ZMB - jdsmith19

jdsmith19

jdsmith19

Well-known member
After watching all of your shorts, I am hesitant to post. Everyone did a wonderful job! ZMB is my second short (and I think I marked improvement for those of you who saw Danger Day!) I shot it in 4 afternoons, with no crew (except for my lovely wife who SOMETIMES remembered to hold the boom). Once again, I learned a lot, and there are a lot of mistakes I won't make again. Good job everyone!

J.D.
 
I really liked ZMB and it's take on "zombiefication." The acting was quite good, among the best I've seen so far in these shorts. I thought the lighting was good and added to the creepy atmosphere. The sound in the kitchen scene had an echo, which I'm sure you noticed, but that was really the only technical issue I noticed. I thought it was entertaining and very watchable. Great job!
 
The acting in this one was pretty good, especially by the older "ZMB" guy. He did a good job. It was also original which I liked. Good job,nicely done. I usually go for the action zombie movies, but this one worked well w/out it.
 
Thanks for the comments! I had a lot of fun putting this together.

I am an actor by trade, so finding talent isn't difficult for me, because all of my friends are actors.

The echo in the kitchen is one of the many problems I had at that location. My lighting and sound were rough because of the 8 foot ceilings. Looking back, I realize the boom was way too close to the ceiling, causing it to pick up a whole lot of bounce. As far as lighting goes I have for lighting equipment is 4 reflectors from OSH and a couple of old tripods that I clip them to. Add a couple of pieces of styrofoam, and voila. I didn't see the location until I arrived at the shoot, and when I started setting up, I realized I had no idea how to do it successfully in that space.

I look forward to all of your comments. Thanks so much!

J.D.
 
I also liked this short. the acting was pretty good and I think you had a good story. I think the main problem I had was with the low light situation. It was a little grainly, but im sure compression doesnt hlp either. for your second short youve done agood job.
 
I thought this short looked really good. I agree that acting was good. There was a couple of slow bits, but the story idea was solid. I really like lighting on most of the shots.
 
Very funny and somewhat disturbing!! Great concept, you must know people who work for Herbalife. ;)
 
Curugon said:
Great concept, you must know people who work for Herbalife. ;)
Click to expand...

Ha! :laugh:

Close--my parents were in Amway for a little while when I was a kid. I wasn't going to make a zombie short, until I was talking to a friend about how Amway is more like a cult than a business. I decided I would write a short about it, and when I sat down to write it, I figured I could make it a zombie film too so I could enter the contest and give myself a real deadline.

Also - Alimar--which parts did you think were slow? I'm curious. I'm working on tightening up my director's cut and would love to hear what parts.

Thanks you guys. It's really nice to hear that people liked the short and get constructive criticism. It makes this contest so worthwhile.

J.D.
 
My notes from when I watched this Sunday: Fairly good production value. Okay acting, interesting take/storyline.

I see now what you mean about the Amway comparison ... that ZMB has EVERYTHING you could possibly ever need. As far as an undead film, though, I can't say that this really fit ... seemed more like they "lost their soul" perhaps, but I didn't see anything "zombie" about it other than some blank stares.

The interesting storyline/take was the best quality of this.
 
I thought this had some good acting. i didnt like the shot of the 2 women walking out of the room. you show more ceiling than them in the shot.. very wierd.. I like intro and the end.. nice job
Brian
 
Hectorxd said:
i didnt like the shot of the 2 women walking out of the room.
Click to expand...

Good call hectorxd about the shot of the women walking out of the room. I don't like that shot either. It's always kinda bothered me. Do you think it would play better if I just cut that shot?

J.D.
 
Envision and joe94--

Yeah, they're not typical zombies. I definitely took a lot of liberties with the term "zombie". Thanks for the comments guys.

J.D.
 
Well shot little film.

I must say you utilized your limited sets expertly.

Very original idea...but, regarding the plotline, I gotta ask: Do they become actual zombies, or are they brain-washed into the pyramid scam (because the latter is how I saw the conclusion.)
 
jdsmith19 said:
Envision and joe94--

Yeah, they're not typical zombies. I definitely took a lot of liberties with the term "zombie". Thanks for the comments guys.

J.D.
Click to expand...

My mistake...you already addressed that one.
 
CallaghanFilms said:
Very original idea...but, regarding the plotline, I gotta ask: Do they become actual zombies, or are they brain-washed into the pyramid scam (because the latter is how I saw the conclusion.)
Click to expand...

Interesting question. My idea was that they become "actual zombies", but as I said earlier, I took a lot of liberties with the term zombie. I actually had never even seen a zombie film when I wrote this script (since I've seen Dawn of the Dead and 78 other zombie shorts). So, yes, I meant for them to be actual zombies, but not in the traditional sense.

J.D.
 
"Good call hectorxd about the shot of the women walking out of the room. I don't like that shot either. It's always kinda bothered me. Do you think it would play better if I just cut that shot?"
I went back and looked at it and it doesnt look as noticeable the second time I watched it. I think it could do without that shot. It just wasnt framed right. I do like the idea of cutting to them walking away but not that shot. I dont know if you have access to the two women anymore but it doesnt look to hard to reshoot that part, that is if you have access to them and wouldnt mind. I would say it would be fine with or without that part though. Hope that helps
Brian
 
Well done. I enjoyed the unique spin on the zombie theme. The acting was quite good.

I would've liked to see a more elaborate ZMB wine label, something easily addressed with Photoshop (minor quibble! :grin: ).

Overall I liked the story here. It really grabbed and held my attention throughout. I think you could have some fun doing a slightly different edit without the 5-minute time constraint.

All in all, great job!
 
Thanks, Sean Michael! Director's cut will be out as soon as the contest is over. It's about 8:30. The script I wrote actually had three other short scenes that had to be cut for the contest.

Sean Michael said:
I would've liked to see a more elaborate ZMB wine label, something easily addressed with Photoshop (minor quibble! ).
Click to expand...

I will work on that. Never really done anything like that, but it will be good practice.

J.D.
 
JD, you're definitely making solid improvements. Nice job! I really liked the storyline of yours and your spin on the zombie/undead thing.

Some of the camera angles were a bit odd, but again I see a lot of improvement here in ZMB. The scene after the lead drinks the “kool aid” is a bit too dark. And I agree the acting was pretty good with the main ZMB guy turning in some great work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top