UWOL #4 The Make-up of Water at DVinfo.net

Bill Hamell · July 22nd, 2007, 09:58 PM

I started this challenge doing the "one man band" thing.
While looking for ideas I asked a friend about it he said he was busy but he would get back to me in a couple of days.
Well he did with script in hand!

This put an end to the "one man band" and I had to find talent, crew and transportation to a remote location.
The transportation can from a friend who has a sailing charter boat, he would give me Saturday morning (a week away) sail to the location 5 hours to film, sail home, talent and crew where friends and people I met from past productions.

The biggest thing I learned from this production is do not wear too many hats as all things suffer for it.
However, I am glad I did it I learned a ton about different aspects of shooting a film other than what I usually do.
From that standpoint, this film is already a success.

Hope, you enjoy, The Make-up of Water.

Bill Hamell

Dale Guthormsen · July 24th, 2007, 01:51 PM

Bill,

Wow, to have all that help and cast too, must be nice.

You have a good story. I think you needed a better close up of the girl when she takes her shades off to make the point more poignant.

Sounds like you had fun doing it!! tossing in the sailing had to be a real perk!!

Bill Hamell · July 24th, 2007, 05:38 PM

Dale,

Thanks for the comments, we are building quite a film community here in SE Connecticut. Everyone helping others doing their films and getting help when needed, I was actually limited in who I could bring by the sailboat.

After the fact, I was thinking I should have added some bounce to give contrast to the peaks and valleys of the makeup. Lesson learned

Here's a direct link to the film...
http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challen...eupofwater.mov

Bill

Kevin Railsback · July 24th, 2007, 08:35 PM

Bill,

Cool film. Yeah, I think a little more impact with the makeup would have been nice.
I agree with Dale, on a more extreme close-up of her taking off the glasses.

I thought it was a little long with her taking of her wrap. Though I almost felt a little voyeuristic watching her. Shame on you! :)

It's amazing what you can do when you have a little bit of help.

Good job on the film!!

Bill Hamell · July 25th, 2007, 07:10 AM

Kevin,

Closer on the close-up, I was worried the shot was too close already.
Point taken next time I'll shoot more so I have a variety of shots to choose from.

I also had the same thought of it being too long with the wrap and if I had come in over three minutes that is where I planned to cut it from. However, I also wanted to instill some of the anticipation he was feeling into the viewer so that is why I left it as is, if you were feeling like a voyeur than good for me! :-)

Thank you for viewing and commenting.

Bill

Gabriel Yeager · July 25th, 2007, 08:25 PM

Nice job Bill!

Sounds like you had fun! Thats important!
Sounds like you also have some good friends to have. Good for you! Thats awesome!

The only thing I would say is audio, I had a little bit of trouble with it, maybe that was just my head phones though.. It just seemed a little low, thats all. I am sure it is hard to mic out on the water like that!

Keep on doing what you do!
~Gabriel

Geir Inge · July 26th, 2007, 04:39 AM

Hi Bill.
Great story and well put together.
I want to see some more close ups though and maybe you should have short’n some of the clips. Also liked the music. Nice job.

Geir Inge

Bill Hamell · July 26th, 2007, 02:05 PM

Gabriel, Geir,

Thank you for your comments, fun, we had a blast, even though we were rushed and had to make some sacrifices, we did have a good time and everyone wants to do it again. I achieved my first two objectives have fun and learn something and learn we did.

I appreciate the editing tips this is only the second project I have edited so criticism is very helpful.

I also appreciate the constructive criticism on my filming, as well it's how I will improve my technique.

Audio on location was something I learned about normally you would just rock the boom back and forth between the two talents and this works fine. With the wave action on one side all though the film the background audio would change when the mike was pointed toward the ocean then again when pointed away from the ocean. If I were to do this again, I would move the boomer much more than I did.

Lessons learned. :-)

Bill

David Gemmell · July 27th, 2007, 02:36 AM

Hi Bill,
A very professional approach and intriguing story line - which I enjoyed very much.
I did struggle with the audio, particularly around 2:27 and felt the look was a bit soft in places.
You certainly are running with a high standard, with the use of scripts, actors, charter boats, etc. Boy do I envy you Bill.
Well done...

Bill Hamell · July 27th, 2007, 10:01 AM

David,

Thank you for the praise and criticism, the audio I spoke to earlier in the thread, some of the softness is what I was looking for like when the male talent walks from the small boat to the female talent I wanted him soft and walking into focus. However! Some came from using the 14X manual lens for the first time. I learned that with this lens I can not close down to f:11 with the PL filter and get sharp focus . I need to use ND so my exposure gets down to f:5.6 and use the sweet spot of the lens. Another lesson learned.

Bill

Jeff Hendricks · July 28th, 2007, 08:34 AM

Great story and concept...I thought that the girl was going to turn out to be a mermaid...that would have been cool too.

I think that the film could have been about 30 seconds shorter with tighter editing, a larger variety of shots and less zooming in and out (sometimes you have to watch the transitions for that last zoom to change angles that can get caught in there, I noticed that it happened in a transition near the end of the piece).Also the end could have been a little tighter with just one or two shots of the disappointed guy. I also noticed that you did not credit your actors. Sorry for being critical I just think that you have a great concept that you can do something with (perhaps other film festivals) and I would want the same feedback.

I am so glad that you put together a narrative film with a story. It was very well designed, fun to watch, had nice dialogue and the acting was good. Terrific work.

Jeff

Meryem Ersoz · July 28th, 2007, 10:31 AM

hi bill: welcome to UWOL. that's a pretty amusing backstory, actually. it's funny how these things snowball from one person into a pack. sounds fun. looking forward to seeing more of your work.

Bill Hamell · July 29th, 2007, 05:39 AM

Jeff,

Thank you for the in depth response, and with the exception of the credit I agree with your comments. First the exception I gave the talent first credit, so due to bandwidth problems here, I did not include them again in the ending credits.

Now everything else, let me explain. My AD is a professional director/editor with 15 years of studio experience. If you live in the US, you have seen his work. I could have asked him to put this together for me and he would have. However, I would not have learned much from that. So, off I went on my second editing experience. Hoping I would get comments such as yours.
You must have it going on in your own right because your comments are an echo of Alec's. This week Alec and I are getting together (over my special meatball burgers) to re-cut this and my education will continue. Thank you for your frank and honest comments they are much appreciated. :-)

Mermaid!!! Why did I not think of that!! DOH!
We borrowed a friends SF Make-up kit to do the cracked make-up behind the glasses. He is a veteran of Star Trek Voyager and Aliens 4 and would have built a tail for me. DOH!(again) :-)

The re-cut just might be sent to a festival or two, you never know... :-)

Bill

Bill Hamell · July 29th, 2007, 05:46 AM

Meryem,

It is good to be here and thank you for putting in the time and effort to bring us this wonderful chance to show our stuff, I hope to do more of these.

Bill

Per Johan Naesje · July 29th, 2007, 06:58 AM

Bill, enjoyed your film very much, second what others have said about the editing and sound.
You did well, so did your talents, nice work!

July 22nd, 2007, 09:58 PM	#1
Bill Hamell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mystic Ct. Posts: 477	UWOL #4 The Make-up of Water I started this challenge doing the "one man band" thing. While looking for ideas I asked a friend about it he said he was busy but he would get back to me in a couple of days. Well he did with script in hand! This put an end to the "one man band" and I had to find talent, crew and transportation to a remote location. The transportation can from a friend who has a sailing charter boat, he would give me Saturday morning (a week away) sail to the location 5 hours to film, sail home, talent and crew where friends and people I met from past productions. The biggest thing I learned from this production is do not wear too many hats as all things suffer for it. However, I am glad I did it I learned a ton about different aspects of shooting a film other than what I usually do. From that standpoint, this film is already a success. Hope, you enjoy, The Make-up of Water. Bill Hamell __________________ Cinematographers Bring Shadow To Light Last edited by Bill Hamell; July 22nd, 2007 at 10:09 PM. Reason: Added text

July 24th, 2007, 01:51 PM	#2
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Bill, Wow, to have all that help and cast too, must be nice. You have a good story. I think you needed a better close up of the girl when she takes her shades off to make the point more poignant. Sounds like you had fun doing it!! tossing in the sailing had to be a real perk!! __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

July 24th, 2007, 05:38 PM	#3
Bill Hamell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mystic Ct. Posts: 477	Dale, Thanks for the comments, we are building quite a film community here in SE Connecticut. Everyone helping others doing their films and getting help when needed, I was actually limited in who I could bring by the sailboat. After the fact, I was thinking I should have added some bounce to give contrast to the peaks and valleys of the makeup. Lesson learned Here's a direct link to the film... http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challen...eupofwater.mov Bill __________________ Cinematographers Bring Shadow To Light

July 25th, 2007, 07:10 AM	#5
Bill Hamell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mystic Ct. Posts: 477	Kevin, Closer on the close-up, I was worried the shot was too close already. Point taken next time I'll shoot more so I have a variety of shots to choose from. I also had the same thought of it being too long with the wrap and if I had come in over three minutes that is where I planned to cut it from. However, I also wanted to instill some of the anticipation he was feeling into the viewer so that is why I left it as is, if you were feeling like a voyeur than good for me! :-) Thank you for viewing and commenting. Bill __________________ Cinematographers Bring Shadow To Light

July 25th, 2007, 08:25 PM	#6
Gabriel Yeager Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Washington, NorthWest USA Posts: 788	Nice job Bill! Sounds like you had fun! Thats important! Sounds like you also have some good friends to have. Good for you! Thats awesome! The only thing I would say is audio, I had a little bit of trouble with it, maybe that was just my head phones though.. It just seemed a little low, thats all. I am sure it is hard to mic out on the water like that! Keep on doing what you do! ~Gabriel __________________ Gabriel Photography

July 24th, 2007, 08:35 PM	#4
Kevin Railsback Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Posts: 1,544	Bill, Cool film. Yeah, I think a little more impact with the makeup would have been nice. I agree with Dale, on a more extreme close-up of her taking off the glasses. I thought it was a little long with her taking of her wrap. Though I almost felt a little voyeuristic watching her. Shame on you! :) It's amazing what you can do when you have a little bit of help. Good job on the film!! __________________ --==Kevin==-- http:naturephotostudios.com.com

July 26th, 2007, 04:39 AM	#7
Geir Inge Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Larsnes, Norway Posts: 1,343	Hi Bill. Great story and well put together. I want to see some more close ups though and maybe you should have short’n some of the clips. Also liked the music. Nice job. Geir Inge __________________ Geir Inge B. Brekke Visit me at: https://vimeo.com/gibbfilm

July 26th, 2007, 02:05 PM	#8
Bill Hamell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mystic Ct. Posts: 477	Gabriel, Geir, Thank you for your comments, fun, we had a blast, even though we were rushed and had to make some sacrifices, we did have a good time and everyone wants to do it again. I achieved my first two objectives have fun and learn something and learn we did. I appreciate the editing tips this is only the second project I have edited so criticism is very helpful. I also appreciate the constructive criticism on my filming, as well it's how I will improve my technique. Audio on location was something I learned about normally you would just rock the boom back and forth between the two talents and this works fine. With the wave action on one side all though the film the background audio would change when the mike was pointed toward the ocean then again when pointed away from the ocean. If I were to do this again, I would move the boomer much more than I did. Lessons learned. :-) Bill __________________ Cinematographers Bring Shadow To Light

July 27th, 2007, 02:36 AM	#9
David Gemmell Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bendigo, Australia Posts: 234	Hi Bill, A very professional approach and intriguing story line - which I enjoyed very much. I did struggle with the audio, particularly around 2:27 and felt the look was a bit soft in places. You certainly are running with a high standard, with the use of scripts, actors, charter boats, etc. Boy do I envy you Bill. Well done...

July 27th, 2007, 10:01 AM	#10
Bill Hamell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mystic Ct. Posts: 477	David, Thank you for the praise and criticism, the audio I spoke to earlier in the thread, some of the softness is what I was looking for like when the male talent walks from the small boat to the female talent I wanted him soft and walking into focus. However! Some came from using the 14X manual lens for the first time. I learned that with this lens I can not close down to f:11 with the PL filter and get sharp focus . I need to use ND so my exposure gets down to f:5.6 and use the sweet spot of the lens. Another lesson learned. Bill __________________ Cinematographers Bring Shadow To Light

July 28th, 2007, 08:34 AM	#11
Jeff Hendricks Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: The Carson Valley, Nevada Posts: 248	Great story and concept...I thought that the girl was going to turn out to be a mermaid...that would have been cool too. I think that the film could have been about 30 seconds shorter with tighter editing, a larger variety of shots and less zooming in and out (sometimes you have to watch the transitions for that last zoom to change angles that can get caught in there, I noticed that it happened in a transition near the end of the piece).Also the end could have been a little tighter with just one or two shots of the disappointed guy. I also noticed that you did not credit your actors. Sorry for being critical I just think that you have a great concept that you can do something with (perhaps other film festivals) and I would want the same feedback. I am so glad that you put together a narrative film with a story. It was very well designed, fun to watch, had nice dialogue and the acting was good. Terrific work. Jeff __________________ www.tahoestarr.com

July 28th, 2007, 10:31 AM	#12
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	hi bill: welcome to UWOL. that's a pretty amusing backstory, actually. it's funny how these things snowball from one person into a pack. sounds fun. looking forward to seeing more of your work.

July 29th, 2007, 05:39 AM	#13
Bill Hamell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mystic Ct. Posts: 477	Jeff, Thank you for the in depth response, and with the exception of the credit I agree with your comments. First the exception I gave the talent first credit, so due to bandwidth problems here, I did not include them again in the ending credits. Now everything else, let me explain. My AD is a professional director/editor with 15 years of studio experience. If you live in the US, you have seen his work. I could have asked him to put this together for me and he would have. However, I would not have learned much from that. So, off I went on my second editing experience. Hoping I would get comments such as yours. You must have it going on in your own right because your comments are an echo of Alec's. This week Alec and I are getting together (over my special meatball burgers) to re-cut this and my education will continue. Thank you for your frank and honest comments they are much appreciated. :-) Mermaid!!! Why did I not think of that!! DOH! We borrowed a friends SF Make-up kit to do the cracked make-up behind the glasses. He is a veteran of Star Trek Voyager and Aliens 4 and would have built a tail for me. DOH!(again) :-) The re-cut just might be sent to a festival or two, you never know... :-) Bill __________________ Cinematographers Bring Shadow To Light Last edited by Bill Hamell; July 29th, 2007 at 05:47 AM. Reason: wording

July 29th, 2007, 05:46 AM	#14
Bill Hamell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mystic Ct. Posts: 477	Meryem, It is good to be here and thank you for putting in the time and effort to bring us this wonderful chance to show our stuff, I hope to do more of these. Bill __________________ Cinematographers Bring Shadow To Light

July 29th, 2007, 06:58 AM	#15
Per Johan Naesje Trustee Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Akershus, Norway Posts: 1,413	Bill, enjoyed your film very much, second what others have said about the editing and sound. You did well, so did your talents, nice work! __________________ - Per Johan