Shiro's Head

"Shiro's Head" is an absolutely remarkable achievement with the DVX100. This DIY movie was produced, written and directed by brothers Don and Kel Muna. It was shot on location on the island of Guam USA in the Pacific.

The depth of field looks unbelievable for a first-generation DVX100. FIRST GENERATION! It's not even a DVX100A! According to an email from the Muna Bros., there were no 35 adapters used. They used the stock DVX lens and for a couple of shots used a homemade wide-angle lens. They shot the feature length movie for - get this - $6,000 (and that was mostly for living expenses). They made all of their big production equipment DIY-style. The homemade dolly track and fig rig were made from PVC pipes. The homemade camera jib was made out of aluminum tubing. Just brilliant.

According to the "Shiro's Head" official website, they've been officially selected by the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival as well as the 1st Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and has had multiple sold-out shows in Guam and in Hawaii.

It's an amazing feat that was pulled off a la "Robert Rodriguez" style using just the resources they had, travelling thousands of miles on space-available flights to shoot on location, borrowing props, vehicles and establishements for the look of a big-budget production. All characters in "Shiro's Head" are non-actors and were casted "off the streets". After more research, I discovered that this was actually Guam's first ever feature-length film made strictly by their indigenous islanders.

At the time of writing, there's no word on whether or not DVD's will be available anytime soon. But if/when it does come out, I'll be looking forward to tons of DIY special features.

If "Shiro's Head" is any indication of what Guam has to offer - I believe that we'll be seeing much more from the island. Fantastic job, Muna Bros. Unbelievable!

For more info and interviews on "Shiro's Head", click here.

DVX100 Short Film - Meth

One look at this trailer and you just might find yourself second-guessing the camera that was used. Shot with the DVX100, filmmaker Ozan Biron from Vancouver, Canada made this feaux trailer to an unexisting movie entitled "Meth". It was something that was made for the FOX TV show competition "On the Lot". Now - here's the kicker - according to Biron, there were no extra lenses or 35mm adapter used for the production!

This has caused quite a stir among the DVX100 communities and forums as many are wondering just how Biron was able to pull off such a film-like look with a stock DVX100a. At first glance, I couldn't believe it either. Then...watching it a second time I forgot about the use of great sound design, great score, good actors, great lighting, great editing, a great eye for color correction, visual effects in post, framing, sound effects, great directing, etc.

Not to take away anything from Biron (the trailer is one of most amazing sets of DVX100 footage I've ever seen) but with the right talent and vision, the DVX100 is more than what most of us give it credit for. Edited in Adboe Premiere, color timed and cut in Adobe After Effects 6.5. He said he shot in 24P normal and just zoomed in half way to work the depth of field in particular shots.

Tools Used as Listed:
One basic DVX100A (no adapter?) Velbon CX-686 tripod, Lowel Light Kit, Bizounce, Sony wire ECM-44B lav mic, Premier1.0 and AE6.5

With some still skeptical, I wanted to add a few links so you can judge for yourself: DVXUser Forum - "Meth" Trailer | Rebel's Guide Forum - "Meth" Trailer

HVX200 Movie - Ash Wednesday

Writer/director Ricardo Mendoza moves up several notches from shooting his first film, "El Escape De Los Santos" with a DVX100 to the world premier at the 2007 New York International Latino Film Festival with his latest project "Ash Wednesday" which was shot on the HVX200. Shot throughout Texas and from the basis of a 67 page script, the first episode of "Ash Wednesday" is the first of an uncertain amount of chapters to follow.

The shallow depth of field looks great and was achieved with the stock lens, I believe, without the use of any adapters. working with a low-budget skeleton crew, Digital Works Studios shot in 24P 720HD and used 4GB cards which they were able to squeeze out 10 minutes worth of footage per card. With the exception of actress Kristy Gomez, all of the principle characters in the film were non-actors.

And talk about DIY productions - according to DWS, the music featured in the trailer "was made with a metal desk, a can of starbucks double shot espresso, a chair, a wooden door..." now that, my friends, is why I love low-budget flicks. Ash Wednesday Website

DVX100 Movie - Four Eyed Monsters

The award-winning online phenom Four Eyed Monsters is a feature length DVX movie that you should've heard of by now. The open source duo have bombarded blogs and headlines over the past few years with their groundbreaking approach to DIY film distribution. Creating a cult following across the globe with their do it yourself love story, Crumley and Buice have springboarded to a deal with IFC films, YouTube and more.

• 2005 Received Special Audience Award @ SXSW 2005
• 2005 Won Best New Directors from Brooklyn International
• 2005 Best Actress Trenton Film Festival
• 2005 Best Cinematography
• 2005 Honorary mention from Sidewalk Film Festival
• 2006 Nominated for Best Cinematography Spirit Award
• 2006 Nominated for John Casavettes Spirit Award
• 2006 Won Undiscovered Gems Showcase Sundance Channel Audience Award

Website: Four Eyed Monsters

Directing, Editing, Writing,
Cinematography, Animation
& Starring: Arin Crumley and Susan Buice

DVX100 Short - Flip

Shot on a DVX100a with an M2 Adapter, Flip is already on DVD with over 4 hours of special features. This 15 min. short film was shot for less than $3,000 - way too much for a short I think. But the depth of field is awesome.

Website: flipmovie.net
Director: Carleton Torpin

DVX100 Short - Sunrise

Here's a great example of how much a sweet location and pretty faces can spice things up! The dialogue mix is not good and some shots are a bit too close and the thirds are a bit sketchy, but the lighting looks great and it looks good. This short was shot with the DVX100a and cut with FCP.

Website: Nicholas J. Robinson
Director: Nicholas J. Robinson

HVX200 Short Movie - Martial Artsy

An official selection by the 2007 Newport Beach Film Festival and the 2007 DC Shorts Film Festival this short was shot with the HVX200.

Trailer: View
Website: Martial Artsy
Director: Kiyong Kim

DVX100 Movie - Doolittle Raiders

A feature-length animated documentary as seen through the eyes of the opposition of the Bush administration, director Mattson describes a technique he refers to as "live action animation". He takes this feature length film to new low-budget heights using a rotoscoping process with Studio Artist and Twixtor to manipulate the images frame by frame that were captured using the DVX100.

Trailer: Doolittle Raider Trailer
Website: Doolittle Raiders on MySpace
Director: Todd Mattson

DVX100 Movie - Conventioneers

Winner of the John Cassavetes Award for Best Film Under $500,000 and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Florida Film Festival, and had its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, this feature-length movie was shot using a DVX100 with a mini 35mm adapter. Fusing the real 2004 Republican National convention along with improv acting was an ingenious idea for a great DIY backdrop. And the visuals are stunning.

Website: Conventioneers on MySpace
Director/Writer: Mora Stephens
Producer/Editor: Joel Viertel

HVX200 Short Movie - Cyn

Here's a trailer from the same guy that brought you "Broken" the short movie shot on the DVX. This time, though, he shoots another short entitled "Cyn" with the HVX200 using HD 720p native using four 8GB P2 cards. He shot this short for the "On the Lot" competition I mentioned in a previous post. He shot it in 6 days with a budget of under $1,000. I still think anything even close to a grand is way too much to spend on a short film.

Website: www.alittlecyn.com
Director/Editor: Alex Ferrari
Producer: Kyra Ozuna

DVX100 Short Movie - Broken

Here's the trailer from a short flick that's been making rounds since 2006 and has been selected in over 140 international film festivals. It has HUGE production value for a movie that's been shot on the DVX, but most of it comes from the post-production aspect. According to the site, it's also been a springboard towards a feature film version in development. The director was also an entry in Spielberg's FOX reality show, On The Lot, but he got eliminated early. By the way, on a side note, it looks as if they're not coming out with another season of On the Lot. Oh well...too bad.

Website: WhatisBroken.com
Director: Alex Ferrari
Writer/Producer: Jorge Flores Rodrigues of Fortuity Films