Trash Day(2011)-short action film

[ScubaStevo99]

This is a short film I made for a school contest. I spend a lot of time and effort on it and I would like to know what you guys think. It tells the story of an ordinary man finding something sinister on trash day. Thanks. It did win btw.



[Edited so link works properly]

[TimStannard]

Congrats on the win - well done.
A few comments (which you're probably aware of)
1. There was no evidence of the bullets hitting the car or surrouding areas at the beginning: it's all very well doing the FX of the muzzle flash but you need the other end of it if i's to be at all convincing.
2. Try to avoid auto exposure or you get "bloom" - for example 1:10. Also many shot's really needed to be (manually) exposed for the subject rather than the "average" that auto exposure uses.
3. Terrible wind noise around 1:30
4.Tripod in shot 1:26!
5. Dirty lens evident at 1:54

[Midnight Blue]

Well done for winning.

The points Tim mentioned are all things to address, also
The white balance was off on the inside shots, too orangey and the outside shots too blue, you should have done a white balance on the camera for each lighting type. I'm guessing you just used full auto everything. For your next movie try practising using the manual settings it will help you get better shots. For example the under exposure on the last shot it looked like night time but only seconds earlier it was day light, so this throws out the continuity. I'm sure your going to tell me by then it was getting late in the day and the light was fading. Yes, I know that.

A little tip in the action fight sequence don't do the defensive move before the attacking move has started, it just looks unreal. Another thing that looked unreal was putting the paper bag in the trash can. Would you normally put an empty paper bag in the trash like that. My main gripe was the very beginning, what was the purpose of it, shooting the car etc. It didn't fit with the rest of the movie. Making a movie is like telling a story it's not just about playing with After Effects. Well I suppose it could be but it shouldn't be, in my view.

It's not the worst of this type of movie I seen so well done and keep at it.


You had some good ideas like the shot of the feet lifting off the ground at 2:15. I guess the shitting a brick gag was funny.

[rollingstock]

well i lasted 43 seconds, i don't care how big your trying to make this it's a massive epic fail to have double production house titles, surely the audience is not that stupid. my small advice and believe me I know nothing about the tube is drop any intro titles if your after maximum suck in effect

it's take it or leave it advice

[optheatre]

I have to say Rollingstock you've got no stamina but you're right. It was 55secs in before the story starts which is nearly a quarter of your film.

I watched the whole thing but have nothing more to add that Tim didn't already say except the music was just way to epic to match the sequence. The effects were good but yes, you can't just do half of it you have to do the whole thing smoke bullet holes, muzzle flash, shrapnel, debris, jolting the car... or it just doesn't work. All or nothing.

I liked the cold colour balance which I'm guessing was probably done in post as it looks like it was all filmed in Auto. Well done for winning, for a school project you've obviously invested a lot of time and I hope learned a lot from it.