Silent Hill: Stolen Heart

[Paul Leeming]

Hi all,

Just in time for the Halloween weekend, I've uploaded a short horror movie I shot and directed, called "Silent Hill: Stolen Heart":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iDncqkBHzM

I initially conceived this as a cross between a camera test for my new Epic, and an homage to one of my favorite genre franchises, Silent Hill.

It's shot as a single take using Steadicam to mimic the feel of the in game POV camera.

I found the location while searching for abandoned hospitals here in Japan. Imagine then driving there to find an entire ghost town, abandoned in 1974 after the mine closed down! Talk about finding the REAL Silent Hill! I've no doubt that the game designers used this place as inspiration for the games....

As noted in the credits, the take was shot HDRx +3, with the end credit flyover sequence done with normal exposure at 96fps. No lighting was used (it was a sensor latitude test after all) and everything was perfectly exposed between the A and X tracks. I then graded for effect, to give it that Silent Hill old footage feel.

Turned around in four days, including a complete sound mix by yours truly (no audio was recorded during the take due to needing to communicate with the actors and crew to time everyone's movements and positions).

Enjoy, and happy Halloween!

Cheers from Japan,

Paul

 

[Jake Bastian]

Nice work Paul, I LOVE Silent Hill! Good job capturing the feel of the in game camera, really felt like there was a thumb on the right joystick flying it around, and doing it all in a single shot couldn't have been easy. The only thing I would have changed would be to have soaked the bandages wrapped around the patients head in more blood and grime. I can't decide if I would have liked it more or less for you to cut in closer to the nurse's face as she turns around as it would suck to break up your long shot but it was hard to see what was wrong with her face in the low light (a side effect of doing the test without lights I suppose).

Love the end shot ambiguously killing off your hero. I really enjoyed this.

 

[Mark Phelan]

Very nice work Paul! Great job all around, thanks for taking the time and sharing it with us.

 

[Joel J. Feigenbaum]

Terrific camera work. Terrific camera! Well executed. You the man!

 

[Paul Russell]

It's amazing that you could shoot that entire scene in natural light with one exposure setting. I really can't wait to get my M.
Nice steadicam work, too, especially the climbing and keeping camera on subject at the same time.

 

[Samuel Haskell]

This was an awesome piece, nice in-game style feel/tone...proof that this camera can adapt to a versatile range of shooting styles and perform well in just natural light.

Well done.

 

[Paul Leeming]

Thanks for the feedback all! Glad you like it

Jake, I agree that the nurse's face is a bit hard to make out - the intent was to have Zipperboy hold the lighter up to her face a bit longer but with daylight fast fading this take was the best one of the lot. I tried pushing the shot in at that point (5K makes it really easy!) but in the end I felt it broke the visual rhythm of the piece, so I decided to leave it as is. I'll upload some ungraded still grabs soon so you can see just how much dynamic range was in the raw footage.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Cheers from Tokyo,

Paul

 

[Paul Leeming]

Here's a couple of ungraded A and X track samples, so you can see the dynamic range on offer from Epic without the creative color grade getting in the way:

As you can see, HDRx is an amazing solution to shots like this, which go from a dark interior to a bright exterior! I only needed HDRx +3 on this particular shot, but given we've got up to 6 stops available I can't imagine many scenarios in which you'd need to call on that full range, given the conditions I shot this film in!

Epic truly opens up a new way of shooting.... the possibilities are endless!

Thanks to the Red Team for making this amazing camera possible!

Cheers from Japan,

Paul

 

[Paul Leeming]

Here are some behind the scenes photos by set photographer Laurence Torao Konishi:

http://laurencekonishi.com/motion/sh-stolen-heart-bts/

Make sure you watch the movie before looking at the photos, as they contain spoilers!

Cheers,

Paul

 

[C.H.Haskell]

Well done mate! THe camera work really does capture the feel of Silent Hill...so are you doing the next movie I hope!

 

[AndrewThomas]

Dude, really great work! It felt like what I imagine a Silent Hill game will look like in 20 years. I am very impressed!

 

[Paul Leeming]

Well done mate! The camera work really does capture the feel of Silent Hill...so are you doing the next movie I hope!

Thanks Clay! That would be a dream come true....!

Cheers from Tokyo,

Paul

 

[Paul Leeming]

Dude, really great work! It felt like what I imagine a Silent Hill game will look like in 20 years. I am very impressed!

Thanks Andrew, I can well imagine advances in realtime graphics rendering making an AMAZING Silent Hill game in the future.... imagine an immersive 3D Silent Hill world with that level of visuals!!

Cheers,

Paul

 

[Kholi Hicks]

Silent Hill's game inspiration comes from a town in Pennsylvania, where the underground mines really did crack and tear the roads to pieces.

Can check it out online I think.

Nice short. Massive Silent Hill fan up until 4. Wish they'd go back to their roots, hope they will with the next one.

 

[Paul Leeming]

Thanks for the feedback Kholi. The town you are referring to is called Centralia. I'm sure the designers of the Silent Hill games used it, as you say, for inspiration as well

Cheers for the gracious comments everyone; it really means a lot to me!

Paul

 

[Paul Russell]

"When wicked thoughts come inter alia
You wind up in Centralia; morally.
Looking for a decent cup of coffee
And try to meet halfway.
It seems like I’m stealing your words
But really, I’m just giving them back to you.
Once again, it’s all about me.
And pride is not a factor, no.
Once again, it’s all about me."
- Harvey Danger,

 

[danu prasd]

Paul,

Great Job...Sense the Thriller...So, mostly, this is one man show, rite ?

Btw, did you use any wireless video there ? what brand ?

Thanks,
Danu

 

[Franck De Togni]

Well, after Ketch, you're my second HERO ! :laugh:
Really wonderful work, mate !

 

[Paul Leeming]

Paul,

Great Job...Sense the Thriller...So, mostly, this is one man show, rite ?

Btw, did you use any wireless video there ? what brand ?

Thanks,
Danu

Hi Danu,

I used a CamWave 5HD transmitter/receiver pair sending 1080p video wirelessly to a Sony BVM monitor. Preston Wireless follow focus system and motor to drive the Superspeed MkIII 18mm lens at T1.3!

I had a cast and crew of eight plus an additional person doing behind the scenes stills and video.

Post production was pretty much all me though! I started film life doing sound recording and designing, which is why I was able to create the sound from scratch in post. And of course editing and colour correction are part of what I do all the time, having now had years of experience with Red footage as well as stills photography.

Thanks for the feedback!

Cheers from Tokyo,

Paul

 

[Paul Leeming]

Well, after Ketch, you're my second HERO ! :laugh:
Really wonderful work, mate !

Thanks Franck!

Don't forget the real heroes out there though - the nurses, doctors, firefighters, teachers, farmers and others who make our daily lives better and safer without ever getting the recognition they deserve.

I'm just a pilot-turned-filmmaker having fun for a living and being grateful that people see enough skill in my work to pay me for that!

Cheers!

Paul