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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

***Armed Conflict - Official Release Thread***

Discussion in 'Fan Films, Fan Audio & SciFi 3D' started by ccfilms, Sep 30, 2004.

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  1. ccfilms

    ccfilms Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 24, 2004
    It's done.

    This film was entered into the 2004 Videomaker Magazine Short Film Contest
    This small fact is only mentioned to excuse the short length of the movie.







    DVD Quality DivX (77MB) - Right Click and Press "Save Target As"
    VHS Quality DivX (14MB) - Right Click and Press "Save Target As"

    VHS Quality Quicktime (17.1MB) - Click To Veiw
    Thumbnail Quality Quicktime for Dialup (3.4MB) - Click to Veiw







    Information about the film, the script (readable), the music (downloadable), as well as the complete list of credits are all available at this website: http://www.ccfilms.com/movies/2004/armedconflict/

    You can also find more download information at that website as well.










    NOTES: This upcoming sunday (Oct. 3rd, 2004), I will be uploading new versions of the DivX videos that feature fixes to the following mistakes (the Quicktime versions, due to thier small file size, already feature these fixes):

    1.) At the front porch, Hunter's face is too dark to be seen. I brightened the scene.

    2.)The dialog line: "Where did the gunfire come from" has been replaced with a piece of dialog much easier to hear.

    Those fixes ARE available for the Quicktime versions, but not the DivX. The DivX versions will feature those two fixes on Sunday. However, the content of the film is hardly changed AT ALL, so it doesn't really matter much.

    Anyways, ENJOY!

    Gimmee feedback (good or bad). :D
     
  2. Padawan_John

    Padawan_John Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 10, 2002
    My opinion is this: It doesn't suck

    You worked within the boundaries set up by the contest, and this is what you ended up with. heck, you finished. That's 10000 bonus points right there.

    :D










































    EDIT: Where's my $20? Vaportrail paid me $20 to say nice things about his film. :p
     
  3. 1337mik3

    1337mik3 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 17, 2004
    I liked it, nice quality, story line was alright, and from what i could tell well planed out, nice job, hope to see more.
     
  4. rogue_09

    rogue_09 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 2, 2003
    Dling, will give opinions when watched.

    What were the requirements of the contest, out of curiosity?
     
  5. Ephisus

    Ephisus Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2003
    Hmm

    The soundtrack, as discussed, is pretty good.

    **SPOILERS**

    The cinematography is probably the strongest point... though it lets up a bit when they are in the house, but other than that, it's solid. There's a lot of interesting camera work in the graveyard and the woods scenes. And that second knife throw is pretty well done.

    The real weak element is the storyline... We're given a LOT of useless information, like the death of the guy's father and whatnot, and it really doesn't contribute to the point of the film, or the overall progression. A lot of dead weight there.

    Also, I don't buy the guy killing the assassin while he's cuffed, and I also don't buy the guy laying down his rifle while he's 150 feet away to run away from a man with a knife.

    I wouldn't mind seeing a more fleshed out version of the storyline to see if it deals more effectively with this stuff.
     
  6. ccfilms

    ccfilms Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 24, 2004
    The contest only allowed the film to be 5 minutes MAX. I had about 4 minutes more of story to add. It really would've been good if I could've made it in it's full version.

    It's getting late (12AM), so, I'll tell you about that extra 4 mins tommorrow.
     
  7. Sith-Lord_James

    Sith-Lord_James Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 7, 2003
    I agree with Ephisus. Someone working for the government wouldn't throw a knife into a cuffed guy's back. And the whole bit with the guy dropping his rifle from that far away.

    Other than that, it wasn't that bad.
     
  8. Darth_Brad03

    Darth_Brad03 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 2003
    I enjoyed this for the most part...the audio quality was nice and you can't beat having an original soundtrack. The cinematography was very well done for the majority of the film. I also liked all the creative transitions.

    FX wise it got the job done. The bullet shot and knife throw were convincing and all the accompanying foley was well done.

    Likewise, my biggest beef was with the storyline as well. That had the potential for an hour long film with all the setup and background story. This competition really limited you...and it is a major shame. I don't like seeing all the potential in this be held down because you wrote too much. Oh well, maybe you can go back to it someday.

    The death of the sniper was way too dramatic for this piece. If we had been watching for an hour and had any emotional bond to the characters it would have been fine...but for being 4 minutes into it, the slow-mo and all seemed way too over the top.

    Nevertheless, it is great to see such high quality in a film and congrats on finishing.

    Note: When you repost the new versions, don't start a new thread.

    [face_tired]
     
  9. ironhide

    ironhide Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 11, 2004
    Blimey!!!!!

    I just assumed you had started another thread with nothing in it. What a nice surprise.

    I will go watch i now.

    I agree with the post above, don't start another new thread when you post the other versions.
     
  10. ccfilms

    ccfilms Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 24, 2004
    I copied this from an email that I sent to a buddy of mine last week

    We really had to rush it ALOT. I actually had like 4 minutes more written into the script, but it had to be removed (we were under a STRICT limit of 5 minutes....VERY STRICT). If we had done it the way I had written it would've been better.

    Just to name (if I can) the parts that I had to remove:

    1.) I had the opening sequence be a very dramatic dialog with Alan Kovach and his son to establish the characters in the sequence. It was very nicely done (the ideas that I had) and woul've been a GREAT opening to the film. It really provided a GREAT backstory. However, it would've run for about 1:30 of video footage and had to be removed from the script.

    2.) I was going to add a few establishing shots for the sniper as well with the camera moving through the woods, but time wouldn't allow it.

    3.) When Hunter and Sokolov get out of the truck, I was gonna do some really nice pans and stuff, but those had to be cut out.

    4.) There was a little more to the "woods" sequence that would've provided more suspence, however, those parts had to taken out.

    5.) The ending had a scene were Sokolov, who would be seeing if the dead boy was alright, would rush to the scene and throw the dead sniper into the truck and drive away... Hunter would then call Chief to send in some backup because brent would be left home alone and could be in danger

    If we were allowed to add all that, I can tell you, it wouldn've been less confusing and much better....would've rocked.

    But because of our time limitations, I think i turned out nice for or limit.

    ---------------------------------------

    I won't make a new thread when i do the updates. That's retarded...no point. It's the same movie, just some minor changes...but yah, thanks for the tip. :)

    Thanks for the review's guys...any more?
     
  11. The_Battle_For_Endor

    The_Battle_For_Endor Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 18, 2004
    One on the way....even though I shouldn't, all you do is post pointless things in my threads.

    But I'm not a bitter person so I'll review it honestly.
     
  12. The_Battle_For_Endor

    The_Battle_For_Endor Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 18, 2004
    Cinematography = Awesome.

    Storyline = Alright.

    Titles = Freaking Amazing.

    Slow death scene = Not needed.

    Film's Length = Way too short.

    Thats my two pence.
     
  13. JohnMoore

    JohnMoore Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 5, 2004
    Haha, Funk is nowhere to be seen.

    :D
     
  14. Funk-E

    Funk-E Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 11, 2003
    He's been writing a review for the past hour or so, but keeps being interrupted with Chinese food. I'll have it up in a little while.
     
  15. The_Battle_For_Endor

    The_Battle_For_Endor Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 18, 2004
    yeah your right, knew there was something wierd about this thread...
     
  16. Ephisus

    Ephisus Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2003
    Funk is hands down the funniest liberal I don't know.
     
  17. Funk-E

    Funk-E Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 11, 2003
    My impressions, as they come:

    I still think you should knock 'Christian' out of your production company. Your logo is a damn cross. WE GET IT. Besides, it puts undue pressure on the film that follows to be overtly Christian.

    God damnit, you didn't get rid of the twirl. Why didn't you just cut to the next shot?

    ...I think you may have gone a little overboard on the color-correction in the cemetary. The grass is hurting my eyes.

    Pretty good phone monologue. Acting seems a little stiff on the main character's (I'm assuming he's the main character)part.

    SWEET transition. Fits very well, though it'd be nice to see a car or two go by beforehand to tell us what's going on. Also, it's 'repairman', not 'representative'.

    Did you use a bounce card at ~2:12? If so, ease up next time. If not, I think you went a little overboard in the whole sharpening bit.

    Another decent transition at 2:28, though I wonder about having the shot in the first place.

    3:00: Lamest. Run. Ever.

    Another nice transition at 3:08 or so, though again, I wonder if it should even be there. Also, the acting there is, well, bad.

    Okay. Okay. Okay. 3:37. WHY IN THE HELL DID THE SNIPER DROP HIS RIFLE? Even if it was a single-shot bolt-action rifle, he would have had enough time to reload and shoot. Also, why was he standing up?

    There's something about a man running in a ghille suit that makes me laugh. Makes me think of Swamp Thing.

    Something about the sound of the thrown knife doesn't agree with me. Needs to be deeper in the mix, I think.

    Okay. Slow motion for some reason. Also, he was let go remarkably easily. Here's a directorial tip: If somebody needs to break free of somebody's grasp, or if somebody's trying to grab onto someone that doesn't want to be grabbed on to, MAKE THE ACTORS DO IT. Otherwise, unless you've got highly skilled physical actors, it's going to look fake, like it does here.

    Decent thrown knife effect, though I question why it was even there. The man has just been stabbed in the leg and his arms are bound. Why kill him when you can stroll up to him at a brisk walk and push him over?

    There isn't really any resolution to what story there was, either.

    Also, you get my new TEH GENERIC TITLE award.

    Anyway, there's potential here, but this could use some serious tweaking.
     
  18. ccfilms

    ccfilms Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 24, 2004
    "bounce card"?

    I put the gun down cuz my stinking prissy neighbor wouldn't let me run off with his gun in my hands....he DEMANDED that i put it down....or else the movie wasn't gonna be made... I didn't have a stink 50 bucks to pay for a gun and I didn't have time to shoot anothr day with anotehr gun. So i had to put it down.

    When I ran off and he didn't struggle to get hold of me...that was cuz his mom was screaming down our backs to FINISH THE FREAKING MOVIE IN THE NEXT 2 MINS OR HE'S NEVER MAKING ANOTHER MOVIE AGAIN... so we had to rush that part when I ran off as he was walking me out of the woods.


     
  19. Funk-E

    Funk-E Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 11, 2003
    No excuse there.

    And I guess it wasn't a bounce card.
     
  20. Vigilante74

    Vigilante74 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 13, 2004
    Here's my two cents as I see it..

    I agree with Funk that the "Christian" in your company's name should be dropped. This isn't related to the film itself, more of a personal opinion of mine.

    The twirl: Adds nothing. Its confusing. And its discomforting. It doesn't fit the scene at all. I think we mentioned this long ago when you first posted some of the first shots for critique. If you would have had someone in the woods and wanted to give a sense of misdirection, then the spinning could work. But you cut from the twirl right to a sniper. What is the first thing you think of when you think of a sniper? Hunter. He's a hunter - he doesn't get lost - and if he does, no one knows.

    The sniper: The setup for the sniper is pretty good. Good angle. The sniper is _way_ too "jittery" with the rifle. That rifle should be rock steady. The camera is also very unsteady. Consider using something to stabilize it next time - tripod, a large schoolbag, pillows, etc. - or something you can find to keep it steady while still giving you the shot while you keeping the camera at the elevation you want. I like the crosshairs. I think the last shot of the sniper holds on him too long before you fade to black / transition to the cemetery.

    The cemetery: I _really_ like the transition into the cemetery. The fade to black from the sniper to the movement through the leaves is nice. One of the better transitions I've seen in a while (and I'm not talking fanfilms either). Really good work there. The color correction you did with the cemetery nearly hurts my eyes. It looks like you were going for a stylized look with it, but went a tad bit too far. Next time just tone it down a bit.

    At about 00:53, when the cell phone rings, you violate the 180degree rule. Several times, in fact. You do it many times throughout the cemetery scene. In the cut before it, the actor is facing left to right. When the phone rings, you cut to a shot where you're on his left side now, and he's facing right to left. As he puts the phone to his ear, you cut back to the shot of him facing left to right. And then back right to left. It's disorienting. I like the quality of the dialogue - it sounds well done. See how much improvement you can get out of a decent, inexpensive microphone?

    The transition at about 1:58 is nice. Again, great use of the car to assist in the transition from the long shot to the medium shot at the front door. The audio takes a dump at the front door though. You should have had that microphone a lot closer - it sounds as if you went back to the camera microphone instead of using the AT. If you were using the AT, did you have someone manning the boom? If someone was on the boom, give them a swift shoe in the nuts for me. That mic should have been switching angles back and forth from your two characters. Otherwise, some rerecording in post would have done the quick. ADR is your friend. The wind chimes were a nice touch though.. Was that added in or did they just happen to be closer to the microphone than the actors were?

    The shot at about 2:26 is pointless. Who is this guy? How does he play into the rest of the story? We never see him again. Just some guy humping cable. The involvement of this shot in the transition indoors didn't work for me. I would not have used the other cable guy at all - unless we were to see him later on doing something, say, hooking up some line taps or something outside. Otherwise it shouldn't have made it in. That is what I would have done if I had wanted to keep that guy in the story. I also would have had Hunter turn around and nonchalantly nod to the guy as if to signal him that "we're in" or "go!" Also, you violated the 180 again at the front door.. I'll let you spot it. You could have also improved the lighting when shoot out of the front door at Hunter. He's too dark. A little bit of bounced light would have helped.

    When he's working on the TV at about 2:48, its rather boring. Seeing him do (so
     
  21. Funk-E

    Funk-E Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 11, 2003
    about as funny as Funk-E in a tu-tu.

    You really have no idea how sad this would be.

    Really.

    Also, for the running cuffed man, keep in mind that the guy was recently stabbed in the damn leg. Really, why kill him? That's just brutality for the sake of brutality and not needed at all. If you had somehow alluded to the fact that Hunter works 'beyond the law' or is your standard loose cannon type, that'd be fine, but in your film, he's your standard calm, collected, 16-year-old Government agent.
     
  22. ccfilms

    ccfilms Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 24, 2004
    Vigilante! Thank God You Exist!

    That was a GREAT REVIEW!!! DUDE!! Thanks! I loved it! I agree with EVERYTHING you said.

    Alot of that stuff really couldn't have been fixed cuz it was kinda too late (we not only had a time limit, but a very extreme deadline and only one day to shoot the scenes with "Hunter").

    ----------------------

    That fade to black before the cemetary actually WAS NOT a fade to black it at all. It was a "fade to tree leaf" I shot that part where it flies into the graveyard and I hade the camera fly into a leaf on the tree and then come down. Then, with a crossfade it looks like a fade to black/transition. :D That's one of my favorite shots.

    The sniper shots were done with a tripod as a stabilizer, however, because I was the one in FRONT of the camera, I had no control over the "steadiness" of the shot. Seriously. That one part too 4 hours of non-stop "re-takes" just to get it "as good as" it was. My camera man just COULD NOT keep his hands steady. If I was camera man on that shoot...... I really honestly think id've been better...oh well.

    Sorry about the disorrienting camera work in the graveyard. I never knew there was a 180 degree rule. :( Sorry. I will keep that in mind in my next film. 30-180 for every cut. :D I owe you Vig.

    About the front door, The audio was done with the AT897, but because our crew was only a 4 man crew (I'm dead serious) and three of the crew were ON CAMERA, I had to control the mic and camera..... and it was my first film that I've ever used a mic in, so i wasn't very used to it. It just came in the mail the DAY BEFORE we shot the scenes.

    Oh, the Wind Chimes, WERE in fact, added in post. :D I'm glad you noticed. I thought it added a nice sense of scope (sounds even cooler in 5.1 Surround on the DVD)

    That guy, the extra cable guy....I actually TOTALLY had a few scenes planned for him....but they didn't work out. :( And I didn't think of remvoing him from the film while editing. Hunter does give a reference to him at the end by saying "Hey Sokolov, can you give me a hand over there".

    I thought about alot of ways to do that scene when Hunter is behind the TV......AFTER I SHOT THE FILM!!!! :( Many of those things were what oyu mentioned... I really need to spnd more time in pre-production with my next film... but that wasn't an option with this one considering the deadline.

    Actually, I just considered that "other story" where the kid shot the other kid.......YESTERDAY!! NO LIE! I was sitting here and it hit me "DUDE!!! Why Didn't you make the kid shoot his buddy!!! That'd been such a cool plot!!!" Oh well. :(




    -----------



    Honestly, I'm not expecting an Academy Award. lol I know that. Ever film I make, i veiw as a learning experience and a progressive work in terms of it being better than the last. Thanks for that. :)



    Funk told me NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT to put his name in the credits or else he'd kill me (ok, not that bad...but he was pretty angry when i told him that I was gonna put his name in them...and specfically said NOT TO!). And I remember you, Vig, saying that you don't want your name in the credits unless Funk's name is in them....so that's why your not mentioned either....but both of your are VERY MUCH THANKED for this movie. :D Just not listed....but very much thanked. :D

    Thanks Vig. :D






    EDIT: Hunter is actually only a 15 year old government agent. :D We got some scripts in the works though that are gonna be much more realistic. :p
     
  23. JohnMoore

    JohnMoore Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 5, 2004
    I think that the fact that it was only 5 minutes was what saved this films story a little bit. Anyway, I was really impressed with it.
     
  24. durbnpoisn

    durbnpoisn TFN Staff Cast & Crew Database star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    May 20, 2002
    Wow, man, that's some heavy critiqueing there.

    I guess there isn't much left to say...

    I thought I was missing something, so I watched the end a 2nd time. I still didn't get it. I guessed there was some subliminal point of retribution, or something. But, judging from what I read here, everyone else was just as lost. I think I got it. But, it really was very empty, storywise.

    I'll say this much. I watched 2 short films today. I liked this one best. Mostly because of the superclean camera work. I mean, wow, dude. You've got a good eye for compositing your shots. With some more practice to get youre consistency tighter, you've got a real talent there.

    And I'll leave it at that. I look forward to seeing more work from you!
     
  25. The_Doctor1

    The_Doctor1 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2004
    Ya, not much left to say in the way of details ..

    I'll just give my general impression: Very good beginning, great cinematography. Bad ending, had really no idea what was going on. You do have lots of talent, please keep up the good work!
     
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