Head Trauma
by Noni Jones

A mysterious thriller, the movie Head Trauma has taken the DVX100 and pushed it to the limits! Directed by: Lance Weiler (you may know him from his previous film “The Last Broadcast”…if you don’t know, then I suggest you do a search on it…it’s another interesting story for all you fellow do-it-yourself filmmakers), Written by: Brian Majeska and Lance Weiler.

Okay…since these movie reviews are only about films that are shot on the Panasonic DVX 100 and that were actually watched by either myself or my film production team, I gather that if you’re reading this, then you must be a Mini DV filmmaker and are interested in just the necessities, yeah? Well then, let’s start with the story.

About the Award-Winning DVX100 Movie

Head Trauma is a horror/mystery/thriller that is based on director Weiler’s real-life experience involving a traumatic car accident. In the movie, George Walker (played by actor Vince Mola who, by the way, reminded me of a low-budget Paul Giamatti) is a man who inherits his late grandmother’s dilapidated house. Upon fixing the house, he accidentally falls and suffers a blow to the head, causing him to experience delusional visions, nightmares and haunting images that soon make their way into his reality.

DVX100 Production Value

The film production value of the movie was very good. The locations were chosen so well that through the DVX100 lens, they seemed to take on their own role in the film. I could just feel the cold lull, obscurity and murkiness surrounding the main characters. The actors, by the way, were virtual unknowns, but provided great delivery and emotion throughout every scene. The supporting cast kept the storyline moving along pretty well. No complaints there.

The movie production featured an aerial shot, a full-flooded basement and an exploding car! WOW! But…considering that the movie budget had four zeros before the decimal point…let’s just say it could’ve had more BANG for the buck. (see budget on page 2)

Direction

The direction of this digital DVX 100 film had a pretty slow and even pace throughout, which served the storyline well, but there were times where I found myself waiting for something more. To accommodate the intentional drab feeling of the movie’s direction, Weiler shot a considerable amount of indoor scenes that seemed to always have its lights muted in some way. There were some night scenes that they shot during the day and just placed black painted cardboard over the windows to control the amount of room light. Now that’s creative digital movie production!

(continued on next page - Head Trauma page 2...)

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