Ladies and Gentlemen ... here is my entry for Round 2.

Sometimes They Come Loose (http://www.creativenamefilmgroup.com/films/mp4/sometimessmall.mp4 )

http://www.indietalk.com/images/homepagepicks/homepagepick.gif

http://www.geocities.com/nicklauslouis/STCLposterfinal.JPG

It's about a man who awakes on the floor of a suburban kitchen groggy and disoriented. Who is he? How did he get there? And what is that he found?

I'd like to pass out a few thanks to my cast and crew.

Thanks to ...

Andy McGee (Goat) for his determination, persistence and good humor.

Ryan C. Crawford for some truly interesting images.

Gabe Chance (sourmonkey) for wonderful music and sound design.

Jeremiah Walker (Flux) for getting our website up and running.

Ryan E. Ferguson for pitching in whenever necessary, no matter how demeaning.

Kelly Louis for putting up with six big smelly guys trashing her apartment.


We've had a lot of fun doing this and I'd like to thank Zensteve for taking the ball on this comp. and running with it (thanks goes to riz as well for the original idea). Also, thanks to Indie for giving us this board and allowing us to have this competition.

Hope everyone enjoys it!

Poke

HOLY CRAP!!! GREAT Job you guys!!! That...was...awesome. I love the orange lighting, the shots, and the whole thing.

Shoot, all I need is a viewer that handles mp4 format...

HOLY CRAP!!! GREAT Job you guys!!! That...was...awesome. I love the orange lighting, the shots, and the whole thing.

Thanks Logan. I'll go into the whole orange thing later after more people have had a chance to view it.

Shoot, all I need is a viewer that handles mp4 format...

The latest free version of Quicktime should support it. I can view it on my home PC with the free QT.

Poke

Hmm.. I can't open it.. getting a "Cannot Find Server" error.. :(

Hmm.. I can't open it.. getting a "Cannot Find Server" error.. :(

We'll get on it ...

Poke

Hmm.. I can't open it.. getting a "Cannot Find Server" error.. :(

Okay. The server is not down, so there are a few possibilities here as to why the film is not loading for you. If you have broadband it should load in 5 minutes or less. Dial Up of course will take longert to download. When you get the Can Not Find Server message try refreshing the page or right clicking and "save target as".

Shoot, all I need is a viewer that handles mp4 format...

I'm told that Quicktime and Reel Player will play mp4 format.

Poke

.I'm told that Quicktime and Reel Player will play mp4 format. Poke
Yes, downloading the latest QuickTime Player did the trick. Thanks, Poke.

Yes, downloading the latest QuickTime Player did the trick. Thanks, Poke.

Sweetness!

Poke

Very strange.. for some reason I have no route to that host..

looked up the IP address, and can't even get a ping reply. Will try later I guess


---

PING creativenamefilmgroup.com (205.209.169.160) from 24.118.29.0 : 56(84) bytes of data.

^C

--- creativenamefilmgroup.com ping statistics ---
52 packets transmitted, 0 received, 100% loss, time 51017ms

I'm gonna differ that ping thing to Flux. He's more technically advanced than me (I still don't know how to speak fluent computian or internetish).

Poke

Zen has graciously provided us with a back up (http://www.zenweasel.com/ifilm/sometimessmall.mp4) for those who can't or don't want to ping us.

Thanks Zen!!!

Poke

I had to use QT too, but no problem, just not true fullscreen :(

I didnt like seeing the puke..thats my only problem with it. Other wise great flick, waiting to see the others.

I didnt like seeing the puke...

This coming from the same guy who loooooved Team America. :hmm: I saw the puke scene from that one, and ours is tame in comparison. :weird:

Interesting fact, there was one point when Goat actually threw up ... se if you can spot it kiddies.

Poke

that was pretty cool Poke. reminded me a bit of the movie "thx 1138"

http://www.physics.hku.hk/~tboyce/sf/films/114.jpg

I really like the work, good job!

Hope you'll like my job to... ;)

Mr Florian

This was a very interesting film. Very interesting indeed.

The lighting in the kitchen gave it a very early 70's look... which was a bit weird, as the kitchen was much more modern than that. Actually, for some reason it reminded me of lava lamps in particular. I'm not sure why. Regardless, it created an unusual offset against the kitchen. It looked really good.

The attention to sound in this is remarkable. The sinks, the dripping of taps, flushings, hums of appliances, the whatever-the-heck on the vocals... Who did all that?

I know SourMonkey did the music... that was also great. A lot of it sounded like those champagne-glass orchestras... the running of the fingers around the tops of the glasses. I think the sound matched the lighting for sure, to give that certain time-period feel without specifying it.

I'm going to have to watch this again in the morn, before saying more. I *think* I may have discovered the significance of the orange light... but I'd better rec-check my theory when not so late.

Poke, good job getting another one in for the competition. :clap:

The film was very strange kind of Sci-Fi. It did have that other worldly feel to it with the lighting/men in suits.
The film also would seem to just go in a big circle each time you watched it no closure or partical closure. All in all not a bad entry. The vomit did get alittle graphic. :P

reminded me a bit of the movie "thx 1138"

THX 1138 is definitely an inspiration for this one. Originally, I wanted to go with the same look (all white, all dystopian) but it wasn't economically feasible and I ended coming up with a better idea.

Hope you'll like my job to... ;)

I did very much. Sorry if I didn't mention it in the Invisible Man thread. I'll make a note to do that.

The lighting in the kitchen gave it a very early 70's look... which was a bit weird, as the kitchen was much more modern than that. Actually, for some reason it reminded me of lava lamps in particular. I'm not sure why. Regardless, it created an unusual offset against the kitchen. It looked really good.

The idea of the orange glow effect came from two places: 1) I wanted an otherworldy/unnerving feel to it, and 2) I wanted to give it a color you don't often relate to these types of movies. The story behind it is this -- in the original script everything was supposed to be overblown white (to pay homage to THX 1138 as I said before, although before writing I had already given up on the idea of minimal surroundings like white walls), but one day, when I was scheduled to meet with DP Ryan Crawford, I came across an old Pkg I did (for news) where I had to rely on someone else's video, someone else who shot everything in this really overblown orange. When I met with Ryan that night I showed him the old footage and we set out to give the short it's distinct feel.

Something else I should mention ... when Goat got into the edit bay, the color did not pop as much as I wanted it to, so he actually gave it that unearthly glow.

The attention to sound in this is remarkable. The sinks, the dripping of taps, flushings, hums of appliances, the whatever-the-heck on the vocals... Who did all that?

That is a mixture of sourmonkey and Goat (although sourmonkey has full design credit). sourmonkey recorded most of the sound (some of it - including water bottle hitting the floor, puking, guys bursting through door) were recorded on the camera's nat mic and it sounded so good we left it in. Goat ended up having to sync some of the sound (water drip, fridge hum) because we had problems here at our end (me and monkey).

The surveillance voices were done by sourmonkey. I told him I wanted slightly human but distorted/sorta robot voices. He made me sound more awesome than I ever thought possible.

I know SourMonkey did the music... that was also great. A lot of it sounded like those champagne-glass orchestras... the running of the fingers around the tops of the glasses. I think the sound matched the lighting for sure, to give that certain time-period feel without specifying it.

Yes, he always comes through on the music. I give the dude an idea and he usually just runs with it. I talked to him a few days before the shoot, and on the day of the shoot he hands me a CD full of ambient tracks he did up for the short. The main track was one of a few he gave me to choose from. I chose it over the others specificly for the sound you mentioned Zen. It just went.

Personally, my favorite is the end credits music - it's so creepy.

The film also would seem to just go in a big circle each time you watched it no closure or partical closure.

Yeah, I've even thought about stretching it out into a feature someday where this happens over and over again but with different outcomes each time.

The vomit did get alittle graphic. :P

That was intentional. The word I kept repeating to my crew was "unnerving". That's why some of the shots are unnatural, some of the sound seems overly noticable, and some of the cuts seem jumpy. Seeing a guy vomit so violently is unnerving.

Poke

Yes, Unnerving was the word... It's like.. why is he puking? Was it something he ate? Did he have a party the night before? NO! it was something else...

Good use of the prop and the line.

I liked the mysterious look and feel of this short. I think the soundtrack had a lot to do with the mood too... Top notch job...

I liked the mysterious look and feel of this short. I think the soundtrack had a lot to do with the mood too... Top notch job...

That's why I enjoy my relationship with both sourmonkey and Goat. They both did monster jobs in making this short what it is. And I can't leave out Ryan Crawford. It was his first project working with us, but he was an excellent addition.

Thanks for the compliments.

Poke

Okies... I read up on some of the spilled beans...

Here is what I was thinking, so tell me if I am really off-base and reading more into this than i thought I was.

I was pretty convinced that water was a metaphor for consumerism. :blush:

Water from the tap, water from the overturned glass, water in the loo, water flushing the sink out, water slowly spreading over the floor... water being the bevarage consumed from the bottle.

There was so much water, that I was thinking that the whole "chip" incident was somehow tied into the old paranoid phrase, "There's something in the water".

I'll not follow up on the rest of the train of thought I had. Sometimes some of my theories make even Art Bell skeptical. But I need to know... did the constant view of water stand for anything?

Good job! Got my vote. Favorite shots were at the start; the half-eaten sandwich and the water pool accumulating around the character passed-out on the floor.

The lighting was great in the kitchen. Did you use a filter? Post-production effect?

Great Job!!!

This short was just plain disturbing, eerie, gross, and captivating.

The vomiting was yucky, but I couldn't turn away (was that some sort of movie voodoo mind trick?) I was going to ask you how you got such realistic vomiting, but you answered that question. Although I hate the site of people vomiting I always groan when I see an actor spit out a mouthful of some lumpy goo, cough a couple of times, and then spit. Nor did you go the other way and use the hidden fire hose of brownish liqued i.e. "but its only wafer thin!!" I must say that was some dedication on the part of your actor. Or perhaps the lumpy goo you were using was FOWL tasting.:lol:

I loved the orange color. Not only did it add to the mood but it was also like I was looking through someone (something??) elses eyes. It gave the whole piece an otherwordly feel.

Great work.

Water and Consumerism -- Let's look at it like this, I want the viewer to take from this short what they will. Ryan Ferguson made a joke on set that the chip the man finds is Marcellus Wallace's soul, but that's not far from the truth. I won't say my reasoning for the constant use of liquid (the substance on the counter and floor was actually milk and not water), I will let all of you draw your own conclusions.

Realistic Vomit -- The first round of vomiting is simply tomato soup with bits of corn, the second roudn is tomato soup, corn, and lot's of blue food coloring. I chose tomato soup for the color, and someone on set put in the corn (I was initially aganist it, but it was a better decision). The reason why Goat ended up actually regurgitating a donut was because he gets so into his actions. If you just listened to the audio of his multiple takes you'd think that someone was dying in there. He just pretended to heave so many times that once he actully did heave.

Poke

The lighting was great in the kitchen. Did you use a filter? Post-production effect?

Sorry I didn't see this before. We lit for orange, messed wiht the settings in the camera and used a filter in the bathroom, but after all that I still didn't think it was orange enough. Goat came up with the glow effect and that really makes the film for me.

And for those that pay attention to detail, check out the last scene (the kitchen scene redo) and tell me what you see ...

Poke

Mr Goat...

What is your acting history, btw?

check out the last scene (the kitchen scene redo) and tell me what you see ...

Looking hard... best I can tell is the different lighting on the sink tap closeup...

Quite good. I loved the composition, the sound effects, the editing, the pacing, etc... Sorry if I missed the answer earlier, but what was this filmed with, and what compression did you use? Looks very sharp.

Filmed with the Panasonic DVX 100. Compressed --- ??? That would be a question for Goat. I let him answer it.

Looking hard... best I can tell is the different lighting on the sink tap closeup...

That's close, when watching it keep an eye on the walls.

Poke

The orange light slowly fading?

Final answer?

Poke

I will not be the weakest link, no sir!

The glow effect wears off as the last scene rolls on. This has a signifigance ... ponder on it.

Poke

The batteries died in the orange lamp you were using?

(I mentioned the light fading, neener-neener)

Mr Goat...

What is your acting history, btw?

Acting history?...uhhhh....I guess making faces in the mirror.

I've acted in a few student films and the films Poke and I have done. That's about it.

I have kind of a love/hate relationship with acting. I like acting during the moment, but when I watch it back, I'm overly critical about my acting and I can't stand to sit with people while they watch the film. I also don't like to be infront of large crowds, so I've never tried theater or anything like that.

and what compression did you use?

I imported to Avid Composer at 1:1.

I've never tried theater or anything like that.

You did that thing with Paul Reubens a few years back.

Poke

You did that thing with Paul Reubens a few years back.

Yeah, but that was more of a one-on-one gig.

I freakin' loved it. Great set up with the opening shots.

oh my god, this film rocked. Just freakin brilliant. I freakin loved it, i cant stop saying the word freakin in context with this movie. Best freakin short ever.

Best freakin short ever.

Freakin thanks, man! That's the best freakin complement I ever freakin got!

Freakin Poke

Wow, lefteye and slacker both freakin' loved it! Freakin' Awesome!

Yes. You should be very (what's the word I'm looking for? It starts with an F and ends with a '... Damn, I'm 19 and senile) Proud of that. LOL. Man, this thread will teach me to watch my expletives in my future posts... you guys are relentless.

Luke

Well, I fucking loved it. How you like them apples?

Fucking Apples!!!! Fuck!!!

Poke

Fucking Apples!!!! Fuck!!!

Ok...I think you as a moderator should be leading by example......


fucker.

So everyone ... follow my example and get yourself a dumbass for a friend.

Poke

I noticed something, the fridge is shot being open when he is lying on the floor, yet when he goes to get the bottle of water...he opens the fridge.

Besides that I thought it was great, not my type of film, I like it better when you don't have to think but it was good none the less.

I noticed something, the fridge is shot being open when he is lying on the floor, yet when he goes to get the bottle of water...he opens the fridge.

Besides that I thought it was great, not my type of film, I like it better when you don't have to think but it was good none the less.

Thanks for watching, and thanks for the comment.

He actually doesn't open the fridge, he grabs the already open door to brace himself. But I can see where that might look like a continuity error. I do actually think the door probably is a few inches closer to being closed than in the original shot.

Thanks again for taking the time to watch it.

Poke