We decided as our plot was incredibly complex, that we would include a narrator who would help to explain and depict the story to the characters as it progresses. This was Dan Travers, who also played DCI Jones to keep with the theme of Film Noir and convention of Enigma Codes. We treated the narrator's speech as a description of the on screen action and as a way of telling the audience what the characters were feeling.
We asked our friend Logan Turner who studies music technology as he was able to show us the software and guide us in how to avoid background sound, echoes and static. This was a very useful tool as when incorporated into our film, it stands apart, and brings the audience out of the scene they are watching to reflect. We realised this was very useful as the plot and interchanging scenes are very quick/fast paced, which we received from the feedback.
To access them, on the right sidebar, there is month section which can be selected. Click the earliest month to get to the beginning of my journey through this A Level Course!
As a group, we also created a time sheet for the days we were filming in order for people to know when we were intending to film and how long we had etc. This helped to inform us and our actors what days and when we were filming.
Today we planned to film the penultimate scene where all is revealed and James and Josh have a confrontation. This was most important as, similar to Brick, there are many enigma codes throughout, as it is then revealed at the end who did what and why.
I did some filming today as I had only filmed in Mr Pickering's office, and so had a few ideas for artistic shots i.e. an extreme close up (which Emma helped set up) which was slightly off centre. Another was where Josh's shoulder was in focus, and then it blurred through to James' face in focus. This was a very useful camera shot that I felt was extremely effective and drew a lot of attention to James' face as he spoke, giving ownership and importance to the shot and to the words he was saying. To add to this we made it canted by loosening the grip on the camera and having it almost hang off the tripod.
The lighting was very low key and effective when contrasting on the clothes of the characters. Luckily Josh was wearing his grey coat, so the light reflected off the lighter material. The location was very good as Josh's silhouette was extremely effective under the streetlight, leading on from the earlier scene where he steps out and reveals himself to the audience.
The actors were able to say their lines effectively, and concisely, we did muck around a bit, and we must try to focus more when filming. Due to this, the battery ran out, however we were able to film the audio of some other bits to include a sound bridge when Editing at a later date.
In terms of filming, we simply had to film a few sections which were to be added in to make continuity a lot more consistent. For example, we filmed a mid to low angle shot of James in the cupboard, as the first time we filmed it, the angle was too extreme and looked too amateur.
We also had to film the progressional drug deals with James to show his gradual involvement within the gang. This was very integral to the plot as well, which we found very useful to reshoot before Emma had to go to work (as Emma filmed).
As we are coming to the end of the filming, the final major section we have to film is on Friday which is the ultimate death scene between our main character Hawke, and Raymond. We have arranged this via a facebook message to all meet up at 6 at my house and filming will start then, until 8.
The filming has been very effective on this day, we all took part in directing the actors, and Emma/Georgia asked the other group members to check the camera's initial angle and to make sure the shot was correct. I particularly thought that the location (walkway near Tesco) was very useful as it looked rough and abandoned. We did notice the parking sign for the car park beyond was not easily able to avoid in the shot, so we did our best.
After discussing the name of the film previously, as we reached the end of our filming process, we decided to revisit this.
I had the idea of 'Siren', determined by Siren's which meets the gang culture, meeting the Neo-Noir genre also with the idea of Greek mythology, and Siren's calling men to their deaths. We also decided that the S sound was very seductive and matched the character of the Femme Fatale precisely.
Georgia (whilst deciding names) mentioned the word Shard implying smashed glass, or jewels etc. Emma then mentioned it could be the name for the smaller company distributing the film "Shard Pictures". The pictures side is typical of any films similar to 'Productions', as well as being relevant to our plot i.e. where the Picture evidence is important to the development of the case.
We also had previously decided on Streetlight productions from my initial poster idea as streetlights and a nighttime setting are a typical convention of the Noir genre, and we decided the transition would be flicked like a failing light.
Emma then noticed that the use of the letter S was consistent within our ideas, which we then linked to the biblical story of Adam and Eve and the story of the serpant and fruit where the characters are tempted by something they can't have. This is present within our film i.e. the character Hawke and Kaine in the gang. We felt that this would similarly give another dimension and analytical prowess to our film.
Final Alley Scene - GROUP + Josh and James - Friday
Cupboard shot of James -Wednesday TBC
Emma getting ready -Thursday (after school)
For Sale - James (After school TBC) - Wednesday TBC
Dex, Kaine, Hawke EMMA BE CHEATING - In Car (Rearview mirror shots, devil on shoulder, two shot focus on characters in turn as they speak, headlights) "Twilight" Lighting thing to link to LA Confidential. - Sunday TBC
Photos - Michael, James????? (Emma do Emma - Thursday)
I had the idea of filming the sunrise, as I noticed within the Noir genre, there is a clear divide between the seedy atmosphere of the nighttime, and simultaneously the redeeming daytime. I felt that a simple image of a sun's rays breaking the horizon from the hills where I live would be a magical moment to include within the film and would meet another convention of the Noir genre.
I woke at 5.30 to film the sunrise expected at 6.44. Unfortunately the day was overcast, so I missed the shot, however I ran the idea past the group as to whether we needed some establishing shots. The group were unable to meet and film, so I borrowed Emma's HD Video Camera to film some various shots. These included an artistic shot along the bars of the fence, as well as a stationary shot of an old barn amidst a frosty field. This could be incorporated before the scouthut scenes where the gang are introduced, as a shot of a scout hut may not be ideal as it doesn't hold any original connotations and conventions of the Noir genre, therefore I feel that this shot of the old barn would be more suited as it creates a more seedy isolated atmosphere, creating a foreboding around the gang and leading the audience to believe that they aren't to be trusted.
Another shot I managed to shoot was of a car driving down a road from round a corner. You can hear the engine and the cars lights curve into view which is another classic convention of Noir which hopefully when I show my group, they will want to incorporate.
Today we filmed with Hawke, the main character and the drug scene which went wrong in the dark the first time.
The two actors we chose to be the dealers ad-libbed too many words and weren't as professional acting as we wanted. However this time, Dexter (Steven) was much more aggressive towards the *new* drug dealer Charlie. Their reactions were a lot more realistic as they had a better chemistry and knew each other clearly which came through in their acting.
We also filmed inside Mr Pickering's office, whilst we had asked for permission to use it during the week.
I had a shot idea where the camera initially focuses on DCI Jones, before focusing on Dan as he spoke. I felt this was very artistic and effectively representative of the Film Noir genre.
Simlarly later when we were filming by the garages, where Hawke and Dexter are talking, I felt that the same effect could be used. Emma filmed the part of the wall that was sticking out so it was in focus, before then focusing on Hawke as he spoke to possibly represent clarity of the situation, and to attract the attention to Hawke as he is the main character.
We had some group disagreements, however we all managed to push through these and decide as a group which scenes to shoot and where.
Similarly, I acted a lot more in the Director's role today, as I told everyone to reset their places, gave them the script, made sure they were positioned correctly, told everyone to be quiet and get ready, as well as signalling when actors to go. I also acted as runner, getting coats and props from my house, and checked the camera was angled properly when Emma was filming. I found it very helpful to act as director, and try to keep the actors posted on what they had to do and where. This gave me a better scope of what I had to do in a real directing role.
Although only partway through our filming, we decided to get all the footage onto Emma's Mac, and using Final Cut Pro, begin to edit, rearrange the order, and decide which sections of footage were the correctly filmed, for example, certain scenes we filmed more than once because the audio wasn't correct, or the actors performances weren't correct.
We initially cut out the sections where Akshay says 'Action', and marked all clips of footage which weren't to be used within our film. We also resolved the important matter of the cupboard scene which we wouldn't be able to refilm, and the footage was unfocused. The camera focuses as Emma (Femme) reveals her bruises, implying a moment of clarity for Hawke.
During editing the Office scenes, I found that on the top of the computer screen, slightly visible was the words "The Knights Templar School", however we decided to correct this with colour correct.
I also noticed when editing the sections of the Police station, that as Hawke walks off, James walks round the corner before into camera shot. I realised this wasn't true to the continuity and therefore we edited it by cutting it short, adding and adding a crossfade from the previous scene to create a smoother transition.
Furthermore, as we watched back the footage from the Police Station shoot, as 'Raymond' walks away from bumping into James, I realised that Josh looked not only straight at the camera, but also we revealed the entirity of his face, and therefore character which we wanted to keep concealed until the final scene.
When looking at the Scout Hut scenes, we had to choose the various shots we created to make sure continuity was correct as when Kaine (Michael) - the lead drug dealer, confronts Dexter (Steven), the actors moved, and therefore we had to refilm. Not only did they move, but Michael's grasp changed it's placement on Stevens jumper and so ruined continuity. We managed to alter this by cutting down the footage to a closer shot, and cropping the image, expanding it to fit the screen so that this scene flowed more smoothly.
When filming within Mr Pickering's office with Daniel and James, in editing, we had two shots of the pictures which were very interesting, one was an over the shoulder, and the other was a properly focused and clarified shot. I felt that they were both interesting, however the order of the photos wasn't the same, so we scratched the clarified clear shot of the pictures, and used one where Daniel picks them up off the desk. This made transitions easy, we cropped Daniel into the shot slightly and furthermore, expanded it to fit the screen.
Due to our main Femme Fatale being busy until April, Emma opted to film the 'getting ready' scene when she was spending time with her. We as a group all agreed to this, and talked about the Mise-En-Scene.
Emma had the idea of having a scrawled R somewhere in the background so as to continue with the evidence pictures from earlier within the plot.
I developed this by coming up with the idea of having the whole name on the mirror to make it less obvious, and to make the audience purposefully think about the name and make the connection between the R and the name Raymond. In terms of mise-en-scene, me and Emma decided it should be either on her desk or on the corner of the mirror to not make it the centre of attention, but to make it obvious enough.
Above is some quick ideas for the name that Emma wrote down while we were discussing where to place the name in the room.
This specific shot within The Godfather is filled with the classic theme of Fatalism, as well as Paranoia and confusion as to what's going on. The scene is framed beautifully off centre to create the disorientating feel to the audience, as they can also see the convention of the mirror reflection, where the theme of death is ever present from the prositute. The dead prostitute's face is also facing Senator Geary as if accusing him, creating an enigma code for the audience. Furthermore, the conventional character of prostitution is present within this film. The desk lamp casts a warm eery glow on Senator Geary. The character of Senator Geary can link to that of L.A. Confidential where the policemen (people of authority) get involved with the prostitutes.
His facial expression shows he is weak, and the fact he is shirtless implies he is vulnerable, however the audience don't feel any sympathy for him as it's his actions which brought the situation about. His corruption and confusion has caused the inevitable death of the prostitute of the innocent woman, and isolated him. Later on in the movie, the recurring theme of a power struggle where power gets the better of Michael Corleone.
As Georgia had to go to work halfway through filming, Emma brought her video camera as a back up to film the bits that couldn't be seen. We also filmed the cupboard shot as we were short on space, and if the whole group were in there, it would be a tight fit.
Within this short recording, you can see Myself and Emma setting up the scene by adding props, we also decided to shut the curtains as they were red and so gave negative connotations of the gang featured i.e. hate, passion etc. We also filmed Emma Coulson having her make-up applied by Sophie Deegan, the make-up artist we asked to help out.
We also recorded some general chit chat of the various shot planning as well as Akshay directing the actors where to go, and making sure the actors were right, as well as the recording of shots, angles, and after I suggested to the group, actually having a handheld movement rather than relying on the tripod all the time.
Also, the final line was really useful as many comparisons are made within Film Noirs between the characters and the situation effectively. I had heard something similar on an advert, and so decided to include something similar within our Noir.
Close up - True Blood DVD Cover of red lips
Hawke and Kain conversation - loft of scout hut?
Continuity (turning right) silhouette up stairs
establish up the stairs - noone there, then Hawke walks up - more dramatic introducing himself
Emma Coulson, the Femme Fatale was wearing a white top, reflecting her innocence and showing a different side to her. Similarly, she has frequently been wearing scarves, and due to her character being one of mystery, and the plot the actors said themselves was 'very confusing' which was the effect we are going for. She also wore a red hoodie which connotates danger, as well as representing love and passion. We also had the Femme Fatale change into a grey hoodie showing a mix of black and white coming together, showing that she isn't a straight forward character and there's a lot more to her than meets the eye.
Another shot idea I had whilst we were filming was to film through the bars of the chair to create an isolated shot. As we didn't have a venetian blind type shot, I decided this could give a similar effect. The lighting was quite high key and lit the scene very well, therefore the shadows created by the bars of the chair. The framing of the chair got a very effective shot of Emma and James the main characters, implying that there is some sort of affair/infidelity going on. The framing of the shot was also slightly canted to disorientate the audience and make them wonder what's going on. We also made sure that Emma's make-up was lighter implying she had less to hide in this more comfortable setting.
Josh was wearing a black and white hoodie, implying that although he has a darker side, there is the possibility that he has a good side to him as well. This gave me the impression of a chequerboard which again relates to our 'taking in turns' Chess related underlying theme/story.
As we had a high volume of actors and locations/days/times to film etc as well as make up to apply, we made a group timetable on Excel which we all had a copy of so we knew which bits we were filming on which day.
We then created a joint message on Facebook with an attachment of a word document file containing all the information ourselves and our actors needed. The facebook message provided a chance for our cast to ask questions as well as an easy way of including everyone in the plan. We wanted to remain as organised as possible, whilst being well aware that problems like lighting, loss of actors, jobs and University visits would get in the way. We tried our best to accommodate these scenes without wasting our time, although as a group, after our first day of filming, we did decide we had to be more picky about shot types as well as lighting.
On the second day of shooting, we planned to film the drug deal scene, and a majority of the nighttime 'Final' ending scenes, as well as the initial shot (and introduction) of the Femme Fatale.
We managed to shoot a majority of the drug deal, despite the conversation between the Anti-hero and the drug dealer Dexter, although due to failing light (dying car batteries) and actors having to leave due to prior arrangements, we decided to leave the final talk scene til a later date.
Due to the similar problem of actors leaving early, Danny Adams whom we cast as Raymond left, which meant we wouldn't of been able to film the final scene. Luckily we had Josh Eaton as a back-up who we asked to step in, and luckily did so we were able to film more scenes.
We also decided to alter our choice of pretend drugs to Cocaine, as in terms of plot, it would be easier to fake, as well as make sense that the 'drug dealers' would cut it.
As we were filming the nighttime scenes, we understood we would need more lighting, and so we used Emma's car lights at first, and then Georgia's to take it in turns so as to not run down the battery. We also used spotlights, torches, and the flash on people's phones to enhance specific lighting on people's faces.
In our second location down Pepper Alley, the lamppost gave us a great deal of light to work with and created marvellous silhouetted shapes that we felt met the conventions of the Noir genre in regards to Chiaroscuro lighting with harsh contrasts.
However, we weren't able to finish filming the final scene in the alley as the camera ran out after being on for over 3 hours, so we decided to reschedule for another day.
All of our actors turned up at the right time, and we all met at the (pre-booked) i.e. completely ours, Scout Hut. This was where we wanted to film our first shots of the Anti-Hero's introduction to the 'gang' as well as the introduction of the Femme Fatale. These were key moments that we filmed in, mid shots for conversations, as well as long shots of the gang to establish what was happening to the characters, and close ups to make the cupboard scene more intimate and personal to the audience - feeling personal involvement.
When choosing our actors, a couple were least responsive and actually made unnecessary noise and was very difficult to work with, so perhaps he wasn't the best option as an extra.
Sophie Deegan - a local friend and make-up artist did the make up for our Femme Fatale including facial and bruises that we required. She was very easy to work with on the Wednesday and this was very effective in terms of time that we had.
We had to retake a couple of shots as there were minor continuity issues, for example when we first shot the altercation between the gang member, the two main characters held each other, the camera cut and then they moved, so we had to alter this and reshoot them.
Furthermore, when we were filming, reflecting back, I felt as if we needed to definitely vary our shot types, not just the shot, but the movement of the camera as I feel that we left the camera too stationery, and although we got a steady firm shot, we needed to make it more lifelike and tell the actors what to do primarily, and then moving the camera to accommodate the movement of the actors.
I was watching the University of Sussex award nominated video Aeron, and various shots within it were very interesting to try and recreate.
Whilst looking at this video, me and Emma had the idea of having a flash cross cut of shots to link them together. We then thought that this could be good with a cigarette and Hawke to show a typical Noir convention in a modern twisted way.
As an extra on top of my ancillary tasks, I decided to create a short teaser trailer, a standard 1 minute 30 second trailer to promote our film. This would go out on tv after 8pm to appeal to the correct target audience, and would mostly be on BBC channels as well as ITV.
In terms of Market Research, I handed out approximately 20 questionnaires from people aged 17 to 65!
These included questions regarding theme, characters and general plots of the Noir type genre. A majority of these came back negatively, and I found that the ideal audience was 40 years old and upwards, both males and females who are interested in detective type plots.
Here are some examples of my feedback I typed up.
I also set up a forum to discuss the Noir genre where I hoped members of the general public would respond with why they like certain Noirs, what characters they like and various plotlines. This would also help with our story so we could make sure it wasn't too confusing/ all the right components were involved.
I also realised that in terms of market research with major companies, namely Facebook, use the knowledge of what you 'Like' to adapt the adverts at the side of the pages you browse. I notice that many major companies use the internet, as well as social networking sites to distribute and discuss their products. This is namely why I created an online forum as I felt the majority of the feedback would be concise and useful for my project.
In terms of translations, when our film has been created, in order for
it to be released in other countries, we would need to translate it or have
subtitles in the relevant language in order to aid the various cultures and
languages.
We would have this in English, German, Spanish, Italian, Portugeuse
which also makes it easier to broaden out to South America.
We could also have audio description especially for the blind, which
during my research at the local cinema appeared to be very aiding to disabilities.
Similarly, we could also have subtitles for people with audio impairment
and therefore aren't able to hear the film properly i.e. deaf or elderly.
Chiaroscuro lighting is a specific design of lighting used within the Noir genre to create incredibly strong contrasts in light and shadow which are often cast on the actors when they enter rooms and in intimate settings. The term Chiaroscuro was first used to refer to the 'classic' artists within Art History such as Peter Paul Reubens and Giovanni Baglione.
We should try and incorporate a few shots that have very strong contrasts which we could recreate with torches held to one side of the actors faces. This would be very effective within our piece and useful to include and evaluate.
The effect of the harsh contrasts in light would show harsh contrasts in character, as well as conflicted characters (similar was used on Jack Vincennes before he died when entering Dudley Smith's home).
As a group, we wanted to have a go at producing our own Foley Sound in the soundproof studio at school as we feel this could be incredibly beneficial to our knowledge of not only how it's actually done for real films, but also to give us a sense of whether we can actually use it within our film and if it will be effective.
In class we were introduced to Gary Hecker who is a Foley Sound Artist, and this video gave us a good idea as to how the different sounds are recorded and put together with relevant timings and fades to make sure they fit to the film/section of film.
Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to produce Foley sounds, and we decided when editing our final product that the only Foley sounds we would be able to do would be footsteps. Therefore rather than wasting our time, we thought this would be more effective to leave as raw sound from our camera to create a more realistic effect ans Foley Sounds can often sound too staged and be ineffective when not done professionally.
Within Pulp Fiction, the character Vincent Vega - played by John Travolta, there is a camera shot within the scene when he puts a needle with aggressive force into Mia's chest. This was a transition of shots between medium shots to give context to the situation, as well as close ups to give a good view of what was occurring.
This shot was actually filmed where John Travolta pulled out the prop needle from Uma Thurman's chest, and the film was then simply run backwards. This would be an idea to include within our Noir as it could give a more realistic effect. Also a slow motion speed could be effective.
Similarly, within Brick, a Neo-Noir, there is a shot which starts of a over the shoulder shot - long shot of a car, which then develops into a medium, then close up as the car appears to be speeding toward Joseph-Gordon Levitt, missing him by only inches.
This shot cuts to a sort of point of view shot from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The audience are revealed to a car that appears to be driving incredibly fast towards the character. This is a lower angle to show the threat.
The way this shot was filmed, was that the car reversed incredibly slowly, passing Gordon-Levitt (Brandon) by inches in a straight line. The film, similar to Pulp Fiction, was then run backwards and sped up to give the impression that the car had been speeding and just missed him. This is a clever technique as Brick was made on a very small budget, and shot in roughly 20 days.
Within the film, the Director used various extreme angles, and stylised camera work which made the film visually challenging to watch, creating various forebodings and mixed emotions about the characters, as well as the enigma codes within the plotline.
This low angle shot shows Brandons weakness. It shows him falling over, revealing the whole of his body with the angle slightly canted. He is wearing a white t shirt to show angellic tendencies - trying to do the right thing within the Neo Noir film.
This shot was very effective within the trailer as it shows without barely revealing the character, a Rubik's cube iconography is knowledge, and determination etc which is relatable to the nickname of the character within the film - Brain. Similarly a briefcase is a piece of formal iconography - office - papers/files etc.
This low angle shot of the main character on an overcast sky during the day, although normally used to give the impression of authority or power, this shot has made Brandon look like a lost, bedraggled loner, getting into a problem that's too big for him. The overcast sky creates negative forebodings about the character in the film, and the events to follow.
This low angle two shot shows a close bond between the characters, as well as a close separation. Although they don't spend much time with each other, Brandon goes to him when he needs help - a strong bond to confide in. The glasses show a link of brains and intellect between the characters which is how the characters are linked.
This link will take you to the individual animated storyboard that I
made. I drew some rough pictures and added my own annotations, as well as
picking a Jazz song by The Viscounts which I would have playing at different
intensities throughout the 5 minute film.
Enigma - enigmatic - mystery -
obscure. Perhaps it refers to the little "hooks" that trailers
employ, to get an audience for the movie. Set up some ambiguous mystery and
catch them.
I was looking up various ideas for the music to accompany our Film/Neo film, and I came across Jo Stafford's 'My Romance' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YXoXFkmy2k). She was born in 1917, and so spans across the eras. Her style is very classical and delicate, and could be used as a passionately strong statement - contrapuntal. This would be very interesting with a death scene/murder report as it reflects a warm heartfelt reaction to the audience as opposed to an obscure and negative connotation that traditional Film Noir's spark. The Neo-Noir genre is very flexible and adaptable in terms of music and sounds.
I specifically found that in Neo-Noir's such as Drive has a very synth type 80's feel to it. This worked well as it created a very intimate and emotional burst of sound especially within the song Nightcall - Kavinsky (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV_3Dpw-BRY). Ironically, this song features in the opening of the film, and Ryan Gosling (Loner) makes a Nightcall to an unnamed person.
Within our Film/Neo-Noir, I personally think that we should incorporate various acoustic (guitar) or classical (piano) tracks, recorded with and performed by our friends with Music experience. I think, as in L.A. Confidential, there is a happy medium between original swing, jazz songs, and more upbeat tempo songs. I think we should aim to incorporate these within our Neo-Noir as they would create a flurry of emotions within the viewer. 'My Romance' by Jo Stafford is a beautifully classic creation of which we could either try recreate or use, with regards to the copyright. Alternatively we could use sections of the song, and not the full track at specific pivotal points within the plot. When surfing through YouTube for various music ideas, I heard a song 'Microphone' by Example. I ran this song by my group and felt the chorus could be related to the character of the loner. Emma responded and said that she thought the chorus was very relevant and that it related to the other song we discussed in a group 'Sirens - Dizzee Rascal'. The low tones within this Example song are strong basis for the soundtrack for our film, and the classic piano, with a slightly edgy drum background gives a good kick which will help to power our film along. With this, we could create our own classical piano and drums accompaniment to add a more modern edge to our Neo/Noir piece.
Another song I had previously heard in a tv show was a quieter, more powerful and emotive/effective song which could be used in a slow motion section, or one where the Anti-hero has a moment of understanding/realisation. The song is called 'Twice' by Little Dragon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1OuofrhKAU). It is very emotive and delicate in it's delivery which also could reflect well on the Femme Fatale. The soft piano tones could be used to create an enigma surrounding the Femme Fatale who is expected to be dangerous, which could be disorientating.
A song by Wiley Ft. Ed Sheeran - 'You' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pluQZjVJ3cc), has an interesting introduction with a harsh riff from an acoustic guitar. The tones are sharp and attention is drawn to the piece, and could be good for both opening and ending credits as they don't have a specific direction and tone within the piece. It has a slight disjointed feeling to it implying something negative will happen, which, within the Noir genre, is an inevitable occurance.
I heard this song 'Outro' by M83, and the emotional effect it had on me was amazing. It was very emotive and effective and was a beautiful introduction, with no words, relying on the light and easy tones, it had a simple tune, very calming and interesting to work with. The beginning of the song is not only simple, but it's very synthy and adaptable and calming - could be good for opening or ending credits.
Group Suggestions
As a group, during a lesson, me, Emma, Georgia and Akshay decided to have a run through of various songs and music that we could use. Georgia had the idea of the song 'Sirens' by Dizzee Rascal to accompany the opening (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBJJ11fNkD4). We all discussed this and agreed that some of the lyrics as well the 'Siren' noises would match the classic 'Police' undertone within Film Noirs.
"Better run when you hear the sirens coming" - This implies something negative i.e. murder, crime, burglary etc has occured in order for the police to be involved. This also implies of a chase, and when related to a Film Noir, could take place in a dark isolated alley/street.
"Gotta rise up, gotta stand up tall" - This implies of a revolution which is ideal as within our plot, the ultimate ending is that the female character causes a revolt and breaks from the feminist, 'male gaze' views. The pace of this song could also be ideal as in the beginning we planned to have a flashback with a worrying overtone and a chase/crime.
One of the pivotal sections within this song that was easily related to our plot is; "So we followed [him] through this little alleyway into the flats, and we thought the time was perfect, so we crept up and we attack". This basically described the opening of our short Film as in the beginning we wanted to have a group of three hoodies following a woman down a dark alley. This phrase from the song reflected well the impression we wanted as the initial reaction to the short film.
We also noted as a group that we didn't want songs which were too well known as this would detract from our opening, and so by using samples/backing tracks or making our own versions, this may have a better effect on the audience, creating an enigma about the film.
Alternatively, Georgia suggested 'Watchtower' by Devlin and Ed Sheeran (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8NdK2WlDT4). Emma noted that the use of the strumming frets on Sheeran's acoustic guitar created a deeper tone and more realistic pace. We wanted to surround our film in a confusion as to what was going to happen, and didn't want to turn it into a Crime/Gang film which misses out of the Film Noir theme. Although we wanted to incorporate the crime and gang culture within our film, we didn't want it to be the main steer of the film.
In the end, we decided as a group to go for more instrumental pieces to fill the gaps, and to fit with the Noir convention of having a minor key piano score. For the final song we did incorporate 'Watchtower' as was suggested previously. A song that I liked and suggested as well was the instrumental section of Kavinsky's Nightcall of which was very 80's styled and featured in the Neo-Noir 'Drive'. This gives the audience an indicator of what the specific genre is.
As part of my research into the Noir genre, I made a presentation where
I analysed stills from the Opening of the film as well as the trailer. I did
this to experiment with various camera angles and to also gain ideas for when
we created our own Film Noir in our group. It was filmed and created in colour,
and was created in 2011, directed by Nicholas Winding Refn. I am a fan of his
work and so looked in detail at his use of music, both diagetic and non
diagetic as well as editing i.e. the sharp transitions used between shots and
angles as well as movements. These are all relevant when looking at a film, and
I will similarly look into L.A. Confidential of which we are studying in class.
When looking at the credits of Film Noir films, I realised that they use
the classic 'scroll up' animation on the screen. We have studied 'Double
Indemnity' previously in class, and I took particular notice of the credits
(both opening and ending).
I felt that although the sound used was important, that the background
image gives a key impression about the Film Noir and the events within the
film.
Some brief notes I wrote about the opening follow:
- 'A Paramount Picture' institution is named to inform the audience who has
distributed it
- This is accompanied by minor key music with harsh 'screeching' sounds
- Non Diagetic
- There is a fade transition to a foggy/smoky location - creating an
enigma as to events and mystery regarding the plot - convention of Noir genre
- Silhouette shown - convention of Noir - mystery as to who the
character is
- Stark contrasted lighting - low key - strong shadows created
- Man on crutches - teaser to audience regarding events in film - How
did he get in that position?/ What happened to him?
- Grand Music Non Diagetic - Fanfare - bold drums implies bold actions
within the film?
- Fade in credits - bold white with black shadowed behind implies
"you can't have shadow without light"
- Order of credits:
- Fred MacMurray - Main lead
male - Detective type introduced first (Neff)
- Barbara Stanwyck -
Femme Fatale - Dangerous - introduced second (Phyllis)
- Edward G. Robinson -
Mentor/Friend of Neff - introduced third (Keyes)
- Three main characters that effect the plot most introduced first.
- Neff and Phyllis on the same line implies that they are involved -
love - connected
- Keyes underneath gives strong impression that he's following their
every move.
These opening credits are insightful into the story and a lot can be
read into them regarding the plot and the different characters. I found this
research useful as it meant, as I was watching other films, I was able to look
at interesting aspects that I could use in my drafts or that could be used in the
group Noir project.
In a film I watched on 22/1/13, Twilight - although not a Film Noir,
there were key aspects from the credits that interested me greatly. The end
credits especially. The music/song used was Linkin Park - Leave Out All The
Rest. In terms of our group Film Noir, we have discussed the idea of creating
our own score of music as Emma has a background music knowledge, as well as
good links to other musicians within the School that we are able to use.
These credits are from Twilight and I particularly like them, as like
the Noir's they stick to one image or loop of Film i.e. In 'Detour' where the
audience are shown a point of view shot from the backseat of a car. In the
Twilight ending credits, the audience is revealed a shot of the reflection of
trees on 'disturbed' water creating a ripple effect. These opening credits are
also 'sinister' as they are cast in low key lighting with a blue/cold filter. I
feel that this would similarly be effective in the black and white style of
Film Noirs, and that as a group or individual, we could incorporate this effect
into the piece somehow. Furthermore water, as well as silhouettes are common
conventions of the Film Noir genre and so would incorporate the audience with
thoughts of negativity and weakness.
To listen to this you will need loud sound as the audio quality on my
phone isn't the best, but if speakers are used, it can be heard. I recommend
you plug in a sound cable to make the video audible.
Group talk recorded - 15 January 2013 - Within the 30 minute discussion,
we are talking about plot ideas, locations, characters and who could play the
characters, as well as lighting, sound, names, what we have available to us as
well as timescales and when everyone is free.
In terms of names for our group Film Noir, I have had a personal
brainstorm and come up with a few ideas.
Firstly 'Pandemonium'. Single word titles such as 'Brick' as well
as 'Detour' seem to have a better punch and effect and makes them seem morememorable. The definition of Pandemonium is 'Wild
and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar'which could be relevant to the
plot/storyline and characters involved.
I similarly thought of 'Shooting Blanks'. This gives the
impression of a Red Herring and some sort of mystery which fits with thearchetypal detective characters. The word 'Shooting'
also implies violence or guns which are prominent within the Film Noir genre.
Another I thought of could be 'Tainted Love' which has
connotations of a Femme Fatale, and that the 'love' thedetective/anti-herofinds isn't pure. This also implies that it's a trick and has negative
implications of mistrust and betrayal - classic conventions found within a Film
Noir.
The name I thought of on my first drawn poster idea was 'WinWin'.
This was an idea that I related to Georgia's plot idea of acorrupt poker game. I thought of WinWin because it seems
ironic as not everyone can win in a dangerous situation. Most often at the end
(or throughout) Film Noirs, there is a strongconnotation of deathwhich again implies that the penultimate ending will includedeath and/or destruction.
Again, I was brainstorming the Scenarios of which are the basis of many
Film Noirs which includemurder,deceit, gambling, prostitution, violence, gun
crime, corrupt societiesetc. By thinking about this, I came up
with the name 'Against All Odds'. This was a particularly good idea as
it implies that something good may happen at the end -subverting previous preconceived ideasof conventions of Film Noirs that end in death more often than not. It
also implies that the main character,detective/anti-herois against everything and has to put up a fight, which is a classic
convention in some Film Noirs. I came up with another idea as I was looking at the Marvel Comic Book characters, and specifically one called Gambit. I looked into the definition of this, being similar to a red herring, and furthermore, I found a link to a Chess video on YouTube. This was called "King's Gambit", which is a move in Chess, where one side sacrifices a piece, causing a distraction, in order for them to move into a more suitable position on the board. I felt that this could be a very interesting twist to put on our Film Noir and to incorporate within the Mise-en-scene.
MISSING LINK
COLOURS - black, grey, white, red (dark red not bright scarlet)
Emma Wylie in our group decided to provide us with some sample ideas for the opening credit transition of the text on the screen. This will be key to create the right initial impression on our audience before the film has even started, for example, the renowned opening credits of Psycho which take on a sharp stabbing motion, which acts as a reflection from the infamous shower scene.
Emma's short video lasts only 14 seconds, however it gives a good initial idea as to what we can do with the Mac computer software.
The first example moves away from the audience - glowing, then settles on the screen, before expanding out. This seems to be quite intrusive, and perhaps doesn't give off the best impression.
The second is very subtle and appears from a slower fade onto the screen, settles and flashes off quickly. This gives a better "get in, get out" impression of the film which could be more suited.
The third one personally looks like the keys on a piano being played, and so gives a possible musical, or cheerier film impression which is definitely not what we want.
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