Hello, back again. I know I only end up on these boards like once in a blue moon but I genuine do get busy a lot. Some of you may remember I wrote a short script called Howl (link available in my sig), which got some interesting feedback, good and bad. Well over the last academic year I was able to film it and the results are able to view below.

I feel I should first put though that this isn't a professionally made film and is a student film made extra curricularly to develop my directing skills. As such, it's far from perfect and I'll be among the first to admit it, but if you want to check it out please do. All feedback welcome.

I think it’s pretty good.

The only problem I had was the sound. I couldn’t understand what Ryan was saying most of the time. That really made it difficult. Other than that, I think you did a pretty good job.

The only other thing I would say is that I never understood that adage about the devil’s greatest trick. The majority of people in the world believe in the supernatural, including some evil force. If convincing the world he doesn’t exist is supposed to be the devil’s greatest trick, he needs to find a new line of work.

Good job on your first film! :)


Breanne

Congrats on your first film.  I thought it was good as well.  The creepy music  definitely added to the aura.  So good on you.

Good Luck,

Ghost  

Thanks for the feedback guys, it really means a lot. Yeah there were issues with the sound, we used an onboard mic to record it. We do have na external mic but for some reason it doesn't work with the camera we used (Canon XL1) so we had to make do. I tried to redub some lines, but without proper equipment it just looked awful so I went with original audio.

Also I should probably point out that it isn't my first film (though it's the first one I'm willing to admit to). My first one was a god awful halloweeny film where everything was terrible, I guess it was kind of a trial by fire type thing since I learned a lot doing it. But anyways, thanks a lot for taking the time to watch it and give some feedback.

Quoted from scmower I should probably point out that it isn't my first film (though it's the first one I'm willing to admit to).

My mistake. Looking back, I’m not sure where I got that idea. Sorry about that.

I made some films before my “first” film, too. I call them practice films. No one will ever see them. ;D

Quoted from scmower Yeah there were issues with the sound, we used an onboard mic to record it. We do have na external mic but for some reason it doesn't work with the camera we used (Canon XL1) so we had to make do. I tried to redub some lines, but without proper equipment it just looked awful so I went with original audio.

Sound is one of the hardest parts. I’ve had sound issues as well. We’re going to try lavaliers with the next one. If you discover any good tricks for sound, let me know. :)


Breanne

I liked it, but I did have issues with the 'wolf boy.' For starters, it seems to me that if it's 'inside' him, there should have/could have been more from the director in re 'making him fidget.' I am not talking fits here, I am talking his eyes and perhaps a look out of the window now and then, perhaps get up. Canines don't like being 'penned up.' For me, he was a bit lithargic; however, his best moments where behind the tree and about to split. His 'body' carried some of the role for him, which to me, seemed wise. I like the doctor very much, and the man who hired him also very solid. Good stuff. Keep up the good work. BB

Yeah I agree there could have been more done with the direction of Reid. I think one of my main problems was that I DP'd for myself on this film, and spent a lot of time trying to get the shot right rather than directing the actors, which is something I'm starting to move out of and getting other people work the camera instead.

And yeah sound is always generally tricky, but I try not to overcomplicate it. Some other friends of mine made a film that I was in with the same caemras, and not satisfied with the sound, ended up dubbing 90% of the film with an external mic, which in my opinion really hindered the film because you could hear whenever a new track of sound faded up (we screen a lot of films in a theatre at the end of the year and that film was shown, as was Howl). I think a general rule for sound (in my opinion at least) is that the audience shouldn't really notice it (like it shouldn't stand out and upstage the footage). One thing I did in this film which I think helps a bit is to record atmos at a location after shooting for roughly about 30 seconds and then loop it over the scene. It helps make the whole thing sound a bit more normal since you're not getting different audio every time the shot changes.