Latest Short Film, Irene

[Brian Duke]

Finally finished my last short film. Enjoy and comments and feedback always welcome. Total departure from my other work.

Shot on GH4 and edited in FCPX.

YouTube (Short URL)

[Tim Lewis]

Nice work Brian. The actors performances were very solid and the cinematography was careful and deliberate in its execution. I would be proud of it if it were mine.

[Brian Duke]

Originally Posted by Tim Lewis

Nice work Brian. The actors performances were very solid and the cinematography was careful and deliberate in its execution. I would be proud of it if it were mine.

Thanks Tim, super appreciate those comments.. A very different film from what I normally do. Really a favor to one of the actors who wanted to make a more subdued film, so we did :)

Really have stepped up my game with color correction. It was shot back in March and learned so much since.. Getting the GH5 so Im gonna do some new films..

[Steven Digges]

Wow, a Duke film and all three of them did not get shot or blown up! How disappointing......Just kidding Brian.

I liked it. You kept it just strange enough to keep me interested. Your actors are always good. For friends, students or amateurs (whatever you said before) they are amazing. And you serve their time well for volunteering with the reel.

Color correction......I am sick of the overly dramatic, unnatural, deeply saturated look so prevalent right now. To me it looks like guys are overdoing it playing with Resolve and calling it a "look".

I liked this look. I thought you shot it a little flat on purpose. I saw it as natural and a little bit of an older feel to it. Those parts of California can be very drab. I'm glad you did not try to make them pop because they don't pop. The choice of car fit right in too with its color. My focus stayed on the actors, not the scenery, as it should be in a drama like this.

Good job Brian. I always find your work interesting even when it is not my thing.

I do have to comment on the soft shots here and there. I can't help it. I am an old sports shooter. If it wasn't sharp we got run off the job!

Kind Regards,

Steve

[Brian Duke]

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

Wow, a Duke film and all three of them did not get shot or blown up! How disappointing......Just kidding Brian.

I liked it. You kept it just strange enough to keep me interested. Your actors are always good. For friends, students or amateurs (whatever you said before) they are amazing. And you serve their time well for volunteering with the reel.

They were part of an acting class I ran, so yes they were my students, so I don't always get to cast my films, as I've been using the people in my class so I work with them as well as I can, but I'm always impressed how well they do, with sometimes very little experience. So I really do appreciate the feedback.

Color correction......I am sick of the overly dramatic, unnatural, deeply saturated look so prevalent right now. To me it looks like guys are overdoing it playing with Resolve and calling it a "look".

I liked this look. I thought you shot it a little flat on purpose. I saw it as natural and a little bit of an older feel to it. Those parts of California can be very drab. I'm glad you did not try to make them pop because they don't pop. The choice of car fit right in too with its color. My focus stayed on the actors, not the scenery, as it should be in a drama like this.

Color correction has been my nemesis for a while, but i think I am finally getting a hold of it, and it does make a big difference. It should just be right for the film, and not take away from it. I think if we focus on things other than the story and actors, the filmmaker didn't do a good enough job.

I do have to comment on the soft shots here and there. I can't help it. I am an old sports shooter. If it wasn't sharp we got run off the job!

I agree, I saw some stuff later. Part of the issue is that with the car stuff I can't monitor after I mount the camera and sometimes actors move after I've focused. Also working with a tiny GH4 monitor in the blazing sun isn't helping. And sometimes with focus peaking it can look like it's in focus, but be a hair off, and YES< I am with you, it should be sharp. I'm watching some Seinfeld episodes and stuff is just not in focus :)

THANKS SO MUCH again for taking the time to watch and leave feedback. It means a lot...