CLICK HERE to watch "GRATUITY", a 60 second Sonnyboo short (http://www.60secondmovies.com/html/gratuity.php)

Now playing (and in need of good votes) and soon to be a part of the PLUM TV screenings in New England!!

The Sonnyboo plan to infiltrate all American homes with short films written & directed by Peter John Ross will soon come to fruition. VICTORY WILL BE MINE

GRATUTIY (60 seconds)
stars Jack Hourigan (host on
The Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/hosts_celebrity_chefs/article/0,,FOOD_9889_2326261,00.html)), Cody Dove (from WUAB's THE BLOCK), and Brandy Seymour (Brandy's site (http://www.brandyseymour.com) )

http://www.60secondmovies.com/html/gratuity.php


http://www.sonnyboo.com/images/boocan.gif
Visit www.sonnyboo.com

Anyone with a 60 second short can submit & get online & on the TV network in New England. Get some exposure, get noticed. It's easier to get discovered if people can find you.

Is there a reason why the timecode is at the bottom the whole
time? That was a bit distracting.

I thought the movie looked good but was over the top and not
that good acted for my taste. I highly doubt the girls would have
such a loud conversation in front of the customers. So it might
have been more effective in some place with less customers.
I also had a feeling they all needed to talk and yell louder for
not having a microphone nearby?

The timecode was required by their site... no idea why.

The acting is meant to be over the top. It's not a reality show, nor a drama, so over the top was intentnional. The boom mic was right over their heads and it was a shotgun mic.

What mic did you use?

<<<-- Originally posted by Gustavo Godinho : What mic did you use? -->>>

Senheiser, I don' tknow the make & model. I was not the boom operator, you'd have to ask him.

The video looked thrown together in 60 seconds. Pacing was poor. Writing cliche. Embarrassingly unwatchable.

It was shot on location at the Second City theatre with two mainstage cast members and the dialogue improvised by professionals.

It's not to everyone's liking.

Thanks for watching anyway.

I liked it. Gave me a laugh. Comedy is tough. Thought the criticism was a little harsh.

Mickey

Sooner or later, everyone has got to learn to take it like man.

Harsh, yes, even assholish, but probably exactly how he feels, so it's an honest review. I couldn't ask for anything else. I'd rather have a nasty, evil review that's honest than a tarted up, polite one that makes me think my short is better than it is.

Not everyone will like your stuff. Get used to it. You'll take criticism better that way. Critics bash movies all the time.


Thanks for watching!

The audio was definetly a problem as it was hard to hear what the actors were saying. I agree with others about the pacing and the payoff at the end really didn't land for me.

On a side note though, are those the actors from the Cleveland second city? I thought they looked familar and then you mentioned Second City and I realized where I had seen them before. The one guy at the bar is absolutely hilarious in real life, although unfortunately I don't think you were able to capture his talents.

<<<-- The one guy at the bar is absolutely hilarious in real life, although unfortunately I don't think you were able to capture his talents. -->>>

That's Cody Dove

try this one instead...

http://www.sonnyboo.com/onlinemovies/therapy.htm

He's more of the star on that one

Hey Peter, I kinda agree with all thats been said before, I think the biggest thing that feels off to me is when the beating SFX come in a second before she actually "hits" the guy. Also the flashes could be timed a little bit better.

But that last one you just posted, "Therapy", the song at the end is from The Lucky 13 Band. My good friend Ryan from high school plays lead guitar in that band. Do you know them well, if so how are they all doin'?

So odd, such a small world,
Spencer

Ian Ross, lead guitar & vocals from the Lucky 13 Band is my cousin.

All the music in Gratuity is ALSO from the Lucky 13 Band and Ryan & Ian Ross.

They are at the univsity of Cincy and doing well. I saw them here in Columbus at my house before the GOVERNMENT MULE concert. I introduced them to TENACIOUS D and Jack Black. What kind of education system is it where two guitar players don't know about the D?

I think you could have turned that into a good :30 or even :15 spot. The dialogue could have just been the blonde walking past the bartender giving that knowing look as the patron is patronizing... she drops the bottle and as the blonde comes around the bar she takes him out with one really harsh blow to the face with the edge of the tray... spilling drinks off of it at the same time (ha!) cut to gratuity copy and then back to the "hand me my drink" line.
it's too long and the dialogue isn't there- possibly because it doesn't even need to be there.

Hi Peter...

I enjoyed your short feature. Here is my take:

I thought the girl bartending could've talked a little louder and had a little better acting.

I know why the girls were talking loud (from observations in bars). They were talking loud to be deliberately heard... not to tick anybody off, but to make a point on how they feel.

Anywho.... I liked it in general. Very funny! Oh, by the way... where was this filmed?

filmed on location at the Second City theatre

<<<-- Originally posted by Rob Belics : The video looked thrown together in 60 seconds. Pacing was poor. Writing cliche. Embarrassingly unwatchable. -->>>

Just sold this short (GRATUITY) to Bravo UK, National Lampoon Networks, Movieola the Short Film Channel (Canada), and The U Network for broadcast on TV.

Better close your eyes! You may think it's embarassing, but I got checks that cleared, so I won't worry too much.

Seriously, this is why criticism is good. One person's opinion can be mean, even ridiculing, but then somone else's opinion, (one that matters) can have a deeper impact. Ironically, this guys opinion above says more about him than my movie.

Learn to take it all. No movie you make will please everyone, and I'm sure I'll get far more flack when it begins airing. There will be thousands of people saying "I could do better than that". Some will, and others will languish on the couch saying that about every show they see and never do it. Which one are you?

For anyone that gets bashed, try to learn something from even the harshest of critcisms. Don't let it stop you from making another movie, or even finding the good in the movies that get criticized. Have some confidence in yourself and what you are doing.

nice! How'd you swing that?

I sent them a tape

and a submissions form

who's them? All of them? Each of them? You make bank? What does a minute short get you these days? Congrats...

I have sent tape or DVD submissions to a LOT of TV shows, some pay, some don't. It helps to have a distributor behind you repping the short (even the 1 minute GRATUITY is repped by BIG FILM SHORTS out of Burbank).

http://www.bigfilmshorts.com

Here is a list of TONS of TV shows/networks taking submissions for short films (even 1 minute ones)

http://www.sonnyboo.com/cgi-bin/ib219/topic.cgi?forum=2&topic=13

cool... not being into shorts it's new and exciting!

Peter, that was very funny! Great job. I thought the gun shots work just great. And, I hate it when people leave little or no tips.

she was hitting him with a server tray, but I wanted them to have a more cartoon impact... my main criticism here was that it was not realistic....

Peter, did you shoot this with your GL1? Did you use any additional lighting other than what was available? What editing software did you use?

Thank you for sharing the where-to-submit-your-short list. Even though I enjoy films of all lengths, I've been particularly interested in the short genre. There is something magic about being able to make someone think, laugh or upset with a 60-second or 15-minute short. And, I find it to be a shame that there are just few outlets for short films in the U.S., one of the birth places of cinema. In other parts of the world, and particularly in Europe, there seems to be a greater interest in short films and a greater potential for filmmakers of shorts to sell their works. At least that was the case up until a few years ago when I wrote a paper on short film distribution while in college. Some of that information may be outdated but if your interested, I can share it with you, or any one else who is.

Shot simultaneously on Super 8 film and my Canon Gl1. The Super was overexposed & the look of EKTACHROME is pretty bad (although I love Super 8 - NO EKTACHROME please...)


Thanks to DV, there happens to be a ton of new short film outlets opening up... if that list was not enough, there are at least 6 new whole NETWORKS in the works, and at least 50 TV shows worldwide for short films - all trying to get going.


I'd love to see your info.