1st Chapter Video is LIVE
When I was asked to interpret the still image of an abandoned teddy bear at an airport terminal – a thousand different interpretations flooded my mind.
I wanted to create a dynamic film that took the audience on a journey and showed off many of the strengths of this new breed of HD DSLR cameras. This breed of cameras’ low light capabilities and light weight allow you to do things you’d never thing of trying with traditional cameras. But almost more importantly: I had to make sure that we made a film that both photographers brand new to filmmaking as well as more seasoned filmmakers felt that they could easily follow.
This project is about bringing EVERYONE into the fold – regardless of their prior experience or their access to “toys.” We’re looking for a series of ORIGINAL films that spotlight your talent and creativity.
We are not asking anyone to try to make a polished Hollywood film… ideas always win in my book. The quality of execution always plays a role of course – but on this one contest it will take a clear back seat.
This has been an amazing experience and I am quite confident that it’s just the beginning. The film you are about to see will open on a still and then it will come to life in this short film. You will notice that this first chapter comes to an end on a still of its own – that’s where you come in and run with it. Take that still and follow in my footsteps if you will with your own interpretation of it.
A few IMPORTANT notes: I think that each chapter should make it clear that it is one of many – i.e. that something needs to come next. Also – I was asked to interpret the initial still pretty closely -I do know that we don’t expect you to be able to do the same. While you may not be able to start in a similar setting, or even with the same object, or the lighting that you’ll see at the end of this film – just make sure that whatever you shoot will transition smoothly from this initial chapter to what you are submitting. To be clear: this does NOT HAVE to be one continuous narrative that is carried through over several chapters… as long as the still that starts YOUR film is similar enough or in the same spirit of the previous still – that’s good enough for us. In other words: BE CREATIVE! As long as each chapters flows from one to the next – this experiment will succeed.
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Contest rules / details TO COME SHORTLY on the
Vimeo page.•
I hope you enjoy this short – we had a blast making it – and now it’s your turn.
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GOOD LUCK!
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In case you missed it – here is the “Making of” video:
Beautiful, your best yet.
Can’t wait to see where this takes everyone.
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Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
@Bryant Swanstrom, Thanks!
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I really like the airport scene.
Wonderful.
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Neat, if a bit sentimental and predictable. It really does show off the camera’s qualities. The lighting was great.
I have to comment on the fact that a 3 minute clip has over 1 minute of credits and a “making of” video that’s another 2 minutes long. Isn’t the balance a bit out of whack?
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Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
@Andrew, Sure – the focus on this film was to get it approved by everyone and not to push the editorial/content limits too far – I hope that everyone that follows can push the envelope a bit more …
As far as credits here’s my take on it: if we were requiring to download the file to watch it (i.e. iTunes) I would agree that it might be a bit obnoxious to have 30% + of the film be credits – given that it’s streaming I think it’s a total non-issue – if you don’t want to watch it… don’t – why not give the cast and crew their due – remember that people are interested in working on these films for several reasons: one is always to be part of “new technology and trends” and I think they appreciate getting the recognition.
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Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by joshuael: Been waiting for this all day! http://tr.im/JPCJ Watch the first chapter, I loved the twist at the end! Laforet is a genius….
I don’t think it was predictable. Of course, it was obvious that there would be something special about that teddy bear. But, the final image caught me by surprise. Now, the challenge is going to be to replicate that final scene. There’s gonna be quite a few people doing some location scouting. Overall, this is really exciting, and I hope to be able to participate. May the best storyteller win.
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Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
@claude etienne, Here is a KEY point: Just so you know where I’m coming from: The trunk could be a small trunk in a fish bowl…pull out… and reveal an entirely differrent world.. i.e. no need for same trunk – same location… our initial interpretation of the still was WAY too literal…had to make sure Canon approved it so we didn’t take as many risks as we would have liked to…
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Nicely done Vincent. Really loved the steadycam work and lighting. Nice setup for the next chapter. Looking forward to the details on how to continue.
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Thanks Vincent for clearing that up. I assume that people are free to venture into any genre they desire such as horror, thriller, comedy, sci-fi, etc..
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Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
@claude etienne, Yes absolutely – just pls don’t force us (judges) to disqualify it because something may be “objectionable.” This is an independent film contest – BUT Canon is sponsoring it… so an axe murder movie might be pushing it…
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Hey Vincent,
I love the idea of this contest and I’m going to start working on the story tonight. For music, do we need to have original scores or are we allowed to use music that already has copyrights?
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Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
@Jason Howell, You need to CLEAR all copyrights etc. That will be clarified in the rules soon. Have friends compose – or use royalty free music… if it’s copyrighted you are responsible for obtaining usage rights / waivers
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Really nice, looking forward to see what everyone will do with there HD DSLR!
I am anxious to see what can be done with the Canon EOS 7D, I will receive mine the comming week
Bonne Année, au passage
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Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 1:03 am
@Chris, Merci Chris!
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I AM SO EXCITED—-really well done, Vincent! Thanks for the inspiration. When and How do we submit our films?
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Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 1:03 am
@Daniel Stark, Listen – it’s gotten a little silly with the lawyers – every day has been: “tomorrow” for close to a week – please be patient – but know that once we announce the rules – you will have a few weeks at least to submit…
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Vincent,
For last 3 days we are waiting for this video from Chennai, India.
Will rock. Thanks for making all this happen.
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Absolutely stunning Vincent. Beautiful CU frame of the girl when she awakes in the morning. Also the sound design was chilling, great use of score over the trunk scene, it sent a chill down my back. Creepy!
-perez
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This is a great idea! Looking forward to seeing what becomes of it! The HDSLR cinematography idea is fairly exploding with potential!
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Great atmosphere!
But didn’t like the steadycam part. Way too choppy for me..
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Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 9th, 2010 at 3:19 am
@Pierre, Absolutely agre… the operator had never worked w/ the HDDSLRs – and to be honest- the firs shots are the worst of the film on a technical level – an INCREDIBLE level of “bump”… why? Because the rig was not balanced/rigged correctly… I had a few crew members who had worked on it prior w/ the steadicam operator who worked with me on Nocturne and is now working with me on another project Charles Papert…. I trusted those crew members to make it work… I do remember seeing the “bumps” during the shoot – but it was such a complex shot that I had to do my job as a director to pay attention to the blocking/acting etc – and I incorrectly assumed it was an issue w/ the wireless transmission … WRONG…turns out it was plain physics/friction – just not good… sorry you picked up on this – but truth be told I CRINGE every time I see the opening sequence…. lesson learned: you can get a fantastic operator – but it pays to invest in someone who has prior knowledge of the gear you worked on… not this operators fault in any way… if this were a TRUE big time budget/production – he and I would have had time to do a tech day / camera test… and we would have nipped this in the bud…
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Will the images that are to end each video also be predetermined? Or how will you know what will be the beginning image for the next round of chapters? Or is this ‘story’ going to unfold in a million different directions if people choose whatever final image they want from each others videos? Or does the winner of each chapter than start the next one? How long will you have between starting and ending chapters? Are there budget restrictions? Could I spend thousands on my video if I choose so? Can ad agencies/interactive shops or professional DP/directors enter? Is there enough of a reason for them to do so? Most importantly – what do you win? Personally I thinking ending on a key would have been a much better still to end on than the truck. A key is a much better prop than a box… but I guess the point is to think outside the box, eh?
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Vincent Laforet Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 1:05 am
@Clark Patrick, yes – think outside the box – more rules/guidance to come…
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Hi Vincent,
I really like where this is going. Can’t wait to hear all the details, etc…
I guess no chance to win any prizes since I’m from the Netherlands but is it still going to be possible to participate without any other limitations?
Ronald Vonk
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Awesome short, especially like the view from top showing the cab and the driver when he picks the teddy.
Wishing to see more soon
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I thought it was a great short. Well executed overall with an effective sound bed. I can’t wait for the next one.
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I’m curious to see how hundreds or even thousands of us junior film makers are going to get clearance to shoot at our local airports? That being said, I am very excited to see the results of this contest.
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Hummm, the steadicam stuff looked good to me I don’t see where this is an operator error. To me it’s the way it was edited that makes it look choppy. Just my opinion.
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Like all of your work- this video was pretty cool. I especially liked the shot of the Teddy in the cab seat, just riding along. But the whole competition and getting everyone involved is even cooler. I can’t wait to see the work people start posting once it really kicks off.
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Vincent,
I love this idea. Can you please tell us how much time you spent filming and post-processing “The Cabbie”? Thanks!
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[...] More contest info and behind the scenes video [...]
Vincent….. Very interesting but why such a HUGE crew …… isn’t this at its core simple …….. your crew would have needed a coach …….. shouldn’t you have just used the cab?
Ned
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that was really fantastic
i live the netherlands and have a beautiful eight year old model and actress
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Astounding work Vince. The compositions of your shots is simply brilliant.
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Brilliant!
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Very cool short, very cool contest. The score was beautiful. I agree with a previous poster, I cannot see any ‘bump’ in the steadicam work…
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Hey Vince, was wondering if there was a way to print out the last pic of the video as for us to take with us, share and get inspired while we are in transit, like when I take the two hour train ride to work and back home everyday.
Thanks.
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Beautiful video, but gosh, when the little girl starts digging into the inside of the teddy, all I could think about was this : http://www.riverdalepress.com/full.php?sid=9210¤t_edition=2009-07-09
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I can’t wait to see how it goes on ! One sad part is, that only US residents can participate. The whole project is alive thanks to the internet – which lives from users spread all over the planet. So how is it possible to show all the children at the birthday party this yummy cake – and then allowing only 2 of them to try it ???
Sad ….
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Loved it..have been totally preoccupied thinking about this sweet short piece. Question, does the video have to be shot using Canon gear?
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just to clarify..the videos to be entered in the judging…do they need to be shot on Canon gear?
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Bryant Swanstrom Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
@Lou Goodman, Quoting Vincent Laforet himself “Nikons are welcome in this contest… as are still images stitched into a movie – or even pinhole cameras… while Canon is gracious enough to sponsor and support it – they are even more magnanimous to allow anyone with any camera enter….”
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Very very very interesting project there. Can’t wait to see what ppl come up with.
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Thinking of making something, great “creative contest”
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[...] Via: Vincent Laforet blog [...]
I’d love to know more about the track you used in the staircase shot. bought? built? if so how’d you do it? thanks for you time!
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Ou est la EOS-1D Mark IV?
P.S. That’s an EOS 5D, not a Mark II.
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How is your workflow with the timecode slate and the 5d (7d,1dmk4)? How do you sync, and how do you get the sync in final cut?
can’t wait for more infos on that!
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I wanted to know your thoughts on the Rebel T2i vs the 7D
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I love these pics. Is there way of using these pics as wallpapers.
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[...] one with a bear, hddslr canon camera and the pulitzer price winner Vincent Laforet is my favorite: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2…And here: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2…Insert a dynamic date [...]