Bryan (site member xerxes) and I started working at the beginning of the year on a collaboration, and we've just completed it. We both wrote it, and Bryan directed while I produced. I'm sure I speak for the both of us when I say that we are thrilled with the results, and are unabashedly proud of it. It's certainly the best movie that I've ever been involved with. It's been a lot of hard work, so we hope you all enjoy it!
CLICK HERE TO PLAY "SEVEN MONTHS" (http://www.turtletowfilms.com/video/sevenmonths.mov)
(Quicktime 7 Required, 86 MB. 19 minutes.)
sure its workin?
Is it not? Do you have Quicktime 7? What seems to be the problem?
It works on my end.
i do. goes to blank screen. its probably just my end, i'll try at home later.
same thing with me so i right clicked and saved as. all was well until i got an error toward the beginning of april. now i can't finish it. buffer run overload or something.
Worked for me this morning.
Matt, what was that form at the end of the film? I'll post my thoughts tomorrow when I'm not so tired.
It's been working for everyone else I've given the link to, so I have no idea what's going on with that.
Quote from: Ravi on July 27, 2006, 12:59:35 AM
Matt, what was that form at the end of the film?
I'm not sure what you mean to ask.
Quote from: matt35mm on July 27, 2006, 01:05:09 AM
Quote from: Ravi on July 27, 2006, 12:59:35 AM
Matt, what was that form at the end of the film?
I'm not sure what you mean to ask.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg106.imageshack.us%2Fimg106%2F9213%2Fscreenshoten1.jpg&hash=bfc6a50a86a4c7a11d9ed9f3ea5b52b9baef9674)
I liked it too. Interesting build-up. I wasn't sure what the film was getting at, but that just means I was intrigued and wanted to keep watching. It has these nice little moments, like the girl looking out the window on the bus or the two of them waiting for someone in the car. Every shot felt purposeful towards contributing to the film as a whole.
Quote from: Ravi on July 27, 2006, 01:45:23 PM
Quote from: matt35mm on July 27, 2006, 01:05:09 AM
Quote from: Ravi on July 27, 2006, 12:59:35 AM
Matt, what was that form at the end of the film?
I'm not sure what you mean to ask.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg106.imageshack.us%2Fimg106%2F9213%2Fscreenshoten1.jpg&hash=bfc6a50a86a4c7a11d9ed9f3ea5b52b9baef9674)
Oh yes. I forgot about that for some reason...
I'll say this about it: originally it was intended to be a brouchure or pamphlet, and thus much clearer. We could not get a proper brouchure in time, and so we decided on the set to use an application. It was not something designed to be evasive, but since the application is unclear, we all finally agreed that just the fact that it's an application is meant to suggest some sort of change. Given that, it's now a little bit open ended.
Even though I know what that actual application is for, in my mind now for the film it could be anything. As long as it's clear that it's a decision on her part to change something, to take some next step, I think that's good enough.
i thought it was pretty clear. took me a while to get into it, but when i did, i found myself enjoying it. i tend to like movies like this and it seems like you guys spent some money which is ALWAYS impressive when dealing with independent film. did you get clearances for the music? you going to submit it anywhere? how'd you do the sound, cuz i'm shooting a movie soon and i want sound like that!
that actress is really good. everything she did seemed very natural. what more can i say other than good job?
Glad you enjoyed it.
The music clearance is in progress so that we can submit it to festivals.
The sound was done mostly with a good boom mic (the more you spend, the better quality it is; ours was about $750), and the diner scene was done with wireless lav mics. Careful sound mixing and editing is crucial as well. Make sure you capture dialogue as well as you can, and then everything else can be added in later, if need be. Also remember to get the background noises, even if it's a quiet background (ask the crew to be quiet and record a couple of minutes worth of background noise, as the boom mic sound alone will be too "focused" and narrow to sound natural on its own). Let me know if you need more info, although most if it is online or in books.
A) Beautifully shot. Seriously. Some of the most gorgeous mini-DV I've seen. And the camera moves, when there were camera moves, were nicely executed.
B) Could have lost a couple of months without hurting much. Especially near the beginning, the editing felt way loose... as in every shot went on 2-5 seconds too long.
C) The scene on the bus listening to Belle & Sebastien was amazing. It could have gone on for five minutes and I would have been with it the whole way.
D) The lead actress was quite good, the guy who played James (I think that was his name... the dude with the jacket) was actually very good, and everybody else was a little awkward. Luckily (or perhaps it wasn't luck at all), they were the only two who had significant lines.
E) I think I would have got the application thing even if I hadn't already read your explanation of it, but man, a brochure would have been better.
F) Who did those paintings that were just a big canvas with a tiny little scene painted in the center? I loved those. I always cringe a little when a character in an independent film is an artist, because you never know if the filmmakers could actually get art that's as good as the story suggests it is. Your guys' art was, so good job on that.
G) Cosmic bowling is wicked cinematic.
This is exactly the sort of short film I like, where it's all about mood and character and theme, and story be damned. Because, let's face it, plot-based short films tend to be either undercooked or over-clever. And this film definitely casts its spell; that bus scene practically had me hypnotised by the end of it. Good work, fellas. I'd love to see what you whip up next.
I'm glad you liked it! And I'm especially glad that the "Chalet Bus" scene (as I keep calling it) had a hypnotic effect--that's exactly what I'd say we were aiming for.
Quote from: polkablues on August 11, 2006, 11:14:26 PM
Who did those paintings that were just a big canvas with a tiny little scene painted in the center?
Bryan's brother, Chris Oldaker. He is credited for the paintings. The apartment was also Chris's.
Just watched this after I saw it in your sig, wanted to see what you were up to.
It's shot really good and shows your growth. You're on your way.
In the scene in the beginning at the bus stop, did you rent that bus, or just time it? And was the driver all paranoid when he saw your set up?
Quote from: Stefen on May 13, 2007, 12:55:49 AM
Just watched this after I saw it in your sig, wanted to see what you were up to.
It's shot really good and shows your growth. You're on your way.
In the scene in the beginning at the bus stop, did you rent that bus, or just time it? And was the driver all paranoid when he saw your set up?
The first scene with the bus we just grabbed by timing it. It was a weekend and the buses aren't very busy. The driver didn't know anything about it. I guess he or she noticed us but that it's not very visible on camera.
The scene on the bus with the music was organized. We didn't exactly rent the bus, but we approached the bus administrators and after we talked to them (and after they talked to their lawyers and we talked to their lawyers), they let us use one of their lighter routes and more or less do whatever we needed to do in there. Fortunately, it was a simple set up and we were on and off pretty quickly.
Thanks for the interest, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Some questions.
What kind of camera did you use?
What did you use to edit ths?
And how did you get permission/access to some of your shooting locations? Is it as simple as asking the owner of the establishment or having to get a filming license for each place?
This is definitely one of the better shorts I've seen and watching really inspires me to get off my ass and film something. I have an JVC HD7 sitting in my room and I still haven't tried filming anything substantial.
Quote from: B.C. Long on July 07, 2007, 01:18:14 AM
Some questions.
What kind of camera did you use?
What did you use to edit ths?
And how did you get permission/access to some of your shooting locations? Is it as simple as asking the owner of the establishment or having to get a filming license for each place?
This is definitely one of the better shorts I've seen and watching really inspires me to get off my ass and film something. I have an JVC HD7 sitting in my room and I still haven't tried filming anything substantial.
I'm glad that this has inspired you to do something. Please please please go do it!
We used a Canon GL-2 with an anamorphic lens, and the final cut was Magic Bulletted for that particular look. I don't know what a JVC HD7 is, but it sounds better than what I've got, so make some good use of it!
We edited this in Adobe Premiere, though I don't feel that the particular program makes much of a difference. I've edited with Final Cut Pro and the end result is the same, since I only need it for in points and out points and fading audio, although Final Cut has better audio controls. I use Adobe After Effects for any image control I want to do.
Yup, just ask. Usually it's best to ask beforehand, as it differs from place to place. We called one diner that didn't want us to shoot there, and then the other diner was very accomodating. For shooting on the bus, we had to contact the bus station and this one was the most bureaucratic of them all, but we finally got the permission. The bowling alley and cafe were places we just walked into and asked on that day.
Thanks for the interest, and I hope you'll make a movie and post it on here soon!
One more question.
How did you find your actors? And do you have any suggestions for finding actors that will be in your shit for free? haha.
We mainly used craigslist for the actors, but I believe we also had some posted fliers around town. I think a lot of actors out there are willing to be in short films for free, we just decided to pay them because we thought it fair, and we were asking a lot of their time.
i liked the first half, the pacing was great, but after that i wished that something more exciting happened. not a drastic event, but to change the tone of the film a bit more.
I just saw it and thought it was pretty damn good. The shots were amazing, as was the lead actress - very very good, which is quite remarkable considering that in every short I've made, couldn't fins any actors, so I had to use friends, or friends of friends, so the end result was poor, acting wise.
I really liked the bus scene with Belle & Sebastien, and also the bit when they were on the couch, and she turns the TV off. That girl didn't have to say anything to be damn convincing.
I liked most of it, and I'm not really a huge fan of short movies, for the exact same reasons polkablues mentioned. This was all about mood, and it turned out great.
Oh I put this on Vimeo a long time ago and forgot to ever link it here:
http://www.vimeo.com/1608933
I hope those who haven't checked it out will do so, because xerxes and I are pretty proud of it!