New feature film shot on the JVC GYHD201
 

For those who may remember my earlier posts regarding using a 35mm adapter on the JVCGYHD201, you may be interested to see the HD trailer just uploaded onto Vimeo of the film 'Ambleton Delight' I am directing....and hopefully see the effort is worth it! Here is the link:

Ambleton Delight Trailer #1 on Vimeo

Some notes:

1. It contains only 'raw footage' ie the footage has not been altered or colour corrected at all, as the cast and crew have been dying to see it and I promised them I would release something before Christmas! We still have principle photography to complete in January. Of course, in the actual film the footage will be colour corrected and touched up as necessary. But even so the rich colour and sound is a testament to the hard work of the crew. We used Paolo's True Color settings for the 200 series.

2. From a technical point of view, it was filmed on a JVC GYHD201, with Minolta primes and a zoom connected via a SGPro 35mm adapter, captured direct to DRHD100, using a JVC 17inch monitor. I edited it within one day, in 1280x720 HD at 25p using Cineform Aspect HD in Adobe CS3 Premiere Pro.

3. If you have a chance, let me know what you think... the trailer will go live on the official website which will be launched January 1st 2009, so any suggestions for the future would be helpful!

Regards
Dan

Looks great already without CC, can't wait to see the color corrected version.

Dennis Tzeng
dennis@thinkhero.com
ThinkHero.com - Sci-Fi Comic Books Online Video Blog Show

Boy...................., you'd have to be happy with that........
You've got me wanting to watch the movie now to find out what happens ;)

John

Thanks for the positive feedback guys! As raw footage I am also quite impressed, but it will require CC for mood etc. Recent talk on the JVC forum here seems to be dismissive of using 35mm adapters, but I am now very happy with the workflow and cinematic look we are achieving.

Thoughts on Trailer #1
 

First this is my opinion of course and I mean no disrespect BUT this trailer is sluggish and too long. After the story bit (it seems promising from what I gather) is summed up it goes into tedious character titles, like the end credits of a BBC movie. Unless these characters are top billing, making their names central in a trailer is counter productive and a bit pretentious. After all, that is what the end credit block on black is for. If you cut out all that, focus on telling the story (again seems compelling) it would be more well received. Think compact.

Please disregard the previous if the intention of this trailer is to appease the cast. I know talent who work on Low / No-Budget movies seldom get face time (and credit billing) on a web trailer.

On a technical level, your shots are beautifully composed, richly detailed and proficient. The audio needs a tad bit of work (heard a lot of room on one of the VO's) yet I'm sure you'll address this in post.

The bokeh looks good. Don't see any HDV artifacts.
Congratulations on going the distance - now tighten up the trailer and sell it to a distributor!

Best,
-C

Thanks for the comments Christopher. It was posted with the hope of technical analysis -this is the ProHD forum after all- but nonetheless you are right that this was created to appease the cast, but also to test the HD workflow (using Cineform) and see how the JVC201/35mm adapter is holding up.

On the technical front I am happy...but as for the trailer itself, it doesn't reflect the true nature of the film (it has a much darker tone) and since we have not yet completed principle photography there won't be an 'official' trailer out until we get well into post-production (March+) and establish the correct pacing and atmosphere. And that trailer will certainly not have all of the ensemble cast with their own individual credits!

Anyway, thanks again for the comments...the reference to a BBC film is definitely a compliment for such a low-to-no-budget production!

I think it was the font... :O)
Can't wait to see the next trailer.
Best,
-C

The footage looks great. Good job. I like it. I'd agree with the other poster that the acting credits are excessive.

The blaring thing which need attention is the audio. The levels are all over the place for the spoken clips. Also the ambiance doesn't flow from clip to clip.

I don't want to be hyper-critical of the fine effort. I too would like to see the whole movie. Maybe remix the audio for better transitions and levels so it doesn't draw attention to itself?

Good luck and keep posting!

I second that. I also second that the font used looks too video for a film that looks great. Other than that it looked impressive for a indie film.

Hi Brian -thanks for that. I have watched several of your short films with interest, so your comment regarding it looking impressive is much appreciated.

I am a little confused regarding the comment about the font though... Christopher's reference was that it made it look like a BBC movie, while yours is that is makes it look too video! Anyway, the font used in the trailer is based on the title design, and we are aiming more for a BBC ensemble drama than a Hollywood blockbuster, so it will be slower and more gentle in pace and design. That's why I moved here from New Zealand to study film!

But thanks again for all the comments. If anyone is interested in the production side I have included some stills from the official website (Ambleton Delight -Entry).

Great lookin BTS pics. I'm also glad to know I'm not alone having a more than 40 inches long monster!

Nice pics. Looks like yall are having fun. Im working on a low to no budget film right now too. We are using a Letus 35mm adapter and we are very pleased as well. I have a JVC GY-HD200UB but the people im working with were used to the Canon format so we are shooting our film with a Canon XH A1. I really am looking forward to purchasing an 35mm adapter. Do you think SGpro is the way to go for JVC?

Great trailer mate. Cant wait to see the real thing. Looking good so far. You quality is BBC quality IMO for sure.

-Cameron

Gidday Dan

Mate Nice pictures and a quality job all round. Congrats on getting a project not only up but looking and feeling so good.

Any chance of a bit more of a write up about things like camera settings, lenses and work flows. My attitude to my feature film aspirations have been changed since I discovered the JVC HD cams. Suddenly things a re a bit more within reach!

Cheers and keep it up.

Ian

Really nice work Dan, looks great. Your almost at the end of what I imagine was a very long journey. Fine effort Sir.

Greg.

Thanks for the comments, Cameron, Ian and Greg. In answer to your questions...

"Do you think SGpro is the way to go for JVC?"
We are using an older version, which does not have the correct achromat, so there are some issues with back focus and vignetting, but we are now familiar with that. We shoot with a 17 inch HD monitor, which we have found essential for ensuring tight focus.

"Any chance of a bit more of a write up about things like camera settings, lenses and work flows?"
I think I have mentioned all there is in the original post: Paolo's True Color settings for the 200 series, filmed on a JVC GYHD201, with Minolta primes and a zoom connected via a SGPro 35mm adapter, captured direct to tape and DRHD100, using a JVC 17inch monitor. In 1280x720 HD at 25p using Cineform Aspect HD in Adobe CS3 Premiere Pro. If there is anything else you would specifically like to know, let me know....

"Your almost at the end of what I imagine was a very long journey?"
Strangely enough, this film has had a reasonably quick turnaround. The idea was suggested in August 2008, we had a shooting script and auditioning by October, principle photography started November and wrapped January... premiere in April!.... In fact we can now confirm that the film is opening a film festival on Saturday, April 25, 2009.