(the movie is at the bottom; feel free to skip down there and go ahead and watch it)
So Dead Men Hiking is finally finished. It’s not perfect by a long stretch–there are scratchy audio clips in places, bad visual effects in places, and numerous inconsistencies! The monster isn’t perfect either–he doesn’t track perfectly with the moving camera sometimes.
I set out with an idealistic vision of what the movie would be, and I also had an idealistic vision of how long it would take also–little did I realize that it would take 8 months working off-and-on to finish! Originally, the monster was going to be much more complicated–his fur was going to be animated and his mouth would be full of drool and he would blink and squint and snarl. Well, I didn’t have time for that as it turned out. I’ve learned that it is very easy to be over-ambitious.
So to wrap things up very quickly, here is a list of things I learned by completing this project:
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There’s a reason professional movie directors hire effects artists–the amount of work required to do a quality effects job on a movie is too great to be done well by one person–as you’ll probably notice once you watch the movie.
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Encouragement is important–this movie would never have been finished if my family and friends had not shown an interest in how the editing was coming, prodding me on to finish the movie (This feels sort of like the intro to the acknowledgments in a book: I would like to thank so-and-so for their support and encouragement…)
- A stitch in time saves nine–when we were shooting the movie, I figured I could fix every problem in post-production, so I didn’t worry. Months later, I really wished I had planned each shot more carefully–it would have reduced the number of headaches later on.
- Probably most importantly: choose topics, stories, characters, messages, and dialogue that you will be satisfied with years from now. I wrote some of the dialogue thinking, “Oh it doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect–I’ll be finished in a couple months and will have moved on to a better project.” 8 months later, I wish I had bothered to revise the script a few more times.
So, without further adieu, here is Dead Men Hiking:
We hope you enjoyed the show! Feel free to leave your critiques in the comments.
The music makes 100% better!
I am honestly very surprised at how well it came out. congratulations on your first movie!!! I can’t wait for the next one. No pressure.
DMH is a very fun and entertaining movie:). I love how the characters/actors have their own unique personalities, and how the music ties the movie together.
The close-up shots of the monster’s face are really good. I can tell that y’all have worked really hard on this movie.
Great job, Mertens Creations! Your projects just keep getting better and better!
“The music makes 100% better!”
I definitely agree! The whole movie hangs together better with the addition of the soundtrack.
Did you notice the “brushed cymbal” sound starting at 7:05? I think that helped a lot as a subtle mood cue. Thanks, Kenny!
Yes I noticed.
Dad was the first to point it out though.
I really enjoyed that, ya’ll!
I think my favorite line was “I’m a lefty.” (I’m not, but I shoot left-handed 🙂 ) I look forward to your next production!
I’m working on a documentary, but some of the same things you listed apply to me–particularly the last two.
Thanks for the encouragement, Racheal! What’s your documentary going to be about?
An obscure and unique battalion of Confederate soldiers–the Florida Cow Cavalry. They supplied the Confederate Army with beef and pork during the latter part of the war, among other things.
(If you are interested, I have a ‘Director’s Blog’ on my production company website…www.sparksofreformationproductions.weebly.com. I haven’t posted in over a week.)
Very interesting–there are so many misconceptions about numerous aspects of American history that we need all of the documentaries we can get about it! I will have to follow your director’s blog.
By the way, have you watched Ken Burn’s documentary of the Civil War? And if so, do you have an opinion on it?
Nicely done! I’m proud of you guys.
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your work. The camera work was really good, the story line entertaining, the dialog quite interestiing, the actors were convincing (to include the monster) and the sound and music were well done. We are amazed and impressed with the progress you all are making in developing your movie skills. Congratulations
It’s posssible that I’ve seen Ken Burns “Civil War” (maybe WAY back when I was little?), but I couldn’t say for sure. So, needless to say, I don’t have an opinion on it. Sorry!
I enjoyed it! Good job ya’ll!
Though I did a kick out of “This is just filler text…not supposed to be read…”! That made me laugh!
I really liked the piece of music at the end…
Yeah, I was surprised by how many people noticed that “filler text.”
You’ll also notice the dead man in the newspaper is from “Umpalumpatown USA”
Next time I guess I’ll have to write a real article to make it more convincing! Anyway, I’m glad you liked the movie.
I didn’t notice the “Umpalumpatown”, but I think that’s a neat name!
I was particularly impressed with the audio effects. Love that you brought back the cheese stick back into the story. :^)
Thanks! It’s amazing to me how sound effects can really fill out and complement the visuals. I don’t typically notice sound effects in movies, but it’s certainly an indispensable behind-the-scenes sort of job.
I am sorry to say that several cheese-sticks (and one granola bar) were harmed in the making of this movie…
No. I want to hear more about oompaloompatown.