DVC-9 "...in person?" Jesse Steele at DVinfo.net

Jesse Steele · August 13th, 2007, 04:18 PM

This was my first short film and I had a blast working on it! I know the lighting sucked but any feedback from all of you would be awesome!!!

Thanks Jesse

Daniel Kohl · August 14th, 2007, 01:47 AM

Jesse,

Nicely done. I don't believe that this is your first short film (or are you not including all of the feature length films you've made?).

Your lighting is excellent! I'm wondering if this is due to your not being contaminated by all of the lighting theory a lot of people learn before they get started.

Your lighting is good for the following reasons:

You didn't always attempt to light everything evenly.

You created depth by putting your actors on the front edge or somewhere in the middle of the room space.

And you managed to light complex scenes without double shadows.

The only technical suggestion I can offer you, is you should work on reducing the difference in luminosity between the darker parts (where action is happening) of contrasty scenes and the lighter areas. By doing that, you can light scenes where people who are sitting in the shadows remain visible while the people in the lighter areas won't be over-exposed.

Nice Job

Marco Wagner · August 14th, 2007, 08:34 PM

Great job. "She's going to look like a banshee" and that shot of the truck driver puckering were classic!

Jesse Steele · August 15th, 2007, 11:39 AM

Ya the trucker was actually my dad! He is very shy and wouldnt do it! but with a babe like my leading lady pushing him into it, what guy wouldn't say yes!

and daniel that was actually my first attempt at lighting, But I have read up on the process and I understand the concept? I just don't think I'm very good at it?

Thanks for the kind words!

Jesse

Bruce Foreman · August 15th, 2007, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesse Steele

This was my first short film and I had a blast working on it! I know the lighting sucked but any feedback from all of you would be awesome!!!

Thanks Jesse

Excellent film to be your first short. BTW, the lighting DID NOT suck. What you tried and did with it was much better than trying to work with ambient lighting that often records far different that what we see.

You seem to be able to "see" what you're doing with lights and that is most of the battle.

I enjoyed your film very much.

Very well done.

Randall Allen · August 20th, 2007, 12:53 PM

Its a great film....nothing about it "sucked". Thanks for the great fun.

Randy

Stacy Dudley · August 23rd, 2007, 06:15 PM

I thought the lighting was fine and set the mood quite nice. I see this as the "true reality" of the ever so popular "You've got mail".

Nicely done.

Stacy

Kris Holodak · August 25th, 2007, 07:27 AM

I made my notes before reading the thread (which is what I do for everybody so that I'm not contaminated by other people's opinions). The first thing I thought was I'm jealous at how good your lighting turned out.

--

Really nice lighting. Good story too. I had been expecting them to be chatting to their roommates and not knowing it, particularly the first time the guy's friend shows up. That would have been predictable and boring. This story felt much "truer" if you know what I mean. The editing was nicely done as well.

Smile,
Kris

Lorinda Norton · August 26th, 2007, 11:14 AM

The “hairiest trucker named Michelle” was by far my favorite part of the movie—glad your dad got talked into helping.

As everyone else has stated, lighting was awesome. Loved the effects you used for their minds-eye shots. “Perfection” describes that last shot in the diner. Great job.

Jesse Steele · August 26th, 2007, 03:34 PM

thank you everyone for the kind words!

Mike Teutsch · August 26th, 2007, 03:49 PM

Very nice job Jesse! Nice Lighting and story. Keep up the good work.

Mike

Bruce Broussard · August 26th, 2007, 07:49 PM

Jesse, you did a great job on the film. I liked the story, the acting, the camera work. All of it came together very well. This is definitely one of my favorites.

Jonathan Jones · August 26th, 2007, 08:04 PM

Wow, I loved this movie. The actors looked great and seemed very natural (other than the fake typing on the couch and the bed).

The dialogue and the pacing was perfect.

What I initially imagined as it got towards the end as that I thought they would both exit their apartments to meet for a date only to find that they live next door or something....but then that would have too cheap. What you did instead was a bit of genius, punctuated by great cut ins of their 'minds eye' view (I think Lorinda termed it that way). Those shots were excellent.

The final shot pulling out from the table with the credit roll was absolutely perfect.

You did a great job.

-Jon

Mitchell Stookey · August 26th, 2007, 08:55 PM

Everyone nailed all the good points. The ending of this piece was really really strong, and the decisions you made regarding story were great. There were several things I feel would have improved the story - 1) if you had done voice overs instead of them talking out loud... maybe you did it for particular reasons but it seemed bizarre for them to be talking out loud to their computers and I noticed sometimes it didn't match up to the speed of their typing. 2) The dialog between the female friends was a tad expository for me... I know you had details you needed to reveal, but the way the friend was saying them didn't sound supportive at all, it sounded a little patronizing. Those are minor details, I really liked this piece, those are just my thoughts on possible improvements!! Great work

August 13th, 2007, 04:18 PM	#1
Jesse Steele Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Irvine CA Posts: 98	DVC-9 "...in person?" Jesse Steele This was my first short film and I had a blast working on it! I know the lighting sucked but any feedback from all of you would be awesome!!! Thanks Jesse __________________ I like movies.....

August 14th, 2007, 01:47 AM	#2
Daniel Kohl Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Frankfurt, Germany Posts: 571	Jesse, Nicely done. I don't believe that this is your first short film (or are you not including all of the feature length films you've made?). Your lighting is excellent! I'm wondering if this is due to your not being contaminated by all of the lighting theory a lot of people learn before they get started. Your lighting is good for the following reasons: You didn't always attempt to light everything evenly. You created depth by putting your actors on the front edge or somewhere in the middle of the room space. And you managed to light complex scenes without double shadows. The only technical suggestion I can offer you, is you should work on reducing the difference in luminosity between the darker parts (where action is happening) of contrasty scenes and the lighter areas. By doing that, you can light scenes where people who are sitting in the shadows remain visible while the people in the lighter areas won't be over-exposed. Nice Job __________________ Daniel Kohl Frankenstein meets XL1

August 14th, 2007, 08:34 PM	#3
Marco Wagner Trustee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Saint Cloud, Florida Posts: 1,043	what he said above plus... Great job. "She's going to look like a banshee" and that shot of the truck driver puckering were classic! __________________ www.facebook.com/projectspecto

August 15th, 2007, 11:39 AM	#4
Jesse Steele Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Irvine CA Posts: 98	Ya the trucker was actually my dad! He is very shy and wouldnt do it! but with a babe like my leading lady pushing him into it, what guy wouldn't say yes! and daniel that was actually my first attempt at lighting, But I have read up on the process and I understand the concept? I just don't think I'm very good at it? Thanks for the kind words! Jesse __________________ I like movies.....

August 26th, 2007, 11:14 AM	#9
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	The “hairiest trucker named Michelle” was by far my favorite part of the movie—glad your dad got talked into helping. As everyone else has stated, lighting was awesome. Loved the effects you used for their minds-eye shots. “Perfection” describes that last shot in the diner. Great job. __________________ Lorinda

August 20th, 2007, 12:53 PM	#6
Randall Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 192	Its a great film....nothing about it "sucked". Thanks for the great fun. Randy

August 23rd, 2007, 06:15 PM	#7
Stacy Dudley Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Longwood, Florida Posts: 71	I thought the lighting was fine and set the mood quite nice. I see this as the "true reality" of the ever so popular "You've got mail". Nicely done. Stacy

August 25th, 2007, 07:27 AM	#8
Kris Holodak Major Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 302	I made my notes before reading the thread (which is what I do for everybody so that I'm not contaminated by other people's opinions). The first thing I thought was I'm jealous at how good your lighting turned out. -- Really nice lighting. Good story too. I had been expecting them to be chatting to their roommates and not knowing it, particularly the first time the guy's friend shows up. That would have been predictable and boring. This story felt much "truer" if you know what I mean. The editing was nicely done as well. Smile, Kris

August 26th, 2007, 03:34 PM	#10
Jesse Steele Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Irvine CA Posts: 98	many thanks thank you everyone for the kind words! __________________ I like movies.....

August 26th, 2007, 03:49 PM	#11
Mike Teutsch Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida Posts: 2,614	Very nice job Jesse! Nice Lighting and story. Keep up the good work. Mike __________________ Chapter one, line one. The BH.

August 26th, 2007, 07:49 PM	#12
Bruce Broussard Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 132	Jesse, you did a great job on the film. I liked the story, the acting, the camera work. All of it came together very well. This is definitely one of my favorites.

August 26th, 2007, 08:04 PM	#13
Jonathan Jones Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Healdsburg, California Posts: 1,138	Wow, I loved this movie. The actors looked great and seemed very natural (other than the fake typing on the couch and the bed). The dialogue and the pacing was perfect. What I initially imagined as it got towards the end as that I thought they would both exit their apartments to meet for a date only to find that they live next door or something....but then that would have too cheap. What you did instead was a bit of genius, punctuated by great cut ins of their 'minds eye' view (I think Lorinda termed it that way). Those shots were excellent. The final shot pulling out from the table with the credit roll was absolutely perfect. You did a 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

August 26th, 2007, 08:55 PM	#14
Mitchell Stookey Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 196	Everyone nailed all the good points. The ending of this piece was really really strong, and the decisions you made regarding story were great. There were several things I feel would have improved the story - 1) if you had done voice overs instead of them talking out loud... maybe you did it for particular reasons but it seemed bizarre for them to be talking out loud to their computers and I noticed sometimes it didn't match up to the speed of their typing. 2) The dialog between the female friends was a tad expository for me... I know you had details you needed to reveal, but the way the friend was saying them didn't sound supportive at all, it sounded a little patronizing. Those are minor details, I really liked this piece, those are just my thoughts on possible improvements!! Great work