Ok, testing Dylans theory here, shorter is best! I liked the theme and thought of a way to make it short, sweet, and to the point.

By myself again, so couldn't pull off some of the things I had planned, but got it done.

It is a serious topic, so whether you like my movie or not, please support and give to the cause.

If you like it, thank you very much. If you didn't, I did not make you suffer long, just 50 seconds.

I probably won't win, with so many great entries this time, but I had my cake and got to eat it too! :)

Thanks to all------Mike

Holy cow, Mike! One powerful message! "Somebody turn out the lights!" The symbolism just blew me away. Man, Mike, this was one awesome short. The voice overs were perfect and not one bit contrived. Your acting and filmmaking range is amazing.

Mike,

It's a wonderful cause that is so often overlooked. Thank you.

You're audio levels were perfect.

I thought it was great. Very powerful and to the point. You should pitch this to an Alzheimer's organization to see if they would like to use it.

I thought it was great. Very powerful and to the point. You should pitch this to an Alzheimer's organization to see if they would like to use it.

Already in the works, I have a friend who knows persons at the local chapter of the Alzheimers Organization, and a friend who works at a local County run TV station.

Thanks for your kind words.

Mike

Gosh, Mike...you made me cry! This short is incredibly impressive--a total package. The look, YOUR ACTING, the great audio...the message.

If I didn't know you I'd think this was a powerful PSA. Because we're friends I am completely in awe of your acting abilities (your choice of shirts with it buttoned clear to the top was perfect), plus the way you orchestrated the audio. And that simple, small cake with one lone candle said so much.

Well done, Mike.

Thank you my friend.

Let me add my congratulations also, Mike. Great message, audio mix was spot on, etc. I would love to see your work get turned into a PSA.

-gb-

Already in the works, I have a friend who knows persons at the local chapter of the Alzheimers Organization, and a friend who works at a local County run TV station.

Thanks for your kind words.

Mike


That's awesome, I emailed the link to my dad who's very involved with an Alzheimer organization in AZ. I just lost my grandmother to this horrible disease so it really hit home so to speak.

Very well done!

I thought your acting was terrific! Your choice of one shot and then the tight framing with the eyes rolling at the end worked very well. It brings the message home in a simple yet effective way...empathy/sympathy.

Bravo

Best wishes~
Bradley

PS: Doing all that yourself, it's no wonder why we didn't see the Teutschy-Pushy Dolly in action.

Mike I'm speechless. Excellent job.

Hey Brad, Mike has used his dolly before when shooting himself in a movie. You should see the contraption he built--it's cool!!! I used the dolly Mike sent to me while shooting myself this time but it didn't make the cut. My method wasn't nearly as sophisticated as Mike's; I just had a string tied from the dolly to my foot and drug it in! :)

Hey Brad, Mike has used his dolly before when shooting himself in a movie. You should see the contraption he built--it's cool!!! I used the dolly Mike sent to me while shooting myself this time but it didn't make the cut. My method wasn't nearly as sophisticated as Mike's; I just had a string tied from the dolly to my foot and drug it in! :)

Any idea where some pictures of this rig might be?

Yep, it's posted somewhere on this forum already. If Mike doesn't get back here soon, I'll sniff it out for you and post the link when I get a little time. :)

Yep, it's posted somewhere on this forum already. If Mike doesn't get back here soon, I'll sniff it out for you and post the link when I get a little time. :)

Here you go: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=81269

Look at the 6th post and you will see the picture. He's donating this, plus his tripod, camera, dolly track and a whole bunch of other stuff to the winner of dvc #7! (jk)

Best wishes,
Bradley

Hey Brad, Mike has used his dolly before when shooting himself in a movie. You should see the contraption he built--it's cool!!! I used the dolly Mike sent to me while shooting myself this time but it didn't make the cut. My method wasn't nearly as sophisticated as Mike's; I just had a string tied from the dolly to my foot and drug it in! :)

Sweet! I want to see that!

Best wishes~
Bradley

We'll see, Brad. :)

Darn, I may have promised more than I can deliver, Alex. It just occurred to me that Mike sent a video to me of his home-built dolly mover (sorry to be confusing, Brad--I'm talking about a motorized dolly here!). We'll just see what the master machinist has to say and I'll shut up... :)

Here you go: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=81269

Look at the 6th post and you will see the picture. He's donating this, plus his tripod, camera, dolly track and a whole bunch of other stuff to the winner of dvc #7! (jk)

Best wishes,
Bradley

Thanks Bradley. It looks like a slick rig.

Here you go: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=81269

Look at the 6th post and you will see the picture. He's donating this, plus his tripod, camera, dolly track and a whole bunch of other stuff to the winner of dvc #7! (jk)

Best wishes,
Bradley


Whoa, just the dolly!!!!!! Thanks for the kind comments guys. Yes the prototype dolly will go to the winner or someone else, as decided by Dylan, Boss Hog!

The motor part, not included, can be seen in this short video. As a side note, I did buy about 20+ motors, and sometime I will be building some of these for others. It is just a simple thing, but so smooth, and cheap.

http://www.treasurecoastvideo.com/dolly%20film.wmv

I built it for DVC#4 I think! It worked excellent! I was able to blend to multiple passes into one video shot.

I hope that who ever gets the dolly can make good use of it. It is a fun accessory to have available.

Thanks for the compliments on my short, I thought it was OK, but I'm very happy that you all liked it. It is so damn hard and frustraiting to try to do this and all of my other stuff by myself.

I am involved with the Burt Reynolds Museum in Jupiter, and will be coordinating some film making classes there soon, as our main man, an instructor at Palm Beach Community College, has taken an additional job to make some money, shame on him! Thank god, I won't be teaching, just lining up the talent.

For any of you in the area, it is a fun place and a great place to meet people and have fun. They are desparate for help, as I will be shooting a short for them there in about a week and a half.

Thanks again for your very nice comments on my short, and I do hope that I can get it out in the real world to raise money for Alzheimers research.

Mike

Mike, I would totally youtube that video of yours. I think something like that could do a lot of good. And the power of the internet is great for donation-based causes.

Also, that dolly motor is a brilliant idea! Since doing this DVC project I've got the creative writing bug and now I've got two short skits (comedies) that I'll be filming soon. I've been thinking of buying that killer camera rigs book and if I build a dolly I'm gonna hafta build a motor for it. Hope you don't mind my borrowing!

Thanks buddy!


*also* as I'm trying to build my production company (its really just me right now, but I manage). I'd love to post that video when I add a video section, just to spread the word, I would completely give all credit to you, it would be more of a PSA on my site, you wouldn't have to worry about bandwidth, I'll keep it on my site for my traffic. ~just a thought, I'd love to help spread the word

Excellent work! The message came through loud and clear.
The image quality and lighting was spot on as well.

Nice job!

EDIT: Mike, are you in the picture with your grandfather?


Mike

Hit me hard with this one. I saw that look from my mother for the last four years of her life. She passed just over 2 years ago. Excellent portrayal, and the eyes, yes the eyes are what told me that you had seen the same thing I had--- that vacant, confused, pleading look, that says "Help me, I don't know what going on here!!"

Nice job on a very serious subject....

Excellent work! The message came through loud and clear.
The image quality and lighting was spot on as well.

Nice job!

EDIT: Mike, are you in the picture with your grandfather?


Mike


Hi Mike,

Ya, I'm in the picture. I'm the limp wristed one on the left, with the camera around my neck! :)

We were just back from an offshore fishing trip that my grandfather had arraigned for my brother and me. My first offshore trip, but it set up my love for ocean fishing. Now I have fished all over the world and I'm an official for the International Game Fish Association (IGFA).

The two dolphin in the picture were the main course that night for a get together of the family and the next door neighbors. Dolphin fried, baked, and grilled! A very good memory!

Mike

Oh, and I should add the the fishing trip resulted in my first appearance on TV! :)

Mike

I honestly guessed that you were on the left in the picture, I should have posted it. :)

Looks like you guys had a good day.

Cheers,


Mike

Lost my mom to this two years ago. Very powerful Mike. Excellent job.

Mike,

I echo all the things already said here. I also lost my Mom 2 years ago, she had Alzheimers for the last few years but it was a sudden illness that took her. She almost made it to her 90th birthday.

I have seen how Alzheimer's robs an individual of diffrent aspects of who they are in diffrent people.

What you've done here is more than awesome and I hope I'll see it on the networks as a public service announcement some day.

Best wishes,

Bruce

Mike -

Thanks for making this movie! My grandfather has alzheimers so it really hits home for me...Its amazing how many others in the forum can relate too!

Your imagery and sound was so simple and beautiful. Very moving!

Thank you!
Jamey*

OMG you made me cry. You should completely send this to the Alzheimer's Association, I'm sure they could use a good PSA.

Smile,
Kris

PS: having now gone back and read what everyone else wrote, that seems a little redundant, but it's just because we all agree your work was so good.

I just saw the bump on the thread about how much money we've been raising. I went into this thinking, well I won't win, but if I do the money will go to the homeless shelter where my sister-in-law works because a) it's a good cause, and b) she'd shoot me if I did anything else. But now I'm thinking whoever wins should follow the suggestion in Mike's video and give to the alzheimer's folks.

Just a thought.

I agree and that was my initial thought when I first saw it, you could pitch this as a PSA if you remove the part about how it is for your grandfather as the public won't know the gentleman most likely. Make it generic by saying something like "Wesley John Teutsch - 1896 to 1989" then on to the next graphic. Also remember that graphics should be bold on television. Black over the grey image might be hard to read on a 9" B&W in someones kitchen. I would probably also do a slow zoom in on the photograph under the title.

Good job. Try to get this one on the air.

On the Dolly, I wonder if there is a way to make a drive wheel and motor assy that would be in a small housing ON the dolly platform. A pair of skateboard wheels friction driven? That would work for curved tracks.

Hmm.

Sean

I agree and that was my initial thought when I first saw it, you could pitch this as a PSA if you remove the part about how it is for your grandfather as the public won't know the gentleman most likely. Make it generic by saying something like "Wesley John Teutsch - 1896 to 1989" then on to the next graphic. Also remember that graphics should be bold on television. Black over the grey image might be hard to read on a 9" B&W in someones kitchen. I would probably also do a slow zoom in on the photograph under the title.

Good job. Try to get this one on the air.

On the Dolly, I wonder if there is a way to make a drive wheel and motor assy that would be in a small housing ON the dolly platform. A pair of skateboard wheels friction driven? That would work for curved tracks.

Hmm.

Sean


I said the same thing to locals about removing my grandfather, and they said no. But, I think that part can be shortened and cleaned up on the one that would actually be used, if it were ever used!

What color or type would you use on the title. Straight white? I may do the zoom, and I may even cut my brother out, hehe, just to make it simpler, but I was concerned about loosing resolution on this very old picture. I will experiment before submitting it.

I appreciate your comments Sean, as I want this to be as good as it can be.

The motorized wheel idea is interesting, but might lose traction because of the very small contact area, and shifting weight bias on less than perfectly level surfaces. But, I can think of another similar way, so I'll work on that too. Thanks

Mike

I have used transparent white as a base for lower third graphics and text. Allows the text to pop without completely covering the video under it. Maybe a softer white, grey in semi-transparent.

You could also squeeze the image back a bit to less than full screen and do the slow push in from there. You don't have to push in far to get a feeling of movement that's subtle. It also helps create an emotional connection when you do those slow zoom ins.

Leave the brother in. I wouldn't change anything other than the graphic stuff.

Good stuff.

The Alzheimer's people will probably want you to use their approved graphic. That would be easy to add as well.

Good luck.

Sean

Congratulations with the win Mike! You did a great job.

I hope to see this on TV some day.

Take care,

Mike

Congratulations with the win Mike! You did a great job.

I hope to see this on TV some day.

Take care,

Mike

Thanks Mike, and I will do my best to make it happen, as it is a very worthy cause. Like I said in another post, it turns out I have an insider on my side in the Orlando chapter of the Alzhiemers Association. I did not know it at the time of filming, but two of the girls and one of the ladies voices in the film are the daughters and wife of the past president and member of the Orlando chapter of the Alzhiemers Association. He loves it and wants to use it already, before he finds out it won.

One other note for those who might be interested, I shot it and edited it before choosing the music. I'm not the music person that some of you are. The music comes form one of my Digital Juice Royalty Free music libraries. The music in the movie is entitled "Faded Memories." Before adding it to the movie, I had already name the movie, "Fading!" That just goes to show you how great some of the music writers are! It fit so well, there was no second choice.

Mike