archived-videos "1958" - (temporary forum location)

Zensteve

Zensteve

"1958" - A Commentary

"1958" - A man receives some unsettling news, and responds in his own deliberate fashion.

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A social commentary, and a prime example of why I should continue to refrain from posting video on the web.

LANGUAGE WARNING!!

"1958" - QT 25mb
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"1958" - RealPlayer 10mb

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Because the Internet is smarter than me, this 25mb file doesn't stream.... but it will download completely and then start... or you may "right-click, save Target as..." the link above.

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Things of note:

1) Does the "ominous" soundtrack come through well, without a subwoofer?

2) Notice the difference in colour saturation, from the two angles. One camera is 1/3" CCD, the second 1/6"

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Oh, and my pack of gum is the blue Orbitz by the wineglass.
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Cheers & jeers; yays & nays... all welcome. 8)
 
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Zen, frikkin' hilarious! It reminds me of a German short I saw on IFC or Sundance, with an equally embarrassing case of mistaken identity. Can't find the name of it though (stupid IFC and Sundance websites, be more informative!), I'll keep trying.

Also, I could understand the language used in yours.

I was just thinking, isn't it funny how both of our entries were quickie jobs?

Poke

PS Anyone else having problem with the audio being garbled? Or is it just my old school '82 PC?
 
So many nice comments :)

I'd like to hear all the flak though, as well. (Some of which is frighteningly obvious, but still... critical feedback is always welcome)

I need to do a few plugs, as well, for those that helped with some very important parts of this.

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Ed Marchetti

Ed graciously supplied the "sinister" background music that played, while the phone was active.

He is also selling a soundtrack to help pay for his latest production. I bought it a while back (and the price has since lowered) and liked it so much, that he was the person I thought of when I needed that type of track.

_____

Stephen Ryan

If anyone can fiddle with sound on short notice, or just come up with crazy ideas for what works in sound, Stiiv is the man. By the way, if you like Star Trek you should visit his "Trek Tunes" page.

("Acts of War" is especially good)
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SPaulovich said:
One quick question about 1958... where was the "special prop?" I don't recall seeing the requisite gum anywhere.
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I was going to ask that too, but I didn't want Zen to think I didn't watch it :blush: Maybe I missed it.
 
I liked it, laughed out loud when he hung up on the 'Napper. Good timing. The end was a good twist too. Went from funny, to disturbing (must have been all those swears), back to funny.
 
Just watched this. Some very fine acting there Zen. ;) The writing was strong and kept you watching the whole way threw. Ending got me as well. The sound could have been up in a few places, but that could be due to compression and such. I really enjoyed it. I was also going to ask about the gum as I didn't see it when I watched it the first time, but pick up on it now.

Nice job all around! :D
 
Yes, the sound likely has a few issues.

When I was layering down the audio, I unfortunately had my speakers set to "gaming"... and a subwoofer turned up to 11.

(It goes up to 11 !!!
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All was adjusted so it sounded fine as it played on the computer... when I tested a mini-DV export on a real TV, the audio was really off. With the background music almost inaudible (and just an hour before curtain time), I just boosted gain to 150% across all channels, and uploaded the export file as such.

Not going to alter it, either. It's up there as it is, for what it was. Maybe tune it up after votes are done with, but for now it's seen and heard on its current merits. (Or lack thereof)

:cool:
 
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haha a DVD would rock, my friend wants to make a boatload more shorts (like our fightscenes) and have a DVD of them. We could do an IndieTalk Competition DVD Too! :)
 
Looks like a variation on the film Ransom (turning the tables on the kidnappers).
The two same camera angles over and over were tiresome. Some closeups of the piano player would have been a better choice. Why was the caller wearing that mask?
 
Not sure about the Ransom similarity, aside from having a 'napper. This is more about how people (in their insular little worlds), with no vested interest in the situation at hand, tend to react when inadvertantly brushing with something that will have absolutely no impact on their own life. (I am not an optimist for the human race)
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The camera shots do get kinda boring, yes. Some closeups probably a good idea. (But then again... who wants a closeup of him?! Yikes!)

The mask was for creepiness alone. It really makes no logical sense, as blind-folding the woman would have sufficed to conceal identity. It's a ploy for the viewer's interest. All evil criminals need their gimmick. (I learned that from reading comic books)

Also, I bought a shoppingcart full of Halloween supplies earlier in the day... there was no way I wasn't going to try to work some of the items into the flick. :)

Thanks for writing!
 
Zensteve said:
I'm not going to elaborate on any of the points of the flick 'til voting is over; I'll have a few explanations about some of the things, then, including why I call this a social commentary. (Though rampant speculation is welcome)
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Can we get some answers now?

Poke
 
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