Short Comedy FIlm

SaucyB

Here's a irish short comedy film on youtube, If enough people find it funny Me and my mates will start doing one every month for your enjoyment:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJDh2vxGBNw

keefg

Where do I start?

Terrible "acting".

Terrible camera work.

Terrible lighting.

Terrible editing.

Not remotely funny.


Best of luck with the next one boys.

SaucyB

yup thats more or less what i was expecting anyway, i prefare to do more serious stuff.

Wel we dnt act anyway so i dnt reli worry about the acting.

camera work was down to first time using new camera and having to change things constantly because of people using rooms here and there and us constantly moving around.

there was no lighting involved so i cant say anything for that, we just turned the lights on, big problem was we had to shoot the convo on eparate days at separate times cuz its da nly time people cud show up which can clearly be seen

i edited with teh footage i had i wasnt happy with it either.

I thought it was stupid funny lyk scary movie but ive had mixed responses from people on the comedy anyway.

But yes if we do another one il make sure i spend more time taking it serious cuz we reli nly shot this n da go and improv 90 percent of it.

I take my other shorts more serious so maybe nxt time i do a comedy il take more care of the filmmaking aspect of it.

thanks:)

keefg

SaucyB wrote: »

yup thats more or less what i was expecting anyway, i prefare to do more serious stuff.

Any links to this "serious stuff"? I'd be interested to see the difference in your work.

SaucyB wrote: »

Wel we dnt act anyway so i dnt reli worry about the acting.

You make what you describe as a short Irish comedy yet don't worry about the acting?

SaucyB wrote: »

camera work was down to first time using new camera and having to change things constantly because of people using rooms here and there and us constantly moving around.

New camera has nothing to do with it TBH. What I mean is poor composure, framing and movement.

Also the white balance on varying shots was way off the mark, something for you to work on for next time.

SaucyB wrote: »

there was no lighting involved so i cant say anything for that,

Half decent lighting can be done very cheaply or for nothing. Another area for you to take into consideration for your next project.

SaucyB wrote: »

i edited with teh footage i had i wasnt happy with it either.

It was WAY over edited. The dialogue needs to be more fluid and less choppy. No need for so many individual close up head shots. Go for a wider two shot and let the guys dialogue flow more naturally.

SaucyB wrote: »

I thought it was stupid funny lyk scary movie but ive had mixed responses from people on the comedy anyway.

True. Comedy is very subjective.

SaucyB wrote: »

But yes if we do another one il make sure i spend more time taking it serious cuz we reli nly shot this n da go and improv 90 percent of it. I take my other shorts more serious so maybe nxt time i do a comedy il take more care of the filmmaking aspect of it.

Depends what you want out of it. If it's just you and your mates messing around then fair enough. If you want to want to take filmmaking more seriously then you will need to focus on the entire process and make it as best you can with the ingenuity and resources you have available.

SaucyB wrote: »

thanks:)

Your welcome.

By the way, as you are fairly new member of Boards.ie I'll give you a friendly piece of advice........ text speak is a big no no around here, please use your entire keyboard. It makes your posts much easier for others to read

SaucyB

yes thanks for all your opinions basically that short was just me and my mates messing around, i did not take it serious one bit it was mostly made for friends who know us. I'll also try stop texting the messages its really hard to stop doing though lol.

http://www.youtube.com/user/JCProductions140690?feature=mhum

thats the link to my youtube page. Ive only made films from december onwards so yes im still fairly new to it all. You' see *far from the tree* which i was DP and editor.

There's *writers block* which was my first film that i ever directed and edited.

Then there is *love* which a friend wrote and wanted to shoot so i done the best for him that i could from what he wanted.

Then ive just uploaded footage of me using lights, and i can clearly see how better the footage looks and how you can make moods etc.

Feel free to watch anything and say whatever you want its all a learning curve for me at the moment and like i said only making films since december

James

keefg

Just out of interest, what gear are you using> camera etc?

SaucyB

i used canon Hv40 for writers block and love.

Far from the tree was shot on super 8 film.

how was your night and my new video about me practicing cinematography was shot on canon 550D.

I use an imac with Final cut Express and Adobe premiere to edit. I have redhead lights only bought last month. A Rode videomic and homemade boom pole.

keefg

SaucyB wrote: »

how was your night and my new video about me practicing cinematography was shot on canon 550D.

LOL. I guessed this was shot with a DSLR You must be a Philip Bloom fan?



I'll have a look at the rest of your clips when I get time and let you know what I think.

SaucyB

ive checked his website and seen his how to use canon 7d video but apart from that i dont really follow him. I wanted DSLR because i like taking pictures and it was the cheapest option to me being a student.

thats no prop thanks a lot its appreciated.

James

Coasters Film

One day you will like something keefg, what will you do then.

Keep it up SaucyB the more you do the better you'll get!

keefg

Coasters Film wrote: »

One day you will like something keefg, what will you do then.

Tell the person I like it.

Bodhan

Hi SaucyB, I'm not much of an expert but you have some good ideas in your films. You just need to get a handle on direction and the storyline.

I've just started doing car reviews in video recently so I kind of know how you feel.

reece

keefg wrote: »

Tell the person I like it.

reece

not bad for a first effort. Found parts of the sock gag funny. Initial crying scene funny also. I'm sure ye can only get better. the couch shot of the initial actor looked good.

DWCommuter

keefg wrote: »

Where do I start?

Terrible "acting".

Terrible camera work.

Terrible lighting.

Terrible editing.

Not remotely funny.


Best of luck with the next one boys.

I think the use of the word "terrible" in relation to this piece is a very disrespectful term and highlights that the author has absolutely no understanding or tolerance for the levels at which newbie filmmakers work at. I have viewed a lot of terrible stuff over the years where filmmakers displayed no knowledge of the rules whatsoever, but in this piece, it is very easy to identify that the makers have a clear understanding of the rules, but lack some basic application.

The acting is mudane and inexperienced, but I reckon the makers know that anyway. From a newbie filmmaker perspective, acting is the last thing to worry about.

"Terrible camera work" - Thats harsh.

"Terrible lighting" - One scene at the door. The rest was under natural lighting - so what. Its a no budget effort.

"Terrible editing" - Ive seen worse and wouldn't refer to it as terrible but more so a problem with not shooting enough coverage thereby leading to bad and unavoidable cuts.

"Not remotely funny" - Well if you are expecting a certain standard, then yes. But if you are watching newbie filmmakers on a mickey mouse forum, making an effort, at least take the time to examine the idea and concept. I did and found it to be creative. The acting and production values let it down, but looking beyond that it wasn't hard to see the beginnings of something that was funny. In saying that, I did giggle at some of the set ups and the idea in general. Its not wholely original but has potential.

Overall, not bad for a first effort at something like this and I recommend continuing and developing. As i said its not bad at all for a first effort. Keep it up and ignore the overwhelming opinions that fail to take to take note of the obvious.

More in my next post.:D

DWCommuter

keefg wrote: »

Any links to this "serious stuff"? I'd be interested to see the difference in your work.



You make what you describe as a short Irish comedy yet don't worry about the acting?



New camera has nothing to do with it TBH. What I mean is poor composure, framing and movement.

Also the white balance on varying shots was way off the mark, something for you to work on for next time.



Half decent lighting can be done very cheaply or for nothing. Another area for you to take into consideration for your next project.




It was WAY over edited. The dialogue needs to be more fluid and less choppy. No need for so many individual close up head shots. Go for a wider two shot and let the guys dialogue flow more naturally.



True. Comedy is very subjective.



Depends what you want out of it. If it's just you and your mates messing around then fair enough. If you want to want to take filmmaking more seriously then you will need to focus on the entire process and make it as best you can with the ingenuity and resources you have available.



Your welcome.

By the way, as you are fairly new member of Boards.ie I'll give you a friendly piece of advice........ text speak is a big no no around here, please use your entire keyboard. It makes your posts much easier for others to read

The first point about making an Irish comedy is just bull**** and looking to insult. Why shouldn't the OP call it that? So what if the acting is brutal? This is an internet forum where one can showcase their work. It doesn't mean they are competing for awards. Keep the critique realistic.

Composure, framing, movement?

Composure (as you put it) is the same as framing. Thats "composing or framing a shot". - Yes some of it was poor, but maybe offer advice rather than picking on the point made about a new camera.

Lighting? - Get real. This was a video made by a few guys over a weekend. They shot under natural and available lighting conditions because they were obviously more preoccupied and enthusiastic about telling the story. (thats what filmmaking is actually about)

Over edited? - I don't think so. You can only edit what you shoot and this particular piece didn't shoot enough so looked under edited due to lack of coverage.

In conclusion for the OPs benefit and without the harsh and opinionated crap you first received; its not bad. Study filmmaking rules a bit more. Concentrate on composing your shots so they match in the edit. (even if the shoot is weeks apart. (Try continuity) Improve your sound. Then realise that editing is very dependent on what is shot. After that move on to the acting aspect. When you have the camera and sound depts worked out and functioning, concentrate on the acting. After that work on the lighting. With all this in place you will improve. Then work like feck on the story. Thats the ultimate and most important bit. The crappiest filmmaking can be successful if the story is great but get bthe filmmaking up to a decent standard.

Filmmaking is a piece by piece business and you learn by doing, not reading books or opinionated bull**** on the internet. Internet advice is always good so long as its constructive and I hope my contribution was fairly decent.

keefg

Meh!

I've done plenty of nicey nicey "constructive criticism" in the past and all too often it's been thrown back in my face (and to others who have done the same on this and other forums).

Some people get snotty if they don't receive glowing reviews from everyone who views their clip.

So if I like someone's work, I'll say so. If I think it's terrible, I'll say so.

dacogawa

I think Keefg has been hurt in the past & doesn't want to go through it again!

Anyway, where's this video gone SaucyB ? I clicked the link and its been removed

reece

dacogawa wrote: »

I clicked the link and its been removed

He could have been the next Martin Scorsese and Keefg's review scared him away

SaucyB

Hey everyone thanks for everyone's comments,

i took the video down because i wasnt proud of it at all, i am a serious filmmaker i use lights etc but on the short i put up i really just shot it with mates over 2 days and there was no script we just knew were i wanted go and improv the rest.

I told my mates that from now on i won;t be shooting things like that anymore unless were taking it more serious to make it look more professional and not just something shot over a few days.

Seriously thanks to everyone, there is a link to my youtube with my other work which i hope you see i do take more time. Me and my mates act in the films because i want to learn about cinematography but i do want to tell good stories now and try my hand at directing so from now on ive got a few actors who like me want to learn so hopefully my future stuff will be better and people will enjoy it.

Thanks very much again for all the feedback:)