Hahaha, thanks for the response. We made this video in a single day, the beat was made using FruityLoops, which we are not very handy with, as you can see.

I'm glad you liked, or at least didn't hate, the actual video/images. This was a for-fun project in our high school class shot with a $200 DV camera, so I wasn't expecting much out of it.

well that's totally the thing, the music just.....well i was pretty clear before ;)

but some of the images were pretty good, keep at it........well video, maybe not writing music! haha

some of it anyways.

http://web.mac.com/arhartman

tell me what you think.

cheers
austin

Is it my computer or does "Wake the Dead" just kind of end suddenly?

Dialog audio for the exteriors had issues. What mic did you use? The guy playing the boss was awesome. I think anybody who handles a pizza like that deserves to lose their turf. Kung Fu camera operator got my biggest laugh. Nice concept and pretty good story. Very nice job.

I think if you watch some rap videos, when the rapper is spitting his flow, the camera angle is usually below his eye level to give him and what he's saying a more dominating feeling. When we see the chess pieces getting clobbered, that should be board level or below too. The first rapper/chess player scene at one point turns all red. Unless you use it more it really sticks out like a sore thumb. Like it's for some other video. Same thing with the very next scene, he's all fuzzy/fogged over. Both of these shots look like they came from another video or the editor couldn't help but showcase his new found bag of post tricks. Either way it doesn't work very well IMHO. A video should have a 'look' and any deviation from that tears away from it.

Some pretty good shots though I would have taken a different approach. Imagine every time you do a shot of the first rapper, he's moving from left to right. Everytime we see the second (preppy?) rapper, he's moving from right to left. Then when they meet at the chessboard, it makes visual sense that the whole thing has led to his moment, this climax when they come head to head for the first time.

Learn by doing so keep it up.

many thanks for your feedback.
We used a boomed mic for the roof, but there was this big generator up there. And that made this fairly difficult.
And yes, Wake the Dead does end quickly, but that was a bit out of my control. Take that one up with the band
Thanks again.
Austin R. Hartman

I liked Surf For Turf.

Hey guys I just finished encoding my new blog that I created while at a conference in San Francisco. It has a lot of shots from around the city and my peers. Also is some of the speakers overlapping the visuals.

I’m looking for criticism that I can improve upon. I need really intelligent criticism. Most my friends are not film people and just kiss my ass and say its GREAT! I don’t really need that. Please leave your thoughts. On my site be even better than here. Thanks for watching I think you will enjoy it.

Here is a direct link to High quality
http://www.vilekyle.com/videos/Video_Blogs/My%20Heart%20Left%20with%20the%20Girl%20on%20Public%20Transporation/My%20Heart%20Left%20with%20the%20Girl%20on%20Public%20Transportation%20-%20Kyle%20Fasanella%20High.wmv

Here a link for all qualities like HD and low quality.
http://www.vilekyle.com/Vid%20Blogs/San%20Fran%202/index.htm

Kyle Fasanella


PS if you like this video you may also want to check out lasts years trip at bottom of page.

Looks amazing! Veru film-like! Did you use a polarizer filter directly on the camera? What were the camera settings?

Salutations everyone. This is my first post on this community, but I have been browsing here for quite sometime. Anyway, I'd like to get some comments on my first music video. It was shot on a no budget with a Sony DCR TRV19 during the weekend of Aprill 22 & 23.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOLV6vNVRm4&search=gnosh

Please tell me what you all think.

And if you like the band: http://www.gnosh.ca

Looks amazing! Veru film-like! Did you use a polarizer filter directly on the camera? What were the camera settings?

i used cinaframe and added contrast in premiere pro

Only cinetone and contrast?! That's it?! Man, I always do that with my FX1 and it doesn't look like that at all. Your colors are so saturated and you don't have that harsh video look. Frankly, I've seen a lot of FX1/Z1 footage and yours is among the most film-looking. Level with us, Kyle. Share the love, brother. What's your secret potion?

I just posted a couple of new projects on my website.

1. Psalm 5: Nicaraguan poet and Sandinista revolutionary Ernesto Cardenal reads his rewrite of the Old Testament Psalm.
http://www.prolefeedstudios.com/catalog/psalm5/psalm5.html

2. Why Are You Here?
An experiment in an interactive, online mini-documentary on the May Day immigrant rights protests.
http://www.prolefeedstudios.com/catalog/MayDay/mayday.html

Nothing fancy editing-wise, but I thought it might be of interest. Comments welcome.

Yes, this does look very nice for video. Nice editing skills and there are some great shots. I admit though, it got dull about half way through. You need something more to captivate out attention other than editing and the picture quality, the content. The one liners were obvious and it was stuff we pretty much already know, but I can understand how that isn't your fault.

Only cinetone and contrast?! That's it?! Man, I always do that with my FX1 and it doesn't look like that at all. Your colors are so saturated and you don't have that harsh video look. Frankly, I've seen a lot of FX1/Z1 footage and yours is among the most film-looking. Level with us, Kyle. Share the love, brother. What's your secret potion?

well I dont shoot at night or indoors. I cut a lot of the crap out of my videos. you watch about 5% of the footage. that be my guess. also I zoom in all the way for DOF

I don't mean to sound kinda pushy, but can somebody give me some response? I would truly appreciate it.

i liked it ... and i liked that i was surprised at the ending ..
the streaming quality is a bit low so it's difficult to tell but i would have to say the lighting is so-so ..
IMO the light needs to be shaped ( as in you add light to a shot then you need to start taking light away in areas ( shape it - using nets , flags , barn doors, black wrap ) .. again it's a hard to make a call but the light seemed harsh ( could be just the low quality stream, you light try "opal " gel on your lights ? ) .. there's hard light and then harsh light ... i liked the shadows on the walls of the band (members) ..

Here's a little something that took about 10 days from concept to finished DVD, called Night of the Headsman. I referenced the hospital hallway scene from Exorcist 3, it always scares me. Shot with Canon XL2 and Pro Mist 1/2 filter. Hope you enjoy it. http://web.mac.com/esquared14/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

Thanks for the reply. I don't know too much about lighting (this was my first attempt). The indoor stuff was the hardest to light as we were only using flood lights and plain light bulbs in homemade box lights (wooden frames with a metal around the bulb for reflection. We also used a single photo light (can't remember what it was now) The outdoor stuff of the band was lit by a 500W halogen lamp, a 250W halogen, and a 100W flood. Like I said, no budget. How was the editing and cinematography and editing?

Thanks for the reply. I don't know too much about lighting (this was my first attempt). The indoor stuff was the hardest to light as we were only using flood lights and plain light bulbs in homemade box lights (wooden frames with a metal around the bulb for reflection. We also used a single photo light (can't remember what it was now) The outdoor stuff of the band was lit by a 500W halogen lamp, a 250W halogen, and a 100W flood. Like I said, no budget. How was the editing and cinematography and editing?
If this is indeed your first attempt and considering the lack of resources as far as lighting gear, this video is impressive. You're on the right track. I like the way your laid out the story. As far as the music, well, I've already tasted it, swallowed it, digested it and evacuated it---in the '90's! Sorry, I happen to be a music producer too, so i couldn't resist commenting on the music.

Thanks guys, keep them up.

here is a movie intro I started making, i need some input on it here:

http://communityvideo.aol.com/Playback.do?AssetID=1beafda1d843a70b465b3de69a9c0d6&pid=CVN&type=ANY_METADATA&value=swat&sort=RELEVANCE&index=1&page=10

Way too long. You really only need 20-30 seconds maximum for this type of project. After the text showed up it was just the police lights for like a minute which I really don't get. The font design and texture for the title 'swat' was corny looking, and the name itself is very generic. I think it's a good concept and I am not sure if you are going to cut it down or whatnot, but those are my opinions.

My best advice would be to keep it simple, it is a great way to start a feature film but unless you really know what you're doing it shouldn't be so elaborate.

Justin

Why 3 minutes of music to sustain 25 seconds of visual? Go to another shot about 4 beats after the "T" disappears or end it. Liked the smokey background and the soft focus rooflights, not too keen on the font and colour used for the title graphic. Strongly suggest you reduce the bass substantially in the music - a strong base line is one thing, having all the melody completely lost underneath the bass is something else again.

Hi, thanks for your opinions. yea i know it was long, i just didnt get to cut it down when i exported it. all that extra time is gonna have the like director and actors and writer and all that. as for the text what ideas do you have to make it more apealing. thanks again -Nick

Here's a viral comercial I've just shot on Beta sp with the mini 35.

http://www.funnyplace.org/video.php?id=2897

(Sorry but I've also posted this in the P+S section I only just spotted this section)

I hope you enjoy.

I thought it was well put together and believe it or not most people not in the business actually like the stuff us DVuser's would consider cheesy.... my two pennies

haha, man that was really funny.

It looked nice too...a little soft, I couldn't tell if that was from the compression or not. Great job!

Thyanks Thomas I'm glad you enjoyed is was fun to make. Yea the compression on that sight makes it look really soft.

looked very filmic.. did you use any filters in post? MB?

Hi guys, i have finally finished my first Motorcycle Stunt documentary, you can view the screenshots and trailer up on the site http://www.asphaltjunkiez.com

Also there will be a screening of the film on july 16th in a theater in the fraser valley area(vancouver, BC) If anyone is intereted in coming out and watching it on the big screen, just msg me and i'll give you more info.
thanks

95% shot on DVX100a in 24p
edited in pro 1.5
after effects 6.5

contains commentary about shooting and editing also


please visit asphaltjunkiez.com to have a look

Looks pretty good from the trailer man!

Good luck on the big screen!

All in all, pretty good stuff. Here are my thoughts.

The oval mask in some of the opening shots is a bit too aggressive. Pull it back out and soften the edges a bit more.

The motion overlay of the rings during the vows kind of says 'cheesy effect'. I would take it out. The background motion effects at the ending montage are much nicer and they don't distract the viewer at that point.

The 'old film look' is another mis-placed effect. It doesn't work because by looking at the rest of the video, you can see that 'this shot' takes place at the same day and time. This would have been a good effect if you were doing a history of the couple and had some childhood VHS video to cut into the story but not for a brief shot in current day. Since the couple are kissing in this shot, a slo-mo would help enhance the romantic moment they are sharing.

A couple pan and tilts were not at steady pace but that's just practice and a much more expensive tripod head. That's why good ones will cost you more than what you paid for the camera. They are fluid dampened and have counterbalance springs that will make those camera moves silky smooth.

All in all, a good job and certainly one that can be made better with a few changes. The basic camera work with shot selection, angle, and exposure are there so you have some good material to edit with.

That's just my opinion and others may dis-agree so don't take it as gospel. I only pointed out those things that distracted me as a viewer.

regards,

-gb-


im thinking the same thing. over-used graphics=cheeze! nice use of soft focus/filter, the lighting at the cremony is incredible! i too shoot weddings and lighting is the hardest thing at these events. way to keep the color/exposure right in the hous aroung the windows.
any special techniques?
nice over all!

looks great on the big screen, i tested it already!! I learned that when shooting interview stuff on tripod, must have Auto Focus OFF, lol!!

believe it or not most people not in the business actually like the stuff us DVuser's would consider cheesy....


By "people in the business" I don't know whether you mean "people in the video business" or "clients," but keep in mind the only thing that's important is what the customer wants. It's irrelevant what we, the so-called "experts," prefer.

If you like something and your customers don't, either you are in the wrong biz or the wrong demographic.

Pretty cool. I liked the handheld looking shot the best. I would change the focus to the phone a little sooner though, like right when it rings and hold it til right after she sees who's calling and smiles.

That M2 seems like it does a nice job. Which lens did you use with it?

LOL! Awesome! I had to watch it twice to get all the references. Concept is great Stephen. Music is perfect with it, too. Well done.

This my first DVD doco,

www.rpbproductions.com/uploads/intro.mov

I thinks is ok but open to coments,

rob,

Also will be looking to seel it to a US auto shops, if any one has any ideas, would be good.

Overall you did a decent job. It looks clean and the style is simple. I would have upped the contrast a bit and maybe put in some colour variation to make the video look more cinematic, but overall you did a good job. I might have made it a bit longer, maybe with some small talk that people want to say that would make it a bit more interesting.

Something technical wise to note, beware of the TV safe zones. I am not %100 sure of this topic, but there is a restricting zone on how far you can put important video footage, such as text on a video. So, the edges of your opening logo might get cropped off and the text 'Wintersum Rock & Roll Festival' might get the edges cropped off as well. Read here for more information about what I am talking about.

http://www.itfc.com/assets/safeareas.pdf

Justin

LOL...I thought it was hilarious!!!

The beat was awful....the lyrics were wack...but I thought it was funny and creative in its simplicity.....

**waiting for chessmasters II**

LOL...I thought it was hilarious!!!

The beat was awful....the lyrics were wack...but I thought it was funny and creative in its simplicity.....

**waiting for chessmasters II**

electric boogaloo?

Thanks justin,

Can you point me in the right direction re the colour variation as i am a bit new to all of this.

rob.

The titles are different in the dvd copy inside the title safe area.

Ok safe areas are good then. :)

What I mean by colour variation is, in other words colour correction. Most editing software will give you options to increase contrast and levels for your Red Greens and Blues. It will take the images from your video, which can look dull, and sharpen them up a bit and make them look more cinematic. Some people take a rough edit then run their video through colour correction to make the video more vivid. Others preffer to wait until the end. It is all up to you on how you want the video to look.

Here is some examples of what I mean, taken from your video.
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/1626/saa6yj.jpg

Those are just basic 'warm' colours I used. Nothing too dramatic but it can make a difference. I just did a quick little job so if you tinker around with them yourself you could get even better results. Also remember, not everything needs to be too much colour corrected. Such as the dance scenes in your video, I don't think they need much ajustment or any at all.

Take a look at your editing software and play around with the colour settings for your videos. You don't need to 'colour correct' this festival video, since you are almost done I assume, but it is something to take in account for next time.

Justin

Thanks i will have a play a round with the video.

rob.

Hi. I am new to this forum. 'Curry Head' is a 2min horror short I did for a competition. Sadly didn't get shortlisted, but it will spur me on to do better. I do corporate/training videos, but this is my 1st finished serious attempt at a fictional piece. Shot on a Sony PD170.

Please make comments, good or bad. Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZWtVIUDjxo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sean Doherty
info@sdientertainment.com

The oldest movie theatre west of the Mississippi will host the first annual Estes Park Film Festival.

Feature Films

Self Medicated – Monty Lapica
Brats: Our Journey Home - Donna Musil
Preserve me a Seat – Jim Fields
Subdivision, Colorado - Neil Widener
The Empty Acre – Patrick Rea
Scared New World - Yahn Soon
Tara’s Daughters - Roslyn Dauber
Costa Rica – Nick Molle
StreetWok’n - Matthew Gunter & Eric Matyas

Short Films

A World at Waste - Stuart MacDonald
A Thousand Words - William Craig
The Sand Creek Massacre - Donald L. Vasicek
Sideshow - Sheila E. Schroeder
Carhenge: Genius or Junk? - David Liban
Sand Mandala - Meryem Ersoz
Science or Faith: Intelligent Design in Public Schools - Caite Adams and Jeff Rudkin
Return to Auschwitz - Brady Jones and Jeff Rudkin
Do You Want the Elephant Music - Leslie Dektor
Southwestern Orange County vs. the Flying Saucers - Robert Dastoli
Escape Velocity - Scott Ligon
Monday Morning - Anthony Spadaccini
The Girl who could run 600 miles per hour - Mark Thimijan
Getting Lucky - Stacy Marr
The Viewing - Horsetooth Productions
Test - Lorne Pribbeno
Zero the Counter - Patrick Rea
Riverside - Todd Tinkham
In the Can - Ethan Knightchilde
Leave 'em Hangin' - David Higgins
The Offering - Paul Lee
Eyes of an Artist - Michael Vanderwyst
3:16 - Mike Vanderwyst and Jeff Frye
A Bedtime Story for the End of the World – Howard & Helen Kingkade
Air Hockey - Adam Bell
Tower of Love – Sean Doherty

Celebrating their inaugural year, the 2006 Estes Park Film Festival will showcase 9 feature-length films and 26 short films from across the country. The festival will take place at the Historic Park Theatre in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado from September 15th - 17th, 2006 with an awards ceremony on the final night. In addition to the films, the Estes Park Film Festival will also serve as a fundraising event to help renovate and restore the Historic Park Theatre to its original cinematic elegance. Advance Tickets and Festival Passes are available to purchase on the festival web site: www.sdientertainment.com

Included in this year’s line-up is Monty Lapica’s “Self-Medicated” about an out of control youth who is sent against his will to a corrupt psychiatric hospital. Jim Field’s newest documentary “Preserve Me a Seat” is about historic movie theatres in America and the people that are trying to save them, and Donna Musil’s groundbreaking documentary “Brats: Our Journey Home”, narrated by Kris Kristofferson, is about growing up as a military brat. Other feature films include the family adventure “Subdivision, Colorado”, the dramatic horror film “Empty Acre”, and the inspiring documentary about Tibetan refugee women “Tara’s Daughters”, narrated by Susan Sarandon. “Scared New World” is about the intertwining lives of three California housemates, and Nick Molle’s documentary “Costa Rica” takes you on a journey to one of the most bio-diverse places on earth.

Short Films include the visually stunning documentary “Carhenge: Genius or Junk?” about a replica of Stonehenge made out of 38 junked automobiles in western Nebraska, and the action-packed inspirational short film “3:16” about one boy who holds the cure to a mysterious airborne virus that consumes the globe and kills millions. When flying saucers invade Central Florida, it's up to one theme park employee to stop them in “Southwestern Orange County vs. the Flying Saucers”, and “Getting Lucky” is a short comedy about one woman’s attempt at internet dating. Other short films include the hilarious silent comedy “Monday Morning”, Mark Timijan’s “The Girl Who Could Run 600 Miles Per Hour”, and Scott Ligon’s humorous take on life with A.D.D. in “Escape Velocity”.

Many of the filmmakers will be on hand to introduce their films and will be a part of a filmmaker panel discussion on the creative process of getting their films from script to screen. There will also be plenty of parties where you can mingle with the filmmakers and other film enthusiasts! For a complete schedule of film screenings, workshops, parties, and panel discussions please visit the festival web site: www.sdientertainment.com

Hey Everyone,

I've just finished a short it's called Pit Stop. Check it out at www.3ffilms.com/html/films/pit_stop

It was shot in HD the file is 20 mb's so it may take a minute or two to download, but it's worth it.

And enjoy.

Watched your short and thought the idea was good. The camera work was fine, but I think the editing lets it down. Lighting could be better too. The shots in the hallway last too long and don't work in developing the suspense. The jump cuts would have worked better if that sequence was shorter, plus the X dissolve looks cheesy. The woman talking to herself came across as contrived and dialogue unnatural. What was the point of the phone conversation that we could not hear properly? Plus you could have added more suspense with creaky doors, the odd unexplained bang etc.

I just think it would have worked better if you spent more time on the script beforehand. Using what you got now, you could cut a few minutes out, add some suspenseful music to create more mood and already have a much better short.

Looking forward to your next work. Keep it up. :]

Hello all. Well we put our first short out onto Ifilm. The title is FAIR SHARE, and if you have ever worked in a corporate environment, you will probably get the joke.

We had some audio issues and a few other glitches, but hey, its a learning process.

Our next one will be leaps and bounds better. Please give it a look and let me know what you all think.

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2745091

Steve Maisch
www.stevemaisch.com

Steve, here's the things I liked the most (in order):
--the Hotties (of course)
--the comedic tone
--the music

The pacing could use some quickening, especially when he's getting dressed. I know the song is cool and all, but I don't need to see that whole process. In future projects move right into the next story beat, bang bang bang, don't give me time to bail out. I say this cause I like the tone a lot. I laughed several times.

The framing/staging/blocking of the scenes need serious improvement. Make use of close-ups mixed in with wide/medium. It doesn't seem like you did many takes. Block the scene out and do several takes from different angles, then cut on an action. It will greatly improve things.

The comic ideas behind the scenes are good ones. I don't know what your next project is, but I would expand this comic tone into a decent story and work on the directing aspect of things, keeping your critical eye always on the point of entertaining. Point being, in my opinion, technique and craft can be learned, but having a comic sensibility can not. You have the hard part. Learn the rest. Good luck!