New DVX100A Short Film, "The Light" at DVinfo.net

Russell Pond · September 17th, 2004, 09:57 AM

I just finished editing my third short, "The Light". I would love to hear your thoughts both from a technical point of view and an artistic point of view. The web version of the short may come across dark, since 90% of the short was shot in darkness. I recommend the MPEG version since the gamma has been adjusted for that one.

http://www.toppup.com/thelight/movie

Running Time is about 9 minutes.

Thanks,
Russell

Jim Quinlan · September 17th, 2004, 11:36 AM

Russell, I viewed the wm9 version and it wasn't too dark. It was actually very clear - better than most that I've seen. I'm curious if you used any gain and how did you light the talent?

The only part of the short I wasn't crazy about was the feet at the beginning. It was ok at first but soon my attention started drifting. Other than that, I really enjoyed the movie and the message. The photography was excellent and I particularly liked the way you did the flashbacks when the hand touched the light.

Great job!

Michael Wisniewski · September 17th, 2004, 09:17 PM

Well done! I liked it, even though I'm not very religious. That actually sounds like my girlfriend and of course she loved it. I agree the feet intro feels like it needs a bit of work. I wanted it shorter or more interesting.

But really liked the photography, lighting, and editing. Very simple but used to good effect for the story. It did not look too dark at all on my computer screen.

If you haven't already, you should submit it to Damah.org.

Michael Bernstein · September 18th, 2004, 01:22 AM

Cut the feet. They seem out of place, and don't (for me) match the tone of the rest of the piece.

Beautifully put together. Stark, effective. I particularly liked the performance of your main doubter (Eddie Malley, I believe).

But what makes this a good sermon weakens it as a movie: It has a clear religious point of view, and a simplified portrayal of both doubt and the acceptance of faith.

I think that anyone with the tiniest religious spark knows that we can experience many sorts of doubt. The movie portrays one very specific sort; it felt narrow to me.

Also, the movie seems to define the acceptance of faith as a very black-and-white matter. Since that's central to the movie, and since I don't accept that one tenet, the movie doesn't work for me as a story.

Maybe it's unfair of me to say that the movie simplifies things too much. After all, it's only ten minutes long. But the movie does seem to depend on basic assumptions about not only faith but what is Good--and I don't share those assumptions.

All that said, it's still one of the most interesting movies I've seen on the 'net.

Michael

David Chao · September 19th, 2004, 08:58 PM

OK, Russell, what did you edit with and what was the filter you used for the white light flashes? I'm new to editing and trying to learn as much as I can... please share your techniques.

Thank you!

Russell Pond · September 20th, 2004, 10:49 AM

First of all, thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts and ideas about the short. I really enjoy that kind of feedback because it really helps me to polish future projects.

Opening feet: I have heard that most people don't really like this opening. The goal was to show the woman walking confidently towards "the door", with the man following quickly after, confused and distraught. I have learned that it's very hard to act with just your feet. I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this.

Michael W., yes, I did submit it to Damah. I actually created this short with Damah in mind. Their deadline for submissions was Sept, and so we completed the short on August 31st. :)

Michael B., thanks for the comments. Even though you don't agree with most of the message, I'm glad to know it made you think. That was the goal of this project.

David, the entire piece was edited on Final Cut Pro. Every shot had a diffuse filter (to soften it a bit) and a levels filter (to blacken the blacks and whiten the whites). Both filters were part of the Joe's Filters (www.joesfilters.com). The light zoom effect was done using a Boris BCC Light Zoom filter. Saturation was removed to make it black and white using the Color Correction plug in from FCP.

The white flash edits were done with a camera flash plug in. I'm not sure where I got that filter, but I use it quite a bit. It's really powerful, because it's not just a white cross dissolve. It actually blows out the video nicely. You can do a search and find some plug ins for that effects. It's pretty common.

Thanks again, everyone.

Russell

Marcin Tyszka · September 20th, 2004, 05:31 PM

I love that short film..its great... Guys can anyone tell me how is it done... when there is a cut and between the cuts there is a white flash it was also done in 13 ghosts movie..how is it done??? I have premiere and pinacle... can anyone tell me?? and where can i get sounds for the films?? maybe some famous dv websites????

Kevin Kwak · September 21st, 2004, 03:15 AM

Very nice indeed. Good job on the original score. Good luck.

Russell Pond · September 21st, 2004, 04:57 AM

Marcin, the white flash plug in that I use is called "EE Camera Flash" by Effects Essential. I also combine it with the standard deinterlace to reduce the flashing effect. And, if you'd like to download the free After Effects Plug in, you can download it here: http://www.buena.com/ee/cameraflash.html (Not sure about how to do this Premiere.) I have also used Flash Across by Eureka. This is also a free download (www.kafwang.com/EUREKA/EurekaMain.html).

Kevin, the lady that did the score did a great job! I was so impressed with her work. Her website is www.scoregarden.com. She scored the entire short film.

There is a great service for filmmakers called VersusMedia (www.versusmedia.com) that helps you find great composer and musicians for your projects and very, very low costs. Basically, you post your request, and new musicians and artist then contact you. I did this for my short film and had like 10 or 15 really talented muscians contact me. It was great.

Russell

Marcin Tyszka · September 21st, 2004, 05:24 AM

I also have after effects I'm figuring out how it works... Thanks for all the information ohh and where do i put the plug ins??? there are many folders with plug ins I never know where t oput additional ones.

Bryan Roberts · September 21st, 2004, 08:22 AM

I think someone has some excellent talent in post production but could use a little help DP wise. Some of the shots, like the walking shots, just felt flat and dead. They felt a bit lowbudgetish. I understand that you need them for the message of the piece, but I think it'd be more effective without starting that way. Also, the framing wasn't the best on the over the shoulders.

My expectations of the piece as a whole dropped dramatically when I saw your opening shots because they didn't match the higher production level of the rest of the short.

I must disagree with Michael about your lead role. I thought he did a good job up until he met his friend. I think at that point, he turned almost manic. This "door" to me became an insanity portal or something. I think it might have been the fire in his eyes saying some of the lines or the chimes / "song" in his head. I think I identified with his friend more where he was like: "what are you doing!?" and then went to get help. I think if I saw someone doing these things in front of a door, like convulsing while having flashbacks to his past, I'd call the mental ward. I thought a nice twist would have been to show all three of them at the conclusion in straight jackets while playing the chimes. I guess I'd have less criticism regarding the message if it weren't, as Michael said, so one sided or black and white. Ah, but I'm a cynical sarcastic ass and most of my dramatic criticism disregards the symbolism so pay me no mind.

I think the strongest point of the piece is the post production work. Nice job!

Jose di Cani · November 6th, 2004, 06:37 PM

HI

I was interested to see gl2 videos.

First of all. The movie has some amazing scenes with candle lights and nice depresive moods in them, BUT I saw lots of flaws

THings you should improve:

- the story was strange. What was the red line of the story
- strange of cutting from one scene to another( for instance the shot going through a empty room close to the flloor, suddenly a picture is faded in and out. I don't get it.
- some noticable shakes of you cam (strange)
- shot outdoor look video, shots inside look film.
- you have some amazing scenes, but some of them just blew the whole feel into peaces.

Things I like:

- scene from the celing down on the bed
- seen of the change of light into dark (window). Very good stuff there
- water dropping on the table effect. Loved that part
- some very nice dramatic scenes with lots of colour and detail.

In general, a strange video which could be done much much better. It is in the details and the story. SHOw a story!

September 17th, 2004, 09:57 AM	#1
Russell Pond Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Euless, Texas Posts: 36	New DVX100A Short Film, "The Light" I just finished editing my third short, "The Light". I would love to hear your thoughts both from a technical point of view and an artistic point of view. The web version of the short may come across dark, since 90% of the short was shot in darkness. I recommend the MPEG version since the gamma has been adjusted for that one. http://www.toppup.com/thelight/movie Running Time is about 9 minutes. Thanks, Russell

September 17th, 2004, 11:36 AM	#2
Jim Quinlan Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 177	Russell, I viewed the wm9 version and it wasn't too dark. It was actually very clear - better than most that I've seen. I'm curious if you used any gain and how did you light the talent? The only part of the short I wasn't crazy about was the feet at the beginning. It was ok at first but soon my attention started drifting. Other than that, I really enjoyed the movie and the message. The photography was excellent and I particularly liked the way you did the flashbacks when the hand touched the light. Great job! __________________ Jim

September 18th, 2004, 01:22 AM	#4
Michael Bernstein Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 114	Cut the feet. They seem out of place, and don't (for me) match the tone of the rest of the piece. Beautifully put together. Stark, effective. I particularly liked the performance of your main doubter (Eddie Malley, I believe). But what makes this a good sermon weakens it as a movie: It has a clear religious point of view, and a simplified portrayal of both doubt and the acceptance of faith. I think that anyone with the tiniest religious spark knows that we can experience many sorts of doubt. The movie portrays one very specific sort; it felt narrow to me. Also, the movie seems to define the acceptance of faith as a very black-and-white matter. Since that's central to the movie, and since I don't accept that one tenet, the movie doesn't work for me as a story. Maybe it's unfair of me to say that the movie simplifies things too much. After all, it's only ten minutes long. But the movie does seem to depend on basic assumptions about not only faith but what is Good--and I don't share those assumptions. All that said, it's still one of the most interesting movies I've seen on the 'net. Michael __________________ Michael Bernstein, actor & film maker. 10 films in 10 weeks: www.amplecatnap.com

September 20th, 2004, 05:31 PM	#7
Marcin Tyszka Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 54	hello all ..new to here I love that short film..its great... Guys can anyone tell me how is it done... when there is a cut and between the cuts there is a white flash it was also done in 13 ghosts movie..how is it done??? I have premiere and pinacle... can anyone tell me?? and where can i get sounds for the films?? maybe some famous dv websites????

September 21st, 2004, 05:24 AM	#10
Marcin Tyszka Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 54	Thank you I also have after effects I'm figuring out how it works... Thanks for all the information ohh and where do i put the plug ins??? there are many folders with plug ins I never know where t oput additional ones.

September 17th, 2004, 09:17 PM	#3
Michael Wisniewski Wrangler Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Makati, Metro Manila Posts: 2,706 Images: 32	Well done! I liked it, even though I'm not very religious. That actually sounds like my girlfriend and of course she loved it. I agree the feet intro feels like it needs a bit of work. I wanted it shorter or more interesting. But really liked the photography, lighting, and editing. Very simple but used to good effect for the story. It did not look too dark at all on my computer screen. If you haven't already, you should submit it to Damah.org.

September 19th, 2004, 08:58 PM	#5
David Chao Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 26	OK, Russell, what did you edit with and what was the filter you used for the white light flashes? I'm new to editing and trying to learn as much as I can... please share your techniques. Thank you!

September 20th, 2004, 10:49 AM	#6
Russell Pond Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Euless, Texas Posts: 36	First of all, thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts and ideas about the short. I really enjoy that kind of feedback because it really helps me to polish future projects. Opening feet: I have heard that most people don't really like this opening. The goal was to show the woman walking confidently towards "the door", with the man following quickly after, confused and distraught. I have learned that it's very hard to act with just your feet. I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this. Michael W., yes, I did submit it to Damah. I actually created this short with Damah in mind. Their deadline for submissions was Sept, and so we completed the short on August 31st. :) Michael B., thanks for the comments. Even though you don't agree with most of the message, I'm glad to know it made you think. That was the goal of this project. David, the entire piece was edited on Final Cut Pro. Every shot had a diffuse filter (to soften it a bit) and a levels filter (to blacken the blacks and whiten the whites). Both filters were part of the Joe's Filters (www.joesfilters.com). The light zoom effect was done using a Boris BCC Light Zoom filter. Saturation was removed to make it black and white using the Color Correction plug in from FCP. The white flash edits were done with a camera flash plug in. I'm not sure where I got that filter, but I use it quite a bit. It's really powerful, because it's not just a white cross dissolve. It actually blows out the video nicely. You can do a search and find some plug ins for that effects. It's pretty common. Thanks again, everyone. Russell

September 21st, 2004, 03:15 AM	#8
Kevin Kwak Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 91	Very nice indeed. Good job on the original score. Good luck.

September 21st, 2004, 04:57 AM	#9
Russell Pond Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Euless, Texas Posts: 36	Marcin, the white flash plug in that I use is called "EE Camera Flash" by Effects Essential. I also combine it with the standard deinterlace to reduce the flashing effect. And, if you'd like to download the free After Effects Plug in, you can download it here: http://www.buena.com/ee/cameraflash.html (Not sure about how to do this Premiere.) I have also used Flash Across by Eureka. This is also a free download (www.kafwang.com/EUREKA/EurekaMain.html). Kevin, the lady that did the score did a great job! I was so impressed with her work. Her website is www.scoregarden.com. She scored the entire short film. There is a great service for filmmakers called VersusMedia (www.versusmedia.com) that helps you find great composer and musicians for your projects and very, very low costs. Basically, you post your request, and new musicians and artist then contact you. I did this for my short film and had like 10 or 15 really talented muscians contact me. It was great. Russell

September 21st, 2004, 08:22 AM	#11
Bryan Roberts Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 436	I think someone has some excellent talent in post production but could use a little help DP wise. Some of the shots, like the walking shots, just felt flat and dead. They felt a bit lowbudgetish. I understand that you need them for the message of the piece, but I think it'd be more effective without starting that way. Also, the framing wasn't the best on the over the shoulders. My expectations of the piece as a whole dropped dramatically when I saw your opening shots because they didn't match the higher production level of the rest of the short. I must disagree with Michael about your lead role. I thought he did a good job up until he met his friend. I think at that point, he turned almost manic. This "door" to me became an insanity portal or something. I think it might have been the fire in his eyes saying some of the lines or the chimes / "song" in his head. I think I identified with his friend more where he was like: "what are you doing!?" and then went to get help. I think if I saw someone doing these things in front of a door, like convulsing while having flashbacks to his past, I'd call the mental ward. I thought a nice twist would have been to show all three of them at the conclusion in straight jackets while playing the chimes. I guess I'd have less criticism regarding the message if it weren't, as Michael said, so one sided or black and white. Ah, but I'm a cynical sarcastic ass and most of my dramatic criticism disregards the symbolism so pay me no mind. I think the strongest point of the piece is the post production work. Nice job!

November 6th, 2004, 06:37 PM	#12
Jose di Cani Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Holland, Europe Posts: 214	HI I was interested to see gl2 videos. First of all. The movie has some amazing scenes with candle lights and nice depresive moods in them, BUT I saw lots of flaws THings you should improve: - the story was strange. What was the red line of the story - strange of cutting from one scene to another( for instance the shot going through a empty room close to the flloor, suddenly a picture is faded in and out. I don't get it. - some noticable shakes of you cam (strange) - shot outdoor look video, shots inside look film. - you have some amazing scenes, but some of them just blew the whole feel into peaces. Things I like: - scene from the celing down on the bed - seen of the change of light into dark (window). Very good stuff there - water dropping on the table effect. Loved that part - some very nice dramatic scenes with lots of colour and detail. In general, a strange video which could be done much much better. It is in the details and the story. SHOw a story!