"below" short film made in 72 Hours shot on DVX100

Clark Kline · February 6th, 2006, 11:49 AM

We just posted our short film "below" that was entered into the 72 Hour Film Maker Contest 2005. We had 72 hours to write direct edit a film. This was one of our entires. It was filmed on Panasonic DVX100 edited on Final Cut Pro and color corrected in Magic Bullet.

http://www.foolmartyr.com/below.htm
http://www.foolmartyr.com

Looking forward to the input!

Thanks much!
Clark

Alden Miller · February 6th, 2006, 12:21 PM

I really liked the ending, although I thought it was a bit long. I loved the elevator shot. Overall, great job.

Kevin Calumpit · February 6th, 2006, 01:09 PM

Yeah i didnt really notice a pacing difference until the end and then you totally ramped the pacing....maybe a more subtle increase would have built the tension even more...but damn i like this one a lot. 72 hours you cant beat that good job.

Walker Robins · February 6th, 2006, 01:25 PM

I love a good dance number. I've always wanted one with hundreds of Abraham Lincolns.

Derrick A.Jones · February 6th, 2006, 06:36 PM

I liked it a lot the movie to me flowed smoothly and the ending was a really good twist dude. very good stuff - got any more?

Clark Kline · February 6th, 2006, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derrick A.Jones

I liked it a lot the movie to me flowed smoothly and the ending was a really good twist dude. very good stuff - got any more?

Thanks everyone!
We have a couple more shorts going up soon...stuff we did in previous years contests. We also have a scene from our feature film "heads or tails" up now http://www.foolmartyr.com/20secondsb.htm and the trailers are at http://www.foolmartyr.com

This was filmed on the Panasonic, edited in Final Cut and color corrected with Magic Bullet as well.

Travis Cossel · February 6th, 2006, 10:48 PM

Nice job. I liked all the shots of the various posts. Gives me the impression that she could be anywhere, or he could have done this any number of other times. Pretty cool.

Daniel Riser · February 7th, 2006, 02:13 AM

I am surprised no one brought up the "David Lean" reveal. My only critique is I would have established that he was definitely a "bad guy" before because your reveal was fantastic (when the elevator door opens up) but it would have been a much more powerful moment if we were already aware of the possibility of danger. I understand why you didn't do it because that allowed the wide elevator shot to surprise you... perhaps that was my issue was that there were two suspenseful setups and only one payoff.

Overall... for 72 hours... developing a story with that kind of twist, with artistic flare... very impressive and...

I would like to know, out of curiosity, if the dance number is a symbol of how he sees his next "conquest" and that the other women, specifically in black, appear from nowhere dancing behind her as though being his former victims.

Was the elevator shot completely organic or was any compositing done?

Highest Regards,

Daniel Riser

Clark Kline · February 7th, 2006, 11:07 AM

Thanks for all the input. I can see what you mean about the "bad" guy aspect. We were a little constrained with the 7 minute length as the first cut was about 10. We had a few more hints as to his character but they had to go... for time.

It's hard to see on the small screen but The dancers are labelled "victims" in the opening credits. And the elevator shot was organic...it's a local parking garage elevator.

Quote:

I would like to know, out of curiosity, if the dance number is a symbol of how he sees his next "conquest" and that the other women, specifically in black, appear from nowhere dancing behind her as though being his former victims.

Was the elevator shot completely organic or was any compositing done?

Highest Regards,

Daniel Riser

Daniel Riser · February 7th, 2006, 11:21 AM

Ok. So I interpreted the dancers correctly. I was worried folks here would think I was a nut.

I really liked it and I just have to say again... I LOVED the David Lean reveal.

and let this be an encouragement to you, as a storyteller, that I didn't need to see the title "victims" to know that women were victims and he was on to his next conquest... that's something that is difficult to pull off.

High Regards,

Daniel Riser

Clark Kline · February 8th, 2006, 10:41 AM

thanks very much.

it feels good to put together something short after filming a feature for over a year and editing it for over a year after that. that long haul really can drain you dry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel Riser

Ok. So I interpreted the dancers correctly. I was worried folks here would think I was a nut.

I really liked it and I just have to say again... I LOVED the David Lean reveal.

and let this be an encouragement to you, as a storyteller, that I didn't need to see the title "victims" to know that women were victims and he was on to his next conquest... that's something that is difficult to pull off.

High Regards,

Daniel Riser

Marcus Marchesseault · February 9th, 2006, 04:57 AM

"I love a good dance number. I've always wanted one with hundreds of Abraham Lincolns."

How about just four score?

I like the elevator scene, but it seemed in the last few frames that she was fighting him off. I was thrown for a second. In the end, I was thinkin that pipe would make a great didgeridoo. Just think, a whole city filled with the sounds of tortured souls playing the didgeridoo. Perhaps that is just my own psyche adding that bit...

Clark Kline · February 9th, 2006, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Marchesseault

Just think, a whole city filled with the sounds of tortured souls playing the didgeridoo. Perhaps that is just my own psyche adding that bit...

lol...the guy that scored our feature film was all about the digeridoo, maybe i should get him to try something for it hehe.

Dave Ferdinand · February 9th, 2006, 01:46 PM

Well, I'll be blunt.

I really didn't like the photography - it all looked so washed out and overexposed it gives the idea it was shot with a 1-ccd cheapo camera.

The camera work is quite poor - bad framing, shaky camera handling, bad flow overall.

However the idea was great and I loved the ending. Shame we aren't brought 'closer' to the characters.

In other words, technically it leaves a lot to be desired but creatively I found it very nice.

Clark Kline · February 10th, 2006, 10:45 AM

thanks for the input...being blunt is fine...we are always looking for constructive criticism. i'll pass it on.

the image was obviously intentionally degraded during color correction to achieve the overexposed look. unfortunately the mp4 codec drained even more color out of it.

February 6th, 2006, 11:49 AM	#1
Clark Kline Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 44	"below" short film made in 72 Hours shot on DVX100 - Magic Bullet We just posted our short film "below" that was entered into the 72 Hour Film Maker Contest 2005. We had 72 hours to write direct edit a film. This was one of our entires. It was filmed on Panasonic DVX100 edited on Final Cut Pro and color corrected in Magic Bullet. http://www.foolmartyr.com/below.htm http://www.foolmartyr.com Looking forward to the input! Thanks much! Clark

February 6th, 2006, 10:48 PM	#7
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Nice job. I liked all the shots of the various posts. Gives me the impression that she could be anywhere, or he could have done this any number of other times. Pretty cool. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

February 7th, 2006, 02:13 AM	#8
Daniel Riser Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Vista, California Posts: 51	I am surprised no one brought up the "David Lean" reveal. My only critique is I would have established that he was definitely a "bad guy" before because your reveal was fantastic (when the elevator door opens up) but it would have been a much more powerful moment if we were already aware of the possibility of danger. I understand why you didn't do it because that allowed the wide elevator shot to surprise you... perhaps that was my issue was that there were two suspenseful setups and only one payoff. Overall... for 72 hours... developing a story with that kind of twist, with artistic flare... very impressive and... I would like to know, out of curiosity, if the dance number is a symbol of how he sees his next "conquest" and that the other women, specifically in black, appear from nowhere dancing behind her as though being his former victims. Was the elevator shot completely organic or was any compositing done? Highest Regards, Daniel Riser __________________ "I'm making excellent progress cause' pretty soon when I sit on this couch I won't have to wear the lobster bib" - Woody Allen "Annie Hall"

February 7th, 2006, 11:21 AM	#10
Daniel Riser Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Vista, California Posts: 51	Ok. So I interpreted the dancers correctly. I was worried folks here would think I was a nut. I really liked it and I just have to say again... I LOVED the David Lean reveal. and let this be an encouragement to you, as a storyteller, that I didn't need to see the title "victims" to know that women were victims and he was on to his next conquest... that's something that is difficult to pull off. High Regards, Daniel Riser __________________ "I'm making excellent progress cause' pretty soon when I sit on this couch I won't have to wear the lobster bib" - Woody Allen "Annie Hall"

February 9th, 2006, 01:46 PM	#14
Dave Ferdinand Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 359	Well, I'll be blunt. I really didn't like the photography - it all looked so washed out and overexposed it gives the idea it was shot with a 1-ccd cheapo camera. The camera work is quite poor - bad framing, shaky camera handling, bad flow overall. However the idea was great and I loved the ending. Shame we aren't brought 'closer' to the characters. In other words, technically it leaves a lot to be desired but creatively I found it very nice. __________________ Do or do not, there is no try.

February 6th, 2006, 12:21 PM	#2
Alden Miller Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 92	I really liked the ending, although I thought it was a bit long. I loved the elevator shot. Overall, great job.

February 6th, 2006, 01:09 PM	#3
Kevin Calumpit Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: San Marcos, CALIFORNIA Posts: 103	Yeah i didnt really notice a pacing difference until the end and then you totally ramped the pacing....maybe a more subtle increase would have built the tension even more...but damn i like this one a lot. 72 hours you cant beat that good job.

February 6th, 2006, 01:25 PM	#4
Walker Robins New Boot Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Edmond, OK Posts: 10	I love a good dance number. I've always wanted one with hundreds of Abraham Lincolns.

February 6th, 2006, 06:36 PM	#5
Derrick A.Jones Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: St. Petersburg,FL Posts: 94	I liked it a lot the movie to me flowed smoothly and the ending was a really good twist dude. very good stuff - got any more?

February 9th, 2006, 04:57 AM	#12
Marcus Marchesseault Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 1,961	"I love a good dance number. I've always wanted one with hundreds of Abraham Lincolns." How about just four score? I like the elevator scene, but it seemed in the last few frames that she was fighting him off. I was thrown for a second. In the end, I was thinkin that pipe would make a great didgeridoo. Just think, a whole city filled with the sounds of tortured souls playing the didgeridoo. Perhaps that is just my own psyche adding that bit...

February 10th, 2006, 10:45 AM	#15
Clark Kline Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 44	thanks for the input...being blunt is fine...we are always looking for constructive criticism. i'll pass it on. the image was obviously intentionally degraded during color correction to achieve the overexposed look. unfortunately the mp4 codec drained even more color out of it.