DVC 11 - Dim & Dimmer - Lorinda Norton
 

Christmas came early for me when Mason, Jeff and Jessica finally got together again for a movie. I love these guys. It was also my pleasure to put a (brief!) glimpse of “Mason Jr.” on the Internet before he’s even born!

We indulged and amused ourselves with an inside gag, so those who didn’t see or don’t remember DVC3 with these two clowns probably wondered why a couple lines are even in there.

I’m sorry about the lighting; it was meant to be dark, but not that dark!

Merry Christmas! :)

Okay, Lorinda, I have to admit I started laughing when I saw the "boys" were involved again.... even before the movie had a chance to go into detail. When I saw they were in it, I paused things, and called my wife in to watch it. Dim and Dimmer was a great title choice, as we have grown to know these characters.... My wife enjoys the characters too, and she remembers their other stuff.. We need to see their annual holiday escapades. They were the same ones in the chimney, right ? Can you post that one again on YouTube ?

Here you go, Chris; DVC 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I_O2Dhw_XU

Tell your wife I passed along what you said to Mason (he’s the only one with Internet and computer capabilities). ;)
And tell her I’m sorry this one fell a little flat. We were so cold that no one’s funny bones were limbered up—normally we rely more heavily on ad-lib so I had written a pretty bare script.

Don't apologize, I liked that it was that dark. Maybe it's because there's so much light pollution where I live, but I really got the feeling of them being stuck in the middle of nowhere with how dark it was. What did you do for lighting in the truck? You kept the feeling of dark, but I didn't have any trouble seeing the actors. And I really like the lighting when they first walk into the barn.

It was fun to see Mason and Jeff again. And thanks for the link to Soot Happens. I haven't seen it since then and it's just as good as I remembered.

Lorinda,

We love these guys, dim & dimmerer, and you could put them in anything and we'd watch it. I got the reference to the camera not working from the prior DVC3 entry with these guys, but I didn't catch any other lines related to the past work.

I loved that the light from the heavens was not the thing we all expected. But I wonder why one of them stayed behind, when the others went to the truck.

I would have really loved to have seen an actual child birth in the manger scene, but of course sometimes out talent doesn't cooperate with us. I'm sure you asked her to have the baby for the film, but I have the same difficulty. Sometimes getting actors to do what we ask them gets tough.

I'd keep these guys away from operating any machinery in the future.

I also don't knwo why you complained about how dark it was. I thought it was very well lit for a night scene. Good technical work.

Dick

Yipee,,, two for one today. Lorinda, it was a fun film, and I realized right away he was going after the light the kid had.... just not sure if he negotiated for it, or took it..

Whew…the comments about lighting are a relief to me. I’d received some feedback from a friend who said it was too dark. I lightened it as much as I dared without bringing out the…ahem…grain.

Kris, there are $8 fluorescent lights at one of the major home improvement stores that use AA batteries and are really lightweight. I held it in one hand and shot with the other in the truck. The lighting in the barn that I wished would have been more in Mason's eyes was my old light with some black foil flagging off stray light. The foil shifted, but we were half-frozen by then and just kept shooting.

You fellas mean to tell me you didn’t notice that 1 second shot of the flashlight falling, and didn’t hear my wonderful foley work of simulating it hitting the hay? ;) That’s why Mason went back—because he knew the flashlight fell and realized they could use it.

Great opening by allowing the sound to precede the titles. I love techniques like that. Also, your opening had a greater impact without music, so, perfect decision to leave music out. The sound was great as well. I am sure all of us guys here loved the bubbling tailpipe exhaust sound as the pickup slows to a halt. The subtle editing techniques such as the “J” cut of allowing their voices to precede the cut to the cab interior. Those little touches show your flair for editing. I like how you lit the cab interior to where it drew no attention to itself. I like how you took the time to light the barn exterior so that it shows itself in the background, foreshadowing that it will more than likely be a “character” in this movie. The interior barn lighting was great in that you had your actors step into the pools of light, a technique used by the Hollywood big boys. Mason and Jeff did a great job and showed their true talents at the place where the “light” shines down on them. Great work, Lorinda. You get better with each project.

Thanks, Hugh. You make it sound like I’ve studied film technique or something, which I really appreciate! In actuality, things like “foreshadowing” with the barn is just me thinking, “Crap, maybe I’d better get a wide shot of a barn so the whole thing doesn’t feel so closed in.” And I am just certain that the J-cut originated with some poor editor having to cover for bad shooting or some other desperate situation…at least, that’s how it originated with me several years ago… ;)

Mason realized after this one that the time has come for us to actually sit down with a script and brainstorm a little before shooting. That’ll make me very happy.

Hi Lorinda!
 

Yay - Mason and Jeff are back! Dim and Dimmererer. :) Plus, we have Jessica and the Pre-Mason Jr. Most excellent indeed!

I have always enjoyed the almost deadpan delivery from Mason and Jeff. They have a wonderful acting style that always translates well on screen. It is one of the many attributes that makes them so funny.

Enjoyed the inside salute to earlier works, especially the camera comment. "What do you care? It's always dead." Ha! Sent me right back to "H E P" lol.

Jessica's look on her face in response to Mason's comment about having the baby in the barn. Very funny. She did great.

"Is that you God?" lol And then the little kid's voice. I wasn't expecting that at all and that's why it worked for me.

Hey! I have the exact same yellow light. Except mine is a piece of doody that needs to be plugged in for 12 hours to work for 3 minutes. That's what DOODY is. (not the other)

I have no idea why you were so critical about your lighting. I thought it was just right. Being from a similar location, like Spudville, I can totally relate to intense areas of darkness. However, your characters faces were lit nicely and the whole thing contributed to your story quite well.

I have a feeling that the person you spoke with (the one who told you it was too dark) is the same person that always seems to give you ultra harsh critisism. Am I right? Hmm. I think you can trust the majority of comments from fellow DVC'ers here.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to Spudville and the Crew!

Great job Lorinda, you've got a great crew there, so keep them together.

Hope to see you soon, good luck with the wedding!

Mike

It's mi amigos Brad and Mike! Party time! You guys made my night. Thank you.

Let's see...I’ve been to Wyoming to shoot with Brad, been to Las Vegas and Missouri and been shot by Mike (lol)—now the three of us need to get together for a movie, don’t ya think? We would have a blast!

The wedding will be over on the 27th, Mike. I’m hoping it will be fun for the kids and that I regain a semblance of sanity after that. Write to me in the rest home if not, okay? ;)


Hahaha! Yep, this one is exactly like that! I had to plug in my piece of doody between takes while taping the dropping of it, and you'll notice it was pretty dim when Jeff used it on the road, as well. I bought it the day before the shoot and had it charged. We got ripped off…

All of us together making a movie would truly be a blast! One of theses days! We almost did one in Vegas last year, remember? I still have that script somewhere!!!! "RED The Movie!" :)

I hope to see you both again soon.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Mike