"Losing It" (a DVX-100A short) at DVinfo.net

Russell Pond · June 14th, 2004, 01:34 PM

I just completed a new piece for a short film contest. We had 8 days to complete the project. We were given the topic last week (which appears at the end of the film). I would love to hear your thoughts on the piece:

http://toppup.com/losingit

Settings: Standard F5, Shutter Speed 1/120, Edited in FCP (color corrected, diffused and levels adjusted).

Thanks,
Russell

Josh Brusin · June 14th, 2004, 03:01 PM

shelley long and tom cruise, right?

---(I know that was "losin it")

Scott Plowman · June 14th, 2004, 06:50 PM

great job on the intro. Acting was sub par by some .. but they did their best. I guess im confused on what exactly the story was about. Kid stealing money from parents bank account? but not really?? just pretending to? Im not sure i understood it but overall i give it a B+ : ) the B+ is for Fortitude, good picture and cinematography, excellent intro.. just failing a little on bringing understanding of the situation to the person watching..

Alex Taylor · June 14th, 2004, 11:13 PM

Nice. Great pacing and frenetic camerawork. I'm in the middle of watching the first season of 24 again and this definitely had the same tension and energy. I didn't completely get the story though. Also, more attention to lighting in the kitchen would have gone a long way, some colour correction as well. Overall, great job though!

Val Rio · August 3rd, 2004, 07:22 PM

I would suggest using a tripod. I think a lot of people out there get nauseaous (like myself) when it comes to too much hand held camera work. I like the existing light but I think just one light thrown on the subject would definitely help as well as a reflector - especially on the closeups. Acting is sub-standard. But I do see that the Panny is capable of producing nice images.

Alex Melnikov · August 14th, 2004, 12:15 AM

more steady camera shots. Was the cine gamma used?

Good work though! Nobody is perfect, right? :)

David Chao · August 14th, 2004, 01:20 AM

I actually liked the camera movement and thought that it captured the sense of urgency that you were probably going for. Tripods wouldn't have given your flick the same feel. As for the acting... not so good. I also agree with one of the comments about the story being a little difficult to understand.

Out of 5...

4 for editing
4 for camera work
3.5 for lighting
2.5 for acting
3.75 for direction
4 for intro

21.75/30 = .73%, which is slightly higher than a "C" I guess.

You got the editing and camera work down so keep 'em coming!

I'm REALLLY close to getting myself a DVX100A... how do you like yours?

Christopher Reynolds · August 14th, 2004, 08:03 PM

I did get that sense of urgency, I think the camera work was extremely well done, maintaining balance and a frantic edge at the same time...that nauseus feeling...is the camera work effectively doing its job. I thought the acting was extremely well for the most part. The actress playing the mother seemed like the mother herself, the father seemed realistic as well, and the son seemed slightly like he was trying to be the frustrated son, rather than being the frustrated son. Im a complete amateur to movie making, but I figured I'd voice my opinion as well (y' know what they say about opinions, they're like...well, you know.) All in all, I felt the story and was sucked in by it. And the intro was very professional...I'm trying to figure out how to get that type on effect in Adobe AE 6.5 myself.

Peter John Ross · August 21st, 2004, 08:12 AM

I liked the idea of the hand held, but it still neede to be slightly steadier. Great idea for a story, but as previously noted, the acting was sub-par (but good in some places).

Well edited, and the framing was great. Are you happy with the DVX100? Looks like it did some good for ya.

June 14th, 2004, 01:34 PM	#1
Russell Pond Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Euless, Texas Posts: 36	"Losing It" (a DVX-100A short) I just completed a new piece for a short film contest. We had 8 days to complete the project. We were given the topic last week (which appears at the end of the film). I would love to hear your thoughts on the piece: http://toppup.com/losingit Settings: Standard F5, Shutter Speed 1/120, Edited in FCP (color corrected, diffused and levels adjusted). Thanks, Russell

June 14th, 2004, 11:13 PM	#4
Alex Taylor Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 390	Nice. Great pacing and frenetic camerawork. I'm in the middle of watching the first season of 24 again and this definitely had the same tension and energy. I didn't completely get the story though. Also, more attention to lighting in the kitchen would have gone a long way, some colour correction as well. Overall, great job though! __________________ alextaylor.org

August 3rd, 2004, 07:22 PM	#5
Val Rio Tourist Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 4	too much handheld I would suggest using a tripod. I think a lot of people out there get nauseaous (like myself) when it comes to too much hand held camera work. I like the existing light but I think just one light thrown on the subject would definitely help as well as a reflector - especially on the closeups. Acting is sub-standard. But I do see that the Panny is capable of producing nice images.

August 14th, 2004, 08:03 PM	#8
Christopher Reynolds Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: North Canton, Ohio Posts: 109	I did get that sense of urgency, I think the camera work was extremely well done, maintaining balance and a frantic edge at the same time...that nauseus feeling...is the camera work effectively doing its job. I thought the acting was extremely well for the most part. The actress playing the mother seemed like the mother herself, the father seemed realistic as well, and the son seemed slightly like he was trying to be the frustrated son, rather than being the frustrated son. Im a complete amateur to movie making, but I figured I'd voice my opinion as well (y' know what they say about opinions, they're like...well, you know.) All in all, I felt the story and was sucked in by it. And the intro was very professional...I'm trying to figure out how to get that type on effect in Adobe AE 6.5 myself. __________________ The only thing worse than quitting is being afraid to start. Get off your bum and go shoot something!

June 14th, 2004, 03:01 PM	#2
Josh Brusin Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 439	shelley long and tom cruise, right? ---(I know that was "losin it")

June 14th, 2004, 06:50 PM	#3
Scott Plowman Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Kansas City, Kansas, USA Posts: 85	great job on the intro. Acting was sub par by some .. but they did their best. I guess im confused on what exactly the story was about. Kid stealing money from parents bank account? but not really?? just pretending to? Im not sure i understood it but overall i give it a B+ : ) the B+ is for Fortitude, good picture and cinematography, excellent intro.. just failing a little on bringing understanding of the situation to the person watching..

August 14th, 2004, 12:15 AM	#6
Alex Melnikov Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: none Posts: 35	more steady camera shots. Was the cine gamma used? Good work though! Nobody is perfect, right? :)

August 14th, 2004, 01:20 AM	#7
David Chao Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 26	I actually liked the camera movement and thought that it captured the sense of urgency that you were probably going for. Tripods wouldn't have given your flick the same feel. As for the acting... not so good. I also agree with one of the comments about the story being a little difficult to understand. Out of 5... 4 for editing 4 for camera work 3.5 for lighting 2.5 for acting 3.75 for direction 4 for intro 21.75/30 = .73%, which is slightly higher than a "C" I guess. You got the editing and camera work down so keep 'em coming! I'm REALLLY close to getting myself a DVX100A... how do you like yours?

August 21st, 2004, 08:12 AM	#9
Peter John Ross Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Hollywood, OHIO Posts: 149	I liked the idea of the hand held, but it still neede to be slightly steadier. Great idea for a story, but as previously noted, the acting was sub-par (but good in some places). Well edited, and the framing was great. Are you happy with the DVX100? Looks like it did some good for ya.