Antman's Film Contest #32: Valentine

[Vishus]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GvcacYKZDMY/Tewisk2RbEI/AAAAAAAAAxg/qWanzjI_Gxo/Winners3.jpg


Valentine

Love is in the air? It's just under 3 weeks until Valentine's Day! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_day)

For this round, the task is to do a romantic, sexy, emotional, loving or even ridiculous Valentine's Day short film! It doesn't have to be about the emotions or the day itself, it's a general theme, so if you want to do something about cupid, or something about the perils of heart-shaped chocolate, it's all applicable!

Reminder of the Rules:
1) Shouldn't be rated over PG-13.
2) Video should be posted on vimeo official (http://vimeo.com/groups/antmansfilmfestival) page ONLY. Videos for the current theme will not be available to view until the contest deadline > managed by Vishus (http://www.hv20.com/member.php?3240-Vishus), AJUK (http://www.hv20.com/member.php?21073-AJUK) and drapeama (http://www.hv20.com/member.php?21859-drapeama).
3) a) Use of copyrighted material: as long as it's not the center point/plot of the story, it's allowed. Otherwise user will be disqualified. Example: A Coca-Cola can/SONY TV somewhere in the movie isn't considered as a copyrighted infringement.
b) 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.
c) Entries must be made specifically for the theme submitted to, within the deadline. All entries made before the announcement of the theme will be disqualified.
4) Users judging the contests, Official Judges (http://www.hv20.com/showthread.php?43072-Official-Contests-Judges&p=400925&viewfull=1#post400925) or not, should use the template available here (http://www.hv20.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12943&d=1314328449) to post their reviews. Of course, only the officials judges' reviews will be considered to decide on a winner.
5) Deadline will be announced in a 24h time format (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24-hour_clock). The week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday. Days are starting at 00:00 and ends at 23:59. Also, please refer to this UTC/GMT (http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_time_in_UTC.aspx) time to calculate the deadline in your zone (check on the right and select your country & state/province).
6) Five minutes or less! No going over!
7) Content should be created for this contest. No re-purposing old stuff please!


Contest deadline is Tuesday February 14th 2012 0800 UTC (8.00 am) .

Submit your entries to the following group ONLY: http://www.vimeo.com/groups/antmansfilmfestival (http://www.vimeo.com/groups/antmansfilmfestival)

[drapeama]

Good idea. Not necessarily easy, but let's see how it'll turn.

[Vishus]

Good idea. Not necessarily easy, but let's see how it'll turn.

Where is the fun in easy?

:p

[drapeama]

Where is the fun in easy?
You get a point, but making something that's not easy is rewarding. Making something easily isn't, but it's funny to do though!
I like making video when I have to surpass myself, but I also like working on videos that I can do eyes closed...it's some kind of relaxing time when I'm not working.

[Vishus]

I'm with you Mark! Depends on my mood. Sometimes I want a real challenge, other times, it's just fun to go with the flow and make something fun and easy!

I've never done a valentine's themed short before, so I am hoping my schedule clears up in the next little while so I can!

[HD-tography]

No time limit? Feature film here we come! (jk)

[Almohada]

Well looks like someone can use their previous entry for this one too... http://vimeo.com/34924224

[Vishus]

:p and :p to both of you! Rules have been updated! ;)

[charlie_tango]

Sounds nice! Hope I will have enough time to work on something for this one!

[Reelaxed]

I think the week before 14th is clear on our end; no exams afaik. I'm pretty sure we'll shoot *something*.

[J Davis]

Not sure on this one. The wife says I lack sensitivity :) I do have an idea but I am not sure if I have the technical skills to pull off what is in my head.

[drapeama]

Let's see what I can relate to the theme for this one!

[J Davis]

If it would be alright with the moderators / judges I am willing to offer the below pictured "Rail Rig" as a prize for this contest. Hoping it would be a little incentive to get some people to enter and a good way for me to introduce a product that I am bringing to market. Well part of it. When I have finished the rest of the design it will also be convertible to a "Run & Gun" rig.

The HV30 is " NOT " included !

[Almohada]

If it would be alright with the moderators / judges I am willing to offer the below pictured "Rail Rig" as a prize for this contest. Hoping it would be a little incentive to get some people to enter and a good way for me to introduce a product that I am bringing to market. Well part of it. When I have finished the rest of the design it will also be convertible to a "Run & Gun" rig.

The HV30 is " NOT " included !


Sick HVFF!

[J Davis]

Sick HVFF! Thanks, it was such a great design I had to have one. I am drawing up an adapter that will allow your HVFF to be mounted to the rails of the rig. Hoping my rig will appeal to a lot of the people who use your HVFF. The whole idea was to develop something that was more affordable to the hobbyist and still looked semi-pro. My photograph sucks as bad as my video work, the pictures don't really do it justice. The black and shiny aluminum are a great match to the HV30.

[Shaunp007]

I am willing to offer the below pictured "Rail Rig" as a prize for this contest

Thats very generous of you! I was pretty busy with other projects but may enter because of this. I still own an hv20 and this would make a great addition to my compliment of HV gear.

[Vishus]

So we've got a theme that a few people said that they were interested in, we've got a generous prize up from J Davis… Anybody working on anything?

[HD-tography]

Insanely busy with various editing projects, my education, and preparing for this upcoming year... I'm out... maybe next one for me... however I'm still shooting for even more upcoming projects this week :hv20-smilie77:

[Almohada]

I'm putting a concept together. Think it will be called "Date At The Zoo"

[Shaunp007]

Think it will be called "Date At The Zoo"

You should record the audio using an NTG-2 through your laptop, then color grade every scene differently...it seems like you have already suceeded.

On a serious note, I won't be entering this contest. The rigors of working overtime and finishing up some paid video work has gobbled up all my time.

[Almohada]

You should record the audio using an NTG-2 through your laptop, then color grade every scene differently...

I will... I will...

[HueyNRolf]

Are the judges lined up for this one?

[Almohada]

Don't think so... not yet.

[drapeama]

Are the judges lined up for this one?
Sort of, two out of three, but I & Charlie haven't done anything, so I can fill the last place:


Thank you. I'll be happy to serve the contest. Looking forward.


Your name's on the list now.


I'll judge! and eventually submit one, when I have some time lol.

[HueyNRolf]

Sort of, two out of three, but I & Charlie haven't done anything, so I can fill the last place:

Oh I see. I thought I volunteered for the last one. I can do this one too, but maybe you should rotate the judges some. How about Shaun or HD? They're not entering this time.

Let me know.

[drapeama]

Oh I see. I thought I volunteered for the last one. I can do this one too, but maybe you should rotate the judges some. How about Shaun or HD? They're not entering this time.
Let me know.
Oh, if you don't want and/or can't then I'm sorry! I simply thought it would be simpler with you as you're pretty much one of the most available member and I always enjoyed your reviews, being positive or not: they were constructive.
I could ask the others, but depending on their availability, we might be short in the time to arrange things...I'll see with them.

[HueyNRolf]

Oh, if you don't want and/or can't then I'm sorry!

No, it's all good and I enjoy reviewing the entries. I just thought maybe someone else would like a go?

OK, I'll do it then. If the entries go up on time, I should be able to submit within an hour or two.

[Shaunp007]

If you need an extra judge just let me know. I am however, tied up 5:30am-5:30pm EST on Monday. If you needed a judge I am available...

[Vishus]

No entries as far as I can tell, but Reelaxed has asked for an extension. Normally I hate messing with deadlines, but since we've got zero other entries; New deadline is Friday morning 9:00 EST.

That also gives other people time to film their exploits today and get an edit together! :)

[HueyNRolf]

New deadline is Friday morning 9:00 EST.

Understood, but that's bedtime here. It'll be several hours after before I can do my reviews.

[Vishus]

Understood, but that's bedtime here. It'll be several hours after before I can do my reviews.

Sounds good. Let's hope you have some good stuff to review! :)

[Shaunp007]

New deadline is Friday morning 9:00 EST

I was able to finish my paid work and now since the deadline has been extended I will be entering the contest. I should have enough time to film tonight and edit tomorrow for a submission.
Won't be much to the film but I would like to contribute to the contest this month.

[RockDonkey]

I almost did something for this as well, had a good idea. But too much stress right now. Abroad since many years because the police one day knocked on my door and said that they want to help me -pay me money to leave the country. I said I want that written down so they got really mad. Now I have been negotiating with them responsible, with the use of the media, so it goes better than before. Still takes all my energy.

[Reelaxed]

Our entry has been uploaded on vimeo.

Thanks again to Vishus for extending the deadline! <3

[Vishus]

Our entry has been uploaded on vimeo.

Sweet! Glad you folks were able to get one done! I hope Shaun is able to get his done in time too!

I'll check in the morning, and we'll go from there.

Marc, are you able to push them live when the time comes?

[Shaunp007]

I should have enough time to film tonight and edit tomorrow for a submission.


I hope Shaun is able to get his done in time too!

I filmed Wednesday night and then Thursday rolled around and I got a call from a client who wanted something changed on their promo. I had to work last night for a few hours to make that happen. I stayed up to 1 am to get it finished and got up at 4:30 am to go to work. I cannot submit anything at this point. Which is frustrating cause I actually convinced my wife to act!

I hope someone else has something for us to watch.

[Timbit]

Soooo......... ?

Sorry I don't have anything... My time has been (and still is) taken up with bookwork from last year/work. :) Lookin' forward to the next contest, when I will "hopefully" get time for an entry and to test out my H2... :D

[drapeama]

Marc, are you able to push them live when the time comes?
Sorry for the delay...I've been sleeping (first time I have the house...ALONE...so I've slept all day!

Soooo......... ?
Only one entry so far, approved and online. I'll try to get my review for it soon.

[HueyNRolf]

Too bad we didn't get more than one, ah well. The one entry we did get is very good and worthy of comment. Here goes:

Untitled
by ReelaxedStudios

This is a nice little story which is well executed and hits its mark. It was clear that the hero was being set up to be cheated out of his romantic-valentine's evening, but I didn't predict the punch.

The good:
Well paced with suitable color work (natural). The picture editing was smooth. The talent worked well to build empathy with the viewer. I really liked the snorricam shot and the line of people coming through the door.

The not so good:

The opening shots looked too blurry and I wasn't keen on the shot with the objects on the table, I would of preferred to see the selective focus on the objects, not the guy. There's text to tell us that he gets an alarm call, better to show this with pictures and sound. The soundtrack mix is a bit overbearing; the music gets progressively louder which caused me to adjust the gain twice. Too loud is annoying, too soft can be moody, so always best to be under rather than over.

Good job, ReelaxedStudios.

[Reelaxed]

Thank you Huey, we are sorry for the Untitled, we fixed it as soon as we noticed it. We are still getting used to Vimeo.

[Vishus]

https://vimeo.com/36939382 is the direct link!

First, thanks Reelaxed for keeping our contest alive! I know I gave you a hard time with the extension, but you came through for us!

The video looks good! Like Huey, I figured that there was too much work going into the prep time for it to go well, but I didn't expect that ended. Nice twist!

The only things that bothered me were the spots that you used location audio. The sound of the bed sheets and the shower curtain were really loud! The on-screen text for the alarm was really out of place.

The music worked for me, but do you have the rights to use the songs?

Good job overall! Send me a PM with your choice for the next contest theme, and I'll make it happen! :)

[Playing]

Hi Reelaxed congratulations. I really enjoyed your short. I think the idea and the story were brilliant. It could be improved with a bit of cutting and I'd lose the broom. I found it very poignant.

[Reelaxed]

The music used is royalty free and credited on Youtube so no worries.
We are glad you liked the broom, so why would you lose it? We like the broom a lot and found it very funny.
I agree with the audio, definitely something you will not be seeing us do wrong next time!
Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments and see you in the next competition!

[HueyNRolf]

I liked the broom, nice touch.

A light touch is what's needed for the mix. Less is more.

EDIT:

The broom puts the snorricam shot into context, very nice shot.

[Reelaxed]

/.../ and I wasn't keen on the shot with the objects on the table, I would of preferred to see the selective focus on the objects, not the guy.
The original idea was actually to focus on the objects. We changed our mind because we thought it would be cool if protagonist emerged from under the table. :P


Send me a PM with your choice for the next contest theme, and I'll make it happen! :)

Head over to "General discussion" thread, we already posted some ideas there. :)

[RockDonkey]

The winning movie.
Good amount of effort into a clear idea. Your personal touch on every shot. Wonder a bit why he made his hair first and then stood in the shower. Favorite detail is that he tries to close the door and one last visitor appears. Perfect.

[Almohada]

Good concept, cinematography not very well executed. There was potential for very stylized shots and intricate lighting! Too much handheld (I hate the handheld look 95% of the time). The time and date on screen killed it.

[Reelaxed]

Good concept, cinematography not very well executed. There was potential for very stylized shots and intricate lighting! Too much handheld (I hate the handheld look 95% of the time). The time and date on screen killed it.

We were going for the Sherlock (TV series) kind of feel but it didn't pan out as well because the post production was a bit hurried. I agree on the lighting, still there was unfortunately not enough time for complex and stylized lighting. There will be next time, I guarrantee it ;)


@RockDonkey: The hair gag was just a between shot gag we inserted, if you look hard you can actually see him having no gel on his hair through the entire process and at the end (although he did squirt some on his hand earlier).

Hope you had fun watching it, just a nice and reelaxed video. We had a bunch of fun and are looking forward to the next one.

[Almohada]

Just curious... what were all those extras doing while you filmed? Did you film the entire beginning and then call them in for the end? Or were they waiting around all day?

[Reelaxed]

That was the last scene of the day. The video was shot on various different locations and the last one with the extras is chronologically and filming-wise the last scene.

[J Davis]

Sorry, been sick as a dog the last week. Reelaxed please send me a private message with your address so I can send you the Cam-Rig. Congrats!

Jeff

[J Davis]

The Cam-Rig shipped Tuesday. Hope you enjoy it.

[Vishus]

The Cam-Rig shipped Tuesday. Hope you enjoy it.

Thanks again for generously donating the prize! :)

[Reelaxed]

The Cam-Rig shipped Tuesday. Hope you enjoy it.

I love you man. :D Thanks!