Cinematic or home video?

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Definitely doesn't look like home video! Some nice lighting there, wg.

The zoom in the first shot is a bit of a giveaway. If you don't have a ramping power zoom on your camera it can be jolting when it starts. I would cut into the shot after the zoom has already begun. If you want to be even more "cinematic", make it a dolly shot rather than a zoom.

There was a little bit of exposure clipping happening on one or two of the shots. That's an artifact that screams "video". The view looking down into the open drawer springs to mind. Not having a white piece of paper in there would've solved that (avoid pure white altogether whenever possible for that very reason).

Good job.
 
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this lighting thing is hard! :) (waaa, waaaaaaa)

I had SOO MUCH light in there, or so I thought.. but when I set the camera gain to 0 and opened the aperture as far as I could, well you can see how dark it was. I used the blue gel on my work lights and on the spot light to match the daylight coming in all the windows. I adjusted the exposure up a bit in post..

I wanted to use my hand dandy "DIY Slider" for the dolly in shot.. but the "actors" were getting restless! (Lunch was late!)

Thanks for the advice, I see your point about the clipping..


Also, Im curious to know if I communicated the story idea in the images.. ??

Thanks
 
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Nice job messing around with lighting and camera angles. I say messing around because I gather this is an experiment? If part of a film, looking good too only minor things.
 
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I don't see a story but we weren't looking for that since you asked about technicality.

Scene: No one is paying attention to the little girl. She is about to start a fire.

PS. The "match grab" needs to be slower, the pink sleeve came and went so fast most will miss it.
 
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Well, it was a planed experiment..

Yeah, well I was just "hinting" at what the story is, I'm starting to realizing that I can communicate a lot of information in just a few seconds.

I have some coverage of different match grabs, but it was hard to get the little girl to do exactly the right thing, so I made the best of what I had. Actually, I don't think is true coverage, its just retakes of the same shot. The camera angle is the same, so cutting in different takes seems like a bad idea... (experts opinion wanted)

I should just re-shoot the grab though, Any ideas on how I can exaggerate the SMALLNESS of the hand? Maybe position the matchbook in the foreground, showing the tiny hand in the background getting closer ... I think this would require a deep DOF, such that the foreground and background are in focus, ..
 
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I understood your story. It was clear from the slow zoom on that little cutie-pie that something awful would transpire, and when the matches get swiped I knew it was her. And it was effective, too, because now I'm worried about her.

If anything, I might pull back a little so you can see more of the hand and know that it's tiny, but I wouldn't slow it down...she's innocently (or maybe not?) swiping the matches, but QUICKLY. And maybe we don't even have to definitively KNOW its her...maybe we find out later.

Nice job...what did you use for lights, btw? Practicals or something more? Good job, Wheat.
 
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UC got it was her, and I did too so maybe it's fine. :)

I was just thinking of your average audience.

Keep up the good work.
 
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I just thought of something too. Sound design. Her footsteps are lighter. You have the woman walk away, and her tiny footsteps walk up. That solidifies it right there. Keep the shot!
 
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