I thought it was pretty cool.

But then again, I am a slighty warped individual.

Very nice surrealistic work! It suited the music very well.

"Few" framegrabs from a stupid/comedy video about cats I am doing.
 

I was bored and I thought "why not do a stupid video about cats, since theres about 12 of them out in my driveway everyday?" So I am doing one where it's (probably me) a dude that looks crazy talking about cats (interview style), just describing what cats like to do and all this other stuff, and then it would be mainly composed of animal planet channel style footage of cats doing stuff (sleeping, eating, pooping...etc), some of which I shot today.

So, here's a few (many) framegrabs of some of the video.

The low resolution of my $350 camera is apparent, but other then that, the video looks awesome. When I shoot more I'm going to try to find a way to use a tripod head on the ground or something, since all this video I shot was handheld laying on the ground, it's shake free though. You'll probably notice some bad focusing in a few (along with interlacing artifacts) but it's hard focusing with a scroll wheel and a terrible black and white viewfinder while laying on the ground. :D

"Color corrected" in Vegas Video 4.0.


http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328233/10.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328218/1.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328218/2.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328218/3.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328218/4.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328218/5.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328233/6.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328233/7.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328233/8.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328233/9.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328235/11.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/328235/12.jpg


Comments are good.

Ah, cats. Gotta love 'em. Thanks for sharing the frames. I love #10, and 6. Gorgeous everything. And 9 is right in there, too. What's with the ears on #11?

Good video idea, too. My sister in Kansas wants me to do a companion video for a book she's trying to finish about cats. Would be loads of fun for me if she ever gets her part done.

Alex,

Check out this cat film at iFilm...it'll crack you up.

Haha. That was pretty entertaining, John. How (why?) in the world would that black cat walk on it's front legs like that???

Thanks for sharing the link.

You shouldn't. I checked it out and thought that it was a funny
short. I liked the B&W look. The beginning was too slow for my
taste though and the conversion was a bit hard to watch,
although it got better when the guy stepped in (usually people
don't fall for eachother *that* fast though <g>).

A bit more people talking (muffled) in the back might have made
it a bit more like a cafe instead of just two people talking.

DV Film fests...
 

Wasn't sure where to put this, but what's the current (evolving) state of digital film fests? I know there are a bunch of specialty fests with DV in the title, mostly suited for lower budget fare, and it looks like Cannes/Sundance/Toronto/Telluride went digital by Y2K, but what about the middle to large fests? Are they in or out on digital projection?

Is the projector cost prohibitive for them? Would you guys push your work to Beta if you entered a fest?

thanks
alex

New York has a video festival.

NY digifest?
 

I think I saw that one... cool - thanks
alex

John,
It looks good. The lighting is good, the sound is good, and I like the music. The ending sent shivers up my spine.

Thanks for leaving the post up... but if you've changed your mind, there is an edit button below your post...

(Did I see one lapse of continuity in the elevator? As soon as they get in it looks like the guy has good teeth.)

That was very cool. I'm a big fan of Tool, so this is right up there.

I'm not sure if the video had any relevance to the song though? But then again, which ones do anymore?

-Nori

I enjoyed this short John and thought you did a great job. The acting was also good in my opinion.

The one thing I would change is in the restaurant when she first sees the teeth, I would emphasize a close up of the messed up teeth with an appropriate sound byte (or should I say bite :)

I also would remove the few F@#% words. But that's just my old fashioned way of thinking.

I only hope I can make a short as good as this some day. It's not perfect but pretty darned good. Thanks for sharing it.

Alex,

How do you get that soft look?
I have a project where this would fit.

Mind telling me how you do it?

not a fan

It's all done in Vegas, baby. ;)

Seriously though. I'll have to write up another "tutorial" on this method, but anyway, i'll describe it the best I can.

In vegas, make 2 video track layers, and duplicate the same video clip and sync them up on both layers, and set the top layer to "screen" (composition mode) and then add a small light guassasian (sp) blur to the bottom video layer, and since the screen makes it brighter, take the brightness down of the bottom layer. Now, I adjust the color curves of the top layer, with regular S curves. Then, I add some more stuff to just the bottom layer, such as HSL Adjust (bump up the saturation all the way), and then the "color correction", and generally give the bottom layer more blueish on the lows, and on the mids, orange/redish...

If you don't have Vegas, i'm sure you can do something similar in AE or other programs....

Good luck, hope this helped for now...

Great tip! Thanks...
Do you have more of them for diffrent styles?

Music Video Posted
 

I posted a low quality version of the music video, it is in windows media format and only 8 meg. 256Kbps

http://www.realnola.com/howlongweb.wmv

Go easy on my webserver now ok..

Let me know what you think, this is my first music video:)

Liked it... Very nice!

All funny stuff!

If you want to download that cat movie click here

The makeup and overall look reminded me of an H.R. Geiger piece.
Without the nasty teeth that is:).

Dude, that was GREAT! Very very very well done, it was awesome, you should win the contest.

Had a look at your music video.. I thought that it was rearly good.
I am just starting my 4th music vid now, and hope to post the url for it soon. Good luck on your next, and then the next. Music Videos are highly adictive you know.

huh
 

my servers are up??????? cool...

Kevin,

That was a decent video!

I bet you were pretty stressed for time while you were shooting, (unless the jet belonged to the band?).

If you don't mind suggestions for shots, I have a couple, both from a photographer's point of view, and from a bass players point of view.

You need more bass player!!!!!!!!

Just kidding. It is definately a plus to show what the members of the band look like, perhaps try using more close-ups. The low angle shots were neat, I would of liked to of seen some over-head shots as well though. And the main thing to remember is don't use a shot, just for the sake of using a shot. You will see in most videos, justification for using a shot. Example: show the guitar player during a guitar solo, show the drummer when he/she does a cool fill, and always show the vocalists when he/she starts singing, and during the choruses.

Just my two cents... well, one cent anyway.

-Nori

Shots
 

I did not get enough night video of the F-18's taking off or flying, it is hard and they were getting ready for a DET to Miami - I shot this on their weekend off. Yes the jet belongs to the US Navy and it was shot on a Naval Base. I was VERY limited with time and use of the aircraft. They did invite me out to shoot whatever I wanted during the day but i cant use that daytime stuff. I was stuck with using what I had of the band.

the problem was by the time we got our low shots, the sun was completely set and the sky was black. I did not have a second day to shoot. I was forced to make do with literally three entire takes - out of about 20 or so!

The bas player was bummed because I didn't get a lot of him on their last live show lol.. I made up for it..

For those of you who weren't able to get your hands on a copy of the magazine, I've scanned it. You can read it here: http://thechineseshoes.com (Check in the press section.)

It's never too late to order the magazine direct: http://www.moviemaker.com

Question on linking Lady X
 

Hello...

I run a website and I wanna link to Lady X episodes. Someone
told me that I'm _not_ allowed to link directly to the download
site (i.e. http://www.../theater/e09/episode_09.shtml) only to
the main site www.ladyxfilms.com. Is that right? I mean I don't
want to hotlink any .mov file, I talk about the download page.

If thats true and it _is_ forbidden, I would really like to know the
reason since if you put in keywords lady+x+episode+09 at Google
you'll get excact the same URL I'm not allowed to link to (i.e.
http://www.../theater/e09/episode_09.shtml) as result no. 1.

Background: I have a link to the Lady X main site on my links page
but it would be nice to have the other links listed as an overview
of movies I played in.

Have a great day everyone.

Till

Till,

No problem with linking directly to any page at Lady X.

When we first started up, the site was designed with frames which made direct linking impossible. Now the frames have been removed, so feel free to link to anything.

P.S. Let us know the URL of the page(s) linking to us and we'll list it in the "News" section.

Thanks for posting the article. I saw the trailer a while back, so I was familiar with your work. Excellent job on the film (and the article).

Charlotte Sometimes Screening Washington D.C.
 

A friend asked me to post this info about his new movie Charlotte Sometimes...

Dear Washington D.C. Area Friends,

Thanks to some key reviews and two Independent Spirit Award nominations,
“charlotte sometimes” is being released in theaters STARTING THIS FRIDAY,
AUGUST 22ND.

It's been 10 months since the D.C. Asian Pacific Film Festival's screening
of my debut feature, "charlotte sometimes." It was an honor and a
homecoming for me (I spent 5 years in the D.C. area as a kid, and my parents
have lived here since 1990), as well as a sold-out and fun-filled event.

Now I'm back for the Washington, D.C. for Friday’s premiere at the historic
Avalon Theatre, followed by a reception at the new D.C. location of Cafe
Asia. All the details are included below. I’d love to see all of you
there, and please forward this to friends and help spread the word.

It promises to be quite an evening -- the 7 o’clock hour screening will be
followed by a Q/A session, and if you’re hungry, yummy food at Café Asia.
See you on the 22nd!!!!

Yours truly,
Eric Byler (writer/director of "charlotte sometimes"

W A S H I N G T O N , D. C. P R E I M I E R E
Friday, August 22nd
7 o’clock hour screening (exact time TBA)
Avalon Theatre
5612 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20015-2604
(202) 966-6000
http://www.theavalon.org
**director in person opening night, 8/22 and all day 8/23

Followed by Dinner hosted by APA Film and writer/director Eric Byler at

Cafe Asia DC (new location)
1720 I Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
202-659-2696

Directions from Avalon Theatre to Café Asia (new location):

1: Start out going Southeast on CONNECTICUT AVE NW toward NORTHAMPTON ST NW.
4.79 miles
2: CONNECTICUT AVE NW becomes 17TH ST NW. 0.08 miles
3: Turn RIGHT onto I ST NW/ EYE ST NW. 0.02 miles
Total Estimated Time: Total Distance: 4.89 miles 12 minutes

To view trailer and other cool stuff:
http://www.buzztone.com/cs/

Official website:
http://www.CharlotteSometimesTheMovie.com

"Every once in a while I go to see a movie, out of maybe 400 movies I see in
a year, that with its authority, and its mood, and its tone, and its
tension, simply captures you; totally absorbs you. That's what CHARLOTTE
SOMETIMES did to me...."
--Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

"...A tiny film that reflects a large talent! ...Like [Eric] Rohmer,
Mr.Byler keeps his camera at a discreet distance from his actors, declining
the easy emotional emphasis of close-ups in favor of the complex interaction
of two actors sharing the same frame, communicating through glances and
gestures rather than words."
--Dave Kehr, THE NEW YORK TIMES

"...Every image is charged with wit, significance and emotion. A work of the
utmost subtlety and perception, it marks the outstanding feature debut of
writer-director Eric Byler, who understands the power of the implicit and
the virtues of simplicity and economy."
--Kevin Thomas, LOS ANGELES TIMES

Kick ASS !

excellent dude, i love the detail, and the lighting, really nice work, did you use effects inthe post to give a film look ? like magic bullet, or fields kit ? it is done in frame mode, or passed to 24p ?

well, too much question, i am currently rendering my first short that i co produce with a friend... i will post it soon.

Keep the good work, and congrats !

It's an intriguing story.

Just as intriguing are the technical aspects of how it looks.

For all of you who are interested in that "film look" from video equipment, this is something I highly recommend seeing.

Check out the website for other screenings.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions.

Hi Agus,

I'm really glad you liked the movie! Believe it or not, we didn't use ANY post effects at all....the movie the way you saw it was raw DV...the look was all lighting. We did however use a soft fx filter for our XL1s (mostly to just soften out the video.) Frame mode was also used, and our frame rate was 29.97fps.

Very well made video, simply impressing.

Tom Green Contest Music Video...
 

Here's a quickie music video I did for this tom green show contest, "why should glenn and tom come to your town".

I had very limited time to do it (I did the beat, wrote and recorded the song in about 5 hours, and shot all this stuff for the video in a few hours, pretty much all tripod shots. I wish I was doing it for someone else so I could of done moving shots, and I didn't have time/access to get most of the "story" shots, that I wanted. I managed to edit this together from what I had gotten, though.)

Enjoy, and hopefully it will be on his show soon, heh.

ftp://24.209.61.85/Tom_Green_Contest_Video.wmv
(Right Click > Save target as)

very funny stuff. I'm not going to regurgitate what has been said already, but I loved the driver joke at the end.

In a weird sort of way, I found that enjoyable - though I coulda done without the cat poo. But hey, that's very Tom Green-ish. Your projects are getting visibly better with each go. Good luck getting on the show! I doubt there are many other high schoolers out there as capable with Vegas and a cam as you.

BTW, what effects did you use to achieve that golden flickering look at the start of the video? Looks pretty cool.

Just got an email from the Ft. Lauderdale Film festival group. Charlotte Sometimes will be screening at Cinema Paradiso Sep 5 - 11 for those interested. I think it's free for members, not sure what the cost will be for non members.

'Joshua Calling' new shot on DV feature
 

Attention local FL movie makers and wannabes...

Joshua Calling is the first feature length film from South Florida filmmakers Brian Rosenthal and Jonathan Zietz. Many of you might know about Brian since he hangs out over at dv.com in the independent film forum. He made this film at the ripe old age of 20. It was shot on a JVC DV500, edited on a Premier/RTX100 based system.

synopsis from the Ft. Lauderdale Film festival group.

Gregory Endicott leads a perfect life - he's at the top of his class, has a promising career, supportive parents, and a loving girlfriend. When Gregory starts to suspect his twin brother, Joshua, is still alive, his life slowly begins to unravel. Gregory's journey to find out the truth leads him to the discovery of a dark family secret that will forever change him.

When...this coming Friday the 22nd 9:30 pm at Cinema Paradiso in Ft. Lauderdale.

Cinema Paradiso is located at 503 SE 6th Street, one block east of the county courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Please visit www.cinemaparadiso.org for map and directions.
Box Office # 954-525-3456


Sorry for the short notice, I just got the email.

Brian uses the handle 'Sparksnew' over at dv.com if you want to contact him.