Lucky Pig, a 35MM adapter test short

[RicanJoe]

Hi everyone,
I filmed a (very) short film with my homemade 35mm adapter(Around $45 to build) last weekend, and I just wanted to show everyone. Its shot on a consumer jvc camera.

Direct stream/download(best Quality!):
http://vimeo.com/download/video:29226034

Vimeo (not hd but still better quality)
http://vimeo.com/645123

Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT0JHxXPePc
__________________
http://www.youtube.com/user/JoeyRythem

[Tom]

No offense, but I really wasn't impressed. Some blown out shots. A lot of it looked like a chance to show off DOF. Some missed focus shots, and some shots with random focus pulling. I think I actually saw a tripod in one shot! The actress seemed selfconscious of the camera and not well directed.

There were a couple of nice moments, though, and the soundtrack was nice.

Keep at it.

[RicanJoe]

No offense, but I really wasn't impressed. Some blown out shots. A lot of it looked like a chance to show off DOF. Some missed focus shots, and some shots with random focus pulling. I think I actually saw a tripod in one shot! The actress seemed selfconscious of the camera and not well directed.

There were a couple of nice moments, though, and the soundtrack was nice.

Keep at it.

Yes,..thank you, I needed a wake up call, back to the real world. I'm a complete noob with much to learn :biggrin: I should have time to spare (as a 16year old), and upgrade.

[Ramesh Jai]

Yes,..thank you, I needed a wake up call, back to the real world. I'm a complete noob with much to learn :biggrin: I should have time to spare (as a 16year old), and upgrade.
At least you are passionate about your work. That matters a lot more than experience without passion.

[Álex Montoya]

Hey, I liked it. It has a very nice silent super8 feel to it.

Keep it coming.

[RicanJoe]

At least you are passionate about your work. That matters a lot more than experience without passion.
That means a lot to me, thanks.

[RicanJoe]

Someone told me that it looked like 8mm film :), thanks

[Joe Vinson]

Dude, I wish I could've gotten into cine-video at 16. Keep at it and you'll be a pro by the time you can legally drink.

It's hard to criticize a $45 DOF adapter, but there's some serious vignetting issues. (Much lighter in the middle, darker around the edges.) And just because it's a cheap tripod doesn't mean you need to throw it away! :)

[Jeremy Neish]

Color me impressed. The mood of the imagery and the music matched nicely.

[liquidigital]

Keep at it. Wish I started at 16! :)

[Finner]

Joshuam

Nice work. As for criticism, YOU HAD FUN RIGHT? If you had fun thats all that matters. You have no producer, client, agency... on your back so do what you want. Have fun, do what you think is cool, learn every shoot and improve on the next one. Develop your own style, "Joshuam Roman style" and you will do great.

cheers
Daren

[Jeff Kilgroe]

:poster_stupid:
RicanJoe, FWIW, I see stuff on network TV and cable that has no more quality and is less entertaining that what you did. Nice work for just starting out... The criticisms posted here are valuable. Learn from them, have fun, you can only get better as you learn and produce more.

The girl in the video did seem to need better direction, but come on people... Is she a professional? I'm betting it's his little sister.

Ease up on some of the shallow DOF. People go nuts with it when they get their hands on a 35mm adapter. There's more to making a "film" than shallow DOF. Story is king.

[RicanJoe]

:poster_stupid:
RicanJoe, FWIW, I see stuff on network TV and cable that has no more quality and is less entertaining that what you did. Nice work for just starting out... The criticisms posted here are valuable. Learn from them, have fun, you can only get better as you learn and produce more.

The girl in the video did seem to need better direction, but come on people... Is she a professional? I'm betting it's his little sister.

Ease up on some of the shallow DOF. People go nuts with it when they get their hands on a 35mm adapter. There's more to making a "film" than shallow DOF. Story is king.

Thank you, and I thank everyone else for the replies and comments(I read and analyze every last bit of it). Yeah thats my lil sis, I tried on my directing but I could do way better, or maybe I need an assistant. I was paying more attention to the camera :usd: I emphasized the 35mm adapter a lil bit too much I guess, I just wanted to let the viewer know it was there :). I learn as I move.

[RicanJoe]

Joshuam

Nice work. As for criticism, YOU HAD FUN RIGHT? If you had fun thats all that matters. You have no producer, client, agency... on your back so do what you want. Have fun, do what you think is cool, learn every shoot and improve on the next one. Develop your own style, "Joshuam Roman style" and you will do great.

cheers
Daren

Yeah, we had a great time. What exactly do you mean by "Develop your own style". Ive been lookin for an answer to this, I just cant put my finger on it. Thanks

[Rudi Herbert]

Yeah, we had a great time. What exactly do you mean by "Develop your own style". Ive been lookin for an answer to this, I just cant put my finger on it. Thanks

Your own style is just that, your way of doing things, and it will quite easy to put a finger so to speak pretty soon. All you need is a combination of humility to accept criticism when you make mistakes AND the determination and self confidence to keep that which you think HAS to stay. Done. By studying the tips given by others, often times you'll find them to be right and you'll learn from it, and your craft will improve exponentially. But then, there will be ways in which you shoot something, position a prop in the scene, frame an actor, etc, that will, from the very first moment to the last, be obviously "right" in your perception and you will not change it. That's it, your style will emerge so. Learn from others with more experience, keep that you truly feel right about.

Your little short is not bad, keep at it. Yes, there's plenty to pick apart on it, but just look at it as the beginning of a very long engagement :-) Film every day if you can, you'll get better very, very fast...Welcome to the world of film making!

[RicanJoe]

Your own style is just that, your way of doing things, and it will quite easy to put a finger so to speak pretty soon. All you need is a combination of humility to accept criticism when you make mistakes AND the determination and self confidence to keep that which you think HAS to stay. Done. By studying the tips given by others, often times you'll find them to be right and you'll learn from it, and your craft will improve exponentially. But then, there will be ways in which you shoot something, position a prop in the scene, frame an actor, etc, that will, from the very first moment to the last, be obviously "right" in your perception and you will not change it. That's it, your style will emerge so. Learn from others with more experience, keep that you truly feel right about.

Your little short is not bad, keep at it. Yes, there's plenty to pick apart on it, but just look at it as the beginning of a very long engagement :-) Film every day if you can, you'll get better very, very fast...Welcome to the world of film making! Ok thanks, I understand. Ill try to be different.

[RicanJoe]

Here is some test shots when I first got my adapter, its real messyb I know.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WurXd9cHWHk

[albert rudnicki]

It's really sweet, love the simplicity and ambience
the editing and the actual camera work is pretty good, your adapter rocks !
Do some color correction and you should be fine.
Love the music.
Keep it up my friend and you'll be hiring some of us old farts in the next couple of years:)

Cheers
Albert

[RicanJoe]

Thanks,

If you saw any vignetting its cause I had not properly aligned the camcorder with the adapter so the cam was capturing some dark spots on the spinning disk. Also there was a fast flicker like effect in some shots which was due to my adapters batteries, they were almost dead meaning that you could start to see the imperfections in the cd because it began to spin slower. :biggrin:

[Nate Heartt]

I think you did an exceptional job. Each time I go out and shoot something it is just a massive learning experience. You have displayed serious talent for being 16. I enjoyed both your short and your test shots. Keep it up!
:w00t:

cheers,
Nate

[MANXLX]

i like what you have shoot,

who matters if it is sometimes out of focus or if we see a tripod.
good films can have a ton of failures/technical defects they only need "the mood" and this it is what was coming to me by seeing your film, the mood.

the best technical films you could punch them into the waste, mostly don't got mood.

keep filming, we like to see more

[Jay A. Kelley]

All these points are nice. If you really want to "hit the big time" later in your life, then you need to hear the particular people tear it apart. Just never forget your first success is that you are SHOOTING. So be proud, but never be satisfied.

He didn't like seeing a tripod in your shot. Here's the question: Do YOU think it should have been there? If you said "no, we should not have seen it" then he helped you learn something which makes this all worth while
jay

[RicanJoe]

All these points are nice. If you really want to "hit the big time" later in your life, then you need to hear the particular people tear it apart. Just never forget your first success is that you are SHOOTING. So be proud, but never be satisfied.

He didn't like seeing a tripod in your shot. Here's the question: Do YOU think it should have been there? If you said "no, we should not have seen it" then he helped you learn something which makes this all worth while
jay
Wow thats exactly how I feel after I complete filming and editing something!
I always think to myself something like..'I should have done this or that differently'. About the tripod, next time Ill review all of my footage on the spot :biggrin:

I'm also considering getting a small external viewing device, I think a portable dvd player with av inputs should do for focusing in sd(Ill prolly mount it with a broken lamp's aluminum gooseneck). Another reason I would need an external viewing device is to have a full frame view of what I shoot AND to correct the image from being upside down. All I should have to do is mount the external monitor upside down, and the image should be up right.

If you watch Lucky Pig, in the shot where the girl (my sister) is walking down the ally, in the opening you will notice that the camera is facing up abit. That is due the image being upside down. It is so difficult to do hand held stuff I have sometimes considered aiming it like a gun instead of look at the lcd, but then I forget about focus pulling..lol

[albert rudnicki]

Just keep on doing it, really, it's all that matters.

[Jeff Coatney]

Your film was very evocative and had a definite sense of mood that was consistent throughout. I liked your use of music and your shot choices. I also felt your use of close-ups was very sophisticated, I liked how you cut between them to convey story information.

With regards to "Style", you shouldn't worry too much about it. Your style will reveal itself more and more with each film you make. Style is evolutionary, if you try to over-think it or be too conscious of it, you run the risk of being derivative. You have a unique eye and you should make the films that you want to see, in the way you want to see them.

Although you're early in your career, you have strong instincts and you should shoot intuitively for awhile. Don't imitate or copy some of the directors you might be learning about or discovering. Find your own path for now. Learn what works for you and show your work to people your own age and see if they like the way you tell stories. Don't be discouraged or hurt if people don't seem to "get" it. Not everyone will like your work, but many people will like it.

Watch some movies you've never seen before with the sound off and see if you can tell what's going on in the story. Then go back and watch one of your own films again and see if your story-telling skills are improving.

Remember that the more films you make, the better film maker you become. Keep making them, you're very talented.

[RicanJoe]

Your film was very evocative and had a definite sense of mood that was consistent throughout. I liked your use of music and your shot choices. I also felt your use of close-ups was very sophisticated, I liked how you cut between them to convey story information.

With regards to "Style", you shouldn't worry too much about it. Your style will reveal itself more and more with each film you make. Style is evolutionary, if you try to over-think it or be too conscious of it, you run the risk of being derivative. You have a unique eye and you should make the films that you want to see, in the way you want to see them.

Although you're early in your career, you have strong instincts and you should shoot intuitively for awhile. Don't imitate or copy some of the directors you might be learning about or discovering. Find your own path for now. Learn what works for you and show your work to people your own age and see if they like the way you tell stories. Don't be discouraged or hurt if people don't seem to "get" it. Not everyone will like your work, but many people will like it.

Watch some movies you've never seen before with the sound off and see if you can tell what's going on in the story. Then go back and watch one of your own films again and see if your story-telling skills are improving.

Remember that the more films you make, the better film maker you become. Keep making them, you're very talented.

Thanks! Ill try what you said.
Yeah, alot of times I really do feel like people I know don't get the point of what I do.
This is great information, its really making me think about somethin. I thank EVERYONE here that has helped! (im learnin from the pros)

[Zac Crosby]

That was sick, when i was your age i started making films with my homemade adapter...

just kidding, bout the when i was your age... im 17... if you really love it... as i do...

future
http://photos-567.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v132/155/11/1236420567/n1236420567_30150183_9459.jpg

i made my first homemade one when i turned 16, now at 17 i own the redrock... and made a film!

trailer:
www.redrockmicro.com/footage/misc/carrierfinal.mov


dude, i like your shots, keep it on!



Z

[Nils J. Nesse]

When I was young, camcorders looked like this:

http://www.nilsjnesse.com/images/the_young_auteur.jpg

[Videodisc]

Nice work...much of what we do is about passion. I think you have it. Good luck.

frank

[RicanJoe]

That was sick, when i was your age i started making films with my homemade adapter...

just kidding, bout the when i was your age... im 17... if you really love it... as i do...

future
http://photos-567.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v132/155/11/1236420567/n1236420567_30150183_9459.jpg

i made my first homemade one when i turned 16, now at 17 i own the redrock... and made a film!

trailer:
www.redrockmicro.com/footage/misc/carrierfinal.mov


dude, i like your shots, keep it on!



Z
Nice work, I hope I get to that level by the time im 17. I cant afford such a setup though:sad: , I guess I have to work with what Ive got.

[Zac Crosby]

but you never know what'll come your way... i thought the same, but practically hassled Brain Valente, sales guy at redrock, and was able to "borrow" for free, the redrock to make a film with.... then profit from the movie brought up the money to buy the redrock myself... so watch out

[RicanJoe]

Thats awesome! You must have a way with words. If I EVER upgrade my equipment, the hv20 will be my first candidate. Followed by the Scarlet, if it has as good price to features ratio as the hv20 does (and if its under 1k, which I doubt).

[Zac Crosby]

if the scarlet is as good as it sounds... ill sell off my hv20+m2 and try and get scarlet.... the only problem i see is jim keeps saying it'll be a "pocket cam", unless the hv20 is his idea of a pocket cam, i don't want it going smaller

[RicanJoe]

if the scarlet is as good as it sounds... ill sell off my hv20+m2 and try and get scarlet.... the only problem i see is jim keeps saying it'll be a "pocket cam", unless the hv20 is his idea of a pocket cam, i don't want it going smaller
Yeah, Im thinkin he means "pocket" compared to the other large professional cameras out there like the xl2. People are crazy to think it will be 4k. They should be prepared for disappointment. 1080p should do just fine for most.

ps: Do you have an external monitor on your setup?

[Zac Crosby]

The hand\held stuff was shot sitting the rails on my cinematographers shoulders... a few shots i tried that were unusable... but im trying to make a DIY shoulder mount...

i hope scarlet is at least 2k with interchangeable lenses and lens mounts

i have a DVD monitor for shooting, but it suck focusing, im trying to get an HD monitor for cheap

[RicanJoe]

The hand\held stuff was shot sitting the rails on my cinematographers shoulders... a few shots i tried that were unusable... but im trying to make a DIY shoulder mount...

i hope scarlet is at least 2k with interchangeable lenses and lens mounts

i have a DVD monitor for shooting, but it suck focusing, im trying to get an HD monitor for cheap

Oh, I was thinking that the hand held was shot by holding onto the steel focusing plane marker(im guessing it would have broke)

2k and interchangable lenses is hoped by me too.

I am planning to get a dvd player as a monitor, I shoot sd so I dont think it would suck as much. I found this massive thread that has tons of information on how to build a battery powered HD monitor for he hv20 for around $200(just browse though it)

http://hv20.com/showthread.php?t=3448

http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/schaft/xf/xfr-samsung2.jpg
http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/schaft/xf/xfr-samsung4.jpg
http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/schaft/xf/xfr-samsung3.jpg

[Zac Crosby]

Haha, i was actually browsing that exact thread a few days ago... id had seen it before, but didn't check it out...

but i really want it, cause i need an hd monitor


if you want to continue this in email... reduxen(At)gmail(DOT)com

[RicanJoe]

Haha, i was actually browsing that exact thread a few days ago... id had seen it before, but didn't check it out...

but i really want it, cause i need an hd monitor


if you want to continue this in email... reduxen(At)gmail(DOT)com

K, cool. (Do you play xbox live, halo? The user name sounds familiar)

[Zac Crosby]

naw.... people somehow stole my username... prob long before i made it up... but naw... if you see zacatac anywhere popular ill go my zacatac927... but my lil bro plays... i sometimes steal his username...