No Neutral Ground (2008)

Hi everyone, I really appreciate all the feedback and hope this short film has been enjoyable. Please understand that any inaccuracy or lack of realism (and I'm sure it's full of those) is not meant to be disrespectful to anyone. With my experiences now in the world and the film industry I notice many imperfections looking back, or small things here and there I could have done differently. But I'm still very proud of what my collaborators and I were able to achieve back when we were students. Some of us had a habit of embarking on ambitious projects we weren't always prepared for, and we learned a lot that way. It was my first time shooting on 16mm film which was a terrific experience. I'm thankful I got a chance to do so before shooting digital became a more common standard for learning filmmakers. Most rewarding was the relationships I forged and strengthened on this one project. Many of the crew from this film are now working on major motion pictures in the industry and we still keep in touch, hang out, and work together. Once again, I sincerely appreciate everyone who took the time to watch this short film as it is still my long term passion to direct movies. Best,

You should win an award for best short film. That was so intense. I am blown away.

I'm normally one of those who would nitpick unrealistic sniper's behavior to death, but I am very pleasantly surprised at this movie. It is way more realistic and accurate than most Hollywood blockbuster sniping scenes. A spotter with a normal short range scope, a sniper who uses his secondary on close range and not walking around looking through his long range scope while walking... this is good stuff. Would love to see this as a full length movie. Of course if it were too realistic, no one would watch it as a movie except maybe for gamers and veterans but I think for a movie audience, the realism and accuracy is spot on in the right direction. Just the other day i saw a snipe short that at first looked good, but once the sniper asked his spotter to range the target, and the spotter pulled out a kestrel, shook it in front of his head like a cocktail mixer and said "500 yards away" :D :D :D So this clip right here is a blessing to watch ;) Loved it!

[الزعل] : يؤثر على الأعصاب . [الخوف] : يؤثر على نبضات القلب . [الحرمان والفقد] : يولد الإكتئاب كل شخص لديه قصة حزن بداخله . وشخص تعب من التضحية .. دون نتائج . وشخص يبكي كل يوم على أشخاص رحلوا من الدنيا . وشخص يعاني من الغربة حتى وهو بين أهله وعشيرته . وأشخاص يقرأون هذا الكلام ليجدوا أنفسهم .. في بعض السطور . هي الدنيا .. ولهذا سميت دنيا . فقط خذ نفسا عميقا وقل " الحمد لله " فالقادم أفضل بإذن الله . لاتصدق بأن أحدا لا ينقصه شيء .. تأكد بأن الحياة تأخذ من الجميع . لا سعيد إلا من أسعده الله.. فالله هو الذي أضحك وأبكى وهو الذي أسعد وأشقى وهو الذي أغنى وأقنى . لا سعيد إلا من أسعده الله.. فالسعادة : ليست بالزواج.. ولا بالأولاد... ولا بالأصدقاء..ولا بالسفر.. ولا بالشهادات.. ولا بالماركات... ولا بالمناصب..وﻻ بالرفاهية.. ولا بالبيوت.. . السعادة : كل السعادة في إتصالك بالله. درب نفسك على كثرة طرقِ باب الله.. حتى يبقى الحبل ممدودا بينك وبين الله . هذه هي السعادة الحقيقية 👌❤ أسعد الله اوقاتكم 😊🙋👇👇 "لايك واشتراك في قناتي" "سلام"

I am an Infantry veteran with 28 years total service, slightly more than 5 years in theater. In my opinion, this is very well done for a Student film. I could nit pick a lot of small details. I might, later, add some Constructive Criticism. In general, the camera work, pacing, tension, are all reasonably good. Kudos for Not over indulging in gratuitous violence, and using camera work to avoid needing special effects to depict the impact of bullets. The facial expressions and body language of the Sniper and the Observer convey very well the consequences of killing a person, even an enemy, and in the line of duty. I hope these people continue to hone their craft. This is a promising example of what they have already learned.

To everyone saying “this isn’t a normal reaction to a sniper”: When your boy gets dropped by a shot from a half mile away that you couldn’t even hear, maybe you run, or maybe you take one last drag of that cigarette while you wait for the next one to send you home alongside him. Another man has crawled into a nest you’ll never see, is deciding your fate. War is hell. A lot of men don’t care if they die. A soldier makes these decisions. Thank you for the expert armchair comment section

Never leave an enemy alive at your back

Speaking on the production standards, it is absolutely excellent. It is also FAR better than a LOT of MEGA budget mainstream films of today. Just goest to show that the grammatical rules of film making i.e. story, filming, lighting, directing, acting and editing are still as valid now as they were a hundred years ago. The human being hasn't changed at all; at least nowhere near to the extent that modernity would like to have us believe. This looks like a GREAT film, and I even thought that it WAS big budget. Very well done.

Excellent! I love these military short films.

Can't get tired of this film

What makes this (well written, produced and acted) film so emotive is the juxtaposition of compassion/empathy versus survival.

I cruise YouTube everyday and I just now had this pop up. Outstanding film! Please continue!

the film was freaking awesome. The camera shot especially the one facing in the sky while the snipers were running. Ive never seen a shot like that. The acting was so good it surprised me. Usually these short films have terrible actors. Yours film is by far one of the best ive seen on youtube.

This is actually a pretty sweet film! There are a few slip-ups, some small (camo, gear, etc) and some larger (the reaction to sniper fire, letting the guy go - though that has actually happened in real-life: Bravo Two Zero, Operation Red Wings) but overall it was very good. One nice thing is that the portrayal of "silenced" gunfire is pretty accurate; more hard thumps and less squeaky puffs. A little bit of feedback is maybe less orange? I don't like how many war films seem to think that combat has to be monochrome for some reason. The Thin Red Line is a good example of the type of cinematography that I like in a war film, less monochrome and shaky cam, and more sharp, hard, almost piercing colour and steady camera work that leaves a haunting and unique "style" (is that the right word? I don't know much about shooting films myself!) combined with an amazing score. Kokoda: 39th Battalion is another great example. Keep up the good work, hope you make it big someday!

Decades from now....... We will hear instead of Big Foot....... Monsters in Guillie Suits. THANK GOD FOR THESE HEROES !!!!

Great job on the film. No score and less talk = more tension and the silence speaks volumes all by itself.

I enjoyed watching your film short, It's always fun to see what people can create. Don't worry too much about procedural errors, that level of detail comes it time. Good Job, keep it up !

Finally learned a valuable lesson....never leave anyone alive.

your work really makes me want to watch it again, thank you for your work

I love these shots at 5:02. The composition is really good and the sequence is readable. It also feels unique.