How y'all doing?
 

How y'all doing out there?

Anyone finished shooting yet?

This is my first time competing and honestly the biggest thing for me is the time limit. I have such good ideas but have yet to find a way to fit it into three minutes.

Yeah, it was very hard to think of an idea that would fit 3 minutes, but I'm happy to say I think I came up with one that works well.

Principal photography is done, for me, but I do need to get some secondary material. Trouble there is a location. I think I have an idea, though. Hard finding a room that looks right.

Then some FX, finish up the edit and add some music. Probably some ADR, too.

Everyone else?


Travis, may I suggest writing out your full script, then working from that, either cutting it down or just taking the best 3 minutes and going with it?

I'm in Orange County CA, 100 miles from my home in San Diego which was evacuated due to massive wildfires closing in. Don't think I'll be entering this DVC. I hope to be able to find a house left and to be able to return to it sometime in the next week, but it looks like it might be there or it might not.

Talk about "Scare us"...

Bill

Gotta say, sounds like a great situation to film a horror short. Go for it!

Wow, Bill…I’m sure sorry. I hope it gets under control soon and you have your house when you get back. We’ll miss your entry, but hope that you'll jump in for some of the feedback fun if you can. Keep us posted, okay?

Thanks for the advice Daniel. I'll give that a shot.

Sorry to hear about your home Bill, hopefully you do have something to come back to, take care.

Hope all turns out OK Bill.

I am just about done filming and such. Still have a few things to redo and then continue in post. The main problem I am dealing with of course is the lighting but oh well Im doing what I can. I cannot wait to see what others have come up with.

Prinicpal shooting is, done, round edit doen, may need some supplemental shots, and sound additions. Sound track music an issue....

The real problem we all face is the "scarey" issue. As we shoot, edit, and reedit, and score, and reedit some more, the film we thought would scare becomes mundane....and I for one can't really tell whether its going to be successful in evoking that response-- especially with 40 other people who have been trying to get the same effect.... Oh well, such is life in the DV Challenge.

Dead-lock!
 

I think I am going to be hung on the wall of shame. I can't think of one decent idea. So not only have I not started shooting, I haven't even started writing anything down. Unless I can come up with an idea before the weekend, I'm out.

Stacy

Boy, do I sympathize! I’ve been in your situation many times (like right now) and pulled off something, so here’s hoping an idea comes to you soon, Stacy. And you can wish an idea for me while we’re at it. :)

Ha ha! Oh, Dylan, you make me laugh.

Bill, I'm pulling for you, here's hoping your home is unharmed when all is said and done. A lack of ideas is really nothing to complain about, considering.

That being said, I just so happen to lack ideas. Plenty of images, thoughts, feelings, that kind of thing, but no way to wrap a story around them. There's one tiny nugget rolling around in my mind right now, but it remains to be seen if I can pull it off.

Best of luck to everyone else who's twiddling their thumbs.

Bill,

Like Lorinda, I sincerely hope you come out okay on the wildfire. I watched the story this morning on the news. But you can always fly to Atlanta and direct one of my shorts. Give me the chance to be in front of the camera again.

Or send me your script. You always write excellent stories!

Dick

...and that is what kills me on this one. For reasons posted earlier, I have had to decline entry into DVC #10, however, the other night after the kickoff, I put together in my mind's eye a nice little short that would have been perfect for this DVC:

Very creepy,
Simple story,
a couple of 'gotchas'
Less violently suggestive than my entry for DVC 3 and virtually no gore,
possibly nightmare inducing.

Since there is no way I could manage to compete in this one (I'm teaching a class tonight and trying to finish a huge project this weekend.) I'm going to have to make some notes and save them in case I can develop the idea for a future opportunity.

-Jon

saturday was 70 degrees, sunday was 30 degrees, and monday was back in the 70s again. so guess which day was the only day that my principals were free? yes, that's right, we froze our tails off in the cemetery last sunday shooting this thing. my original cast of thousands scaled back to 8 while the rest of them stayed home drinking beer and watching the broncos. LOSERS!

but they were an earnest 8, and all is well, in reviewing the footage, i think that i am going to be able to pull this together. this will be my first DV Challenge entry ever that has not starred either me or my dog. i'm so pleased about that!

and the cast sat around the post-shoot dinner talking about what they want to do next. in fact, one of them has said that he will write the screenplay. screenplay??!! i don't know nuthin' bout no screenplays!

Bill,

Very sorry to hear what you're going through. I hope you find a house left and with little or NO damage when you can go back.

You and your family are in my thoughts.

Bruce Foreman

Hey Bill
Stay safe!
And... try and get some footage if you can! :)

Well, part two shot tonight. Quite dark, but I love the location. Time for some color adjustment.

Talked to a composer friend today as well. Good things happening...

Good to hear the zombie shoot went well, Meryem.

How's everyone else doing?

Any chance you'll work it out Bill? Might be able to get something good out of this terrible week. I know it would be tough, but a horror film isn't some full-sets-and-costumes drama. Just a camera, some trees, and some good ol' suspense ;)

Looks like the winds have shifted away from our neighborhood and the firefighters are getting the part of the fire near our home somewhat under control, though many, many regions remain out of control. We're hoping to return home Wednesday or Thursday, and it looks like our home will survive...

Thanks for the good wishes, everybody,
Bill
PS: Dylan, we didn't bring the video camera (I know, what kind of video geek am I? Well, we got up at 6:30 AM and left the house with 3 little kids at 7AM, so I didn't have much time to grab the camera). My wife had her digital still camera with her, so I'll try to post some stills if/when I get a chance.

Bill, best of luck and I hope you get back into your home soon.

I have an idea, but no where to shoot it. Kind of wishing for a hurricane-----Just Kidding God!

May hit the wall this time. Good luck to the rest of you.

Mike

had my nose in the editor for 2 days and nights and had no idea how bad the situation in CA had become...editing can be like that, sometimes.

hope you're ok, bill, and the rest of the state. sobering.

and a little ironic to be working on a horror flick when such devastation is all around. the pictures are unbelievable.

Damn, I didn't sign up though I'm just working on a 3 minute short that would fit the theme. Actually, it's a comedy but, hey, a german comedy, that's scary, isn't it?

The good news:
The evacuation order for our area has been lifted. We're going home today.

The bad news:
There's an evacuation order for Valley Center where Ronn Kilby lives. I tried sending Ronn an email but didn't get a response. Ronn, are you out there? Any news on your home? I have my fingers crossed for you...

Bill

You can still sign up! :)

Good news for you, Bill--that's quite a relief, I'm sure.

Very glad to read this update, Bill. Good for you.

I'm trying to stay updated on this also. I have family in that area and the ongoing reports have been pretty scary. I hope all is okay with Ronn.

-Jon

the links to the rules on dylan's blog site aren't working ("page not found"), and i haven't done one of these in a while.

what's the maximum time limit on our entries?

Hey Meryem, switching over to a new site, not totally finished.
New rule page:
http://thedvchallenge.blogspot.com/s...ficial%20Rules

Time limit 3 minutes + 20 seconds leeway/credits.

Stoked to see your zombie film!


Bill, glad you are safe, let's keep our fingers crossed that it gets under control soon!

I didn't start doing anything and I will not have time to do something this time.
As I don't want to be impaled on the wall of shame, I started doing a program for viewing DVC entries.
More details here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=106441

Benjamin.

Thanks for the inspiration. I have an idea but it would take to much time to put it together and I would have to rely on too many people so... Maybe I can come up with something to do alone (again).

Here's to you and hoping you can also pull it off!

Stacy

That is what I had to do, I knew I didn't have much time but I at least could enlist the services of my girl friend so I am not totally alone on this one. Good luck!

Thought I'd go ahead and post something.

Anyone else on to editing yet?

Yeah, I did a bit of editing. But I wanna refilm one thing. Will be doing that tonight.

mine's done, except i need a little help with a motion effect that i can't quite figure out.

i had to delete some of the scary parts to streamline it down to 3:20, to shoehorn the complete story in the timeframe. oh well, it was more campy than frightening from its inception, anyway. i hate to lose the gore just to tell the story, darn it, but there it is...

Idea #4 just got shot down because I can't persuade people to act. I'm refusing, at this point, to be in it myself; not that I can't be scary (just ask my son) but I don't want everyone else seeing my wicked side. ;)

*sigh* Here we go again...thinking, thinking, thinking...

I've got nothing. Want to collaborate?

-gb-

SURE!!! I just spent a bundle on a working trip to Seattle so am not sure how I'd pull it off, but tell me how to get there and we'll figure out a way to scare the bejeebers out of DV Info! :) Better yet, you come to Idaho...that's scary enough!

Still trying to round up all those people who were so hot on it initially that now seem to have vanished! Freddy Kruger! What have you done with my actors?

Shooting tonight, editing tomorrow and Saturday.

Dang It!
 

I've got my script finished. My actors are more interested in hunting than acting. I'm in trouble...

Shot the last scenes last night, uploading a trial render to youtube right now...

...Fingers crossed...


Worked! For once youtube compression actually helped this time. One segment the audio was so atrocious I considered subtitles. Outdoor shot in front of a house, busy highway and actors couldn't seem to speak up, plus I was getting signals main character was needing to bail out very early, so more takes of that was not an option.

Compression actually muted the trucks roaring past so you can now hear the dialog.