Well, shot my second and last SD movie . . "Sara & Suzi"

Would love to have some people watch this little 9 min 8 sec movie and at the end, click the "Click Here" link at top of the movie page to rate the movie anonymously or ID'd . . your decision.

The link: From Trimedia Pictures "Sara & Suzi" (http://www.sarasuzi.com) (Then Click "Watch The Movie")

BACKGROUND

The movie was produced for film festivals and has already been entered in several, none of which have ended judging yet.

The movie was shot with one DVX100B camera in 16:9 Squeeze @ 24p and edited on Avid Liquid Pro. An upconverted HD version was also produced but basically is just an SD image in HD size. I figured that's what we'd see but hey, it was fun thinking it might work :o)

For those who check the movie out, thank you in advance for watching it, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it.

AND, please rate the movie and don't feel you have to be kind, if something is amiss, I'd love to know it. I want to be a better Director and Producer and I will when I correct my weaknesses but to do so, I have to know where they are.

Okay so I watched it. I must confess it didn't choke me up. Since you've already completed it I guess there's not much point in suggesting any changes, so I'll just comment on what I personally felt about the short.

Firstly, its commendable that you actually went out and got something done. I know most of us (including myself) just build castles in the sky most of the time. But perhaps its because whatever we take out, we want it to be perfect - and sometimes perfection is not what's required, sometimes its more important to communicate what's on your mind.

I thought the story could have gone deeper. I didn't see any sibling rivalry though, I saw more regret and self-blame. I liked part where Suzi removes the crust of the bread, its a little characteristic that helps identify with the character more.

Overall though, I thought the story felt more like a road safety public service message. I'm sorry if that sounded harsh, but you did post your film up for comments. I'm just being honest.

Technically, the camera brought too much attention to itself. There were too many zooms which always makes any production look like a vacation home video. Some places it felt like you'd used a NG take, in others it felt that you're still adjusting the camera while the story is progressing. These aren't good filming techniques. Editing could have been a lot slicker too.

Rodger, I just think that you can still learn a lot. I admire your drive and interest in this field but I would hold back on tags such as "award winning", "dramatic narrative", "film festival", "starring...", etc etc. They're just Hollywood buzz words that won't improve on an otherwise mediocre production. I would have enjoyed it so much more if you'd been a little more humble about this short and used it as a learning experience, seeking constructive criticism to build your portfolio and your experience to make better and better productions. I just felt that its presentation was too pompous. I'm sorry, but that's what I feel.

I would love to see your next production and sincerely hope that you haven't been deterred by my seemingly harsh criticism. Believe me, I'm much harsher on myself about my own work. I think it just helps to make on a better person and professional.

On an ending note, I thought the young lady that played Suzi did an outstanding job :)

Cheers!

Hey guys. I thought I should get some feedback for this music video I've done. I won't say much to influence your judgment, just see and let me know what you guys think.

Sailing Fast on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2087783)

Once you're on my Vimeo page do feel free to browse through all my other work. Lemme know if something catches your eye.

Rodger, I'll tell you what. Just to be fair I've posted up a music video that I did and have invited everyone to offer comments and criticisms on it. I'm looking forward to your post as well. God help me!

No comments?

Very nice :) I love how it doesn't try too hard to drive a point across. I'm sure all kids have such vivid imaginations, and this short reminds us how it was to be a child again :) know its predictable but I'm guessing it was never meant to be a suspense film in the first place! Plus, I enjoyed knowing what was going to happen, THAT's the whole charm of the film isn't it?

Excellent shots and framing. Everything draws into the story. Please do tell us what camera you used and what you did your post on. Where was this filmed by the way? Love the location and the sets.

All in all, nice work :)

Comments from a WRC fan.

Loved the photography. Liked the editing.

However, you need way more music to keep people's attention and energy through some of the spots where there is no dialogue. I think you could cut about 50% of the footage too, down to what the viewer NEEDS to see, rather than all the good footage you shot. It was very slow, to the point where I started skipping forward a minute at a time. After more than 5 seconds, in car driving footage is boring as sin unless you are going through some ridiculously twisty roads at terminal speeds with cliffs around every cornoer.

Having said that, I think you'll have a really great piece if you chop it down and speed up the scenes where stuff actually happens. And pumping music.

Comments from a WRC fan.

Loved the photography. Liked the editing.

However, you need way more music to keep people's attention and energy through some of the spots where there is no dialogue. I think you could cut about 50% of the footage too, down to what the viewer NEEDS to see, rather than all the good footage you shot. It was very slow, to the point where I started skipping forward a minute at a time. After more than 5 seconds, in car driving footage is boring as sin unless you are going through some ridiculously twisty roads at terminal speeds with cliffs around every cornoer.

Having said that, I think you'll have a really great piece if you chop it down and speed up the scenes where stuff actually happens. And pumping music.

Thanks for the words. I wanted to ad lots more music, but I don't violate copyright and don't have that much $$ for licensing. The 3 tracks I did use were licensed from Rumblefish BTW.

Point taken on the length. It is too long.

Thank you all for the posts!

I'm glad my intentions worked! This was shot on a Sony Z1 (the DP I worked with has his background in television) with some minor color grading in post on fcp. The location was in Holland (I guess you could see that :p) just outside the city of Breda.

I'm glad you all liked it!

I liked it, it cheered me up

Andy.

FYI-

This video was shot in HDV with a Canon XL H1. I used the 6X Canon lense. Also, the green screen keying was all done with Ultra-2. I edited the skit with Premiere pro CS3 using Cineform AVI files.

Some interesting facts about the video.

1) Contestants and judges were shot on seperate days

2) Cowboy interview in front of the doors was actually done on green screen. I a frame of video of the doors and used it under the key.

3) Some of the intro shots were from 2007 and were shot with a Canon XL2.

This weekend we decided to have some fun and make a spoof of the popular A&E television show, Intervention. In this 'episode', Stephen, a die-hard World of Warcraft player, is faced with an intervention from his friends Nick and Taran.

YouTube - Intervention - Stephen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KobeFLrX_S0)

We created this short video for a youth film competition at a local church. Please send any feedback, keeping in mind that this is a bit of a rushed project. Thank you.

UPDATE:

November 6th 2008 - Official Selection to the High Desert International Film Fest.... Visit our site for more info!

Congrats!

That's an impressive amount of work for a small crew and $2000!

Hello everyone,
Well I managed to complete my latest film just in time for Halloween - it's called 'The Carved Pumpkin' and I hope it gets you in the Halloween spirit!
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni4f7omHg7A

I love it! Thanks for the holiday cheer
If you don't mind my asking, about how much time was spent on this project? I am considering a similar style non-Halloween video, I would like to know what I am getting into first

Here's another music video I want some comments upon. The first one I put up got no comments yet so I'm hoping this one might evoke SOME words!

Boundaries Broken on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/1881208)

October Edit on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2114598)

Here is a quick edit i threw togeather last night. lake placid got 14 inches of snow so we ran out and filmed. This if my first work with my XH-A1.

I thought this was appropriate for today: Orange Moon on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/929268)

Thanks. Glad you liked it!

That was a damn fine video there.
I enjoyed the concept. I thought it was well executed. The touches of humour were nice.
I loved how it was filmed.
My only criticism is that I would've liked to have seen a bit more of the band performing in it.
Sweet!

Hey, thanks dennis :) i appreciate the feedback. Yeah, even the band wanted to see more of their performance in this video! By the way, i realised that most people won't really get the premise of the 'lota' which in the muslim world and south asian culture is a spouted pot filled with water and used umm... Instead of toilet paper. The end shot shows the more modern 'muslim shower' which is like a mini shower-head used... Instead of toilet paper :) you get my drift right? It'll just make more sense knowing these cultural references.

Thanks Allen, glad you enjoyed it. This film took me about 3 weeks to make - one week filming, one week editing, and about a week of the sound. Good luck with your project, would love to see it when it's done!

Just a note to anyone wanting to see 'The Carved Pumpkin', there is also a high quality version on Vimeo at:
The Carved Pumpkin on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2113262)

Great shot!

That is cool Andy. Have you shot video of the northern lights? If so, what kind of shutter speed and iris settings? I have a different camera, but curious.
Thanks. I'm in Anchorage too, BTW.

Took the long way back home throught the secinic byway, nothing special just playing around with the video camera.

YouTube - Roads Less Traveled... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D-bW4jcuxs)

Oops, I'm no longer in Anchorage. Forgot to change this forum...

I have shot the aurora with my old VX1000. Its pretty tricky. Open the iris all the way and even with the 4 second (?) shutter speed its still dark and noisy.

But that's all you need to know: it is really dark to a camera. Use the longest shutter and widest iris. Using 24 fps will give you a little advantage as well. Given the nature of most aurora, using a multi-second exposure is not a problem--kinda adds to the effect.

New music video for the song "What Was" by the Irish based singer Brian Hanlon.
Feedback and comments very much appreciated. Enjoy! YouTube - "What Was" by Brian Hanlon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu4D0oP4xJM)

Cool song. Nicely filmed.
What gear did you use?

fantastic.

Was just testing my mic linked to my HD100 for recording and thought id post it.....for all you metallica fans out there:)

master of puppets solo
YouTube - master of puppets solo (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tDcwVZVzq0Q)



Cheers
Andy.

Hey guys.

I previously competed with a team at the National Film Challenge. I wanted to share my blog entry and a video with you guys and would love it you would comment on what you thought of it, either on the blog or in the thread.

Louis Maddalena Whoa! What a weekend! (National Film Challenge) (http://www.louismaddalena.com/?p=96)

Thanks for watching :)

Louis Maddalena

great! very nice performance video. Do let us know what gear you used.

Thanks everybody for the feedback, much appreciated. We used 2 sonyZ1's with a red rock M2 on one camera and a P+S technik mini 35 system on the other. Most of the footage is from the redrock. Prime lenses included a 50, a 25, and a 35. We also had two Nikon zooms. Lights included an Arri 1k hmi, two blondes, and two redheads. Tracks were a suitcase dolly. Crew of three, myself, the DOP and a grip/gaffer.

New reel posted at Show Reel '08 on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2015915)

Includes some production stills from the feature "A Lonely Place for Dying" with James Cromwell and Michael Wincott.

As always comments and critiques welcome.

Jim

I finally got around to posting a higher-than YouTube quality version of this mini-doc I did a while back. My wife is a history buff, and I love shooting...so I got her to act as my producer at a Civil War re-enactment in Roaring Camp (Santa Cruz). Great location, great weather. It was so much fun, I went back a 2nd day to pick up some more interviews. Everyone was super-cool, signed release forms..no questions asked! I guess it helps when you've got a DSR-390 on Vinten sticks.

They offered to put me in uniform and let us take part...but the last thing I need is another hobby/obsession. Its a tick over 10 minutes, so I understand that not everyone will have the patience to sit through it. For those who do, I'd love to hear your feedback. Thanks!

Civil Warriors on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2175502)

I like it a lot, Oren. You have some pretty and creative shots in there, plus the interviews, for the most part, kept my interest. “General Lee” was my favorite and wow--does he look like him! I'm glad you showed the comparison.

Love the shot of the flag...

The only thing I would like to have seen is a wide or panoramic view of the battlefield besides the one at 4:38. I guess I wanted to see how it looked with both sides on the field.

There were a couple of great points made in two of the interviews that I want to keep in mind, so I'll be watching it again.

Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

hi
new music video shoot with 30 nokia n-95
part for the matrix effect
we had alot of fun playing with them

YouTube - ????? - "???? ?????" - ?????? ????'?? ????? (http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=2BOZFKaX2UE)

All your videos are very nice and artistic! I admire your work!

What kind of camera are you using plus software to edit? Mac I bet right?

It looks cool, good job!

FYI, Gary Oldman directed an all-cellphone music video (using N93's) for the Jewish rap group Chutzpah.

That's really cool. It looked like you were switching the video live on screens at the same time? Must have been fun planning the logistics of everything.

How many camera operators did you have? I saw that you had an array of them set up to get that 'spin-around' shot - couldn't you use a crane for that?

Very nice editing.

All your videos are very nice and artistic! I admire your work!

What kind of camera are you using plus software to edit? Mac I bet right?

Thank you, but you would be wrong. I'm using Premiere CS3 (although an older version was used for that particular video). I like building my own edit system from components....can't do that with a Mac.
This video was shot with Sony's DSR-390, which was my workhorse until I got the XH-A1. The images from that camera are just beautiful.

So, I just got this Glidecam 2000 like a couple hours ago, and I wanted to give it a try.
I attached HV30 since my primary cam is XH-A1, and I am getting more and more impressed with quality HV30. Because HV30 is very light, I had to put some weight on the middle plate somehow.. I need to place them a little neater, so the glidecam doesn't look homemade.
It's very wobbly so if you get motion sickness easily, I strongly recommend you not watching it, LOL!
I put some slow mo and fast mo with twixtor here and there just to see what direction I wobble the most.
I think circling around is somewhat easier to maintain than walking straight line (or walking in one direction). I am glad I started working out again in the gym, cause I am gonna need those muscle!

Glidecam First Try on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/2182567)

Thank you and comments/advice/concerns are always welcomed!

JJ

Fantastic editing.

How many phones did you have to use?

hi
new music video shoot with 30 nokia n-95


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I think he used 30 nokia n-95's

Thank you, but you would be wrong. I'm using Premiere CS3 (although an older version was used for that particular video). I like building my own edit system from components....can't do that with a Mac.
This video was shot with Sony's DSR-390, which was my workhorse until I got the XH-A1. The images from that camera are just beautiful.


So you are using premiere? Wow...no lock up issues or anything? I will have to check out that camera XH-A1

"I saw that you had an array of them set up to get that 'spin-around' shot - couldn't you use a crane for that?"

no. because the matrix effect is recording the same moment from different angels

i had like 9 operators

YOU CAN SEE SOME BTS PIC'S

HERE:Ram Shani's Photos - BTS-2 | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49805&l=0c397&id=687375748)

I've been a hobbyist videographer and editor for a few years. I haven't worked for anyone as an editor, but I want to.

Here's a link to a demo reel I've been working on to show my editing skills. Please let me know what you think.

Demo Reel on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/2209872)

Thank you for looking and commenting.

Ken... Typically, demo reels are designed to make people want to hire you. It's your video resume, if you will. Your clients have a story to tell and to oversimplify, if they like the way you tell a story better than your competition, you'll get the work.

Your reel doesn't tell me much. I'm not saying it's bad. It just doesn't go far enough. There's nothing in there that makes me go, "Wow", or "Cool".

For me, those reactions get generated by a combination of great shooting, careful and clean editing, thoughtful use of color grading and creative use of effects to underscore the message the maker wants to convey. No simple task that. To be honest, I'm not anywhere near as good at this as I would like.

You've made a good first step. I'd recommend your next step would be to concentrate on your story telling skills and yes, editing is a key component in that equation. You might also check out Philip Bloom's videos on Vimeo. I always find them good for inspiration.