DVC5 Feedback - Techniques

[Bruce Broussard]

I enjoyed your film. I do think, like the others it was a little confusing at first. After "reflecting" on it a bit, I think the concept would have been easier to present if you had more time. For example, in the opening scene in NJ. You have a great shot on the freeway, then all of a sudden the car is pulling up to what looked like an abandoned location. It took my brain a second to catch up and recognize the sequence.

Another minor point was that during a couple of the scenes when the NJ cops were moving (before entering the apartment), the backlight (sun) was really bright, this led to some underexposure on the actors faces, however, the camera adjusted nicely when zoom was performed.

Maybe the writing (I understand you said that Hugh wrote this who is a police officer) it was case of wishful thinking on his part!

Good work. :)

[Dick Mays]

Okay. I survived the trip to South Carolina with the kids/ Now let me finish with my feedback.

Lorinda and Hugh. I loved this short. I particularly loved how you would tell part of the story in one location and another part in the other location. This is so good, the bar really is raised to a different level with DVC5.

I liked both Techniques and Love Bites better than any of the five finalists in the Tribeca short film contest.

I'm learning that I need to shoot more "insert" shots. Bradley Marlow also does this well. Boots getting out of a car.. these little inserts set the mood for a piece very powerfully with just a second or two of screen time.

It must have been really fun to collaborate on a pirce. Anyone wanting footage down here in Georiga, just let me know.

Great work!

[Lorinda Norton]

Thank you for the kind remarks, guys. Because I've been so deprived of sleep for the past couple weeks (that's a whole other deal) I'll admit to feeling a bit down in the dumps about our little endeavor here. It bothers me that it's been confusing. But that's the chance we take when we shoot these stories...

Dick, if I could I'd come over there and give you a great big hug. You always know what to say to cheer up this old girl. Thank you. (And I'll sure keep your offer in mind. Wouldn't it be fun if my rednecks could somehow meet up with some Georgia rednecks someday? LOL!)

[Michael Fossenkemper]

Finally got to watch it. I loved the two different locations. really gave you a sense that it was big time. (wow, they really had a budget to shoot in two locations besides across the street) hahah. I thought the sites for each were great. I loved it even though I didn't really know what was going on for a bit, but the concept was great. I thought about doing the same kind of 2 points that were reflections of each other. Just couldn't figure out how to do it at all much less in 5 min. Once I realised what was happening I got excited. Big thumbs up for taking it to the limit. I bow before you two.

[Lorinda Norton]

Michael, you sound a lot like Hugh! "Try something new, take that risk" sort of thing. That's cool.

Thank you so much for the encouragement. Can't wait to see your movie! :)

[Sean McHenry]

Ok gal. Another fine one for your team. One day I'm going to have to get a crew. Maybe for the music video thing.

So, I had the same comments as everyone else so far. Remember a while back when we were talking about doing this? Glad to see you found someone to pair up with in a different location. Makes it look more like a higher budget piece with such differing locations. Great collaborative effort. Made it fun to compare and contrast.

I might have tried to tie the two locations together somehow. It's quite interesting and fun, especially the performances as it is. Not sure how I would have tried to tie them together but it works as it is. Great job to the cast and crew for their 2-location shoot.

I do worry about running around, even in the middle of nowhere with guns. I have a great BB gun story for you one day.

Good work.

Sean McHenry

[Lorinda Norton]

Sean, what are you doing up so late, ya night owl?!? :)

I do remember us talking about collaborating. It just takes people saying "yes" -- that's all! Wish I was closer to Ohio and I'd try to be on your crew for the music video.

Back to the movie, I thank you for the nice remarks. And about the guns, out here we can get away with toting them. For the most part, people are very responsible. Btw, you once wondered about my "other" shooting. Watch the extras and check out the pistol my son used for our effect--then you'll know. :)

Patiently waiting for your movie to be posted!!!

[Sean McHenry]

Mine is like nothing that has been posted before. It's a highly experimental dream sequence sort of piece but it hits the reflections theme on at least 2 different levels. As usual, there is a creepy element, primarily due once again to the great music I keep getting access to.

I get a concept and build it around a musical piece that conveys the mood I am going for. I shoot and edit to the muisic a lot.

I'll send an e-mail on the music video progress. Have you hit my web site recently? I am also publishing everything on video.google.com lately. Easy to use and they put it up pretty quickly. I have 3 shorts listed there and they all made it live in 48 hours after posting.

Sean

[Robert Kirkpatrick]

I've been avoiding reading the threads until I had a chance to watch the videos in full. I wasn't sure what was going on at first, but second viewing made it click as parallel stories. I kept waiting to see how the two stories would connect, or if one was the past of the other. It would've helped me if we had seen the dead body of the Idaho criminal and the confession of the Atlantic City criminal at the very end.

[Hugh DiMauro]

Thank you, Lorinda, for stepping up and taking care of some of the feedback. These past two days I was out of town. I have alot to type so let me get right to it.

First off, I'd like to thank Dylan and DV Info for starting this marvelous challenge. Thanks to Rick Bravo, Jr., and the late Rick Bravo, Sr., for the inspiration for the "look" and camera placement in my segment. When you see my portion, think gritty, 1970s cinema, in particular, The French Connection. I stole the entire feel of my segment from that movie. Also, I need to thank Barry Green for his wonderful instruction on DVX camera settings which contributed to my "look." I didn't have his book at the time of filming so he spoon-fed me the settings I needed. Thanks, Barry. Thanks to my actors and crew, so named in the credits.

And last, but certainly not least (I saved the very best for last!) a great big heartfelt thanks to DV Info's den mother herself, Lorinda Norton. As you can clearly see, she is humble. Please pay close attention to the originality of her segment versus the copycat nature of mine. Her shots and angles are well thought out. She doesn't take the lazy way out by cutting back to the same old camera angle. She actually moves the camera around. The sign of a good filmmaker. She just didn't drop my segment on her timeline. She trimmed, moved things around, tightened and tweaked tweaked tweaked. She has an intuitive editor's sense that serves her and this project very well. She made our entry what it is. Thank you, Lorinda.

There seems to be some confusion with the theme and how it comes across. Well, I was hoping that our colleagues would feel that we were trying to "reflect" between the east coast and west coast way of interrogating a prisoner, with a little "twist" at the end (SPOLER HERE: DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE VIDEO!) Everybody expects the tough east coast guys to kill the perp, not the nice west coast good ol' boys.

I am not the best writer in the world, doggone it but I sure had tons of fun making this movie! Now, let me read some feedback and I will post more. Thanks again for taking the time to watch!

Okay then, here goes:

Robert - This was two different versions of two different stories.

Meryem - No criminals were hurt in the making of this motion picture. HA! Actually, the guy who plays our bad guy is a great fellow who plays and sells guitars. Please believe me when I tell you that cops in our neck of the woods most definitely do not behave this way. We were just having fun (See the outtakes for proof!) I am sure that Idaho cops are also highly professional. Contrary to popular belief, we don't like to go around killing bad guys. That's just in the movies. That's a whole other story altogether.

Ed - Lorinda gets the iPod, of course!

Bill - You are one sharp hombre. You guessed correctly about using the same location twice. We shot at a group of four abandoned apartments that formed an "X" shaped alley. We used the one alley in the first shot and another alley in the second. See what I mean about me cutting corners and being lazy versus Lorinda and her fabulous camera angles?

Lorinda - By the way, you punched up the sound as best you could with all that wind noise that hounded you during your entire shoot. In light of the rotten conditions, you did great. AND, you scored a bullseye with your assessment with your "Wild West" reference. You explained it better than I. Thank you.

I will now pour some Remy Martin, sit back and engage in man's third greatest pleasure and honor: Watch some more of these magnificent and entertaining movies made by some of the most wonderful folks I'd ever had the pleasure to call fellow filmmakers!

[Mugurel Dragusin]

"keep messing with us ... he'll open you up like a fish"

That's one line there with nice intonation from the character, mob like.

I like the looks of this one. One question tho, I've noticed Trump Plaza, is that Donald Trump's property there or just a name coincidence?
The editing where you go from the bad guys to the "the tape confesion" I find it great addition to the story telling.

[Sean McHenry]

The one thing I have trouble believeing in this piece - that Lorinda is old enough to have a son that old...

: )

Sean

[Lorinda Norton]

Originally Posted by Mugurel Dragusin

The editing where you go from the bad guys to the "the tape confesion" I find it great addition to the story telling.

The script was written more like that particular transition. I wish we could have cut the whole story that way, but it just didn't work out. Thanks for the nice comments, Mugurel.

@ Sean: Excellence by L'Oreal. Wonderful stuff... ;)

[Hugh DiMauro]

Sean:

Many comments have been made on this thread. Some very true, some open to interpretation. But the truest, sharpest rock solid comment ever made on this site came from you:

<<The one thing I have trouble believeing in this piece - that Lorinda is old enough to have a son that old...>>

You scored a perfect 100% truth on that statement. I concur.

[Sean McHenry]

I hear her blushing now. She's a good egg.

Sean