CASI CASI - A new DVX100 feature film, in festivals soon! at DVinfo.net

Jaime Valles · February 14th, 2006, 07:35 PM

Hello, all.

My brother and I have been working on the feature-length film CASI CASI for several years. This past Fall, we finished editing, and I'm now very proud to finally be able to announce that we've been accepted to the following festivals (so far):

San Diego Latino Film Festival
Philadelphia Film Festival
Chicago Latino Film Festival

Please check out our website at www.casicasi.com for all the info, screen grabs, synopsis, etc. We shot this film in the Summer of '03 with a DVX100, a small but talented crew, and a lot of sweat. We're working on a trailer and on putting together everything we need for the festivals.

I've been a member of DVinfo.net since August '02, and I want to thank Chris Hurd and everyone else at here for all the knowledge, expertise, and invaluable information. For two months I delved into all the articles and threads I could to gather every bit of info I could get. This was my film school, on these web pages, and I truly appreciate all your help. I can honestly say that this film would not have been possible without DVinfo.net.

So, there you have it. www.casicasi.com is finally up and running, and the film will be coming soon to a theater near you! I'll post here with any more updates, venues, distribution deals (knock on wood), etc.

Jaime Valles · March 12th, 2006, 10:59 AM

Well, folks. We finally finished putting up the trailer online. You can see it in the gallery section.

English:
http://www.casicasi.com/Eng-Trailer-Select.html

Spanish:
http://www.casicasi.com/Esp-Cortos-Seleccione.html

Also, we're going to be screening at the San Diego Latino Film Festival next weekend (March 18-19) for any of you that are in the area, and want to see DVX footage on the big screen. My brother and I will be there for all three screenings, and we'd love to meet any DVInfo-ers that drop by!

EDIT: Fixed the trailer links.

Shawn Beats · March 12th, 2006, 07:32 PM

looks good man. It kept my interest the entire time. The kids who were actors were good too.

Did you use any 35 adapters? What sound equipment?

cheers

Jaime Valles · March 13th, 2006, 12:09 AM

Thanks for the feedback!

We didn't use any 35mm or Anamorphic adapters, just the stock DVX100 (not A) lens. We were often at full telephoto from across the room to get shallower depth-of-field, and full aperture. But the deep focus of 1/3" CCDs also made for some interesting compositions in a bunch of shots. The hardest part was dealing with dynamic range and highlights blowing out; the curse of MiniDV. Zebra-stripes were my close friends.

Sound was recorded to a Senheiser ME 66 / K6 Shotgun mic on a boom hooked up to an HHB Portadisc pro-minidisc recorder. At the time (Summer 2003), the flash memory recording devices still weren't tried-and-true, but the Portadisc worked extremely well. Very sturdy, and excellent sound quality. 20 minidiscs later, we sync'd the "good audio" only to the clips used in the final edit, so we didn't have to sync all 36 hours of footage.

Meryem Ersoz · March 13th, 2006, 09:08 AM

very cool that you did this and even more amazing that you accomplished it with such relatively simple tools at hand. what a remarkable age we live in. trailer looks nice, makes me want to see more.

Jaime Valles · March 14th, 2006, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meryem Ersoz

very cool that you did this and even more amazing that you accomplished it with such relatively simple tools at hand. what a remarkable age we live in. trailer looks nice, makes me want to see more.

Thanks! It is amazing that something like this can be made with a MiniDV camera and a home computer. I just wish that the HVX200 / HD100 / XL-H1 had been around when we were shooting this! Oh well, we'll use 'em in the next one. ;)

Jaime Valles · March 24th, 2006, 02:40 PM

Just wanted to update everyone here. We just got back from the San Diego Latino Film Festival, and our movie won the Audience Award! Our three screenings were packed, and one could hear the laughter out in the hallway! We couldn't have asked for a more positive reaction from the audience, and from everyone at the festival.

Next up is the Philadelphia Film Festival, April 8 and 9. If any of you in Philly want to see DVX footage on the (really) big screen, check out www.casicasi.com for info on tickets and screening times and dates. We'd love to see you there!

Adrian E. Cavalcanti · June 22nd, 2006, 03:01 PM

First of all I'd like to congratulate you for the film, I've been to your website and saw the trailer and I liked it! I've seen that you won at the festivals too!

I wanted to ask you (since I'm latino) how are the Spanish movies doing? I made some shorts half of them in Spanish but I don't seem to find much interest unless the audience speak Spanish... is there a hidden market that I don't know of? I certainly prefer writing in Spanish since I've been doing that for years already and it takes me way more time to write and ask my friends to proof read my scripts in English...

Glenn Chan · June 23rd, 2006, 12:45 PM

From watching the trailer, the movie sounds great. I'm digging the narration.

Ernesto Llano · June 23rd, 2006, 05:23 PM

Jaime,

I really liked the trailer and the screenshots look very good. Did you use any grips, steadycams, dollies, cranes?

It's nice to see spanish DV movies, how did the english-speaking audience react to it?

I'm Cuban, and I just started getting interested in video and photography about a year ago, and I'm considering it for a college major (I'm in high school). Will you be selling DVD's of the movie?

Thanks,

Ernesto.

PS: Out of curiosity, how did you manage to get access to a school, and to get all those people and uniforms for the scene at the gym thats on the trailer?

Jaime Valles · July 8th, 2006, 09:27 PM

Hello again! I just saw these last few posts today, so I'll try responding as best as I can.

Adrian: Thanks so much for the kind words! As for movies in Spanish... The market seems to be expanding. There are several production companies out there now that are aiming content at latinos in the US. Check out Panamax, a division of Lion's Gate Films. There's also Casa Nova Entertainment. I think if the story is compelling and the craftmanship is top-notch, a film will find it's audience, regardless of language barriers. Keep making your movies in Spanish if that's where you feel most comfortable when writing. More than the language, distributors are interested in "star" names, so if you can get a couple of Spanish Novela actors to be in your film, you're bound to get some media exposure.

Glenn: Thanks for the compliments! We figured that using a narration was the best way of marketing a movie in Spanish. I'd hate having to read subtitles on a tiny web trailer!

Ernesto: Yes, we used a Glidecam V-8 for smoother running shots, and used a ProMax Cobra Crane for a ton of shots. We used a regular hand truck as a dolly with the tripod duck-taped to it.

When we screened the film at the Philadelphia Film Festival, the vast majority of the audience was English-speaking only. We were extremely pleased to see their reaction was exactly the same as when we screened it in front of a mostly-latino audience! They were thoroughly enjoying the film, laughing and gasping in all the right places. It was wonderful!

Yes, we're definitely planning on selling DVDs. Negotiations with distributors are taking place as we speak (write?) and I'll post here as soon as I have more details.

The school you see in the movie was my old high school in Puerto Rico. We spoke with the Principal and esssentially "pitched" the whole production, and she gave us the OK. We shot it over the course of seven weeks during the summer, so we weren't interrupting any classes. However, we could only be in the school when the maintenance staff was there cleaning, painting, etc. from 7am until 4pm. Afterwards, we'd go home and watch the "dailies" and prepare for the next day.

For the students in the gym scene we wrangled as many kids as we could find for an afternoon and gave them all blue shirts with school logo patches stitched on. In order to fill the stands... well, let's just say we had to get creative with compositing using Apple Motion. ;)

Jaime Valles · July 8th, 2006, 10:01 PM

Just wanted to let everyone know that we're an official selection of the New York International Latino Film Festival! The screenings will take place on Thursday, July 27th at 6pm and on Saturday, July 29th at 1pm.

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit www.casicasi.com. I hope to see some of you there!

Chayse Irvin · July 10th, 2006, 03:43 AM

Nice Trailer dude!

Victor Matos · July 15th, 2006, 04:01 PM

Jaime, As a fellow "Puertorro" , San Ignacio Grad, I want to let you know it's great to see this kind of production out there. Trailer looks great and I wish you all the luck!

Keep us posted on your progress,

Victor Matos

Jaime Valles · July 26th, 2006, 08:41 PM

Gracias, Victor! What year did you graduate? I'm class of '95 from Perpetuo Socorro. I know a bunch of people from San Ignacio. Small world ;) I'll definitely let you know when the movie is available in your part of town. Hablamos pronto!

February 14th, 2006, 07:35 PM	#1
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	CASI CASI - A new DVX100 feature film, in festivals soon! Hello, all. My brother and I have been working on the feature-length film CASI CASI for several years. This past Fall, we finished editing, and I'm now very proud to finally be able to announce that we've been accepted to the following festivals (so far): San Diego Latino Film Festival Philadelphia Film Festival Chicago Latino Film Festival Please check out our website at www.casicasi.com for all the info, screen grabs, synopsis, etc. We shot this film in the Summer of '03 with a DVX100, a small but talented crew, and a lot of sweat. We're working on a trailer and on putting together everything we need for the festivals. I've been a member of DVinfo.net since August '02, and I want to thank Chris Hurd and everyone else at here for all the knowledge, expertise, and invaluable information. For two months I delved into all the articles and threads I could to gather every bit of info I could get. This was my film school, on these web pages, and I truly appreciate all your help. I can honestly say that this film would not have been possible without DVinfo.net. So, there you have it. www.casicasi.com is finally up and running, and the film will be coming soon to a theater near you! I'll post here with any more updates, venues, distribution deals (knock on wood), etc.

March 12th, 2006, 10:59 AM	#2
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	Trailer Now Online!!! Well, folks. We finally finished putting up the trailer online. You can see it in the gallery section. English: http://www.casicasi.com/Eng-Trailer-Select.html Spanish: http://www.casicasi.com/Esp-Cortos-Seleccione.html Also, we're going to be screening at the San Diego Latino Film Festival next weekend (March 18-19) for any of you that are in the area, and want to see DVX footage on the big screen. My brother and I will be there for all three screenings, and we'd love to meet any DVInfo-ers that drop by! EDIT: Fixed the trailer links. Last edited by Jaime Valles; March 12th, 2006 at 11:55 PM.

March 24th, 2006, 02:40 PM	#7
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	We won! Just wanted to update everyone here. We just got back from the San Diego Latino Film Festival, and our movie won the Audience Award! Our three screenings were packed, and one could hear the laughter out in the hallway! We couldn't have asked for a more positive reaction from the audience, and from everyone at the festival. Next up is the Philadelphia Film Festival, April 8 and 9. If any of you in Philly want to see DVX footage on the (really) big screen, check out www.casicasi.com for info on tickets and screening times and dates. We'd love to see you there!

June 22nd, 2006, 03:01 PM	#8
Adrian E. Cavalcanti Tourist Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Richmond, BC Posts: 4	Congrats First of all I'd like to congratulate you for the film, I've been to your website and saw the trailer and I liked it! I've seen that you won at the festivals too! I wanted to ask you (since I'm latino) how are the Spanish movies doing? I made some shorts half of them in Spanish but I don't seem to find much interest unless the audience speak Spanish... is there a hidden market that I don't know of? I certainly prefer writing in Spanish since I've been doing that for years already and it takes me way more time to write and ask my friends to proof read my scripts in English...

July 8th, 2006, 09:27 PM	#11
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	Hello again! I just saw these last few posts today, so I'll try responding as best as I can. Adrian: Thanks so much for the kind words! As for movies in Spanish... The market seems to be expanding. There are several production companies out there now that are aiming content at latinos in the US. Check out Panamax, a division of Lion's Gate Films. There's also Casa Nova Entertainment. I think if the story is compelling and the craftmanship is top-notch, a film will find it's audience, regardless of language barriers. Keep making your movies in Spanish if that's where you feel most comfortable when writing. More than the language, distributors are interested in "star" names, so if you can get a couple of Spanish Novela actors to be in your film, you're bound to get some media exposure. Glenn: Thanks for the compliments! We figured that using a narration was the best way of marketing a movie in Spanish. I'd hate having to read subtitles on a tiny web trailer! Ernesto: Yes, we used a Glidecam V-8 for smoother running shots, and used a ProMax Cobra Crane for a ton of shots. We used a regular hand truck as a dolly with the tripod duck-taped to it. When we screened the film at the Philadelphia Film Festival, the vast majority of the audience was English-speaking only. We were extremely pleased to see their reaction was exactly the same as when we screened it in front of a mostly-latino audience! They were thoroughly enjoying the film, laughing and gasping in all the right places. It was wonderful! Yes, we're definitely planning on selling DVDs. Negotiations with distributors are taking place as we speak (write?) and I'll post here as soon as I have more details. The school you see in the movie was my old high school in Puerto Rico. We spoke with the Principal and esssentially "pitched" the whole production, and she gave us the OK. We shot it over the course of seven weeks during the summer, so we weren't interrupting any classes. However, we could only be in the school when the maintenance staff was there cleaning, painting, etc. from 7am until 4pm. Afterwards, we'd go home and watch the "dailies" and prepare for the next day. For the students in the gym scene we wrangled as many kids as we could find for an afternoon and gave them all blue shirts with school logo patches stitched on. In order to fill the stands... well, let's just say we had to get creative with compositing using Apple Motion. ;) Last edited by Jaime Valles; July 8th, 2006 at 10:01 PM.

March 12th, 2006, 07:32 PM	#3
Shawn Beats New Boot Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: toronto Posts: 9	looks good man. It kept my interest the entire time. The kids who were actors were good too. Did you use any 35 adapters? What sound equipment? cheers

March 13th, 2006, 12:09 AM	#4
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	Thanks for the feedback! We didn't use any 35mm or Anamorphic adapters, just the stock DVX100 (not A) lens. We were often at full telephoto from across the room to get shallower depth-of-field, and full aperture. But the deep focus of 1/3" CCDs also made for some interesting compositions in a bunch of shots. The hardest part was dealing with dynamic range and highlights blowing out; the curse of MiniDV. Zebra-stripes were my close friends. Sound was recorded to a Senheiser ME 66 / K6 Shotgun mic on a boom hooked up to an HHB Portadisc pro-minidisc recorder. At the time (Summer 2003), the flash memory recording devices still weren't tried-and-true, but the Portadisc worked extremely well. Very sturdy, and excellent sound quality. 20 minidiscs later, we sync'd the "good audio" only to the clips used in the final edit, so we didn't have to sync all 36 hours of footage.

March 13th, 2006, 09:08 AM	#5
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	very cool that you did this and even more amazing that you accomplished it with such relatively simple tools at hand. what a remarkable age we live in. trailer looks nice, makes me want to see more.

June 23rd, 2006, 12:45 PM	#9
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	From watching the trailer, the movie sounds great. I'm digging the narration.

June 23rd, 2006, 05:23 PM	#10
Ernesto Llano Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Minnesota, USA Posts: 39	Jaime, I really liked the trailer and the screenshots look very good. Did you use any grips, steadycams, dollies, cranes? It's nice to see spanish DV movies, how did the english-speaking audience react to it? I'm Cuban, and I just started getting interested in video and photography about a year ago, and I'm considering it for a college major (I'm in high school). Will you be selling DVD's of the movie? Thanks, Ernesto. PS: Out of curiosity, how did you manage to get access to a school, and to get all those people and uniforms for the scene at the gym thats on the trailer?

July 8th, 2006, 10:01 PM	#12
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	Update! Just wanted to let everyone know that we're an official selection of the New York International Latino Film Festival! The screenings will take place on Thursday, July 27th at 6pm and on Saturday, July 29th at 1pm. For more info and to purchase tickets, visit www.casicasi.com. I hope to see some of you there!

July 10th, 2006, 03:43 AM	#13
Chayse Irvin New Boot Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Posts: 7	Nice Trailer dude!

July 15th, 2006, 04:01 PM	#14
Victor Matos Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Edgewood, KY Posts: 40	Looks Great Jaime, As a fellow "Puertorro" , San Ignacio Grad, I want to let you know it's great to see this kind of production out there. Trailer looks great and I wish you all the luck! Keep us posted on your progress, Victor Matos

July 26th, 2006, 08:41 PM	#15
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	Gracias, Victor! What year did you graduate? I'm class of '95 from Perpetuo Socorro. I know a bunch of people from San Ignacio. Small world ;) I'll definitely let you know when the movie is available in your part of town. Hablamos pronto!