"Isolated" - Short Film (Finished)

That was sick! I really liked it.

That was pretty cool. It definitely grabbed my attention and kept me interested.

the grading was perfect, very nice look to the film. I liked the shots and the story. I just couldnt get passed the editing. Everything else looked so well done and the editing looked very amateur. The cuts to black just kill me and also the fade to blacks. Just cutting those out would make this look much more solid.

Thanks for that.

I agree with the non linear path, I liked that decision a lot. People underestimate the power of a normal cut. The cut to black was there as a pattern to remind the viewer of a change in chronology, I get that. With a straight cut to the past without the black, you would have no more editing pattern but your story is clear enough that we know its in the past without needing a symbol like the black or a dream color like some lame films do.

To make what I just said simple: I would just remove the cut to black from the film and simply cut straight to the different part in time. No fancy editing no effect, no black. Just cut from present to past. One subtle thing you can do is let the shot linger a little bit before cutting to the past. sort of showing that the present scene is done and its now going into the past.


As for the bandaid fades to black. I completely get that it happens sometimes. I would say keep it as a normal shot, no effect. Or just blur it with a blur filter as if hes semi concious. Make it subtle and dont change the intensity of it. Just keep it classy, I think it could be better. If you make it look like it is soft focused with the lens, its gonna look natural and it wont jump out for anyone.

And again, I loved the grading! how complex was your grading and what software did you use. It looks really pro and you really got the best out of the dynamic range of the red cams. How much more flexible is that thing in post?

Amazing. The cinematography was beautiful!

Thanks man, I really appreciate your thoughts.

For the black slugs, I think I'll try a cut with out them and see how it works out. I guess in my head I can't picture it without them - probably because I've been working on this for so long.

For color grading, the RED is insane in terms of color depth. I started with a rough color correction in REDcine-X, then edited the raw footage in CS6 premiere. I tried to grade in in Speedgrade but couldn't getted it to work. I then exported as ProRes 422, then recut it in FCP7 (ugh!). Then graded in Magic Bullet Looks. I didn't use a ton of filters. I can upload a screenshot of my general setup if you'd like.

looked good man! definitely liked the grading. like mentioned before, i just wasn't a fan of the cut to black. i think if you just close that gap it will still work. i think that is the beauty of cinema is that even tho something seems so obscure at first, if done well. it will all tie into the end and your brain will put the pieces together.

It was interesting but it didn't really capture me. The key to maintaining an audiences attention is giving us a character to care about. It was a cool idea, a character in an interesting situation. But he never did anything that made me care about him. At the end of the story I just thought "okay" I wasn't worried about who got shot, neither of those two mattered to me.

I know it's far too late for this kind of advice for this film in particular but next time you make something you really need to get down to the roots of what makes a film worth watching, story. An even more sophisticated and powerful approach would've been to give us a background for both characters that we, as an audience, could relate to or sympathize with. In doing this we would've been left at a cliffhanger with swirling emotions wanting MORE.

The cinematography didn't quite do it for me either. One thing that bugged the hell out of me, which I suppose was a personal opinion, was the static full shot of him getting up while he was first in the desert. It was so utterly bland and uncaptivating in contrast to such a life changing event in your main characters life. Use your cinematography as a tool to encapsulate emotion, to draw your viewer into the emotions the subject is experiencing. That shot is just one example.

You did some great things too though. A little detail that worked nicely was covering the drivers eyes with the shade from whatever that sun-blocker-mirror-holder thing is. It dehumanized him in a really sophisticated way in the last moments the main character spent with him. You also took full technical control of a very powerful and complicated camera which was undeniably impressive.

Those were just a couple initial thoughts, there's obviously more that could be improved and much more you did well. Congrats on the film though!

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the critiques.

Thats some good advice! i was wanting to shoot my short as well as direct because obviously no one has the same thing in mind as you do as far as performance, but i have a friend who i might have be my DP because we have similar shooting styles and i can just focus on the performances.

Yeah for sure. We'll see what happens. If you can get your friend to DP it to your style, I'd really recommend it.

very nice!

Opps, didnt post the link