DVC3 The Drama Project
 

Ok. Here it is. I'm a little disappointed in how it turned out (especially now that everyone else made awesome ones). Due to filming other things, we shot it Thursday and I edited it Friday turning it in minutes before the deadline, so I like to blame the fact that we were just way too rushed. It's not terrible, but it's not up to my standards and it's just missing that jazz, it's not tight enough. Your comments are welcome, I'm looking more for honesty than compliments. Say exactly how you felt and what you thought please. Thanks for watching and congratulations everyone else who entered, your films were excellent and I can't wait to see where this competition will go.

I really liked your short, Mitchell. I thought it was well written and the ending was really good. So if this is a true story, did it happen to you or a friend?

i thought this was a pretty good film, which would have looked even better if the field of competition wasn't so tough (i would probably say the same thing about my own modest contribution). i almost felt a little bit tricked by the ending, by which i mean it might have been more interesting if the guy actually *was* terminal and not just pretending...maybe coulda taken us in a different, more interesting direction. still, i thought it was pretty well executed overall.

I also like the premise. It was a good story line. I wasn't expecting the ending the way it came out. You could expand that and make that into a one reel film. What if the guy with the camera had been faking his own death for ins. purposes or to leave his current wife for another woman/man/farm animal?

There is more potential there you just didn't have time to cover.

I liked it.

Sean McHenry

The trick ending was clever. When the "terminal husband" was watching their video, I had expected that the thief recorded something at the end of the tape saying he was sorry, etc.

It was a fun short to watch. Congratulations.

I liked the story a lot, but I think your title gives away what will happen, so it wasn't as much of a surprise ending as it could have been. It was nicely set up, and the fact that the guy didn't run after the thief lends some more credence to the idea that he might be dying as the thief is watching it.

Hey Mitchell!

Well done! I thought this was a great effort especially in such a short time period and enjoyed your film. Another guy who wrote, shot and edited a short film in less than 3 days. Whew.

I thought you had a great story here and no, I didn't expect the end...so that was great! I know Sean may prefer farm animals and if that is your thing too...call me. I have access to numerous pigs, cows, horses and chickens. Sheep cost extra.

There was a really nice shot of the criminal with a blue lighting (off the TV). I was wondering if you used some sort of flicker switch light on the thief’s CU? Am curious? No major thing but wanted to mention I noticed towards the end where the existing border disappeared and then came back again.

Okay, Mitchell, I have to confess that I think this one fell a little short of your movie in DVC2. But you've got to admit, you set the bar too darn high on that last one! My friends and I still talk about how much we liked it. (The scene with the TV set still cracks me up.)

That said, there's sure nothing wrong with this movie. I completely got into the story. Funny how in the end the thief was the one with a heart.

You and your crazy ideas, Mitchell. Keep 'em coming. :)

Mitchell,

I do feel empathy on the tight schedule ;)

Fortunately I didn't pay attention to the title, so I got the punch hit at the ending, when the storyline twists. Very good idea :)

I was also expecting the thief had recorded something on tape, but in the end I believe that something you wanted: people wondering what would the thief had recorded and then getting the big surprise.

Could the shots be a bit trimmed? Maybe, yes. But it did deliver the message, and got a good laugh out of me.

All the best,

Hugo

Thanks guys for everything, advice, comments. I take everything people say here very seriously and graciously.

Lorinda - I think that's maybe how I feel too, I liked that one from DVC2 alot and it turned out how we wanted, and something just didn't feel the same from this one. I guess there's only room for improvement in DVC4.

Bradley - About that border, yea that thing sucked. Long story short, I ended up having a poorly edited rendered .mov file as the only footage left on my computer. To fix it then, I had to bring in the fully rendered version into my timeline and splice and edit that, so when THAT was then rendered, all the original footage had that border and the new changes were full screen. Very amateur mistake. Sometimes you just have to settle.

Thanks for all your replies

Mitchell,

I thought your actor was really good, I totally bought the DRAMA PROJECT, and that's not that easy to do! Without decent acting, the criminal doesn't buy it, and the story wouldn't work. Good job on the taped "I'm dying" scene.

Dick

Hi Mitchell,
Well, I am among the many that was 'taken in' by your picture. You got me, and I bought it. Your actors were superb - although the brief angry interchange was a mix of silly and serious..."You don't think my camera was important to ME?" - seemingly almost crying.... But then the 'terminal guy' on the camera footage was just so excellent..and it tore me up - he really pulled, and I could see the slow transition in the thief's face (you?) as guilt crept in. Very well done...it made for a really stupendous punchline (rug being pulled out) moment at the end when it was all for a drama project... Very well done. I watched it a second time and if 'pretended' I hadn't seen the end, it brought even more impact when the lead was asking "What am I supposed to do now, huh?". Like I said, the acting was very well done. Great job. I really enjoyed this one.
-Jon

Danny Grummet is the main character. I am not actually in this movie, but the credits were complicated - my friend Cameron wasn't there for the writing, but was the friend filming and giving chase to the robber. I was there for the writing, but wasn't in the movie. So Cam got a writing credit and I got an acting credit that neither of us really earned. I'm glad that you can say you fell for the monologue! The original taped monologue is 4:40!! I had to go to work on it to get it to fit into the movie. I wasn't sure if the abbreviated version would have anything close to the same impact, but I'm glad it did. As for the scene where they are arguing and the one sounds like he is about to cry, that's him on the edge of laughing. We had to do that scene so many times, and not just the actors but myself and the robber standing behind me would be busting up!