Script

As previously discussed we are having no diegetic sound but will be using a narration voice over as it conforms to the conventions of a film noir crime. We have been writing the script using famous film noir scripts as inspiration. We have the general ideas down its just putting everything in order which has proved difficult as it will need to match up to the film footage. The timing may be an issue but we have tried to write it in sections so each section could be moved around individually. We have also chosen our friend Joe Johnston to be the voice as he is much better at an american accent than us. We decided to use an american accent as it will conform to the conventions of the hard boiled american crime stories.

First shoot

We've had our first attempt at shooting our footage. Some shots where difficult as the tripod we used was too rigid and didn't allow for smooth panning shots so we had to shoot these free hand. Unfortunately they weren't particularly steady so we will have to re-shoot these. Our biggest problem however was the lighting. When considering the mise-en-scene we chose to have quite minimal lighting to create a low key effect. However in doing this we did not put enough consideration into how the camera will respond to this. There was too much contrast in the lighting and the exposure varied dramatically and in a lot of the shots the character is undesirably silhouetted.

Whilst there are a few issues with our current footage, it shouldnt be too difficult to get back on track as we have a setting already set up, our actors are cast and we liked the camera angles we achieved last time, there was just a problem with the lighting. As there is no diegetic sound its quite an easy sequence to film as actors dont have to memorise lines nor do the shots we take have to go in a specific order, that is a decision we can make in the editing stage.

Potential sound tracks

Here are a few examples of the results we received when finding potential music. We searched in relation to the time era to ensure the music is authentic. It was very difficult however to find something appropriate which matched the mysterious and slightly creepy atmosphere we are trying to create when presenting a murder. However some of these songs may create an interesting contrast when juxtaposed with the murder scene. Once we have our footage roughly edited we could try out some tracks.

Casting

We only need two actors for our film opening so it was quite easy to cast. Firstly we chose our friend marcus to be the detective as he fits the typical dark haired character profile you would expect in a 1940's crime thriller. Secondly we chose Joe to play the part of 'dead body' because Joe knows how to keep still.

Props

The Key film noir era was between the early 1940's and the late 1950's. To incorporate this time into our film we used various props which reflect traditions of the time. One of which was this old fashioned black phone we managed to borrow.

We have a black trench coat for the detective to wear in true crime detective style.

Filming Location

We have found a room which should be sufficient for us to set our film in. It consists of a small lounge and a kitchen. Here is a rough plan of how we intend on arranging the furniture and our dead body. We need suffiecient room for our detective to be able to move around but the room has to look realistic and lived in.

Opening synopses

We decided to do a noir thriller, based on 40s film noir but set in present time; it follows a private detective who is employed by a woman to find her husbands murderer. Eventually, it turns out it was her all along, hiring someone else to contract the murderer so that she can distance herself from the crime. In the opening of the film the private detective is called to the scene of the crime, where he looks around the apartment for a clue. As he arrives at the apartment, he throws his cigarette and pushes the unlocked door open and steps into a messy room. Police tape and a white body outline indicated where the murder had taken place. He sits in the victim’s sofa and eyes up the two glasses on the table, next to the bourbon. He sparks up another cigarette and pokes a crack in the blinds looking outside. He draws back to the kitchen as the phone rings. He picks it up and answers but after a brief crackle and heavy breathing, it cuts off. He walks over to the table again and puts his cigarette out in the glass. The title appears as he leaves the apartment.


The story is told using narrative device by the protagonist, as is conventional of film noirs. Alec and I are currently writing the script for the narrative, which shouldn’t take too long. We will also film/edit it in black and white, to further connote the 1940s noir feeling. I has been working on the storyboard for the film, which we will upload soon. Once this is finished we’ll have an idea of what we need for filming, in terms of location and props.

Narration

The use of an omniscient narrator is key to the narrative of Film Noir. Normaly the voice of the protagonist, the unravelling story is normaly accompanied by a narration informing the audience of added information such as thoughts of the characters.



Here is a song which is based on s typical crime thriller and uses a vocal of an omniscient narrator. I particularly like the lyrics as they are a good example of the typical rhetoric style you would expect in crime fiction.

Crime Fiction

Crime fiction style novels where being written throughout the 1800’s however it first started being recognised as a genre around 1900. Its popularity was boosted by the increase in production of fiction magazines. In the 1920’s Carroll John Daly invented a new style called Hard Boiled crime which is described as having “an unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex”. Hardboiled fiction was featured in and closely associated with Pulp-Magazines, particularly "Black Mask".

History of Film Noir

The Film Noir era originated in the 1940’s and spanned through to the late 1950’s. “Film Noir” isn’t a genre of film but more of a style. They where Hollywood crime drama’s shot in low-key black and white which was inspired by the art movement of German expressionism from the 1910’s to 1920’s. German expressionism had a strong focus on symbolism and mise-en-scene to create the mood of the film as they where unable to compete with the extravagant productions of Hollywood. At first the films used non-realistic set designs giving the film a surreal feeling. This only lasted a few years before the style progressed and the budgets where less restricted. This allowed the films to develope and reach a wider audience. The Noir style was most commonly used in "hardboiled" American crime films.

Genre of Film Opening

After researching a number of different film genres, Alec and I came to the decision to create an opening for a Film Noir thriller. We thought this genre would be interesting to explore, historically and contextually. I was inspired by its artistic origins and thought as a genre it has many codes and conventions that will be interesting to include.

Get Ahead OCR media, level 4 video, comparison to assessment criteria

The first six shots all illustrate a boy running. As of yet the audience does no know who he is or why he is running. Nevertheless we are intrigued into his motivation by these fast paced shots which use a variety of distances between subject and camera. The titling is also applied appropriately. It uses quite a general font which avoids playing to stereotypes of the “thriller” genre which can sometimes make it look tacky. The font size is quite small but the makers of the film have placed it appropriately into the corners of each shot so it sits on a background without too much contrast in it making it visible. The mise en scene of the flashback scenes is very effective. Firstly it is filmed in a high contrast greyscale helping the audience differentiate between the past and present. The props used in the flashback of the police interview are simply a table and chairs for the characters and a tape recorder placed on the table. The background is in shadows. These props are sufficient for the audience to recognise what is being illustrated but not too much that it distracts from the action.

Title Sequences

We watched the opening scene sequence for the film Juno. We made notes each time the scene changed and there was new titling featured. This was to help us take note of the timing between each title and how long each scene lasts for.
As it was an opening sequence, there was a lot of titling used to display the credits for the film. I was surprised by how quick the scenes changed in the opening. It wasnt until we had to time and note down the length of each scene that i realised how many different scenes where used. This is something i will have to consider when creating my own film opening.

Research

Preliminary task

We where set the task of producing a short film including three techniques. These where match on action, shot-reverse-shot and the 180 degree rule. Our video started with someone walking through a door into a room. We used match on action as she approached the door, grasped the handle, and entered the room. Each shot was taken from a slightly different angle to exaggerate different parts of the movement. A successful match on action sequence has smooth continuity. To ensure this was the case in our video we bracketed the shots with a few seconds of film at the beginning and end of each clip. This will make it easier for us to stitch the clips together when editing. When she sat down, we used shot-reverse-shot as she had a conversation with someone sitting opposite. As one of the characters spoke, the camera was positioned opposite them, with a view over the other persons shoulder. Here we also used the 180 degree rule. This involves the camera always being positioned on the same half (or 180 degrees) of the scene.