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Some frame grabs, Please Critique


Guest Trevor Swaim

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Guest Trevor Swaim

The following are some frame grabs from a short film Project that I DPed in association with the -Iowa Digital Filmmakers Guild-. I would really like some honest feedback. It was shot on a DVX100a and the lighting was mostly KinoFlos and natural. I white balanced for the tungsten kino and let the natural light stay blue. The in the short the actors are trapped in the small house by zombies, so I let the windows and doors blow out to give a feeling of nothingness on the other side of the wall.

 

 

 

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I would really like honest and full bore feedback, I won't get upset if you tell me it sucks :)

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Not bad, except that every shot is underexposed. I'm guessing that's what you were going for, but it's a bit much for me. Of course, I might have a different opinion if I saw the film and had some reference to what it was about.

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Guest Trevor Swaim

The film is actually a comedy played very straight, about a boy that comes home to tell his parents that zombies are taking over the town. They don't believe him and are having a ward and june cleaver type of conversation while the kid is running around the house (off screen) trying to board things up. Then the parents accuse him of causing this...

 

The shots are in chronological order except the last two got flipped. I wanted it to start kinda warm and as they moved toward the windows it became colder. so as said i balanced to the kino and just let the daylight stay blue. also FWIW for some reason it seems darker here than in Final cut or on any of the TV's or video projectors i have tested it on. I wanted it dark but not this dark :)

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Trevor,

 

I Have to a agree with Brad & Jonathan that that these stills on there own look way underexposed, it's difficult to asses photographically on

these four stills you would have to post some footage to gauge the mood. The references to Shaun of the dead are good in that low key

lighting is not just about underexposure (that's why its so difficult to do) its about sketching things very subtly and creating a harmonious balance with dark and light, it's the mark of a great photographer in my opinion.

 

To be honest the c.u. was the only thing i could like. Nice sheen on the nose!

 

Kieran.

 

You might also like to look at almost any scene in Blade runner!

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I like the three shot and the single. Not having a warm practical in frame, doesn't bring as much attention to the cold uncorrected daylight, which I like. I like the blown out windows too and personally would have made that a theme through the entire scene. The frame second from the bottom is a little jaring being it is a wider lense with a subject fairly close to camera....how did it cut?

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The problem with the DVX100a is that without a lot of light it gets noisy really fast, especially in squeeze mode which makes it worse. The 100b actually is a noticeable improvement. My solution is to give use more light and then crush it down by turning the master pedestal down some. I think the main issue in these grabs is that I am missing the edges of people, a little kicker light would make the soft fill more bearable.

 

 

 

ash =o)

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Guest Trevor Swaim

Yeah I must say I really enjoy working with the DVX series but I have never been in love with the footage I have gotten. My own camera is a Jvc HD-110 which doesn't seem to get much love but I really like some of the stuff I can do with it, for wedding videos anyway. Anywho thanks for all the comments I really do appreciate it! I was going for something out of my normal zone of comfort and didn't really succeed but I learned a ton. Thanks

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