#nothing belongs to me except the setup and renders

[boueibu-and-budgies]

Been experimenting in Blender lately and I found out how to make objects light up and how to make a mirror and I'm so happy even with little result

I'll add a dome tomorrow bc I gotta sleep

[legionofpotatoes]

alright here’s ma thoughts on that flick I mentioned

we hatewatched a*my of the dead because we were CONVINCED “zombies in las vegas” would be an impossible concept to screw up, but in so assuming we obviously invoked a holy wager with the universe and got reminded, once again, that hoping for improvement from someone who’s dependably put out bad art is never a wise choice 😐

but we were honestly kinda roped in by the marketing??? and expected a goofy fast-paced flick with the odd traditional undead metaphor thrown in, framing some sort of relationship drama maybe or hell even nothing at all! we’d have taken pure indulgent storytelling, idk italian job with zombies in las vegas, I don’t know fucking anything but??? whatever this was???? spoilers below for it is time for One Of My Rants

I mean the main reason I really want to write all this and complain. this film here probably has the most unappealing cinematography I have ever experienced in my life and that is saying something. who the fuck signed off on that CONSTANT shallow-ass depth of field that imprisons your eyeline and turns every shot into bokeh paste???? and I mean every shot almost!!!! I promise if you think I am overreacting just throw a dart at the seek bar and watch twenty seconds from wherever it lands. it is horrifying to look at. at least it gave my girlfriend a good visual shorthand for what it’s like when I lose my glasses

why was sean spicer in this movie. did they pay him to be here. was sean spicer paid hollywood money for his scene in this film because fuck everyone who was involved in that decision

the legitimately baffling hints at the extraterrestrial origins of the infection that went absolutely nowhere and had no dramatic or plot-level bearing. we love to see the franchise sprouts fellas

yet another big budget waste of everything hiroyuki sanada has to offer. and bautista too I guess? I like him but man was this an odd career move

what was the crux of his conflict/resolution with his daughter btw. I understand it was rooted in miscommunication over their forms of grief irt mom but uhh… it was all rather clunky and didn’t land for me. I tried I really tried to buy in but something was wrong fundamentally with the groundwork there, it did not click and their catharsis felt unearned. I know there’s massive amounts of tragic baggage being projected there from the author so I’m not slapping any judgment down really;

but again it would be an easy thing to wave off if they just had a vibrant cast of lovable simpletons with good chemistry and the kinetic sense of plotting the trailers promised (and this premise never discounts good drama, either). but instead it was just two and a half (!) hours of meandering into situations the filmmaking instincts had no idea how to flow in and out of

to wit. I know talking about “bad pacing” is associated with armchair bullshit but consider the example of the scene were dieter does an out of nowhere little dance after childishly screaming but then still-killing a zombie, with the film framing this as a micro character triumph, and not a second later the bg soundtrack instantly fades into an orchestral score dramatizing a nearby mcguffin reveal, completely 180 degreeing the tone without a semblance of deft insert shot stitching or even I dont know a fucking jump cut maybe. now imagine this whiplash for 2.5 hrs uninterrupted

I will keep complaining about the length yeah because this was not a story requiring this much real estate to be told. Uhh in my humble and personal opinion, of course

[man sees zombie tiger] “this is crossing the line!” you can in fact write dialogue that is not utter nonsense that falls apart once you drill down its single fickle layer of referential meta winking. what line are you talking about. you have rules in this insane situation you’re in? total nitpick moment I know but it got burned in my brain for some reason. like a microcosm of the mismanaged dramatic instincts paired with weird writing that dots this movie. I am sure the director calls this either satire or genre deconstruction. I am SO sure

tumblr domino meme that goes from “dude getting sucked off while driving” to “entire las vegas literally nuked”

tig notaro is always great to see but once you know she’s been filmed as a separate greenscreen plate months after photography wrapped - cause she had to apparently replace some abusive asshole but that’s a whole other pig not worth fucking - it becomes impossible to unsee her odd detachment from everyone else in the movie lmao. it doesn’t really “ruin” anything on its lonesome but it is hard to unsee

why. was. sean. spicer. in. this. movie

a very simple key ingredient missing from fully turning lip service sympathy for main uruk hai dude into actual empathy that would generate meaningful conflict with hero family would be to spend a bit more time articulating what he internally wanted the most. because he was obviously trying to do something here with pointed agenda. a family, to have kids, build a caste system, save his wife’s head, return to his planet??? all of these could represent the bigger context in his psychology that spurred his vengeance but none of them are dramatically emphasized long enough for you to cheer him on. I’m not asking too much I promise. Articulating interiority of a mute character is pretty doable with deft cinema language, just gotta linger and hold a shot here and there for a few seconds, frame as his POV, donezo. I know this is also one of those like. “who cares” moments but the movie does, very evidently so, in making this guy an actual character. you can kinda piece it together and create a framework of sympathy for him, sure, but then again he ultimately becomes a foil to be killed and not defeated, so. Ehh whatever

quarantine zone stuff was not a wildly childish covid allegory quarantine zone stuff was not a wildly childish covid allegory quarantine zone stuff was n

the rooftop helicopter fakout at the end was such an ass-backwards, manufactured moment of what could be a simple setup/payoff it just pissed me off??? you gain nothing by giving sad dad five seconds of pointless crisis that flips right back to previous status quo ANYWAY, except for a weaksauce waste of runtime, which could be used instead to get inside notaro’s head and actually SHOW the remorse form as she took off, literally maybe even a frown playing on her face as she’s headed for safety right before we cut back to drax and the kid. just a simple-ass, minimal, momentary setup for what is the most basic filmmaking trick of creating macro catharsis moments. Just???? g o d if you can’t even land that shit why are you even doing any of this

that lil run final pam did was very very charming and super choreographed in a way that was the tiiiniest bit overdone

the whole intro with the simul-backstories and posing with family photos was just… oddly motivated. what was the goal? “here’s what we’re fighting for” vignettes? why? it’s not a functional setup in that vein. what was all that

also I am sorry if this is insensitive but the reasons most characters end up articulating to justify going back into the hell that destroyed their lives makes them sound seriously insane

I dont like complaining about CGI (honestly) but so much of it in modern movies can achieve higher fidelity if the animation is simply subdued. Do not overengineer and over-apply 2D cell methodologies and kinematics to each tiny twitch and movement in a hyper 3D model and I promise you. it will look a thousand times more natural. look at thanos in those last two movies. your rendering and detail are absolutely perfect with the tiger you just have to let stuff sit instead of constantly simulating swaying hair strands and firing off all facial muscles at once. great moment at one point where makeup zombie horse and CG zombie tiger are both in one shot together and just by unnecessary amounts of movement alone you can tell who doesn’t belong. again; detail, rendering, compositing, lighting, all picture-perfect; but y’all just gotta let the animation breathe sometimes, and chill it out

plot holes don’t really matter to me but it was kinda funny how lilly decided not to mention the enormous wrinkle in intel pertaining to an actual territorial tribe of intelligent zombies that require human offerings to let you pass, just so that reveal could play out in real time through the joyous punishment of the cartoonishly misogynistic dude

total chad move for mister uruk hai and final pam to rule from a rusted swimming pool complex

the ending with vanderohe oh my god. with the. cash stacks at the airport register. and specifically them working in his favor. that is literally something you do to get arrested under suspicion of theft. it was almost played for laughs and I respect that. coulda been goofier. make these movies goofy ya dorks

anyway, weird, weird movie. bad marketing. message unclear (something something sins of the father???), baffling editing instincts, literal worst-looking cinematography I ever laid eyes upon. Confidently dying on that last hill

[hoodie-lover]

My Multiverse

Error was wandering through a large empty AU, something that was very uncommon. It put him on edge, why would Ink make an empty AU? It was quiet as the anti-void, but it was just a large desolate valley, the colors were bland and pale, and the sun, though it shined, was bleak and dim. Error was attracted to the AU because Nightmare said he felt a strange aura coming from it and he couldn’t enter it, so Error was sent out to investigate. 

Error was passing over a surprisingly tall hill, surprising in height and the fact it even exists in such a wasteland, he saw a small cottage. It was quaint and cute, small yellow bricks, a wooden door, strong roof, and a large chimney puffing out smoke. Curious as to who could be living there, he teleported to the house and knocked on the door. 

It opened slowly, creaking and squeaking every second the rusty hinges moved. Thoroughly creeped out, Error was torn on whether he should enter the house, but heard a large crash and decided to investigate. The house was dark, almost no light except from a few windows tucked up into the corners of the kitchen and living room. It was very rustically decorated, old and rusty metal dishes and silverware were sloppily set out on a wobbly table. 

Another loud crash came from upstairs, and Error bolted up. That was when he saw a large ornate fireplace, velvet chairs, animal skin rugs, and paintings of a large array of Sanses, almost two to every wall. Error saw two china vases on the floor, shattered to pieces. Ink was standing there, heaving and shaking. He began to scream and tear the paintings and other expensive vases to shreds. Error had no idea what was going on, but he was scared, he had only seen Ink this mad when the fought, and even then, it was rarely this bad. 

Error decided to slowly leave Ink to his own devices, assuming the AU was made so Ink would have a nice place to vent his anger. Error was slowly backing up, not taking his eyes off of Ink for one moment, until he bumped into something, or rather, someone.  Turning his head ever so slightly, he saw Dream, Ink’s number two. Well crap. 

Dream grabbed Error by his shoulders and dragged him towards Ink, posture perfect and grip horrifyingly tight. Ink looked at Dream, and then his eye drifted onto Error, and a wicked smile spread across his face. His eyes were a bright red, the color of rage, and blood. 

He was thrown onto one of the chairs, and cuffs locked him onto the chair, hands far away from his eyes, rendering his strings, his main and only weapon, useless. Twas only now that he saw Dream’s eyelights, were gone. He recoiled and snuck a glance at Ink, he was slouching in the chair, resting his head on his fist. 

“Why don’t you tell me why you’re here?” Ink had asked, eyeing him carefully.  Error was shaking from the fear. 

“I-I-I was c-curious...” Error stuttered, looking for a way to get out of this situation. 

“I see, I see. Well, why don’t you stay for a while, I’ve been plenty bored recently?” Ink asked, his eyes locking with Error’s expectantly. 

“I’d really love to, but I have to get back to my...puppets! I need to finish some of them.” Error lied, praying to whoever could hear him to save him from Ink, but as he expected no one came. 

“You won’t be. I’m keeping you here until you’re boring.” Ink stated, getting up from his chair and walking over to Error. 

“What’re you going to do?” Error asked, and Ink snapped his fingers, but nothing happened.

Ink donned a puzzled look, and snapped his fingers several more times. Nothing happened. Ink snapped his fingers one more time and Dream collapsed. Error was startled by this, but Ink just seemed more confused. Dream got up, dizzy and clearly disoriented. 

“What happened?” He asked, unaware of what’s been going on. “Where are we Ink, why is Error tied up like this. Why are your eyes red?!” Dream cried out, shaking as he backed away. 

Ink snapped his fingers once again and Dream’s arms were pinned to his side by invisible bonds, or that was the closest analogy to the scene beside Error. 

“What are you doing?!” Dream screamed, trying to break free, even shedding a few tears. “Answer me!” He screamed again, before Ink snapped his fingers again. Dream’s mouth snapped close, causing him to thrash and squirm more so than he normally did. 

“You were always so loud and squirmy, no wonder I keep you as a huck most of the time.” Ink reflected, causing Error to shriek. 

“You WHAT?!” Error exclaimed, almost rebooting from the mix of rage, disgust, horror, and confusion. 

“Oh, I see. You don’t know~.” Ink chimed. “I can control and puppet people around, just like you can. But I don’t need any silly strings, I can do it with a snap of my fingers,” Ink snapped his fingers for emphasis and Dream was allowed to speak and screamed in pain. “But I can do it with a simple thought.” Ink continued, and Dream stopped screaming, now sweating profusely. 

“But it seems that you glitches and alternate classic timelines, have a resistance, or just an immunity. The worst thing I can give you is a migraine.” Ink elaborated, and Error was shocked. All those times that they had splitting headaches and migraines, that was Ink trying to control them? What about Nightmare, Cross and Fresh? Was this a setup done by Ink? Did Nightmare actually care about them? Or was Ink just stringing them along only to break their hearts? 

“It’s fun to watch you question everything you know.” Ink giggled as he snapped his fingers once again, and Dream’s eyelights went out once again. He pointed towards the downstairs area and without a second of hesitation, Dream walked off, completely rigid and frozen. Ink laughed at the scene before him and then looked back at Error. 

“But it seems my blabbermouth has let you know far too much Glitchy~. It seems that I need to use, alternate methods other than memory erasure.” Ink stated, and opened up a viewing portal, showing Cross, Fresh, and Nightmare all standing stiff, rigid, and eyes blank. 

“Spill anything, and I’ll dust them. And if you let me mess with your code, I won’t kidnap them and torture them.” Ink told him, smiling a creep smile. 

Error thought about it long and hard for a few moments, he 

“F-fine. Just don’t hurt them, don’t make me hurt them.” Error begged, his knees shaking. 

“There’s something called a reputation. No one currently knows I can manipulate code as well as I can. If you start killing your housemates people’ll be suspicious as to why I lied.” Ink said matter-of-factly, and Error breathed a sigh of relief. 

It was at that moment dream walked up with a small cup in hand, he handed it to Ink and with a dismissive wave of his hand, Dream walked off. 

“Our deal goes into effect now, drink this to knock yourself out so the transitions will be easier and I won’t have to hear you scream as I mess with your soul.” Ink told Error, holding out the drink to him.

Error took the cup and downed the whole thing in one gulp. It tasted like chocolate and caramel, but it was very bitter as well as sweet. A wave of dizziness hit him and be passed out soon after, Ink’s sadistic laugh sending him off to dreamland, and he didn’t know when he would wake up.

Next

Characters belong to their respective owners

[elijahbowlingtv]

BTS / / FATHER’S DAY 2013 / / June 16, 2013

 In June 2013, I produced my first ever solo film. My mom had just bought my sister the original Canon Rebel T1i, and while it obviously took amazing photos, I was amazed the cinematic quality of its video capabilities – given the fact that I had never even seen a DSLR camera before. I started my film career way back in 2011, using old hand-me-down pink Pentax Optio E60 that belonged to my mom. So as you might expect, I was mesmerized when I first experienced DSLR video. This was of course a no-budget film, but the results were a fairly exceptional final product.

 CONCEPT //

The concept was really a seasonal thing, that originated a year earlier. Around Father’s Day in 2012, I wanted to produce a film to be played in church. I pictured a group of children creating this huge sign reading “Happy Father’s Day”, to obviously show appreciation to Father’s. I saved the idea and scheduled to shoot in the spring of the following year.

I love filming creative environments. The children in the film (also known as my siblings) are very artistic. Watching them collaborate and unleash their minds out on paper was mind-blowing in a sense. They didn’t however just scribble and go nuts as most children do – they wanted to do it right and pursue excellence. Something I kept note of.

Their motives actually inspired the song choice for this film. I chose the song “Do Everything” by Steven Curtis Chapman, because it conveys the same idea, especially in the chorus. It also speaks briefly about Fathers as well, so that was a plus for the concept as well. The song also just seemed to fit the environment – giving a vibe that’s unexplainably suitable for children.

 GEAR //

Okay, now to the gear (a HUGE step up from previous projects).

 1X Canon Rebel T1i

1X Canon 18-55mm Stock Lens

1X Canon 55-250mm Stock Zoom Lens

1X Canon 5D Mark I

1X Canon 8-15mm Fisheye Lens

1X GoPro Hero2

 This was my first time getting my hands on a DSLR and good glass, and it was exhilarating. For the Rebel I used a fluorescent white balance with a high ISO (I was fairly new to the exposure triangle), coupled with a large aperture of f/4.5 just to experiment and try to game a bright, warm look with plenty of contrast.

I have a friend who is a professional Architectural Photographer and Videographer, and he hired me as an assistant to teach me about camera/photography/film. He lended me his 5D and the Fisheye to get some low-profile shots from the center of the set, with a wide angle. I used the same exposure settings as the Rebel, but I bumped the exposure from 0 to 1.5 stops.

The Hero2 was also his, and all we used it for was the slow-motion shot of the child throwing the crayons in the air. This was a spontaneous idea that came about while on-set, and we did 3 takes (1 broad shot, 2 low-profile wide shots).

 PRODUCTION //

We setup in a driveway, and the only extra equipment we used was a normal construction ladder. We used this for some high shots, including the first slow-motion shot with the Hero2. We also used the ladder to mount a key light when it started getting dark out. We used a simple construction light.

At the end of the film, you see the sign thrown up into the air and vanishing into darkness. This effect was really simple to achieve – we simply cut the key light as two actresses flung the sign into the air. In post-production, I added a simple fade-to-black transition to eliminate having a straight cut-to-black.

POST PRODUCTION //

By this time, I had much greater knowledge of filmmaking, so I was using a much better post-production workflow. I edited and rendered the film on the same Dell Inspiron 14R, but I switched my software to – you guessed it – Adobe Premiere Pro (CS5.5 at the time). All I did was simply splice up my shots, and line them up to the music, and barely color grade a few shots. I also had to remix the song towards the end to cut out some length, but nothing crazy. Since then, I’ve only used Adobe Software in my workflow.

 FINAL //

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed making this one. Through each phase of producing the film – pre production, production, and post production – I didn’t want it to end because I loved doing it so much. It was amazing. This film taught me a lot about filmmaking, and gave me the motivation to pursue it. Hope you enjoy the film, and maybe even use it for Father’s Day if you like!