Antman's Short Film Contest #8 - Misunderstanding / open genre

[Shigeta]

Thanks everyone for organizing this contest. I am really enjoying it. My suggestion for the next theme is: Misunderstanding.
I feel this can turn into anything. Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Love Story…

-Playing




Judges:
HueyNRolf, Ratfink, and Cornreaper

The reserve judge in the case of a stalemate is
KingDucky

Videos are due by June 20th at 3pm (GMT -8) to the vimeo page located here (http://www.vimeo.com/groups/hdshorts)

Reminder of the Rules:
1) Can't be longer than 5 minutes
2) Shouldn't be rated over PG-13
3) Video should be posted on vimeo official page ONLY. Videos for the current theme will not be available to view until the contest deadline > managed by Shigeta, creator of the official page.
4) The winner can enter the next competition.
5) Use of copyrighted material/songs : as long as it's not the center point/plot of the story, it's allowed. Otherwise user will be disqualified. Example : the coca-cola can/SONY tv somewhere in the movie isn't considered as a copyrighted infringement.

As far as it goes, that's the most up to date rules.

[Daniel Rutter]

A very interesting theme, I'll see what I can do about this one. I need to get out and shoot some drama to wash off this comedy theatre crap I've been working on for the last week.

[Lawrence189]

This sounds great. Hopefully this will be the contest I actually dedicate time and structure too. Nice theme playing.

[drapeama]

Misunderstanding (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/misunderstanding) : A failure to understand or interpret correctly.
Just had a cool idea.
Would Imbroglio (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/imbroglio) work too? (imbroglio - a very embarrassing misunderstanding )

[Playing]

Misunderstanding (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/misunderstanding) : A failure to understand or interpret correctly.
Just had a cool idea.
Would Imbroglio (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/imbroglio) work too? (imbroglio - a very embarrassing misunderstanding )

Go for it. I am glad you guys think it's a good theme.

I am unfortunately involved in a 24 hour contract for the Soccer Word Cup and doubt I will have enough spare time, but who knows...

If there is one thing this contest taught me:
There is no room for error in a 3 minute video.
In a movie you will forget a bad frame at the end of 90 minutes, but not in this.
Thanks once more to everybody involved and please have fun with the new one.

[KingDucky]

Awesome!

I can't enter this one...but good theme.:hv20-smilie77:

[paperkut12]

Hope I could get something in for this.

[Lawrence189]

Working on the script, hopefully I'll actually use it.

[drapeama]

Have an idea for something that does't require anything special. Hope it'll work and that i'll have someone to help me this time...

[Vishus]

Can I be honest and just post here since I want to subscribe to the thread? ;)

Looking forward to the entries. I think I used my actors too many times in a row for the first bunch. I like the theme but think I'll need to wait until they are willing again. :hv20-smilie01:

[Lawrence189]

I'm gonna try to get the crew together on this one. I want to make a real planned out short film, all my entries are made randomly at 4am. BTW, Vishus, your avatar sickens me.....q-:

[Dr. T]

Finally, after months of wanting to enter this contest my school year is coming to an end and it looks like I'll have the time to shoot something. Unless anything changes I should be able to get something finished by the deadline. I understand the rules except for one point. When I first started reading about the contest I believe we were going to make the winner of one contest a judge for the next contest. Is this still the rule? If not how are the judges chosen?

[drapeama]

A little clean up has been made recently, in the threads, stickies and rules. Judges are now (http://hv20.com/showpost.php?p=328116) (always, unless something changes) HueyNRolf, cornreaper and ratfink. KingDucky is the reserve judge in the event of a stalemate as Huey said.
Rules are now in a sticky, as well as all the shorts from previous entry in a 'film archive' sticky.
Now the winner only choose the next theme & can enter the next contest.

[HueyNRolf]

Shigs calls on volunteers to judge. I'm sure he'd let the winner be a judge in the next. But that would exclude the winner from participating.
The winner gets to choose the theme and gets a trophy icon.

[Jergling]

Well... I really wanted to enter an Antman contest now that school's out, but I'm leaving on a two-week trip. I'll be watching to see the entries though, I always love what people here come up with. Great theme this time, by the way.

[drapeama]

Shigs calls on volunteers to judge.

So there will be different judges from a contest to another, according to the volunteers that want to judge?
Thought it was decided that you, cornreaper and ratfink were the official judges, as well as Kingducky as the reserve judge.

[HueyNRolf]

So there will be different judges from a contest to another, according to the volunteers that want judge?
Thought it was decided that you, cornreaper and ratfink were the official judges, as well as Kingducky as the reserve judge.

Actually, I don't think there was a clear policy on this. Yes those were the judges on the last one and again this time.

If these are the 'official' judges from now on, I don't mind. I also wouldn't mind stepping down if, lets say, a winner wanted to judge.

[drapeama]

If these are the 'official' judges from now on, I don't mind. I also wouldn't mind stepping down if, lets say, a winner wanted to judge.

Let's say that you and you 4000 posts along with cornreaper and ratfink are the "official" judges for antman's contest, so it'll be set.

[HueyNRolf]

4,000 posts? Holy crap. Could this place be the cause of my procrastination?

Sure it's an honor to be an official judge. Turns out that my little get away in July won't coincide with a contest date.

Where do I sign?

[drapeama]

Where do I sign?

Let's say it's a written verbal agreement.

[HueyNRolf]

Then I herby verbally agree in writing.

[Lawrence189]

I'd co-sign but my credit is bad.

[Shigeta]

hahaha, a written verbal agreement? I feel a skype conference call coming on...

[drapeama]

Anybody's working on something?

[Fade to inferno]

i think i'm going to give this one shot. wish me luck! =D

[drapeama]

I've helped two friends of mine to move this weekend, so now that it's done, i should have some time to spend on this later this week.
Good luck, you can only learn from this contest, we're not here to discourage anybody and the judges gives only constructive criticism. Hope we'll see you in this one!

[Lawrence189]

I've been extremely busy as well [finally got a stable editing job].
Still working on the script, hoping to put full focus on this little film [unlike the other contest submissions].
Has anyone already started filming?

[drapeama]

Has anyone already started filming?

Have an interesting idea, and might have people to help me as they just moved to our house for a 2-3 week! I'll be off, starting wedenesday night, for a complete week so i'll probably have time to shoot something.

off-topic: btw nice tip lawrence!

[Dr. T]

We finished our first day of shooting today and will hopefully have everything in the can by the end of tomorrow. Then I'll have six days full of post work. Anybody else start filming?

[Fade to inferno]

I'm starting wednesday, Hopefully if the diner i want to shoot at will allow it lol

[paperkut12]

Hope I could pull together a little something for this one. Probably will act and direct myself..somehow.

[Daniel Rutter]

Hope I could pull together a little something for this one. Probably will act and direct myself..somehow.

A camera, a tripod and a script. Trust me, I've done it before...

[MikePizzoff]

Didn't realize it was time for a new contest. Missed the last one, as well.

I'll try to film something today or tomorrow.

[drapeama]

A camera, a tripod and a script. Trust me, I've done it before...

I second that, i've even won a contest that way! :hv20-smilie77:
As James Cameron said once : Pick up a camera, shoot something, put your name on it...now you're a director.

[Timbit]

When is the deadline, exactly?

The motherboard in my computer went last Monday, so I had to get a new computer. Now I'm trying to find everything I had before...including this forum! :mad:


Sorry! I found what I was looking for! (Note: Always look at the beginning before skipping to the last page...

[Royer Films]

Hopefully filming this afternoon. I've been trying to get time to do some of the prior competitions with no luck, so we'll see how this one goes!

[Royer Films]

Finally got one shot! I'm working on editing it now - hope all turns out well.

[Lawrence189]

Can it be an evil misunderstanding?

[Shigeta]

I'm working all day this Sunday and won't be able to fulfill my duties this week.

I am in contact with other leaders of this contest to work out any details.

[Playing]

Can it be an evil misunderstanding?

Of course. "Don't be Evil" only applies to Google.

I am sad I can't participate in this one. Still on a 24 hour contract for the World Cup. Looking forward to watching your entries.

[Lawrence189]

Of course. "Don't be Evil" only applies to Google.

I am sad I can't participate in this one. Still on a 24 hour contract for the World Cup. Looking forward to watching your entries.

:hv20-smilie79: That was a Austin Powers reference.
"Can it be an evil petting zoo?"
But yes, mine will sure be evil.
Good luck with your World Cup gig.

[HueyNRolf]

Seems I'll be posting the entries, since Shigs is busy that day. I probably won't be able to get them up at the deadline, that's 7 AM here. So they'll be a bit later, please bear with me.

[Lawrence189]

No prob, Bob. Mine will be ready by Saturday night.

[paperkut12]

Looks like my submission (if I make it on time) will be one of the last minute variety. Hopefully it comes out decent.

[KingDucky]

No prob, Bob

Was this for the pleasure of rhyming? Or am I missing something...:hv20-smilie51:

[Timbit]

Ha, ha! Good one, King Ducky! :hv20-smilie87:

I'm still toying with entering this one, since I have hardly any footage and primitive editing tools. Anyone ever try Canon ZoomBrowser EX? :hv20-smilie03:

[Lawrence189]

Was this for the pleasure of rhyming? Or am I missing something...:hv20-smilie51:

Huey's real name is Bob....Bob Barker.

[HueyNRolf]

I've been called worse things, I guess.

[KingDucky]

Hehe.:hv20-smilie84:

[Royer Films]

Could we get the Vimeo page updated at some point? The rules don't match up with the current contest rules.

[Shigeta]

I'll get on it.

[Bif]

I won't be getting an entry in this one, I missed the last and couldn't get anything rolling on the dvinfo.net DVC18 challenge either.

I've got a lot of "crap" happening including a family member battling cancer and my participation in this sort of thing (much as I love doing it) is going to be limited.

I'll watch closely, comment when I can, and will jump back in as soon as possible.

Good luck folks.

[Dr. T]

Sorry if this was discussed in one of the other threads by I couldn't find anything.

I'm completely finished with my entry and ready to upload. I went to the the vimeo group and clicked "Upload Video". Can anyone (Shig or Huey) confirm that my entry was received? Also should I make the video private until the contest deadline?

[Timbit]

As long as the video uploaded to the right place, it will not be viewable until after the judging has been completed (this is what I've made out of what I've read, anyways).

[Dr. T]

As long as the video uploaded to the right place, it will not be viewable until after the judging has been completed (this is what I've made out of what I've read, anyways).

Well then I must have uploaded in the wrong place because I've been able to view it all day.

[HueyNRolf]

There's two entries uploaded. My understanding is that I'm to approve anything that's there at the deadline (or as soon as I get up) and that will make them viewable to everyone. One of them is 'private' so I'm not sure if I can approve it.
If you're the contestant who uploaded that movie, please unlock it.

[Dr. T]

I unlocked it. Sorry for the misunderstanding and thanks for the help Huey.

[HueyNRolf]

No worries Dr T, you're good to go now. Good luck!

[Timbit]

Three entries, eh? Too bad the motherboard in my computer died! :mad: This pretty machine I have now happens to be missing even the basic Windows Movie Maker... :hv20-smilie01:

[Pshaw!]

Contest ends 6:00 eastern, correct?

Maybe I'll film and edit tomorrow......

[HueyNRolf]

It's 3:00PM, LA time, whatever you call that. That's 7:00 AM here.

[Lawrence189]

Right before I clicked export on FCP a baseball flew through my window and crashed my mac!
Seriously though, not submitting. Ran outta time.

[Daniel Rutter]

Little bit of advice Huey... all my videos for previous entries were made private until they were approved and allowed into the group. I didn't have to turn off the password/private lock for them to be approved and viewed...

You will be fine.

[Royer Films]

I submitted mine (I think) by uploading the video normally and then clicking add to the Antman's contest page. Is this how you're supposed to do it? Also I left mine public, is that okay?

[Lawrence189]

Just in time!
Couple of the crew members came over about 5 hours ago, I told them about the submission and how I wasn't enterting. They grabbed me by my shirt and said let's do this!
I had this idea of some guy walking down the street with his favorite football, and he accidently throws it into some guys car, the owner of the car is inside scared because he's on the phone with a booky whose going to kill him, so the owner of the car thinks the football dude is a hitman trying to kill him. The owner of the car grabs his gun and kills the guy who lost his football.
But then guess what happened!?

BANG! BANG! BANG!
Some wacko next door neighbor kills a guys on the street and injures 2 others, [in reality, this actually happened]. I still don't know the details, all I know is it would be stupid for me to walk outside with a fake gun after that.
So we changed the idea anyway, but it sucks, might post might not.

Long story short, I kind of know how Jackie Chan feels about Nosebleed. Sucks.

P.S. Bif, sorry to here about your situation, hope everything gets better.

[HueyNRolf]

Little bit of advice Huey... all my videos for previous entries were made private until they were approved and allowed into the group. I didn't have to turn off the password/private lock for them to be approved and viewed...

You will be fine.

Thanks for the advice, Daniel. I'll try to get up early enough to have the entries approved just after deadline. Best of luck everyone!

[Playing]

But then guess what happened!?

BANG! BANG! BANG!
Some wacko next door neighbor kills a guys on the street and injures 2 others, [in reality, this actually happened]. I still don't know the details, all I know is it would be stupid for me to walk outside with a fake gun after that.

You should have had your camera running and made gunman sign a release form.:hv20-smilie77:

[Lawrence189]

How come I never think of these things...

[Dr. T]

So I should make it private?

[Pshaw!]

Bah.

Family Bike Ride = I don't have time to whip a video up quick.


Unless I make one in 2 hours 44 min.

[HueyNRolf]

They're up!

http://vimeo.com/groups/hdshorts/videos/

[Dr. T]

So the videos appear to be up but I only see 2. Judging by this thread I thought we were going to have more entries.

For some reason I can't even watch one of them.

EDIT: I found a way to watch The Driver. Just not through the group page. I had to go directly to it through Nick Royer's Vimeo profile.

[HueyNRolf]

Thanks Dr T.
I thought there'd be more than two. I guess there's a glitch with Vimeo.
Here's a link to The Driver:

http://vimeo.com/12694135

And Nice Shades


http://vimeo.com/12700716

[Dr. T]

Huey, could you post the direct link to my video so that it becomes embedded? Thanks.

[drapeama]

Uh, i'm not sure about the classical song in the driver...

[Royer Films]

Its a classical score from the late 1800s, so I'm not sure what the rules are on that

[Lawrence189]

Nice Shades, nice work.

[Dr. T]

Nice Shades, nice work.
Thank you. We tried our best but I realize that our production values are much lower than Mr. Royer's.

On a side note, may I ask what equipment you used for the dolly shots in the beginning of The Driver.?

[HueyNRolf]

Nice Shades

Good:
Story, camera work and editing.

Not so good:
Location sound, I'm not sure if it's the gear or technique, but the SNR is poor. Acting, I had to play it a few times to understand what the dealer was saying.

The Driver

Another good story, also well edited. I liked the last shot where the thief sees the driver as he's driven off.

Not so good:
The sound track is very noisy, there's a lot wind rumble and overbearing ambience. The plot, left me wondering why the thief wouldn't have the driver take him there. How did he get there?

My vote.
I liked the driver, however I think the score is copyright protected. So it has to be disallowed... I think.
So, my vote goes to Nice Shades.

[Lawrence189]

The Driver is not playing for me.

[HueyNRolf]

Its a classical score from the late 1800s, so I'm not sure what the rules are on that

I brought this up on discussion about using copyright music. It turns out that you need permission to use the performance even if the music is no longer protected.

[HueyNRolf]

The Driver is not playing for me.

I've embedded them both a few posts back. There seems to be some problems with Vimeo.

[1]

Score of THE DRIVER: the issue is [probably] not the music, as that is [likely] public domain, the issue is with the RECORDING, which is probably NOT PD, unless you can tell us where you got the actual recording from; i.e. who recorded it, when, and where, etc.

[drapeama]

Uh, i'm not sure about the classical song in the driver...


I liked the driver, however I think the score is copyright protected. So it has to be disallowed... I think.

That's what i (said) think too, unfortunately...because it was really well done.

[1]

watched them both, The Driver had me cracking up laughing, very well done.
Shades was neat too, although I needed to watch it twice as I couldn't understand the dialogue the first time round.

Audio SUCKED on both.

Makes me want to get a SEPARATE audio forum on hv20.com again.

Bad audio can kill a short in 5 seconds!!!!

[HueyNRolf]

I've said it before, but I think it would be okay to use copyright music, for the purpose of this contest. But the rule stands.

Nick, best to check here when you're planning or in post, on issues like these.

[Dr. T]

I'm very aware that our sound sucked but I'm not quite sure why. I've recorded much better sound before with my rode boom pole + video mic set up. Any ideas on what went wrong?

[Fade to inferno]

I say we extend the deadline to next weekend, that way I can participate =P. and The driver can find a more suitable score, and shades fix his audio problems.

[Dr. T]

I say we extend the deadline to next weekend, that way I can participate =P. and The driver can find a more suitable score, and shades fix his audio problems.
Not that I wouldn't enjoy having an extra week to ADR all our dialogue but I think the point of the contest is to do the best you can in a two week time period. Also it's a little unfair that more contestants would be able to enter after they've already seen the other entries.

[Timbit]

Well, that would give me time to throw something together, but it would mess up the forum rules. What do the Moderators say?

[Royer Films]

Yeah I think I did use a copyrighted recording then - my bad. I wasn't sure if that would be covered or not. I haven't had a chance to watch shades yet - but I will when I get home. I know there are royalty free recordings of Blue Danube - but thats beside the point as the deadline is already passed.

[Timbit]

Not that I wouldn't enjoy having an extra week to ADR all our dialogue but I think the point of the contest is to do the best you can in a two week time period. Also it's a little unfair that more contestants would be able to enter after they've already seen the other entries.

That's right, Dr. T. I remember now that this same comment was made in the last contest.

[HueyNRolf]

I'm very aware that our sound sucked but I'm not quite sure why. I've recorded much better sound before with my rode boom pole + video mic set up. Any ideas on what went wrong?

Sounds like it wasn't close enough. On the shot where the guy goes to the door, it must've been a long way off to stay out of frame. There's also some handling noise in there. It could also be that the mic just doesn't work out in rooms like that.
It sounds ok when the guy is on the phone.

[Fade to inferno]

. Also it's a little unfair that more contestants would be able to enter after they've already seen the other entries.

Agreed. I can wait for the next one i suppose. Just had a wonderful idea hit me a couple of days ago and didnt have a spare day to shoot is all. Hopefully the next theme will be something i can work with =)

[Dr. T]

Sounds like it wasn't close enough. On the shot where the guy goes to the door, it must've been a long way off to stay out of frame. There's also some handling noise in there. It could also be that the mic just doesn't work out in rooms like that.
It sounds ok when the guy is on the phone.
Good point. I didn't even think about the room being a factor. I don't know if you can tell but the ceiling in that room is at least 14 feet high. That could definitely have something to do with it.

[Dr. T]

Alright, unfortunately I can't stick around rapidly hitting F5 to see what the other judges say because I have to go watch tonight's episode of True Blood (aka Ridiculously Over The Top Vampire Pornography). Please don't hold this against me when you are deciding on your vote.

[net]

Nice job all. It's great to see these shorts on a regular basis. Those moving shots in The Driver were awesome - the images looked great, too.
Shades was a good effort - but was difficult to understand some of the dialogue.

Could it be possible, for future contests, that the contestants put their HV20 user name in their Vimeo description? The Vimeo user names and HV20 names are frequently different. (i.e. Matt Cohen is Dr. T.)
Easy to watch/figure out with only a couple of entries -what if there is 6?

[HueyNRolf]

Dr T, I had another listen and it sounds like you used a noise remover? This isn't the whole problem, but that will degrade it further.

[Royer Films]

The Dolly Shots - I actually didn't use any formal dolly or steadycam equipment on this film. I recently got a new Sony NX5 a few weeks ago, so that's what we shot with, but we didn't have any pro audio gear or anything which is why we ADR'd it. The dolly shots in the beginning were done by sliding a food tray over a table (for the first one) and using a skateboard with two full paint cans on the sides for stability (for the garage shot). Almost all of the shots were handheld with a few exceptions. After shooting, I ran most of the shots through SmoothCam in Final Cut Pro to make them fluid. A few years ago this took hours to do, but today I was able to run each clip thru in a few minutes with a Quad-Core i5 iMac.

On the Copyright Issue - I knew I was taking a risk with this one and so it's my fault if you decide that it violates the rules. I looked around just now and found royalty free versions for free or a small fee (for higher quality ones), so I should have looked into that earlier. Its up to the judges and mods, but the reason I used the recording I did is because of this rule: "5) Use of copyrighted material/songs : as long as it's not the center point/plot of the story, it's allowed. Otherwise user will be disqualified. Example : the coca-cola can/SONY tv somewhere in the movie isn't considered as a copyrighted infringement." Specifically the part where it says "as long as its not the center point or plot of the story". In my film, the score did take the entire length of the film, but I dont think it is the center point or plot, as it is not essential. You can disable that audio and the story still makes sense and flows. It could also be replaced with any other song and still make sense. So I thought that would fit into the rules but if the mods/judgers decide it doesn't then that's okay with me - we had a great time doing this film and we're looking forward to the next contest.

[1]

Looks like Dr T with Shades wins by default, if Royer get's disqualified!

[HueyNRolf]

It's a fair point, Nick. I think the rules need clarifying. My understanding, based on a discussion from the last one is: the score is central to the movie, not necessarily the plot. As far as I remember, the issue came up when a contestant wanted to use a shot where someone is watching a movie on TV. It was decided, that since the point was that it could be any movie he was watching, it was deemed incidental and allowed, just like a trademark appearing in the movie.

I did ask if a copyright score was permissible under the incidental use rule, but it was considered more than incidental and not allowed.

Sorry, I didn't check the last rule updates. But sure enough it should be in there.

[Royer Films]

If it is decided that the score of The Driver is in violation of the rule, I think that the rule should be made a little more clear in the future. It says an example of what is allowed, but I think it should also have an example of what is not. 'center point or plot' is a pretty relative term open and can be interpreted differently, so maybe the rule should be defined a little more to make it totally clear what is and isn't allowed.

EDIT: Oops, posted that at the same time as you, Huey. I think we just need a clear decision on it in the rules. Because the score I picked was not copyrighted, the recording was. So I could have purchased a royalty free recording for under $50 if I had known it wouldn't be allowed, because in this case it is the recording and not the score that is copyrighted.

[HueyNRolf]

Looks like Dr T with Shades wins by default, if Royer get's disqualified!

It's looking that way, Mal.
Would be nice to get write ups from the other two judges, either way.

[1]

Well, as ANY score that runs the entirety of the movie IS very deliberate and DEFINITELY a HUGE part of the story (why else would you choose it?),
this should be understood as being part of the rules, despite it not being spelled out.
This contest was never meant to have 7 pages of rules!

In my humble opinion.

Great work though Royer....you admit you knew you were taking a risk with the music; just didn't work out for ya...better luck next time.
(I really was cracking up laughing whilst watching....not something I do easily watching low-budget short flicks....)

[Royer Films]

Well, as ANY score that runs the entirety of the movie IS very deliberate and DEFINITELY a HUGE part of the story (why else would you choose it?),
this should be understood as being part of the rules, despite it not being spelled out.

Yeah I agree there. Thing is the score isn't copyrighted. But that's okay - I'll be more careful next time. Assuming that I'm disqualified - congratulations to Dr. T and Nice Shades! :hv20-smilie03:

[HueyNRolf]

Hmmm, I think this is a matter for Shigs (the contest mod.) If he thinks that the rule wasn't made clear enough and your entry should be allowed, I'll change my vote. How's that?

[Royer Films]

Okay that's good - I should of clarified it beforehand so it's not a big deal either way.

[1]

...put their HV20 user name in their Vimeo description?


VERY good point! It IS quite confusing to figure out who's who, with real names.

[Ratfink]

Hey guys sorry, had a shoot run really late give me 20 mins and I will have a review for each. Sorry again guys.

[Dr. T]

Could it be possible, for future contests, that the contestants put their HV20 user name in their Vimeo description? The Vimeo user names and HV20 names are frequently different. (i.e. Matt Cohen is Dr. T.)
Easy to watch/figure out with only a couple of entries -what if there is 6?

Yes, I completely agree. I just updated my video's description to include my hv20.com user name.

[Ratfink]

Before I get into reviewing the videos I first want to address the issue of copyrighted music used in one of the shorts. I think there is ample ambiguity in rule #5, so much so that I think disqualification should be waived in this case. I further suggest that the rule be changed to something more clear such as:
“Use of copyrighted music both in lyrics, score or performance, other than such that is recorded incidentally during normal filming, without a release will result in the video being disqualified. “
Okay on to the judging!

Sunglasses,
This took me awhile to get it, which certainly hits home in the department of misunderstandings, great and funny story. In terms of video quality the overall look of the short is pretty good. Some problems are the haloing during the opening of the door, I know sometimes you cannot chose when you shoot but waiting for the sun to hit the other side of the house would have made it look a bit better. Also hotspots on the sunglasses, sometimes you have to matte shiny things, specialized matte spray works best but hairspray will often do the trick. Sound seems to be all on camera so I am not going to delve into it… it will sound a lot better with external mics, but I think you know that. All around great showing and thanks for your work

The driver,
Again story is great but the driver came off as a bit dense. In terms of the visuals they are great, some rolling shutter issues but that is inherent with the camera. I would have gelled the windows behind the client when he is sitting talking on the phone, of course that is not that big of a deal. Audio was all over the place for me. The background music was a bit too loud, parts such as the phone scene lacked abience giving the sound a dead ‘studio’ feel to it while others had a lot of noise. One thing that I did notice sound wise when the driver was pulled over for the 3rd time he appears to be what I guess is urinating, if that is the case some water falling noise would have made things make a bit more sense. Again the final result is something you should be proud of and thanks for your entry.

My choice this week goes to Royer Films for his The Driver pending a decision on it’s admissibility.

[Dr. T]

...Sound seems to be all on camera so I am not going to delve into it… it will sound a lot better with external mics...

I appreciate your review and agree with you on a lot of points. However, as I said before the sound was recorded with a Rode Video Mic on a Rode Boom pole. We did not use the camera mic although for some reason (possibly the acoustics of the room as Huey pointed out) the sound was terrible.

[Ratfink]

I appreciate your review and agree with you on a lot of points. However, as I said before the sound was recorded with a Rode Video Mic on a Rode Boom pole. We did not use the camera mic although for some reason (possibly the acoustics of the room as Huey pointed out) the sound was terrible.

I must have missed that, I had just assumed it was on camera. I was able to make out wood flooring in the corner of one of your shots, more then likely that had something to do with the reflections. A simple fix would be to put rugs under where the mic is boomed in order to prevent sound reflecting off the floor into the mic.

[Playing]

Congratulations to both participants. Not wanting to repeat what has been discussed above I think both of you have put an incredible amount of effort and creativity in your videos. Also not being faultless gives newcomers the courage to take the plunge and participate. Looking forward to the next one.

[HueyNRolf]

I further suggest that the rule be changed to something more clear such as:
“Use of copyrighted music both in lyrics, score or performance, other than such that is recorded incidentally during normal filming, without a release will result in the video being disqualified. “

I agree, this needs to be added to the rules ASAP.


My choice this week goes to Royer Films for his The Driver pending a decision on it’s admissibility.

I would like my decision amended to concur with this.

[Bif]

Being a judge is TOUGH and can be awkward feeling when one is trying to be both objective and fair at the same time.

With most of these contests I've seen a tendency for requests to "bend, amend", or somehow change rules to "accommodate" in way or other. This one on the use of copyrighted material should stand firm for several reasons.

I think "Royer Films" suspected at some level he was not on "firm ground" with that score. In his own mind he probably "rationalized" and pushed the "incidental" definition too far.

Each time someone does something like this they expose the hosting site (vimeo in this case) to potential copyright violation and the vimeo terms of use specifically prohibit uploading anything that contains intellectual properties the uploader does not own the rights to or does not have permission.

He has indicated that he understands that score is now "public domain" but that the recorded performance he used was indeed copyright protected and that he is willing to accept the initial decision of the judge. This is a responsible position on his part and I commend him for that attitude.

I have mentioned in these forums several times that these contest venues are a tremendous learning experience and the error in judgment Royer Films made is a part of his learning experience.

For his information that Blue Danube Waltz can be purchased from SmartSound in a "royalty free" version for $19 and change giving him a license to use it in his productions over and over for his lifetime with the only limitations being on nationwide TV or national theatre distribution (in those cases the network or theatre distribution company must obtain a release). With the music purchase comes a free download of SonicFire Pro Express Tracks which will take the music code and "recompose" it to whatever specific length he enters, for a very professional sounding result.

The rule we have on copyright protected material is not ambiguous. To me it seems very clear to anyone who looks at the "spirit and intent" involved.

I hope it's obvious to everyone that I don't have a "personal" axe to grind here as I have no affected competing entry in this contest. My interest is in seeing this continue as a viable active and energetic venue for aspiring film makers to plunge in and get experience. But this copyright issue is a very important one that we all have to get right if we want others to respect our work.

I don't feel anyone should get a "pass" on this one.

[Royer Films]

Bif, given the chance I would purchase the rights and reupload now that I know that it was a mistake. However, I think this goes against the purpose of the contest, so idk what should be done. I think the terminology of the rules was unclear, and would have acted differently if i had known this wouldn't be allowed. The score of the film is an important and deliberate choice, as Mal said. But in this case since it is the recording and not the score that is copyrighted, it led to some confusion on my part. I strongly agree with the addition of Ratfinks rule on copyright use. I think if that had been stated in the initial rules it would have been a lot clearer and I would have purchased a royalty free recording, which I thought I didn't have to do based on the current rules.

[Ratfink]

I didn't see it as all the difficult of a decision. I will try to explain myself a little more:

Quite honestly I most ways I don't see this as accommodating or bending of the rules. The rule was bad, and I mean no offense to the writer of that rule. It specifically allowed copyrighted music unless it was central to the plot. "The driver" could have told its story without the music and as such I believe it complied with the letter of the rule. The spirit of the rule was of course something different, but I believe personally that any mistake he made to the spirit of the rule was made in good faith and under the confusion of misunderstanding. As such I recommended he not be DQed as the most of the failure lies with us for the ambiguity of the rule and the letter of the rule be changed to better reflect the spirit of the rule.

[Shigeta]

I'm going to have to go with Bif on this one....

As for pushing the contest back a week, absolutely not.

[Dr. T]

Well this victory is bitter sweet.

Will my trophy come with an asterisk?
Do I still get to pick the next theme?

I realize Mr. Royer's entry was much better than mine and that copyright infringement was his fatal flaw.

[Fade to inferno]

I realize Mr. Royer's entry was much better than mine and that copyright infringement was his fatal flaw.

We all still commend you for participating and you still did a great job and be proud of it. I'm proud of you because you have initiative which is one of the most important qualities a filmmaker can have. I lack it at times so you one up me man

[Royer Films]

Congratulations to you Dr. T - you did a good job and like Fade to inferno said, you actually got out there and made something! Of course you should get the trophy with no asterisk and you get to pick the next theme - you won it and shouldn't be treated any differently. I think in the future the rule should be restated how Ratfink suggested to avoid any future problems. Funny, to have this happen on a contest about misunderstanding :hv20-smilie81:

Anyways, lets get on with the next contest now!

[Fade to inferno]

Funny, to have this happen on a contest about misunderstanding :hv20-smilie81:

Anyways, lets get on with the next contest now!

Hah darn! should just filmed the forum and boom theres my video ;). no audio needed.


Anyway yes i feel excited to see what the next theme is :hv20-smilie81:

[Dr. T]

So how does this work exactly? Do I PM my theme suggestion to Shigeta?

[Royer Films]

So how does this work exactly? Do I PM my theme suggestion to Shigeta?

Yeah i think so.

[Dr. T]

Awesome. I'll try to get that done within the next couple of hours so we can get the next contest up and running. Does anyone need to be notified in order for me to receive the gold ribbon icon?

[Shigeta]

So how does this work exactly? Do I PM my theme suggestion to Shigeta?
Correctamente

[BenHughesStudios]

I wish I could've done it. I was busy making a movie for the 48 Hour Film Project (http://48hourfilm.com) in my town.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-80sloh3zGk

[Timbit]

I wish I could've done it. I was busy making a movie for the 48 Hour Film Project (http://48hourfilm.com) in my town.

Yeah, I wanted to too...:hv20-smilie03: I'm now working on the next one! :hv20-smilie58: "Nostalgia"!