Short film I made for competition with GS150 at DVinfo.net

Thomas Shaddox · January 24th, 2006, 12:56 PM

Hey guys. Just wanted to post a link to a 5 minutes short film I shot entirely with my GS150. Me and my buddy did literally everything involved in the production of the movie (including writing and performing music) with the exception of 3 short lines voiced by another helper. You have to be a member of the Videohelp.com forums to post or vote, but anyone can download the (lower-res) films.

Link to my film:

http://shortfilm.videohelp.com/video...ie_(small).avi

Link to view all the films:

http://forum.videohelp.com/viewforum.php?f=45

I appreciate any time that you guys spend watching my film, and any comments/criticisms are more than welcome!

Emre Safak · January 24th, 2006, 01:33 PM

I think it works, as a film. The editing was good, but sometimes I questioned your selection of shots. Next time avoid spreading yourself so thin and get some help.

Thomas Shaddox · January 25th, 2006, 12:41 AM

Which shots did you question? I need all the help I can get. That was my first film, so I really wasn't going to try to get any real help.

Emre Safak · January 25th, 2006, 07:23 AM

Some cuts I did not like: 2:43, 2:52, 5:23. The shots from the drawer (1:40), fridge (3:40), and phone (4:15) were cheesy.

Thomas Shaddox · January 25th, 2006, 11:38 AM

Thanks a lot for the criticism. I agree with the phone shot being a little cheesy...it started with me trying to get the slightest bit of DOF with the camera (virtually impossible unless you use such contrasting distances). The frig shot was another spur-of-the-moment thing that I realize isn't very "professional".

Eric Brown · January 25th, 2006, 12:35 PM

I think the phone and fridge shots were not so much cheesy in concept as they were in execution.
The fact that you thought of different ways to move the camera is good.
The phone shot could have worked if the phone was center to the narrative (say the story was about him constantly getting calls from telemarketers and the phone becomes more and more prominent in the shot as the calls increase and his patience decreases). Don't throw out that shot, write it down and use it for another project.
Liked the drawer shot concept, but, it was just another example of good concept poor execution. The camera shook too much on the shot.
I did get all the way through it because I was interested to see what happened, unfortunately it didn't finish strong.
Might want to concentrate on the writing aspect a little as well.
I agree with the editing comment. Some shots were held a little too long but other than that not bad.

Ainslie Davies · January 25th, 2006, 07:55 PM

How did you record the piano? What mic(s), mixer? etc...

Dave Ferdinand · January 25th, 2006, 10:17 PM

I liked both the fridge and drawer shots. They're unusual but that's why i thought they were interesting. Overall it's decent but some cuts and the CC you made are not to my liking.

Jason D Chapman · February 3rd, 2006, 02:28 AM

thomas-
just viewed your film. looked great, and although i do agree with the other
poster(s) regarding the phone and frig shots... nothing ventured and all that...

i thought the voice over worked well.
helps draw you(the viewer) in.
as did the dream footage.

what did you edit(software) on?
filters used, FX used?
lighting?
time investment(for shooting)?

a great effort for two people. definitely inspiring for
zero crew productions(myself...)

- jason

Thomas Shaddox · February 3rd, 2006, 01:17 PM

Ainslie Davies:

Piano was recorded with the same cheap microphone attached to my camera (on a homemade shockmount) as the rest of the dialogue (save the voiceovers). It's an Audio-Technica ATR25 stereo mic, only 30 USD here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=172282
It's a very inexpensive mic, and I'll upgrade at some point, but I think it shows truly how much even the cheapest external mic is better than the internal mic.

The other non-live audio (guitar/keyboard recordings, voiceovers, and a few sound effects) were recorded with a Behringer studio condenser mic (not for cameras), not sure of the model since it's my friend's (Paul in the movie) recording equipment. I think it costs between 150 and 250 USD. The mic ran via XLR into a Presonus Firepod, an 8 channel digital audio interface, which ran via firewire into my Dell Inspiron 9300 laptop. Recording was done with Adobe Audition, I believe version 1.5.

Jason D Chapman:

I edited in Adobe Premiere, don't remember what version. Also made the header and credits in Adobe After Effects. The little jingle during the PULLONE Productions splash at the very beginning of the film was made in Fruityloops. No filters or FX used except for some color tinting and such for the dream sequences--just trial and error there to get something to look decent. My lighting was a 250watt bulb from Walmart in little metal light fixture with a clamp, which I clamped onto my spare cheapo tripod. Most of the time, I bounced the light off the ceiling since that resulted in the least offensive shadowing (although some shadows were still pretty bad). The time investment for shooting was the three Saturdays before the deadline. We shot from around 10 am to 3-5 pm, when it started getting dark. We had dilly-dallied around with the script a couple of evenings the week before shooting. The studio recording was done either the day before or two days before the deadline, editted in, and exported. I then had to encode to Divx during the day of the deadline on my laptop and upload via wireless from the street outside another friend's house since I have dialup!

One "technique" I used, if you can call it that, was that virtually all of my shots were on a tripod. The only exceptions were the in-car shots, and the two shots that people have advised against (fridge and drawer). Even then, they were mostly steady. I didn't try any fancy camera movements, because I figure that successfulling pulling off basic shots is better than not-so-successfully pulling off more advanced shots. Not to mention that the mood of the film goes good with steady shots at extreme angles.

I definitely think it's possible to get WAY better results with one or two people than what I've made here. With experience, no doubt my films will get better. It's hard work, but tons of fun--in fact, a large part of the fun is putting the film "out there" and having people like you guys criticize it and ask questions.

There's no reason to not go out and try making films. I believe it was Robert Rogriguez who said if you want to make movies, make movies. If you're a one-man crew, there are a couple of projects that might be fun to try. First, you could do a "day in the life of YOU" short film. It might not be something you'd even show anybody, but it will get you accustomed to framing shots, getting good audio, and editting. Another idea would be a "Tour around your hometown" or something of that sort. Just get some cool shots of some cool stuff in your town (or just stuff if your town is boring), edit it, and record some voiceover narration. You can even throw some copyrighted music in there if you're not going to make the movie public. Again, just gets you comfortable with your camera, software, etc. I bring up these two ideas because they require minimal toiling over plot, dialogue, etc.--you can basically just get right to it. Just go out and film something!

Jason D Chapman · February 6th, 2006, 02:48 AM

thomas/thanks for the reply/if you want another site to
put your work on/just let me know/very much a work in progress(the site)
/just music on it.for right now/

/jason/

Thomas Shaddox · February 6th, 2006, 08:21 AM

I'd love to have my movie on another site! What format and file size would you prefer? I can make Divx or Windows Media Video, in any file size between 20 megabytes (lower quality like the link posted on this forum) up to around 60 megabytes for near max quality. Thank you!

Robert M Wright · February 19th, 2006, 01:50 AM

From one relaxed (I wasn't going out of my way to study it carefully) viewing of the video, if it were my video, the first things I would want to improve would be the actors' delivery of their lines, white balance and color saturation. I would also want no automatic gain, shutter or iris in any of the shots.

John Kron · May 21st, 2006, 10:53 AM

the effects on the sound were wrong. different voice sources require different effects. if you havnt got a voice processor program or hardware then you can telk into a plastic cup or other container to change the sound for phone calls and such, (intercoms)
good writing i thought. camera work average

January 24th, 2006, 12:56 PM	#1
Thomas Shaddox New Boot Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 14	Short film I made for competition with GS150 Hey guys. Just wanted to post a link to a 5 minutes short film I shot entirely with my GS150. Me and my buddy did literally everything involved in the production of the movie (including writing and performing music) with the exception of 3 short lines voiced by another helper. You have to be a member of the Videohelp.com forums to post or vote, but anyone can download the (lower-res) films. Link to my film: http://shortfilm.videohelp.com/video...ie_(small).avi Link to view all the films: http://forum.videohelp.com/viewforum.php?f=45 I appreciate any time that you guys spend watching my film, and any comments/criticisms are more than welcome! __________________ _______________________________/ Thomas Shaddox _______________________/ wediddoit at gmail dot com _______________/ MSN: cptshaddox at hotmail dot com _______/

January 25th, 2006, 12:41 AM	#3
Thomas Shaddox New Boot Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 14	Which shots did you question? I need all the help I can get. That was my first film, so I really wasn't going to try to get any real help. __________________ _______________________________/ Thomas Shaddox _______________________/ wediddoit at gmail dot com _______________/ MSN: cptshaddox at hotmail dot com _______/

January 25th, 2006, 11:38 AM	#5
Thomas Shaddox New Boot Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 14	Thanks a lot for the criticism. I agree with the phone shot being a little cheesy...it started with me trying to get the slightest bit of DOF with the camera (virtually impossible unless you use such contrasting distances). The frig shot was another spur-of-the-moment thing that I realize isn't very "professional". __________________ _______________________________/ Thomas Shaddox _______________________/ wediddoit at gmail dot com _______________/ MSN: cptshaddox at hotmail dot com _______/

January 25th, 2006, 07:55 PM	#7
Ainslie Davies Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 117	How did you record the piano? What mic(s), mixer? etc... __________________ Ainslie Davies - www.dualityproductions.com

January 25th, 2006, 10:17 PM	#8
Dave Ferdinand Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 359	I liked both the fridge and drawer shots. They're unusual but that's why i thought they were interesting. Overall it's decent but some cuts and the CC you made are not to my liking. __________________ Do or do not, there is no try.

January 24th, 2006, 01:33 PM	#2
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	I think it works, as a film. The editing was good, but sometimes I questioned your selection of shots. Next time avoid spreading yourself so thin and get some help.

January 25th, 2006, 07:23 AM	#4
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	Some cuts I did not like: 2:43, 2:52, 5:23. The shots from the drawer (1:40), fridge (3:40), and phone (4:15) were cheesy.

January 25th, 2006, 12:35 PM	#6
Eric Brown Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 427	I think the phone and fridge shots were not so much cheesy in concept as they were in execution. The fact that you thought of different ways to move the camera is good. The phone shot could have worked if the phone was center to the narrative (say the story was about him constantly getting calls from telemarketers and the phone becomes more and more prominent in the shot as the calls increase and his patience decreases). Don't throw out that shot, write it down and use it for another project. Liked the drawer shot concept, but, it was just another example of good concept poor execution. The camera shook too much on the shot. I did get all the way through it because I was interested to see what happened, unfortunately it didn't finish strong. Might want to concentrate on the writing aspect a little as well. I agree with the editing comment. Some shots were held a little too long but other than that not bad.

February 3rd, 2006, 02:28 AM	#9
Jason D Chapman New Boot Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: CHICAGO Posts: 8	looks great. thomas- just viewed your film. looked great, and although i do agree with the other poster(s) regarding the phone and frig shots... nothing ventured and all that... i thought the voice over worked well. helps draw you(the viewer) in. as did the dream footage. what did you edit(software) on? filters used, FX used? lighting? time investment(for shooting)? a great effort for two people. definitely inspiring for zero crew productions(myself...) - jason

February 3rd, 2006, 01:17 PM	#10
Thomas Shaddox New Boot Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 14	Ainslie Davies: Piano was recorded with the same cheap microphone attached to my camera (on a homemade shockmount) as the rest of the dialogue (save the voiceovers). It's an Audio-Technica ATR25 stereo mic, only 30 USD here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=172282 It's a very inexpensive mic, and I'll upgrade at some point, but I think it shows truly how much even the cheapest external mic is better than the internal mic. The other non-live audio (guitar/keyboard recordings, voiceovers, and a few sound effects) were recorded with a Behringer studio condenser mic (not for cameras), not sure of the model since it's my friend's (Paul in the movie) recording equipment. I think it costs between 150 and 250 USD. The mic ran via XLR into a Presonus Firepod, an 8 channel digital audio interface, which ran via firewire into my Dell Inspiron 9300 laptop. Recording was done with Adobe Audition, I believe version 1.5. Jason D Chapman: I edited in Adobe Premiere, don't remember what version. Also made the header and credits in Adobe After Effects. The little jingle during the PULLONE Productions splash at the very beginning of the film was made in Fruityloops. No filters or FX used except for some color tinting and such for the dream sequences--just trial and error there to get something to look decent. My lighting was a 250watt bulb from Walmart in little metal light fixture with a clamp, which I clamped onto my spare cheapo tripod. Most of the time, I bounced the light off the ceiling since that resulted in the least offensive shadowing (although some shadows were still pretty bad). The time investment for shooting was the three Saturdays before the deadline. We shot from around 10 am to 3-5 pm, when it started getting dark. We had dilly-dallied around with the script a couple of evenings the week before shooting. The studio recording was done either the day before or two days before the deadline, editted in, and exported. I then had to encode to Divx during the day of the deadline on my laptop and upload via wireless from the street outside another friend's house since I have dialup! One "technique" I used, if you can call it that, was that virtually all of my shots were on a tripod. The only exceptions were the in-car shots, and the two shots that people have advised against (fridge and drawer). Even then, they were mostly steady. I didn't try any fancy camera movements, because I figure that successfulling pulling off basic shots is better than not-so-successfully pulling off more advanced shots. Not to mention that the mood of the film goes good with steady shots at extreme angles. I definitely think it's possible to get WAY better results with one or two people than what I've made here. With experience, no doubt my films will get better. It's hard work, but tons of fun--in fact, a large part of the fun is putting the film "out there" and having people like you guys criticize it and ask questions. There's no reason to not go out and try making films. I believe it was Robert Rogriguez who said if you want to make movies, make movies. If you're a one-man crew, there are a couple of projects that might be fun to try. First, you could do a "day in the life of YOU" short film. It might not be something you'd even show anybody, but it will get you accustomed to framing shots, getting good audio, and editting. Another idea would be a "Tour around your hometown" or something of that sort. Just get some cool shots of some cool stuff in your town (or just stuff if your town is boring), edit it, and record some voiceover narration. You can even throw some copyrighted music in there if you're not going to make the movie public. Again, just gets you comfortable with your camera, software, etc. I bring up these two ideas because they require minimal toiling over plot, dialogue, etc.--you can basically just get right to it. Just go out and film something! __________________ _______________________________/ Thomas Shaddox _______________________/ wediddoit at gmail dot com _______________/ MSN: cptshaddox at hotmail dot com _______/

February 6th, 2006, 02:48 AM	#11
Jason D Chapman New Boot Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: CHICAGO Posts: 8	thomas/thanks for the reply/if you want another site to put your work on/just let me know/very much a work in progress(the site) /just music on it.for right now/ /jason/ __________________ http://www.thiefcity.com

February 6th, 2006, 08:21 AM	#12
Thomas Shaddox New Boot Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 14	I'd love to have my movie on another site! What format and file size would you prefer? I can make Divx or Windows Media Video, in any file size between 20 megabytes (lower quality like the link posted on this forum) up to around 60 megabytes for near max quality. Thank you! __________________ _______________________________/ Thomas Shaddox _______________________/ wediddoit at gmail dot com _______________/ MSN: cptshaddox at hotmail dot com _______/

February 19th, 2006, 01:50 AM	#13
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	From one relaxed (I wasn't going out of my way to study it carefully) viewing of the video, if it were my video, the first things I would want to improve would be the actors' delivery of their lines, white balance and color saturation. I would also want no automatic gain, shutter or iris in any of the shots.

May 21st, 2006, 10:53 AM	#14
John Kron New Boot Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: usa Posts: 23	sound need a lot of work imo the effects on the sound were wrong. different voice sources require different effects. if you havnt got a voice processor program or hardware then you can telk into a plastic cup or other container to change the sound for phone calls and such, (intercoms) good writing i thought. camera work average