Promotional Video Posting at DVinfo.net

Joseph Andolina · October 5th, 2007, 04:39 AM

Wanted to get anyone's opinion on this 8 min. piece I did camera for with my XL2. It's a promotional piece done for Snohomish County Senior Services in Everett, WA. I'm proud to say it helped raise a bunch of money for them at one of their fundraisers. We shot it at 24pn.

Joe

http://home.comcast.net/~lynxrecords...ANK_BOEING.mov

Jack Barker · October 6th, 2007, 09:55 AM

It was very nice! I liked the shots that were low - even lower than the little girl, who was perfect. Especially liked the overhead on the bed shot.

My only criticism would be to suggest using a tripod more often. It gives every shot a smoother, more professional look.

Joseph Andolina · October 7th, 2007, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Barker

It was very nice! I liked the shots that were low - even lower than the little girl, who was perfect. Especially liked the overhead on the bed shot.

My only criticism would be to suggest using a tripod more often. It gives every shot a smoother, more professional look.

Thanks Jack for the feedback. Much appreciated. I always appreciate constuctive feedback. I agree with what you said about the un-tripodded shots.

Although, we did use a Jimmy Jib for cartain shots. But there was one shot I was never really pleased with even with the Jimmy Jib use, that was the one where I dollied from the charter buss to the girl skipping while the elderly person was being helped into the bus. That was the first time I was using the jib, and didn't quite get myself acclimated to it in time for that particular set-up due to time constraints. But did get the hang of it with the next set-up. Oh well....

I thought we were very fortunate to have been able to cast the young actress we had. She was ideal to work with and very talented. I loved the subtleties she brought to her character. And she was an edtitors dream as well, she matched her shots perfectly.

I continue to love the image quality I'm able to achieve with my XL2. Sure, it'd be nice to shoot HD due to certain limitations with SD. but I'll never regret in making the investment into the XL2.

Joe

Ian Stark · October 10th, 2007, 10:50 AM

Joseph, that was lovely. Really enjoyed the story telling, most of the shot angles were just great. the music fitted well. Yup, good piece of work and deserves all the fundraising bucks it generated.

But you don't just want praise do ya?! You want opinion and constructive criticism!

To be honest, all of these are minor details that probably don't have a major impact on the whole film, but did call attention to themselves, at least for me. Please don't think they spoiled my enjoyment of the film because they didn't - its great. I watched it through twice and then reviewed a few scenes several more times. Here are my thoughts:

1. The girl bends down to look inside a wicker basket. When she stands up, the window is in frame and it's very bright. I thought the exposure on her was fine, but maybe something to reduce the burn on the window? Some black organza material would do the trick and not be noticed in the shot (even if it stands out a mile on the set).

2. Personally I like the handheld bits cut in with the tripod shots - gives some sense of urgency to her search. Maybe just a few too many handheld shots and occasionally you're cutting off the top of her head.

3. Nicely done with the shots from inside the chest and under the bed.

4. Maybe lingered a wee bit too long on a few shots. For example, do we need to see her locking the chest? Both locks? For me that is an overall observation of the film - I think you could have told the same story, with the same build up, in a shorter amount of time, just by shortening many of the shots as well as losing shots that don't drive the story forward. For example, when she passes the maintenance guy. Couldn't see the point there. In fact, in that example I found myself straining to see what was written on the side of the van, in case I'd missed something. That thought was then reinforced when we see the Nutrition Services van later.

5. Loved the shoe tying scene.

6. See what you mean about the first jimmy jib shot. Hey ho. Live and learn! I was more bothered by the fact that the girl didn't cast a glance at the elderly lady being helped into the van. A wistful smile in the elderly lady's direction might have reinforced the poignancy of the final shots (i.e. she is thinking of what we later assume to be her late grandma).

7. Not so keen on the shot of the girl getting onto the bus being followed by the shot of the bus departing, taken only a little to the right. The second shot didn't start 'differently enough', if that makes sense. I loved the jib up though and I'm going to guess that because the shot ended so nicely you were desperate to keep it in! I bet you were trying to get an all-in-one!

8. The long shot taken from the construction site, with just the feet in close up, left me wondering if the music was going to suddenly get creepy as we see the girl's stalker for the first time!

9. The shot introducing the Evergreen Village building was beautifully done.

10. Nicely wrong footed me at the end! Great story telling.

I would have been very proud to have made this film. Congratulations.

Ian . . .

Joseph Andolina · October 23rd, 2007, 09:58 PM

Ian,
thank you for your genereous feedback and comments. Much appreciated.
Some of the choices were made as requested by the Director/Writer of the piece. From a pacing standpoint of an editor, I fully agree about what you said on some of the longer takes, mainly with the opening scenes of the girl looking for the gift. The Directors' decisions were justified with the following: the overall scene was representing everything that we take for granted, being able to do everthing she was doing in the context of the scene. (being able to do things as simple as opening a chest, handling items, lifting a chair, climbing up it, etc... Everything many elderly people may have problems being able to do. My first instinct for the chest part was to cut it after she closes the chest bringing us into the dark and cut to her looking under the bed for example. But I fully understand the Directors' choices due to the project and what it was for.
Also, he wanted to have us see her on her journey out of the house, as she passes various people or locations that represented services that the Senior Services performs for the elderly, but not having her be overly concious of these things as she is on her journey. Not sure if that really would be a good choice, but I guess it was a choice he felt he wanted.
I was excited that it also won a Accolade Award for "Best Of Show"
It was a overall great experience for me and for all that were involved.
I love video/filmmaking, everything about the process and the final result. It's the most rewarding thing for me, whether I get paid or not. :)

Joe

Ian Stark · October 24th, 2007, 02:54 AM

As I said before, they were all minor points that didn't spoil the film for me at all. Your Best of Show Accolade is well deserved. Congratulations again!

David Clark · October 25th, 2007, 11:51 AM

Great job!!! It worked and brought a tear to eye at the end. The ONLY thing, and not any issue at all (which was the directors idea I'm sure) was her looking directly at the camera. The rest of the video seems as if we are watching her go through her day, as a bystander. Editing and camera work were very good. As far as dolly and jib shots, I think they were alright. I see camera jiggles in movies and shows alot. We are our own worst critics!

Anyway, final word is very good job.

Joseph Andolina · October 31st, 2007, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Clark

Great job!!! It worked and brought a tear to eye at the end. The ONLY thing, and not any issue at all (which was the directors idea I'm sure) was her looking directly at the camera. The rest of the video seems as if we are watching her go through her day, as a bystander. Editing and camera work were very good. As far as dolly and jib shots, I think they were alright. I see camera jiggles in movies and shows alot. We are our own worst critics!

Anyway, final word is very good job.

Thanks David :) Much appreciated. Speaking of tears, Hank the Director & Writer told us when the Clent first saw the final cut, it brought tears to some of their eyes. We were elated to hear that and knew then that we did our job. Their original thought of what they thought Hank would present to them would be the usual "talking heads" industrial video, but were thrilled to see the end result as a story based video. I love working with Hank, not only because he is a tallented writer & director, and a good friend, but because he wants to create something special, something that can touch and hopefully inspire the viewer.
I recently worked on a project with Hank for Boeing, and that also did not take the "talking heads" approach.

Joe

Eric Brown · November 5th, 2007, 08:40 PM

Joseph, great work. I won't chime in on anything critcal because I believe it's been gone over already. So just wanted to comment on it being an overall effective piece. Also, I'm down in Shoreline so if you ever need a second XL2 on a project let me know.

October 5th, 2007, 04:39 AM	#1
Joseph Andolina Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 178	Promotional Video Posting Wanted to get anyone's opinion on this 8 min. piece I did camera for with my XL2. It's a promotional piece done for Snohomish County Senior Services in Everett, WA. I'm proud to say it helped raise a bunch of money for them at one of their fundraisers. We shot it at 24pn. Joe http://home.comcast.net/~lynxrecords...ANK_BOEING.mov

October 10th, 2007, 10:50 AM	#4
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	Joseph, that was lovely. Really enjoyed the story telling, most of the shot angles were just great. the music fitted well. Yup, good piece of work and deserves all the fundraising bucks it generated. But you don't just want praise do ya?! You want opinion and constructive criticism! To be honest, all of these are minor details that probably don't have a major impact on the whole film, but did call attention to themselves, at least for me. Please don't think they spoiled my enjoyment of the film because they didn't - its great. I watched it through twice and then reviewed a few scenes several more times. Here are my thoughts: 1. The girl bends down to look inside a wicker basket. When she stands up, the window is in frame and it's very bright. I thought the exposure on her was fine, but maybe something to reduce the burn on the window? Some black organza material would do the trick and not be noticed in the shot (even if it stands out a mile on the set). 2. Personally I like the handheld bits cut in with the tripod shots - gives some sense of urgency to her search. Maybe just a few too many handheld shots and occasionally you're cutting off the top of her head. 3. Nicely done with the shots from inside the chest and under the bed. 4. Maybe lingered a wee bit too long on a few shots. For example, do we need to see her locking the chest? Both locks? For me that is an overall observation of the film - I think you could have told the same story, with the same build up, in a shorter amount of time, just by shortening many of the shots as well as losing shots that don't drive the story forward. For example, when she passes the maintenance guy. Couldn't see the point there. In fact, in that example I found myself straining to see what was written on the side of the van, in case I'd missed something. That thought was then reinforced when we see the Nutrition Services van later. 5. Loved the shoe tying scene. 6. See what you mean about the first jimmy jib shot. Hey ho. Live and learn! I was more bothered by the fact that the girl didn't cast a glance at the elderly lady being helped into the van. A wistful smile in the elderly lady's direction might have reinforced the poignancy of the final shots (i.e. she is thinking of what we later assume to be her late grandma). 7. Not so keen on the shot of the girl getting onto the bus being followed by the shot of the bus departing, taken only a little to the right. The second shot didn't start 'differently enough', if that makes sense. I loved the jib up though and I'm going to guess that because the shot ended so nicely you were desperate to keep it in! I bet you were trying to get an all-in-one! 8. The long shot taken from the construction site, with just the feet in close up, left me wondering if the music was going to suddenly get creepy as we see the girl's stalker for the first time! 9. The shot introducing the Evergreen Village building was beautifully done. 10. Nicely wrong footed me at the end! Great story telling. I would have been very proud to have made this film. Congratulations. Ian . . . __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

October 24th, 2007, 02:54 AM	#6
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	As I said before, they were all minor points that didn't spoil the film for me at all. Your Best of Show Accolade is well deserved. Congratulations again! __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

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October 6th, 2007, 09:55 AM	#2
Jack Barker Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 342	It was very nice! I liked the shots that were low - even lower than the little girl, who was perfect. Especially liked the overhead on the bed shot. My only criticism would be to suggest using a tripod more often. It gives every shot a smoother, more professional look.

October 23rd, 2007, 09:58 PM	#5
Joseph Andolina Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 178	Ian, thank you for your genereous feedback and comments. Much appreciated. Some of the choices were made as requested by the Director/Writer of the piece. From a pacing standpoint of an editor, I fully agree about what you said on some of the longer takes, mainly with the opening scenes of the girl looking for the gift. The Directors' decisions were justified with the following: the overall scene was representing everything that we take for granted, being able to do everthing she was doing in the context of the scene. (being able to do things as simple as opening a chest, handling items, lifting a chair, climbing up it, etc... Everything many elderly people may have problems being able to do. My first instinct for the chest part was to cut it after she closes the chest bringing us into the dark and cut to her looking under the bed for example. But I fully understand the Directors' choices due to the project and what it was for. Also, he wanted to have us see her on her journey out of the house, as she passes various people or locations that represented services that the Senior Services performs for the elderly, but not having her be overly concious of these things as she is on her journey. Not sure if that really would be a good choice, but I guess it was a choice he felt he wanted. I was excited that it also won a Accolade Award for "Best Of Show" It was a overall great experience for me and for all that were involved. I love video/filmmaking, everything about the process and the final result. It's the most rewarding thing for me, whether I get paid or not. :) Joe

October 25th, 2007, 11:51 AM	#7
David Clark Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Carrollton, Texas Posts: 145	Great job!!! It worked and brought a tear to eye at the end. The ONLY thing, and not any issue at all (which was the directors idea I'm sure) was her looking directly at the camera. The rest of the video seems as if we are watching her go through her day, as a bystander. Editing and camera work were very good. As far as dolly and jib shots, I think they were alright. I see camera jiggles in movies and shows alot. We are our own worst critics! Anyway, final word is very good job.

November 5th, 2007, 08:40 PM	#9
Eric Brown Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 427	Joseph, great work. I won't chime in on anything critcal because I believe it's been gone over already. So just wanted to comment on it being an overall effective piece. Also, I'm down in Shoreline so if you ever need a second XL2 on a project let me know.