The Man From Hollywood - BrianV, Profnoxin

At first I didn't get the story . Came back later and re-watched .
I now understand the story you were trying to tell.
The main character of this story was very good . The man in the white shirt ,I felt was not convincing enough in his role .The only line I like was when the gun was pointed in his face , the look and **** said it all.
The 2nd man was.
The audio fell short in spots as in hard to hear . I think this is why I was lost the first time .I just turned up the volume the 2nd time.
When the 2nd man says" You're a real S.O.B , you know that " The look (smirk) on the main characters face was great .
All in all I liked it . Wish the audio was much better .
And the B/W bit was a nice touch as well .

Ian
 
Once again, good points all. Unfortunately we didn't have a dedicated sound guy like we originally planned, so level-watching was put so much on the back-burner as we were all on our primary tasks (the results of which people seemed to have liked). However, be that as it may, the thing we neglected definately gave us some pain amidst what people seem to think overall is a very enjoyable short.

We have definately learned from this (what more can anyone ask?) and hindsight is 20/20... and has only given me the gumption (a good word... GUMPTION!) to come back next time... wisened.

So yes, thanks again for the support and critique, and they are definately not falling onto deaf ears. It makes it even harder to take the audio problems, because most people site that as their primary criticism of the film (other than story confusing and ambiguities). Makes it even harder... and keeps making me think of the pottery analogy from a couple posts back.

Rings true. :)

Keep 'em coming, ladies and gents! And thanks again.
 
Ought2bCommitted said:
My last negative is just a pet peeve of mine...the smoking. Ug.

Overall a solid effort with some real potential. Nice work!

-Robert
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As in you, as an anti-smoker, not being fond of smoking in films/videos/media, or that the smoking seemed out of place? :)
 
BrianV said:
As in you, as an anti-smoker, not being fond of smoking in films/videos/media, or that the smoking seemed out of place? :)
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Hmmm good question... I guess I just felt it unnecessary. I kind of get the mood/atmosphere you were going for with it, but I think it can be achieved without it.
 
I think we just thought "50s, twilight zone, etc" and that means smoking deluxe. But if you think about it, only half of our characters smoke and its only in three scenes, briefly... the beginning, and he only takes one drag... the bar scene and only one drag each for he and she... then the ending and he takes one drag. *shrug* :)

But fair comment, and definately taken to heart, sir. :) Thanks again
 
Granny and Ought2 - Thanks for the positive feedback on my camera wrangling.

Ought2 - The smoking is actually kind of a funny thing for me. As a smoker myself, I find myself somewhat frustrated by the new media portrayal of all smokers on Film/TV (especially TV) to be bad people. I also find the 50's portrayal of non-smokers as shifty people that you cannot trust to be frustrating... though far more funny.

It felt to me that in a 50's style short, if one was to choose, one would choose to have the good guys smoke, and the bad guys not. There was a recurring theme in a good number of John Huston films that if you smoked hand-rolled or pre-rolled cigarettes straight, you were an ok guy, probably one of the heroes of the film - A real working man. If you smoked cigars, or used a cigarette holder, pipe etc, you were probably a B*stard. If you didn't smoke at all... well... who knows what kind of people don't smoke. I find it funny in retrospect, and thought it was well apt in our short.

The long and the short of it is this - we shouldn't judge. There are good and bad smokers and non smokers... but the non smokers are just damned shifty! ...sorry. I promise not to judge anymore. :)
 
BrianV said:
Hehe... this comment intrigues me. :) By that do you mean you detected a Tarantino-esque vibe to the movie (or de Palma, as they can be more or less identical), or that Dustin ("kirk kingman") reminded you of him?

Though I'm not exactly a de Palma fan myself, there are no wrong answers :)

;)
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Yeah, I'd say it had a tarantino-esque vibe to it. The dilaogue was pretty smooth and natural sounding, which is a plus. The storytelling, in my opinion, also kind a had a vibe of Tarantino, just because of it's non-linear style and the weird moments. I can't really describe. I liked it though. The directorial style wasn't really the same, but to try and emulate tarantino's style would be a cop out and very hard. It's best to make your own style, methinks.
 
I agree... especially since alot of Tarantino's style is a mix soup of other styles.

Generation loss, if one wanted to mimic his style outright before trying to develop his or her own.

Perhaps :)
 
I think its been said, you had some nice shots and the actors were better than average, but the movie just left me confused. Enigmatic is good, but I felt like there was a lot that I was supposed to know before I watched it. I had no idea why anyone was doing what they were doing or who they were, and not in a mysterious way, more like their actions seemed rather empty and meaningless and I didn't have any reason to wonder about them. I'm sure there was a good idea behind this, I just had trouble seeing it. Very good camera work though!
 
I really liked this one. I thought the editing was super sharp, esspecially how scenes would blend with one another. Like the goon shouting at the bar scene and then cutting to the goon shouting in the appartment. I love cuts like that.

I also thought that Dean had a great David Duchovney vibe going which really added to the piece.

The sound was really the only negative that I saw, and that's been addressed by other people.
 
krestofre said:
I really liked this one. I thought the editing was super sharp, esspecially how scenes would blend with one another. Like the goon shouting at the bar scene and then cutting to the goon shouting in the appartment. I love cuts like that.

I also thought that Dean had a great David Duchovney vibe going which really added to the piece.

The sound was really the only negative that I saw, and that's been addressed by other people.
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Thanks, man. I'm sure the lead (Michael Arnette) will totally dig the comment.

And I totally dig the rest. Audio is definately something that always seems least important to us... and with the original raw recordings left lacking when we recorded, we shot ourselves maybe not in the foot, but at least blew a toe off.

So hopefully everything else people find positive about the film acts as a sort of sock, and maybe people may in the end not find the toe necessary to have an entertaining short.

Here's hoping. Toes crossed.

Thanks again! :)
 
wowza.

wowza.

Man on man...gee willikers...Ya, the lead looks like Duchovney but he's got nothin' on the goon in this. He totally looks like Brad Pitt. I mean, or a young Matthew P. Damon. Jebus Christmas, this kid is goin' somewhere.
 
NotTheGoonFromTheMovie said:
Man on man...gee willikers...Ya, the lead looks like Duchovney but he's got nothin' on the goon in this. He totally looks like Brad Pitt. I mean, or a young Matthew P. Damon. Jebus Christmas, this kid is goin' somewhere.
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Hmmm... a bit suspect ;)
 
suspect? I have no idea what you mean, sir. And as an edit to my previous posting, it was meant to read "man oh man" not "man on man." However, after seeing the goon in this...I would consider a little man on man action with him. He's just that phenomenal. ;)
 
I thought the acting in this was acceptable. The sound at the end wasn't too great but I did like the twist.
 
NotTheGoonFromTheMovie said:
suspect? I have no idea what you mean, sir. And as an edit to my previous posting, it was meant to read "man oh man" not "man on man." However, after seeing the goon in this...I would consider a little man on man action with him. He's just that phenomenal. ;)
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Hmmmm... now it's suspect and just plain silly :D
 
iSTy said:
I thought the acting in this was acceptable. The sound at the end wasn't too great but I did like the twist.
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Thanks, man. Personally, I thought the acting was good overall (biased, yes, but still). There aren't too many "showy" moments, so the performances are more subtle... but that's the piece.

Never thought I'd refer to anything I've done as "the piece," but there it is :)

Thanks again for the comments.
 
Okay okay, I realize that I'm not fooling anyone...despite my clever handle, I did play the goon in this film. GASP! That said, I thought I'd throw my two cents into the arena on this piece. First off, lemme say that it was an absolute blast to be a part of. It's always fun to reconnect with a team of people you've worked with and feel completely comfortable around. Overall, I think the piece turned out just as it was meant to.

I'd also like to give an insiders opinion on the performances...I'll come right out in the open and say that I'm definitely the weakest performance in this film. And this isn't an actor's attempt at fishing for compliments. I know when I do good work, but this one just wasn't my strongest. It was difficult for me to play a character that was so deceivingly one dimensional. I tried to add some character quirks to the roll, but unfortunatly due to the speed at which the shot occured and the fact that I was the lead in something else going on at the same time that had much more prep time, I missed the mark on this one. I didn't give enough time to discovering things about Kirk, and just sorta hammed my way through the scenes.

But dear Jesus did I have fun. :) And, imho, the lead and the Caruso character do quite exemplary work. The Duchovney-Zach Braff lead really stands out playing his character SO very low-key. It makes him seem so disconnected, which really works for a guy that's a zillion years old with magical powers.

As for Caruso, he has some really very sad moments. But they are completely smart in execution. He puts a melancholy to his sinister delivery that is really fantastic, very dishearteningly pathetic. He is indeed a "pathetic old man."

In conclusion, thanks alot for the comments guys, and keep 'em comin'. I love to hear what you all have to say. I love working with profnoxin and BrianV, but who knows...maybe someday I'll audition for your next big thing. Hopefully then you can see what I can really do. :)

keep up the good work,
dustin.
 
I still say your character isn't one dimensional, but more of a guy who has but one part to play... a character who's playing a character.

and at the end that shell is stripped off, and all we're left with is a pathetic man, or maybe not pathetic... HOPELESS man saying "****."

BLAM!

*shrug* $0.02
 
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