New web series "Te$timoney". Hacked GH2 driftwood INtravenus and Sony F3

This project was edited using FCPX. All titles and effects were done internally in the NLE. FCP-X color and Hy-Colour were used for CC.

Thanks for sharing this, Cinexa. Have to say, I was rather impressed with the quality of work here. For an amateur production the hardest things to fake are acting & dialogue. Almost anyone can learn camera & editing, but no matter how technically proficient, emotional believability is extremely difficult to fabricate. For the most part, the drama aspect of your film seems quite real. Perhaps the woman in the car is the weakest of your performers. The pastor is excellent as are the majority of bit players. The scripting also is strong. Not having ever truly witnessed the black church experience, outside of film & TV, but this all seems as if it could be authentic.

You've also managed quite a feat here; with your film stretching to almost 10 minutes, it's never dull or boring. That's incredibly difficult to do with low budget productions, so it's a real testimony (no pun intended) to your writing & directing.

The addition of conflicting thematic elements ups our interest levels. Is the pastor sincere or just shady, if so, how shady? We're on the hook now, so you've sold the series with the pilot. However, that's a tenuous hold you have on your audience, the next installment has to be outstanding or you'll lose them. My only concern while watching was, did you add one too many points of conflict? It's almost as if there is too much intrigue for the little church. However, to reiterate, you did pull it off, so that's commendable.

Speaking of the little church, I assume you want it to appear as a smaller congregation, but the shots of him from directly in front of the pulpit, seem a bit amateur with added crowd sounds. I wouldn't mind an establishing shot from the back of the church slow zoom over the pews of people with him speaking. (Just remember to keep his audio levels consistent). That shot would draw us in & also establish the crowd presence. When we see the two low angled shots back at the pews our camera right shot has far less parishioners. A couple more people, even duplicates in different wardrobe works for me.

When the woman in the yellow dress comes up front, the heavier woman's sideways glances are effective, but I think we have one too many shots of that, it even looks like a duplicated shot. I'd lose one.

Concerning our earlier situation of intriguing conflict, the pastor's suspicious real-estate deal with the councilman. As that scene progresses, I'd prefer we gently increased our drama levels by decreasing the angle of incidence off the eyeline. We discussed this topic in depth here . This technique can subtly ratchet up the tension in the subtext, which contributes to building increased plot depth or adding more weight to the text.

Impressive stuff, Cinexa. Looking forward to your next installment...









J. Matthew
Global•Watch•Media•Consulting
www.GWM2.com

@GlobalWatchM3

Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. It really means a lot to me. I very much appreciate your observations/suggestions also. This will help us as we go forward. Episode 2 coming very soon. Stay tuned. Thanks again.