Two Days

M

morgan_moore

Major Contributor
So on Saturday B4 Xmas I tried a teaser for a drama



and on

Sunday ran around with a model



The first was the full works, Kino, EX1 for dual sound, script and hassle - totally out of my depth

The second was just a laugh handholding like loon

enjoy

(EDIT for some reason my embed of the vids did not work.. they are below)

S
 
Last edited:
Thanks

I would be most interested further critique

Shot angles, too few 'master shots' - eyeline, sound
etc

Ive not done such a thing before

SMM
 
I'm not a nitpicky type of guy, I really focus on the over all feel, but since you insist :)

the shot at 0:22 (which is used a lot) needs more nose space

the shot at 0:30 (which is also used quit a bit) is a little too tight, I'm sure it was fine when you shot it but croping it down made it a little too tight (I also mess up like that constantly), if it were only used once or twice it would have been ok but it comes back to that shot a lot and a little more head space would help it feel better. You could try pushing the frame down in your edit software, that should be enough to give him better head space without killing his chin space (which is way more important).

I'm not a huge fan of master shots, I like close ups, one shots and 2 shots, so the shot selection was fine for me, but it might not work for others.

Sound was good, very natural.

The only other thing that bothered me had nothing to do with you. I think it was the script although it could have been the acting or direction... The first convo about getting punched doesn't feel natural at all, the dialogue feels forced and the words feel like they are being recited. The second convo about Jessica Alba starts to get a little more locked in and starts feeling more organic. The final dialogue about getting laid is perfect, feels very well written, acted and directed. So good thing it was at the end, always good to end strong!

I hope that was helpful :)
 
Thanks

I agree

Basically the acting got better through the day as they eased up also some of the first acting was done with no second actor just someone reading

(nice to edit out that voice and cut in the second actor from hours later)

Because it took a long time the tempo kind of moved through the day

I think the lesson seems to be get the scene sorted, rehearse it and then shoot it - fast - maybe two camera or just handheld as a oner (with some cutaways to cover wobbles)

I cant imagine the skill involved in 'holly wood' on all parts actors, camera, Make up, where an actor in ripped jeans with blood on his face runs from outside location in LA through a door and arrives at a scene that was actually shot three months earlier at Shepperton !

S
 
Are you not using your shoulder support anymore? I know you were just as sticky as I've been about keeping the camera steady, at least at one time.
 
which video?

the pap one is shoulder 'z finder' and rails

the drama is on rails but most of my handheld shots are not too good - because either I rushed them or they were from stupid angles - also my rig is much heavier with the SmallHD on board and the four minute takes were way too long to hold without getting 'sewing machine' shakes

Its matching the tool to the job - which I didnt do to well
 
morgan_moore said:
Thanks

I would be most interested further critique

Shot angles, too few 'master shots' - eyeline, sound
etc

Ive not done such a thing before

SMM
Click to expand...

A couple of notes.

On the model shoot. I don't know if it's possible to adjust either the shutter speed on the video camera to be shorter, or the flash on the still cameras to be longer so that the rolling shutter is not as obvious and such a distraction. The partial flashes from still cameras always look bad.

The Apartment shoot. The lighting in the apartment is very flat. There is no depth to it, no seperation of the actors form the background, or modeling on anyone to define the shapes of their faces. Interesting light comes from somewhere, and always falls off, getting darker and defining shape. Shadow and variation in light is what makes a subject in an image interesting. The compositions are fine for telling the story, although the 2 shot feels a bit static and claustrophobic. Perhaps a little wider with a slight frame around the two guys might free it up.

Use your camera to give us information about the characters, to add subtext to the conversation. You started out well, with the different items on the desk, but then just went to a series of CU shots while he rolls the spliff.

It's a good start, mix it up a bit more if you can to keep it visually interesting.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top