DVC8: Fictional Reality - Hugh DiMauro

[Sean McHenry]

OK, I have to say it then, Hugh, you suck.

How in the world do you get a bunch of uniforms to show up in your short? (Everyone's thinking it but I won't go there).

Excellent. You suck, but excellent. How dare you do such a gigantic opening shot.

Also, I noticed you used the same music I used in a longer piece called "Track 11". (If you haven't seen it, drop by the web page)

Overall: (Hugh sucks) Giant thumbs up!

Sean

: )

[Hugh DiMauro]

Sean, for the first time in my life I'm happy to suck! Sucking is great! I hope I can suck for the rest of my natural life! I hope I suck in my new job after I retire, I hope I can receive the "Suckiest Movie in the World" award, I hope I can be a sucky cook and so on.

You have one heck of a way to compliment, Sean! But I like it. That is exactly how terms of endearment are dealt in the police world, my friend. Check out my previous post and you will see how I was able to wrangle police presence.

As for the music, isn't Smart Sound just awesome?

[Bryan Wilkat]

getting cops up in that flick? sweet! hahah


nice job!

[Lorinda Norton]

Your actors are familiar with procedure and all that, but they still had to memorize lines and assume roles. I really liked each one and the way he managed his character.

The grimace on Chris’ face in the opening scene told so much about him—it’s my favorite. It’s not always fun playing the harda**, but he did it well.

Mike’s more understated deliveries worked perfectly. I don’t see how he could have played it better, and he added a lot to the movie.

Bruce….well, what can one say about Bruce and his likeable persona? I loved feeling and rooting for him, which is exactly what you wanted. You can tell he’s a good guy in real life, too.

Thanks, Hugh, for wisely using all the resources available to you and producing such a great movie for the rest of us to enjoy. I look forward to the next one, however you choose to do it!

[Hugh DiMauro]

Brian, I was pretty lucky that the two local police chiefs like and trust me. Plus, I proimised not to put their respective departments in a bad light (pardon the pun). And that's pretty much all there is to it. Any DV Info member can probably find the same results with their local PDs if they present themselves and their ideas in a professional manner.

Lorinda, I appreciate your attention to detail. In real life, Chris comes off like a hard@** but as per my previous reference, he's a cactus: Prickly on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside. This is Mike's debut as an actor and an involved member in one of my projects. Mike approached me one crisp, September evening on the Holiday Inn roof while I shot a colleague's wedding video. As we sipped bourbon and puffed a cigar, he mentioned that he had viewed one of my previous movies and asked to take part in my next. Be careful what you wish for, Mike, you just may get it. He didn't disappoint in his enthusiasm and dedication. As for Bruce, he's an amazing individual on so many fronts. I can't brag enough about him. I'm proud to be his colleague and friend. He's one heck of a homicide detective. And man, can that guy dress. You have to see to believe some of his suits. Describing them here does the image no justice.

I also have to throw a shout out to my dedicated, steady crew who always helps my shoots run smoothly. Tommy, my sound guy and all around grip, is the most unpretentious, dedicated fellow you ever want to meet. And the joke is that he's an actual working videographer who is sent all over the country to interview world famous film stars, sports celebrities and sporting events. He's the real deal! I like him so much that despite my declaration to never shoot another wedding video for as long as I live, I volunteered to shoot his for free in May. Good luck and many happy years, Thomas. Janet LaRocca, my former partner prior to her transfer to homicide, always made herself available as script/continuity girl. Her husband, Mike, a big shot at our local Pepsi distributor, also shows up when he's not playing pool or flying to some far away state for a football game. Now THERE'S a guy I'd like to get in one of my movies. Talk about a real character?

Sorry for rambling on. I know nobody is going to read this but I guess I wanted to honor my actors and crew as a "thanks" for their dedication. Without these guys, there'd be no movie.

[Jeff Hendricks]

That begining sceen was right out of any movie or tv show about cops...such a big budget look on a small budget.

I loved the lighting in the main cop's room...I think the other cop's room should have been just as edgy though, not so evenly lit.

Really terriffic stuff.

[Hugh DiMauro]

I did get lazy with camera settings. I could have tweaked my in-camera menu but I just like to keep everything at -0- and light as best I can. I don't like to keep actors standing around waiting whilst I play with the camera. The bedroom lighting didn't turn out exactly as I wished since the cardboard cookie I used was cheap and too thin to block the light better. I was attempting to use a trick I learned at a lighting seminar but, because of my cheapness, I purchased too thin a square of poster board at Staples. I won't do that again.

A funny anecdote about that scene: Five of us were squeezed into Mike's master bedroom. Tommy the sound man lay on Mike's bed just out of the frame. Bruce sat on the floor at Tommy's feet, reading his que lines to Mike who pretended to be talking to him on the phone. Brian (a non-stop eating machine and the bad guy who jumps out of the trailer), stood right next to Bruce holding up the cookie board in front of the light. Between the first and second take, Brian breaks wind right in Bruce's face. What amazes me most is that Brian made it out of that bedroom without a good ass kicking. Bruce must have felt very generous that night but made a solemn promise to post Brian as the crime scene officer at the next decomposed body he found in Atlantic City. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

[Ruth Happel]

I really liked the whole film. The opening was stunning. At first I wondered how you could ingratiate yourself into a real crime scene, and as it unfolded and I realized they were all acting, I was even more impressed. The actors were amazing, this is something that could easily have really been on tv. And I also really liked the techniques- the lighting, camera angles, everything. The ending was nice, too- a bit ambiguous- did he join his partner after seeing the episode to save the day, after being written off as crazy? Very Twilight Zone-ish. I also looked at the other link on your site and enjoyed the background on making the film. Looking forward to seeing more films from you.

[Hugh DiMauro]

These guys did a fantastic job. You know, I guess to be a good detective one must be a good actor. I want to once again thank everybody for their positive feedback because the guys are reading this and are ready to work on another project because of this movie's warm reception.

We truly are blessed. In so many ways other than movie making. :-)

[Jeff Hendricks]

Originally Posted by Hugh DiMauro

Brian breaks wind right in Bruce's face. .

Thats funny!

Jeff

[Hugh DiMauro]

It would have been funnier to see Bruce throw Brian out of the second story window!

[Jamey Hastings]

I feel like I'm a day or two behind here, but nonetheless I LOVED YOUR MOVIE!

Great camera work! Great acting! Great script! It was all very natural and very entertaining! I really liked the twilight zone-like concept of him coming home every night to see what happened to him that day on T.V. even after he's forced to take leave for a few days. The ambiguity as to whether he's really crazy and imagining the whole thing or whether there's really some sort of supernatural thing going on is really well executed. I'm totally impressed that you got this to come together in only two weeks! Again, well done. :)

Haha I wondered when I saw the cop cars if you were a cop yourself...I figured this had to be the case! It makes me feel way less guilty for using my work location and fellow employee friends for my film! :) Hey we gotta use the great resources around us when we can, right?

[Hugh DiMauro]

I fully endorse the shameless use of any and all resources. :-) Thank you kindly.