TRANSPOSE short film - shot on F35

[keithlango]

I originally kinda hid this in the night thread, but thought I'd poke my head out of the hole on put it on full display in a thread of its own. Sorry if it's redundant...

This is my short film that I wrote/directed/DP'd with the help of some friends and a very talented cast - all done in 24 crazy hours.

https://vimeo.com/95107161

This is the full 1080 version. The F35 handled the rain and the mixed lighting like a dream. I just wanted to thank all you good folks here in the F35 gathering who've helped via your shared wisdom and generous spirits. You all helped me do this better than I could have on my own.

 

[eddavid]

great job Keith!!!! So beautiful!

 

[SJX]

Thanks for the kind word, SJX. In order to keep the fests happy I am holding off on a 1080 version for now in order to maintain the appearance of not having distributed or released it online. Thus the password & 720p format. But I'll post some high quality stills later tonight after work.

Everything was shot sLog, Cine-EI, ISO 450. I didn't shoot in CUSTOM mode mainly because I didn't want to try something new while on the clock. So even though there is ostensibly some better noise control using CUSTOM, I decided to stick with what I knew for this one since I didn't have enough time to properly test the full workflow of a CUSTOM set up.

Lenses were the Rokinon Cine lenses (Nikon mount). 24, 35 and 85mm. Most of the exterior fStops were around f2, with the interiors being more like f3.5 or f4. The long oner was f2.8 to split the difference since it started indoors and ended up in the back alley. (Interesting factoid-- I did three different color grades on that one shot and cross faded between them at various points in order to keep things looking good. Was a fun problem to solve). The main overhead light in the back alley was a practical sodium vapor light. The back light was a 2k fresnel thru a 5x3 diffusion staged back around the corner. Those two lights were enough to do what I wanted. Even with the mixed color temps I felt it worked OK.

The indoor set ups I used an Alzo Pan-L 4x2 flo bank diffused and a 1k fresnel as a back light for the cashier. We turned off most of the overhead practical flos in the store but left the drink refrigerator lights on to get some depth. We added a bit of haze, which could have been monitored better for better consistency. I, too, was pretty pleased with how some of those interior single medium shots turned out. But I was also really displeased with how the master 2 shot looked. It was a mixed bag which I chalk up to learning. I know what to do better next time.

Overall I'm pleased with how the F35 with the fast Rokies handled this low budget night shoot. At no time did I find myself wishing for a more sensitive camera. I really like dark in an image. I find myself drawn to stuff like that (Gordon Willis' style was a definite inspiration, may he rest in peace).

It really got buried Keith. Didn't even see your reply to me there.

I see you uploaded the 1080p looks even better.

Did you keep shutter 180 degrees for exterior? Looks like but.

I think the 2 shot looks fine.

What was your motivation for the line crossings?

 

[keithlango]

Yeah, the 1080 version does show off the sensor's abilities even more, for sure.

I did keep the shutter angle at 180. I rarely ever touch that. Only time I really mess with shutter angle is if I want some kind of amped up adrenaline effect or I'm shooting off speed.

As for crossing the line, I'm assuming you're talking about the two characters in the store dialog scene. One thought was to avoid having to re-light the scene. We were behind schedule and really couldn't afford a new set up for the singles on the clerk woman. I really did not like that front key set up that she would have had to be shot with. But I knew we'd have line crossing if I went with the way I did. However I felt that worked in the story because it put the customer and clerk characters on "the same side" thematicallly. With shorts you have to beg, borrow and steal places where you can insert exposition ambiently. In the back story these two characters have developed a kind of friendship over time and I wanted to give the viewer a sense of that affinity without necessarily filling it in with dialog. Keeping them in the same place on screen helped with that. Secondarily, by establishing this visual affinity I could better contrast the conflict that would soon emerge.

So, yeah. I broke the "rules", but I felt like doing that here made sense. In the end my gut instinct that it would work in the edit proved reliable. Good thing, too, because we didn't have time to pick up a safety there.