Hi Everyone,

Over the weekend I was involved in a 48 hour film contest. For those who don't know basically you have 48 hours to write, shot, and edit a short film. Including elements designated by the contest organizers.

The entry was shot exclusively with the EX1 at night with only practicals no supplemental lights at all. And then we threw away 80 percent of the picture in post

Here is the link. Our short is titled "Strangers To Kindness" (4th link from the bottom)

http://arts.utah.gov/48HoursinUtahFilmContest.html

or right to youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8kw-FaLRXI

The elements that had to be included were:
1. 10 seconds of dancing
2. A musical instrument
3. The phrase: "Did you know that the Louvre was originally built to be a fortress?"
4. The character: Alexander Bischovsky, Gallery Owner

Thanks,
Chris Forbes

Nice job Chris. I did a similar project last summer (http://gluckziel.com/sarah.htm) on my (just sold) DVX100 and am looking forward to using the EX1 next time. I just hope they find a way to accept an HD master. We had to deliver on mini-DV or DV QT data DVD. How did Utah have you deliver? Was it Youtube only?

You should tighten the cuts, time seems to stand still between cuts. You should also cut from movement to movement which would also help on the other issue.

Nice job - was the line of dialogue (about the Louvre) in there?

I've done a few of the 48 hour competitions and am looking forward to having the EX for the next one - it'll be nice not to have to waste a couple hours capturing footage from tape.

Thanks for the responses guys. The line of dialog was written on a poster that was superimposed on the wall of the train @ :40 sec into it. But it was kind of hard to read.

Thanks for the advice on the editing I'll pass it along to the guy how edited most of it.

One of the most educational parts of this was trying to get it to look halfway decent on YouTube. But the festival specified that was the only way for the delivery.

Thanks to Ken Stone's website on that.

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/youtube_compressor_gary.html

Here are the rest of the entries

http://www.youtube.com/groups_videos?name=48hoursinutah

Chris:

I did two 48hour films in 2007-- (one as DP and second doing the whole ball of wax with family and friends) Knowing the pressures involved, you guys did a great job. I was figuring the eventual victim as the bad guy in cohorts with the other, so it was a surprise ending for me..

I'm guessing the time savings over tape aren't that great. After all, in a tape situation you can pass tape for capture to an AD after every scene...

Thanks, I am glad we surprised someone with the ending. I hate predictable scripts.

Chris

That was slick!

I would have liked to have a cleaner duck under in the beginning and a little de-essss'ing on the gallery owner.

All in all it was well shot, with a keen eye.

Jim

Nice job, it definately makes you want to watch it to the end.

Very good...

Thanks for sharing it.

Chris

That was slick!

I would have liked to have a cleaner duck under in the beginning and a little de-essss'ing on the gallery owner.

All in all it was well shot, with a keen eye.

Jim

Glad you enjoyed it.

Defiantly some stuff to be improved. We did ADR with a ME66 gaffed to a light stand in a basement with a sheet on three sides to minimize echos.

I was wondering why the dialogue audio sounded so good. ;)

Thanks for all the posts. I just wanted to announce we took first in the juries prizes.

This is a timely one for me, Chris, as I am dealing with a nearly completely looped film right now myself (by the way, when you said you threw away 80% of the picture in post, I assume you meant production sound?)

ADR on an "impossible" schedule like you get with a 48 hour film is a real drag, especially when there is so much of it--for all of the ones I made in my 48 hr days, I think I looped only a few lines here and there. Very ambitious!

The trick seems to be in getting clean tracks and then building back the ambience and natural bounce that would have occurred with location. I'm using a combination of very light reverb and echo to make the ADR sound less "present". You have to tailor it to the volume of the voice--a louder voice generates more reverb in a natural location. It's a fine touch but you can tell when it works.

Good job overall. Now I have to head back to the mike to record more foley--having just made myself some lunch, it's a good time to get the eating sounds I've been missing!

Thanks for all the posts. I just wanted to announce we took first in the juries prizes.
Congrats on first place. Enjoy Sundance this next week.

The EX1 looks like a great camera and works well in low lighting, with the Trax station and Wells Fargo building scenes.