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SaberRider

SaberRider






http://vimeo.com/17056981




An independent shortfilm made for a romanian contest.

Preproduction took 2 weeks, production 4 weeks and postproduction 1 week.

Main theme soundtrack composed by Joe Hogan:
www.joehogan.co.uk/​
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDDnw54aFwk

Credits theme by Ciprian Vilau:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXoIdHftJro


Filmed with a Canon 550D/T2i and a 50mm f1.8 lens. All sound was done in post.

Thanks for everybody that helped me!

Also check http://www.youtube.com/user/WhatWeMake?feature=mhum


More coming soon.
 
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YES!

Dude, I'm blown away. This is so well done. It's exciting to watch.

If it's okay for me to add some constructive criticism, to keep in mind for your next project, it's a little too shaky for my tastes, though I know a lot of people a going with that Paul Greengrass feel. It's just not for me, I prefer things a little more smooth. Also, though this is clearly about the action, and it's terrific for that, I think it'd benefit from a little more context. Just a little bit. But I'm just nit-picking, cuz I think that's kinda good for fellow filmmakers to do with each other; overrall, this is very good.

Great job!
 
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Cracker Funk i agree. I didn t had time to train myself to walk with the shoulder mount. I didn t want it to shake that much.

Adeimantus: thanks.

I want to thank this forum for helping me!
 
SaberRider said:
Cracker Funk i agree. I didn t had time to train myself to walk with the shoulder mount. I didn t want it to shake that much.

Adeimantus: thanks.

I want to thank this forum for helping me!
Click to expand...

Has the deadline for submission already passed? The shakiness can be smoothed-out in post.

By the way, don't beat yourself up. The amount of stuff you've had to learn how to do, in such a short time-span, it's rather incredible how quickly you picked this all up. This is a very good start.
 
...

Besides the fact I really can't stand "parkour" I think it's one of the more qualitative shot shorts I have seen in my short time on this forum. briliant.

Did you do the airshots aswell? Or is that stock footage? Really nice.. music is also 100% spot on.

The storyline is really not my cup of tea.

grt, mike d. / the netherlands
 
First I want to say I thought it was VERY well done, visually!

The only down-side for me was this: I've seen my fair share of chase-sequence-for-the-sake-of-it shorts. Even in the animation scene (Particularly student work from Gobelin's.) so they don't move me like they used to. I guess I was wanting a bit more substance.

In fact, I was really expecting a twist ending. Maybe even something humorous. For instance, that he was carrying something of little significance and it would make the audience go "Whaaaaaaaaaat?".

That's really the only negative from me and, like I said, I was primed to not really enjoy another chase video.

Now... ALL THAT SAID... what you did - and did very well - was you kept it floored the entire way through. The style in which it was shot, the energetic music, and not to mention... a guy who apparently just finished a half-dozen energy bars. It never really let up, and was plain fun to see a human move at a continuously high speed while evading the "bad guys" (only guessing on that one).

Overall - great job! :)
 
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Overall a very nice job. Like the others I wanted a resolution.

On to my sound niggling - but you expected that of course...:D

By playing with the sound and editing in a slightly different manner there would be no need for the subtitles; what they are saying doesn't really matter. Using some basic sound processing tricks you could give the dialog that "phone" or "comms" sound. By cutting slightly earlier when the chaser is telling the driver the runner has changed direction and using the phone/comms sound to complete the dialog while the visual is on the chase car you have cued the audience to the intent/content of the dialog/communication. (I hope that made sense!)

I would have done much more detailed Foley work and broken up the score a bit with the Foley work. I would also have gone for more sonic peaks and valleys.

I would have kept the footsteps at 00:17 through 00:20 even though you have the overhead shot.

At 00:35 I would have stopped the music and really pumped up the Foley of his feet scrabbling against the wall (more suspense). I would have followed up with more aggressive (angry) car sounds at 00:39.

Very slimmed down score while he's running through the corridor (lots of reverb on the footsteps and maybe cracking glass as he hits the wall). Pick up with fuller score when he hits the street.


I could go through the whole thing but you get the idea. Basically I would have pushed the Foley hard, added some deep but controlled breathing and maybe some cloth and the bag for the runner. I would also have given the cars more of a "voice", made them a little deeper and a little meaner, and added more tire screeches around corners and on the starts & stops. I would have made his on-foot pursuers a little clumsier sounding. If you ADRed the voices of the pursuers I would have made them out of breath.

Hey, not a bad job on the sound - it was clean and in sync and fairly well mixed, better than most stuff I hear. What I'm talking about is the difference between your experience with doing audio post compared to my experience (audio post is all that I do) and my access to the proper tools.
 
If I read all the other comments I would probably agree. Looked good, no real story.

Use the techniques as part of a larger whole. Don't let the techniques define you. The bulk was just some guys chasing a parkour guy.

On the plus side, he was very good, and he didn't try to overact anything. None of them did.

On the minus side, it's just a teaser. There's no indication that there's a bigger story there lurking.

...But I hope there is.
 
Hy guys thanks for the great input.

Has the deadline for submission already passed? The shakiness can be smoothed-out in post.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the submitting has ended.

Did you do the airshots aswell? Or is that stock footage?
Click to expand...

It's licensed stock footage from www.thoughtequity.com.

Alcove Audio: I was reading your post with wikipedia by my side just to understand some of your comments :D. Like everything else in this shortmovie, the audio was done in a rush. There was absolutely no room for testing and everything got in from the first go. If i would do this shortmovie again i will do it completely different, and maybe 10 times better. For me there are many things that are wrong in the movie, and that i'd try to make better.

Now about the lack of story. I know, it's true. I have a huuuuge Preproduction story that unfortunately i have only in romanian but i will try and give you a part of the script story from it.

The first version of the script was actually something that could go in 10 minutes of film. And that had a story, with twists, with more character and stunt men (a roller blader and a BMX biker). The shortfilm you see here is just the beginning of that story, with some modifications. BUT. The first day of filming came. And freaking reality struck me. Having no field experience, after the 1st day of shooting i immediately realized that there is no way to make the movie with that script. So i had to cut down 80% from the original idea. After each day of filming i would go home and rewrite the script with the new stuff i learned. After each day of filming i could understand better the process so i could make better and better estimations, more realistic to say.

So the lack of story is the fault of my lack of experience, and i had to compromise just to deliver it for the contest. Now i know better.

BTW, the theme of the contest i entered with it is "Speed". Would like to know if you felt that?
 
Hey, just dropped by to tell everyone that "Urban" has been picked up by Vimeo on the category "Staff picks", and now i am on the front page (of course, with other good clips).

That means a lot for me.
 
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