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And the mirror at the end! Wow how did you do that!
It was done with a fake wall. The room is actually larger than it appears. We constructed two 8x4 false wall panels with cheap thin drywall and painted them to match the actual room. The panels were clamped together and propped up. The scroll decoration next to the mirror is actually hiding the break between panels.
As the camera panned to follow Selena Two and Dr. Roth out of the room, a production assistant switched the mirror with a duplicate with green screen material in place of glass before the camera returned.
Once the shot pushing into the green screen was complete, the false wall was removed and the shot was set up from the other side of the wall. The camera moved on a tripod dolly in which one wheel was fixed on the false wall’s center line. This made the camera move in a circular motion across the center line.
The footage shot was then inverted in post. The green screen section was then removed and the two pieces of footage were fused together with the mirror piece overlapping until the frame was cleared.
He did a great job! Did you have to tone him down at all? I felt my actors for TTD needed to be.
I find I have different issues with actors who have stage experience than with those who don’t. Stage actors tend to project really well, but when it comes to close-ups, I have to push them to take their time. That type of acting is dead space on stage. They’re used to broader movements, “filling the stage.”
Inexperienced actors tend to talk softer and be more stilted. I have to push them to emote. The one universal problem I have is pacing, actors wanting to move too fast through a scene. One of my tricks is to delay calling cut and force them to stay in character with no lines. I get some of the best facial expressions that way.
Quoted from mcornetto
You should post the script so we can compare.
I may do that. The movie is really close to the script, but yeah, it’s kind of strange to read the script now.
Thanks for the compliments on the music. Truly, music is my first love and what I started out writing before I wrote much of anything else. I enjoyed working on this one, learned a lot, and found Breanne very easy to work with. If she's that collaborative with everyone, then she'll have no problems finding people to work with for future projects. I think the short turned out very well, and hope that it wins best original music or something at some festival.
P.S. If you're not listening to the music in the credits, you're missing the best piece. That was my time to shine.
Congrats on making a fine production and on your own terms!
Your psychiatrist really sold the concept well! And George's music helped set the mysterious tone for me. Without those two factors, talk heavy shorts like this tend to lag. But not here, stellar work!
Regards, E.D.
LATEST NEWS CineVita Films is producing a short based on my new feature!
...found Breanne very easy to work with. If she's that collaborative with everyone, then she'll have no problems finding people to work with for future projects.
I try to be. I work so hard putting it all together, that after a certain point, other people’s contributions give it a newness for me.
Your psychiatrist really sold the concept well! And George's music helped set the mysterious tone for me. Without those two factors, talk heavy shorts like this tend to lag.
I noticed how dialogue heavy it is, too. I set out to show I could create drama on screen. I tried not to overwhelm myself with action or makeup effects. The visual effects were difficult enough. Primarily, I wanted to show I could create drama. Someone compared it to The Twilight Zone. That’s exactly the type of thing I was trying to do. You’ve probably noticed The Twilight Zone is really talky, too.
With my next film, I’m planning to have a little more action and less dialogue. It’s also going to have some dark humor, more of a Cohen Brothers type of thing, focusing on different things than with Selfless.
I noticed how dialogue heavy it is, too. I set out to show I could create drama on screen. I tried not to overwhelm myself with action or makeup effects. The visual effects were difficult enough. Primarily, I wanted to show I could create drama. Someone compared it to The Twilight Zone. That’s exactly the type of thing I was trying to do. You’ve probably noticed The Twilight Zone is really talky, too.
With my next film, I’m planning to have a little more action and less dialogue. It’s also going to have some dark humor, more of a Cohen Brothers type of thing, focusing on different things than with Selfless.
I only mention the dialogue to accentuate how well your production handles it. Smooth dialogue delivered with earnest acting. Ever present but never overbearing music. And I did forget to mention how much I like the special effect.
Best talking headish short I've seen in a long time!
Regards, E.D.
LATEST NEWS CineVita Films is producing a short based on my new feature!
Though I don't believe in parallel worlds and lives myself, I have a huge interest in the idea and love watching or reading stories about them.
Somebody mentioned 'Twilight Zone', but to me, it had more of a 'Tales from the Dark Side' feel to it, especially with George's music.
Hmm. Spencer Montoya. Was he a member here on SS at some point? I remember talking to a few Spencer's and Spence's here a while ago, and that name sounds really familiar to me.
Anyway, congrats to you again. Was it exactly filmed from script to screen, or did you have some last minute ideas or changes while setting up the scenes?
Though I don't believe in parallel worlds and lives myself, I have a huge interest in the idea and love watching or reading stories about them.
I don’t believe in them either. I do believe they’re mathematically possible, though not likely. I love to see things that many consider supernatural approached as science fiction.
Hmm. Spencer Montoya. Was he a member here on SS at some point? I remember talking to a few Spencer's and Spence's here a while ago, and that name sounds really familiar to me.
Not that I’m aware of. As far as I know, Spencer is an actor. He’s been in several films in and around Portland. He didn’t mention writing any scripts.
Was it exactly filmed from script to screen, or did you have some last minute ideas or changes while setting up the scenes?
Things changed mostly from necessity. For example, the restaurant scene was originally set in a grocery store so we could cut from an aisle to the counter and cut to the main character already in the middle of purchasing things. Sadly, the store closed permanently a mere two weeks before shooting. I had to scramble to find an alternate location. That meant I had to revise the script.
Some things worked while others didn’t. My final shot was supposed to be a special effects shot. It didn’t work. We were supposed to dolly along the case and transition seamlessly to the alternate realm, all in what was to appear to be one continuous shot. A crew reflection ruined it and I had to resort to dissolves.
The opening was also trial and error. My first idea didn’t work. It involved clay molds that moved together. They just couldn’t be made with enough accuracy to work. I finally came up with the idea of a sort of Pepper’s Ghost thing.
In fact, there was so much trial and error, I’m surprised at how close to the script it turned out. It’s weird. When I look at the actual drafts, the changes all seem so minor. I may post one of them. Not sure if I should post the first draft or the final draft.
I finally got a chance to sit down and enjoy this -- twice -- once before reading your comments and once after.
Some have compared this to Twilight Zone -- but from the opening credits and George's music cues, I got the distinct feeling of early Hitchcock. So much so that I would wonder if those influences were overt in George's work and if he is just sitting back waiting for somebody to point them out.
Like most, I thought the psychiatrist was great. As soon as he showed up it seemed the whole production was kicked up a notch. You should be sure to let him know how talented we find him to be, but I suspect you are already taking care of that.
I would like to see the script, too. Even after reading your explanation I do not feel I am getting the full story -- that is, if there is even a full story to be had. Perhaps this leans more toward the inexplicable than something linear we are supposed to fully grasp. I would just be curious to see whether or not the script lends a bit more clarity.
But even so, it was a thrill to watch the final cut, knowing how much went into it. Congrats are in order, and I am sure you know how much good fortune we wish you moving forward into the festival circuit.
The only real flaw I could find was a distinct lack of pirates.
Everyone knows that all truly great cinema must contain pirates.
Some have compared this to Twilight Zone -- but from the opening credits and George's music cues, I got the distinct feeling of early Hitchcock. So much so that I would wonder if those influences were overt in George's work and if he is just sitting back waiting for somebody to point them out.
Actually, Breanne just said she wanted something like a horror movie score, so I built the whole thing around a Cm(M7) arpeggio, that one melody present in the montage part (which was written first), and a ton of variations after listening to too much of Murray Gold's Dr. Who soundtracks. I've seen most of Hitchcock's films, of course, so there's bound to be some influence in there somewhere, but more likely to be Danny Elfman.
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