DVC5 Feedback

William Gardner · April 13th, 2006, 06:45 AM

Since my film got posted, I'll start off the Feedback threads.

My film is "Love Bites".

And for those who are interested, it was shot with a Sony Z1U camera, used Sennheiser G2 (?) wireless kit for sound (had a non-shotgun mike semi-boomed in for many shots, but ended up using the wireless lav for most), a Lowell light kit, and a Manfrotto tripod. It was edited on Premiere Pro 1.5 with the Cineform AspectHD codec/software, and used After Effects for the effects and titles.

This is my first shot at fiction, so please be kind if possible... :)

Cheers!
Bill

Meryem Ersoz · April 13th, 2006, 10:23 AM

this was pretty cute. nice use of location. that whole "location" requirement seems to be helping us to make better entries, i think.

the structure of it is nice and tight. it has a nice, light touch and sense of humor about it. good job!

Hugh DiMauro · April 13th, 2006, 10:31 AM

Bill, you humble bas***d!

What a story idea! Some poor schlub becomes a vampire and figures out a way to turn it into a blessing? Good music, great use of locations, FABULOUS "golden hour" shots and perfect FX mirror stuff. A mini "buddy" picture! I Loved it! Very original idea and use of storytelling tricks to move the script along in a coherent, entertaining fashion. You definitely spitballed that idea well. Alot of work went into that story arc. Thank you for an entertaining piece.

Lorinda Norton · April 13th, 2006, 11:13 AM

Good heavens! What an enterprising and resourceful vampire! Fun story, Bill. (Gotta love a lady vampire who takes the time to apply a bandaid before she leaves.) :)

Technically speaking, this movie (your work) is incredible. Beautiful shots, great cuts (really like the scene on the street with the cars!). And I agree with Hugh that the scenes with mirrors are so cool. I loved the tennis ball tossing, plus the fact that the guy in the liquor store couldn't see the vampire in the mirrors. LOL! Before I forget, what did he steal from there?

Your hard work paid off. This is a great movie. And I did what you asked--waited on the large wmv. It was worth it!

Bradley L Marlow · April 13th, 2006, 11:13 AM

Hi Bill - great job!

I liked the quirky humor that you used in your film. Gave it a nice feel. Loved the kid vampire (Alex)- especially the way he rolled his eyes. Hilarious! Your FX sequence with the mirror and tennis ball was terrific. Thought your use of locations worked very well too.

At first I thought, "What is this young boy doing in a Liquor Store?" Then knew- "Well! This kid can pretty much do whatever he wants!"

PS: I would like to acquire one of those female vampire ladies. Any help here is greatly appreciated.

Best Wishes~
Bradley

Chris Barcellos · April 13th, 2006, 11:28 AM

Great filming, location shots, and great editing and great effects. Not sure if being able to get a bottle of booze solved his inability to work days, but it certainly would make it easier for him to get through the days.....

Jerry Porter · April 13th, 2006, 11:36 AM

I liked it alot. The closing sequence really tied it all together for me.

William Gardner · April 13th, 2006, 11:46 AM

Thanks for the kind words, everybody.

I originally wanted the closing sequence to come before the credits, but ran out of time with the 5 minute limit. Hopefully, folks will check that out as I think it helps pull it together. In the "extended" version, the shots of Jay leaving the stores is intercut with shots of his booty being sold on Ebay. Again, I think this makes it more understandable but I couldn't squeeze that into the 5 minute requirement.

Thanks again! Looking forward to seeing everybody else's work!

Bill
PS: For those looking for sexy vampire dates, check out
www.vampire_escorts.com
:)

Bradley L Marlow · April 13th, 2006, 11:53 AM

Thanks for the link Bill. I used all of my credit cards, sucked a paypal account dry, wrote two rubber checks and am told she will arrive in 8 days. I'm checking the tracking number now.

Edward Slonaker · April 13th, 2006, 12:15 PM

Nice, nice, NICE, Bill! Really liked the night shots and the tennis ball/mirror sequence. Very well done.

I really need to dust off my Total Training DVDs on AE.....@#$%!

Ed.

Philip Gioja · April 13th, 2006, 12:50 PM

I really liked the mirror effects -- how did you do that? (Or is that a magician's secret?)

I liked the story idea, pretty clever. I guess my one hangup is just that he has to resort to petty theft to support his blood habit, which I guess is morally better than the normal flesh fare, but felt a little depressing or flat or something at the end. Still really great stuff though -- great film. We had a good time here at the office checking it out over lunch.

Michael Fossenkemper · April 13th, 2006, 01:11 PM

Great effects. looks like it took a fair bit of time in post. Some really nice shots too. Good take on the reflections bit. Ok, can everyone stop raising the bar?

Robert Martens · April 13th, 2006, 02:02 PM

Now these are the kind of effects I love most--you've got your explosions, and your Balrogs, and they have their place, but the simple stuff that actually advances the storytelling gets me every time. Relatively simple, that is, I know how much work goes into making even a few seconds of this kind of thing.

The tennis ball, the kid rolling his eyes, all those slick looking location shots, I'm very, very impressed. And I personally feel the end sequence is better this way, as opposed to what you described; a few quick shots of the character walking away from the stores in the same fashion, it's very effective, and made me laugh.

Excellent job!

Tyler Baptist · April 13th, 2006, 02:03 PM

Solid gold! Really fun and inventive, and I laughed so hard when they went into the liquor store, and I cued in on the genius idea of how you played with the cameras and mirrors there to create a definately unique spin on the vampire genre. Well written, well paced, hilarious, and damn entertaining! Good work!

Hugo Pinto · April 13th, 2006, 02:34 PM

Really good concept, really fun script, and really good shooting.

I can only imagine the effort the FX shots must have been!

It made me laugh hard. That alone must be a sign of success.

Hugo

April 13th, 2006, 06:45 AM	#1
William Gardner Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 216	DVC5 Feedback - Love Bites Since my film got posted, I'll start off the Feedback threads. My film is "Love Bites". And for those who are interested, it was shot with a Sony Z1U camera, used Sennheiser G2 (?) wireless kit for sound (had a non-shotgun mike semi-boomed in for many shots, but ended up using the wireless lav for most), a Lowell light kit, and a Manfrotto tripod. It was edited on Premiere Pro 1.5 with the Cineform AspectHD codec/software, and used After Effects for the effects and titles. This is my first shot at fiction, so please be kind if possible... :) Cheers! Bill

April 13th, 2006, 10:31 AM	#3
Hugh DiMauro Trustee Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,205	Please Be Kind, If Possible? Bill, you humble bas***d! What a story idea! Some poor schlub becomes a vampire and figures out a way to turn it into a blessing? Good music, great use of locations, FABULOUS "golden hour" shots and perfect FX mirror stuff. A mini "buddy" picture! I Loved it! Very original idea and use of storytelling tricks to move the script along in a coherent, entertaining fashion. You definitely spitballed that idea well. Alot of work went into that story arc. Thank you for an entertaining piece. __________________ Interesting, if true. And interesting anyway.

April 13th, 2006, 11:13 AM	#4
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	Good heavens! What an enterprising and resourceful vampire! Fun story, Bill. (Gotta love a lady vampire who takes the time to apply a bandaid before she leaves.) :) Technically speaking, this movie (your work) is incredible. Beautiful shots, great cuts (really like the scene on the street with the cars!). And I agree with Hugh that the scenes with mirrors are so cool. I loved the tennis ball tossing, plus the fact that the guy in the liquor store couldn't see the vampire in the mirrors. LOL! Before I forget, what did he steal from there? Your hard work paid off. This is a great movie. And I did what you asked--waited on the large wmv. It was worth it! __________________ Lorinda

April 13th, 2006, 11:28 AM	#6
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Great filming, location shots, and great editing and great effects. Not sure if being able to get a bottle of booze solved his inability to work days, but it certainly would make it easier for him to get through the days..... __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

April 13th, 2006, 12:15 PM	#10
Edward Slonaker Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hell's 6 acres in S. Texas Posts: 203	Nice, nice, NICE, Bill! Really liked the night shots and the tennis ball/mirror sequence. Very well done. I really need to dust off my Total Training DVDs on AE.....@#$%! Ed. __________________ Edward Slonaker El Pilon Productions San Patricio, Texas www.elpilon.com

April 13th, 2006, 10:23 AM	#2
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	this was pretty cute. nice use of location. that whole "location" requirement seems to be helping us to make better entries, i think. the structure of it is nice and tight. it has a nice, light touch and sense of humor about it. good job!

April 13th, 2006, 11:13 AM	#5
Bradley L Marlow Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Central Wyoming Posts: 484	Hi Bill - great job! I liked the quirky humor that you used in your film. Gave it a nice feel. Loved the kid vampire (Alex)- especially the way he rolled his eyes. Hilarious! Your FX sequence with the mirror and tennis ball was terrific. Thought your use of locations worked very well too. At first I thought, "What is this young boy doing in a Liquor Store?" Then knew- "Well! This kid can pretty much do whatever he wants!" PS: I would like to acquire one of those female vampire ladies. Any help here is greatly appreciated. Best Wishes~ Bradley

April 13th, 2006, 11:36 AM	#7
Jerry Porter Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Satellite Beach, Fl Posts: 784	I liked it alot. The closing sequence really tied it all together for me.

April 13th, 2006, 11:46 AM	#8
William Gardner Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 216	Thanks for the kind words, everybody. I originally wanted the closing sequence to come before the credits, but ran out of time with the 5 minute limit. Hopefully, folks will check that out as I think it helps pull it together. In the "extended" version, the shots of Jay leaving the stores is intercut with shots of his booty being sold on Ebay. Again, I think this makes it more understandable but I couldn't squeeze that into the 5 minute requirement. Thanks again! Looking forward to seeing everybody else's work! Bill PS: For those looking for sexy vampire dates, check out www.vampire_escorts.com :)

April 13th, 2006, 11:53 AM	#9
Bradley L Marlow Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Central Wyoming Posts: 484	Thanks for the link Bill. I used all of my credit cards, sucked a paypal account dry, wrote two rubber checks and am told she will arrive in 8 days. I'm checking the tracking number now.

April 13th, 2006, 12:50 PM	#11
Philip Gioja Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Piper City, IL Posts: 350	I really liked the mirror effects -- how did you do that? (Or is that a magician's secret?) I liked the story idea, pretty clever. I guess my one hangup is just that he has to resort to petty theft to support his blood habit, which I guess is morally better than the normal flesh fare, but felt a little depressing or flat or something at the end. Still really great stuff though -- great film. We had a good time here at the office checking it out over lunch.

April 13th, 2006, 01:11 PM	#12
Michael Fossenkemper Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: NYC, weeee. Posts: 417	Great effects. looks like it took a fair bit of time in post. Some really nice shots too. Good take on the reflections bit. Ok, can everyone stop raising the bar?

April 13th, 2006, 02:02 PM	#13
Robert Martens Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 820	Now these are the kind of effects I love most--you've got your explosions, and your Balrogs, and they have their place, but the simple stuff that actually advances the storytelling gets me every time. Relatively simple, that is, I know how much work goes into making even a few seconds of this kind of thing. The tennis ball, the kid rolling his eyes, all those slick looking location shots, I'm very, very impressed. And I personally feel the end sequence is better this way, as opposed to what you described; a few quick shots of the character walking away from the stores in the same fashion, it's very effective, and made me laugh. Excellent job!

April 13th, 2006, 02:03 PM	#14
Tyler Baptist Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Saskatoon, SK Canada Posts: 71	Solid gold! Really fun and inventive, and I laughed so hard when they went into the liquor store, and I cued in on the genius idea of how you played with the cameras and mirrors there to create a definately unique spin on the vampire genre. Well written, well paced, hilarious, and damn entertaining! Good work! __________________ Tyler Baptist

April 13th, 2006, 02:34 PM	#15
Hugo Pinto Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lisbon, Portugal Posts: 92	Really good concept, really fun script, and really good shooting. I can only imagine the effort the FX shots must have been! It made me laugh hard. That alone must be a sign of success. Hugo Last edited by Hugo Pinto; April 13th, 2006 at 03:19 PM.