DVC3 "The Best Buy" -Feedback at DVinfo.net

Jason Varner · September 23rd, 2005, 11:33 AM

Well here she is in all her glory. If you don't have quicktime 7 you can download an mp4 version at www.ontapusa.com/dvchallenge/thebestbuy.mp4. I had a really good time making this and I would like to thank everyone who pulled together to make it happen. DVC'ers let me know what you think.

Sean McHenry · September 23rd, 2005, 11:53 AM

Yeah, that was good to. I enjoyed it. I liked the B&W during that part of the sales guys speech.

I liked the concept. Different cameras for different unusual shots.

Well done.

Sean McHenry

Stephen van Vuuren · September 23rd, 2005, 11:56 AM

Great actor as the sales guy - I like seeing quality acting.

Hugo Pinto · September 23rd, 2005, 12:10 PM

Yap,

The Sales Guy sure got my attention. Plus, overall, you movie looked very balanced and apealling. The non-assertive guy / attractive fiancé duo was very well played as well, and added to the situation.

Loved the cameras concepts. All of those would have given a very nice short too.

Quite good, keep it on!

Hugo

Meryem Ersoz · September 23rd, 2005, 12:18 PM

i thought it was pretty funny that you included the half-clad sales guy in the undressed picture...a better-than-average male fantasy moment, if i do say so!

Jason Varner · September 23rd, 2005, 12:21 PM

Yeah, Jeremy is great. I Dp'ed a short a couple months ago and he was the lead. Before the theme was released I had no intention of putting together a comedy but I was sitting around at work brainstorming ideas with my colleagues and this is what popped out. When I looked at the characters I knew he would be perfect, I was just fortunate that he could do it on 36 hours notice. Thanks for the feedback.

Bradley L Marlow · September 23rd, 2005, 12:35 PM

Hey Jason!

You did a great job!

First, your salesman was a terrific actor. He managed to let slide through that certain slimy quality...I need the commission type thing. While there are more good salespeople than bad in this world, he reminded me of the sketchy few I have come into contact with that required a sponge bath immediately after meeting. So I identified.

I loved some of these lines you came up with in the script. "Geek out" - That is damn funny. Isn't that what us guys tend to do? "The Sashimi" - To come up with a sliced fish sushi reference and equate it to the camera model was nice and quirky.

I was wondering if you used a green screen/blue screen for the couple? Am curious?

Sean Buck · September 23rd, 2005, 01:12 PM

Nice job Jason. The salesman creeped me out. Loved the idea of the cameras having different specail powers. Couldn't stop laughing when that other salesman got zapped. Good job.

Jason Varner · September 23rd, 2005, 04:30 PM

Yeah it was green screen for days anytime I shot the couple. I figured there was no way to shoot 6 hours in a Best Buy so we'd fake it. I smuggled a dv tape into one of their display camcorders and used it to shoot the plates. It was hard to get the proper angles because it was tethered but we did what we could. I was hoping that it wouldn't ruin the continuity too much, or be too obvious but this is my first run at keying and it was a nightmarish process. There wasn't really any time to practice with different lighting and exposure so it was just go and see what happens. You can see the green screen in the background when Steve has his face up to the monitor. Take Care, Jason.

Jean-Philippe Archibald · September 23rd, 2005, 10:07 PM

Yes I thought it was green screened too, but it is not really appearant. Good story, I really liked it. We all know some vendors like this. Your actors were definitly really good! Perhaps the best in this contest.

Very funny! Good work

Dick Mays · September 24th, 2005, 06:15 AM

Very FUNNY!

No one mentioned the obvious clues to the salesman as the devil. Big LOU (Lucifer) but my favorite was "expandable to just over six hundred and sixty five souls...)

But YOU GOTTA GO ALL THE WAY with the polaroid! We don't need to see no stinking bras in the picture!

I loved it! I also loved the covert camera technique you used to get your background!

Jonathan Jones · September 25th, 2005, 01:01 AM

Hey Jason,
I loved this. I was shocked when I read that you chroma keyed the couple in front of covert store footage...I didn't even notice, I just thought you were using expert framing and focus techniques - which you basically did. After watching it again at fuller screen I was able to notice a few things, but I had to look for them only because I knew it then....You did an amazing job, it all looked so great, and the lighting was just so perfect.

The actors all did an amazing also. Very funny and they played their roles perfectly. The dialogue was right on target and very creative.

If anything at all, I would have suggested that perahps you lightly layer in background electronic store noise, like the beeps and whirrs that come with customers playing with gadgets in the background. It would help the viewer not think they were viewing a set.

As far as the rest...dude, you should be proud of this one. It was excellent.
Great job!
-Jon

Jason Varner · September 25th, 2005, 01:15 AM

Thanks for the great comments. I actually had a friend of mine compose the score, which was essentially bad electronic elevator music, but he couldn't email it to me because we didn't know about gmail's 10mb limit. I had to settle for running a sample he created over the credits. Take Care, Jason.

Paul Cascio · September 25th, 2005, 07:13 AM

Great concept and a nice piece of writing.

What gear did you use to shoot and edit?

Thanks

Jason Varner · September 27th, 2005, 12:04 AM

An XL2 with the 20x lens, a sennheiser ME-67 a green-screen, and FCP5. I wanted more sophisticated shots and more camera movement but was really limited because of the virtual environment. Thanks for all your comments, Jason.

September 23rd, 2005, 11:33 AM	#1
Jason Varner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 119	DVC3 "The Best Buy" -Feedback Well here she is in all her glory. If you don't have quicktime 7 you can download an mp4 version at www.ontapusa.com/dvchallenge/thebestbuy.mp4. I had a really good time making this and I would like to thank everyone who pulled together to make it happen. DVC'ers let me know what you think.

September 23rd, 2005, 11:53 AM	#2
Sean McHenry Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Hilliard, Ohio Posts: 1,193	Yeah, that was good to. I enjoyed it. I liked the B&W during that part of the sales guys speech. I liked the concept. Different cameras for different unusual shots. Well done. Sean McHenry __________________ ‘I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’m shooting on D.V.’ - my hero - David Lynch http://www.DeepBlueEdit.com

September 23rd, 2005, 11:56 AM	#3
Stephen van Vuuren Space Hipster Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 1,508	Great actor as the sales guy - I like seeing quality acting. __________________ stephen v2 www.insaturnsrings.com

September 23rd, 2005, 12:21 PM	#6
Jason Varner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 119	The salesman Yeah, Jeremy is great. I Dp'ed a short a couple months ago and he was the lead. Before the theme was released I had no intention of putting together a comedy but I was sitting around at work brainstorming ideas with my colleagues and this is what popped out. When I looked at the characters I knew he would be perfect, I was just fortunate that he could do it on 36 hours notice. Thanks for the feedback.

September 23rd, 2005, 04:30 PM	#9
Jason Varner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 119	Green Screen Yeah it was green screen for days anytime I shot the couple. I figured there was no way to shoot 6 hours in a Best Buy so we'd fake it. I smuggled a dv tape into one of their display camcorders and used it to shoot the plates. It was hard to get the proper angles because it was tethered but we did what we could. I was hoping that it wouldn't ruin the continuity too much, or be too obvious but this is my first run at keying and it was a nightmarish process. There wasn't really any time to practice with different lighting and exposure so it was just go and see what happens. You can see the green screen in the background when Steve has his face up to the monitor. Take Care, Jason.

September 23rd, 2005, 12:10 PM	#4
Hugo Pinto Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lisbon, Portugal Posts: 92	Yap, The Sales Guy sure got my attention. Plus, overall, you movie looked very balanced and apealling. The non-assertive guy / attractive fiancé duo was very well played as well, and added to the situation. Loved the cameras concepts. All of those would have given a very nice short too. Quite good, keep it on! Hugo

September 23rd, 2005, 12:18 PM	#5
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	i thought it was pretty funny that you included the half-clad sales guy in the undressed picture...a better-than-average male fantasy moment, if i do say so!

September 23rd, 2005, 12:35 PM	#7
Bradley L Marlow Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Central Wyoming Posts: 484	Hey Jason! You did a great job! First, your salesman was a terrific actor. He managed to let slide through that certain slimy quality...I need the commission type thing. While there are more good salespeople than bad in this world, he reminded me of the sketchy few I have come into contact with that required a sponge bath immediately after meeting. So I identified. I loved some of these lines you came up with in the script. "Geek out" - That is damn funny. Isn't that what us guys tend to do? "The Sashimi" - To come up with a sliced fish sushi reference and equate it to the camera model was nice and quirky. I was wondering if you used a green screen/blue screen for the couple? Am curious?

September 23rd, 2005, 01:12 PM	#8
Sean Buck Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 44	Nice job Jason. The salesman creeped me out. Loved the idea of the cameras having different specail powers. Couldn't stop laughing when that other salesman got zapped. Good job.

September 23rd, 2005, 10:07 PM	#10
Jean-Philippe Archibald Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Saguenay, Québec, Canada Posts: 1,051	Yes I thought it was green screened too, but it is not really appearant. Good story, I really liked it. We all know some vendors like this. Your actors were definitly really good! Perhaps the best in this contest. Very funny! Good work __________________ Jean-Philippe Archibald http://www.jparchibald.com - http://www.vimeo.com/jparchib

September 24th, 2005, 06:15 AM	#11
Dick Mays Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 690	Very FUNNY! No one mentioned the obvious clues to the salesman as the devil. Big LOU (Lucifer) but my favorite was "expandable to just over six hundred and sixty five souls...) But YOU GOTTA GO ALL THE WAY with the polaroid! We don't need to see no stinking bras in the picture! I loved it! I also loved the covert camera technique you used to get your background!

September 25th, 2005, 01:01 AM	#12
Jonathan Jones Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Healdsburg, California Posts: 1,138	Hey Jason, I loved this. I was shocked when I read that you chroma keyed the couple in front of covert store footage...I didn't even notice, I just thought you were using expert framing and focus techniques - which you basically did. After watching it again at fuller screen I was able to notice a few things, but I had to look for them only because I knew it then....You did an amazing job, it all looked so great, and the lighting was just so perfect. The actors all did an amazing also. Very funny and they played their roles perfectly. The dialogue was right on target and very creative. If anything at all, I would have suggested that perahps you lightly layer in background electronic store noise, like the beeps and whirrs that come with customers playing with gadgets in the background. It would help the viewer not think they were viewing a set. As far as the rest...dude, you should be proud of this one. It was excellent. Great job! -Jon __________________ "Are we to go on record, sir, with our assertion that the 'pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers' are, in point of fact', magically delicious?" - Walter Hollarhan before the House Subcommittee on Integrity in Advertising - May, 1974

September 25th, 2005, 01:15 AM	#13
Jason Varner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 119	Thanks Martian Man-Hunter Thanks for the great comments. I actually had a friend of mine compose the score, which was essentially bad electronic elevator music, but he couldn't email it to me because we didn't know about gmail's 10mb limit. I had to settle for running a sample he created over the credits. Take Care, Jason.

September 25th, 2005, 07:13 AM	#14
Paul Cascio Trustee Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bristol, CT (Home of EPSN) Posts: 1,192	Nice job Great concept and a nice piece of writing. What gear did you use to shoot and edit? Thanks __________________ Paul Cascio www.pictureframingschool.com

September 27th, 2005, 12:04 AM	#15
Jason Varner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 119	What I Used An XL2 with the 20x lens, a sennheiser ME-67 a green-screen, and FCP5. I wanted more sophisticated shots and more camera movement but was really limited because of the virtual environment. Thanks for all your comments, Jason.