DVC5 Feedback - Techniques
 

Long-distance collaboration on a movie can be almost as fun as friends getting together to shoot! I'd have loved hopping on a plane to shoot in New Jersey, but, well....that just wasn't possible. So, here's our movie. We sure hope you liked it!

Hugh wrote the story, shot his half of it, then mailed the clips he wanted me to use. I just dropped them in the timeline with my stuff and finished editing. Aside from major shooting woes, this is probably the least stressful one of these I've done yet!

Big thanks to the local band Bone Daddy for allowing us to use one of their songs. I found out that loops programs and I don't get along all that well, so the band really saved the day.

And even bigger thanks to Hugh! This was great fun--we'll have to do another one someday! Chime in here as soon as you can!

Cross-country filmmaking, sounds like a blast!

I'm a little confused about the story, however, are these cops all supposed to be working together, or is it two different versions of the same story told at the same time? Or perhaps you're trying to tell us something about Idahoan police officers? :)

Got the version with the extra footage, looks like you all had a great time, congratulations!

Hey Robert,

Your assumption about two versions of the same story is the right one. I should be making Hugh field this question because he knows best, but since he's not around, this will have to do:

Think of it as a mirror of the same scenario but with a twisted "reflection." (hah!) :)

Production values are awe inspiring. I had to think about what was actually going on, but then making someone think is what it is all about. What I came away with was the culture of "cop" is really the same everywhere, the clothes are different, the "techniques" are different, but when its one of their own.... boy look out !!

i was a little confused regarding the storyline, too, so thanks for the explanation. makes sense now. doink!

it looked terrific! and you squeezed more good performances from your actors.

maybe what would have been cool was if you made this a meta-movie, with an additional narrative frame of the filmmakers struggling to make mirror images of the same movie. of course, such an undertaking would disgustingly complex, but after all, what's a bit more brain hemorrhaging among friends??

enjoyed it, thanks!

i think this requirement of maximizing use of locations is producing some of the most interesting DVC films to date.....

Heh heh....I should say right here that this movie isn't meant to cast a bad light on the brotherhood of cops. Hugh is a part of that brotherhood; I have the utmost respect for law enforcement and the brave folks who protect and serve. :)

Originally, the victim was not a cop, but my more--shall we say "tender" sensibilities couldn't handle it, so Hugh made the change.

Thanks, Chris and Meryem. By the way, Meryem, just READING your idea nearly gave me a stroke! LOL!

oh yeah, definitely! Really getting to see a lot of GREAT location shooting. Helps set the tone for the film. And this one was right up there.

Took me a while to get up to speed with the "reflection" in this one, but I did get it. not the sharpest knife in the drawer, mind you..... Talk about "good cops, bad cops..." Good film.

PS: BTW, who gets the iPod when you win???

Lorinda,

Very good work as usual!

It took me a few more minutes to figure out the main "reflection", but when I did it I found the picture much pleasing. Great shooting style (to you both), and great actors as well.

Deeply recommend the version with extras :D

Hugo

This one confused me at the beginning until I got what you were trying to do. I think the fact that the Idaho guys didn't jump out at me as being cops had something to do with it. Is this what cops look like in Idaho? :)

Nice shots and nice working your locations in as backdrop. The abandoned location in Jersey was a very cool spot to shoot! (Though I must admit that it looked to me like the early and late scenes were shot in the same location, so when I first saw it I was wondering why they were bringing him back to the same spot they started at ?.?.?)

What is the significance of the title?

Also, one minor thing I noticed because I was listening with headphones (so as not to wake the kids) was that some of the dialogue wasn't panned in the middle...

My wmv file also seems to hang when the Idaho cops start digging: I don't know if this was intentional, a problem with my computer, or what...

Loved the Joysey accent "We know waht, wehn, and wahy ya did it.." ! :)

Nice work!
Bill

Love that P.S., Edward! We're not, uh...too worried about that. :)

I know what you're saying about the story in light of the theme; if you're like me you don't want to have to think that hard. (lol) And I know, Hugo, that when you saw my name attached to a movie you were expecting the usual simplicity of my mind, not the complexity of Mr. DiMauro's. ;) While I'm at it, Hugo, we're sure going to miss watching one of your movies this time around, but thanks so much for sharing with us here. Next time!

Ah, Bill, always thinkin' there, aren't ya!

No, detectives in Idaho don't dress quite that casually. That dollar store badge on my son's belt was supposed to do the trick. It's even shaped like a star! :)

As for the title, are you referring to what Dylan originally posted? It's been corrected. About the audio.....we're not going there. What a nightmare, all because I'm an idiot. Don't know what's wrong with the wmv thing; I'll check it out. Something's haywire with my PC so I haven't been able to download any of today's movies!

Thanks!

I was quite confused about the story and I wondered, if the reason is to be found in my bad English ;) . After consulting my wife's advice we are not really more cunning: We catch the idea of reflecting the story at two different places, but - why did the cops in Idaho kill the man? Nonsense, deeper sense...?!

Thanx for help

Volker

Dear Lorinda and Hugh,

What an effort! To collaborate from Spudville to Jersey had to be an amazing challenge and both of you are to be commended. I can only imagine the various discussions taking place as story ideas are tossed about and decided upon. Well done.

Nice story concept. To me, this seemed to fall more into an almost synchronistic string theory realm as opposed to reflections. But the definition for reflections means many things to many people as evidenced here in this very competition.

I enjoyed the acting by all parties and thought the locations were terrific. Being from Stickville myself, I especially relate to Idaho country and can easily see "cops" from 'round those parts' looking like that.

I'm thinking for DVC#6, we can have five people teams collaborate on a film, each person within the team shoots a segment of one story, wind up with 5-6 submissions. Hmmm.

Way to go you two!

Best wishes~
Bradley

I am so sorry for the confusion, Volker! As you can see by the other comments, you're not alone.

I'm going to tip the entire hand here, supposing that anyone who reads this has seen the movie already. I wish Hugh wasn't out of town; he could do a better job of explaining:

Our goal was to show the different ways detectives from each region would handle a suspect. East coast detectives are typically seen as rough, tough guys, where out here in Idaho they're seen as more by-the-book, courteous gentlemen.

The idea that these detectives in Idaho would pretend to be doing the suspect a favor, then kill him is supposed to be a wry twist by utilizing what some call "Western justice." Harkens back to the Old West days and ways of handling evil doers.

Hope that helps!

Edit: Hey, Brad! Thanks for the nice comments. Someone on this board once suggested movies shot by region. Would that be a blast, or what?

Oh yes - that helps! Am not very familiar with the police habits of east and west coast ;)

What Bradley considers is in a similar way already on the net: www.kettenvideo.de - the first endless serialized video.

But this is another thread...