This is a good looking film.

Great man, really great!

Thanks for watching guys!

Nice job ... I like it a lot

nice dude. my audio was the best haha

That was amazing. When I finish my video, I'll put it up and get your input.

EXCELLENT! Very well done film. Photography, edit, acting, everything. Thanks for posting.

Very nice, I liked it a lot. I loved how it looked.

oh it is genious! i d like waching it...
very good real/
BRAVO~!

Great work Matt! Liked it a lot

nice work man! loved it.

quick question, how did you get the shots through the tall grass to come out so smooth? steadicam?

I can't get over how awesome the movement through the grass looked. Thanks for sharing it with me!

Well done!

Thanks for sharing. Great job on editing the footage from both cameras!

Very, very nice. Extremely well done.

Nicely done Matthew!

Bravissimo! :D That was awesome!

Wow! This is really great, particular the part that sync the note to the music by the finger. What a great idea to enhance the music!

Great Job...
The music is awesome...!!

Dude, we are getting so many hits!

Very fine work...You will not be singing for your supper for very long.

I have logged your Contact Number but I am not so sure that I'm good enough for you!

Well done indeed.

Amazing!

Love how you synced the music to the video.
Unheard of for online videos.

Hey Matt! Just watched the video - great first work! The ending is a little abrupt - have you considered linking the beginning shots of the grass to the ending rather than cutting outright? A visual bookend like that could really cement your conclusion.

Your music is very intense and cinematic (was it done using a program or mixed from live instrumentals?). I'd be happy for you to do some music for our films if I could see some more of your work and get a larger feel for your style and musical personality.

very very good matt. well done.

Amazing !!

Where can I found those amazing scores?

It is interesting to finally see an HV20 short on which I can comment the artistic aspects, and not just the technical ones. Because this one HAS artistic aspects, for a change.

First of all, the editing was competent, and so was the camera work (I'm sure the fact you had two cameras helped a great deal). However, I wasn't actually pleased with the music. There was a LOT of potential on it, but I thought it was way over the top. WAY over the top. Especially on the last scene. This sort of epic, powerful, in-your-face kind of music is too exagerated, and even worse: it has become a cliche.

Although I did enjoy the way you enhanced the music, with the teacher touching the notes with his finger. That was a nice touch (pardon the pun).

The other thing that could be improved is the writing. There is no real conflict on it. It goes something like this: "Student is worried he will not get in good schools. Teacher tells him to write a musical track. He writes the track. The End".

You see? 'm sure you must know that conflict is the foundation of every story. And there is no real conflict in here. So this short becomes actually an exercise on aesthetics and cutting (in which it is extremely competent).

Besides, the first scenes, with the peer and the math teacher was completely unnecessary.

So, what I'm trying to say is that you nailed all the technical aspects of it. But you could improve in storytelling and narrative structure, and perharps coming up with a more proper ending next time. When I thought we were coming to a climax, the movie ended, and I wanted to see more of it.

So let's see what comes next. I'll eagerly await for your next project.

Oh, and before I finish this already-too-long post, just wanted to say that the DOF was too shallow for my taste, and there seemed to be enough light for you to stop down to f/4, maybe? Just wondering.

And if you could maybe PM me with some rates and prices of your scoring services, that would be good. Maybe you could score one of my projects in the future?

Cheers!


PS: Sorry the poor grammar. I'm in kind of a hurry now.

Hey there mate, that was a quick answer hehehe

Okay, then. Let's go by parts (I have the feeling my previous post was a complete mess)

1 - When I say the music has a lot of potential, I mean, it is obvious you have talent. I mean I can see you scoring movies. It was just in this particular case that I thought it was too exagerated. But when you said that "Elliot is hearing in his head rather then just scoring the film. " , that got me thinking a little.

I hadn't seen things that way, and that's a very interesting point. So maybe if you had started playing the music while Elliot wrote it, instead of while the teacher read it, that would have worked better. Yeah, that would be good. To find a way of showing that the music is Elliot's mind and vision.

2 - Now, the DOF. This is a VERY tricky thing. You are using Twoneil's right? Do you have an achomat? And what lenses did you use?

I am personally not a big fan of 35mm adapters (and I don't even have, just to be clear). The biggest problem I see in the whole dof adapter sub-culture is the fact that most people who buy 35mm adapters don't use it for anything but test footage. I'm glad to see you actually used yours for composition matters.

The other problems are the extreme softness and blur, and the VERY shallow dof. I believe that the adapter's purpose is to add a more filmic, professional quality to the footage. Simply, to make it look like film.

However, even though movies have shallow dof, it is not nearly as shallow as the dof provided by these adapters. So what do these adapters actually do? They make footage that looks extremely artificial. Not like film. That's why the aperture can't be wide open.

Unfortunately, 35mm adapters are an extremely complicated issue, hard to be discussed online. It depends on the way people use it, the lenses used on it, the way they were mounted, the ground glass quality, etc., and so the results vary greatly from user to user.

However, I am considering buying a Twoneil, if I come to the conclusion it can actually be of GOOD use for me, storytelling-wise (and I've seen some people achieve impressively sharp results).

And also, what mode did you shoot on? Cine or TV Mode?

3 - I'm anxiously waiting for your website now. Will be checking it at soon as it is online. I am probably going to spend the last half of 2009 working on a short film project I have sketched out, and music would be an essential part of it.

And of course, if you want me to take a look at your screenplay, just let me know.

But take my advices and comments with caution hehe. I'm not a professional, neither am I working in the industry. These are just the ideas and opinions of a independent filmmaker/film student (although I believe my opinions are pretty solid hahahahahaha)

I actually did use an achromat on some of the footage but i have to really start experimenting with it. Because i can achieve a less shallow depth of field with the aperture closed more but then i have to use an achromat so it does not vignette, on top of that if i use an achromat i might get chromatic aberration around the edges.

I really like the depth of field with the adapter but it really lacks sharpness unless you spend a while focusing each shot perfectly. When theres a time crunch (which there always is) its hard. Anyways, if you ever do receive info on how they achieve really sharp footage with the adapter let me know.

I actually shot the entire film in cine mode. I have heard there is a trick for full control of aperture and shutter in tv mode but i have not yet researched it. Cine mode is great for the film look because it applies a color curve on all the footage making it so there is less shadow giving it a flatter look. The reason you want flatter footage is because it allows you to be in control of the colors and shadows in post, rather then having the shadowing baked into the footage and then having it irreversible. You will find that some people hate cine mode on the HV20 because of just that and say that the other modes are sharper. Cine mode is there to allow one to have more control and takes the "camcorder" feel away from the color/lighting.

I do think the twoneil is a very good choice if you want to go for the look. Its a good solid cheap product that will get what you want.

Dont forget that even if your not in the industry, even if your not into film, the opinion counts. Im not going to only show my films to professionals, you know what I mean. If my film cant impress an average joe that knows nothing, ill never make it. You, sounding like you have some experience as well as caring about film, are valuable to the whole process. I will let you know when the site is up. Thanks for your opinions!

You suffer from chromatic aberration when you use an achromat? I haven't ever heard of this. As far as I know, the very purpose of the achromat is to decrease the aberration and the barrel distortion.

Now, regarding Cine Mode, I do agree with the freedom it gives you on CC, but I still think you should give a chance to TV Mode. The results I've seen using a 1/60 shutter speed are among the best. Besides, you could set color depth, contrast, and even sharpness to - 1, which would give you results relatively similar to Cine Mode, while still maintaining the sharpness of a 1/60 shutter.

I know TV Mode is a pain in the ass when it comes to controlling gain, but from what I've seen, the result is well worth it.

Oh, by the way, what lenses do you use?

Great story telling!

It looked great! I was quite taken with it. It felt very satisfying in a quality hollywood sort of way. Not really my thing, but it took me away and I enjoyed it.

To be honest I think the quality of the production is what got me - it was very professional feeling and so I judged it on that level, like I was watching a real film! Because it is a real film! Are you going to send it to festivals?

Thanks

that was great!
awesome score and the filming is very cinematic.

I think the music and the whiteboard was great. Here is any idea for a different ending. If you could have a few shots of an orchestra in the whiteboard sequence then have the teacher rush to make photocopies followed by a running to interrupt an orchestra in rehearsal... Perhaps the teacher can make some comment about having to leave for a rehearsal because they're having problems with a piece that isn't working....

Look forward to seeing more of your work!

Another thing. On your Music Mentality website you should change the code so when people bookmark your home page it say "Music Mentality" not "Home". You'll see it in the code just after "title". (I couldn't put in the less than and greater than signs in the post).

That was sweet dude

hey that was awesome!

You've got the ants running thru my back! :) That finger play of teacher is great!

Great short.
Not only good and virtuose but full of sensitivity.
Technical problems are surpassed by the script and the emotion.
Sorry for my bad english.

SHOCKING ME with THIS !!!
SO encouraging and I hope to SEE THE BIG MOVIE later.

MAY GOD Bless you guys all the WAY !!!

Raglan Siu
flickr.com/raglansiu
HONG KONG

fabulous, Matt! Keep it up! Don't forget us along the way!

Great film! Very enjoyable to watch. Thanks for posting!

good look to the film, liked it. Real shame though about the samples though, especially those double bass stabs. but we all wish we could have live players!

Great work! I really like it

This was an excellent film. I liked the difference in characters between the math and music teacher it felt very real. Great soundtrack!

I love this film. Can I come to you guys whenever I need a film scored? cause you do damn good work.

I love it! Perfect!

i think i am in love with this concept.

Very nicely done - well structured, shot, edited, and scored.