me being farily nit-picky for a great flick.

Hey, Thanks! Glad you stopped in to give the review. Another one that doesn't like the green. Check! LOL! Really, thanks so much for the kind words though. Much appreciated!

I'm trying to gather some BTS stuff so I can show you guys the stake etc.

Cool! Let me know, because that was spot on. The realism was unbelievable. I mean too believable.

way cool flick!!

loved the beginning and the comic book intro. soo cool. and the brothers were great too. zombies were weak looking but that didnt matter to me that much since you worked in the comic book look here and there. had some really fun stuff in there. the two could def play these parts in a full length movie.

awesome job!!

Thanks, Hoz! Full length? Yeah, I'm definitely thinking about it big time now. Was planning to do one anyway, just couldn't decide which script to do. All this positive feedback helps. Thanks again.

 

[Blaine]

Hey Marlon, this was a fun ride and I loved the stylize comic book look...except for the zombie makeup. I found the makeup to be a bit jarring even with the comic book theme. Some of the brothers' banter seemed to go on too long but it was easy to see you were having fun with it, so I just sat back and let it flow.

You had a lot of good bullet hits. I also loved the transition from comic book to "real" life in the beginning.

Good job.

 

[killacam]

really fun and entertaining. loved the bullet hits and some of the cuts were very fast paced and kept the film moving.

 

[vurfing]

This was great. The comic book opening totally threw me off - in a good way.
I like the characters but the banter did feel a bit too stretched out - more action or breaks between talking perhaps? The two actors were really good though - it was definitely like 'Bad Boys vs the Zombies' (maybe will smith would be interested in the full length version!).
The whole apocalyptic setting was really well done - the only thing that detracted from it was the writing on the windscreen that screamed 'junk car'.
Overall a fantastic effort - i'd love to see a full length movie of this

 

[Kevin E. Curry]

Very funny flick, I found myself laughing out loud several times. The dialogue was great and the interplay between the two actors was spot on. They did a kick ass job.

I also loved your kill shots and blood splatters. VERY well done!

I'll add my agreement to those commenting on the zombie make-up, it took me out of the film because it was too campy.

Overall, loved it! It's near the top of my list.