DVC9 - Is It Love?

Dylan Couper · August 19th, 2007, 10:29 PM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=64n47RcU5Ro

Gear:
JVC HD100
Cinevate Brevis35 35mm adapter
Canon 28mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm
Cavision 4x4 mattebox + .9ND, .6 grad ND
Vinten Vision 10 tripod
Sennheiser ME66 shotgun mic
Indoor scenes lit naturally + Lowel Tota lights
Outdoor scenes lit with 6'x4' reflectors.

I put this together mostly with the purpose of putting my 35mm adapter through its paces. It's a good thing it was just a test, as I lost several key shots to either bad focus or improper calibration.

The most important thing I realized, is how long its been since I've done anything creative, and how rusty I've gotten.

The whole shoot was done in about 6 hours, thankfully since all 3 locations were within 3 block of each other. I had to run 'n gun the squash courts, which didn't leave me with the coverage I needed to cut.

Yes, that's me on the left of the office scene... the one yelling "Hey, DICKFACES!"

Critique as needed!

Robert Martens · August 19th, 2007, 10:48 PM

I hadn't planned on being up at this time just so I could watch the movies, but here I find myself, so I'll offer my thoughts.

"Hey, dickfaces!" - Single greatest line of dialogue in any film ever made ever. I had to watch that two more times just for the hell of it. The audio overall was a little echo-y for me, detracted somewhat from the pleasant look of the movie, but that one sound bite more than makes up for it. Nice work.

I ran into the same problems with my own adapter, so you have my sympathies. Soft focus is a pain in the backside, I'm impressed to see what you accomplished considering you say the lost shots were so important.

All in all, funny stuff, well done! Now go write some more shorts with loads of swearing; you do it well, and I'd love to hear what other pointed exclamations you can come up with.

Randall Allen · August 20th, 2007, 06:35 AM

good stuff in here. The opening audio was a little difficult to hear, but it was love for me!:D

Looks like you had a successfull test.

BTW: Whats with releasing yours all by it's self?!?!?!?

Dick Mays · August 20th, 2007, 06:51 AM

If that was the HOT one, what was the FAT one, a GoldWing?

Anybody that pays that much attention to a bike, when a beautiful woman is standing beside him, is definitely a DICKFACE! (And I can say that.)

Did you add echo to the racketball court, or was that natural ambiance? The audio was a little low on my laptop, but I could hear everything okay.

Some beautiful shots in there. I really liked the handheld racketball court camera angles.

Marco Wagner · August 20th, 2007, 08:59 AM

Well....is it? It is for me, nice, uh... bike.

Lorinda Norton · August 20th, 2007, 10:57 AM

Dylan, Dylan, Dylan…

Concept/Story: Great
Execution: Pretty darn good
Obscenities: LOTS ;)

The guy who wants to replace his eyeballs cracked me up. He did a great job in the meeting room, plus I got a kick out of his moves on the court. Actually, all the acting in the meeting room sequence was really good. The laser pointer “aggression” was so you I laughed out loud!

Interesting chart.

I agree that the audio could be a bit cleaner in spots, although I smiled at what sounded like you fading yourself out so the guys’ voices could come up. That was great! It’s tough when (I’m assuming here) one mic has to pick up both exclamations and muttering without moving.

Leave it to you to have easy access to a girl “hot” enough to pull off this role. She did really well.

Thanks, D, for the laugh, and for the brief close-up of your famous dimples. Love ‘em! (You look just fine in white shirt and tie, btw.) :)

Kris Holodak · August 20th, 2007, 11:26 AM

The echo in the court was good, appropriate. You got good sound outside too, so it wasn't the mic itself, but better mic placement in the office would have helped. I can think of ways to achieve that, but it would take more time. Since you only had 6 hours shooting the whole thing I think it sounds fine. Loved the camera work outdoors too.

Didn't mind the profanity myself since it seemed so right for the characters and the situation. I've been in meetings like that. But now I'm stuck with the dilemma of going back on my promise to my team that they can join me in determining our production's vote for the top three. My brother will shoot me if I tell my 11 year old niece to watch that. Well, we never said it was a family contest.

Smile,
Kris

Bruce Foreman · August 20th, 2007, 12:25 PM

Bulent Hasan (the guy who played Manny, if I got that right) projected more boredom with his expression and eyes than I remember seeing before. He cracked me up!

The language was no problem for me, 20 yrs in the service so I've heard it all and in a few other languages.

Lighting, and camera work were great. Acting by all parties carried the idea well, and I enjoyed this one.

3 meetings and a twist with the last one. Kept me interested

Lisa Shofner · August 20th, 2007, 01:03 PM

Definitely a good job, as Lorinda said ... interesting chart.

I thought that the sound was a little low on the bored meeting guys, but thats definately tough - i constantly have problems with sound. Just got a sound guy to join my team, so next time should be better for me at least :)

Not sure what shots were missing in the racquetball scene, but I thought that scene in particular was cut together very well. I liked it a lot.

I like the twist at the end too.

The only real issue I had with it was that it seems like the end is very abrupt after the actress delivers the last line. Would have been cool for the guy to take off on the bike maybe. Since you had a few seconds left on your time.

Good job.

Stacy Dudley · August 20th, 2007, 06:01 PM

Funny, I "avoid" the company meetings where I work for the same reasons. Great job!

I agree with Lisa... We need to see more of the actress! :)

Just kidding!

Stacy

Bruce Broussard · August 21st, 2007, 08:42 PM

"Hey, dickfaces!" - Single greatest line of dialogue in any film ever made ever.

Sorry, I just had to agree. (credit to Robert Martens).

That was a really funny sequence. I liked the camera work, good cuts and angles. I thought the sound could have been better (something about the shotgun mike, not quite there).

Lighting was really good.

The dialog was great. Good writing in this one (dickface and replace my eyeballs within 1 minute, you can't beat that!).

The only criticism I would really have is that the scenes did not have much continuity. But with the time constraint, both on shooting and run time, what can you do?

Good to see some of your work, keep it up!

Dylan Couper · August 21st, 2007, 09:19 PM

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

Let me address some of your points and questions:

The low sound at the start: I f--ked up. I'll own that one. No excuses. :)

The ending... yeah, I should have had him look up and lock gazes with her. I had thought of building up some tension between them, but was short on time with both him and her.

Kris, no need to show the niece, I'm not elegible for voting. :)

Continuity was rough in the squash court scene.

More later...

Jonathan Jones · August 22nd, 2007, 12:30 AM

I won't re-iterate what has already been noted, ackowledged, and addressed...other than the fact that this piece was EXCEPTIONALLY well cast....including the bike (sweet).

I have to add that as far as the ending, I really didn't see that one coming, so that was well done.

You mentioned continuity on the court, and maybe so, but I have to add that I really liked how you shot it, and can imagine that it must have been quite a challenge to choreograph and still keep up with the shots you were trying to get (without getting a pop to the noggin yourself). I really liked the scene.

Well done.

-Jon

Dylan Couper · August 22nd, 2007, 09:16 AM

Oh, forgot to mention, the squash court scene....

The shots INSIDE the court,
I did one master, a wide 2-shot facing the actors, actually playing.
The close up was done... without a squash ball, no shoes, and them not actually playing or hitting anything. That was the only way I could actually get any usable audio. The "Rob" characters dialogue is all cut out of his close up, which I couldn't use because of continuity. The squash sounds are all foley'd, although I admit I didn't do a great job due to time.

That's the squash scene.

Kris Holodak · August 22nd, 2007, 08:45 PM

I had guessed that's how you did it - with them not actually playing on the close ups - but mostly because I'm a geek and always trying to figure out how things are done. But I still thought, both on first viewing and going back now, that it worked really well. It's all about the foley to make that kind of thing work. You'll always think you could have done it better. And maybe you could have. But if it works then done is better than better.

August 19th, 2007, 10:29 PM	#1
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	DVC9 - Is It Love? - Dylan Couper http://youtube.com/watch?v=64n47RcU5Ro Gear: JVC HD100 Cinevate Brevis35 35mm adapter Canon 28mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm Cavision 4x4 mattebox + .9ND, .6 grad ND Vinten Vision 10 tripod Sennheiser ME66 shotgun mic Indoor scenes lit naturally + Lowel Tota lights Outdoor scenes lit with 6'x4' reflectors. I put this together mostly with the purpose of putting my 35mm adapter through its paces. It's a good thing it was just a test, as I lost several key shots to either bad focus or improper calibration. The most important thing I realized, is how long its been since I've done anything creative, and how rusty I've gotten. The whole shoot was done in about 6 hours, thankfully since all 3 locations were within 3 block of each other. I had to run 'n gun the squash courts, which didn't leave me with the coverage I needed to cut. Yes, that's me on the left of the office scene... the one yelling "Hey, DICKFACES!" Critique as needed! __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

August 20th, 2007, 06:51 AM	#4
Dick Mays Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 690	Is it love? If that was the HOT one, what was the FAT one, a GoldWing? Anybody that pays that much attention to a bike, when a beautiful woman is standing beside him, is definitely a DICKFACE! (And I can say that.) Did you add echo to the racketball court, or was that natural ambiance? The audio was a little low on my laptop, but I could hear everything okay. Some beautiful shots in there. I really liked the handheld racketball court camera angles.

August 20th, 2007, 08:59 AM	#5
Marco Wagner Trustee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Saint Cloud, Florida Posts: 1,043	Well....is it? It is for me, nice, uh... bike. __________________ www.facebook.com/projectspecto

August 20th, 2007, 10:57 AM	#6
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	Dylan, Dylan, Dylan… Concept/Story: Great Execution: Pretty darn good Obscenities: LOTS ;) The guy who wants to replace his eyeballs cracked me up. He did a great job in the meeting room, plus I got a kick out of his moves on the court. Actually, all the acting in the meeting room sequence was really good. The laser pointer “aggression” was so you I laughed out loud! Interesting chart. I agree that the audio could be a bit cleaner in spots, although I smiled at what sounded like you fading yourself out so the guys’ voices could come up. That was great! It’s tough when (I’m assuming here) one mic has to pick up both exclamations and muttering without moving. Leave it to you to have easy access to a girl “hot” enough to pull off this role. She did really well. Thanks, D, for the laugh, and for the brief close-up of your famous dimples. Love ‘em! (You look just fine in white shirt and tie, btw.) :) __________________ Lorinda

August 20th, 2007, 01:03 PM	#9
Lisa Shofner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 373	Definitely a good job, as Lorinda said ... interesting chart. I thought that the sound was a little low on the bored meeting guys, but thats definately tough - i constantly have problems with sound. Just got a sound guy to join my team, so next time should be better for me at least :) Not sure what shots were missing in the racquetball scene, but I thought that scene in particular was cut together very well. I liked it a lot. I like the twist at the end too. The only real issue I had with it was that it seems like the end is very abrupt after the actress delivers the last line. Would have been cool for the guy to take off on the bike maybe. Since you had a few seconds left on your time. Good job. __________________ [http://www.ljparkerphotography.com] photos [http://www.youtube.com/darkdragonvegas] videos

August 19th, 2007, 10:48 PM	#2
Robert Martens Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 820	I hadn't planned on being up at this time just so I could watch the movies, but here I find myself, so I'll offer my thoughts. "Hey, dickfaces!" - Single greatest line of dialogue in any film ever made ever. I had to watch that two more times just for the hell of it. The audio overall was a little echo-y for me, detracted somewhat from the pleasant look of the movie, but that one sound bite more than makes up for it. Nice work. I ran into the same problems with my own adapter, so you have my sympathies. Soft focus is a pain in the backside, I'm impressed to see what you accomplished considering you say the lost shots were so important. All in all, funny stuff, well done! Now go write some more shorts with loads of swearing; you do it well, and I'd love to hear what other pointed exclamations you can come up with.

August 20th, 2007, 06:35 AM	#3
Randall Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 192	good stuff in here. The opening audio was a little difficult to hear, but it was love for me!:D Looks like you had a successfull test. BTW: Whats with releasing yours all by it's self?!?!?!?

August 20th, 2007, 11:26 AM	#7
Kris Holodak Major Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 302	The echo in the court was good, appropriate. You got good sound outside too, so it wasn't the mic itself, but better mic placement in the office would have helped. I can think of ways to achieve that, but it would take more time. Since you only had 6 hours shooting the whole thing I think it sounds fine. Loved the camera work outdoors too. Didn't mind the profanity myself since it seemed so right for the characters and the situation. I've been in meetings like that. But now I'm stuck with the dilemma of going back on my promise to my team that they can join me in determining our production's vote for the top three. My brother will shoot me if I tell my 11 year old niece to watch that. Well, we never said it was a family contest. Smile, Kris

August 20th, 2007, 12:25 PM	#8
Bruce Foreman Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Angelo Texas Posts: 1,518	Bulent Hasan (the guy who played Manny, if I got that right) projected more boredom with his expression and eyes than I remember seeing before. He cracked me up! The language was no problem for me, 20 yrs in the service so I've heard it all and in a few other languages. Lighting, and camera work were great. Acting by all parties carried the idea well, and I enjoyed this one. 3 meetings and a twist with the last one. Kept me interested

August 20th, 2007, 06:01 PM	#10
Stacy Dudley Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Longwood, Florida Posts: 71	Funny, I "avoid" the company meetings where I work for the same reasons. Great job! I agree with Lisa... We need to see more of the actress! :) Just kidding! Stacy

August 21st, 2007, 08:42 PM	#11
Bruce Broussard Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 132	"Hey, dickfaces!" - Single greatest line of dialogue in any film ever made ever. Sorry, I just had to agree. (credit to Robert Martens). That was a really funny sequence. I liked the camera work, good cuts and angles. I thought the sound could have been better (something about the shotgun mike, not quite there). Lighting was really good. The dialog was great. Good writing in this one (dickface and replace my eyeballs within 1 minute, you can't beat that!). The only criticism I would really have is that the scenes did not have much continuity. But with the time constraint, both on shooting and run time, what can you do? Good to see some of your work, keep it up!

August 21st, 2007, 09:19 PM	#12
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	Thanks for all the feedback guys! Let me address some of your points and questions: The low sound at the start: I f--ked up. I'll own that one. No excuses. :) The ending... yeah, I should have had him look up and lock gazes with her. I had thought of building up some tension between them, but was short on time with both him and her. Kris, no need to show the niece, I'm not elegible for voting. :) Continuity was rough in the squash court scene. More later... __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

August 22nd, 2007, 12:30 AM	#13
Jonathan Jones Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Healdsburg, California Posts: 1,138	I won't re-iterate what has already been noted, ackowledged, and addressed...other than the fact that this piece was EXCEPTIONALLY well cast....including the bike (sweet). I have to add that as far as the ending, I really didn't see that one coming, so that was well done. You mentioned continuity on the court, and maybe so, but I have to add that I really liked how you shot it, and can imagine that it must have been quite a challenge to choreograph and still keep up with the shots you were trying to get (without getting a pop to the noggin yourself). I really liked the scene. Well done. -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 22nd, 2007, 09:16 AM	#14
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	Oh, forgot to mention, the squash court scene.... The shots INSIDE the court, I did one master, a wide 2-shot facing the actors, actually playing. The close up was done... without a squash ball, no shoes, and them not actually playing or hitting anything. That was the only way I could actually get any usable audio. The "Rob" characters dialogue is all cut out of his close up, which I couldn't use because of continuity. The squash sounds are all foley'd, although I admit I didn't do a great job due to time. That's the squash scene. __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

August 22nd, 2007, 08:45 PM	#15
Kris Holodak Major Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 302	I had guessed that's how you did it - with them not actually playing on the close ups - but mostly because I'm a geek and always trying to figure out how things are done. But I still thought, both on first viewing and going back now, that it worked really well. It's all about the foley to make that kind of thing work. You'll always think you could have done it better. And maybe you could have. But if it works then done is better than better.