Your Stage : Reflections by Stephane Lun-Sin

I liked and commented on vimeo as well :)

Thanks Louis! :)

very good ..very nice lighting and camera work

Thanks Matthew! Really appreciate your comment as I tried hard to make the lighting look good, even though it is mostly ikea spotlights and natural light.

just goes to show you don't need to spend millions to make something amazing sir :)

yes nowadays with camera that sensitive we can tell the story we want on the cheap side. Quite an admirer of Shane Carruth in that regard.

Great job, Stephane, and with no budget! Definitely looking forward to more work from you, and I too am a fan of Shane Carruth. He's a good example for indie filmmakers.

Wow! It is amazing! 10 out of 10 for production value.

Thanks a lot for your encouragements Edwin!

Thanks Wilhem! Glad you liked it!

Hiya Stephane, if that is your 'first' short film, then I would be really interested in seeing what you can do with a feature. That was truly a brilliant piece of work, and I am most impressed. Can I write the music for your next short please?!! Thanks for sharing it.... Dale.

beautiful man, wow. what a great piece of work. you must be proud. looking forward to seeing more.

I'm quite impressed. The entire subject of trying to find one's self could be an extended film covering a lot of parameters. are you going to continue exploring?

Thanks so much Dale!! I'll send you a message privately. :)

Thanks Tamir! More will come soon :)

Thanks Joseph! Yes it is a subject that could take a lot more time than 5 minutes. Identity is really what I'd like to explore in a feature for sure, maybe from different angles. Working on it... :)

I thought that would probably be the case. Once anyone begins to pursue topics like self discovery seriously it's rather difficult to call it quits after a 5 minute film. I know Dale is eager to collaborate and I'm sure he's a terrific musician. If it doesn't work out, keep me in mind. I like the look of your work and would be pleased to work with you.

Kudos! Nice composition. Keep me in mind if you need a character actor re: self discovery...I do it every moment of every day. Best!

Thanks Michael! Will do! All the best :)

Nice work brother.

Thanks bro, appreciate it!

One of the best shorts I have seen on this network, so far. Fine work.

well done

Gran trabajo... muy poético.

Good all round job Stephane! Well shot, nice tempo and the music gave it a beautiful tenderness. Good job man!

Thanks guys! Really appreciate your comments.

Stephane, I am go to go against the grain of what everyone has said up ‘til now, not-withstanding the possible backlash of popular opinion. Because, I don’t think you want to hear another platitude, made as though it was significantly helpful. As an artist, you want to hear (or should) ideas on how to improve on your creative work. So here it goes... Unlike most opinions, I don’t feel this is a ‘low-budget’ production—aerial shots, 4k-quality camera image, cinematographer with experience, special effect (explosion), etc. All this adds up to a pretty substantial budget, as far as I am concerned. The idea is very basic. That is not to say, simple is not good. I just feel you did not push your imagination far enough to dig deeper into the psyche the drug user. As you know, drug users are not summed up in the cliché of “down and out or destitute,” as your production-design would suggest. Drug-use spans full-walks of life—from the rich-elite to the socially and economically disenfranchised. Had your film explored some interval-moments of some of these ideas, your story would be significantly different and politically richer (Sergei Eisenstein: Film Sense and Film Form). Yes, there is good production value in your film. But how much of that is credited to the cinematographer and other members of the crew. We will never know—after all, all the credit goes to the director. Nevertheless, we as directors and cinematographers know the depth of that answer. So, what is truly the domain of the director? It is the vision in storytelling. To say the cinematography or production value is great is to diminish the value of the director’s storytelling. The battleground in storytelling is a battle for the hearts and minds of the viewer. The work of a filmmaker is analogues to that of a brain-surgeon; the scalpel is light; with the doctor operating on the patient while they are awake and being entertained. Where music concerned, it was well done. However, sound-design lacked the full fidelity—real, surreal and psychological—faithful to that dimension of the sound world in which the story is told (see Siegfried Kracauer: Dialogue and Sound and The Theory of Sound). With the resources you have I would suggest to bring on board a strong scriptwriter with a mind to explore untold stories in the human experiences. Combined with your vision and keen eye for good talent in a crew selection and your other aspects of visual-storytelling, I feel you have the makings of a promising career in motion pictures industry. Other than this, I agree with everything others have said. With warm respect, Z0;) “The Matrix does exist; it’s up to us to control it.”

Thanks for your feedback Alonzo. I do appreciate your constructive criticism. I agree with what you say fully. My aim was to do a 5min on the subject of identity. I certainly have passed on a lot of important aspects of drug use or fame because that was not the main subject I was going for and because of the time I've spent writing it (2 evenings) and producing it myself (2 afternoon). Also as I first project and since I was the director/cinematographer/writer/gaffer/editor/anything else I wanted a project I could manage on my own without being sidetracked by details I could not afford with a short time windowed no budget production. No $ was spent on this short, it was a friend aspiring actor and me, 2 ikea lights and a reflector. Aerials were done thanks to a friend who owns an octocopter and this was done thanks to our friendship. I'm pleased to hear the image looked like 4K, my sub $700 GH2 was then well leveraged. But I'm really thankful for the time you spent writing a feedback. As you said, that's the only way to grow. I hope my next project will be more up to your standard in both script depth and execution, that is certainly my goal to always surpass myself. Thanks Alonzo. I'll check all the references you mentioned.

Thank you Stephane and congratulations on finishing. I am truly impressed to learn all the behind the scenes information. However, you and I know that financing is not the totality of a production budget--time, energy, contributions and effort on the parts of all involved. Being writer, director, producer, cinematographer etc., is great but therein lies a potential weakness. It is a collaborative art from, as you know. I am confident this short film will garner the team of people you need to complement all your gifted skills. I admire your work-ethic; I wish I could be a part of such an environment. Thanks again, Z0;)

Thanks a lot Alonzo. I for one sure hope so. After doing this short by myself, I understand much better why it is a collaborative art form... :)

Staggering. Dark and powerful. Only question - what caused the explosion that seemed to save him at the end?

keep up the good work

lovely..did you experiment with taking out the subtitles?

and the voice over you mean?

apologies, i must confess i have yet to watch it with audio...will do later..

Very good, my man.. Beautifully shot.

Generally lush imagery and the aerial shots were beautiful. I liked the use of repetition. I felt that there were two shortfalls. First, narration establishes the "riches, power, women," while I wanted to see at least some equally strong images of those moments, to heighten the distance or conflict with the present state. Second, I thought that the weakest images were those just before the last shot, where he breaks out into the sunlight. Too many "turning in the flare of the sun" shots. Fewer might have been stronger or some additional image about the liberating effect of light on his life. But overall, a lovely effort, certainly.

Amazing aerial shots ~ Well shot and edited, with an effective soundtrack. Your first? Keep on going!

Thanks guys! Appreciate your comments. I'll definitely keep going! :)

Thanks Jim for taking the time to write that feedback! Yes...you pointed your finger right on it! It was part of the plan to shoot in a big mansion to 'see' these "riches, power, women" instead of talking about it but it didn't work out with time and logistics. The overall tone of the film would have been more balanced instead of being more on the dark side...It probably would have also help with the second shortfall your mention: the premise for the climax could have been seeded in the 'in the light' part and give more momentum to bounce from it for the ending. Thanks again.

Nicely done, Stephane!

Thanks Jon!

Superb!!!

This is well put together and very engaging. Congrats, you did a very good job here. If It was mine, I would call it 1 Milligram.

Cool

Thanks guys

Wow, nice! How did you realize the heli shots in the beginning?

Wow, nice shot at the end. How did you pull that off?

@Stefan thanks, aerial shots are done with a drone and camera is on a remote controlled gimbal.

@Tom thanks, you mean the last aerial shot? It is a shot from an octocopter. It was very windy, we didn't actually get the shot we wanted but it sort of worked out in the end!

Really wonderful short film. Well done. Well shot and the story was very emotional in its delivery.

Brilliant cinematography and shot choices. The only thing I would say is I found some of the foley jarring. Plus what you had the actor do during the extreme close up where he was successful was a bit overacted, it could have been done simpler. Otherwise, I love the feel and message that you've imparted!

Thanks Paul and Erick :). @Erick indeed, this scene could have been subtler. As the successful part didn't have much set ups and much less screen time, I felt it needed to be a little more accentuated somehow. Thanks for the feedback!

Fantastic cinematography! I liked it so much I shared it on my G+ keep up the good work.

Thanks Lina! Appreciate it :)

Some really great cinematography, I really liked it keep up the good work.

Le film devrait provoquer la pensée. Vous avez fait cela. Un accomplissement grand. Concept simple. Exécution simple avec des images mémorables. Travail gentil. | Renata

You have the heart and soul of a filmmaker. I really like your work.

Amazing work - wonderful shots - excellent flow. If I might add one minor criticism it would be that your aerial shots, thou amazing, were one to many of the same movement and view.

Thanks guys!

Hi Stephane - great shots - editing - cross montage from lyrics to action - music - like it. Its deep - makes sense and leads one to the feeling we need to understand the theme...

Beautiful work.

Great Work!! This is Awesome, Brother!! Very Sincerely and Respectfully, Eugene Haynes IV BobbyLondonMedia P.O. Box 691974 West Hollywood, CA 90069 www.bobbylondonmedia.com photographer@bobbylondonmedia.com FIND OUT WHAT A BOBBY LONDON MEDIA EXPERIENCE IS ALL ABOUT: BOBBY LONDON MEDIA BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkpriixX7D8 VISIT OUR NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE FOR NEWS, PHOTOS, VIDEOS, INFORMATION, AND ETC: https://www.facebook.com/pages/BobbyLondonMedia/157028471030645 " I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek to develop whatever talents God gave me—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say – ‘This, with God’s help, I have done.’ All this is what it means to be an American." - Dean Alfange, The Honorable American statesman born December 2, 1899.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful feedback and support!! It's very encouraging for an aspiring filmmaker and it helps me keep going on all these moments where I feel I'm walking in the dark with only a dream in my heart. Really grateful...

Hi Stephane, you are welcome! Look forward to seeing your new script when its ready....Cheers!

@Dale working on it...;)

Nice Work

Thanks Louis.

Thanks for the add to First Rites Stephane- love the film Milt

"Playing with Life"