Short Film "Intersect" - Canon XH-A1 & Letus Extreme for High School Film Class at DVinfo.net

Ritchey Cable · July 8th, 2009, 09:45 AM

In April, our high school film class entered a contest for Sony called "Technology in Motion". The contest asked for us to make a short film depicting how technology would effect community in the future. We came up with "Intersect".

We shot the entire film with the XH-A1 and Letus Extreme adapter. We edited the video in Sony Vegas 8 and then used Magic Bullet to enhance some of the color.

The students and I would love to hear some feedback from the professionals (or avid hobbyists :) ). Technical feedback or even just general thoughts are welcomed. I will forward any input to the members of the class. Thanks for any input you might have for them.

Take care. Ok, here is the link.

You Tube (viewable in HD)
YouTube - Film Short "Intersect" Shot With Canon XH-A1 & Letus35 Letus Extreme

Marcel D. Van Someren · July 8th, 2009, 10:16 AM

Very well done! Excellent story. I thought the framing, lighting, and camera work, for the most part, was well done.

A few minor things that I noticed:

1) At 14 - 21 seconds and again at 25 - 27 seconds, it looks like someone forgot to turn the Letus adapter on. You can see the grain from the GG.

2) At 4:29 - 4:44 the Intersect device visual FX doesn't keep up with the camera movement. A little distracting.

3) And finally, at 6:47 where the father is standing in the doorway, he's much too far from the door as he was just near the door when he knocked on it. I think he should have been closer and filled the frame more. Maybe an over the shoulder shot of the man he was visiting?

That said, I really enjoyed it. Its something that I would expect to see perhaps a "Showtime Short" or something similar.

Tell your students that they should receive an A+ on this project!

Colin Reid · July 9th, 2009, 04:09 AM

Hi Ritchie,

This film, and it's source in particular, made me sit up and think about life and the opportunities that young people have today.

When I was at high school many years ago, the most technically advanced equipment we had access to were the tools in the metalwork and woodwork classes. No one ever thought about what life would be like in the future, and no one would have even thought to suggest that a class make a short film, no matter what the subject matter.

It made me seriously think about how much technology is affecting our lives today, and the opportunities it has brought with it. I don't know if you guys will win the competition, but you get my vote.

Regards

Colin

Ritchey Cable · July 9th, 2009, 01:22 PM

Thanks for the input so far. The students love getting feedback, and I'd love to pass along even more if some of you would be kind enough to share your thoughts.

Marcel,
Thanks for your input. You have a sharp eye... the Letus was indeed turned off during those scenes. In fact, it was the instructor's (mine) mistake. :) I wasn't fully satisfied with the motion tracking of the screen on the scene you mentioned. I limited the class to only use Sony Vegas (because of the contest), which has okay, but not greatest capabilities in that area. In the future, I'd like to train myself and the students in After Effects, which seems to have a more robust motion tracking system. I'm very appreciative of your evaluation. Thanks again.

Colin,
Thanks for your encouragement. I will pass on the kind words to our students. It's been very satisfying to see the kids in class take these advanced tools and get creative with them. Thanks again.

Ritchey

Jarda Bar · July 14th, 2009, 06:18 AM

Good work! .... I found only few "problems" ...
- you did not use exp. lock in some shots
- time 0:23, there is view of waiting man, who has been taken in the two different angles, but with different light conditions ... firstly, there is sunny, after it is cloudy

But I nejoyed your film! Congratulations!

Janson Williams · July 19th, 2009, 05:07 AM

wow, i dugg it, your students are more advanced than me, haha, but im learning, i need to attend some classes, its hard to learn everything on one's own.

was everything done in vegas.

tell your students im jealous of their talents

Danny Winn · August 23rd, 2009, 11:32 AM

Very cool!

Ritchey Cable · August 26th, 2009, 11:31 AM

Thanks to everyone for your feedback. The new school year has begun and I told the students this morning that I had some posts from DVInfo to share with them about the short film they made last year. They were very excited to hear that people had taken the time to give feedback. If anyone else has any feedback for them, please leave it. They really want to improve and love hearing things they can do better.

On another note, this year the school has a Film Club, and we are attempting to film a feature length film. We are finishing the story now, and look to start filming around mid-October. I'll leave a post somewhere soon to get input on some difficult scenes we are going to shoot.

Thanks again for everything!

July 8th, 2009, 09:45 AM	#1
Ritchey Cable New Boot Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Alexandria, LA Posts: 20	Short Film "Intersect" - Canon XH-A1 & Letus Extreme for High School Film Class In April, our high school film class entered a contest for Sony called "Technology in Motion". The contest asked for us to make a short film depicting how technology would effect community in the future. We came up with "Intersect". We shot the entire film with the XH-A1 and Letus Extreme adapter. We edited the video in Sony Vegas 8 and then used Magic Bullet to enhance some of the color. The students and I would love to hear some feedback from the professionals (or avid hobbyists :) ). Technical feedback or even just general thoughts are welcomed. I will forward any input to the members of the class. Thanks for any input you might have for them. Take care. Ok, here is the link. You Tube (viewable in HD) YouTube - Film Short "Intersect" Shot With Canon XH-A1 & Letus35 Letus Extreme

July 8th, 2009, 10:16 AM	#2
Marcel D. Van Someren Major Player Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Sherman Oaks, CA Posts: 325	Very well done! Excellent story. I thought the framing, lighting, and camera work, for the most part, was well done. A few minor things that I noticed: 1) At 14 - 21 seconds and again at 25 - 27 seconds, it looks like someone forgot to turn the Letus adapter on. You can see the grain from the GG. 2) At 4:29 - 4:44 the Intersect device visual FX doesn't keep up with the camera movement. A little distracting. 3) And finally, at 6:47 where the father is standing in the doorway, he's much too far from the door as he was just near the door when he knocked on it. I think he should have been closer and filled the frame more. Maybe an over the shoulder shot of the man he was visiting? That said, I really enjoyed it. Its something that I would expect to see perhaps a "Showtime Short" or something similar. Tell your students that they should receive an A+ on this project! __________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Canon XHA1 * SGBlade 35mm adapter -RR1, RR2 w/ Optics Upgrade * DIY Mid-Format adapter

July 9th, 2009, 04:09 AM	#3
Colin Reid Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: London, United Kingdom Posts: 48	Congratulations Hi Ritchie, This film, and it's source in particular, made me sit up and think about life and the opportunities that young people have today. When I was at high school many years ago, the most technically advanced equipment we had access to were the tools in the metalwork and woodwork classes. No one ever thought about what life would be like in the future, and no one would have even thought to suggest that a class make a short film, no matter what the subject matter. It made me seriously think about how much technology is affecting our lives today, and the opportunities it has brought with it. I don't know if you guys will win the competition, but you get my vote. Regards Colin

July 9th, 2009, 01:22 PM	#4
Ritchey Cable New Boot Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Alexandria, LA Posts: 20	Thanks for the input so far. The students love getting feedback, and I'd love to pass along even more if some of you would be kind enough to share your thoughts. Marcel, Thanks for your input. You have a sharp eye... the Letus was indeed turned off during those scenes. In fact, it was the instructor's (mine) mistake. :) I wasn't fully satisfied with the motion tracking of the screen on the scene you mentioned. I limited the class to only use Sony Vegas (because of the contest), which has okay, but not greatest capabilities in that area. In the future, I'd like to train myself and the students in After Effects, which seems to have a more robust motion tracking system. I'm very appreciative of your evaluation. Thanks again. Colin, Thanks for your encouragement. I will pass on the kind words to our students. It's been very satisfying to see the kids in class take these advanced tools and get creative with them. Thanks again. Ritchey

July 14th, 2009, 06:18 AM	#5
Jarda Bar Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Prague, Czech Republic Posts: 43	Good work! .... I found only few "problems" ... - you did not use exp. lock in some shots - time 0:23, there is view of waiting man, who has been taken in the two different angles, but with different light conditions ... firstly, there is sunny, after it is cloudy But I nejoyed your film! Congratulations!

July 19th, 2009, 05:07 AM	#6
Janson Williams Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 101	wow, i dugg it, your students are more advanced than me, haha, but im learning, i need to attend some classes, its hard to learn everything on one's own. was everything done in vegas. tell your students im jealous of their talents

August 23rd, 2009, 11:32 AM	#7
Danny Winn Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 291	Very cool!

August 26th, 2009, 11:31 AM	#8
Ritchey Cable New Boot Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Alexandria, LA Posts: 20	Thanks to everyone for your feedback. The new school year has begun and I told the students this morning that I had some posts from DVInfo to share with them about the short film they made last year. They were very excited to hear that people had taken the time to give feedback. If anyone else has any feedback for them, please leave it. They really want to improve and love hearing things they can do better. On another note, this year the school has a Film Club, and we are attempting to film a feature length film. We are finishing the story now, and look to start filming around mid-October. I'll leave a post somewhere soon to get input on some difficult scenes we are going to shoot. Thanks again for everything!