My first short "Fear". Shot with Canon HG20. I know it's not perfect, but I'm still newbie. Hope you like it. Comments and advices accepted.
Fear (short film)
My first short "Fear". Shot with Canon HG20. I know it's not perfect, but I'm still newbie. Hope you like it. Comments and advices accepted.
I like your framing and camera work. The lens flares are distracting. You can see when the sun is hitting the lens of your camera. You need to point the camera in the opposite direction adn re frame your shot, OR have someone hold up a piece of cardboard until the flare is off of the lens. The occasional lens flare in just the right spot can add to a piece, but lots of them just looks like crap.
Good basic storytelling skills, but I don't think the rewind at the end is necessary.
Keep it up. This is a very good effort.
"beautiful girls are the cheapest special effect"
- Roger Corman
I do agree with Gillvane, for a beginner you sure do know what you are doing and show a lot of promise in your storytelling.
The sun was just distracting or was there a symbolism to it? Even then i think it was a little overbearing.
Originally Posted by Gillvane
I don't know, that rewind at the end kind of "set up" the message of the film. I don't worry about necessary or unnecessary. I just let the film maker tell me the story his way.
I liked this one.
Bruce Foreman
I am a reforming videomaking addict
Nice first video! My first one wasn't even that good! Great effort!
As said by others, the camera work was great. You've got some nice shot in there! Did you used the bare camcorder or any other accessories, such as a 35mm adapter? Because some shots shown some shallow depth of field in it.
1) Yeah, it shows that at least, compared to many others on YouTube, he's used a tripod for most shots, which isn't a common technique nowadays! That was very nicely done.
2) About the lens flares, if it was intended (as it is in this case due to the additional lens flares added in post) then it's ok because it comes down to aesthetic/artistic choices.
3) I second the storytelling skills here. There was a message in that short film.
1) Shown some nice basics and techniques, that's been reinforced by a good story with a positive message. Great combination.
2) I would tend to think that they were symbolic to the message within.
Exactly! I liked it as well, especially with the "happy" ending! It was just right that way. And yeah, it's up to the filmmaker in the end!
One of the best short films I've seen in a while! Great work there!
Btw: as you seem to be talented doing short films, we're running a contest that ends on August 1st. If you're interested, here's the link to it.
Thank you guys! I appreciate your opinions.
About the lens flares - most of them are done in post. I like the lens flare effect and use them for artistic look, and to represent some "dream like" effect in the picture. Maybe they are too much... thats my bad.
As for the end - black and white rewind scene "mark" this "back to reality" effect.
Yes, I've used Jag35ST for some shots and WD-H37II for wide shots.
I've used a tripod for most of the scenes and Flycam nano for selected shots.
Technically this is my first short, but actualy I made many tests before.
The story and camerawork are very important to me.
I have problems with the sound quality, so I plane to buy some good microphone next months. Actually we redub some parts of the dialogue in post, because of the wind noise.
Thanks again for the good words!
Thank you! I'm really busy this summer, but if I find time, I'll join the contest.
Actually I am almost done writing the script for my next short film, but there is much more work before start filming.
Last edited by ANONIMNIQ; 2012 June 25th at 04:04.
1) As we said, it's an aesthetic choice and it's all yours! If you intended something, don't apologize for it!
2) And that's just right that way! I understood it like that too and thought it was needed and a nice touch too.
Not bad at all for a Jag I must say! There was a noticeable difference in the image quality but I would have never thought it's been shot using a Jag!
1) That's all good! The only thing that's really bugging most of the people nowadays is when young filmmakers publish something shot 103% handheld with horrible color correction! But as I said, your work shows some basics in more than one department: cinematography and editing. That's a good start!
2) That's all good! You can't imagine how many tapes I've used for tests before I even published my first short! You don't need to publish 10+ videos/year to be good, but rather practise before and make sure you produce something that worth the watch!
3) And I think you did a quite good job telling that message through your short film. It was well done. As for the camera work, it was quite well polished and shown a good attention to it.
4) Do you have someone to help with your audio? If yes, a good shotgun microphone would be the best option. If no, then you can always rely on Lavalier mics plugged directly into a portable recorder. As for ADR, if well done, it can always be simple that way too. Depends only on what's you prefer to do!
All in all, keep it up, there's some great skills that have appeared in this video!
I think I'll find someone to help me with the audio.
I hesitate between Rode VideoMic and NTG-2.
I also plan to make a dolly.
1) That would be great. I've done some nice DIY pieces of gear to save some money. Let me know if you need some help/advice!
2) Between both, save more and invest in the NTG-2 I'd say. It's a superior mic in every way. The VideoMic isn't bad, but it's never like an XLR microphone. With the NTG-2, you'll be able to upgrade your gear without problem while with the VideoMic, you won't upgrade much due to the 3.5mm connector.
3) Dolly or Slider? A Slider is simpler to make and gives nice results too:
I've build this one and it serves me well. I have a couple of threads on the forum in the DIY section. Just search, you'll find!
I liked it. The only thing I found distracting was the wind noise.
Like drapeama said, think about putting an entry into the Antman contest. I'll be doing my first ever short film for the contest and I'm not sure it will be as good as "Fear" (but I'll try)
I made a dolly which I intend to use for the film. It was based on several internet DIY designs.
Basically:
- a piece of board (narrow enough to fit through a standard doorway),
- some second-hand inline skates (for 8 wheels),
- some PVC pipe (as mounting brackets for the wheels, it was easier to drill holes in PVC than angle iron or even aluminium.)
Each corner of the dolly has a pair of wheel, slightly offset from each other. They are mounted on the PVC pipe, 45 degrees from vertical, so they are at 90 degrees to each other and form a "V" shape to run on a PVC "rail" system. They also run smoothly on a flat surface.
On the upper surface of the dolly I have some wells made of short lengths of PVC pipe to hold the feet of my tripod. I also have a few eye bolts for securing elastric straps or other fastening devices.
Lengths of PVC pipe work as rails.
1) Mic foam windscreen or furry can help, but mic placement is quite important. Hence why I've asked if you could have help or not (Shotgun boomed vs lavalier mic on talent).
2) You should, you should! The more we have, the more challenging and exciting it'll be. We also have prizes for this round, 1st to 4th place.
Thank you, guys!
I like slider results, but the problem is that my tripod head is non removable, so I think that a dolly will be a cheaper choice for me.
Do as I did: get another head for that purpose. Got myself a Manfrotto 3-D adjustable head for that and it's nice. It restrict some camera movement, but on a slider, it's perfect for what I needed. Especially for the price. And it's built like a tank!
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