Idea for a short contest?

[Mitchell Stookey]

Would this be completely different from the DV challenge? The DV workshop perhaps? Or would it be a new version of DV challenge?

[Meryem Ersoz]

my video workshop group did this exercise where we had one person shoot one cassette and pass it on to someone else to edit. then the footage came back to its original shooter for editing (which keeps the shooter honest, knowing they can just cough up a bunch of incoherent junk).

it was pretty interesting, to edit someone else's footage with no preconceptions about what was on the tape. next month i get to see the originator's edit of her own work, which she assures me will be vastly different from what i did.

there are all kinds of ways to conduct workshopp-y exercises which can result in all sorts of surprises.

i think dvxuser.com runs their regular contest this way, with a pre-existing script. might be downloading some of their old scripts for models of sufficiently vague dialogue.

personally, my shooting preferences run more towards documentary than narrative. i always enjoy the unanticipated surprise and serendipitous moments in making a documentary. so i like the DV challenge the way it is, because there are no attempts to dictate form.

my DVC 3 entry is a documentary-styled film and therefore more synchronous with my style and imho, therefore, a far better film than my last one. doin' what comes naturally.

scripts? SCRIPTS? we don't need no stinkin' scripts!!

[Sean McHenry]

I think I have gotten us going so I suppose I'll jump on the fence and come up with a one pager keeping all these ideas in. Some setting we all have access to. Characters we can mold. Dialog that's vague. Other than that, I'll just get a "seed" ready and we'll open it up and see what folks come up with.

Be assured, I am not trying to poach the idea of the DVC. Dylan and the gang are my heros for that. I see this as a fun exercise. We can run this in a few weeks, between DVCs. Heaven knows I need a break and I'm sure Dylan and the judging crew will to.

Maybe we'll just do a scene rather than try to have a finished short out of it. I know that means you have to work out of context to a concept as a whole but it's like an actors workshop in that respect I suppose.

I will come up with a simple script and in say 2 weeks time after the announcement of the winners of DVC3, we'll give the idea a go. I'll start a new thread then to follow and help out if I can.

I think it will be quite interesting. Not going for technical details or polish, just directorial, DP and LD differences we come up with. Different shot angles, lighting, acting technique, costuming, delivery, staging, etc.

Sean (watching Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii in the dark, working on the DVD of "Frame 37")

[Phillip Jackson]

I like the idea...

Come up with a script or short story then have many different people make it into a short and see how different they all turn out.

[Sean McHenry]

OK folks. I have a small script seedling ready for planting. It's pretty vague. I have no specific setting except the front seat of a car, male and female character. No particular time of day or exterior setting. Dialog is sufficiently vague that you can do a lot with costuming, characterization and ambiance, etc.

The dialog could lead to lots of scenarios. I have 2 or 3 it could easily be a setup for. Some are obvious from the dialog but It leaves the door open.

Try not to embelish outside the lines of what is provided as far as dialog. There is plenty of room to show your direction.

Posted below.

NO timiline for this but I would like to get all the versions submitted way before Dylan releases the next DVC4. I will shoot my version and release it at the same time I get the others in. The whole thing, reading through it should last less than 1 minute. It's just one scene after all. Remember the point to this is to see how we all handle the same basic material.

So here is the seed:

---------------- start ---------------

One Page
by Sean McHenry

Fade In, front vehicle seat, female driver, male passenger.

Male, in passenger seat - OK, where do you want to do this?"

Female in drivers seat - "Well, what works for you?"

Male, "We can go almost anywhere. We can sit right here if you want?"

Female, "I don't think so."

Male, OK then, I know a place on 5th?"

Female, "I think I'll pick the place, if you don't mind?"

Male, "Hey, I don't really care where we go but, time is money you know?"

Female puts the keys in the ignition and starts the vehicle. "I have a place in mind."

Exterior, vehicle drives off, fade to black.


-------------- end --------------

So that's the whole thing. Go wild, go mild, go for the obvious or way out on a limb. Don't forget, there can be others in the vehicle. It could be a dump truck or a squad car or boat, daylight or midnight, comedy or serious.

Lets meet back here on October 17th? that's 2 weeks to shoot 30-45 seconds of stuff and edit it. Anyone need more time?

Start a sign up if you will in this thread so I know how many folks are interested in this thing.

Thanks all,

Sean McHenry

[Sean McHenry]

Anyone in this with me? Just curious. I know timing is a bit bad but hey, between DVCs is the best we can do. If nobody can join in right now, that's cool. We can save this idea for after DVC4 if you like. It will take more than just me doing it however or the idea behind it won't show through.

Sean

[Mark Utley]

I'm in! So do we have to write up a more detailed script or just submit the video on the due date?

This is an awesome idea! When I was in Media class in high school, I really wanted my teacher (for future classes) to shoot a bunch of different footage and have the class, separated into groups, edit the footage to to their own interpretations to show the power of editing.

[Sean McHenry]

I like the idea too. I thought we had a small group of folks interested in doing this but I must have caught them all at a bad time. Feel free to shoot it and hang on to it. After we get about half a dozen folks with finished versions, I'll be glad to host them and make a sinple web page for them.

We need participation from all over to make this really interesting.

Come on folks, jump in any time. I'll kill the 2 week deadline idea. I don't care if it takes a month or two, I just want to see the results.

Socially and psychologically significant and revealing I think.

Sean McHenry

[Sean McHenry]

Just a few ideas to help get people motivated...

You know, you can use any vehicle. Boat, train, car, city bus, Llama...

You can have other people, animals, objects in the above vehicle.

The actors could be dressed in Shakesperian costume, clown suits, business suits or dressed for Halloween.

The point is for you to come up with the scene that hits your brain first. If you see a woman in a business suit and a man in a clown suit speaking with Hungarian accents and a large Crocodile in the back seat of their Rolls Royce - shoot it like that.

Please encourage people to join in. When I get 6 people telling me they have a short ready to be viewed, I'll build a website for them and even offer to host the videos for a while. We can all look at each one and talk about the different ways this was done.

I still think it is a social/economic experiment that should be done.

I have 3 interested parties so far. Anyone else?

Sean McHenry

[Robert Martens]

Hey, Sean, sorry I haven't said anything here recently, especially after having been a supporter of this idea in the first place. Unfortunately, things have been busy around here in the real world, and I've been somewhat wrapped up. Not to mention I have no idea where I'm gonna get another actor, let alone a woman...:)

And I do believe I must eat my hat now, I placed too much faith in a script helping me gather ideas more easily; I'm just as stumped here as I would be if starting from scratch, to tell you the truth.

[Larry Sullivan]

great idea actually. I had and idea like this for editors that I never got around to mentioning. Take some footage(eng/doc/efp/short) and send it to everyone that wanted to participate. Goal would be to edit it, and see who came up with the most interesting version.

Good idea though.

[Fredrik-Larsson]

Just a question. Is the dialog the only thing that must stay the same or can this be changed a little?

[Sean McHenry]

I think as long as the context of the wording remains, I don't really have an issue with it. I know it's a bit dry but it's also pretty open to interpretation that way. Just consider the context and try to stay close I suppose.

I should be shooting my scene this weekend.

Sean

[Sean McHenry]

For Robert, and anyone else, just do what I do. Close your eyes and think of a genre. I'm particularly fond of Film Noir. Perhaps he is a private eye in a raincoat and hat, smoking a cigarette with a 2 day growth of beard.

She is a cool blonde (Brunette, redhead, etc) in a slinky dress and hat driving an old 50s car. In the backseat is a guy with his hands tied and a gag in his mouth, a place on his forehead where he was hit with the but of a handgun. A little trickle of blood oozing down from the cut on his forehead, his hair wild and tossled from the fight we just missed.

It's dark, there is one spot of light illuminating the scene. It's from high overhead, a street lamp. It's raining slow but steady.

Stuff like that. Hey, it's your direction, editing, camera angles, lighting, casting, props, etc. The idea is to do it the way you see this scene in your head.

Could be a guy in a clown suit and she is in a business suit, who knows what you guys will come up with. That's the idea. Do something you normally wouldn't do or think of.

Sean