Cupcake - Updated short film - feedback please

[Brian Duke]

I haven't submitted my films to festivals, despite people keep telling me to do so. I just never feel they are good enough. I decided to re-edit my short Cupcake and give it a shot at some festivals, but before I submit I would love some feedback, any really, to maybe help if I need to make some adjustments.

I think it got a lot better myself and took advice from some of you from the first cut I released.

Please let me know what you think. I really appreciate any type of feedback. Would like to start submitting in a week or so.

YouTube (Short URL)

[Miggy Sanchez]

Always impressed by the cinematic feel of your shots. I've said it before and will say it again: would love to be an assistant on one of your sets. I'd learn so much.

Interested in how you have have graded your images. Any info appreciated.

As for story, why would Cupcake not have fully washed off the blood from her mouth before her final job? Was that deliberate on her part?

[Brian Duke]

Originally Posted by Miggy Sanchez

Always impressed by the cinematic feel of your shots. I've said it before and will say it again: would love to be an assistant on one of your sets. I'd learn so much.

And as always, I REALLY super appreciate you taking time out to watch my work. If you were here it would be an hour to have you on my set.

Originally Posted by Miggy Sanchez

Interested in how you have have graded your images. Any info appreciated.

I had a few people complain about the original grade that is was too blueish, so I decided to make it over all darker. I just used vlog to 709 filter and then I used FCPX color grading. But I did change my whole approach to this one and my other one I'm finishing up. I shrunk the dynamic range, and lowered the mids and highs much more than I normally would. I've noticed in a lot of bigger films their exposure rate is very much lowered compared to a lot of online tutorials I watch on color grading, so I gave it a try, and I think it' works better.

Originally Posted by Miggy Sanchez

As for story, why would Cupcake not have fully washed off the blood from her mouth before her final job? Was that deliberate on her part?

Well, that was just my inability to do make up... LOL Yeah I would have preferred bruising and some dried blood, but probably not as much as it ended up with.