DVC16 - "Food is the Way to a Man's Heart" - Joseph Tran

[Craig Bellaire]

just double checking do to the rules... other wise a winner for me...WOW

blooper reel for everyone.... PLEEEEEZ

[Keith Heyward]

I really liked this piece. As a vegan, I'd like to say- the ending is great!! My friends and me and actually make that "GET OUT" joke a lot and it was just really on point. Also I was really impressed with the sleeve on fire scene and the BBQ smoke scene. I agree that the montage is a bit long- but the music fit right. And your acting in it, Joseph, is hilarious! You should do more comedy. I'd like to see a whole movie with that character in particular as the star. I wonder how it would have changed things if he was the lead instead?
(Sorry, I forgot to say I'm Julia, Keith's film partner. I wanted to give comments too if that's ok! Let me know if it's not and I'll stop!)

[Dylan Couper]

Originally Posted by Joseph Tran

I'm amazed that no one has mentioned the part where our lead is set on fire. When we screened it for our friends the other day, the same thing happened, haha. People liked the camera movements, thought the food setups were beautiful, but no one batted an eye over James' arm on fire or flour launching in his face.

I can explain this.

There's nothing wrong with the gag itself, it's just that we (the general North American audience) have seen these two particular gags, over and over and over, in film and TV. It's like watching a stair roll or a car flip in an action movie, we've all seen them so many times it doesn't register as anything special, funny, or dangerous.

Now saying "this taste like the cheese (chee?) the government gave me..." THAT is fresh. :) Actually, I made myself laugh out loud just writing that.

About the ending, I should point out that even though I would have prefered something more unexpected, it did work because your actor sold it so well.

[Joseph Tran]

I'm really glad you're noticing the music. That actually fulfills a big goal of mine to get these artists noticed.

Lorinda -- thank you for clarifying the issue ahead of me. I do get boggled with the magic work sometimes, and that does cause my absence from the boards for a few days. However, I'm here, I'm listening, and here's more info on the music:

Yes, I do have permission to use the music featured in this piece. Lorinda explained it perfectly, actually. All the artists I use are indie/unsigned artists. In fact, I've really garnerd a love for indie music, as there is so much great stuff out there. You'll often find me at local live music venues supporting these artists. Because of that, I always try to score my projects using indie/unsigned artists first (that, and I can't compose nor have any composer friends yet). Every film I make, I get at least a couple people who ask, "Where'd you find that great music?" So, it's ultimately a win-win for both parties.

The songs I chose this time are "Strange Way" and "Run" by an Atlanta based group named, "Honestly". I first heard of them shortly before I shot "Fish" for DVC14, and totally fell in love with their music. I accidentally left their names out of the film's end credits because I actually made the credits prior to shooting and scoring the film to save on already tight time. They are credited on the Vimeo page, however, and will also have their names when the DVD comes out.

Scoring with this method has garnered an unexpected result. Lately, I've been using music from a band named, "Relax to Paris". We enjoyed each other's work so much that I'll be shooting a music video for them real soon. :)

[Mike Horrigan]

Originally Posted by Dylan Couper

I can explain this.

There's nothing wrong with the gag itself, it's just that we (the general North American audience) have seen these two particular gags, over and over and over, in film and TV. It's like watching a stair roll or a car flip in an action movie, we've all seen them so many times it doesn't register as anything special, funny, or dangerous.

But not in short films.
It's very rare that you see a stunt like that pulled off in an Indy short film.

Best film of the bunch for me. Well done.

Mike

[Joseph Tran]

Dick - Even though you posted before my reply yesterday, I didn't read your post til now. Thank you very much for the overwhelming compliments! Heheh, I might have to quote you on that. You should know that I'm one of your biggest fans as well! I've been following your work ever since "Grits" during DVC12!

Chris - Yes, we stretched the flour puff a bit to make it easier to see on camera (this actually happened with a Beef Wellington), but it was also a chance for me to shoot a ton of flour in James' face. Ah, friendship. I laughed out loud with your "101 Ways to Wok a Dog" idea, and I SO wish I had thought of that for the film! Lol... I'm still chuckling over that!

Robert - No claification needed. Again, I can't stress enough how much I welcome all these comments, suggestions, and differences in opinion, as they all stir so much great conversation! I especially enjoy the banter you and I have during these challenges... btw, I'm still working on Fish Love to Travel in Paris.

Craig - Thanks for double checking on the music (and making sure the film doesn't get disqualified), AND to Lorinda for clarifying. And yes, I will work on putting up some bloopers later today, at your request.

Julia - Your comments are definitely welcome here across dvinfo -- in fact, start your own account and join in on the fun! The character I played is borrowed from a bit in my show, but its appearance in this film was largely by accident. I was playing it with my normal voice until I started screwing around, and I guess it opened a lot of doors from there. In the bloopers, you'll see how far I took it. I've been thinking all morning on your idea of what if the Asian guy was the lead. In fact, I'll keep that as a possibility for the next project! Can you imagine one big stereotype of a character running amuck in the ciy?! Thanks for the idea!

Dylan - Ah, that's it! I recently had a conversation with a Chinese filmmaker about the differences in western vs. eastern filmmaking. I guess we're all just used to $#!+ blowing up, haha!

Thanks again for all your thoughts and ideas, folks! I'm looking forward to another day of great films!

[Dylan Couper]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrigan

But not in short films.
It's very rare that you see a stunt like that pulled off in an Indy short film.

Can you explain how a gag that has been around for decades in feature film and television suddenly becomes fresh when done in a short film? Does that all of a sudden make it funny again?

Joseph, I'm not bashing your film in any way, I loved it, just pointing out why those two gags didn't really have much impact on your audience (and the gags did look great).
Now if you had set the guy's crotch on fire... THAT would have been awesome. :)

[Mike Horrigan]

Originally Posted by Dylan Couper

Can you explain how a gag that has been around for decades in feature film and television suddenly becomes fresh when done in a short film? Does that all of a sudden make it funny again?

Never said it made it funny?

It made it stand out above most other short films I've seen. At least in the prop/stunt department.

I've seen so much poorly done CG flame effects that it was refreshing to see a real stunt for a change. Especially in an independent short!
And yes, I immediately thought the actor might be at risk so danger entered into it for me. Mostly because I knew this was a short and not some studio feature. Glad it went off safely.

Kudos.

[Craig Bellaire]

After finding out your a full time magician, and work the magic castle...All I can say is WOW... As a former magician I understand the work involved in the field of Magic and all that goes into it... AND you have time for a video contest...again I'm truly blown away... keep on keeping on...

[Dick Mays]

Originally Posted by Dylan Couper

Now if you had set the guy's crotch on fire... THAT would have been awesome. :)

Hey, don't give Joseph any more good ideas! Email them to me. He's kicking our butts enough as it is...

[Lynne Good]

I have to add my two cents worth here because I enjoyed this one so much! It had me picking myself up off of the floor because I was laughing so hard!

First, I think the reason I noticed the "arm on fire" part of it is because of the context in which it was done. While this has been done before, I don't think I ever remember it being done as a "cooking accident" like this.

Second, I don't think the montage was really that long. It added to the suspense of, well, will he or won't he ever learn to cook? For me, it seemed a bit short but, then of course, this was supposed to be a short film.

Third, I just about died when you hit that line, "Actually! This isn't too bad!" You hit so many stereotypes in this short film and made them so funny!

Finally, the ending was fantastic! What woman in her right mind would allow her "boyfriend" to go through all that trouble and NOT tell him she has decided she's a vegan!!?? His reaction was perfect!

Oh! And the camera work was awesome! I loved every bit of this. I am saving it to my favorites for future reference! I doubt that I will ever make any films of my own but I am sure enjoying watching everyone else display their talents on this forum!

I almost forgot! One last thing! The flour poof, I have to agree, was a bit lame. It might have been better if you had rigged some cake dough to explode in his face. Otherwise, this was a masterpiece!

[Joseph Tran]

Dylan - Though I would've found it very funny, I don't think my lead would've approved of me setting his crotch on fire, haha.

Mike - Yeah, I wasn't as concerned with the fire as a bit in itself. I was more concerned with the fact that indie films rarely do something like that, and usually resort to bad CGI instead. However, we did treat it as if we were on a bigger project, and used every safety technique required of this shot.

Craig - Thanks for the words! I'm sure you can agree with me when I say I believe that everything you learn in life you can apply to your magic. That's why I started doing the DVC. I'm getting a lot of great feedback and I'm learning at an exponential pace!

Dick - Haha, actually, if I remember, I think Hugh DiMaurio currently has the title of DVC champ.

Lynne - Thanks for the comments! It made my day to know that my work got you to post a comment. More importantly, I'm just happy you enjoyed the piece! I hope you don't stay true to your word and DO make a film in the near future. And when you do, we'll be here to support! :)

And for everyone, the bloopers:
Food is the Way to a Man's Heart - Bloopers on Vimeo

Enjoy our nerdship!

[Craig Bellaire]

this is a winner just for the bloopers.... Had me on the floor....

[Robert Martens]

Agreed, Craig. "Did they leave you in the tunnels?" and "Is that why we keep running out of napkins?" made me react the same way Neil did. I had to pause the video and finish laughing before I could continue.

Thanks for the look behind the scenes! Fancy slate you've got there.

[Craig Bellaire]

Kill your girl friend.... Damn... thought I was gonna loose it when he went off in Vietnamese....