WARWICK, NEW YORK: Scenes of a Pastoral Valley — A short film by Michael McVey (2017)
Warwick, New York: Scenes of a Pastoral Valley (2017) from Michael McVey on Vimeo.
This short film explores the seasonal beauty of Warwick Valley, New York during the Village’s 150th Anniversary. Featuring the music of Antonín Dvorák, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig Von Beethoven. Cinematographed, edited, produced and directed by Michael McVey.
Filmed on location in Warwick, New York, U.S.A.
July 3, 2016 through June 18, 2017
Warwick Sesquicentennial
1867—2017
Celebrating the Village of Warwick’s 150th Anniversary
Copyright © 2017 by Michael McVey. All rights reserved.
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Music:
String Quartet No. 12 in F major ‘American’, Op. 96
Movement I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Written by Antonín Dvorák
Performance by European Archive Music Recordings
String Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K 421
Movement IV. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performance by Musopen String Quartet
Symphony no. 40 in G minor, K. 550
Movement II. Andante
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performance by Musopen Symphony
Symphony No. 3 in E Flat Major ‘EROICA’, Op. 55
Movement IV. Finale Allegro Molto
Written by Ludwig Von Beethoven
Performed by Musopen Symphony
All music courtesy of Musopen (musopen.org)
All music Public Domain Mark 1.0.
48HFP Awards and “THE MAKING OF MANNA” Documentary by Skiffleboom [Best Film Winner – 2012 Boston 48 Hour Film Project]
“Good news everyone!” Skiffleboom Productions’ entry into the 48 Hour Film Project, Boston 2012 made it all the way to the “Best of Boston” screening. On June 20th, 2012, a selection of the “best” competing 48HFP films were screened at the Kendall Square Theatre, where the judge’s awards were announced. Skiffleboom was awarded the following:
Audience Award, Screening “D”
Best Use of Genre
Best Cinematography – Seth Wood
Best Actor – Elise Manning
Best Directing – Michael McVey
Best Film
Our team is very humbled—we thank everyone who helped make “Manna” possible. Special thanks to 48HFP’s Boston Producer Ben Guaraldi and his team, the judges, and the 84 teams who successfully submitted films this year. We greatly encourage you to explore the 2012 entries and discover for yourself the variety of filmmaking talent and taste of the greater Boston area.
Here is a documentary I put together on the making of “Manna”
… This is a comprehensive look into our team’s approach to filmmaking under the 48-hour deadline, and provides some first-hand information and techniques for aspiring 48HFP participants.
“Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn.”
― C.S. Lewis
Michael McVey, Skiffleboom.com
Listen to Michael McVey speak about the 48 Hour Film Project on WGBH, with Edgar B. Herwick III and Mark Green on BOSTON PUBLIC RADIO:
http://www.wgbh.org/programs/Boston-Public-Radio-1936/episodes/Thurs-71212Quick-Flicks-40165
and watch some of Mike’s favorites from Boston’s 2012 48HFP: http://wgbhnews.org/post/six-winning-48-hour-films
“Manna” by Skiffleboom, “Best Film” Winner of 2012 Boston 48 Hour Film Project, 48hfp
Here is Skiffleboom Productions‘ entry into the 48 Hour Film Project, Boston 2012.
The 48 Hour Film Project is a wild and sleepless weekend in which teams make a movie—write, shoot, edit and score it—in just 48 hours. We started Friday, 7pm on May 18, 2012, and finished Sunday at 7pm, May 20th. The competition is screened at the Kendall Cinema in Cambridge and the films are judged by both panel and audience. Winners progress to regionals.
Manna by Skiffleboom Productions, 48 Hour Film Project Boston 2012
It was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. I’ll be making movies for the rest of my life.
Requirements:
Genre – Science Fiction
Line – You’re making a big mistake.
Character: Ivana Wright, interior decorator
Prop – Chocolate
“Manna”
Directed by Michael McVey
Written by Kristen Hamill & Michael McVey
Director of Photography – Seth Wood
Composer – Robby Candido
Editors – Kristen Hamill & Michael McVey
Production Sound Mixer – Kellen Sutherland
Q & A: Manna Premiere at Kendall Theater, Cambridge MA, Skiffleboom. Left to right: Michael McVey (director, writer, editor), Kristen Hamill (writer, editor), Robby Candido (composer), and Seth Wood (cinematographer). Photo by Stefan Malner.
Starring – Elise Manning
with
Valerie Roberts
Neal Cutler
Jason Dornhoffer
Terry Murtaugh
Characters:
Denise McIsaac
Katie Haynes
Joseph Vinueza
Uriah Barker
Steven Heim
Stephen Fischetti
Whitney Owens
Bronwyn Cooke
Nate Betts
Special Thanks to
Evelyn Schwager
Margalit Rosenblatt
Emily Lipscomb
Karen Hamill & Dave Hope
Michael McVey, Skiffleboom.com
Cast and Crew photo – Skiffleboom Productions. 48 Hour Film Project Boston 2012.
Stop Motion Word Animation [Skiffleboom.com]
By Michael McVey, Skiffleboom.com
I find these refrigerator word magnets incredibly addicting:
I thought this up one early April evening, after playing with the magnets for hours. I enlisted HARDCORE AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHER Seth Wood to shoot the magnet animation, using a trusty Canon 5D Mark II. We used individual photographs shot over three separate nights — over 2,880 photos in total. I edited in Final Cut Pro at 24 frames per second.
We wanted to keep the lighting consistent during the shoot, to get the smoothest motion. Since my kitchen has many windows, a daytime kitchen takeover to set up cameras and lighting would have been too much effort. It was easier for us to shoot at night, from 10PM to 4:30AM (followed by 3 hours sleep… and then our day jobs!).
Music by Chris Thomas King and Colin Linden – “John Law Burned Down the Liquor Sto’.”
Michael McVey
Skiffleboom.com
“Galloping Gertie” – Student Film, Bunker Hill Community College 2008, from Skiffleboom.com
Galloping Gertie, 2008
Written and directed by Michael McVey
Bunker Hill Community College 2008 – Elements of Video Production
In 2008, I decided to go back to school and learn filmmaking. I enrolled in video and audio production courses at Bunker Hill Community College, Charlestown, MA. Galloping Gertie was my first video, made for a class called Elements of Video Production. It was an intro course for video basics like 3-point lighting and depth of field. It was a good class, thanks to the learned Professor Pastel and his classic film references. For our final projects, Pastel divided the class into small groups. I was elected our group’s writer/director, and I mustered up a quick little story that used our group as actors and our school as our location.
Marcelo Almeida as "The Agent."
I’ve included the original storyboards below: I wrote the script on cocktail napkins at a Cambridge, MA music bar called Toad during a friend’s shows. I wrote parts with specific people in mind – with my group members as lead actors, I cast my audio production Professor Palermo, as the Evil Professor.
The shooting day came, but most of the cast and crew didn’t show up for the shoot… so I recast on the spot. With a leading actor vanished from the group, the role of the Agent went to Bunker Hill’s resident AV squad leader, Marcelo Almeida. Professor Palermo was a no-show, and I ended up filling in. If you look at the storyboards, you’ll see the difference, as I drew that role for a big Sydney Greenstreet type.
We shot the whole thing at Bunker Hill over a couple of days in late Fall 2008. We shot on a Canon Elura 85 MiniDV Camcorder and edited it in Final Cut Pro. It didn’t cost a thing, and it was a lot of fun to make — I really had a great time making this goofy little project, and really enjoyed the process, even if the final result is ridiculous.
Stephan Brooks as "That Guy Who Was Made Uncomfortable."
When comparing the film against the storyboards, you may notice that the fight scene was originally set in a bathroom. Why you ask?
Apparently, we weren’t allowed to film Marcelo on BHCC campus bathrooms. He had landed in some hot water with the campus security earlier in the year. He was working on his own video project – a “re-imagining” of the Casino Royale Trailer. Marcelo brought a toy gun to school to recreate a James Bond bathroom fight. When security walked in on 007 filming fights in school bathrooms, they were not pleased. They confiscated the toy gun, but let him keep the tuxedo. Now that I think about it, that’s probably what caused his lutropublicaphobia.
And it was for these reasons we had to move the bathroom fight scene to a computer lab. We kept computer genius Stephan Brooks’ cameo as “That Guy Who Was Made Uncomfortable,” but it wasn’t nearly as awkward as it should have been. The lesson: stay fluid, especially with comedy.
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- Marcelo Almeida as “The Agent.”
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- Stephan Brooks as “That Guy Who Was Made Uncomfortable.”
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