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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

C

Chris Pickle

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First, I have nothing to do with the film "In Search of a Midnight Kiss". I just think it's great, that a little 25k film shot on a Sony HVR Z1, can find such success.

I don't mean to bring up the old cliche about format not being important, but this is certainly an example where creativity and content won the day over shoot format.

The director, Alex Hodlridge, is now repped by CAA, which could be a good thing.

Great inspiration.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/insearchofamidnightkiss/
http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/btm/feature/2008/07/31/midnight_kiss/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0989000/
 
Well, that's good and all. Based on a cinematography point of view, I watched the trailer with the sound off and the trailer certainly didn't show much promise. It screamed video and amateur filmmaker (ie. headache inducing), especially with the handheld stuff. The video was sharp and the low light abilities of the Z1 showed up pretty well, much like the PD150 movies of old. Love the key shot in the car with them kissing though. The story is probably great or at least entertaining and that's why it's gotten so far. Inspiring, but there's a dozen other stories like it.
 
Jack_Felis said:
.... The story is probably great or at least entertaining and that's why it's gotten so far. Inspiring, but there's a dozen other stories like it.
Click to expand...

But isn't the story or entertainment value the point?

When you say there's a dozen other stories like it, do you me the plot or the story that a small film got noticed and landed the director at CAA. I suspect there is something special about the film to get so much attention. Sometimes, it's as small as a well executed central idea...

I've never been one to clamor about story over production values, although, obviously it's important. It's just such a cliche argument, but it still is exciting to see a small film get attention regardless of shooting format or perceived production values.

It's a nice reminder as we rack our brains about cameras and such.

Chris
 
KnockOutFilms said:
But isn't the story or entertainment value the point?

I've never been one to clamor about story over production values, although, obviously it's important. It's just such a cliche argument.

Chris
Click to expand...

I think the story is God. This looks like a film that has a good story that is realistic, funny and heartwarming as well.

The fact that a film isn't a cinematography masterpiece doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

As we will see in the next couple of years with the glut of 4k crap that is going to hit the marketplace.
 
Yeah, I agree 100% about story.

Funny, I was just talking with an LA producer friend about another indie film, and the only question he asked was "yeah, but is it heartwarming?"

"heartwarming" tumps the shoot format... :)
 
Jack_Felis said:
Well, that's good and all. Based on a cinematography point of view, I watched the trailer with the sound off and the trailer certainly didn't show much promise. It screamed video and amateur filmmaker (ie. headache inducing), especially with the handheld stuff. The video was sharp and the low light abilities of the Z1 showed up pretty well, much like the PD150 movies of old. Love the key shot in the car with them kissing though. The story is probably great or at least entertaining and that's why it's gotten so far. Inspiring, but there's a dozen other stories like it.
Click to expand...



I saw this film at the AFI Film Festival last year and really liked it.

Maybe you can't base a romantic comedy on just the visuals.
 
KnockOutFilms said:
Yeah, I agree 100% about story.

Funny, I was just talking with an LA producer friend about another indie film, and the only question he asked was "yeah, but is it heartwarming?"

"heartwarming" tumps the shoot format... :)
Click to expand...

Maybe there should be a grading preset... :whistling:
 
Peter Majtan said:
Maybe there should be a grading preset... :whistling:
Click to expand...

You mean like a "heartwarming" setting? :) They should just put the button on the camera. Actually, just give us several different "format" buttons. "Heartwarming" "Intense" "Action" "Melodrama" "Coming of age" "star crossed-lovers" ...etc.. :)
 
Imagine shooting actor with a "neutral" performance and then in RedMood change the profile to "dramatic", etc... You could use curves to apply it to a different part of the image - shadows "more dramatic", highlight "heartwarming", actor "more dull"... :)
 
Thomas Mathai said:
I saw this film at the AFI Film Festival last year and really liked it.

Maybe you can't base a romantic comedy on just the visuals.
Click to expand...

Never said you could. I thought we were talking about the visuals, guess not. But the film being made with HDV isn't that uncommon. The film "Gabriel" is a very good action film that has had a good amount of press that was filmed with the JVC HD100. But you'd never notice it when watching the film because they used the camera to its very best. Granted it could have been a monster in post for all the effects and grading, but whatever they did worked.

All I'm saying about this film is that, yes, it was filmed on HDV. But I don't think that they used the camera to its full potential like, for instance another Z1 film, "Tomorrow is Today" did where you couldn't really tell.
 
As we will see in the next couple of years with the glut of 4k crap that is going to hit the marketplace.
Click to expand...
And then after that there will be a glut of 3K crap. ;)

(Just sayin... Red and Scarlet will probably be popular cameras. And it takes a lot of crap indie films to be made to eventually have a good one.)
 
Jack_Felis said:
Well, that's good and all. Based on a cinematography point of view, I watched the trailer with the sound off and the trailer certainly didn't show much promise. It screamed video and amateur filmmaker .
Click to expand...


my take on things..

indiana jones (the new one)
looked great... yet sucked sooooo hard..


movie with good story
shot on a pile of a camera - good in my book
 
Jack_Felis said:
Never said you could. I thought we were talking about the visuals, guess not. But the film being made with HDV isn't that uncommon. The film "Gabriel" is a very good action film that has had a good amount of press that was filmed with the JVC HD100. But you'd never notice it when watching the film because they used the camera to its very best. Granted it could have been a monster in post for all the effects and grading, but whatever they did worked.

All I'm saying about this film is that, yes, it was filmed on HDV. But I don't think that they used the camera to its full potential like, for instance another Z1 film, "Tomorrow is Today" did where you couldn't really tell.
Click to expand...

I don't think they worried about visuals, they shot HDV in something like 15 days, then made it black and white. I saw it at the Arclight, and didn't really even think of the look.
 
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