Here’s a short film I directed.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Selfless/132210576834755

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2351256/

Hope you enjoy it!!!



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Read the script Selfless by Breanne Mattson - Short, Drama, Thriller, Sci Fi - A woman discovers she’s no longer herself. 15 pages - pdf, format 8)

Best Shorts Competition Award of Merit
http://www.bestshorts.net/

Good job Breanne! Enjoyed it!

Good job, Breanne! I love alternate reality stuff. My Nicholl's entry was conceived as alt reality.

I might have to go back and watch again,  but I didn't figure out the ring part. How did dropping it trigger the dimensional switch? Or was it just something about the location, like in Stephen King's new novel, and the ring just happened to fall in the right spot.

The psychiatrist did a solid job. Convincing.

Pale Yellow, Kevin, thanks! That’s very kind of you to say. I appreciate it. :)

Kevin, the ring is just another slight variation between the two realities that serves as a marker. Selena One lost her ring, but Selena Two didn’t. That’s why Selena One has her ring back and Selena Two is missing hers when they switch back. At the end, in Selena One’s realm, her ring is still on the floor at the restaurant, while in Selena Two’s realm, it’s gone because she never lost it. Hope that makes sense.

Some Easter eggs:

The symbol on the sign at the psychiatric clinic is a tesseract, the scientific symbol for the fourth dimension.

Henry Pratt (the name of the psychiatric clinic) is Boris Karloff’s real name.

Thanks!

Thanks, and totally get it now. Should have before. It's clear.

Didn't get the eggs. I wouldn't have known either of those things. Cool to put them in, though.

I tried to create a puzzle, something people would have to watch more than once to really put together. Of course, that was before I realized how many errors show up with repeat viewings. ;D

Quoted from leitskev The psychiatrist did a solid job. Convincing.

Calvin is awesome. He’s got a lot of stage experience. Great guy, too. :)

Nice work, Breanne! Always love to see SSers picking up the camera. I see George did the music too.

I didn't catch that Selena one had a different voice until I read it in the credits. Good syncing on your part. What did you shoot this with? Entering any festivals??

James

Great job Breanne! Loved how Selena One disappeared and Selena Two reappeared right in front of the shrink! Bet he thought he was going crazy!

Good work, Breanne.

Watched this and was a little baffled by it.  I'm guessing it has something to do with a parallel universe.  Interesting story though, well done.

Hey Breanne

Enjoyed it a lot! Pretty entertaining short movie IMO. :]

Good job and thanks for sharing.

HGW

Thanks everyone!

James, I can’t take credit for the syncing, that was the post house people. It’s also in surround sound and will sound much better in a theater.

The film was shot with two JVC GY-HD250U cameras I borrowed from our TV station. They’re usually used to shoot local events.

I’ve already entered several festivals, but it’s too early to know if we’ve been accepted. We have to meet various technical requirements for some of them, but there are more to come.

P.S. I thought George did a terrific job. I much prefer original music to canned stuff.

Alffy, I baffled myself with it a few times putting it all together. ;D

Thanks for the kind words, everybody! :)

Ha, ha, this was absolutely fantastic Breanne, I had to watch it twice.  It's great to see work form you.

Keep it up.

Ghostie

That was awesome Breanne, it reminded me of one of my guiltiest pleasures, quantum leap. Really good shots when the detective and the doctor were walking through the passage. And the mirror at the end! Wow how did you do that! Good job across the board.

Johnny

Quoted from Breanne Mattson Calvin is awesome. He’s got a lot of stage experience. Great guy, too. :)

He did a great job! Did you have to tone him down at all? I felt my actors for TTD needed to be.

And yes, George did a great job!!!  :)

Well done Breanne.  You should post the script so we can compare.    And George, nicely done on the music.

Thanks Ghost, Johnny, Pia, Michael!

Quoted from oJOHNNYoNUTSo 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.

Quoted from Grandma Bear 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. ;D

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 everyone! :)

I really enjoy all the tricks filmmakers use to manipulate the audience's eyes, outstanding!

Quoted from oJOHNNYoNUTSo Wow how did you do that!

I should have repeated a few more time for it to catch on, hahaha!

Johnny

Nicely directed, Breanne. Enjoyed it. A lot better than some of the short films I've seen.

Great job, Breanne. Liked it a lot. I thought the person playing Dr. Roth was particularly great, but all-round the cast was brilliant.

Dan

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

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.

Hats off to you, Breanne!

Congrats on making a fine production and on your own terms! ;D

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.

Thanks Johnny, Nawazm, Dan, George, Brett!

I’m glad so many people like Calvin. He really is a sweet guy. He deserves all the praise.

Quoted from nawazm11 Nicely directed, Breanne. Enjoyed it. A lot better than some of the short films I've seen.

I definitely watch other shorts and look for mistakes I can avoid. Now I’ve got my own mistakes to avoid with my next project. ;D

Quoted from George Willson ...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.

Quoted from George Willson ...hope that it wins best original music or something at some festival. :P

Me too. :)

Quoted from George Willson 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.

I agree.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer 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.

Thanks everyone! :)

Quoted from Breanne Mattson 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! ;D

Regards,
E.D.

What an excellent piece. Good job, Breanne.

I really enjoyed it, thanks for sharing.

Steve

Congratulations, Breanne!

It's nice to see it finally come together, huh?

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?

- Mark

Thanks Steve and Mark! I really appreciate all the comments from everyone.

Quoted from rc1107 It's nice to see it finally come together, huh?

Absolutely. It started as a vision and became a movie. It may be a small triumph, but it feels like triumph just the same.

Quoted from rc1107 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.

Quoted from rc1107 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.

I tried do it my own unique way - Bre-style. :D

Quoted from rc1107 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.

Quoted from rc1107 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.

Thanks again! :)

Nice work! I enjoyed it. Wondering if the script is on the site...

Thanks Khamanna! The script isn’t currently on the site. I’ll try and submit it sometime today.

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. :)

Quoted from bert 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.

Thanks Bert!

Quoted from bert 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.

I’m just thrilled to have my name thrown around with Serling or Hitchcock in any capacity. ;D I really am just trying to be myself, though. I can’t help but be somewhat the product of my influences. I would certainly count Hitchcock and Serling among them.

Quoted from bert 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.

Yeah, even when Calvin just says a word like “okay,” he makes it sound cool. He’s just got one of those voices and personalities. He used to work on The Outer Limits TV show in the 60s as a coordinator. Most of his acting experience is on stage. I’m so glad to help bring him to the world through film.

Quoted from bert 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.

I submitted the script, but I don’t think it will bring any more clarity. I intended it to be interpreted by the viewer. My focus was more on what happened than why. The horror of seeing someone else’s face in the mirror. The terror behind our reliance on our identities.

Personally, I like to think of it as a natural phenomenon. Two lives, not quite parallel, but with subtle variations, crossing. Nature making a “mistake,” or what’s relatively a mistake to a conscious individual, while balancing itself.

In any event, I focused on the character’s individual experience rather than the big picture. I wanted to say something about identity. I definitely would have expanded the idea if it was a feature.

Quoted from bert The only real flaw I could find was a distinct lack of pirates. Everyone knows that all truly great cinema must contain pirates. :)

Pirates! That’s what’s missing! How could I have missed that? Seems so obvious now. Then there could have been a sword fight! How could I have been so wrong? :o

Thanks again! :)

We officially have an IMDb page!

It’s not quite complete yet, but it’s close enough. :)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2351256/

Is Cobra Cocktail available online?

Quoted from leitskev Is Cobra Cocktail available online?

It was on Youtube in two parts. The script was an OWC entry.

Breanne,

I really enjoyed it. Best of luck with it at festivals. You must keep us informed. I'm sure it will do well. :-)

Cindy

Thanks Cindy! We've entered several festivals already. It's still early, but we should hear back from one or two pretty soon. As you can imagine, I'm super psyched about it! :)

The movie will be showing in the McMinnville Short Film Festival. This will be our theatrical debut. Really excited to see the film in the theater!!!

If you're in Oregon on September 30th, come to the Gallery Theater and watch our flick, then get entertained by watching me answering audience questions half drunk on wine. ;D

http://www.facebook.com/pages/McMinnville-Short-Film-Festival/207159122654021

Quoted from George Willson 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.

I have to say, I really enjoyed the music but especially during the credits.  Good job George!  Overall, the short was good and I appreciate you letting us watch it.  You should be proud.  If my first short even comes close to that, I will fell blessed.

I'm pretty new here, but how did you get George to do the music for you?

Quoted from Jeremiah Johnson I'm pretty new here, but how did you get George to do the music for you?

She asked. Simple as that. We look out for each other around here.

That's great.  Again, you did a fine job on the music.

Quoted from Jeremiah Johnson I have to say, I really enjoyed the music but especially during the credits.  Good job George!  Overall, the short was good and I appreciate you letting us watch it.  You should be proud.  If my first short even comes close to that, I will fell blessed. I'm pretty new here, but how did you get George to do the music for you?

Thanks Jeremiah! Yeah, it's like George said. We met here at SS and we've known each other for years.

At first, I looked for royalty free music online, but I had concerns about how original it was. I hooked up with the original composer through someone working on the film, but when it was time to add music, he couldn't do it.

I mentioned to Pia, another friend I met at SS, that I needed a composer and she recommended George, who was scoring a film she was working on. I sent George the samples and some notes and asked if he could create an original score. He did and I think it turned out so much better than any canned music ever could have. :)

That's outstanding.  I too have been looking at the royalty-free music.  I know a guy who could probably do the music for me, but he travels a lot with his job (as do I) so I am not sure of his availability.

What is the next project for you?  Going to direct another or have a go at just writing and letting someone else take the reigns?

I'm checking on a location this week. If it works out, I'll be shooting my next short film in late October or early November. Eventually I want to make a feature.

I write more than I could ever produce, so I'm definitely open to just writing. Wish you the best with your short film. :)

Quoted from Jeremiah Johnson That's great.  Again, you did a fine job on the music.

Thanks. I've learned that managing one's time is an art, and one I finally sorted out. I've blown some commitments before, but music has always been my first love, so I made it happens, and I always will (from now on anyway). It also helped that when I made my own short and feature, I wrote my own music, so I had a pretty good handle on how to do it. Prior to those, I'd written loads of songs and such as well as three musicals.

Being behind the camera is fun, but I still prefer to sit back and write.

Great story. Loved the spinning intro, but thought it just a tiny bit too long....I was getting dizzy (perhaps your intent?).

Written and directed? I'm impressed.

John

Thanks John! :)

Quoted from XL Great story. Loved the spinning intro, but thought it just a tiny bit too long....I was getting dizzy (perhaps your intent?).

The intro is a looooong story. At least one other person mentioned it making them dizzy. It wasn't intentional, but I'll be more aware of things like that with title sequences in the future.

Hey Folks,

Breanne has allowed me to post the script which you can read here.

Don

Selfless won an Award of Merit in the Best Shorts Competition!! ;D

http://www.bestshorts.net/

I thought it was good and it is nice to see others see it that way too!  Good to reaffirm I have good taste!  Congrats on continuing success...  keep it going!

Congratulations!!!!!!! Way to go!!!!  8)

Thanks Jeremiah and Pia!! :)

The official press release will be October 24th.

Congrats, Breanne!

Glad to see this get some love. I am a fan.

James

Congratulations, Breanne.

Shit yeah!

If anyone wants to hear the music for the award-winning short by itself, I put all the music cues together in a single 10 minute suite. You can download it by clicking here.

Awesome! Great work! Congrats!

Way to go, Breanne!
Making it happen on your terms!
Good on you!! ;D ;D

Regards,
Brett

Thanks everyone!! :)

Quoted from Electric Dreamer Making it happen on your terms!

Oh yeah, it's the bre way or the freeway! :D

Congratulations!  What did you use to record the audio?

Thanks Nomad.

Quoted from Nomad What did you use to record the audio?

A studio. ;D

The original audio was problematic because the mics were closer on tighter shots and farther away on wider ones. Sometimes the audio was good and other times not so much.

Ambient noises were another issue. A refrigeration unit ruined all the audio at the bistro. At the police station, we also ran into problems with a refrigeration unit at a grocery store next door. I convinced the manager to shut it off during shooting. Also, traffic noise became an issue.

In the end, I felt the audio wasn't good enough and decided to ADR the entire film.

I'm going to great lengths to correct all the issues with my next film.

I could tell something was off with the way the actor's mouths weren't matching up with the audio.  On the other hand, the dialogue was crystal clear which is usually not the case in shorts.  

I'm interested in hearing how wireless mics sound.

I watched your short with headphones on and all of the dialogue was centered and at the exact same level.  One thing that would help the audio is to pan the actors dialogue just slightly to the side of the screen that they're on.  It would help keep everything from sounding like it was...well...recorded in a studio.

Well done.

Quoted from Nomad I could tell something was off with the way the actor's mouths weren't matching up with the audio.

Really? It was recorded at a professional studio that regularly does ADR for Hollywood productions. I thought they did an amazing job. I don't see anywhere where the audio doesn't match up. You're the first person to bring that up, so I'm stumped.

Quoted from Nomad I'm interested in hearing how wireless mics sound.

I'm using wireless lavalier mics with my next film. I may have other mics hidden in some spots, but I'm relying mostly on lavs.

Quoted from Nomad I watched your short with headphones on and all of the dialogue was centered and at the exact same level.  One thing that would help the audio is to pan the actors dialogue just slightly to the side of the screen that they're on.  It would help keep everything from sounding like it was...well...recorded in a studio.

Hmm, not sure what the problem is. It's in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. I didn't mix the sound, but I'll keep that in mind and bring the issue up with the sound person when it's time to mix sound on my next project.

Thanks!

Congrats, Brea. I loved you “precious”. I enjoyed the acting of Mike Adams as Patient Talking to Himself and the Staring Patient both has a very impressive faces. Remember when you will shot the next movie to call them to act. Calvin Ward as Dr. Roth was great. The Willson’s Original Music was very professional and convinced me. Unfortunately, the others acting, sorry, didn’t convince me. By the way, I watched it in black & white and was a very interesting experience.
Way to go!

Quoted from Helio Congrats, Brea. I loved you “precious”. I enjoyed the acting of Mike Adams as Patient Talking to Himself and the Staring Patient both has a very impressive faces. Remember when you will shot the next movie to call them to act. Calvin Ward as Dr. Roth was great. The Willson’s Original Music was very professional and convinced me. Unfortunately, the others acting, sorry, didn’t convince me. By the way, I watched it in black & white and was a very interesting experience. Way to go!

Thanks Helio. Glad you enjoyed the extras with no lines haha. No extras in my next film, sorry. :(

I considered making it black and white, but decided against it.

Thanks for watching!  :)

How dare you! The extras are to the movies as the yellow paint is to Van Gogh's sunflowers! :-D

Sorry, the main character in my next film doesn't want any witnesses around.

Wow! Nice logline, Brea! ;-)

Selfless has won another award!!!

This time, we won a Gold Award from Oregon Film Awards.

Here is a link:

http://oregonfilmfestival.com/Filmmakers/2012_Platinum.aspx

And here is a press release (we're on page 6):

http://oregonfilmfestival.com/docs/2012%20Oregon%20Film%20Awards%20Press%20Release.pdf

Very exciting!!! :)

Congrats!
You are the woman, Breanne! ;D

Bet it's a nice boost going into a shooting weekend.
Happy producing!

Regards,
E.D.

Thanks Brett!!

Quoted from Electric Dreamer Bet it's a nice boost going into a shooting weekend.

Yes, it is!!! Hope it's a boost for the crew, too. :)

Breanne