music video shot with red

Ram Shani · May 18, 2009

http://vimeo.com/4573047

Mike Donis · May 19, 2009

The MV wraps up very nicely - I recommend watching it all the way through.

Red's looking good! And I never saw it coming....

Ram Shani · May 19, 2009

:)

please do see it all the way!!

kevin baggott · May 19, 2009

:)

please do see it all the way!!

For what it's worth I'm gonna comment on this video for the sake of maybe opening a debate of some kind. So the filmmakers of this video try not to take any of this too personally. This video just happened to come into my cross hairs. It could very well have been my own work that I now address the following. I forget what poet said it, (Robert Graves?), but he said before he writes a poem, he ponders if the world really needs the poem. Imagine if we filmmakers had to ask ourselves that question every time we hit the record switch on a camera. I just remembered this question was asked by Peter Bognanovitch in a doc on him I saw years back. But the question always stayed with me. As a writer/director I really feel when I write a script what's my responsibility in bringing garbage into the world?

Over the years, I've seen my fare share of films, director's reels, DP reels, editors reels, actors reels and the absolute garbage that are on a lot of them is really a sad affair. We all say: well how are we suppose to learn our craft? We have to pay the bills! I've student loans to repay, etc. OK we can't all be Tarkovsky, etc.

I just finished watching Broadway Danny Rose for the upteen time with the sound off projected on my wall. And I don't think cinema gets any better. I don't cinematography gets any better then what's in that film. Well Willis started out shooting commercials, learning his craft. And the world is given the gift of his talents. So maybe it all evens out in the end. But I wonder....

Mike Donis · May 19, 2009

I gather your point, but to compare: eating filet mignon every night would make you tire of it. Sometimes mac and cheese hits the spot - and there ain't nothing wrong with that in my books....

An excellent quote though, Kevin - thinking about whether the world needs what you'll create. It's something everyone should think of when embarking on a big artistic project - I just feel that sometimes, the world does need mac and cheese :)

In this video's instance, though - I took its comedy (with its unexpected ending) as a jab *at* the garbage that's out there.

Serge Teulon · May 19, 2009

I hear you Mike.....but you really think that the world needs MacD's/BK/etc..???

Ram, I liked your work in the video and also liked the message.

I was just left with the thought that the director could've pushed it a little bit further before the reveal.....maybe I'm wrong but that's what I felt.

kevin baggott · May 19, 2009

I hear you Mike.....but you really think that the world needs MacD's/BK/etc..???

Ram, I liked your work in the video and also liked the message.

I was just left with the thought that the director could've pushed it a little bit further before the reveal.....maybe I'm wrong but that's what I felt.

This particular video made me think of some films - where you have all this gratuitous violence then the filmmakers condemn the violence at the end. Frankly filmmakers are just as responsible for the toxic imagery they put out there then the corporations dumping mercury in the ocean - what have you. I recently watched about twenty minutes of Tropic Thunder because of all the raves and after twenty minutes I had to turn it off. It was so tasteless and upsetting. And John Toll shot it. The same guy who shot Thin Red Line as people know. Well - I felt betrayed frankly. I can not take that guy serious anymore. I just can't. He's no longer an artist in my books. He used his gifts to make a buck. And hey that's his choice. "everybody has their reasons" right? Anyway - this is not a new argument. I recently saw a young band, very talented bunch of people and the lead singer was wearing a shirt that said: "willing to sell out!" After the show some friends I was with introduced me to the singer and I asked about his shirt if he meant it. "Hell yeah!" he said. It didn't make me feel good to say the least.

Macaroni and Cheese anyone?

Ram Shani · May 19, 2009

hi i get your point and agree with most of it

and still as you said we got to eat and pay life expenses

what i learned from over the years that it's 95% or even more A SHOW BUISNES

and maybe 5% can be called art

next month i am about to shot what people called "art" movie

which me and the director sponsored shooting with very small crew every one work free for the love of art

and yet there people how will see it and think it's junk:)

the fun part about this video was that it was a take of on "Butte" videos

kevin baggott · May 20, 2009

hi i get your point and agree with most of it

and still as you said we got to eat and pay life expenses

what i learned from over the years that it's 95% or even more A SHOW BUISNES

and maybe 5% can be called art

next month i am about to shot what people called "art" movie

which me and the director sponsored shooting with very small crew every one work free for the love of art

and yet there people how will see it and think it's junk:)

the fun part about this video was that it was a take of on "Butte" videos

Hey Ram - I'm just having a bad day - sorry if I offended you. Ignore me.... really - all the best - kevin

Ram Shani · May 20, 2009

it's OK i didn't think so:)

i have the same thought almost Evey day i open TV

here in israel there are 2 commercial chanels and 95% oe the time it's realty shows

thay stop invest mony in drama and documentry which thay are obliget by the israely brodcast low

thoght not just there is nothing to see. also put more then 3000 pepole out of work

there is a big war here a round this

the filmakers went on strike, and even broke to tv studios during live show

so things are bad here

Ram Shani · May 20, 2009

edit post

it's OK i didn't think so:) i have the same thought almost Evey day i open TV. here in Israel there are 2 commercial channels and 95% of the time it's realty shows they stop invest money in drama and documentary which they are obliged by the israeli broadcast low there debt to local industry is 50.000.000.$!!! though not just there is nothing to see.they also put more then 3000 people out of work there is a big war here a round this the filmmakers went on strike, and even broke to TV studios during live show so things are bad here economically and cutlery

ross e lea · May 21, 2009

I personally enjoyed the video! But only the last half when it got really funny!

The first half I couldn't tell whether it was trying to be serious as a glamour attempt

or if it was leading up to a spoof or something. but yes, the back half was

entertaining and thats half the battle won right there! I would say you should

have tried to deliver at least pieces of that in the first half so people will make

it that far. you know what I'm saying?. butts and boobies only go so far.

cinematography was par, but nothing special. coloring was non-existent

and could really bring the video up in caliber if you would have given it a little

TLC with things like: dropping your black levels to give it depth and alleviate some

of that natural flat haze from video, finding a color tone to give it some character

as opposed to just "as is", or even just bumping up saturation a bit.

and if you did do coloring, I sure couldn't tell.

nevertheless, great idea! I was entertained! :-)

ps-blood needs to be a darker (slightly more brown) tone. :-)

Peter Moretti · May 22, 2009

I thought the footage looked very good. A few clips could have been lightened more to match w/ the rest of the material.

From a stylistic point of view, I do feel it relied heavily on jump cuts, which I'm not a big fan of. It could have benefited from more of some kind of a story b/c the girls are hot and music nice, but there's not a lot progression going on. Perhaps the ending could have been set up more.

That said it looked good.

Oh, one other thing, I found the light pole behind the mansion distracting and would have probably tried to remove it in post.

But thanks for sharing and all the best.