MANIFEST DESTINY on Vimeo

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1. MANIFEST DESTINY

4 months ago

Every time I find myself the recipient of one of these late night phone calls, tramping through some back alley behind another dark abandoned warehouse . . . Stuttering another secret password. . . Entering another hastily constructed operating room. . . Scalpel in hand, performing another indescribable procedure . . . I see another pair of eyes . . . By now in the hundreds . . . Staring . . . Whenever I try to sleep . . . Another member of an unenviable audience. . . Asking a painfully simple question for which I have no answer . . . Why . . .
Cranston says I need to “detach”. I suppose he’s right. I can no longer bear their judgment. I leave them here. . . On the table . . . As I scribble my signature on the confidentiality agreement, I leave them to their fate . . . I say goodbye . . .

Canon HV30, JAG35pro, FCE4, Garageband, JES deinterlacer, Red Giant Quicklooks
Nominated for Octocon's Golden Blaster Award

Credits

245 Likes

Mike McMullan
2 days ago
Mike Ferrara
5 days ago
Dave Navarro
7 days ago
Jonathan Clarke
8 days ago
adam thies
10 days ago
Josh Kates
11 days ago
Jon Albaugh
12 days ago
Eric Ulbrich
13 days ago
Peter Szabo
13 days ago
Davis Cox
20 days ago
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Eugenia Loli-Queru 4 months ago

Great work, congrats!! I added it to a few channels for more people to see it and I will do a blog post about it too.

Any chance you will let us download the originally uploaded file? I would love to watch this with my husband on the couch, on our HDTV, via our PS3.
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

Thank you so much for the comment and adding it to other channels. I also made the file available for download. Thanks again!!!
Eugenia Loli-Queru 4 months ago

Got it, thanks! Interesting that you shot it in 30p instead of PF24 btw.
MisaGarcia 4 months ago

Great Job Guys, very impressive, I was gonna say the same thing as Eugenia, so Thanks for allowing us to download it, wanted to showcase it on our HDTV as well, we featured it on the Jag35 homepage.
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

Thanks so much. We looked at all the affordable DOF adapter options out there. The JAG35pro was the only real option in our book and it didn't let us down.
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

We actually shot it in 24p in TV mode 1/48, used JES deinterlacer, edited it in final cut express at 23.97 and exported it at 30 frames/sec. 24 frames/sec looked to jerky on export. Canon FD 1.8 50mm was the only lens we used. Thanks again to Jehu and his amazing JAG35pro!!!!
David H 4 months ago

Saw this on Jag35 Front Page. Looks sweet. I just got mines last week. This is great inspiration. What camera and lens are you using?
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

Canon HV30, Canon FD 1.8
Richard Hunt 4 months ago

Nice vid but you HAVE to change that titling. Gradient AND lens flare... not the best look.
Ricky Cook 4 months ago

I liked the title. The whole film was great, nice job. I have the same setup and you really inspired me to make something great.
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

Glad to hear it. Thanks for the comment, brother. The HV30 is a great camera. Paired with the JAG, you can't go wrong.
Richard Hunt 4 months ago

I just meant the gradient and the lens flare is a little "Photoshop Elements" and doesn't match the really nice photography. Very convincing set too, was there a decent budget or did you just have a skill for pulling things together? :)
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

No offense taken, dude. I know what you meant. Anybody who has ever used photoshop knows this. And the budget was quite small. We built the set in my garage and bought medical stuff from ebay.
Brennan L. 4 months ago

I was just going to comment on the lensflare title, you beat me to it.

I will agree to the "nice vid" though.

Well done.
Alvin 4 months ago

Good work.. From start to finish.. can we get a part 2 of this..lol
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

Thanks man. Glad you liked it.
Justin Ho 4 months ago

Nice!
Alp Allen Altiner 4 months ago

Well done guys !
paramon 4 months ago

awesome work!
Zombelious 4 months ago

So...are you a Lost fan?
Great stuff you've got here, by the way. Keep it up.
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

Neither on of us has watched that show. Why?
Zombelious 4 months ago

There's an episode called Manifest Destiny and one of the characters on the show frequently says 'brother' like you did in an earlier comment. Not to mention the way you mixed reality and sci-fi in a very believable way, which is something that goes on all the time in Lost. :P
It just seems like you guys would have watched it.
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

I gotcha-brother. Thanks for the kind words. If you're interested, our inspiration for this short were movies like The Thing(1982), The Body Snatchers(1977), The Fly(1986), you know, 70's and 80's sci-fi/horror.
Blading Blackout 4 months ago

I like this very much! The suits the guys are wearing are radiation looks like. The masks look very futuristic. This is very cool.
adson_silva 4 months ago

oh my god !!!!
you`re crazy, man !!!
what is this ????
simply bravo, bravo, bravíssimo !!!!!!
uau!
no words here !!!
bravíssimo.
perfeito !!!!

perfeito !!!!
oh my god !!!!
you`re crazy, man !!!
what is this ????
simply bravo, bravo, bravíssimo !!!!!!
uau!
no words here !!!
bravíssimo.
perfeito !!!!

perfeito !!!!
williamleals 4 months ago

O:
Joe Young 4 months ago

very nice!
jehu Garcia 4 months ago

guess the only thing left to say is, You working on a sequel right?
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

don't worry. we're working on another project.
tech2005 4 months ago

bravo! short and thoughtful!
Brennan L. 4 months ago

Around 2:28, he removes a Cheeto covered in Jell-o.

Like I said above, well done.
Sunny Thaper 4 months ago

Great work!!
Maxim Alexander 4 months ago

Excellent. Where are you guys located?
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

Fountain Valley, CA
Paul Simpson 4 months ago

Great stuff!!! really enjoyed that one.
UXXV Media 4 months ago

Great vid!

Only a couple of comments.

1. The stereo sound at the start when he's moving around is a bit odd sounding, staging wise.

2. The photoshop title as mentioned above isnt as slick as the video itself.

3. The clock is in shot during the movie in the background but when its on close up its gone back in time (I think) ?

Bar that, fantastic stuff!
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

Hey thanks for the comments. We appreciate your honesty.
Sidney Manuel 4 months ago

Great job guys! That was fantastic, you guys should put this in festivals. (Spoiler)The alien was a complete shock to me. One of the best short films I have seen. You have to do some more stuff.....I want more!
Darrell and Doug Waters 4 months ago

Wow. Thanks a lot. We plan to enter some festivals, but this is our first film and are not sure how to do all that stuff yet. Thanks again!
Sidney Manuel 4 months ago

Very impressive first film!
K J 3 months ago

wow, a friend showed me this link, and i was stunned at how amazing everything was! great work!!
Kevhead101 3 months ago

That was great!!! The cinematography, shot setup, props, color grading, music and acting all made for a very cool viewing experience!!!! Thanks guys, hope there is more in the works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This gives me alot of inspiration!!!!!!! Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!
Bbcversus Bogdan 3 months ago

Impressive and powerful!! Great job guys!!
Very well done, with the setup, the makeup, the atmosphere, loved it! And ofc blogged it! :D
makemassair 3 months ago

Video was well done. Set the scene nicely. Looked good too.

But it was sad with the alien crying. :(

Top work thou!
Tom Dowser 3 months ago

Nice work, very Area 51'ish.....
Tom Guilmette 3 months ago

well done. loved the dolly moves and shot selection. very real.
Darrell and Doug Waters 3 months ago

The dolly was a DIY made out of 2x4s, it ran on an track made out of sheet metal from Home Depot and wheels from Harbor Freight. Doug then built a Bluetooth wirelessly operated motor controller and wrote a program to operate the dolly. We then attached the motor to the dolly with a pipe strap and used a Dr. Scholls gel insert to dampen the vibration.
Jasn Shadx 3 months ago

Homemade dolly operated by a custom programmed bluetooth controller? That's as impressive as the movie!

Good Stuff!
Clint Byrne 3 months ago

Yea that might be the most impressive thing I have ever read on vimeo did you take behind the scenes video of that!
I also wanted to say great short especially for first timers, I have seen people work for years and not come close to making something with the quality in this.
And you only used the one lense the dof looked very good, How hard was it to light this with the Jag on the camera?
I saw the sample that Jehu did with this camera and it looked great I was very impressed, and I don't think he did any special lighting.
I would love to see more from you guys.
Darrell and Doug Waters 3 months ago

Thanks for the comments. The lighting was all done with halogen spot and flood lights from Home Depot. I used the halogen white balance setting and locked the exposure. As far as using the jag35, I suggest attaching it to your camera and just forget it's on there. Use the camera and the jag35 as a whole. That's when it all came together for me. All the zooms done in the film were done in post because you can't zoom with the jag35 installed. Hope this helps.

-Darrell
Tweaky 3 months ago

Just saw it, very nice work! I'm wondering if it would be better (or worse) if the paragraph above would have been a voice over on the video itself.

FYI, io9.com linked to it: io9.com/5331072/the-creepiest-surgery-scene-in-the-world
Darrell and Doug Waters 3 months ago

Actually, the paragraph was originally intended as narration for the intro. We felt the character on the radio was a cooler way to introduce the movie instead of the standard narration typically done. So we used the original narration Doug wrote as kind of a companion piece in place of a true synopsis to the film and give the viewer insight to the feelings of the main character.
Tweaky 3 months ago

Somehow the line about being detached seems to fit with the the discovery at the end. Maybe not the whole narration, but a modification of it. Dunno, brings out the (literal?) humanity of it out perhaps.

Anyway, again congrats!
Allaun Silverfox 3 months ago

I'd love to see a actual movie based on this idea. That a person has been coerced into doing operations on a sentient being. And having to deal with moral implications of this. I can envision the whole thing. A doctor that has no connections to any big hospital, no publications, nothing. Just a regular guy in a small town suddenly pulled from his normal life and forced to do things he abhors. He can't tell his friends, his family, no one. And the people he works with could care less. If he tries to appeal to their better nature they just shrug and tell him to shut up. They are just doing a job, like a veterinarian putting a animal down. If not a film, at least a novel.
Tiago Tepasse 3 months ago

muito bom
John Vaughan 3 months ago

Guys Superb film, really caught my eye ...is there a way of contacting you ...I represent Octocon the national Science Fiction Convention here in Ireland ...we are starting a film festival dedicated to the Science Fiction Short in October and have a list of selected nominees however after seeing your short , we would like to include your film....let me know if you are interested
Sharto Pagan 3 months ago

just watched the film....got the link from Cinematical cinematical.com/2009/08/11/watch-this-manifest-destiny
very good....liked the visuals...Being a budding writer/filmmaker myself, i'm still trying to figure things out..i read a lot of books and taken a few courses...is there any chance that you guys would release what i call the "recipe" for the film..i.e. the ingredients: cameras, stock,software,etc...
Alex Conrado 3 months ago

Congratulations. Excellent work.
jehu Garcia 3 months ago

Watch Interview with Darrell & Doug! blog.jag35.com/2009/08/interview-w-darrell-doug-waters.html
Steven Adams 3 months ago

Fantastic!!!!!
Matt Stapleton 3 months ago

I watched this several times and didn't even think of the zooms until I read your above mentioning them being done in post. The zoom at the end is awesome and that shot is my favorite shot. I too have a Jag 35 and I haven't even though of using zoom in post.

Great job. I hope to make a short soon, you have been an inspiration.
Azeem Baig 3 months ago

Unbelievable, great job! You can take delete the 'Amateur filmmakers' from your profile because that looks very PROFESSIONAL.
ALpine 2 months ago

Just wanted to say.....WOW...... my coment will be the same as the rest! Awesome... keep them coming!! very good camera work. thank you for posting!
Santino Cabrales 2 months ago

i really enjoyed this one. nicely done. can't wait to make some magic like this with my hf-s100. again, GREAT job!
Jordan Rodriguez 2 months ago

Looks pro...nice work I saw the video on the Jag 35 website...I'm a bit hesitant to do the mod to flip the screen...a quick question do did you do it yourself or did you send your camera in...just wanna know how careful they handle the camera and how fast they do it...thanks...and i really enjoyed the video...
Darrell and Doug Waters 2 months ago

I have not done the flip yet. I use a seperate monitor. You can trust the Jag35 guys, we know them personally and they will do a good job for you. Thanks for the kind words.
Jake Woolf 2 months ago

the thing i found kind of annoying (no offense, just my emotional reaction) was that EVERY SHOT had a shallow DoF. I understand the Jag 35 is cool, but its ok to have more than one thing in focus for each shot. it made it hard to differentiate between anyone of anything cause only a foot depth wise was in focus for each shot. overall tho, good work fellas, impressive determination to make this film.
Darrell and Doug Waters 2 months ago

No offense taken, my brother. Thanks for the comments.
Jarrett Shaw 2 months ago

dope. I like it.
Trey Cook 1 month ago

wow! nice film; and the use of audio really made this one for me. Made me jump at the end. Very cool.
sevenevez 1 month ago

hv30? holy crap. this was GREAT!
Darrell and Doug Waters 1 month ago

Holy crap. We're glad you liked it.
Nick Torres 1 month ago

Hey guys. This was awesome. It was pretty cool reading that you guys made this set in your garage, pretty inspirational to those interested in DIY! I have one question... What kind of external screen do you use to focus your shots? I'm thinking of getting a JAG pretty soon and was wondering whether or not I should just go for the Flip Hack or an external lcd screen.
Darrell and Doug Waters 1 month ago

Glad to be an inspiration! I used a 19" lcd monitor with an hdmi to vga cable. I then flipped the monitor upside-down and propped it up on a cardboard box on the floor. I would recommend getting the flip hack if you are going to be doing a lot of hand held shots or outside shooting where lugging around a big monitor would be cumbersome. Hope this helps.
Nick Torres 30 days ago

Hey, another thing, How the hell did you make that Alien? It looked very, very real!
Darrell and Doug Waters 30 days ago

We didn't make it. Doug bought it off Ebay. It originally came from an FX shop in Hollywood but they quit making them years ago. She was pretty beat up when we got her and we had to repaint and glue some of her back together. We made the eyes out of spoons painted black and rubbed them with vegetable oil to make them shiny. The tear was ordinary dish soap.
Dr.Ake 24 days ago

This is seriously one of the best films on vimeo. Should be a staff pic.
Darrell and Doug Waters 24 days ago

Hey man, thanks for the kind words. We really appreciate it.
Dr.Ake 24 days ago

BTW...whats the JES deinterlacer do? Im an amateur flm maker.
Todor Arnaudov 19 days ago

Good job!
Chris Kosho 18 days ago

Whoa!!! my laptop's screen turned off (power save feature) right as the alien woke up, it freaked me out!
David Lynn 14 days ago

I have to get the Canon HV30. Right now I use the GL2 for the low light capabilities and managed to do a ton of effects with it, but clearly the HV30 is the way to go.
Ric Austin 3 days ago

I cant believe I am just seeing this! Great job guys! We are preparing to buy the JAG35 for our setup as well, but that adaptor didnt make this movie- You guys did. Very well put together, I hope to see more from you- and I hope you see OUR stuff some day too! Haha