Hey guys...

-Administrators- Please don't delete this post...

This is Colin Worley... I remember someone telling me that they wanted to see what I can do with a 'Ford Pinto', or in other words, my cheap equipment and make a short film that will show some of my work. Well, my post got deleted, so I'm making a new thread.

I have finally finished my video... "Sanctuary".

Sanctuary is a dramatic short film about a young teenager struggling with the recent death of his brother. Through his hard times, he turns to the only place he can, his "Sanctuary", which is his piano.

Sorry for the bad compression, but this is a YouTube version of the film... enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK-Z2qNm5_w


Thanks, Colin Worley

Hey, sorry for double posting, but did anyone check it out yet?

It probably got moved to the correct section under "post your work". This is the XL2 section.

Well I can't find a 'moved' thread so I'll leave my reaction hear. Firstly and fore mostly a great piece of work especially for your age and don't take that the wrong way please. You tell a simple story very well, at a nice pace and with poignant setting and themes.

I wasn't hot on the vignetting with the use soft focus, slow mo and cutting style I don't think it was needed. I also found I wanted to know who exactly the guy the main character was mourning was....a brother a friend....a gay relationship !!!...this would have made the piece emotionally connect better. You also kind of knew the guy was probably mourning even before you are 'told' maybe only hinting until the moment you want may have had more impact. anyway...hope this helps.

On the whole a great piece of work...well done.

How long did you take to complete it? What equipment did you use?

I like the structuring of the it but not necessarily the look but I guess it’s the look you were going for. Another thing that no one does but should be done is that when you film slow motion stuff you should switch it to 60i mode rather then frame blending 30p. In 60 I mode the camera actually captures 60 frames per second but they are half frames. In a program like after effects you can separate the fields and create real 60p footage that looks better then any time stretching technique that I have seen yet. Consider that in the future, but for now I think ur video was great. Also nice key hole effect by the way. I assume it was a digital effect as was the blooming white areas.

Thank you very much for your response.... I really appreciate it. The character had recently lost his brother, whom he was very close with. During these hard times after he died, he was very depressed and didn't know the meaning to life. He turned to his 'Sanctuary', his piano to relieve his pain and come closer to his brother....

Notice that the film becomes more B&W when he closes the piano, but in one of the later scenes, he opens it and the film becomes very vibrant. Things as small as these were added to help the mood of the film....

The vignette and the softness were added to bring out more emotion in the film...

And thanks for the tip Alan, I'll keep that in mind next time...

And yeah, I shouldn't have told you guys about the death... but there are always some people that don't understand any artistic or experimental films...

So thanks again for the replies... I appreciate them

~Colin Worley

good job. It wasn't clear in your post, but it seems like you weren't using an xl2? Just curious what camera and "ford pinto" equipment you've actually used?

Thanks Scott... Okay, okay.. I'll tell you the equipment I used.

First of all, I DIDN'T USE THE XL2 ( gasp... lol)... I didn't even use a GL2 like I said I did on Youtube.

The camera I filmed Sanctuary on was a JVC camcorder I bought a few years ago for $300.. you can now find it on ebay for under $100... lol

This is the camera I used:
http://www.3dnews.ru/documents/8134/camera.jpg

Next, the tripod I used was a cheap $30 tripod that you can now buy for $10...

Tripod:
http://www.fotomagazin.ru/images/Vivitar-VPT-1200.jpg

Lastly, you might be wondering what kind of lighting I used.. well, like all my other equipment, it too is really cheap. $50 work lights at Home Depot.. lol

Lights:
http://www.dansdata.com/images/phototute/biglights560.jpg

So what made my film good? Maybe a good screenplay and nice actors... or, it could be the color correcting I did on the film in After Effects 7 and Premiere Pro.

Well, you asked what equipment, so I showed you... lol...

I will load up some before and after pictures of the color correcting soon, so watch for that!!

Talk soon,

Colin Worley

I think you had some good angles and the editing was one of its strong points, but I really wasn't impressed by the quality of the video itself or the camera moves. I found it looked a little flat, which makes sense considering your equipment, and I thought the filters looked a little forced. I'm mor einto weddings over shorts though, so who knows....

I think you had some good angles and the editing was one of its strong points, but I really wasn't impressed by the quality of the video itself or the camera moves. I found it looked a little flat, which makes sense considering your equipment, and I thought the filters looked a little forced. I'm mor einto weddings over shorts though, so who knows....

Yeah, like I said before, the quality is really bad because I had to compress it a lot.. from 4 gigs to 90 mbs.. and I had to lower the quality of the film. Plus when you add it to Youtube, that also takes out a lot of quality...

So besides that, what did you think of the film? What about the story?

ALSO, GUYS IF YOU LIKED THE FILM, PLEASE VOTE ON IT ON YOUTUBE... I'm trying to get a good rating on it, so more people will want to watch it... I'm trying to get my work out there, and show everyone what I can do. So if you liked it, please rate on it...

Thanks,
Colin Worley

Don't forget that writing , (even shorts) require motivation. An unmotivated scene asking us to be emotional can lead to sentimentality, a big no no. I felt the concept was great, but muddledby an overwhelming score and little insight into the main character. At the heart of every story is character. I would have liked to see some dialogue!
Never play moonlight sonata in a film--been done far too many times. But overall, I enjoyed watching it. And kudos to you for bringing that much quality out of something worth $100. I paid a $100 dollars for parking tickets last week. I think we both know who had the better investment.

So what made my film good? Maybe a good screenplay and nice actors... or, it could be the color correcting I did on the film in After Effects 7 and Premiere Pro.


Colin Worley

Why do you have $1200 worth of software, but only $150 worth of equipment?

Nice short. Simple vibe. Conflict is a little late introducing itself. Perhaps the vignetting might be saved for only the "back in time" retrospective shots. Build a cheap crane. Carefully plan and execute your dips to black when needed ... don't just toss 'em in when the mood seems right; they are as important as the right cross-fade and cut.

Overall, very good.

And don't reply to me laughing out loud ... I hate messenger shortformacronyms.

Cheers!

"Another thing that no one does but should be done is that when you film slow motion stuff you should switch it to 60i mode rather then frame blending 30p. In 60 I mode the camera actually captures 60 frames per second but they are half frames. In a program like after effects you can separate the fields and create real 60p footage that looks better then any time stretching technique that I have seen yet"

Alan, can you tell me a little bit more about this? I'm always a little frustrated about the look of slow motion on video. I have after effects but use it very seldom--how exactly do you 'separate the fields' ?

Don't forget that writing , (even shorts) require motivation. An unmotivated scene asking us to be emotional can lead to sentimentality, a big no no. I felt the concept was great, but muddledby an overwhelming score and little insight into the main character. At the heart of every story is character. I would have liked to see some dialogue!
Never play moonlight sonata in a film--been done far too many times. But overall, I enjoyed watching it. And kudos to you for bringing that much quality out of something worth $100. I paid a $100 dollars for parking tickets last week. I think we both know who had the better investment.

Thanks for the tips Jonas.. I'll keep them in mind when writing my latest film. And thanks for watching, and replying on the my movie.. I appreciate it!

Colin Worley

"Another thing that no one does but should be done is that when you film slow motion stuff you should switch it to 60i mode rather then frame blending 30p. In 60 I mode the camera actually captures 60 frames per second but they are half frames. In a program like after effects you can separate the fields and create real 60p footage that looks better then any time stretching technique that I have seen yet"

Alan, can you tell me a little bit more about this? I'm always a little frustrated about the look of slow motion on video. I have after effects but use it very seldom--how exactly do you 'separate the fields' ?

That's what I was wondering... Thanks for the tip too..

Colin Worley

Why do you have $1200 worth of software, but only $150 worth of equipment?

I bought Premiere Pro 7 (not the newest.. 2.0) on ebay for $200. And I got After Effects on ebay too.. $500.. this was for a birthday present though.

I am trying to buy an XL2 soon... I'll hopefully have it within a month or so. I'm really excited to get it, and can't wait to make short films with it! It's going to be so awesome!

Thanks for the comment,

Colin Worley

Colin, I posted this to You Tube, but couldn;t post as many characters on that page due to restrictions, so here are my comments in full:

Don't take to heart when someone just responds with "sucked" on You Tube. Sometimes I think they do that because they have nothing creative to say that's worthy of reading. And I bet they couldn't even come close to what you acheived in your short if they tried themselves. I say EXCELLENT JOB! Sure it's not perfect, but it's about creative choices and the pros don't always hit the mark as well.But excellent job none the less. You have a great sence of film making as far as I'm concerned; you told a story; and without dialog to rely on. And created a mood. Keep making shorts and keep practicing your craft. Also, it's not about what you have, such as what kind of camera, whether it be a 300.00 consumer camera, or a XL2, or whatever, it's how you use it that can go a long way.

Joe

Colin, I posted this to You Tube, but couldn;t post as many characters on that page due to restrictions, so here are my comments in full:

Don't take to heart when someone just responds with "sucked" on You Tube. Sometimes I think they do that because they have nothing creative to say that's worthy of reading. And I bet they couldn't even come close to what you acheived in your short if they tried themselves. I say EXCELLENT JOB! Sure it's not perfect, but it's about creative choices and the pros don't always hit the mark as well.But excellent job none the less. You have a great sence of film making as far as I'm concerned; you told a story; and without dialog to rely on. And created a mood. Keep making shorts and keep practicing your craft. Also, it's not about what you have, such as what kind of camera, whether it be a 300.00 consumer camera, or a XL2, or whatever, it's how you use it that can go a long way.

Joe

Thanks Joe, your are very kind, and I really appreciate your comment. Also, thanks for watching my film. I agree with you, it's not what equipment you use (although it is nice to have an expensive camera such as an XL2) but it's how you tell your story, and give the mood of the film... I am going to continue my short films, and showing everyone what I can do... and I hope that my filmmaking will eventually inspire someone to tell a story through the magic of film....

Thanks again for watching the film, and for your kind comment, I appreciate it!

~Colin

Colin,

I was the guy that made the Ford Pinto comment a while back. You know… when you were trying to get more than a good buy on an XL2.

I must say that I think your video was cool. Honestly, it held my interest simply because of the circumstances (i.e. your desire to prove that you can make good video). As far as the concept I was a bit lost. However, I think you were creative! I liked some of the techniques that you used. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the things that you’ll do when you do get your XL2.

Nice job!

Colin,

I was the guy that made the Ford Pinto comment a while back. You know… when you were trying to get more than a good buy on an XL2.

I must say that I think your video was cool. Honestly, it held my interest simply because of the circumstances (i.e. your desire to prove that you can make good video). As far as the concept I was a bit lost. However, I think you were creative! I liked some of the techniques that you used. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the things that you’ll do when you do get your XL2.

Nice job!

Thanks Tim... sorry I couldn't remember who said that, the administrators deleted the whole thread.

Thanks for the comment, I'm glad you liked the film. If you didn't get the story, I will go ahead and give you a little synopsis.

So the young teenager had just recently lost his brother, and is very depressed about this major tragedy. Him and his brother were best friends... After the boy dies, the teenager turns to the only place he can to relieve his pain and sorrow and show his true emotions. The boy's 'Sanctuary' is his piano. Playing the piano brings him back to the memories of his brother, and makes him happy. After visiting the site of his brother's death, the cross on the side of the road, he is so sad that he tries to remove his brother from his thoughts, and try to get on with his life. He lets the picture of his brother fly away in the wind. As the boy shuts the brother out of his life, he also shuts his sanctuary, the piano, out of his life.. resulting in greater sadness. But, as the teenager remembers the good times he and his brother had, he runs after the picture blowing away in the wind, and returns to his piano. The cup (his life) is refilled with water (happiness, or love), and the boy plays happily on his piano, remembering his brother.

After reading this, it might help to watch the film again, now that you know the story....

Thanks again Tim for the reply and thanks for watching the film, I really appreciate it! I can't wait untill I get the XL2, and begin to better my films... I'm really excited!

Thanks,

~Colin Worley

Sorry this took so long. It was exam week and I was a bit busy.

Film in 60i. Pull that over to the computer as normal but be sure to use the scene detection option so that the clip is only 60i (kinda a duh but some people don’t know). Open After Effects and create a composition 2.5 times longer then the source file if u want ur final frame rate to be 23.976. If you want it to be 29.97 then set it 2 times longer. Then also set ur frame rate for the composition to whatever you want ur final frame rate to be (again kinda duh but I’m just going step by step).

Okay so now import your 60i footage. Right click on the footage and click on interpret footage. In the new window that has popped up under fields and pull down there is a place that says separate fields. If you are using HDV 60i then make sure it says upper field first. If you are using DV 60i make sure it says lower field first. Be sure to click “Preserve Edges”.

Basically what this has done for those of you that don’t know (there are some) is it has separated the fields and is treating the even fields as one frame and the odd fields as another frame. Preserve Edges tells it to interpolate the fields it isn’t using. But the clip is still to short so it isn’t showing all the frames it should.

Go up top to layer. Then click on time. Under time change the speed to 250% for 24p and 200% for 30p. If u have done everything correct you should be able to preview this and it will look like real slow motion. Export it and you are done.

This is how my man Robert Rodriguez did slow motion for Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The F950 were able to output 60p rather then 60i that the F900 did (if my memory serves me correct). Anyways hope this helps. Have fun.

(ADVANCE USER TIPS)
If u use HDV u can actually put that into a DV composition and not have to interpolate the lines u don’t have because each frame is 540 lines in a 480 line composition. But the color and gamma curve wont match the XL2 if that is what u are using to shoot ur progressive footage. I think also if u put a vertical directional bur of either 1 or 2 pixels it will smooth out the flicker.

Sorry this took so long. It was exam week and I was a bit busy.

Film in 60i. Pull that over to the computer as normal but be sure to use the scene detection option so that the clip is only 60i (kinda a duh but some people don’t know). Open After Effects and create a composition 2.5 times longer then the source file if u want ur final frame rate to be 23.976. If you want it to be 29.97 then set it 2 times longer. Then also set ur frame rate for the composition to whatever you want ur final frame rate to be (again kinda duh but I’m just going step by step).

Okay so now import your 60i footage. Right click on the footage and click on interpret footage. In the new window that has popped up under fields and pull down there is a place that says separate fields. If you are using HDV 60i then make sure it says upper field first. If you are using DV 60i make sure it says lower field first. Be sure to click “Preserve Edges”.

Basically what this has done for those of you that don’t know (there are some) is it has separated the fields and is treating the even fields as one frame and the odd fields as another frame. Preserve Edges tells it to interpolate the fields it isn’t using. But the clip is still to short so it isn’t showing all the frames it should.

Go up top to layer. Then click on time. Under time change the speed to 250% for 24p and 200% for 30p. If u have done everything correct you should be able to preview this and it will look like real slow motion. Export it and you are done.

This is how my man Robert Rodriguez did slow motion for Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The F950 were able to output 60p rather then 60i that the F900 did (if my memory serves me correct). Anyways hope this helps. Have fun.

(ADVANCE USER TIPS)
If u use HDV u can actually put that into a DV composition and not have to interpolate the lines u don’t have because each frame is 540 lines in a 480 line composition. But the color and gamma curve wont match the XL2 if that is what u are using to shoot ur progressive footage. I think also if u put a vertical directional bur of either 1 or 2 pixels it will smooth out the flicker.

Thanks Alan, those are some good tips. I appreciate your advice, and your time for watching the film.

I'll keep those tips in mind, and continue to make short films...

Thanks a lot for the awesome reply, I appreciate a lot!

Thanks everyone who has watched my film, and thanks to all who have replied to it...

I'll put my lastest film on Youtube soon, so check back on that!

Thanks again,

Colin Worley

Sorry this took so long. It was exam week and I was a bit busy.

Film in 60i. Pull that over to the computer as normal but be sure to use the scene detection option so that the clip is only 60i (kinda a duh but some people don’t know). Open After Effects and create a composition 2.5 times longer then the source file if u want ur final frame rate to be 23.976. If you want it to be 29.97 then set it 2 times longer. Then also set ur frame rate for the composition to whatever you want ur final frame rate to be (again kinda duh but I’m just going step by step).

Okay so now import your 60i footage. Right click on the footage and click on interpret footage. In the new window that has popped up under fields and pull down there is a place that says separate fields. If you are using HDV 60i then make sure it says upper field first. If you are using DV 60i make sure it says lower field first. Be sure to click “Preserve Edges”.

Basically what this has done for those of you that don’t know (there are some) is it has separated the fields and is treating the even fields as one frame and the odd fields as another frame. Preserve Edges tells it to interpolate the fields it isn’t using. But the clip is still to short so it isn’t showing all the frames it should.

Go up top to layer. Then click on time. Under time change the speed to 250% for 24p and 200% for 30p. If u have done everything correct you should be able to preview this and it will look like real slow motion. Export it and you are done.

This is how my man Robert Rodriguez did slow motion for Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The F950 were able to output 60p rather then 60i that the F900 did (if my memory serves me correct). Anyways hope this helps. Have fun.

(ADVANCE USER TIPS)
If u use HDV u can actually put that into a DV composition and not have to interpolate the lines u don’t have because each frame is 540 lines in a 480 line composition. But the color and gamma curve wont match the XL2 if that is what u are using to shoot ur progressive footage. I think also if u put a vertical directional bur of either 1 or 2 pixels it will smooth out the flicker.


Great tip. But how to you get the 60i footage to not look so much like "video" so it can match the 30p or 24p footage the rest of the footage was shot in?

I just came across this thread, I liked the movie (not the compression). What struck me was the camera you used. I was between cameras a few years ago and used that exact same JVC 1ccd camera to make an art film. You can watch it here:

http://www.janssenherr.com/Dubbelgangaren.html

I thought you did well with the editing and some of the effects and CC.

Mostly appreciated the length that you took that little camera to. Its not an easy camera, bad in lowlight, noisy image, heavy aliasing, funtions via the menu button- typical of any low end 1ccd. Kudos!!

Janssen Herr

After you turn the 60i into 60p it (in my opinion) doesn’t look videoy. But if you think it does it is probably because of your shutter speed. You should double your shutter speed for whatever frame rate you are shooting in if you want it to look like celluloid. The reason is that that is how celluloid works. If you are shooting at 24fps on celluloid your shutter is open for 1/48 of a second and closed for 1/48 of a second. When it is closed is when the celluloid actually moves to the next frame then opens again to get exposed (basically).

If you really want to get technical other problems with dv is the depth of field is shallower then normal 35mm because it is spreading the image over a smaller area (1/3 inch to be exact.) but this can be solved with mini 35 by P+S Technik. This isn’t the right area for this but another issue is dynamic range. This takes a lot of explaining and most people don’t get this. Basically its how much far into whites and how far into blacks you can see. The human eye can see 32 stops of light, celluloid can see 16 stops (if developed correct), cinema HD cameras can see 10 stops and our beloved XL2 can see a mere 8 stops. Obviously another issue is resolution but because most of us wont be releasing our videos in theaters its no big deal. The last issue is color timing. The XL2 (and mostly all dv cameras) only record color information every four frames. This is a big problem when pulling green screen or doing most visual effects. Hope that helped you out solving your “video” problem but if not I hope you still learned something.

Alan -

Have you ever used Twixtor for doing slo-mo stuff?

No I have never used Twixtor. I have used Retimer and a few other minor interpolation programs but none of them have ever really measured up to what I thought they should be. There always seems to be a frame blending type of effect, or a strange motion blur. If I wanted to shoot something over 60 fps on the cheap I would probably use an HDV 60i camera and turn that into SD 60p (no field interpolation and no flicker) then interpolate that new 60p footage in a program or plug in like Retimer or Twixtor. The problem I have found is kinda obvious but the slower you make a clip the more problems you have. So thus if you start with slow motion footage already it will come out better. I never go over 60fps but if you’re someone like Quentin Tarantino or Michael Bay doing super slow motion (like 180fps, just a guess) it would probably be worth using one of those programs. We should start a thread about slow motion and the XL2. If anyone wants to start it I will add to it so we can discuss this subject with a larger group (cause I mean who would think to find slow motion advice in this thread lol).

Allan, as I'm responding back to your comment on my 30sec spot on the other thread, I noticed your last comments on this thread about slow motion, and might be doing slow motion in post for a music video I'm about to embark on. So, a thread on that would be just what I'd like to see as well. Hearing that it's better to shoot in 60I for slowmotion in post, but yet the brunt of the video I'm going to be shooting is going to be in 24pn. I don;t have a lot of time on my hands to experiment at the moment. I'd be wondering what would be the best way in post to deal with the two different frame rates as farf as look goes.

Joe

Colin,
I think that you took that JVC you have through a pretty good workout. What struck me as the most impressive thing about the short was your creative use of camera angles. I think that it's great that you weren't afraid of trying "unusual" angles. I found the editing to be pretty good and differ to some earlier comments on how to improve it.

I do have one thing to mention for "room for improvement" on your next short - if you have to give a synopsis with the short then you haven't effectively told your story. Get with the english teacher at your school and review with him/her the steps involved in a three act play (it's a bit more than beginning, middle, and end). Then after you think you have a pretty good understanding of what a three act story consist of, go and watch one of your favorite movies. Look for the different acts and what happens that changes from act I to act II and from Act II to Act III. Then write your next script for your next short. Cinematography isn't just about pretty pictures (although they help out a lot and you had some good ones in this short), it's very much about telling a story.

Keep it up, and don't let the [insert expletive] get you down... even me,

Kevin

Thanks everyone for all the replies... I really appreciate it. I will take all of your critiques and advice into consideration.

I now have $1600 saved up, and I'm going to continue to earn more money, and buy myself an XL2.

I can't wait to use it!! I've used an XL2 a couple of times before, but I'm excited to finally own one and call it mine.

Anyways, Thanks again guys... and I'll tell you when I get my XL2.

Colin

Well done my friend-- Keep at it and you are golden... This is much better than many of the things I saw some college age kids doing (as film majors!)...

Keep working at it-- you can only get better... every shoot teaches you something new and the art of storytelling is a never ending journey..

Cheers!

Wow! Thanks man! That was inspiring! Seriously, I really appreciate your encouragement... Thanks again man!

Colin Worley