tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49836944954182647362024-03-04T23:25:58.081-08:00THE HOMEBREW VIDEOMAKERMUSINGS OF A TGWTG REJECTTrenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-12662250746310405562013-07-10T08:30:00.002-07:002013-07-15T00:03:18.466-07:00'SNARK' P. J. ENTRY #5 (WEEK NINE)Doing this weekly is impractical when there's nothing to update. Things are going slower than I'd thought they would be, but that might be for the best as it gives the time to build awareness.<div><br></div><div>Update time! </div><div><br></div><div>July 3rd the Facebook page launched. As of this writing, we're at 91 Likes. There was a spike with the release of a teaser clip but I'm happy with the progress so far. People have been responding positively to date.</div><div><br></div><div>You can check it out at www.facebook.com/SNARKdocumentary</div><div><br></div><div>This last weekend, I interviewed another two people bringing the total up to five. Four of whom are reviewers. Some challenges with the first interview in the afternoon, but there was some great stuff when the camera did get rolling.</div><div><br></div><div>That's it for today!</div>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-50431682990970302442013-06-08T23:00:00.002-07:002013-06-08T23:00:32.406-07:00'SNARK' P. J. WEEK #4I've started putting together the IndieGoGo campaign. I expect it go up in the next two weeks. Doing a lot of reading. The biggest thing I need to figure out is the shipping. Shipping will make or break this endeavor. A friend successfully raised funds for a comic, but ended up breaking even on the endeavor because of the shipping. Should talk with him about this, actually...<br /><br />Anyway...<br />
<br />
More photos!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfAQeZrW6DYR8qk09bs31G4qWraop-EsncNQKkbhBM9UWJhvjms4GKloVZKUoHCmvbTrQj-wPf_sFoZgk38pmseDjqzqZafwxq_-JTtAHEXo6fFIblzUkhBUXlPegEsz5gVGd_1A3RTE/s1600/2B4A0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfAQeZrW6DYR8qk09bs31G4qWraop-EsncNQKkbhBM9UWJhvjms4GKloVZKUoHCmvbTrQj-wPf_sFoZgk38pmseDjqzqZafwxq_-JTtAHEXo6fFIblzUkhBUXlPegEsz5gVGd_1A3RTE/s320/2B4A0020.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another discarded poster version. I like how it turned out, but it doesn't say anything.<br />Getting closer to Adam better gave communicated the feeling I was going for.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqh0QVo81htkSvh69Ebjw7UNH1bXTwDrewn0aKkf9Ihi4Y2hTFOpwk0CtIIUe7QGQUWt9CJqTf5BZIlTRPUasfoC69RnEpmgrzYRaZdNCPNLwriXQhZ2giUuFLcvFWx3pmjLQDKfxdeA/s1600/2B4A0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqh0QVo81htkSvh69Ebjw7UNH1bXTwDrewn0aKkf9Ihi4Y2hTFOpwk0CtIIUe7QGQUWt9CJqTf5BZIlTRPUasfoC69RnEpmgrzYRaZdNCPNLwriXQhZ2giUuFLcvFWx3pmjLQDKfxdeA/s320/2B4A0030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Sean in this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOr1ChH-bNQ87lfTuUL84gt8Juboe1Shuk57oj1UXovGKcPki66q7THUc5Lndy9FVrYMuFSZ0L9XlTRIwJvG8dKSBea5W8a508FyUtsfxLn6ptQVyELvct38be9lLiH3abqS2ZjYiH8iE/s1600/2B4A0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOr1ChH-bNQ87lfTuUL84gt8Juboe1Shuk57oj1UXovGKcPki66q7THUc5Lndy9FVrYMuFSZ0L9XlTRIwJvG8dKSBea5W8a508FyUtsfxLn6ptQVyELvct38be9lLiH3abqS2ZjYiH8iE/s320/2B4A0043.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A test angle for Petar's interview. Decided against it for practical reasons.<br />The traffic sound was being amplified to unworkable levels.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That's all for now. Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-36785962680503455012013-05-29T18:54:00.002-07:002013-05-29T18:54:14.850-07:00'SNARK' PRODUCTION JOURNAL WEEK #3This week was spent on conceptualization of the end film. I love this point in a project, where there things start coming together. A documentary of this kind is modular with a near infinite number of ways it could fit together. It can and will be changed dramatically over the course of production depending on the footage; that process can be exhilarating!<br />
<br />
But that does process does mean very little to show.<br />
<br />
So here's an unused poster variation for the CineMassochist.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOXOzfZhqGi4hq-BY-wyk-ZJeA0uD4jVqCC6vJ9ffUPNLZXC7WQ2LLITV5mVhakG8rVLdWe7nATvAZT26h_gNJVz9hCruW24AM3YIOy7lqH4Sqo3EHdAQYucJ6nZzM9C-Uv4NoTgm8m8/s1600/2B4A0058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOXOzfZhqGi4hq-BY-wyk-ZJeA0uD4jVqCC6vJ9ffUPNLZXC7WQ2LLITV5mVhakG8rVLdWe7nATvAZT26h_gNJVz9hCruW24AM3YIOy7lqH4Sqo3EHdAQYucJ6nZzM9C-Uv4NoTgm8m8/s320/2B4A0058.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
I've also started contacted people to be a part of this project. No interest yet, but I'm still at the early stages. <br />
<br />
See you next week!Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-16083986743063445652013-05-21T18:10:00.001-07:002013-05-21T20:34:29.497-07:00'SNARK' PRODUCTION JOURNAL WEEK #2And that's a wrap! As of Sunday May 19th, the first phase of <i>Snark</i> is finished.<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>2ND WEEK TIMELINE</u></b><br />
<i><u>MAY 18th, 2013</u> - Third day of filming. Filming Adam from YMS. I met Adam at a party. Cool cat. Solid show. Wicked musician.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Severe insomnia going in to today's shooting; maybe 3 hours. I've operated at worse, but I was sluggish all day. Eight hours of filming. The footage I got is solid and the interview itself felt really good, but I know there were missed opportunities. Less b-roll than any other participant.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Not going to think about reshoots until I know for sure I need it.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Easy to forget that at this stage this is a 5 minute project. What I'm doing is the very definition of over-shooting.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Adam offers to do some score work for the project. His stuff is pro. This will happen.</i><br />
<i><u> </u></i><br />
<i><u>MAY 19th, 2013</u> - Fourth and to date final day of filming. Petar Gagic from Cine-Masochist is on today's slate.</i><br />
<br />
<i>We started at the room in his house where Cine-Masochist is shot. A bit cramped, and with posters covering every surface. A lot of fun to shoot here. Nearly got stuck in a laundry hamper while backing up to get a shot. Blocked the door with the futon at another point so I had room to get the tripod in the right position.</i><br />
<br />
<i>As a complete side note, I love the problem solving that happens in this style of videomaking; having no tripod for his show, Petar balances his camera on top of a stack consisting of a yogurt container, two speakers and a chair. His camera is restricted to 9 minutes of recording at a time. I love hearing these kind of stories because they highlight the ingenuity and the sheer filmmaker chutzpa work to just make it work with whatever's available. </i><br />
<br />
<i>After this, we move to the area where the Cine-Masochist intro was shot. A bit loud with the traffic, but workable. Petar is a natural on screen and the interview ends up being the shortest of the three.</i><br />
<br />
<i>As a thank you, I took photos of his friend's band 'Just Off The Grid'.</i><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGgJwxpdI8x6NeoN_IK8IOHGQCC08HsW7zsXhRPz6w4ATuJmUaUdQFBFAjYSOHFkuLFoQfN7WPazVKF2w_WlvUIJrZPbS0aAQPARG5zcB_AfOXgKx80MrL8syeaV43ssDx_OYT7HWkyA/s1600/2B4A0087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGgJwxpdI8x6NeoN_IK8IOHGQCC08HsW7zsXhRPz6w4ATuJmUaUdQFBFAjYSOHFkuLFoQfN7WPazVKF2w_WlvUIJrZPbS0aAQPARG5zcB_AfOXgKx80MrL8syeaV43ssDx_OYT7HWkyA/s320/2B4A0087.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<i>A background in graphic design, I asked Petar to have a go at taking a couple photos from the shoot so far and turn them into proper posters.</i><br />
<br />
<i><u>MAY 20th, 2013</u> - Petar sent me the preliminary poster layout for this first phase of filming. Minor changes made.</i><br />
<br />
<i>I have 3 hours of interview footage and close to 200 b-roll shots.</i><br />
<br />
<i>I'm aiming to get a trailer out for this by the end of the month. This should be fun.</i><br />
<i><u>MAY 21st, 2013</u> - And the finalized versions of the poster layouts. I like them. They act both as promotion for the doc and of each individual show. Remove the name of the show and any one could act as a stand alone poster.</i><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1eqfthsP3J8vE_v1xY-iTu3Rc7E23KK5o8YUtkHjioZ_vfX0D04n_jUp-jme9E4PXV-_zz4vDTAhdNJg1yCJnTYJ-B-ZQQmeO_5sjjxGmCxwj5Q4UgxYKbUZatn27XOLQ-gb_-f41Pc/s1600/SNARK_PosterSeriesOne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1eqfthsP3J8vE_v1xY-iTu3Rc7E23KK5o8YUtkHjioZ_vfX0D04n_jUp-jme9E4PXV-_zz4vDTAhdNJg1yCJnTYJ-B-ZQQmeO_5sjjxGmCxwj5Q4UgxYKbUZatn27XOLQ-gb_-f41Pc/s400/SNARK_PosterSeriesOne.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i>This project is starting to feel legitimate to me.</i>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-49650662406488638962013-05-16T13:01:00.001-07:002013-05-16T13:19:43.218-07:00'SNARK' PRODUCTION JOURNAL WEEK #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1jRbJ0aEH7dRKFQ2yBtYa_1xv-KfuiGzjC82ze0cUM5ElBZzbwDVhNynCkSVh-TcOldvjCQjyfyOKgVJwIjRtcCcUhdYEki-pAYXU_6uQNTwDHLRICLoBzIT3WF09yKbDILF-1N4nyc/s1600/SNARK_Still1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1jRbJ0aEH7dRKFQ2yBtYa_1xv-KfuiGzjC82ze0cUM5ElBZzbwDVhNynCkSVh-TcOldvjCQjyfyOKgVJwIjRtcCcUhdYEki-pAYXU_6uQNTwDHLRICLoBzIT3WF09yKbDILF-1N4nyc/s320/SNARK_Still1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
I've started making a documentary project about the internet reviewing community. How ambitious it's going to end up being or the shape of it I don't really know at this stage, but it's coming together well. The progress has been good enough to do some chronicling of it.<br />
<br />
<i>Snark</i> will explore the what, the who, and the why of internet reviewing.<br />
<br />
The first phase is interviewing and talking to local reviewers. That's what I'm doing right now.<br />
<u><b><br /></b></u>
<u><b>1ST WEEK TIMELINE</b></u><br />
<i><u>MAY 9, 2013</u> - First day of filming. Local metal reviewer Happy Viking is first up.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Driving estimated to take an hour. Traffic makes it 90 minutes. It means I'm late. Sean is gracious about it. Has provided pizza and diet coke. Impeccable host.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Relaxed shoot from 5:30pm through 10pm. While light cools, talked about some of the problems in the community as well as potential solutions. Theoretical, of course, but it spurs me on to the next article idea...</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Capture footage when I get home. Dust spot on all footage shot with one of the lenses. Fuck.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><u>MAY 11, 2013</u> - Hear the song 'Bottomfeeder' by Amanda Palmer. Resonates so perfectly with the project that I contact her management about getting use of the song. Cut a 90 second promo piece to the song to help sway opinion.</i><br />
<br />
<i>E-mail takes me 6 hours to write.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Long and kind of rambling, but admittedly the process of writing it helps me articulate what this project is.</i><br />
<br />
<i><u>MAY 14, 2013</u> - Response back from manager about the song.</i><br />
<br />
<i>He wants clarification about the project. It only takes me an hour to write this one.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><u>MAY 15, 2013</u> - Second day of filming with Happy Viking. Concentrate on b-roll. It's impressive just how much this style sucks up that kind of coverage; I always under estimate how much I need to shoot.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Two hours in traffic this time. Shoot from 6pm to 12am. No dust on lenses this time. Also shoot some stills this time. Most don't really work, but a concept Sean came up with is just so evocative of this project and his online identity that I'm seriously considering a series of posters.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Hear back from Palmer's manager. Song is under Creative Commons license for non-commercial work. Feel a bit silly for the 6 hour email, but it means I can use the song.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
So yeah, that's it from me for now. Stay tuned for more updates and spread the word!Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-57673943217482469342012-10-29T01:39:00.003-07:002012-10-29T01:39:52.622-07:00INSIDE THE COLLABORATIVE PROCESS: EGOThe group of people I work with are about to focus on a short film aimed towards festivals. This decision was made last week and today we each brought forward two scripts to champion as that next short film. There was no conflict, no anger and a lot of laughter.<br />
<br />
It was a meeting of simple, frank discussion about each project. Here's a sampling.<br />
<br />
<b>PROJECT ONE:</b><br />
<i>A 3 episode web series. Shock comedy exploiting a niche.</i><br />
In this open environment my feedback was "I neither relate to or care about any of the characters, and the handling of the subject matter leaves a bad taste in my mouth." The above is politely paraphrased, of course; I originally used more colorful language.<br />
<br />
Afterwards I admitted a scene in the third episode was genuinely entertaining, suggesting it could be the basis for a much stronger project.<br />
<br />
<b>PROJECT TWO:</b><br />
<i>A dying man speaks with the devil. Drama.</i><br />
And in return one of mine was described as "going nowhere" and as being very "film student". This term, for the record, is basically the biggest insult you can lob at a filmmaker. <br />
<br />
He was right, of course; to an extent. The dialogue is interesting but isn't strong enough on it's own; the script is a minimalist piece which requires unified production design and a bold visual style to compliment what is otherwise simply talking heads.<br />
<br />
In other words, it's an art film.<br />
<br />
They tend to walk that line between profundity and pretentiousness.<br />
<br />
<b>PROJECT THREE:</b><br />
<i>Two men plot murder. Comedy.</i><br />
Another of mine. I'd not originally brought it to the meeting, but we were coming up short and finding most we liked were a bit ambitious for the resources we had available. The script's one I'd brought out before.<br />
<br />
It met with a resounding "meh", with the criticism that it "goes nowhere" again coming up.<br />
<br />
<b>EGO IS JUST ANOTHER 4-LETTER WORD</b><br />
Everyone has an ego. A certain amount of self worth is required simply to get up in the morning and face a world which on the whole cares very little about whether you even show up.<br />
<br />
For an artist you put yourself into your work; it's hard to separate yourself from the fruits of your labor and any criticism of it feels like it's directed towards you. The tendency is to retract; to protect your creation from those that would judge it harshly.<br />
<br />
And this is fine, as far as it goes, but it breeds stagnation.<br />
<br />
Nothing is ever so good it can't be improved upon. To do that, an artist needs at some point to be open to an outside perspective.<br />
<br />
Speaking of my own experience with Trenchie, I got so concerned with the minutia that I was completely taken aback when three separate people pointed identified a glaring issue I'd not even considered. This was after a full eight months of nothing but glowing praise for the video in question. Even with the harshest of self criticism, and believe me I am unforgiving in that department, I was too close.<br />
<br />
Put a monkey in a cage with only three possible exits and you'll watch the monkey find a fourth.<br />
<br />
It's very easy to let ego get in the way of perspective. You are not your work. While <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAfyFTzZDMM">you are beautiful</a>, the fruits of your labor can always, always be improved.<br />
<br />
<b>RESPECT</b><br />
The only reason the group of people in the meeting can cut the bullshit out of our discussion is because there is strong mutual respect. We're not afraid of treading on egos because we each want the same thing; a good short film we can stand behind.<br />
<br />
The final decision was unanimous.Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-28999219428971947282012-07-28T20:51:00.003-07:002012-07-28T21:59:54.436-07:00EXTENDING THE WARRANTY: GETTING MORE OUT OF YOUR CAMERAIt's obvious but I feel it needs to be said: a better camera doesn't
guarantee a better video. I've been involved with enough of them to know
that in competitions rarely is the winning entry the one with biggest
crew and most expensive gear.<br />
<br />
The inverse is true,
too; in general a half-decent camera can hit above its proverbial weight
class. Practically ever year a movie is shown at Cannes that really
shakes things up. One documentary used old footage from a family camera
and cut together on a $50 editing program caused major ripples some
years back.<br />
<br />
There are limits, of course. From the side
of technical fidelity, you can think of camcorder shopping as flirting
with the law of diminishing returns. There is no upper limit to how much
can be spent on a camera, but generally speaking the higher you go in
price the more you have to spend to get a significant and noticeable
jump in quality.<br />
<br />
The fantastic thing about videomaking is that the audience neither knows nor cares about technical specs. If anything I find people simply assume it's 'better than what I have' and leave it at that. Heh.<br />
<br />
And while not all cameras are created equally (a good camera <i><u>really</u></i> does make a difference), there are ways to get more out of yours regardless of the price tag.<br />
<br />
Don't believe me? Need proof? <a href="http://vimeo.com/16048878">This video</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6iwPlZ-Obk">this video</a> were made with the same model of camera.<br />
<br />
Yeah.<br />
<br />
<u>ZOOM DIFFERENTLY</u><br />
When
you hit the zoom button on your camera the pieces of glass inside the
lens are physically moving further apart. This effectively making the
lens longer, or more telephoto.<br />
<br />
Most often this is used as
simply a way to
get closer to whatever you're recording. Moving in from a Long Shot to a
Medium Close-Up, say. If you instead move the camera back so that your
Long Shot STAYS a Long shot, some interesting things happen.<br />
<br />
If you're scratching your head as to what a Medium Close-Up is, I covered shot sizes in a <a href="http://homebrewvideo.blogspot.ca/2012/01/film-school-abridged-shot-sizes.html">previous article</a>.<br />
<br />
The
first thing you'll notice when you've zoomed in is that space is
compressed. Jimmy, standing 3 feet behind Bob, appears about the same size as his friend. If you zoom out and move close enough that Jimmy is again in a Long Shot you'll see Bob appearing closer. A Medium Close-Up, say. It's all about ratios and distance from the camera.<br />
<br />
The second thing that happens is that the area in focus, the
depth of field, becomes narrower. If you have your subject move away
from the background until he is the only thing in focus, the audience
attention is more sharply focused on the subject and the shot is more
intimate.<br />
<br />
I won't go into too much detail as to why, but the depth
of field is
all about how open the iris is. On most consumer camcorders there is no
way to control the iris manually. If you shoot somewhere with a lot of
light, such as outside on a bright day, more of the frame will be in
focus. If you shoot somewhere with less light, such as inside, the depth
of field will be tighter. Knowing what's going on inside your camcorder means you have more control of your image.<br />
<br />
<u>STOP SEEING EYE TO EYE</u><br />
The most common place people will place the camera is at eye
level. Sometimes this is appropriate. Sometimes it's not. Even just
getting the camera lower to the ground will often completely change the
feel of the shot. Or a few feet higher.<br />
<br />
Famously
Orson Wells dug a hole in the floor of a set to get the camera lower to
the ground. You probably don't need to go that far.<br />
<br />
<u>SK8ER B0Y</u><b></b><br />
If there is a mantra of this blog, I'd like to think it's
"Everything communicates.". Half of what makes movies feel cinematic is
the way they move the camera. From a simple dolly to those smooth
sweeping shots of expansive vistas. And while you don't have access to
the tens of thousands of dollars of equipment the big guys do, I'll bet
you've a buddy with a skateboard.<br />
<br />
Or a car.<br />
<br />
A wheelchair.<br />
<br />
A shopping cart.<br />
<br />
The basic principles still apply; wheels on a smooth surface gives you smoother movement than hand holding it.
And if you want a crane, think outside the box. If you're setting is in a
playground, why not get a couple people on one end of a teeter-toter
smoothly lifting you on the other end with the camera?<br />
<br />
Your ultimate goal is to make the camera man invisible to the
audience. If that happens, it ultimately doesn't matter if you achieved
it with a $10,000 a day rental package or a broom handle and some duct
tape.<br />
<br />
Of course, most of the above methods still require an operator physically holding the camera and soften any vibration. The final word on that? Lock elbows to your side and move the camera with your whole body.<br />
<br />
<u>FINAL WORDS</u><br />
Camcorders are pretty
incredible pieces of technology regardless of their price points. You're
holding in your hands the culmination of 100 years of film history.
Pretty cool stuff, all in all. The best thing you can do is push back
against the comfort zone.<br />
<br />
Give yourself permission to make mistakes.<br />
<br />
Play.<br />
<br />
Huh... Camcorder. <u>Cam</u>era Re<u>corder</u>. I literally <i>just</i> got that. Why is it that all the cool sounding words have such lack-luster <span class="st">etymologies</span><br />
<span class="st"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="st"><i>This article is dedicated to Joshua The Anarchist for his comments on articles previous. He's got a pretty good <a href="http://joshuatheanarchist.blogspot.ca/">blog of his own</a>.
Comments are what keep me writing this blog. If you like what you read,
consider posting something simply to say so. It really does make my
day.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span class="st"><i>Hey! Let's make this fun!</i></span><br />
<br />
<span class="st"><i>Post
a comment saying what you'd like to be drawn as and the next article I
will draw up to three commenters as they so desire to be drawn!</i></span>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-74254618626668014002012-05-20T04:29:00.001-07:002012-05-20T12:08:41.547-07:00HOW LATE IS TOO LATE TO SAVE YOUR VIDEO?There is a great quote*: <i>"Every movie is made seven times and involves both sets of grandparents."</i><br />
<br />
While this is a great way of expressing how incredibly difficult and involved the process of making a feature film is, this has very little practical value from the perspective of <i>WHAT IN THE F^CK DOES THAT MEAN?!!</i> The traditional stages of making a film are Development, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, and Distribution. I guess the other steps are about... financing? Is he treating conception as a different step than writing? I don't know.<br />
<br />
But the idea that each step in the arduous process of movie making in and of itself is weighted more or less equally is one I can get behind. For the purposes of this blog, I'm going to say this:<i> EVERY MOVIE IS MADE THREE TIMES.</i><br />
<br />
The first time when it is written.<br />
<br />
The second when it is planned and filmed.<br />
<br />
The third when it is edited.<br />
<br />
That isn't exactly brain surgery, but it's useful to think of these steps as separate. Each of these steps require a radically different set of skills to do, yet each has a HUGE effect on the finished video. So let's go into it, shall we?<br />
<br />
<u>MAKING YOUR MOVIE THE FIRST TIME: WRITING</u><br />
When you stop and think about it, the written word is diametrically opposed to a movie. It literally is a different medium. A camera can't capture someone's thoughts. A written story needs to spend time explaining in detail what intuitively comes across on screen. A camera is always doomed to show too much. Etc.<br />
<br />
The process of writing a script for a video is often one people find tedious and frustrating. There's always the temptation to jump the gun and start shooting the second you reach 'Fade Out', but here's the thing; no matter how brilliantly it is filmed a bad script can't make a great film. The reverse is true too; Chinatown is a better script than a film.<br />
<br />
...I can't really tell you how to write a good script within the confines of this article, but here's what I can say: <i>writing is re-writing</i>. With few exceptions a first draft is never so good that a second or third pass can't improve it. In more professional circles, it's not unheard of to do a couple dozen (my record is twenty-two). Subsequent drafts you want to edit for brevity, clarity, pacing and flow.<br />
<br />
Everybody's process is different, and you have to find your own. Mine involves cue-cards.<br />
<br />
<u>MAKING YOUR MOVIE THE SECOND TIME: FILMING</u><br />
From the placement of the camera to the set up of the light to the pacing and performance, anything happening in front of the camera shapes the experience. Everything communicates.<br />
<br />
If you place the camera low it makes your subject feel more imposing. That might be appropriate introduction to your villain.<br />
<br />
Or a parent from a child's perspective.<br />
<br />
Or for delivering a fact about superheroes.<br />
<br />
The same line can take on different meanings if it's instead filmed from a high angle. Or with different line delivery.<br />
<br />
<u>MAKING YOUR MOVIE THE THIRD TIME: EDITING</u><br />
You ask ten different people to take the same footage and cut together a scene and you will have ten different scenes. Clever editing can hide issues with performance and production. Creative editing can make an otherwise bland video suddenly interesting. You can give a video a distinctive look and feel simply in how the footage is assembled.<br />
<br />
And yes, if you've got a troubled film,<i> a show can actually be saved in editing!</i><br />
<br />
...Okay, lemme give a tangible example.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HP4r68lqjTE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
This episode had no script. I had a list of points I wanted to make and had structured a rough guideline around them. Everything else was improvised.<br />
<br />
In editing I found I had some major issues with the footage I had shot. More than half just didn't work well on screen. I ultimately ended up rewriting everything in post. Lines were used out of context. Ideas were dropped entirely. It was a challenge, but it was a satisfying one; I kept pushing to get the film down to it's leanest and most engaging. And what came out looks nothing like what I planned it to.<br />
<br />
I was able to do that because I shot with an eye to give me options in the editing room. I had changed up delivery in the different takes. I had shot non-sequitur sequences. I had shot the same content from a second, tighter angle.<br />
<br />
What a lot of budding filmmakers do is essentially edit while they're shooting; they'll only film from each angle however long they think they'll need. They'll only shoot one take. That's all well and good if the end film works, but it often won't. And if there's no coverage, it means you're stuck. Or it means re-shoots.<br />
<br />
But really the point to take away from reading this article is that each step of the process you are making the film anew. Not until you press export on the project and put it online are you done. And that can be a wonderful, wonderful thing.<br />
<br />
Now it's your turn. Do you have a video where you completely changed direction after you'd written it? Or filmed it? Post about it in the comments! Next post will be dedicated to the author of the best comment.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>*Sadly I do not know who made this quote save that they are a filmmaker and likely European. ...hey, by show of hands; who actually still remembers what this note is referring to?</i>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-28702552177261151952012-02-22T04:21:00.000-08:002012-02-22T04:36:24.004-08:00FILM SCHOOL ABRIDGED - SHOT SIZES<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AEJbYbJN6T48q9MXSnd-kEfwk2ilmWrcGURzgzX2Ji4imCxjnCHm-B7HjlpmxeZCrhbPUrhLuxbsTViMhCAw8TppACpwViLyfXtBr1Y2MDT-Vigg0r4EkA-N7pnmRyuVdg_XczYN3-I/s1600/LensCrackerTitle.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AEJbYbJN6T48q9MXSnd-kEfwk2ilmWrcGURzgzX2Ji4imCxjnCHm-B7HjlpmxeZCrhbPUrhLuxbsTViMhCAw8TppACpwViLyfXtBr1Y2MDT-Vigg0r4EkA-N7pnmRyuVdg_XczYN3-I/s400/LensCrackerTitle.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694391077915594146" border="0" /></a>I thought long and hard about what I wanted to start this undertaking off with and I ultimately decided to start with the subject covered in the one and only episode of Lens Cracker. Specifically; <span style="font-weight: bold;">SHOT SIZES.</span> This really is the most basic of the concepts on the cheat sheet to understand, as well as among the most helpful in the realm of planning your shoot.<br /><br />So on your cheat sheet, look on the far right side of the sheet.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySeiOt00AMU1xa7lpl45OelmAMJxFtN74ZvTNIQK0KLCRJIpqFYr-nyAEydZM2mV2ViVLnNy8D_Vy9v_R8fqjO30MbYe5d-rKb4FEUB6o1AK4aq7qkM6V8-nIplKPPC0sEdypjyOg50g/s1600/LensCracker_CheatSheet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 325px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySeiOt00AMU1xa7lpl45OelmAMJxFtN74ZvTNIQK0KLCRJIpqFYr-nyAEydZM2mV2ViVLnNy8D_Vy9v_R8fqjO30MbYe5d-rKb4FEUB6o1AK4aq7qkM6V8-nIplKPPC0sEdypjyOg50g/s400/LensCracker_CheatSheet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694390993951234530" border="0" /></a><br />Hm, let's lay that out a bit cleaner. Click below to get a larger view.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgjFlnwqKemqkCtnx4qsV2Hw443_hEoTQWMHUo-_DsfbCGvQcku6XctZrTulQBeBg937YgD9En8piahwpfAEpeG-8EbBdoXabVz8w9o-SEfDLEgA0mAV14o8BlqsVUlBJXduHjH9te4k/s1600/FSA_ShotSizes_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 60px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgjFlnwqKemqkCtnx4qsV2Hw443_hEoTQWMHUo-_DsfbCGvQcku6XctZrTulQBeBg937YgD9En8piahwpfAEpeG-8EbBdoXabVz8w9o-SEfDLEgA0mAV14o8BlqsVUlBJXduHjH9te4k/s400/FSA_ShotSizes_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694458786057194306" border="0" /></a>And below is the same idea expressed differently. Right, let's go through this, eh?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-8WA4WhuQ4nhvUVHYSneB9AKrpcxJoXmmFjNorvzUUtf83pq8ILVSDOi1bg8MqTxO7wstXE2hPyOzwleYTbVwM7gFwjwhkYiPDhZIxLa_5ybo56AU5BBJshfPOXIS1l-JWAxxw2op00/s1600/FSA_ShotSizes.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 356px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-8WA4WhuQ4nhvUVHYSneB9AKrpcxJoXmmFjNorvzUUtf83pq8ILVSDOi1bg8MqTxO7wstXE2hPyOzwleYTbVwM7gFwjwhkYiPDhZIxLa_5ybo56AU5BBJshfPOXIS1l-JWAxxw2op00/s400/FSA_ShotSizes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694390813514330818" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;"><br />ECU </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> - Extreme Close-Up</span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">CU</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> - Close-Up</span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">MCU</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> - Medium Close-Up</span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">MS</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> - Medium Shot</span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">MLS</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> - Medium Long Shot</span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">LS</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> - Long Shot</span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">WS</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> - Wide Shot</span><br /><br /><br /><br />Through these thumbnail descriptors, you'll be able to describe 99% of all shots you've ever seen in every film/video/tv show/comic book/advertizement/poster/video game/logo you've encountered, including your own (whether you used them consciously or not). If you do a search for 'shot size', you'll find every source will have slightly different names but this I find to be the most practical to remember and put into practice.<br /><br />Now, there's a reason I've got the abbreviated form of each shot size on the Cheat Sheet in place of its full description. Before I talk about each of those in detail, I want to talk about why.<br /><br />One of the most important elements of directing is going in knowing exactly what you're going to shoot and being able to communicate this with everyone else. This gives a universal short-hand to aid in both. And while many more challenging shots are helpful to storyboard to assist others to visualize, most shots don't need anything more than '<span style="font-style: italic;">MCU John, deep focus</span>'. Often even a more complicated shot can be described this way, too: '<span style="font-style: italic;">Dolly back from MCU to LS John; reveal MS Claire (facing camera) on "The world sucks...".</span>' or '<span style="font-style: italic;">Crane up MCU John to LS overhead, slow clockwise spin.</span>'. This, as you can imagine, saves a great deal of effort; pertinent information conveyed in as little as 2 words per shot rather than taking the time and effort to storyboard an entire project.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wide Shot (<span style="font-weight: bold;">WS</span>)</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uhdYgiHihABbwgLymbFZ9GehIr90kagtArThLkh599HpRSArPQYNM5eo_MzoVi-sIEwVKzWySLwGhLMgWEiTY6UUF5lkgX6E_X2hZ3dPvNZiIc7CYW55TXBtxGb-gyFTgQDtdGAXA3I/s1600/Yojimbo_WS.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2uhdYgiHihABbwgLymbFZ9GehIr90kagtArThLkh599HpRSArPQYNM5eo_MzoVi-sIEwVKzWySLwGhLMgWEiTY6UUF5lkgX6E_X2hZ3dPvNZiIc7CYW55TXBtxGb-gyFTgQDtdGAXA3I/s320/Yojimbo_WS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711906648359260258" border="0" /></a>A good way to think of a Wide Shot is that it places your subject in the full context of their environment. This shot size can be used to make a person seem small and lonely, or just to help to establish location. In fact, it's sometimes called an 'Establishing Shot' for that very reason.<br /><br />There is no limit on how far back you can take the camera.<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></span>EXAMPLE FROM 'YOJIMBO'<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Long Shot (<span style="font-weight: bold;">LS</span>)</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkXeF1qJ2iKhwyMW2_nNv837E_8vD0wJOhC2j0W8Wc60VoCfgO6bMBHozeo5ZXlxxoWP3a7ovbXI7SxfJbaYLqVfmYWZiAuo9yc6GNsusAJhJaqEz7He1VXkVNcd4lMxcSiJ6WQgYbhI/s1600/FawltyTowers_LS.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkXeF1qJ2iKhwyMW2_nNv837E_8vD0wJOhC2j0W8Wc60VoCfgO6bMBHozeo5ZXlxxoWP3a7ovbXI7SxfJbaYLqVfmYWZiAuo9yc6GNsusAJhJaqEz7He1VXkVNcd4lMxcSiJ6WQgYbhI/s320/FawltyTowers_LS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711914662083391954" border="0" /></a>Head to toe. Because this shot shows the full movement of a person, it's often used in sitcoms or broad humor.<br /><br />Like a Wide Shot, this shot size is good for giving an audience a sense of placement of the characters to their environment and relation to each other. You may notice that many older films use this size of shot quite a bit. Going for a bit of a tangent here, but generally that's for one of two reasons; first because early filmmakers often treated films like stage plays. And second because playing a scene wider meant the need for less coverage as everything can cleanly be seen on screen in a single frame. In many cases this allowed for tighter shooting schedules.<br /><br />EXAMPLE FROM 'FAWLTY TOWERS'<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Medium Long Shot (<span style="font-weight: bold;">MLS</span>)</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrOk_76jdxHz7k01BT9UR3r4cGszVGb0O2Ge6Y9_VVZQ1-tutNGAp6YLMJfa3eRwMD5z6yAUnbDeNeDl9RA98wKB5GEHjlRzbrZ25q2qyeLz7e4Vnhj27dBC6BBASAIu5jy4g9YhoWkY/s1600/cowboys_and_aliens_MLS.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrOk_76jdxHz7k01BT9UR3r4cGszVGb0O2Ge6Y9_VVZQ1-tutNGAp6YLMJfa3eRwMD5z6yAUnbDeNeDl9RA98wKB5GEHjlRzbrZ25q2qyeLz7e4Vnhj27dBC6BBASAIu5jy4g9YhoWkY/s320/cowboys_and_aliens_MLS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711912825764782738" border="0" /></a>Head to just above the knees. Also called a Cowboy because it was used in westerns to show the gun holster. This is used more often than you'd think.<br /><br />If you're going to go wider than the knees, as a rule you should jump straight to a Long Shot; it really does feel weird when there's a picture that's framed so it cuts a subjects legs off half-way down the shins. Framing like that generally feels tentative and unbalanced.<br /><br /><br />EXAMPLE FROM 'COWBOYS & ALIENS'<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Medium Shot (<span style="font-weight: bold;">MS</span>)</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBWV7535P8zvVVuPH78BMOGOCDx5-Ig0OnbzsQ02rKFUNUtaK0o4XfwTsrWgGVQN3_jwtCN682WCvOdGl6kU6gOvYxsU0VnJoFHuZbP6piuoN-ftAkzCZ_4zoeLnAlMCC48wHJx4WFpI/s1600/StarWars_MS.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBWV7535P8zvVVuPH78BMOGOCDx5-Ig0OnbzsQ02rKFUNUtaK0o4XfwTsrWgGVQN3_jwtCN682WCvOdGl6kU6gOvYxsU0VnJoFHuZbP6piuoN-ftAkzCZ_4zoeLnAlMCC48wHJx4WFpI/s320/StarWars_MS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711918627008079938" border="0" /></a>Head to waist. This is the closest shot size most sitcoms will go.<br /><br />Now we're transitioning into more intimate shot sizes. It's less about the character in relation to the space they're in, or capturing the totality of movements. Starting here and especially moving forward, a closer shot size can capture more subtlety of performance. A medium shot is a good balance of that as it remains far enough away that the character isn't imposing on personal space.<br /><br />Getting much closer than this during frenetic action scenes will make it difficult to comprehend what's happening and who's doing what. On a more practical level, this is still wide enough to smoothly follow movement with a camera during live events and such. Much closer and there's not much wiggle room.<br /><br />Most homebrew review shows use this shot size nearly exclusively.<br /><br />EXAMPLE FROM 'STAR WARS EPISODE I'... OR MAYBE 'EPISODE II'...<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Medium Close Up (<span style="font-weight: bold;">MCU</span>)</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLAdz4D3GVnUFuXGDUafR5Y5SfP06_c4qWVK2845thqYzYF11lc76SHk2RwFA2PFqD_V9wwlXT6YF2IqhHuylN17MsRm7Ch1mYld7mu80wAqYa3gNGWpijqb9ZQBwFDq5ZLPU1o6kpbs/s1600/KingsSpeech_MCU.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLAdz4D3GVnUFuXGDUafR5Y5SfP06_c4qWVK2845thqYzYF11lc76SHk2RwFA2PFqD_V9wwlXT6YF2IqhHuylN17MsRm7Ch1mYld7mu80wAqYa3gNGWpijqb9ZQBwFDq5ZLPU1o6kpbs/s320/KingsSpeech_MCU.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711923180425451474" border="0" /></a>Head and shoulders. Dramas tend to spend a lot of time here. It's more intimate than a Medium, but still allows for breathing room. Used heavily for conversations.<br /><br />This actually has the most amount of wiggle room out of any of the shot sizes discussed so far save for WS. Framing belly button up still counts as an Medium Close Up. As does framing with just a couple inches of shoulders showing.<br /><br />In addition to allowing more subtle performances to come through, the closer the camera is to the subject the more intense it feels. This is especially the case when used in conjunction with editing so it gets tighter and tighter. That approach can be seen in many interrogation scenes where the staging has little to no movement.<br /><br />EXAMPLE FROM 'THE KING'S SPEECH'<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Close Up (<span style="font-weight: bold;">CU</span>)</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAvNoT0n0BI4wGeVeixjoBd4nO_uXTLSutlVB5iHgqkjR8-e1lKhUL-bJLyMfTV1-wZUbnNdBfAOLe6ivelRbiwVVK3wOvbxfN_JE5ImtuLZn_mPe8_9sGHe9raLIqbAR7-X9R4f35ew/s1600/JCVD_CU.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 121px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAvNoT0n0BI4wGeVeixjoBd4nO_uXTLSutlVB5iHgqkjR8-e1lKhUL-bJLyMfTV1-wZUbnNdBfAOLe6ivelRbiwVVK3wOvbxfN_JE5ImtuLZn_mPe8_9sGHe9raLIqbAR7-X9R4f35ew/s320/JCVD_CU.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711926979429201938" border="0" /></a>The full face. Can be as wide as head and neck. This is a very intimate shot size. A lot of subtlety comes across, and performances are often underplayed because of that.<br /><br />Generally you're not going to want to have a lot of movement in a close up. It's hard to keep a close up when the actor is running down a hallway. Likewise, there's very little information in a close up alone as to where the character is in relation to the space they're in.<br /><br />EXAMPLE FROM 'JCVD'<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Extreme Close Up (<span style="font-weight: bold;">ECU</span>)</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdUEg0Ef2-xqjyOrfMiPhHGcgFcUhQl1iFL_u9iVjTXkIYsPVPYg3augiirMPrvOnX0i-lpJsk68yMWVM3gN1uc6kgf-8kHM0eUCN1mS0jVmn1588UcbFxPFAIrqHzEfkBGD2ihM8lMk/s1600/Quick_ECU.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdUEg0Ef2-xqjyOrfMiPhHGcgFcUhQl1iFL_u9iVjTXkIYsPVPYg3augiirMPrvOnX0i-lpJsk68yMWVM3gN1uc6kgf-8kHM0eUCN1mS0jVmn1588UcbFxPFAIrqHzEfkBGD2ihM8lMk/s320/Quick_ECU.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711929879927497698" border="0" /></a>A part of the whole. An easy way to think of this is that an ECU is close enough on the subject that it completely fills the screen.<br /><br />As with MCUs, there is actually a lot of variety for what can be considered an Extreme Close Up. If you get a little closer with a Close Up so the chin is cut off, you've got an ECU. Likewise is a shot where someone's eye is taking up the whole screen such as in <a href="http://astranovascifi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/blade-runner-opening-image-astranovascifi-astra-nova-scifi-science-fiction-film-tv-book-nerd-blog.jpg?w=300">this shot</a> from Blade Runner.<br /><br />Used to call attention to something such as being close on the eyes widening in realization, or close on a clock to establish the time. A shot like this is stylized by its nature. It was used to striking effect in the Dollar trilogy of Westerns by Sergio Leone when he juxtaposed Wide Shots with ECUs.<br /><br />EXAMPLE FROM 'THE QUICK AND THE DEAD'<br /><br /><br />That's if from me for now. Next time... General tips! With less pictures! Probably!<br /><br />Any questions about film technique? Leave a comment below, and I'll try answer them next article.Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-91039375765807691742012-02-01T16:00:00.000-08:002012-02-01T16:49:37.920-08:00THE ANTI-CRITIC BREAKDOWN: TJ TV<span><span style="font-weight: bold;">BREAKING DOWN THE BREAKDOWN</span><br />Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is the follow-up to my look at Suburban Knights and this time I'm doing something different. I've been trying to think how best to use this blog, and I came onto the idea of the open-letter critique.<br /><br />Let me explain.<br /><br />Most people who have given in-depth feedback of homebrew reviewers follow one of two paths. Either they provide the feedback privately, or they do it publicly and with intent to ridicule. I think there is room for respect in public critique, and that's what I intend to bring with this and future Breakdowns.<br /><br />And how I do that is by bringing the voice of the video's creator into the conversation.<br /><br />Every Breakdown I will start with a profile of the person behind the reviewer and allow them to talk about the ideas and processes behind their show. Then, with unflinching honesty, I will look at an episode of their choosing. Before posting I will give the reviewer the chance to preview the article and respond to the criticism in their own words.<br /><br />In this way I hope to challenge some preconceptions and, hopefully, to give other homebrew reviewers and videomakers insight into their own shows.<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span><br /></span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">INTRODUCING TJOMEGA!</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNhtjZJgWKXH6NSUWq69o2Gt9fgSD6zvVGucdJZkF2hl6ie0l73bS9bXzpZbA8xhfmHXILeM3fjsY7cPdnmLl4xmc_DUV-NBhhi8lmoq9IToR_9c08bBD3f_XakvIwM12Mm6bnGnqHHI/s1600/3dskull_shiny.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNhtjZJgWKXH6NSUWq69o2Gt9fgSD6zvVGucdJZkF2hl6ie0l73bS9bXzpZbA8xhfmHXILeM3fjsY7cPdnmLl4xmc_DUV-NBhhi8lmoq9IToR_9c08bBD3f_XakvIwM12Mm6bnGnqHHI/s200/3dskull_shiny.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658797705818313554" border="0" /></a><span>In real life, TJOmega is Tyler James.<br /><br />He has been an avid collector of action figures and plastic collectables for close to ten years and writing about them since 2005.<br /><br />In his own words: <span style="font-style: italic;">It's something I share with my dad. He got me started on Transformers when I was a kid because of how much he liked them. But aside from that, it's a source of inspiration for me knowing there's 28 years of characters that are all unique. It's a reminder of how unlimited creativity can be!</span><br /><br />In late 2007, dissatisfied with the majority of toy review shows on the internet, Tyler started his own, Plastic Addict, on YouTube. Since then his channel has accumulated nearly 9,000 subscribers and averages a respectable 20,000-30,000 views an episode.<br /><br />On the chopping block today is his second show, TJ TV, which Tyler started in early 2010.<br /><br />As he describes: <span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">I was doing toy reviews on YouTube for years and decided I needed to expand with something more mainstream and approachable. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Since I never gave up on cartoons just from age I figured it was where my depths of knowledge gave me the best source of material for reviews.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">When I first did TJ TV there were no critics for cartoons and TV shows. Even when the Nostalgia Critic did a cartoon it was rare, but that's where my nostalgia was; waking up at the crack of dawn for my Saturday morning shows.<br /><br /></span><span>Tyler asked that I look at his eleventh episode for this breakdown, a review of the Double Dragon cartoon from the 1990's.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />BEHIND THE SCENES</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span><span>INSPIRATION:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />In a previous review I had created an evil me from the future and ended up having so much fun portraying the character that I wanted to reintroduce him as something I could bring up more often. Looking through my available cartoons, this one seemed to be the best vehicle for giving him more screen time, and I knew I could do split screening well.</span><span><br /></span><ul style="font-style: italic;"><li><span>Writing took 6 hours</span></li><li><span>Filming took 2 hours</span></li><li><span>Editing took 14 hours (4 hours longer than average)</span></li></ul><span>CHALLENGES:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">To make the split screen work as cleanly as possible I had to consider lighting placement and intensity, eye lines for discussions, and timing</span><span style="font-style: italic;">. It was challenging making sure the humor was balanced in the writing. Also challenging was keeping up a harsh voice for that long. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">By the end my throat was on fire, and I was a sweaty mess from Evil TJ's leather jacket and the filming lights on me for so long.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The final struggle was actually the series itself since the whole climax of the review was the fact that episode two of Double Dradon completely discarded episode one</span><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> I had to be careful to properly explain the show without giving that away.</span><br /><span><br />ADMITTED FAULTS:<br /></span><span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">If I could do it again, I'd better explain the events in Season 2 as the show degenerated into a shameless toy shill. I also regret not mentioned how Marian as the damsel in distress is one of the few things the show got right from the games.<br /><br /></span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">The split screen also isn't perfect, there's a slight seam and the bowing gag which was one of my favorites in the episode should have been edited better to avoid the changes in shadows.</span></span><span></span><br /><span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />BREAKDOWN: DOUBLE DRAGON (TJ TV EPISODE 11)</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://blip.tv/play/h48TgoCebgI.html" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="325" width="400"></iframe><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#h48TgoCebgI" style="display:none"></embed><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's the episode if you'd like to follow along.</span><br /></div><br />TV PRE-ROLL THROUGH INTRO (00:00 - 01:00)<i><br /></i>The first image of any video helps to set the tone for the viewer's experience. Here 30 seconds are dedicated to non sequitur clips and 30 seconds to the title sequence, meaning it takes a full minute to get to the video proper. As I plan to talk about in more detail later, a long intro for a web show will often bring down the quality and can lower potential viewership of an otherwise decent show.<br /><br />In proof that every rule has an exception, this intro works for me. The non sequitur clips pay off the 'TV' portion of 'TJ TV', and the title sequence is both appropriate to the concept and visually interesting. Even the music with it's build up more relaxed pace suits the flow of the show. Everything in this first minute builds towards setting the right tone and putting the audience into the proper frame of mind.<br /><i><br /></i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSc2KjueO6PzRgKHWtycJDx9yqYLQxeEES5uMgFuoMYkRH4BEIx9ueEkCLLO_rcGTyUtWnOwf8dv90kgGh09FQh3gPFg8QFqfLvsLCTt92F66sji3_1prFlVe7-gx9eqoGzLTY5StS1s/s1600/Still_00m31s.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSc2KjueO6PzRgKHWtycJDx9yqYLQxeEES5uMgFuoMYkRH4BEIx9ueEkCLLO_rcGTyUtWnOwf8dv90kgGh09FQh3gPFg8QFqfLvsLCTt92F66sji3_1prFlVe7-gx9eqoGzLTY5StS1s/s320/Still_00m31s.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659191602208667794" border="0" /></a>Minor pixelation around the edge of the television image used does break the illusion a little.<br /><br />SERIES RUNDOWN (01:00 - 05:30)<br />The opening shot immediately proves little thought was put into the set or framing. There is a bed, a curtain behind it, and the uninteresting half of a sword. This communicates nothing about the show to the audience except for an overwhelming sense of green. In the filming of a review, where often the entire review is filmed from one camera angle, it becomes even more essential to make what's seen on screen work for you instead of just being there or even working against you.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMqRauSOLlhrd8DeAeetbxC2l8BB4m287J-5qYC404gExZlN00X76EX7Ioko16EhDkR4zGzPen4hO8UI0mrjempme-k_sRAqE9zjS4fVvRDbrMBqkpf-G2K78UsWS1mDTYgbRoe01T3k/s1600/Still_01m17s.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMqRauSOLlhrd8DeAeetbxC2l8BB4m287J-5qYC404gExZlN00X76EX7Ioko16EhDkR4zGzPen4hO8UI0mrjempme-k_sRAqE9zjS4fVvRDbrMBqkpf-G2K78UsWS1mDTYgbRoe01T3k/s320/Still_01m17s.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661457387218845250" border="0" /></a>Assuming the location was restricted to this room, the bed will be cited as being in the way of any other frame. This is an empty excuse as it is perfectly acceptable to pick the bed up and move it into the hall for the duration of filming. Or to place it against a wall. In this way, more space is freed up to find an interesting composition.<br /><br />There's also too little head room (the space between the top of the subject's head and the top of the frame), but this is an improvement over the tendency of others to place the actor's head in the dead center of the screen.<br /><br />As far as the rundown of the series, this section flows well. After the title sequence, no time is wasted getting into the rhythm and the episode's subject is introduced after a well-handled 15 second segue. The writing towards the middle could've been tightened up, and the bit comparing the Rastafarian tiger to Jar-Jar Binks went on longer than it needed to.<br /><br />TIME-TRAVELING EVIL DOPPELGANGER (05:30 - 08:00)<br />And so we're introduced to TJ's descendant from 1000 years in the future. For all intents and purposes, he is an evil doppelganger.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5reiY9OSDsBz6qwbxX69J4YyM4qcuniu7-1My2eCvJf0fAThK4Se6qJ1gfGHfk_-M-YH5ACQ8hKi27ukbZaoqK1J75XXX_7XPDWtI4s0H-h66Iuu7R_lUD74bn34QvZZO5cD8b4EL3c/s1600/Still_05m33s.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5reiY9OSDsBz6qwbxX69J4YyM4qcuniu7-1My2eCvJf0fAThK4Se6qJ1gfGHfk_-M-YH5ACQ8hKi27ukbZaoqK1J75XXX_7XPDWtI4s0H-h66Iuu7R_lUD74bn34QvZZO5cD8b4EL3c/s320/Still_05m33s.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661466659972665890" border="0" /></a>Okay, there's a lot I need to address in this shot.<br /><ul><li>There's nothing to visually tie the previous location to this one, so there's no way to give any indication of where the two characters are in relation to each other. Remember, you create what's to the right of the character; it's more important that it feel right to the audience than it be accurate to the actual space you're working in.<br /></li><li>No seriously, even the color schemes are different. The frame with TJ Omega was sparsely set-dressed and dominated with green and white; this frame in contrast is densely packed with toy shelves and dominated with browns and muted colors. Without the reaction and sound effects placing the Evil Doppelganger somewhere on screen-left of TJ, he could be in someone else's house.</li><li>Evil Dopp... screw it, ED's position is leaving nearly half the frame unused. It would feel far more natural to have him further screen-left, giving more room towards where he's oriented towards than where he's oriented away from.</li><li>With the camera placement and the shelves pointing into the corner, Tyler's created some decent leading lines (lines that lead the eye). Unfortunately, those lines lead past the frame's subject and into the corner. Placing ED visually in the corner means the eye is more naturally led to him.<br /></li><li>ED's coat is blending into the background on the right side of the screen. Adding a back light would help the character stand out.<br /></li><li>Head room's a little tight.</li></ul>And now's where it get's tricky to explain it clearly, but the eye line is off. Bear with me through this. Tyler is inter-cutting between the two camera angles thus far established. Now I'm betting that when filming this sequence Tyler kept the camera in the same position making the set up looked something like this.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJWN_6YnYmpSopRRD-wW5e1TKlIMm75rSQCCIKSBxY2OMu84zid6gSHNRYk22EDVu3b15cdEtK3k7mv9j8MhRdzO6vNE4xDUTm1031wJ18nGMyZ1zbmWy3XnY2eOVa2_x9q7Ps84HFic/s1600/TJTV_Illustrative_Still_One.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJWN_6YnYmpSopRRD-wW5e1TKlIMm75rSQCCIKSBxY2OMu84zid6gSHNRYk22EDVu3b15cdEtK3k7mv9j8MhRdzO6vNE4xDUTm1031wJ18nGMyZ1zbmWy3XnY2eOVa2_x9q7Ps84HFic/s320/TJTV_Illustrative_Still_One.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661779225144841682" border="0" /></a>In the real space this makes sense. But for the audience it feels off, and I'll tell you why.<br /><ul><li>The Evil Doppelganger is in a medium shot (head to waist) where TJ is nearer to a medium close-up (head to chest). Because of this, TJ feels like he's closer to the screen with ED feeling further away.</li><li>The first frame is dead-on TJ with him looking 90 degrees to screen-left. The second frame has ED at a 3/4 angle looking ahead.</li><li>As stated above, there is nothing that gives a sense of placement between the two locations.<br /></li></ul>So their relative spacial positions in filmic reality end up feeling like this.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyE7KknzishP4yklZorfDe0BG7r0hVDrs4J0XCcfpsYa0n9XeLsKgrYXb-zDSW33yUWEK6TkAU1FFMQ-cUb2xgFtCj8tjGil-hYO2KKUNPLWRhAfJYWSibaLEPm96-fnHGpPFqKzigag/s1600/TJTV_Illustrative_Still_Two.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyE7KknzishP4yklZorfDe0BG7r0hVDrs4J0XCcfpsYa0n9XeLsKgrYXb-zDSW33yUWEK6TkAU1FFMQ-cUb2xgFtCj8tjGil-hYO2KKUNPLWRhAfJYWSibaLEPm96-fnHGpPFqKzigag/s320/TJTV_Illustrative_Still_Two.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661788301330463634" border="0" /></a><br />The interchange between ED and TJ is quite well written and well paced. I really enjoy the word play, with my personal favorite line being "This is not the time to be conjugating temporal verbs in the past and possible never-tense.".<br /><br />There is a minor logical issue where after the music is established to be source (heard by characters) and not score (only heard by audience), it then suddenly shifts back to being score. (established as source from 06:10 - 06:35 and contradicted shortly after 07:05 for those following along at home).<br /><br />It should be mentioned that the editing, pacing, and audio work are all handled well, with the character exchanges making up for shortcomings in other departments. Tyler avoids the trap that many beginning editors fall into of always cutting to a character when they start talking and only cutting away when they stop. That praise applies to the rest of the video, too.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5reiY9OSDsBz6qwbxX69J4YyM4qcuniu7-1My2eCvJf0fAThK4Se6qJ1gfGHfk_-M-YH5ACQ8hKi27ukbZaoqK1J75XXX_7XPDWtI4s0H-h66Iuu7R_lUD74bn34QvZZO5cD8b4EL3c/s1600/Still_05m33s.tiff"><br /></a>THE FIRST EPISODE (08:00 - 15:45)<br />Now we get to the MST3k section of the video. Also known as Summary/Snark.<br /><br />The split screen effect itself is actually quite decently handled here. I had to look for the split. The shadow projected on the curtain does occasionally break the illusion, but not as much as you'd think.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4t9RljSH_obH9gelVVH2BsvZvAdCyc04iTXna2Ia9vsBMP_GngwyHLMpeXDOnZ5a3-VNZ62ay4Y99LhetZEWicD0adpBV_61CK6bKW-318VSaNMFIxjq6bxUIyj7wlKyryNHk551Y4w/s1600/Still_08m25s.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4t9RljSH_obH9gelVVH2BsvZvAdCyc04iTXna2Ia9vsBMP_GngwyHLMpeXDOnZ5a3-VNZ62ay4Y99LhetZEWicD0adpBV_61CK6bKW-318VSaNMFIxjq6bxUIyj7wlKyryNHk551Y4w/s320/Still_08m25s.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661477538043731410" border="0" /></a><br />The shot feels crowded because of how close ED and TJ are to the edges of the frame. This would've been solved simply by moving either the actors... um, actor away from the camera or by moving the camera itself backwards.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMqRauSOLlhrd8DeAeetbxC2l8BB4m287J-5qYC404gExZlN00X76EX7Ioko16EhDkR4zGzPen4hO8UI0mrjempme-k_sRAqE9zjS4fVvRDbrMBqkpf-G2K78UsWS1mDTYgbRoe01T3k/s1600/Still_01m17s.tiff"><br /></a>The snark itself is fine but feels too long. There's little of it that really jumps out at me as being either exceptionally funny or especially poor, but it's an inherent issue with this style that going through an episode beat by beat can be tedious unless those beats themselves are interesting and/or the snark being especially insightful. Especially so given this style is so prolific in the homebrew reviewing community. This section could easily have been cut in half without effecting the tempo.<br /><br />REVIEW SUMMATION (15:45 - 17:00)<br />The reveal that the first episode had nothing to do with the rest of the series was a good lead-in to the review portion itself. No major issues.<br /><br />FINAL THOUGHTS<br />The format of having half the episode devoted to talking about the series as a whole and the second half doing the now more traditional Summary/Snark approach is a good shake-up of the formula.<br /><br />Though the inclusion of ED generated some of the highlights of the video, everything ground to a halt in the middle of the for nearly a sixth of the video's total run time to make the character's introduction. Beyond that I didn't feel his inclusion added much to this review. During off-screen snark, I kept thinking Tayler was trying to imitate the voice of one of the show's characters before I realized it was supposed to be ED.<br /><br />I think there be a missed opportunity of playing more with the 'TV' concept in the body of the episode itself. Specifically imagining that the video is playing on a television controlled by someone who obsessively changes the channel periodically. The current format is fine, though.<br /><br />Likewise, the writing could really have stood to be tightened up.<br /><br />That's it from my end. Over to you Tyler!<br /><br /><i>Tyler's response coming soon.</i><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">AUTHOR'S NOTE: Though every effort has been made to preserve Tyler's original intent, the quotes he provided have been edited for both brevity and clarity. Also, given the fairly critical stance I've taken here on the technicals I feel I need to reinforce that I do actually like 'TJ TV'; it has more going for it than against it.</span>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-54752862303043494762011-12-29T22:55:00.000-08:002011-12-29T23:35:09.889-08:00FILM SCHOOL ABRIDGED - THE CHEAT SHEET<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOR4IVu0Uqw3zP6vWTapZrDwBp_ApBqSdFbCPWz2oBQlm76vZT3dhxd3ZIwErSs6n0X6Urk5TE-ZgyHe9YrrzFmxlskj9SgI1tSI0TJK1vHtPu1QS9FvFyIS9nq5ApXS1HGHOUud9QQec/s1600/LensCrackerTitle.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOR4IVu0Uqw3zP6vWTapZrDwBp_ApBqSdFbCPWz2oBQlm76vZT3dhxd3ZIwErSs6n0X6Urk5TE-ZgyHe9YrrzFmxlskj9SgI1tSI0TJK1vHtPu1QS9FvFyIS9nq5ApXS1HGHOUud9QQec/s400/LensCrackerTitle.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691812646116786370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A while ago I started a little side project called 'Lens Cracker'. I always liked the idea, but I never really did much with it save for a rough cut of the pilot. Consider this the magnum opus.</span><br /></span><br />Early this October I set out with the lofty goal of the basics of Film School into a single 8x10 sheet of paper. This is what I came up with.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRX4FOw3rnMiQMJ25uzCg9F_d4EYf6z1EO375Exbf0Gcd65piUh7znAFL-N32GdoG-OCDBXUTcEAYP0i_8nusU34PvXxMmpC-BDNlGlYTw6lf6UBVTLDLauX6BwhwSQjy30i4nkvxECE/s1600/LensCracker_CheatSheet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 325px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRX4FOw3rnMiQMJ25uzCg9F_d4EYf6z1EO375Exbf0Gcd65piUh7znAFL-N32GdoG-OCDBXUTcEAYP0i_8nusU34PvXxMmpC-BDNlGlYTw6lf6UBVTLDLauX6BwhwSQjy30i4nkvxECE/s400/LensCracker_CheatSheet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691817240624585810" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">THE FILM TECHNIQUE CHEAT SHEET<br /></div><br />I like it, frankly. The information on here, though certainly not all-inclusive by any stretch of the imagination, is indispensable in any on-set situation. It's designed as a tool. People to print out and keep in their pocket whenever their shooting. The problem is that it's only a reference sheet; it's only helpful to those who already know what everything means. Chances are good that most reading this blog won't.<br /><br />So let's change that.<br /><br />Starting next week I'll be posting bite-sized explanations of everything on this sheet. It'll take a while, but it gives me an excuse to post more regularly.<br /><br />Cheers for now!<br /><br />Oh! And post any comments or questions and I'll address them in following installments.Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-67802371595889485722011-12-19T04:57:00.000-08:002011-12-19T21:41:37.365-08:00JUDGING THE GCA: NOMINATIONS PART 4Someone brought up an interesting question to me; when judging the visual appeal of a series, do I judge the merit of a single episode, or the series as a whole.<br /><br />I do try to take into account the series as a whole, but I use individual episodes to stand in. This is easier with series that I'm already familiar with, where I will look at the series at its most visually ambitious, but for those that I'm not I will look at the visual style from at least two episodes released at different times (i.e. a more recent episode and an older one). Essentially I watch enough to get a sense of why the show was nominated for its visuals.<br /><br />I will admit this isn't always perfect, but I'm fairly confident in it over-all. An example of this I will absolutely admit to this limitation is <a href="http://sketchdcomedy.com/">Animated Analysis</a>. I'd watched the most recent episode <a href="http://sketchdcomedy.com/2011/12/animated-analysis-ep-14-the-brave-little-toaster/">The Brave Little Toaster</a>, and as a control group I looked at the framing and visuals in <a href="http://sketchdcomedy.com/2011/11/animated-analysis-ep-13-the-brony-phenomenon/">The Brony Phenomenon</a> and <a href="http://sketchdcomedy.com/2011/09/animated-analysis-ep-1-sonic-underground/">Sonic Underground</a> (not the full episodes, but I scanned through them). A later look at <a href="http://sketchdcomedy.com/2011/10/animated-analysis-ep-11-top-8-most-insane-animated-villains/">Top 8 Insane Animated Villains</a> shows that the show does on occasion have strong cinematography.<br /><br />But enough stalling. Ladies and gentlemen, the final nominations from the Visual Appeal category.<br /><br /><br /><br />17. <span style="font-weight: bold;">SPOONY - THE SPOONY EXPERIMENT</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoO-Bfd3BSYKUil64dnFxptlxrWe-L2I93K21Ydw_vYyA9YV3LWoPhL8ppi3TlOe30sWayj0wvv5Vm59mTvpKJ3zATkGp4KajZWpVCWEKKHeJOsrSRwkiS0RwM88kMUkEPhm4_3RyZJQI/s1600/GCA_Spoony_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoO-Bfd3BSYKUil64dnFxptlxrWe-L2I93K21Ydw_vYyA9YV3LWoPhL8ppi3TlOe30sWayj0wvv5Vm59mTvpKJ3zATkGp4KajZWpVCWEKKHeJOsrSRwkiS0RwM88kMUkEPhm4_3RyZJQI/s320/GCA_Spoony_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687964375963335522" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://spoonyexperiment.com/">Spoony</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODES WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Fantasy X-2 - Part 2<br />Final Fantasy X Finale<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I have followed this series for some time.</p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br />The visual effects, when the show has them, are handled well more often than not. As with the green screen effect. The editing is solid. There are some moments of decent shot composition through the series, but it's not consistently strong visually.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />18. <span style="font-weight: bold;">SINDRA - KEEP PLAYING</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kmQynh0968kDFMu_KhaH24WDM8yRiqS72tsNmJELjh9FOhD24eQm4jAhD0TNKIwDGO-YYrEQxWMzombQ3GVwruvXZqe0_zFzGiaFZ4WBSFGblZnq-qCLSsOMidxVh5oREjzHQnb7C00/s1600/GCA_Sindra_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kmQynh0968kDFMu_KhaH24WDM8yRiqS72tsNmJELjh9FOhD24eQm4jAhD0TNKIwDGO-YYrEQxWMzombQ3GVwruvXZqe0_zFzGiaFZ4WBSFGblZnq-qCLSsOMidxVh5oREjzHQnb7C00/s320/GCA_Sindra_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687965794997591442" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://youtube.com/user/sindaemon">Sindra</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODES WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rewind - Sonic 20th Part 1<br />Rewind - Sonic 20th Part 2<br />Rewind - Diablo (PS1)<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I had not heard of this series previously.<br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Low production values with no distinctive visual style to speak of. Some interesting costumes.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />19. <span style="font-weight: bold;">ANGRY VIDEO GAME NERD</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErF8LMR5dHZiykVte4g49ktkhv4q8UqrVsKjhmc29sas3c46HDZz1yT94PWnqSGgbfFjv_R4ygVSu6CcxRWJ5zcA3wpbHyybbryWgxE4aV2I16yQvx2q8yuzkJNJ294fgyj5Kh21iDng/s1600/GCA_AVGN_3.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErF8LMR5dHZiykVte4g49ktkhv4q8UqrVsKjhmc29sas3c46HDZz1yT94PWnqSGgbfFjv_R4ygVSu6CcxRWJ5zcA3wpbHyybbryWgxE4aV2I16yQvx2q8yuzkJNJ294fgyj5Kh21iDng/s320/GCA_AVGN_3.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687968262759038498" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cinemassacre.com/">Angry Video Game Nerd</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dark Castle<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I had not heard of this series previously.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Kidding.<br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Set design is paid attention to. In the past lighting has tended to be a bit over-exposed, but has improved in more recent episodes (still no backlight, though). The show is frequently ambitious in its shots and action sequences. Very few shots pop.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />20. <span style="font-weight: bold;">DAVID A. ROSE - DVD SHELF MOVIE REVIEWS</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_MlsM2cQ4OcGUYBWz6Ih5I1CJLrurvrqNtlBvY-MMtrCdW0QhzgcPgyLLPsX-X4vYe9efSYjSTQGsG8U1VDfBpkPVemqAPPuM595tzZh5RNCln28aORnGEMudr2Kc4F06AKIPSXXEMI/s1600/GCA_DVDShelf_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_MlsM2cQ4OcGUYBWz6Ih5I1CJLrurvrqNtlBvY-MMtrCdW0QhzgcPgyLLPsX-X4vYe9efSYjSTQGsG8U1VDfBpkPVemqAPPuM595tzZh5RNCln28aORnGEMudr2Kc4F06AKIPSXXEMI/s320/GCA_DVDShelf_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687974155735621938" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/DVDShelfMovieReviews">DVD Shelf Movie Reviews</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODES WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mask of the Phantasm<br />An American Werewolf in London<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">MY PROCESS:<br />I hadn't heard of this series in the slightest when I started this out. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much out of it going in with the fairly bland title.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Popping it on, after a short but promising title sequence I was greeted with this image.<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXbLjbkw_4KFx-9g7fevba127PxjULKfoRGiTPAL7r_SW1ew7Pxpnf9yltMd1vyw4-DNxteegvN0oN2k_MKslTrMuqj21Ogx05PhMIMHz_rbH8OzaZOyJbn93U5Fl53PB4jirsEVCGcI/s1600/GCA_DVDShelf_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXbLjbkw_4KFx-9g7fevba127PxjULKfoRGiTPAL7r_SW1ew7Pxpnf9yltMd1vyw4-DNxteegvN0oN2k_MKslTrMuqj21Ogx05PhMIMHz_rbH8OzaZOyJbn93U5Fl53PB4jirsEVCGcI/s320/GCA_DVDShelf_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687972243067285842" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-style: italic;">Here the character feels drained of color, and the sharpied-on 'MOVIES!' didn't help the first impression. On the background, the note I took reads: Background, though appropriate, feels artificial. Not especially compelling. </p><p style="font-style: italic;">I say that because I want to give a sense of where my mindset is at this point. I found the material surrounding the show, such as the screens for the show-trivia and the title graphic design were visually strong. The all-too short moments of animation were like-wise top notch.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">And then, as the episode drew to a close, the background I'd taken as a bland Photoshop design suddenly became dynamic as the camera craned up and out into the credits. Seamlessly.</p><p style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmthtPzYvWFgAgDE2gLL7Y_Yzrq0aG2U1PblXvg8B_Yx2Cs77Z-daUvq-oUyNmFprO2brrp-zpABWvN6V-iHnB-MFfZepsb7ChCyCcBR9HHk7gi0Gu09KQDUM0M1OlJX8u0o6GTg_lSI/s1600/GCA_DVDShelf_3.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmthtPzYvWFgAgDE2gLL7Y_Yzrq0aG2U1PblXvg8B_Yx2Cs77Z-daUvq-oUyNmFprO2brrp-zpABWvN6V-iHnB-MFfZepsb7ChCyCcBR9HHk7gi0Gu09KQDUM0M1OlJX8u0o6GTg_lSI/s320/GCA_DVDShelf_3.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687976058527986722" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-style: italic;">My jaw kind of hung open for a second. Further accentuating this were credits that actually imitating the credits of the Batman animated series, the subject of the review.<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;">After it ended, I popped on another episode. The Halloween-themed American Werewolf review had its main frame looking like this.<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxsVLtmHy_ZinLxttxz6BVh0zfT0oF3E6Axs-B1mhXZfkjzjpcjpo2yFtNKJ8NrqXdv8AkaZaW_iROr7nNP9UK99gObPO1oex2e30CCDNpZtDeUZY1oGax_kr65EJv5vSPS4RKUxK98o/s1600/GCA_DVDShelf_5.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxsVLtmHy_ZinLxttxz6BVh0zfT0oF3E6Axs-B1mhXZfkjzjpcjpo2yFtNKJ8NrqXdv8AkaZaW_iROr7nNP9UK99gObPO1oex2e30CCDNpZtDeUZY1oGax_kr65EJv5vSPS4RKUxK98o/s320/GCA_DVDShelf_5.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687970689258538850" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">David still feels washed out, but this time it's actually appropriate. Everything here is much stronger than the previous episode, visually. But suddenly the episode turned things up to 11.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibA3PB0CZPKAOOOeAviB3KRkRs8puKDlpnsaX0-xv34JXiLm0a_zBIpiFkahk1GDXhm3qayHNd-dvRpG3Nbau0qgJ9oIDhYldlRwyhRe04PUw8z45CunLnT1Zw9RPzObvzkoeEEfz-UoU/s1600/GCA_DVDShelf_4.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibA3PB0CZPKAOOOeAviB3KRkRs8puKDlpnsaX0-xv34JXiLm0a_zBIpiFkahk1GDXhm3qayHNd-dvRpG3Nbau0qgJ9oIDhYldlRwyhRe04PUw8z45CunLnT1Zw9RPzObvzkoeEEfz-UoU/s320/GCA_DVDShelf_4.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687979105507535378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This sequence is fully, skillfully animated. It's also funny, and is motivated by the material (the skit is an outlet for a commentary on the heavy number of horror reboots/remakes of late).<br /><br />Everything he's doing visually is motivated by the material being reviewed.<br /><br />Okay, this is the kind of thing that gets me excited about the DIY review scene; there are flaws, sure. There are limitations in the production, and the knowledge of composition. The pacing is a bit slower than perhaps it could be. But my god... This is a guy who's bringing something new to the table and pushing the boundaries of this style of videomaking and reviewing.<br /><br />So, the assessment.<br /><br />There is attention paid to the lighting, though some episodes are better lit than others. The green screen effect is pulled off decently. Composition isn't especially impressive. The backgrounds are appropriate, and frequently help to build a visual style distinct and appropriate to the material being reviewed. The title graphics, informational cards, and credits are all strong. The animation, when used, is strong.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br />21. <span style="font-weight: bold;">TJ OMEGA - TJ TV</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfzPx2z7olOUL3pvQqOAXFFIGcQufTYr1xgWy0rJm71lLlEiTGpycF2ugC2GXEjCpqnvsnJEqjDaI5PPS9VnDZ-pd8jNQ7rtgkSSKPXSt0eKzAvJ8CEgkTKuOKa5bNK-NNFT_NyUERnk/s1600/GCA_TJOmega_TJTV_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfzPx2z7olOUL3pvQqOAXFFIGcQufTYr1xgWy0rJm71lLlEiTGpycF2ugC2GXEjCpqnvsnJEqjDaI5PPS9VnDZ-pd8jNQ7rtgkSSKPXSt0eKzAvJ8CEgkTKuOKa5bNK-NNFT_NyUERnk/s320/GCA_TJOmega_TJTV_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687984391879785986" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://tjomega.blogspot.com/">TJ Omega</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heathcliff vs. Garfield<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I have followed this series for some time. I have also been in contact with TJ.<br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Very strong title sequence. The strength of this show is not really in its visuals, though.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />22. <span style="font-weight: bold;">THE BLOCKBUSTER BUSTER</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBfma-H5tDJE4OlpG7zC4wIbomiRFGXga_HWQeQTmvDoSrhL2z9DvACEid8n-LJ-slLusfXrpl3DLSWiYCPcm4PNdBDrgUJgCjaqFOYRGjVF9e72gLCXeY2k18TAuMPX68uBbzplGjIM/s1600/GCA_Buster_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBfma-H5tDJE4OlpG7zC4wIbomiRFGXga_HWQeQTmvDoSrhL2z9DvACEid8n-LJ-slLusfXrpl3DLSWiYCPcm4PNdBDrgUJgCjaqFOYRGjVF9e72gLCXeY2k18TAuMPX68uBbzplGjIM/s320/GCA_Buster_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687985620747611282" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blip.tv/the-blockbuster-buster">The Blockbuster Buster</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Red Riding Hood<br /></span></span></p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY PROCESS:<br />I'll be shorter here, I promise.<br /><br />I'd heard of this guy a year ago, and I'd written him off after watching an older episode. There was more ambition in the shots than most, but those shots didn't feel especially skilled in their execution. On more judging-a-book-by-its-cover notes, his title cards weren't especially skilled and his website... well, it's an Angelfire website with all the trappings that go with it.<br /><br />In private, I've been outspoken against this show.<br /><br />Today I'm eating my words with a side of humble pie.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmxu7FPHaixDbA86ufkENlbdltzhyphenhyphen9n1vPPEMFSIiXOjPT8JlgF_3Inff1VrF0Z3YksBLS66ytNZYXCQcLHAaOcUGVhpWBsO5WXUEIHDzUruSyeiTJjN_Ae5D8ZigZiJit_kzLvXsGjA/s1600/GCA_Buster_3.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmxu7FPHaixDbA86ufkENlbdltzhyphenhyphen9n1vPPEMFSIiXOjPT8JlgF_3Inff1VrF0Z3YksBLS66ytNZYXCQcLHAaOcUGVhpWBsO5WXUEIHDzUruSyeiTJjN_Ae5D8ZigZiJit_kzLvXsGjA/s320/GCA_Buster_3.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687992348236845202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The composition is overall solid, and the editing is tight. Lighting is well-exposed. I applaud the success he's had.</span><br /></div></div>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-47105821175308448002011-12-18T12:29:00.000-08:002011-12-19T03:24:25.163-08:00JUDGING THE GCA: NOMINATIONS PART 3I was talking to someone today who thought these were my nominations for <span style="font-style: italic;">Best Visual Appeal</span>. Of course, if there's one person who'll think that then there's more. Let me clarify: these are all of the nominations in the category of <span style="font-style: italic;">Best Visual Appeal</span>. The <span style="font-style: italic;">My Thoughts</span> section is taken from the notes I took while evaluating them.<br /><br />There are a total of 22 nominations in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Visual Appeal</span> category. I'm posting them in digestible chunks.<br /><br />With that out of the way, let's continue.<br /><br />11. <span style="font-weight: bold;">COLOR THE GRAYSCALE - ANIMATION DOMINATION</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLbC2pNbVykX859Z5kWDTxExEajBYuu_OBBKDt6A5EIKKhv1F0i8Z_JzjPqatW6E2aoEKd1JAsfETS1mhIBEJVLkIC08BsNlqDQMnP7oeG3LFdPF6QI1FopEiAqu0eafxAjIaESOgesU/s1600/GCA_ColorTheGrayscale_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLbC2pNbVykX859Z5kWDTxExEajBYuu_OBBKDt6A5EIKKhv1F0i8Z_JzjPqatW6E2aoEKd1JAsfETS1mhIBEJVLkIC08BsNlqDQMnP7oeG3LFdPF6QI1FopEiAqu0eafxAjIaESOgesU/s320/GCA_ColorTheGrayscale_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687575939174355394" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blip.tv/ctg-tv">Color the Grayscale</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Asterix and the Vikings<br />Cars<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I was aware of this show and follow it. Karen and myself have been in contact and have collaborated previously. That and she wrote the first guest article for this blog.<br /></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br />Nearly everything is done from a single angle. Strong lighting with a backlight. There's attention to color scheme that really makes the frame pop. Great intro. Shots other than the main camera angle often aren't as visually strong.<br /></span></p><br /><br />12. <span style="font-weight: bold;">PAN-PIZZA - REBEL TAXI</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHz57kafPBvVj1-ZexziJu1skPtcmo_KLcw2PFahdc3wxYvGyJ5ONe4pHf4RIeVlVU6-ZNGM-unHaz-CwNVPBBU9OVlMbukZoNDemlJlCkjQXYvKPJfEbgThAzSbkRuOUFNd6HoyJXhgc/s1600/GCA_RebelTaxi_6.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHz57kafPBvVj1-ZexziJu1skPtcmo_KLcw2PFahdc3wxYvGyJ5ONe4pHf4RIeVlVU6-ZNGM-unHaz-CwNVPBBU9OVlMbukZoNDemlJlCkjQXYvKPJfEbgThAzSbkRuOUFNd6HoyJXhgc/s320/GCA_RebelTaxi_6.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687579279186631250" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rebeltaxi.blogspot.com/">Pan-Pizza</a><br /></div><br /><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODES WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic<br />Top 10 Disappointing Games [Part 1]<br />Top 10 Disappointing Games [Part 2]<br />Ned's Declassified Review [Reviews]</span><br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY PROCESS FOR THIS NOMINATION:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I'd never heard of this show before the judging process. As with </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Jaimetud</span><span style="font-style: italic;">, I had some difficulty with this entry but for entirely different reasons.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There absolutely is skill present in the illustrations. Pan-Pizza himself has a great deal of character, and the main image is strong. Unfortunately, it doesn't leave much of an impression in the episode because it goes by so quickly and the videos so rarely cuts back to the character.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It actually took me a couple episodes to make the connection that tank Pan-Pizza's sitting in is actually the Rebel Taxi of the show's name.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMurzNuCX60IBh8kB7UVo-TKs-eswDS4PyfNCH81FroM6lY23egcTNAmDNsXN6y-HHmdlwuOWAQ0bjE7Fi8refO4p4cMQxI0m5nQZV6nGIstHGippj9Utk5ox8PyCfanKfBBWBwRogEeE/s1600/GCA_RebelTaxi_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMurzNuCX60IBh8kB7UVo-TKs-eswDS4PyfNCH81FroM6lY23egcTNAmDNsXN6y-HHmdlwuOWAQ0bjE7Fi8refO4p4cMQxI0m5nQZV6nGIstHGippj9Utk5ox8PyCfanKfBBWBwRogEeE/s320/GCA_RebelTaxi_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687588501344629202" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Frankly surprised there's not more done with that concept. A taxi driver talking about the shows he's seen to his eccentric passengers would make an interesting framing device for a review show of this vein.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As with many DIY review series like this, there are several cut-away gags. Unlike those other series, I had difficulty identifying which were created for the show and which were taken from other sources. This isn't necessarily a bad thing from a viewing experience, but it does pose a problem in trying to evaluate the visual appeal of the show itself.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokN5GuDyUGgNwswdd3uoAw-FnCq42A0jd8nZzva9J4BvUNmd1xd0C4Mu2Mjm7ba3TKs6kULimI1ddgRqHRgMeIHARkqY_kksbROpvzMFvQ70Zm4EXUTCOjVACdACzlFXuPukVnM4lTKM/s1600/GCA_RebelTaxi_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokN5GuDyUGgNwswdd3uoAw-FnCq42A0jd8nZzva9J4BvUNmd1xd0C4Mu2Mjm7ba3TKs6kULimI1ddgRqHRgMeIHARkqY_kksbROpvzMFvQ70Zm4EXUTCOjVACdACzlFXuPukVnM4lTKM/s320/GCA_RebelTaxi_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687587863419390882" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What is undeniably created for the show is undeniably high quality and visually compelling. Color schemes have strong cohesion and there is attention to composition.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />13. <span style="font-weight: bold;">MOVIE FEUDS</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XQ9obwrXbcBpMTHa7mmxfnQHqeyHYnI6CAaHBmmFjnTpDnWNwOc1z6x8Nm9l1UaxVZCsdWsHoJ68DWkzGTqFqKmDbhamyjWU1GvcC2PwarTrRcKlUHLYMnf7f-GdW5n7cknjUrE109o/s1600/GCA_MovieFeuds_3.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XQ9obwrXbcBpMTHa7mmxfnQHqeyHYnI6CAaHBmmFjnTpDnWNwOc1z6x8Nm9l1UaxVZCsdWsHoJ68DWkzGTqFqKmDbhamyjWU1GvcC2PwarTrRcKlUHLYMnf7f-GdW5n7cknjUrE109o/s320/GCA_MovieFeuds_3.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687591589840797938" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blip.tv/moviefeuds">Movie Feuds</a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</span><br /></span><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I'd not heard of this series before this series.<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br />The background and title sequence are polished, and there's attention paid to the lighting (yay backlight!). The green screen effect is solid, but there's a green tinge to the characters. There is very little variety to the shots, sticking largely to the single frame. It's effective for the show's purpose, but the frame's composition doesn't really pop.<br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><br />14. <span style="font-weight: bold;">NOSTALGIA CHICK</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLz1X4XTRAESkS-be1bE4wPWtwikGdd_9sysutUbFUhRw3oqXFW85XrglvGTGD9G0iY9sCHPmlQdn60kW-vrQiFtPKFCnjKiqqFQmW77JnBQ-JEcm4jI6VNYwue31fdIP9BcXOnYZ5MwU/s1600/GCA_NostalgiaChick_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLz1X4XTRAESkS-be1bE4wPWtwikGdd_9sysutUbFUhRw3oqXFW85XrglvGTGD9G0iY9sCHPmlQdn60kW-vrQiFtPKFCnjKiqqFQmW77JnBQ-JEcm4jI6VNYwue31fdIP9BcXOnYZ5MwU/s320/GCA_NostalgiaChick_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687594948370799714" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blip.tv/nostalgia-chick">Nostalgia Chick</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Christmas Shoes<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I've followed this show for some time.<br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">There's variety in the shots, and occasionally there will be a visually interesting image, but the strength of this show is not in its visuals.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />15. <span style="font-weight: bold;">PHIL BUNI - THE BUNNY PERSPECTIVE<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAQRLCoqDowCZlbPRPy0LcYt9eqQ7XOuuR9LBEKTL3yk3NViFPaynpD2dirVB_-fCtB33cWGYFvQuQZMLIjd_2xkQL4mryR1K-SxBwZju2JGZD1kP-rwQz6pnXAAE94EKlSPFOuSOlX8/s1600/GCA_BunnyPerspective_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUAQRLCoqDowCZlbPRPy0LcYt9eqQ7XOuuR9LBEKTL3yk3NViFPaynpD2dirVB_-fCtB33cWGYFvQuQZMLIjd_2xkQL4mryR1K-SxBwZju2JGZD1kP-rwQz6pnXAAE94EKlSPFOuSOlX8/s320/GCA_BunnyPerspective_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687599143399763554" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bunnyperspective.squarespace.com/">Phil Buni</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The End of Evangeleon<br />Predator 2<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I've followed this show for some time. I also have been in contact with the show's creator.<br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">There's attention paid to the color scheme and the set design. The puppet was custom-designed and built. Twice. Lighting doesn't jump out, but is intentional. Same with the framing. That's really what everything about this show feels like: intentional, approachable, with nothing so polished that it distracts</span>.<br /><br /><br /><br />16. <span style="font-weight: bold;">THE SHADES - ANIME TAKEOVER</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DXfKXzJyZhjtBuUrDz4ycCYXTHxzc8zPbTF_ipDy0Sodt6FfkAsY3rQcTUtvIRMOCJD8XxrNTjhuWZUfQRFwSeJXUXRT8pgxYK97eeR9HqxWL-78keAhvU1Z4c_RBpz7V073iRJ-EoI/s1600/CGA_Shades_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DXfKXzJyZhjtBuUrDz4ycCYXTHxzc8zPbTF_ipDy0Sodt6FfkAsY3rQcTUtvIRMOCJD8XxrNTjhuWZUfQRFwSeJXUXRT8pgxYK97eeR9HqxWL-78keAhvU1Z4c_RBpz7V073iRJ-EoI/s320/CGA_Shades_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687604141015196530" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blip.tv/theshades">The Shades</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Top Ten Anime Theme Songs<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I was aware of this show previously and have watched several episodes. We've been in contact in the past.<br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">This show has heavy technical limitations. John does a lot with what he has, but doesn't overcome those limitations.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hey everyone! This entry is dedicated to Stephen from Animated Analysis for commenting on an earlier post (Because I do that. Comment, people!).<br /><br />Something I feel I should mention in light of his comment; when I'm judging at a show I'm unfamiliar with, I will always watch part of a second episode to compare visual styles. If both have comparable visual styles, I'll only watch the one episode (generally the more recent of the two). If the style is substantially different, I will watch both.<br /><br />For someone like Linkara, who I'm familiar with, I'll look for a more visually ambitious episode rather than his regular episodes.<br /></span></span>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-19644417855020702812011-12-17T11:05:00.000-08:002011-12-19T04:27:50.339-08:00JUDGING THE GCA: NOMINATION PART 2A bit of an update about the finalist choosing process before I go on with today's post.<br /><br />FOR EACH CATEGORY<br />PRIMARY JUDGE is responsible for choosing the first 2 FINALISTS.<br />After this, the SECONDARY JUDGE chooses the 3rd FINALIST.<br />And finally ROBERT MILLION chooses the 4th FINALIST.<br /><br />It is done in this order.<br /><br />Okay, moving on to more of the nominees for Best Visual Appeal.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">PHELOUS<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisImvj-2ElJei7BoT0JZQRp1tudMCVmVhitVetaXQZPrBM2wSCmsUVPFtIrRzJeJcqtHAHJcObsUUOWHlECmm7oKteYoVzAkOs1rYfNOAAvqkL55RzFXM_ZVAA3u0Vx_Apxhrd53RfxXw/s1600/GCA_Phelous_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisImvj-2ElJei7BoT0JZQRp1tudMCVmVhitVetaXQZPrBM2wSCmsUVPFtIrRzJeJcqtHAHJcObsUUOWHlECmm7oKteYoVzAkOs1rYfNOAAvqkL55RzFXM_ZVAA3u0Vx_Apxhrd53RfxXw/s320/GCA_Phelous_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687192565326904546" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://phelous.com/">Phelous</a><br /></div><br /><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Human Centipede 2<br /></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I was aware of this show and have followed it in the past.<br /></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br />The color pallet here really pops and the backgrounds are visually interesting. There is attention paid to lighting, though shadows are cast on the back wall. The camera work is solid, though occasionally there are some focus issues.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> It is important to note this episode used a non-standard location.</span></p><br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">JAIMETUD</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Mctxhv9_u5bxPp4lUZKUoQHL76bKTftb1vM2u834nv8wqApQtixTxnXrVKjGFVlA0ey7YUQi4uptnm8WjliL6FW9nfVaLtbFItGNZPKoBhfmnl0d1L_pVkU-R60dTYrLsycoRN923T4/s1600/GCA_Jaimetud_Pages_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Mctxhv9_u5bxPp4lUZKUoQHL76bKTftb1vM2u834nv8wqApQtixTxnXrVKjGFVlA0ey7YUQi4uptnm8WjliL6FW9nfVaLtbFItGNZPKoBhfmnl0d1L_pVkU-R60dTYrLsycoRN923T4/s320/GCA_Jaimetud_Pages_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687195173259996226" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blip.tv/jaimetud">Jaimetud</a><br /></div><br /><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODES WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ZOMBIE LAKE<br />PLANET OF THE APES<br />FROM PAGES TO PICTURES - STAND BY ME</span><br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;">MY PROCESS FOR THIS NOMINATION:<br />I actually had a bit of difficulty with this entry. I'd never heard of him and I couldn't see anything that would really warrant attention in visual appeal in the episode I'd chosen to watch... yet he'd been nominated by three separate people. I ultimately ended up watching several of the episodes.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">And finally I found this sequence.<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdch7Pt7gy3Yx4GPxTaJGc-y0peaY5W0qZeKZpadC5y-RCKPnkd4lTkGfkYhAbHwMJgu04Y0CyOM9ppNDM8RD-H6R4gBA9zl1jHec92hCZtxhkb1VfxtRX7n1Gj-H7HD82f1QB0WghB2o/s1600/GCA_Jaimetud_6.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdch7Pt7gy3Yx4GPxTaJGc-y0peaY5W0qZeKZpadC5y-RCKPnkd4lTkGfkYhAbHwMJgu04Y0CyOM9ppNDM8RD-H6R4gBA9zl1jHec92hCZtxhkb1VfxtRX7n1Gj-H7HD82f1QB0WghB2o/s320/GCA_Jaimetud_6.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687197378824869890" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">I can't tell if this was green screen or if it's filmed on a set. That's a good thing, either way. The composition in this sequence is competent, and I've seen material like this in decent short films.</span></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;"> It contrasts heavily with the episode's opening scene.<br /></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydHdmEqx16LWKVT3zA7auXk8Vadg8EMsWkbmqruHE6khHwhf_KEmrIIbwamcFDyBp7eUEfc4odSfSIgU2kyi3UMkOwYZE7LjN0eNCosGTOcWTSDqf03sQm8CmJN_e27onJyARJ_tw1zE/s1600/GCA_Jaimetud_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydHdmEqx16LWKVT3zA7auXk8Vadg8EMsWkbmqruHE6khHwhf_KEmrIIbwamcFDyBp7eUEfc4odSfSIgU2kyi3UMkOwYZE7LjN0eNCosGTOcWTSDqf03sQm8CmJN_e27onJyARJ_tw1zE/s320/GCA_Jaimetud_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687200410680499586" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Or in a more recent Halloween episode, which has fairly bland framing in front of a decent green screen effect.<br /></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMcIu9IKfyrZESWaej6S6UuLd0pc-LyBGNgQOOyldKKFUT2cEIePPWXDsV3MhIcExzVCzAL9lx-MxP8woVNOPiLgGV7R6-BfznpaIZORu0datNmk7wCVzSwQPwgHKkzqN61YrmUIwc2M/s1600/GCA_Jaimetud_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMcIu9IKfyrZESWaej6S6UuLd0pc-LyBGNgQOOyldKKFUT2cEIePPWXDsV3MhIcExzVCzAL9lx-MxP8woVNOPiLgGV7R6-BfznpaIZORu0datNmk7wCVzSwQPwgHKkzqN61YrmUIwc2M/s320/GCA_Jaimetud_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687201140829237234" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Compare the above two shots with the shot below.</span><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkulb7fI7u4r4Ds-j1dK26MPQS0tht0wv9jx-q1zSfRdxhc63iAyKk5B8s-GXLhfUDeCZAFFkyRQZvxnThUg25eievstFcp1k6H6wT6J7eNKx2c0xl61-x2rUIQ0kgrMqG0kKetmMyI4/s1600/GCA_Jaimetud_4.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkulb7fI7u4r4Ds-j1dK26MPQS0tht0wv9jx-q1zSfRdxhc63iAyKk5B8s-GXLhfUDeCZAFFkyRQZvxnThUg25eievstFcp1k6H6wT6J7eNKx2c0xl61-x2rUIQ0kgrMqG0kKetmMyI4/s320/GCA_Jaimetud_4.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687202361730600466" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">The above was filmed for the 'Planet of the Apes' review. It's appropriate to the material being reviewed and appears right out of a low-budget 1970s science fiction film. The lighting is a bit flat, but is bright enough not to be distracting. The composition and editing are competently handled.</span></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">For the final episode I watched, from his 'Pages To Pictures' series, I have to admit there was a quiet, competent style to it. The colors were warm and the shots felt appropriate.</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></p>8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">SOUTH JERSEY SAM</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlT7FAHcmDuw1ezh29vBidS5AryBdb5k-EenQHqKnJ6aQ0BeoRFoHYslF5s-FfmS7cP3y6nehVZ1K5ez_JQLt4IlGN6-MAq5duLpIMpshvckp9iyKFzCqSo5gYBQy6yWWtIQP2vBtmbc/s1600/GCA_SouthJersey_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlT7FAHcmDuw1ezh29vBidS5AryBdb5k-EenQHqKnJ6aQ0BeoRFoHYslF5s-FfmS7cP3y6nehVZ1K5ez_JQLt4IlGN6-MAq5duLpIMpshvckp9iyKFzCqSo5gYBQy6yWWtIQP2vBtmbc/s320/GCA_SouthJersey_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687205854098277298" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thatfellowinthecoat.com/southjerseysam.php">South Jersey Sam</a><br /></div> <span style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">TOP 13 BEST FOXES</span><br /></span><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I've never heard of this show previously.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">A bit of an aside, but there really is no reason the average length of his episodes should be approaching an hour in length. The information is decent for each entry, but a 13-part list like this would probably have been better served being 13 separate videos.<br /></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">There is a charm to the Machinima style of presentation. The slide-show approach helps to minimize animation limitations of earlier episodes (well, at least of the first episode). There's a rough classically animated segment which seems to have been done specifically for the episode which is very well handled. </span><br /></p><br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight: bold;">SOME JERK WITH A CAMERA</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcswHPiJkj8AzLAkrg_-so59oXdMbRzTYTKPi0d1l4q8xXqyCx63kifZ1rnd973zU1-OiMCyFyIyX6XIZq2C2LcMww_lTwfkl12vm17xeSvnLJkNEVozJbzbN26jd09VZABjgSBPHxGQ/s1600/GCA_SomeJerk_3.1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcswHPiJkj8AzLAkrg_-so59oXdMbRzTYTKPi0d1l4q8xXqyCx63kifZ1rnd973zU1-OiMCyFyIyX6XIZq2C2LcMww_lTwfkl12vm17xeSvnLJkNEVozJbzbN26jd09VZABjgSBPHxGQ/s320/GCA_SomeJerk_3.1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687210142177583538" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blip.tv/some-jerk-with-a-camera">Some Jerk With A Camera</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODES WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CAPTAIN EO PART ONE<br />CAPTAIN EO PART TWO<br /></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I'd heard of the show before but hadn't really given it a chance.<br /></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">This is a series about the attractions of Disneyland and it's filmed entirely at Disneyland. Every shot is a different location. The hand-held camerawork doesn't distract and there's strong editing. There's a documentary charm to it, but this show's strength is not in it's visuals.</span><br /></p><br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight: bold;">COUNT JACKULA</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixleIpl4sqvZnASjJLoCXq4t_KUMBOtFKbYIylSpm4QLevoQZtmO6yEmhatoR7-FXlFkZA3g1Mz4rsQSw99SHLxWZmGsdYRMFBBFCxgWF8bb4Y6_iaHr7rJLnVHek81tFL95bWh1iRxeE/s1600/GCA_CountJackula_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixleIpl4sqvZnASjJLoCXq4t_KUMBOtFKbYIylSpm4QLevoQZtmO6yEmhatoR7-FXlFkZA3g1Mz4rsQSw99SHLxWZmGsdYRMFBBFCxgWF8bb4Y6_iaHr7rJLnVHek81tFL95bWh1iRxeE/s320/GCA_CountJackula_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687211930752620722" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blip.tv/countjackula">Count Jackula</a><br /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODES WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HALLOWEEN SPECIAL #4: GARFIELD<br />UNREST<br /></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />People had mentioned him to me previously.<br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">The costume and set design create an interesting horror esthetic. There is attention paid to lighting is some episodes. There's little variety in the shots, but the framing does what it's supposed to.</span>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-34068019605428583172011-12-16T16:13:00.000-08:002011-12-16T21:20:15.983-08:00JUDGING THE GCA: NOMINATIONS PART 1Starting today I'm going to do something a bit different. A number of people have asked about who was nominated. While it's not my place to release the whole list it doesn't mean there's nothing I can do. There are two categories I'm the primary judge of; Best Visual Appeal and Best Writing. It's these I will be posting on.<br /><br />I'm decided on doing this for two reasons:<br /><ol><li>Further transparency, as I'll be talking about some of my reactions to it.<br /></li><li>Just maybe it will introduce people to some shows they otherwise wouldn't give a chance to.<br /></li></ol><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">NOMINATION #1</span> - Apollo Z. Hack<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBtyaaCxO1aelrIWPJGCnssQn-8V2EE_cuLowpCHdX5fQSBwd6wDpdel-PmQ7GQGL-qOdySKeBKSTeBIeD9XLJUV76jmACTaag7mbP3K6ZIlL3BoY7dIYs1iNFoKVeuzU7aSU89XCVSI/s1600/GCA_ApolloZHack_Damn_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBtyaaCxO1aelrIWPJGCnssQn-8V2EE_cuLowpCHdX5fQSBwd6wDpdel-PmQ7GQGL-qOdySKeBKSTeBIeD9XLJUV76jmACTaag7mbP3K6ZIlL3BoY7dIYs1iNFoKVeuzU7aSU89XCVSI/s320/GCA_ApolloZHack_Damn_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686902471979291618" border="0" /></a><a href="http://blip.tv/apollo-z-hack">Apollo Z. Hack</a></div><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DAMN! - Watcher In The Woods</span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I was aware of this show and have followed the show since its inception. Matt and myself have collaborated in the past and plan to do so again.<br /></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There is an identifiable visual style which is consistent despite changes in locations and image filters. The post production elements are effective more often than not. The lighting is competently handled and visually interesting.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">NOMINATION #2</span> - The Game Show Reviewer<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blip.tv/gsreviewer"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJZBCEDRaS5s89eiRkXAGvYBwotWHY0mYoMaJYGCTVSMnKbbKgE9BcPxD35d3oQ5HSt1WVLfbHOCVl42UZ1vDufz1Fu4wLG_UWYZplRoa42NWzuWzQWTHMX72KUotO3p6rlu2T16fTy8/s320/GCA_GameShowReviewer_TMTF_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686902954092040162" border="0" />The Game Show Reviewer</a></p><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODES WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> The Many Themes Of Jeopardy</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Price is Right - Part 1</span><br /></p> <p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I have never watched this show until judging these awards. Before this, I hadn't heard of this show.<br /></p> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There are technical limitations to the physical production, but the green screen effect itself is pretty seamless. The shots themselves are varied and sometimes visually interesting (if dark). Each episode seems to have a CGI environment custom built. At times the presentation rivals that of Angry Joe.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></p><p><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></p> <span style="font-weight: bold;">NOMINATION #3</span> - Animated Analysis<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmQBn1wE7aic7x8zpPT7qSiKEWWiMpXzN8lH209nAcqD7GWOMHvA-2Gs2X3BtMiaPTbngJSM94bwYBE3wlwA8osOVd9hkHt6jwByO4pucKQcYOZSwNJbO9QevbCGTnwWzrINPEqVR8CI/s1600/GCA_AnimatedAnalysis_3.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmQBn1wE7aic7x8zpPT7qSiKEWWiMpXzN8lH209nAcqD7GWOMHvA-2Gs2X3BtMiaPTbngJSM94bwYBE3wlwA8osOVd9hkHt6jwByO4pucKQcYOZSwNJbO9QevbCGTnwWzrINPEqVR8CI/s320/GCA_AnimatedAnalysis_3.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686906176470795522" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blip.tv/sketchdcomedy">Animated Analysis</a><br /></div><br /><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Brave Little Toaster</span><br /></p> <p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I was aware of this show previously and had watched an episode previously.<br /></p> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br />The animation is well handled. The framing isn't particularly interesting. There doesn't seem to be attention paid to the lighting.<br /></span></p><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NOMINATION #4</span> - Atop The 4th Wall<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTJv0UklGUSoe2duIeLqiXlvh4TrTJP5nz32DD7OOLYhUUfvHcHXpUYQwTS9hd6XKg9o2f3XTvuEcqh7-ktkafzqU7KtXNmfxXVhTW5ZdofBg7sxsLbVESpKuq6hyMPlqOhHtGH9G4oc/s1600/GCA_Linkara_AT4W_9.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTJv0UklGUSoe2duIeLqiXlvh4TrTJP5nz32DD7OOLYhUUfvHcHXpUYQwTS9hd6XKg9o2f3XTvuEcqh7-ktkafzqU7KtXNmfxXVhTW5ZdofBg7sxsLbVESpKuq6hyMPlqOhHtGH9G4oc/s320/GCA_Linkara_AT4W_9.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686903939606144610" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/linkara/at4w">Atop The 4th Wall<br /></a></div><br /><p style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pokemon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu</span><br /></p> <p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I was aware of this show and have followed it for some time. This episode was chosen because its his most recent visually ambitious undertaking.<br /></p> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This show's effectiveness is not in its visuals. What Linkara is good at is building atmosphere though pacing and sound design. The editing is solid.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></p><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NOMINATION #5</span> - Angry Joe Show<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgTSSP-Fqk91iL2TeLOxVUz7p5jBxInnTfNejQ1RBh221UlnL9peV8h9v9mm78ou3FM1EkHdzJbgSQt4H_gIQVgAixAyFekoKHOCxrEdwm2Cqieqhf58HhoS1dEH0AfdRP0PZr9slbsM/s1600/GCA_AngryJoe_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgTSSP-Fqk91iL2TeLOxVUz7p5jBxInnTfNejQ1RBh221UlnL9peV8h9v9mm78ou3FM1EkHdzJbgSQt4H_gIQVgAixAyFekoKHOCxrEdwm2Cqieqhf58HhoS1dEH0AfdRP0PZr9slbsM/s320/GCA_AngryJoe_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686904767259847282" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://angryjoeshow.com/">Angry Joe</a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">EPISODE WATCHED:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saints Row: The Third Angry Review</span><br /></span><p style="font-style: italic;">BIAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:<br />I was aware of this show and have followed it for some time.<br /></p> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">MY THOUGHTS:<br />The color scheme of the show lends a cohesive look to the show. The green screen effects are generally very effective and the lighting is well-exposed.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Little variety to the shots.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> The CGI background is visually interesting.<br /></span></p>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-67221754502602449762011-12-05T23:14:00.000-08:002011-12-05T23:55:09.899-08:00JUDGING THE GCA: JUDGING VISUAL APPEALA question was raised about how I'm going about evaluating my categories. This point is as good as any to mention that the two primary categories assigned to me are <span style="font-style: italic;">Best Visual Appeal</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Best Writing</span>.<br /><br />I'm working my way through <span style="font-style: italic;">Best Visual Appeal</span> right now, so let's start with my process there.<br /><br />Because of time, I obviously can't watch all videos a reviewer has made, so I watch their most recent video. If I'm unfamiliar with their material, I will cue up a second video and scan through it to see if the visual style is consistent. If the second video has a different style than the first, I'll watch it as well. I'm looking for lighting, shot composition, the color scheme and the general aesthetics.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Shot composition:</span><br /><ul><li>Are shots constructed with care or are they haphazard?</li><li>Do they follow the rules of compositions?</li><li>How effective are they at conveying the intended message?</li><li>Is there consistent quality between shots, or do separate shots contrast with the overall tone?</li></ul><span style="font-style: italic;">Lighting:</span><br /><ul><li>Is there attention paid to lighting?</li><li>Is the lighting flat and lifeless, or does is there a style achieved with the lighting beyond 'make the subject visible'?</li><li>Are there multiple shadows projected on the wall? (bad)</li><li>Is there a backlight?</li></ul><span style="font-style: italic;">Color Scheme:</span><br /><ul><li>Is there attention paid to create a distinct color pallet?</li><li>Does it compliment the show's concept?</li></ul><span style="font-style: italic;">General Aesthetic:</span><br /><ul><li>How does everything work together?<br /></li><li>How does the editing impact the viewing experience?</li><li>If there are effects, how effective are they? Are they distracting to the experience or do they add something?</li><li>And yes, how do I feel when watching this? Seriously, something may break every composition rule and still pop visually.<br /></li></ul><p>Because of the visual nature of this category, I will actually take screenshots of certain shots for later reference.</p><p>I will take notes in point form for each nomination in a Word, and then I will put a <span style="font-style: italic;">'Yes'</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">'No'</span>, or <span style="font-style: italic;">'Maybe'</span> in brackets beside the title based on whether I could see it a genuine contender for the top slot. <span style="font-style: italic;">'Yes'</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">'No'</span> are obvious, even if reasons are on a case-by-case basis. <span style="font-style: italic;">'Maybe'</span> means that though I feel it's strong, this nomination has elements that bring it down. If I don't get four <span style="font-style: italic;">'Yes'</span> votes, I will be revisiting these nominations.<br /></p><p>Thus far, I've only gotten one <span style="font-style: italic;">'Yes'</span>.<br /></p>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-38821262129701223462011-12-04T08:13:00.000-08:002011-12-04T09:51:02.618-08:00JUDGING THE GCA: ON THE JUDGESThe fourth day! Short one today.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ZOMBIFICATION ASKS: </span>Who got the podcast section?</span><br />Um... This is going to come across as more flippant than I'd like, but Judge #4.<br /><br />I'm sorry I can't be more forth-coming at this point; the person who's judging that has not made it public that they're judging these awards and it's not right for me to take away their right to privacy.<br /><br />Though I won't reveal the identities of any judge who's not already explicitly announced their involvement, there are more things I can say about them without violating any rights, implied or otherwise.<br /><br />Judges were chosen on a few set criteria.<br /><ol><li>Judges cannot have been nominated in any category.</li><li>Judges must be familiar with the online DYI style of reviewing.</li><li>As much as possible they must not be seen as being biased in their selections.<br /></li></ol>Three of the judges have made videos critiquing review series and/or the state of online criticism in this community. At least three have written extensively and intelligently about the subject, whether it be on blogs or forums. Oh, and I'm not the only judge with a background in film theory.<br /><br />But who can I actually confirm? Well, as stated in a previous post, Robert is the only judge to be associated directly with CriticTV. Aside from myself, only MartialHorror of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MartialHorror">Critiquing The Critics</a> has made his involvement public.<br /><br />I believe many of the judges will be made public when the winners are announced.Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-58845291594774443302011-12-02T04:53:00.000-08:002011-12-03T06:47:41.570-08:00JUDGING THE GCA: HOW IT WORKSWell the first two days of judging is over. Time for another blog entry!<br /><br />I might as well talk a little bit about the slightly daunting task the judging task is and how we're doing it. There are two basic steps judges have to take. The first step, of course, is to narrow each category down to 48 finalists (4 per category) and 12 winners.<br /><br />This poses some complications of its own.<br /><br />There are 315 individual nominations between 12 categories. Assuming an average of 20 minutes a video/nomination, that's 105 hours of raw episodic footage. More than 4 and a half straight days, or 5 hours a day for 21 days. That's not including any additional time spent on the evaluation process. Everyone involved is a volunteer, so this isn't exactly realistic.<br /><br />So let's talk about the process.<br /><br />As mentioned in the previous post, there are 7 judges, including Robert. I want you to break that down mentally as 6 and 1, as Robert's a special case.<br /><br />Each of the 6 judges will be charged with 2 Primary categories each. In these, the judge will watch and evaluate every entry and narrow down to 4 finalists. In addition, each judge will be charged with 2 Secondary categories (which are another judge's Primaries). Again, 4 finalists each.<br /><br />At this point, every category will have been reviewed separately by 2 separate judges. There will be somewhere between 4 and 8 finalists. At this point, these 2 judges will debate and narrow these down to 4. If an agreement can't be reached, (i.e. each judge had 4 entirely different finalists) then the finalists could be extended to a maximum of 6.<br /><br />Now, Robert has decided to watch all 315 nominations himself and weigh in on the finalists as well. In this way, the effects of any one person's bias will be minimized.<br /><br />The second step is voting. Most votes wins. Second most becomes the runner-up. Simple as that... Okay, so not quite so simple as each judge now has to watch any entries they hadn't already in order to make the vote, but that's how the cookie crumbles.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Do you have any questions about this process? I'm planning quite a few more of these, so hit me up! I'll do my best to answer any questions or criticisms you might have.</span>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-90790060832001429472011-12-01T21:38:00.000-08:002011-12-02T01:24:17.135-08:00JUDGING THE GOLDEN CRITIC AWARDS: THE TRANSPARENCY PROJECTFor those not aware, the Golden Critic Awards are an independent award show intended to celebrate and recognize the work of the homebrew reviewer community.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OtsW_BJCSg0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />As you can imagine, it has a bit of a PR issue right now.<br /><br />The perception many have is that the show is little more than something intended to give more praise to the people of TGWTG. Or to give awards to people who really don't deserve any recognition for their work, people who's work is so sloppy as to be practically unwatchable in any other circumstance.<br /><br />When Robert Million approached me to be a judge in mid-November, those were chief among the concerns I raised. You can be assured that if I didn't like the answers I got, I would not be willing to have my name associated with this thing. I did, and I am.<br /><br />Though the tone coming across in the above video is flippant, the idea behind it is not.<br /><br />Not including Robert himself, there are six judges who've been selected from many different backgrounds. In order to appear as unbiased as possible he is the only judge associated with CriticTV, through which the GCAs are organized. The rest where chosen from a myriad of different backgrounds and social circles, some of whom I personally recommended. Out of respect for those judges who want to remain anonymous, I won't divulge names; however I can say that I'm not the only person with formal training in film theory.<br /><br />I've made the decision to be transparent about my judging process. In this way I hope to show these awards in a better light; to bring to light the process and perhaps counteract the hesitations many people have of these awards.Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-32040292392607592632011-11-30T06:42:00.000-08:002011-11-30T07:22:03.142-08:00GUEST ARTICLE: HOW TO MAKE AN INTRO (CTG TV)<span style="font-weight: bold;">I approached several people about using their intros after the <a href="http://homebrewvideo.blogspot.com/2011/11/seven-deadly-sins-of-homebrew.html">last article</a> for a follow-up and a possible video tie-in.</span><br /><a href="http://www.colorthegrayscale.com/"><br /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Karen Demsko of <a href="http://www.colorthegrayscale.com/">Color the Grayscale TV</a> blew my away by writing the following about the approach she took to make her very effective intro.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxetJEqhUiNW0GItcdObtesBgIGbz_qOrbeD-YScwx4sIphMab4fgVn-RaiZZOAVNv91IPTcDv8idPy_Ww0ljrMx7IiNxyaVbpbp7wBvpYiwhLr2FUl0H9U5byh67CRsSKAEICmhzEAE/s1600/CTGTV_Intro_5.tiff"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxetJEqhUiNW0GItcdObtesBgIGbz_qOrbeD-YScwx4sIphMab4fgVn-RaiZZOAVNv91IPTcDv8idPy_Ww0ljrMx7IiNxyaVbpbp7wBvpYiwhLr2FUl0H9U5byh67CRsSKAEICmhzEAE/s320/CTGTV_Intro_5.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680804236664665186" border="0" /></a>Coming up with the CTG TV intro, was an interesting experience, in that I was able to come up with an idea myself, without any outside interference.<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"> </p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size:12pt;"><br />Meaning I had free reign, creatively. Boo ya.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"> </p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size:12pt;"><br />However, though I had the creative freedom to fly like an eeeeeeeeagle, I still followed the same process of creation that I always do.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"> </p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size:12pt;"><br />The first was to ask myself “What am I looking to see?” I jotted down design ideas and thought about what CTG TV represented to me and how I wanted to convey my feelings and ideas to my audience.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"> </p><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; ">From there, I took these ideas and made about four to five rough drafts, sketching out ideas and doing very basic storyboards.</div><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br />More times then not, I buffet style through my ideas and come up with a Frankenstein of a project that I<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZPVKGzT_LPf60pACJB63RA22W4AYlLMcIZP1Xo8ShqjUGK_8jXtq4EDV0Zs9RDXyIqU2ZbiFjJhupwtTPKd2n9wJr-VMqDn1hx8zae6w_vDWKVdGHkqNrxVm_igaKgwyoRn3_ttXOgdI/s1600/CTGTV_Intro_1.tiff"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZPVKGzT_LPf60pACJB63RA22W4AYlLMcIZP1Xo8ShqjUGK_8jXtq4EDV0Zs9RDXyIqU2ZbiFjJhupwtTPKd2n9wJr-VMqDn1hx8zae6w_vDWKVdGHkqNrxVm_igaKgwyoRn3_ttXOgdI/s200/CTGTV_Intro_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680797420742841458" border="0" /></a> am truly proud of.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"> </p><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br />Something to note as well:<span> <span> </span></span>I had to be aware, at all times, of my tools, abilities, and time.</div><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br />As much as I may have longed to have a professional grade intro sequence, I may not have had the time (due to work or other priorities), the tools (such as certain computer software), or general artistic ability to create what my imagination might have cooked up.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"> </p><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br />Next was to figure out what music I wanted to use.</div><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br />This seems like an odd one to add, but it’s one I feel I need to add. The likelihood that my intro would be silent was slim to none.</div><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xxieJvtv6ycZ_DwPurBzbNNEDWMcq8BwzA_0wGpJB8x9MTlNkfNx0i1T_zAezpzoMKlxUAFNZBlQWpCeDuC-dbv5EGOQE6TX4jG_qbtyZx4ZIQhvmKL0OwXYtNWgPxTdOC8nke18FU8/s1600/CTGTV_Intro_2.tiff"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xxieJvtv6ycZ_DwPurBzbNNEDWMcq8BwzA_0wGpJB8x9MTlNkfNx0i1T_zAezpzoMKlxUAFNZBlQWpCeDuC-dbv5EGOQE6TX4jG_qbtyZx4ZIQhvmKL0OwXYtNWgPxTdOC8nke18FU8/s200/CTGTV_Intro_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680798632842369554" border="0" /></a>Music and/or voices can be one of the more challenging aspects of the creation process. I say this from my own personal experience, as I am not musically inclined. Places like istockphoto are a great for finding music that you can use (though it will cost you), but if you happen to know somehow who plays or creates music ask them for help! Having such a valuable resource should not be overlooked.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"> </p><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br />The next step was to storyboard.</div><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br />People tend not to do this and I’m not exactly sure why.</div><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br /><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-align:auto;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;font-size:medium;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MQbQVzI2ItltpTECQBbHEui7l1BrT_uDTail5bqB7lWomMT9P_jTvbtZHvziTu4qhksdEp-Y2g_oNfOJMXgjLujaCVDKKh_my6G_Dj7tbvFTApEynXIZxYJZQVBAk7XxSwwKnpEn2i0/s1600/CTGTV_Intro_3.tiff"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MQbQVzI2ItltpTECQBbHEui7l1BrT_uDTail5bqB7lWomMT9P_jTvbtZHvziTu4qhksdEp-Y2g_oNfOJMXgjLujaCVDKKh_my6G_Dj7tbvFTApEynXIZxYJZQVBAk7XxSwwKnpEn2i0/s200/CTGTV_Intro_3.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680797736698976450" border="0" /></a></span>Laziness perhaps? I can’t be entirely sure, but this process always, always, ALWAYS helps me further down the line (when shooting footage and animating).</div><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br />This helped me organize my vision and the music down into one coherent idea.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"> </p><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br />Last, but certainly not least, was to actually get down to the nitty gritty and start production.</div><div size="12pt" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; "><br />With my preproduction out of the way, it was time for me to get cracking on the intro.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"><br />I set up my camera and lighting so that the first two shots would have the light needed in order to look good in the gray-scale color scheme I was going to make. The third shot, in retrospect, could have been lit better, but I’m still pleased with the results.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"> </p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"><br />That was the easy part. Now came the hard part. Animating.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-align:auto;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;font-size:medium;" ><span style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-align:auto;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;font-size:medium;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Yt0E6I5alc0MDe09xPXgBrlR2a_bTktox5kiaUNul7bGbR0NKbndSbido8zzan6Gyvl_r2_Q72px8-55oHk1ctrOVVW-1XiKxk_op81yh98MTPH2euVlojly2-vJGfSE4vCVJ3u3xZ4/s1600/CTGTV_Intro_4.tiff"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Yt0E6I5alc0MDe09xPXgBrlR2a_bTktox5kiaUNul7bGbR0NKbndSbido8zzan6Gyvl_r2_Q72px8-55oHk1ctrOVVW-1XiKxk_op81yh98MTPH2euVlojly2-vJGfSE4vCVJ3u3xZ4/s200/CTGTV_Intro_4.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680797919821671842" border="0" /></a></span></span>The entire animation was done in Flash (yes I know what your saying:<span> <span> </span></span>“what were you thinking?!” this was before I could acquire Adobe After Effects) and took about two solid weeks to complete. Making sure every patterned ribbon (there were four), every ball (there were eight), and every swirly line (there were three) was exactly the way I wanted it to be and matched the part of the music when the animation would appear. This intro was to encompass my entire brand in one short, complete burst and I knew it needed to be just right. I wanted the colors to be vibrant (representing the vibrancy that my shows would hopefully be), the logo to be revealed over a small period of time (building a small amount of anticipation that something awesome was just about to start), and, most importantly of all, to leave just as quickly as it came. I wanted it to be a small burst of something, but nothing that lingered too long on the screen.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"> </p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;"><br />After this was finished, I went into postproduction and I took both my live action shots and my animation and lined them up with the music in Final Cut Pro. And viola! The project was done!</div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thanks so much to Karen for agreeing to do this. Check out her show, <a href="http://blip.tv/ctg-tv">Animation Domination</a>, if you haven't already.<br /><br />...I have no idea why the formatting is so wonky.<br /><br />It's at this point I should dedicate this to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Montag</span> for a talking about his own minimalistic approach to making an intro... does that even work with a guest article? Oh well.<br /></span>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-27710087531577161142011-11-14T01:04:00.000-08:002011-11-15T19:37:27.186-08:00SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF THE HOMEBREW VIDEOMAKER: TITLE SEQUENCES<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Hey all, welcome to the second installment of my series on the common mistakes in Homebrew videos. In case you missed the last one... you should check it out.<br /><br />Blatant self-promotion? Eh, why not.<br /><br />A note about this article; though this could certainly be applied to a variety of different internet video series, this issue is most apparent in reviews.<br /><br />J</span><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">oin the conversation below and suggest your own deadly sin!</span></span><br /><br />DEADLY SIN NUMBER TWO: REGARDING TITLE SEQUENCE<br />I don't care how much you like that song, there is no purpose served in having a two minute intro to a ten minute video. Every second spent playing clips from previous episodes is a second the video is making an audience wait for fresh content.<br /><br />Though it would be easier, I can't advise against title sequence universally; the reality is while a great title sequence can keep an audience interest sustained in an otherwise average review series a bad title sequence can turn the same audience off in their first episode.<br /><br />The real problem is that most of those who use them don't actually understand the purpose of a title sequence. If you've got a show, be honest; do you actually know why you have a title sequence, or are you just including one because everyone else has one?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Purpose of a Title Sequence</span><br />Guild regulations require that the key creatives be credited near the beginning of a film or television show. In all likelihood, this is where the practice would have originated.<br /><br />Though movies had them in some form or another since the early 1900s, the title sequences of the homebrew scene really have their origins in television if only because episodic television, like serialized reviews, use the same title sequence in each episode (where a movie's will only be seen once). We can begin there. The following list should not be considered all inclusive, but is a start.<br /><ol><li>A title sequence is intended to set the tone for the show.<br /></li><li>Every episode of an average TV series will have different writers, directors, and in the case of shows like The Outer Limits cast and settings. The title sequence gave a sense of cohesion and familiarity to the series.</li><li>A title sequence gives a buffer of time for those people coming in late to the program.<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></li></ol>The third entry, as you can imagine, is the one that absolutely doesn't apply to videos for the internet.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Common Misteps in Homebrew Title Sequences</span><br />On the internet, the audience always starts the video at the 00:00 mark. Unlike the makers of Buffy or Batman, you know absolutely where the audience starts your video. Add to that the acceleration of attention spans and well... The reasons for a long title sequence on the internet are greatly diminished. There will always be exceptions, but think in the neighborhood of 30 seconds as a maximum.<br /><br />Some other practices which diminish the effectiveness of a title sequence include but are certainly not limited to:<br /><ul><li>REPETITIVENESS. Doing a montage of clips from previous episodes where each shot consists of the host talking or gesturing from the same camera angle. This highlights the limitations of the show. It also can send the message that the host is trying too hard with even having a title sequence.</li><li>BAD MUSIC CHOICE. More than anything else in an intro, the music chosen becomes tied with the show. Choosing something that's over-used or something that's at odds with the tone and concept of the series really will leave a bad taste in the mouths of your audience. Plus, you know, that whole copywrite thing.<br /></li><li>BAD CUSTOM MUSIC. Commissioning a song for your video to avoid Copywrite issues is very admirable. Unfortunately most often a videomaker will go with the first musician who's willing and not the person who's the right choice for the role. This often leads to a song that's painful on the ears because of the musician's limitations or a song that's a sharp contrast to the tone of the show.</li><li>HAVING A TITLE SEQUENCE. Not every show needs a full title sequence. Sometimes a title and a music sting is enough (<span style="font-style: italic;">What The Fuck is Wrong With You</span>), and sometimes a video doesn't need so much as a logo (<span style="font-style: italic;">Nostalgia Critic</span>).</li></ul><span style="font-style: italic;">Tips for Making a Good Title Sequence...?</span><br />There's not much I can say here, really. The reality is there's no magic formula because every case is different. To do it justice, I'd have to do some case by case looks at title sequences which work (and which don't).<br /><br />Honestly, that may well be something that needs more than just an article. At this point I turn it to you, guys: is there any reviewer or videomaker who'd be willing to let me publicly do an analysis of their title sequence? Any volunteers can contact me in any way they can find to do so, including by posting in the comments or by e-mail: bdmacdonald.films@gmail.com<br /><br />To be continued...?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This article is dedicated to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Darren Maher</span> for being an awesome dude and posting intelligently on a previous article.<br /><br />Because, I do that. Comment people!<br /></span>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-4547573703511300502011-10-08T15:27:00.000-07:002011-11-14T01:03:47.917-08:00SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF THE HOMEBREW VIDEOMAKER: MICROPHONES<span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">I spent a lot of time thinking about the most noticeable mistakes made by those in the Homebrew scene; this is the first of a series of seven articles looking at that. Or eight. Or twenty.<br /><br />My blog, my rules baby.<br /><br />Feel free to join the conversation and suggest your own deadly sin below!</span></span><br /><br />DEADLY SIN NUMBER ONE - USING THE CAMERA MICROPHONE<br />Regardless of the quality of your camera, the attached microphone is not designed to give you good audio.<br /><br />No really.<br /><br />See, microphones are designed for different purposes. There are different pick up patterns and frequency ranges, each designed to record in specialized ways. The more expensive the microphone, the more specialized its use. A microphone designed for a drum set isn’t going to work as well in recording a trombone, and vice versa.<br /><br />And your built-in camera microphone? It’s designed to pick up everything indiscriminately. You, the dog in the next room, and even the motor of the camera itself are all picked up with equal importance. Even in a best-case scenario, you’ll end up with a permanent hum from the camera’s mechanisms.<br /><br />But there is a way to optimize the sound you get from any microphone: placement.<br /><br />Makes sense, right? How close the microphone is to the subject effects how well that sound is recorded.<br /><br />To give you some idea, your average directional shotgun microphone used on professional movie sets is at optimized distance at 2 feet from the actor’s chin. It’s not a perfect comparison, but it’s a decent ballpark.<br /><br />The basic set up for reviewers is more likely to place the camera at least 6 feet away from the subject. Other videomakers will often go further. Are you beginning to see the problem here?<br /><br />Of course, it’s always possible to place the camera to optimize sound quality, but then you’re highly limited in what shot’s you can get. Essentially, you’re being held hostage by the microphone. And even with the most optimized placement, you're still not going to eliminate the hum from the camera’s motor.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">MICROPHONE TIPS</span><br />No getting around it, anyone wanting to make the jump into video making of any kind needs a separate microphone if they want good sound quality. There are several approaches you can take to get better sound. I’ll avoid the more obvious options such as lapel or hand-held microphones and get into more outside the box suggestions.<br /><br />- Remember, it’s more about microphone placement then microphone quality. And just because a microphone is more expensive, doesn’t mean it’s best for your needs. I’ll reiterate what I said previously; as microphones get more expensive, they get more specialized. Do your research, and don’t be afraid to talk to an expert.<br /><br />-You can take a page or two from the big boys. That carbon fiber extendable pole holding the microphone is called a boom. If you’ve a friend you can rope in, duck tape and a broom handle will give you the same function.<br /><br />-Going back even farther, in the late 1920’s filmmakers would hide microphones in various props such as flower pots and have the actors perform the scene around them. This would likely have to be built into the concept of the show, but this can help to improve the audio quality while keeping the microphone invisible.<br /><br />-Record the sound separately and after the fact. When filming the highly influential El Mariachi, Robert Rodriguez would have his actors re-do their lines immediately after he cut. In this way, the rhythms and pacing would be fresh in their minds. In editing, he would cut to another shot when the dialogue started to go out of sync. No reason you couldn’t do the same.<br /><br />-Godzilla dubbing. Similar to the last tip, except the videomaker makes no attempt to sync the audio. Again, this has to be incorporated into the show concept, but in the right hands this could have a lot of potential.Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-74410543497749203322011-09-30T19:00:00.000-07:002011-10-01T02:16:08.778-07:00TRIBUTE TO THE HOMEBREW SPIRITI have and will continue to be critical of many individual elements connected to the Homebrew Videomaking scene, but that should never be confused as disdain. I support this movement and what it represents. Beyond the obvious idea of the underdog and burgeoning filmmaker, my reason is simple: nearly every important movement in film history has it's roots in a rebellion against the status quo by someone embracing the same spirit I see in the Homebrew Videomaker.<br /><br />THE BROTHERS LUMIERE AND EDISON<br />It's hard to say who got to it first, but these were the people we owe for the medium of film. And while the Lumiere Brothers created far and away the most interesting shots, it was Edison who embraced the medium as a way to tell stories. Also Edison was the first to make home movies.<br /><br />So here I solute the innovators, the craftsmen, the insane entrepreneurs who got out there with their crazy inventions and laid the groundwork for an entire medium.<br /><br />EISENSTEIN<br />At the birth of Communist Russia, and at the time when Communism was still full of idealsim, this guy had the crazy idea that editing was as important in filmmaking as the writing or the shot composition. This guy's theories, and the films he employed them in, are still used in film classes.<br /><br />A toast to the revolutionaries.<br /><br />THE FRENCH NEW WAVE<br />Rebelling against the vapid glamour of Hollywood productions, the leaders of this movement set out with micro crews and smaller budgets and broke every rule in the book. Hand-held camera? These guys did it first. Jump-cuts? Right here. Not everything they did worked, but the homebrew scene owes much to these guys.<br /><br />Respect to the rebels.<br /><br />MTV AND THE MUSIC VIDEO<br />The early days of MTV, music videos weren't exactly reknown for their artistic prowess. Prominent working directors weren't exactly knocking down the doors of musicians to make a music promotion vehicle. That role went instead to the guys who did. People like Spike Jones and Michelle Gendry weren't especially skilled in the technical department, but they had ideas and broke many-a-rule to make them happen on shoe-string budgets.<br /><br />In one famous case, Spike Jones wrapped the camera lens in a sandwich bag so he could do an under-water shot. Ballsy.<br /><br />Props to the ballsy gentlemen of the MTV age.<br /><br />HOMEBREW IN THE INTERNET AGE<br />There is a quote that someone made; an artform can't be considered an artform until it's available to everyone. This, they proposed, was as true with paint as with music. If that's the case, then it's only been in the last 10 some odd years that we've seen the artistic legitimization of both animation and movie-making.<br /><br />It's an exciting time.<br /><br />It's a time when more videos are uploaded online than produced for television (at the 2008 rate of upload, it'd take 60 days to upload to youtube what American television stations took 60 years to make).<br /><br />It's a time where ideas matter more than production values.<br /><br />And yes, it's even a time where a reviewer can be a bigger draw than the media they review.<br /><br />So here I celebrate the spirit of the Homebrew.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author's Note</span><br />Why hey there! As stated in the previous post (part 2 of which is coming at some point), this article is dedicated to <span style="font-weight:bold;">Pugsly6338</span> for being the only person to actually post a reply to my last article. Good for you, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Pugsly6338</span>!</span>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-13477367136533084392011-09-05T13:58:00.000-07:002011-09-08T04:24:15.866-07:00CRITICAL TIMING PART 1: WITH APOLOGIES TO BILL WATTERSON<div>With my magic marker, I've turned this ordinary cardboard box into a TIME MACHINE! It's filled with some of the most high tech gizmos corrugated paper products can build, and it's built for two! Now, if you'll indulge your own child-like imagination, the two of us are moving backwards through the churning and wildly unreliable mists of time.</div><br /><div>And we've arrived at our first destination, 1716.</div><br />That wonderful aroma is the smell of rotting fish. I landed us in the wrong part of town... um, sorry.<br /><br /><div>If we go instead to a concert you'll notice something unusual; you're at a live performance!<br /><br />That's not too unusual, come to think of it. What is, though, is that this will be the only place you can ever hear music. In 1716 if you want to chill out and listen to music it'll be a full evening and a pretty penny.<br /><br />Obvious, yes, but a couple things you should notice:<br /><ul><li>At no time can you pick and choose the song to listen to.</li><li>Every song you're guaranteed to hear from it's intended start point.</li><li>Your average composition is going to be upwards of 10 minutes on average.<br /></li><li>Bach was pop, if you can believe it.<br /> </li></ul> </div><div>Well, okay, sure you could also listen to the bard playing on the corner, but *pfft* who goes to 1716 to listen to a 2-bit ukelele player?</div><br /><div>Back into the time machine and forward a bit to 1915. A boring year, to be honest. Just avoid Europe. Films exist, of course, but these days you'd still be discovering music in the live concerts... but wait! Now you can actually take the music home with you on a record! Or on the radio!<br /><br />Well, if you're rich at least.</div><br /><div>Aaaaand 1956. Mind the smoke, I think we dropped a carburetor over New Mexico, there. Oh well, it's not like anyone ever goes to Roswell anyway... wait, you hear that? Music!<br /><br />What do you mean this is getting predictable?<br /><br />Radios are in cars and as an indirect result radio is now the prominent way people discover new music. Teenagers got to choose away from their parents what they wanted to listen to on a mass level for the first time. And, of course, the music itself has had to change because of this. Always does, mind, but this is the time where it gets fun! Well, for me at least... I'm a weird duck like that.<br /><br />Music producers of this era have a lot riding on the music they make. In this era, it isn't unusual for some of the smaller music producers to bet everything they had on the next single (and then do it again on the next, and the next...). These guys couldn't fight with the unlimited resources of the big labels, so they fight smart. First though, what's the biggest thing this radio revolution means?<br /><ul><li>Unlike live performances, there's no guarantee you're going to turn into any song at the beginning. You turn on the radio, you change the station, and it's just as likely you'll land halfway into a song.<br /> </li></ul> So knowing that, here's what these producers did.<br /><ul><li>Limit song length to less than 3 minutes to maximize rotation.<br /> </li><li>Structure the song with the hook repeated as many times as possible to increase the chance you'll hear it when scanning the channels, catch the catchy bit, and stay to hear the rest.</li></ul> </div>Now isn't that cool? Now buckle up that corrugated seatbelt, it's home to the present! Huh, it's not starting.<div><br /></div><div>That's not good...</div><div><br /></div><div>Tell you what, you go ahead; I'll catch up in a bit!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">TO BE CONTINUED...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Author's Note:</span><br />All dates are approximate and entirely unresearched. Inaccuracies are not only possible, but to be expected!<br /><br />In fact, let's make this into a contest.<br /><br />The first person in the comment section to correctly identify an error or expand significantly on a point from the article will have the next article dedicated to them.<br /><br />And the person who brings up the most interesting idea related to the subject will have the one after that dedicated to them.<br /></span> </div>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983694495418264736.post-14968497099995686172011-08-18T14:28:00.000-07:002011-10-09T02:48:11.857-07:00THE ANTI-CRITIC BREAKDOWN: WHY SUBURBAN KNIGHTS FAILS AS A FILM<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Anti-Critic Breakdown was written for Busy Street, a satirical blog which is known for being heavily critical of the homebrew review community. My motivation for doing so has been questioned, but I have no regrets. It was a chance to go outside of my comfort zone and, frankly, I liked the irony of contributing to a site that twice directed it's gaze negatively in my direction.<br /><br />A couple weeks ago, the owner of the site did a purge of nearly all of it's archived posts.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">My article was among those on the chopping block.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I was debating re-writing parts of it before posting, but that feels... I don't know, dishonest somehow. So I'm presenting it here pretty much in it's unedited form. Though I did fix the formatting.<br /></span></span></span><br />THE ANTI-CRITIC BREAKDOWN<br />All too recently the last entry in the Suburban Knight mini-series/movie was posted, thus ending the 7-part TGWTG anniversary event video. As is becoming a yearly tradition, each part has been matched with a corresponding Busy Street article by the peerless Classy J and Jordon.<br /><br />Fitting that my first entry as an honorary Street Urchin should be on something so thoroughly dissected already. But then, I always was late to the party.<br /><br />It seems the trend of most entries on the Street to keep the poster anonymous. Jordon certainly doesn’t sign off the posts he makes with a “This is Jordon saying ‘All the fanboys in the world won’t make you less of a douchebag.’”. And while this approach is admirable in the way of putting content above ego, in light of my chosen subject today, I think it’s actually better to tell you a little about myself.<br /><br />WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?<br />My name is B. D. MacDonald and I have applied to ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com three times. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am a so-called TGWTG reject.<br /><br />I’m also a filmmaker.<br /><br />Not a filmmaker from the Robert Rodriguez school of filmmaking (“You’re a filmmaker the minute you decide you’re a filmmaker.”) which has allowed many people who’ve no business behind a professional camera to stamp the same label onto their doors as those who’ve spent decades earning it though mastery of the craft.<br /><br />No, I’m from the John Ford school of filmmaking (“This photo has the horizon near the bottom and that one has it near the top. Only when you can tell me WHY, can you call yourself a filmmaker.”) where the designation requires more than just a camera and some editing software.<br /><br />I’ve been actively studying the craft since 2003.<br /><br />Now let me tell you about my stamp collecti-<br /><br />…Yeah, okay, I’ll stop stalling.<br /><br />Taken as fan service for the TGWTG community, both Kickassia and Suburban Knights are solid. But these aren’t being treated as fan service, are they? They’re “Films”, each rumored to have budgets higher than El Mariachi, Primer and Clerks combined.<br /><br />So held up to that standard, do they stand up?<br /><br />Let’s find out.<br /><br />PRELUDES AND NOCTURNS - GETTING STARTED<br />In any movie the opening scene is among the most important. It sets the tone for everything that comes after. And what better place to start with Suburban Knights than at the beginning?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_03cReePWhPZJkTieD04HpTc89MaJF85zVzs4nUSjfK-_96KUf3S1vEQ2RELjXR-XFUwSt0vWdiqRuwlLNz_MzGbggERLfHDR0NkolBBb6Tt0UcKY1iQqKjHHVSLF3FRrBxpdMwUnywg/s1600/SK_Shot_1.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_03cReePWhPZJkTieD04HpTc89MaJF85zVzs4nUSjfK-_96KUf3S1vEQ2RELjXR-XFUwSt0vWdiqRuwlLNz_MzGbggERLfHDR0NkolBBb6Tt0UcKY1iQqKjHHVSLF3FRrBxpdMwUnywg/s320/SK_Shot_1.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644935694892053938" border="0" /></a>The first shot, coupled with the desolate sound of wind is actually really effective at setting the atmosphere of archetypal lonely desert road. This shot is strong composition-wise, with a low horizon emphasizing the emptiness and, again, the desolation of the environment. This is strong enough to last a while and build up-<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06geXRzcsZZdWvyh-w56BSjVmIBXU9Fufy5vEVaag56B7L5VXZH_eMrrK5wPJBPUiG4_fpY0ZIiV3Vt6QP8egZreb8M7-Z25-cyEm09OOjZ4nJA_MSbACTZ1TpQiyREe1-N7RIsqsqVA/s1600/SK_Shot_2.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06geXRzcsZZdWvyh-w56BSjVmIBXU9Fufy5vEVaag56B7L5VXZH_eMrrK5wPJBPUiG4_fpY0ZIiV3Vt6QP8egZreb8M7-Z25-cyEm09OOjZ4nJA_MSbACTZ1TpQiyREe1-N7RIsqsqVA/s320/SK_Shot_2.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644935852112520498" border="0" /></a>Um… Well, that was abrupt.<br /><br />Right, so this type of shot is called a “Dutch Tilt”. Its traditional use is to give a sense of discomfort in the viewer and will often make an appearance in horror films. However modern directors often use it as a way to make a shot more visually interesting. The danger with this style of composition is that it often calls attention to the camera.<br /><br />In this instance it sets a sharp tonal contrast to the previous shot, thus losing that sense of setting and atmosphere so effectively built up.<br /><br />Maybe they’re trying to build a sense of unease? Foreshadow the danger of the events to follow. Even then I don’t think-<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipup5jmJvSubEF35bmWaU8Pem6FTzxodb8YP8c_WiRqAIa6ASDdw35OJthJBrJQjwaRV9WqP8c1aQw4y3XdYOSYmZQYkxavhBi4-iCB6Wr-7UdqPgRGx2mZlT7hPNIbrv1BNXBkaL7DqU/s1600/SK_Shot_3A.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipup5jmJvSubEF35bmWaU8Pem6FTzxodb8YP8c_WiRqAIa6ASDdw35OJthJBrJQjwaRV9WqP8c1aQw4y3XdYOSYmZQYkxavhBi4-iCB6Wr-7UdqPgRGx2mZlT7hPNIbrv1BNXBkaL7DqU/s320/SK_Shot_3A.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644935984158857986" border="0" /></a>SON OF A…! *Ahem.*<br /><br />This, again in sharp contrast to what’s come previously, is a flat shot with low energy. This means the lines of action, subject, and the set itself all face side to side in relation to the camera (think 16-Bit era Mortal Kombat). This kind of shot is traditionally used in slapstick comedy… which admittedly is appropriate, but doesn’t mesh cleanly with what it’s cutting from. This is a very boring shot with weak composition.<br /><br />And is that the sound of a motorbike?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONGlB5ZFxPEJUYvOCp5fIPPwG4kDHO2c2i-uQ9f88OGV78Mt91Ir8gwgJz7mXRnnzoGJzI7P9Xu7o0u1CDT9ziIVO1cAQ9DPo6pdhPi7ny1L-Vkao_URjyHfaj64j8dMsXOLpZJomcrU/s1600/SK_Shot_3B.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONGlB5ZFxPEJUYvOCp5fIPPwG4kDHO2c2i-uQ9f88OGV78Mt91Ir8gwgJz7mXRnnzoGJzI7P9Xu7o0u1CDT9ziIVO1cAQ9DPo6pdhPi7ny1L-Vkao_URjyHfaj64j8dMsXOLpZJomcrU/s320/SK_Shot_3B.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644936098307271506" border="0" /></a>…I’m sure a better sound effect could’ve been used for that.<br /><br />I should point out that there’s no reason at all why the car couldn’t have entered in the first shot after a good 10 second build up for atmosphere. Then the shift in tone actually would’ve felt intentional and may’ve even earned a laugh.<br /><br />Before we move on to the next shot, pay attention to the direction the car is facing.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysdHPwj3lmWd6STmMs8R-ImWRepb3K258fUYaDjmKT-GMdWn3GtlU66wrv59nSvs2giNmZ-rPrRgv5jLAAVg9X8jdFiT94ZXuzGZgsCq-FERl_veg08eWNwivkbj9dQ_zmpKZE8ws3Ck/s1600/SK_Shot_4.tiff"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysdHPwj3lmWd6STmMs8R-ImWRepb3K258fUYaDjmKT-GMdWn3GtlU66wrv59nSvs2giNmZ-rPrRgv5jLAAVg9X8jdFiT94ZXuzGZgsCq-FERl_veg08eWNwivkbj9dQ_zmpKZE8ws3Ck/s320/SK_Shot_4.tiff" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644936274546455074" border="0" /></a>As you’ve already noticed, the driver is facing in the opposite direction than his car is traveling.<br /><br />Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the bane of the home-brew filmmaker’s existence: The Axis. They just crossed it.<br /><br />The shot itself is nothing special, but it does at least adhere to the rule of thirds.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6Qfpm_GpZtaBi2YH6lIpv8C4cOHUCGlDpk_dECrj8oeB6UzGTTRWafEqGO5u4UkNC4tbyIoz9qwxEZvhuaW00POR4HrT-7889d12eW-6UGai1BlhKg4FnaoUF_YLipxQW8o_D8xx3qc/s1600/SK_Shot_4_3rds.tif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6Qfpm_GpZtaBi2YH6lIpv8C4cOHUCGlDpk_dECrj8oeB6UzGTTRWafEqGO5u4UkNC4tbyIoz9qwxEZvhuaW00POR4HrT-7889d12eW-6UGai1BlhKg4FnaoUF_YLipxQW8o_D8xx3qc/s320/SK_Shot_4_3rds.tif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644936416187841794" border="0" /></a>Our modern hippy friend picks up a hitchhiking Malachite and they carry on a conversation.<br /><br />Now, in shooting a conversation between two people there certainly is no requirement to have both subjects in the same shot for the entirety of the scene. That said, having both physically appear together at some point in the scene gives a sense of the relation between the two characters and helps to better sell the idea that they’re actually in the same room together. Or car.<br /><br />As you can probably guess from the lead up, there is no such shot.<br /><br />But enough of the play by play minutia or we’ll be here all week.<br /><br />BLAST FROM THE PAST AND OTHER OUTDATED POP CULTURE REFERENCES<br />One of the central plot elements is the disappearance of D&D gamer Chuck Jaffers in 1981. This time period plays a huge role in not only many of the gags but the backstory of most characters.<br /><br />Given the central motif of Dungeons & Dragons in the movie, close association with this time period makes a lot of sense. It was the early 80’s in which the negative press was reaching its zenith, spurred further on by the publication of Mazes and Monsters. Given contemporary views on the subject, there’s a lot of comedy potential here. Not to mention the thematic parallels with the persecution of geekdom against the story being told.<br /><br />I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to the Walker brothers and assume all that was on their mind when they worked this date into the story.<br /><br />Where they dropped the ball is in actually establishing this period and following through with unstated implications. In the selected examples below I’m going roughly in order of most minor to most major rather than their chronological appearance in the film.<br /><br />- In Part Six it’s revealed that the gauntlet everyone’s searching for was replaced with a NES Power Glove by Jaffer. The NES was released stateside in 1985. The Power Glove wasn’t introduced until 1989. Jaffer was imprisoned Myst-style(1) since the early 1980s so how could he get a hold of a peripheral device that wouldn’t be released for eight years? One could excuse this as creative license, though.<br /><br />- An old photo of villain Malachite is non-glossy with horizontal faded strips, indicating that this particular ‘30 year old’ photo had actually been printed off a color printer with minor ink issues. A dusty polaroid would’ve been perfect in this case.<br /><br />- The mystical book of magic, presumably untouched for 30 years, not only has collected no dust it looks like it was purchased yesterday. Sigh… All they would’ve needed to give this an aged look is Earl Gray tea and a sponge.<br /><br />- In Part One, the Nostalgia Critic shows a pre-recorded News Report covering Chuck Jaffer’s disappearance. Though supposed to be from the early 1980s, many people thought this was supposed to be a modern news report. Why?<br /><ul><li>The News Logo Graphics feel digital instead of analogue.</li><li>The image quality is indistinguishable from the rest of the movie.</li><li>There’s a lack of period specific references beyond 'Mazes and Monsters'.</li><li>The music is classical rather than something period-authentic such as synth.</li></ul>You can’t always blame the audience for not ‘getting it’.<br /><br />- Jaffer set up this convoluted protection system 30 years ago, and got his friends to be the guardians of it. Yet only two of the six of them look like they're not in their mid-20s. Um… math’s not adding up here, guys. And again, there’s a real untapped comedy well of having Jaffer face his friends who’ve grown old while he’s stayed young.<br /><br />There are many more examples I made note of while watching the seven parts, and likely far more that I missed. Honestly though, most all of these complaints are issues relating to limited production knowledge and experience.<br /><br />There are far bigger underlying flaw in this film than continuity issues or popcorn logic.<br /><br />IF YOU WANT TO DESTROY YOUR SWEATE- UH, FILM<br />Our band of heroes encounter three sword-carrying cloaked figures. Fully believing the whole quest to be little more than an elaborate Live Action Role Play-style game, the leader confidently approaches them and “casts a spell” by throwing bird seed at the center figure in accordance to the rules of LARP. The figure then forms a glowing ball of blue power in his hands and our heroes run away in terror.<br /><br />This scene actually is one of the high points of the film. The group’s leader, Spoony, is acting within his established character as an RPG player. It’s actually quite funny to see a character approaching a situation as an expert only for the reality to slowly dawn how completely out of his depth he is (and by extension the group). More than that, it effectively establishes the cloaked figures as being genuine threats.<br /><br />So, how to they follow this up?<br /><br />Do they break their adopted roles and have a moment of questioning the quest before accepting the call to action (a story beat which is actually in line with Joseph Campbell’s model of mythic storytelling)?<br /><br />No, they stop at the nearest fucking park playground and start a Year One Brawl-style fight with the three highly powerful sorcerers.<br /><br />There is no point at which the characters make that critical decision to stand for what they believe in and fight. They just go from running for dear life to clashing swords on swing sets. No overcoming fear. No character growth.<br /><br />Movies live and die on the strength of their characters and the choices they make under duress. Neither Night of the Living Dead or The Thing would have the lasting power they do without understanding this. Nor would Aliens, Star Wars, Dr. Strangelove or National Lampoon’s Vacation.<br /><br />Here, that opportunity for choice is stolen.<br /><br />Worse, the cloak figures’ threat is undermined by having Spoony’s crew able to hold their own in their first conflict. There’s not so much as a wooden sword being sliced in half when faced with the steel of a real blade.<br /><br />By characterizing these antagonists as being unable to dispatch a group of internet reviewers playing dress up it trivializes their eventual defeat at the hands of Malachite (spoiler). That story beat, supposed to reinforce the threat of the main villain, instead feels like a lazy, ham-fisted way of disposing of now superfluous characters.<br /><br />And ultimately by making the villains a joke it makes the heroes’ victory feel empty and unearned. The entire movie becomes little more than an exercise in playing dress up.<br /><br />FINAL FANTASY – BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER<br />Suburban Knights falters at some of the most basic levels of storytelling and character development. The film is largely sloppy in it’s editing, camerawork and writing. Running gags are extended beyond the point of being effective and the Brawl-style fight scenes are a narrative mess with too many characters and not enough choreography.<br /><br />The most frustrating thing about this movie is how much potential it had.<br /><br />No, really!<br /><br />The core elements of a decent story are there, even if those elements are ineptly handled. It really would’ve taken very little to turn this into something genuinely entertaining.<br /><br />I also have grudging respect for their production turn around. If it’s anything like Kickassia, and I think it’s fair to assume it is, they were able to shoot a feature length movie averaging 20-30 minutes a day. To compare, a low-budget film or television production might shoot 7 minutes in a day. At a stretch, 10 minutes. And on top of 12+ hour shooting days, the cast shot crossovers in their hotel rooms every day.<br /><br />Further, I actually question the rumors of the film’s $50,000 budget. Doing a very rough budget breakdown, I came to a figure in the range of $20,000 to cover travel, hotel rooms, food, costumes, and props over a five day period for 30 people. Yes it adds up quickly but even then it could’ve been done for less.<br /><br />But do production limitations excuse bad filmmaking? Hell no!<br /><br />Do pop culture references replace the need for solid writing and character development? Not on your life!<br /><br />And does being ignorant of basic film theory excuse not knowing how to make a film? Um… Probably, now that you mention it…<br /><br />That’s it for this time, fellow street urchins! Until the next breakdown, I’m your friendly neighborhood Anti-Critic.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(1) Myst had characters imprisoned in books. But you already knew that, didn’t you.</span>Trenchcoat Anti-Critichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18363061824887763405noreply@blogger.com0