My Film Noir OTS - Catch the Con

CATCH THE CON...BETHANY BULL from fLIX.TV on Vimeo.

My evaluation

Editing, The Credits and the Chosen Font

• I wasn't sure whether or not to have full credits in my OTS, and after I finished editing all of my clips I realised I didnt have enough time to put any more credits in apart from the title of the film and the '2 weeks earlier...' bit. Plus, I don't much like many credits, like for example in the 1946 film 'The Killers' all the credits are at the beginning. I finally chose my font after looking at different types like the one below which is called Betty Noir (http://www.dafont.com/betty-noir.font). I really liked this font and when I saw it, it made me instantly think of Film Noir. But the colour was too dark and harsh looking against the lightness of the last clip and so I decided on a different font that was lighter.

• This is the chosen font (BlairMdITC TT) but on the editing software of Imovie it is white in the middle with a black outline.
• I like the simpleness of it and how it looks quite smart and to a state of perfection, which is how the two main man characters see themselves.
• Other possible font styles were Mesquite std, Chapparal pro, Eccentric std or Baskerville.

• I chose the credit style of Centred Tile which made the writing fade in and out of the middle. Other possible choices where Subtitle and Music Video.

• When editing I used transitions such as cross dissolve (which merged two scenes together subtly and not too dramatically, pleasant on the eye to watch), wash in and wash out when the flashback that Jack remembered happened, helping to indicate and show this is happening. I changed it all to black and white to fit in with the film noir genre and conventions and increased the contrast in some of the scenes to keep the colour tones flowing through scene to scene.

• I had to letterbox certain scenes as I had filmed using two different cameras (though not at the same time, even though I had planned this, but on the day of filming it was not possible to get hold of two cameras) and only scenes from one camera had automatically letterboxed.

• Luckily, I had used an old camera so the quality wasn't fantastic, but this is exactly the effect I wanted as I wanted it to look old and aged and also then I didn't have to edit it to make it look grainy or gritty with texture, becasue it already had it on it.

• I also had to edit some of the sound as I needed it to sound like it was actually in the scene, so with the audio fx, I changed the Graphic EQ and I lowered the bass, midrange and treble.

• I was going to change all of it or just some of it such as the flashback to color monochrome of a sort of orange/brown to make it look sepia-ish. But luckily I found out that it wouldn't have fitted in with the film noir genre as they would have opted for black and white mostly because back then you would have had to convert the film to colour which would have been much more expensive than just black and white, and film noirs weren't exactly your huge budget film.

This is one of the many film noir film posters that I looked at when researching the different fonts and styles. This photo stood out to me because of its slanted eye catching title (very popular) and its typical hand drawn/painted picture of the anti-hero and femme fatale with the even more so stereotypical blinds, that sometimes cast shadows, indicating entrapment.

Another one that stood out to me was the film poster for the film noir film Dead Reckoning. Once again having the curved brightly coloured font film title, totally contrasting with the black and white style of the film.

 Bogart is the tough guy anti-hero who is on a quest for truth and vengence, the quintessential femme fatale being Lizabeth Scott who the hero falls for, but is never entirely sure of.

This is me finishing off some of my editing in class.

The Media Trips

Sorry for the lateness on the update about the trips we went too. But thought I would just have a quick little chat about how they helped me toward my film noir.

First trip to Epic Studios -  http://www.epic-tv.com/

Involved us all working together to quickly make a programme and then film it and then watch it back, to get a taste of what its actually like in a television studio.
It was interesting to see and find out the different elements and jobs that everyone had and how everything and everyone was important to create the final piece.
It made me realise how much is actually involved and I know appreciate much more about how much work they have to do to ensure everything runs smoothly.

In the second part of it we sat in lectures where different people from all different types of media, some film makers, some journalists, music video makers and promoters were talking about their jobs and what you have to do now to try and work towards them and a bit about their area of expertise in the media. I enjoyed it because it gave me more of an idea of how much work you have to put into it and it gave me more of an insight to help me make my decisions about my future and my Film Noir OTS and the importance to be decisive about things.

Second trip to the British Film Institute (on wednesday the 2nd of march 2011) - http://www.bfi.org.uk/

This trip didn't link in so much with what the blog and the Film Noir OTS is all about, but it still taught me to look more in depth into things and the types of filming that Britain is famous for, making me feel proud and hopeful for the future that maybe I could be directing or producing etc films one day. 

My Storyline

A vague outline of both my Narrative and Plot, just incase if you get confused

I hate when films end on a sudden note with unanswered questions and loose ends, but with my Film Noir OTS  I am going to do just that. I am not going to tell you why Jack Kills Erin, its for your own interpretation, hopefully the enigma of wanting to know why will keep you watching and then guessing.

Narrative of my OTS :  Jack and Nik are working together to con Erin, Jack has been seeing Erin and they are a couple. Nik seduces Erin and they end up sleeping together, but what Erin doesn't know is that Nik has told Jack when to come in to catch them together. Jack comes in and finds them in an embrace and storms angrily out of the room, after a few days Jack and Erin meet up in a restaurante/bar to talk things over. Erin is unaware of the friendship between the men and acts sorry for hurting and cheating on Jack. Jack acts harshly and bluntly, getting ready to shoot Erin. After awkward silences and little speech Jack shoots Erin and leaves the restaurante/bar to meet with Nik. They say its done and then go their separate ways, and ends with 2 weeks earlier...

Plot of my OTS (Structure) : Starts with the scene at the restaurante/bar then cuts to Jack having the flashback/memory of catching Erin and Nik in bed together and then cuts back to present time in the restaurante/bar. Jack shoots and kills Erin and then leaves to meet up with Nik. He meets Nik and agree that its done and then they go their separate ways, revealing the text of the film title then the text '2 weeks earlier...'

Without realising it and only realising it after watching Double Indemnity the other day, my plot is weirdly  similar to the film noir film Double Indemnity. We both start with the present and then go into a flashback and then back into the present, my exception being that mine then says 2 weeks earlier.. obviously then revealing why the killing happened. The other similarities are that in both of them there are plots to kill someone and in both, enigma and tension is a big part of it, a tragic ending occuring aswell.

The Script

Below is the script for my Film Noir OTS, I have chosen to not name my characters as they do not get mentioned in the OTS and I think this emphasises the mystery of the people even more (I have used their real names to show when they speak) (and have put how they say it in brackets) (with 'stage' directions and movements of the people in itallics).

Jack - Anti hero              Erin - Femme fatale           Rhea - Waitress       Nik - Jacks partner in crime

Jack : "Alright sweet cheeks" (matter of factly, with a slight cheekiness)

Erin : "Yer" (seductively)

Jack : "How've you been" (more seriously, staring into her eyes)

Erin : "Alright (pause) (reaches out for hand) been missing you" (in a desperate voice)

Jack : "Wish I could say the same" ( in a more harsh tone) (swigs from his glass)

Erin : "Look, what happened the other night"

Jack : "Don't you dare" (lights cigarette)

(May or may not use this line) - Erin : "I just..."

Jack : "What happens in the past, stays in the past" (says it more softly)

Erin : "I hope we can move on"

Jack : "So do I" (as he reaches for gun) (he then shoots erin) (the waitress comes over)

Rhea : "Would you like the bill?" (the audience realises she is in on the murder on Jack's side, as she gently takes the gun away from the table, hiding the evidence)

Jack : "You can put it on her tab" (said with no remorse)

(Jack walks away from the scene of the crime through cobbled streets to meet Nick, they both stand by the wall, not to look too suspicious)

Nik : "Is it done?"

Jack : "Yeah"

Nik : "Alright" (says it in a hurried tone)

(They both walk away in opposite directions)

Recording my Sound

Unfortunately due to the really annoying background noise the camera picked up whilst filming I had to re-record my actors and actresses voices. But to my delight this wasn't actually as hard as I thought it would be, as all I really had to do was to put the camera closer to their mouths, get them to say their lines over a few times and then I could upload the footage, extract the audio and put it over their mouths moving trying very hard to lip sync it in.

I decided not to have a voice-over, even though it is quite conventional of Film Noir, as I wanted a lot of silence in my OTS, creating tension, and I also wanted the storyline to stay mysterious, and not for the ''narrator'' to give it away.

When it came to recording the music, I wanted to create this old gritty sound, as I have used an old record player in the flm that the song was supposed to have been played off. A friend had bought in an ecko radio(photo on the right), which had been converted to be able to play when an ipod or cable is plugged into it, to record my song off of it to give old aged sound that my Film Noir needed. I put the CD (Nowhere Boy Soundtrack) into the computer and then played it through the radio and then recorded it on the video camera.

To produce the dramatic and harsh sounding bang of the gun I wasn't sure whether to download a gun sound from the internet or make the noise myself. If I were to make the noise myself this would be called foleying which is a term that is the process of live recording of sound effects that are created with normal, everyday, anything objects. They are added in post production to enhance the quality of audio for films, television, video, video games and radio. "Foley" gets its name from Jack Donovan Foley (1891-1967), a sound editor at Universal Studios in the 1950s who became famous for his advancements in synchronized sound effects.

I researched foley sounds on the internet and found various websites that tells you how to make a noise that sounds like a gun firing, e.g- a heavy staple gun and a other metal parts make a good gun sound and if you slap a piece of plywood a little smaller than a baseball bat smartly against another piece of solid wood yields an acceptable bang etc. I tried banging various things together but nothing sounded good enough, as there was no bellowing echoes of the sharp sound.

My next idea was to download a gun noise from the internet on one of the many sound effects sites. I found this website - http://www.findsounds.com/ (Can find it in my useful websites, down the side of my blog). This website proved good as you could type in anything you could possibly think of and then loads of options would come up. I decided against this in the end because I found it hard to find a sound I liked...

Until...

A friend brought in a gun that she had bought as it had a distinct sound of a gun firing. It was a perfect sound and just what I wanted, not too clear with just the right amount of echo and reverberation. Below is a photo of the actual gun, not what you would exactly expect as the colour is a bit bright, but makes a good noise nonetheless.

(all sound which has been added is non-diegetic, with the exception being the speech, as normally it would be what is used whilst filming the scene, but I used re-recorded sound, so I would call this implied diegetic)

My Presentation about My Film Noir OTS

Presentation Bethany from fLIX.TV on Vimeo.

I was so nervous when I done this presentation, but I got through it without sounding like a fool.





I done some more research into Film Noir, to know in more detail about my Film Noir OTS idea and the different elements in it.

My Cast

Luckily I know a few people who do drama and are quite good at it aswell, so it was quite easy for me to find my cast that would fit well in the acting, portraying personalities and the appearance of the character.

This is Rhea (aged 17), she is the waitress in my film noir and the one who is secretly in on the crime, helping Jack by hiding the gun which could prove as evidence. She is not the most revealed of characters, her face never actually being shown in the OTS. Her age does not hinder her performance as the waitress and her voice fits perfectly, calm yet confident. The photo of her to the left is showing what she is wearing in the OTS, a simple shirt and black skirt, a typical uniform of a waitress back in the 1950's ish. Rhea has studied drama for about 3-4 years as a main subject and even though I didn't cast her as my main femme fatale, she still makes a very professional and well acted actress.

This is Erin (aged 16), she plays my femme fatale and has no past in studying drama professionally or as a subject. I chose her as my main female role as she looked the part and could act, which are the main two things. Her character, unknowingly to her, is being conned and tricked by both Jack and Nik. Her outfit in this scene is very floaty and seductive, the cream colour emphasising her skin and body which she uses to entice men. Her body language is very open and confident in this photo but in the scene of the restaurante/bar she is very closed and close to herself as though she is scared or worried about something.

This is Jack (aged 17), he plays my Anti-Hero character and is the main role in the film, his power taking charge over the situation in the end of the OTS. Jack has been studying drama for about 4-5 years and performing arts for about 2 years and is very experienced in the drama and acting side of things. Jack worked perfect for the character, he portrayed the characters non-caring attitude coming across in this very quiet yet sinister man, a lot of mystery being projected from his personality. His appearance looked the part and very luckily Jack in real life has a really odd yet quirky yet individual wardrobe, and he had the perfect outfit for his character, which was an added bonus. I really like this photo as his pose is full of attitude, his stance strong and rooted, the contrasted wall being a nice backdrop to him.

This is Nik (aged 17), he plays my anti-heroes partner in crime, or I guess you could say he's a bit of a sidekick. Nick has been studying drama for about 4-5 years and has done about 2 years of performing arts so has a lot of drama knowledge under his belt. He assists Jack by sleeping with Erin to then give Jack a reason to shoot Erin (as Jack and Erin were a couple). They then meet up at the end which reveals that they were actually conning and tricking her. He plays his character well, giving this loving and affectionate way to Erin in the flashback, yet contradicting himself and secretly being one of the men who organised to kill her.
Also, as some research in to my two male actors, I watched them act in a play and watched them do some filming for a friend of mine, so I could get used to their acting techniques, to help me decide their script and even what kind of personality their character should have.

To know when two of my main cast were free from lessons and were able to film, I got their timetables off of them so it was easier to organise my time around them, beings as they were doing me a favour by filming. My other two friends who played the girls in the OTS had similar times off of school to me so it was easier to organise.

Task 3

Wanting another theory on how the media works on a mass audience. The hypodermic syringe effect I hear you say? Everyone run, the media is coming!
The hypodermic syringe effect theory is what you'd call something that injects ideas (a bit like a syringe) attitudes and beliefs from the media into its audience, sometimes the audience being just a big powerless mass who have little to no choice in what way they are being influenced by. For example, you see a cold refreshing bottle of drink with a catchy tune accompanying it in an advert. Then what do you find yourself doing? Reaching into the fringe for something to refresh that sudden thirst of yours, preferably for that drink you just saw. In the 1950's Blumer was writing about the media and commented on how people such as Hitler and Stalin had used the media as propaganda, using films, poster art and radio etc to influence and persuade people to vote and side with them, which comes to no surprise why people thought the media was being used as an evil tool if it fell into the wrong hands, capable of persuading millions to follow them. I think that when it comes to elections, no matter how many posters that cover Britian's roadside's (even though it does help), people will still have their own opinion (and will stick by it), and they are not likely to be really influenced by it, at least not so much to change the final outcome of an election.
The theory is particularly popular in society with politicians, because they like to see it as a reason why society has become more violent, instead of blaming it on themselves. An example being in the theory is that of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, as before every one of his murders he would watch a clip from his favourite film - Star Wars - to get himself excited. This evidence proves the hypodermic syringe theory to be slightly true, even though the film Star Wars very clearly meant different things to him than it does to most people.


"He really loved the power that Darth Vader had to intimidate and influence those around him," muses Dietz.
 Never got banned.
Dr. Park Dietz must have one hell of a bedside manner. A forensic psychiatrist who's interviewed, and testified at the trials of, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Hinckley, Andrea Yates, and many of the most notorious murderers of the last 30 years, Dietz is an expert at deciding whether the perpetrators of violent and unusual crimes were sane at the time they committed them, and he's known for his ability to understand the extremes of human behavior from the inside out. Last night, I caught a documentary on A & E called Conversations With Killers, in which Dietz recalls his intimate encounters with some of the most infamous criminals of our time.




 

It is obviously easy to find reasons why the hypodermic syringe theory could never apply to everyone equally. But do you think it could work sometimes? What about you - can you think of any media texts which you feel have had a big effect on you and made you behave in any way differently?


In my personal opinion, I think the theory is a little simplistic in the way of how it stereotypes everyone, taking into no account of individuals, like me for example. Yes, the media is a big influence in many peoples lives, an example being how looking ''perfect'' has now become a big pressure on young people, skinny models and air brushing of photos in magazines, morphing the ideas of both girls and boys of what beauty should look like.

Research into chosen song - Screamin Jay Hawkins I put a spell on you

Information found on Wikipedia -

Jalacy Hawkins (July 18, 1929, Cleveland, Ohio — February 12, 2000, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France), best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an African-American musician, singer, and actor. He was famed chiefly for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of songs such as "I Put a Spell on You", and would often use macabre props onstage, making him the one of few original shock rockers.

His most successful recording, "I Put a Spell on You" (1956), was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. According to the AllMusic Guide to the Blues, "Hawkins originally envisioned the tune as a refined ballad." The entire band was intoxicated during a recording session where "Hawkins screamed, grunted, and gurgled his way through the tune with utter drunken abandon." The resulting performance was no ballad but instead a "raw, guttural track" that became his greatest commercial success and reportedly surpassed a million copies in sales, although it failed to make the Billboard pop or R&B charts.

The performance was mesmerizing, although Hawkins himself blacked out and was unable to remember the session. Afterward he had to relearn the song from the recorded version. Meanwhile the record label released a second version of the single, removing most of the grunts that had embellished the original performance; this was in response to complaints about the recording's overt sexuality. Nonetheless it was banned from radio in some areas.

Soon after the release of "I Put a Spell on You", radio disc jockey Alan Freed offered Hawkins $300 to emerge from a coffin onstage. Hawkins accepted and soon created an outlandish stage persona in which performances began with the coffin and included "gold and leopard skin costumes and notable voodoo stage props, such as his smoking skull on a stick – named Henry – and rubber snakes". These props were suggestive of voodoo, but also presented with comic overtones that invited comparison to "a black Vincent Price." On Notorious B.I.G's posthumous release, Life After Death, the song "Kick In The Door" heavily samples the saxophone line in Screamin' Jay's song.

I have chosen to use this song because I really love it and I think the freedom of it refelects the rebellious nature of the men and the flirtatious nature of the women of the Film Noir genre. I don't think you were allowed to have over 30 seconds or 20 seconds of a song that is copyrighted, but I played mine through a record player, which counted differently and so I had about 30 seconds of the song and also I edited the song slightly by cutting it because it was too long and so I joined two bits of the song together and apparently if you adapted the song on a music editing software such as garage you can put the song on without getting in trouble, but don't hold me to that.

One of the things I worried about was if it would fit in with the film noir genre. A film that the song has featured in is a film called Stranger than Paradise. But I think that it would fit in with how it suddenly changes from the suspense to the relief that the tension is over but the confusion of why he just shot her, what with the weirdly jubilant music as Jack struts away with confidence. Its such a large contrast and thats what worries me, but I enjoy it and think that you need some quick changes sometimes, a bit of spice in your life.

Perhaps another idea for a song could be James Brown - its a mans world, because it would be quite ironic how in my OTS, the men are the dominant and more powerful ones, in the more higher situation, and he is singing how its a mans world.

Textual analysis of three different Neo-Noir OTS's

A few words I have learnt and will use to analyse the films :

Chiaroscuro- is the contrast between dark and light, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also used in cinematography to indicate extreme low-key lighting to create distinct areas of light and darkness in films, especially in black and white films. Much of the celebrated Film Noir tradition relies on techniques Toland perfected in the early thirties that are related to chiaroscuro (though high-key lighting, stage lighting, frontal lighting, and other effects are interspersed in ways that diminish the chiaroscuro claim).

Monochrome- is the different shades of one colour. Neutral colours in monochrome images are called grayscale or black and white. "Monochromatic light" refers to light of a narrow frequency.

Verisimilitude- is the quality and sense of realism in something.

Firstly I thought of the things we traditionally see in Film Noirs. A quick outline being :

Narrative- crime, tragedy, sex and violence (but decreased a little, not so harshly shown).

Characters- Femme Fatale, anti-hero, investigator / law enforcement person, antagonist, protagonist.

Mise-en-scene- Harsh lighting, chiaroscuro, monochrome, dystopian(everythings bad/bleak) areas and urban locations, seedy bars, casinos and hotels.Shadows, costumes are suits and smart looking clothes for men and seductive glamorous clothes for women, with dramatic make-up, dark eyes and red lips.

Sound- Orchestral music, silence, eerie music, no lyrics, jazzy feel to it, heightened exaggerated unnatural sound effects.

Editing- Some lingering shots, sometimes quick cuts to make more tense.

Camera - Long shots to show the characters, close-ups to increase tension.

I decided to do my first analysis on Microsoft word as a type of table to show it in a different way, to make it a bit more interesting to look at. I then saved it, re-opened it on paint, saved it again and then uploaded it as a picture.   
                                                                                  The traditional
                                                                                    Femme Fatale

Red Riding  (2009) (a television series of 3 feature length episodes- this particular one being set in 1974)

 

Is a British Channel 4 production (based on David Peace's novel series) about a youngster journalist who is looking to try and solve the increasingly vexing case of a serial killer on the loose. It starts with a panning upwards from the earth (or could have been water). Muffling non-diegetic music encloses the audiences senses, the long lingering shot of the angel girl (photo on the left), that hints (using imagery) of something sinister, is not conventional of Film Noir, as usually enigma is used with the crime event and is not usually revealed straight away in the OTS.The angel wings are white, contrasting deeply with the darkness and bad weather, also contrasting with the meaning of how angels would be in a bright and happy place, rather than a gloomy one.

Iconography is used with props such as the anti-hero smoking a cigarette and holding a gun, both popular signifiers of Film Noir, the anti-hero being an obvious type of character. The narrative is similar of Film Noir, crime - a girl gone missing, her description being relaid by the detectives/newsreaders. The depressing storyline of a missing child not being what you would usually see in a Film Noir. The location being the rural, rainy and vast Yorkshire Moors, a huge difference between the urban areas that Film Noir would usually opt for. The main character (photo on the right) is the protagonist and anti-hero, the reason being because he had mucked up and failed in some way, a hidden secret that the audience are intrigued to know about. The OTS ending on a burning coffin with his deceased dads name on the front.

The non-diegetic guitar music, which is not stereotypically Film Noir, is very relaxing and combines with the calm feeling and look of the sets and locations. Conventional voice-overs are used, which is the anti-hero telling his narrative, instantly making the audience side with him, a near persistent narrative element that is associated with the Film Noir genre. The colour tones of the OTS are desaturated, almost sepia looking, dull browns that are monochrome, reflecting and signifying the 70's era that it was set in. The editing techniques used, being simple quick cuts, fade in and fade outs, keep the pace going and the audience's attention fixated on it.

Blade Runner (1982 - Directed by Ridley Scott)

Is about a blade runner, Deckard, who has to track down and terminate 4 replicants who hijacked a ship in space and have returned to earth seeking their maker.

Similarities to Film Noir :

• Urban landscape, settings and sets.
• A non-diegetic amplified heart beat noise (that sounds like it could be actually in the scene, increasing the suspense in the scene).
• Light (that looks artificial) is coming through the windows, creating harsh contrasted shadows.
• Harrison Ford plays the detective, the anti-hero (but he doesn't actually appear in the OTS).
• The scene in which the interview/interrogation takes place is very tense, cigarettes and the smoke being produced is a popular and iconic prop used in Film Noir that adds on to the mysteriousness of the character, the way that he stands taller and the low camera angle giving him the power.
• The thriller and drama side of the genre of the film fits in with how Film Noir was based around these things, and crime of course.
• The grey tones that look slightly blue look similar to the colour tones and contrasts of black and white in Film Noir. 
• The two characters are not very important to the narrative - one of them being the obvious bad guy, the henchman of the antagonist. They are introducing us to the film, the more important characters, the anti-hero and femme fatale etc being introduced further into the film.
• Lastly, the fan on the ceiling spins threateningly over the two tense looking characters, enclosing the attention on them, framing a few of the shots, something that looks very familiar in Film Noir.

The ways in which it is not similar to Film Noir :

• It is set in the future (2019), its main genre type being science fiction.
• Flying cars - not a sense of realism.
• Weird electronic sounding non-diegetic music (sounds like machinery and modern), which is not traditional of Film Noir, but fits in more with the time that the film is set.
• The way sounds are mixed.

Most of the clip of the OTS of Blade Runner that I found on YouTube -

Las Vegas Footage from Bethany on Vimeo.


 I took this footage whilst on holiday in Las Vegas on a monorail. I had intended to use it with a previous idea as the beginning of the OTS to show some of the titles/credits as it moves across the Las Vegas strip. The previous idea and the reason I had wanted to involve the bright and beautiful views of Las Vegas was because of its history, how gangsters had been the main developers of the gambling side of it.  Which links in with how Film Noir sometimes embraces the genre of gangster film. As in early mob films, there is some overlap with film noir and in the forties and fifties the gangster genre died down and was replaced by film noir, however in the seventies there was a revival of mob films.

The choice of music (Elvis Presley-Viva Las Vegas) is not the song or music that I would put over the Las Vegas footage if I were to have used it in my OTS because I dont think it fits in with the seriousness and crime feeling of film noir, instead it sets the scene in an upbeat way. I chose the music to put over it because of how Elvis Presley had gone to Las Vegas a lot of times and was very well known there as a celebrity and for his fantastic shows. I also thought it fit in with the footage as the song is basically about Las Vegas
" Lady luck please let the dice stay hot
Let me shoot a seven with every shot
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas,Viva Las Vegas"



 

The other possible song choice (that I found when I searched film noir style music and songs- http://www.film-noir-alley.com/film_noir_music.html) could have been used in the Las Vegas footage because of the time it was released in (the 50's) and because of the jazzy feel to it, the sexy voice being similar to that of how a femme fatale would lure the man. The song was from the crime/film noir/drama film 'Dark City' (released in 1950) which was about some gamblers who "took" an out of town sucker in a crooked poker game. But this event leads a shadowy vengeance to close in on them. The use of dark streets and a sexy night club torch singer Fran Garland, lends ambience to the film.

First reactions of Editing

I have started to edit my Film Noir OTS and decided to show it to three people to get their first reactions, constructive good points and different ways I could improve.

Rhea (aged17) : ''I like the fact that you're using different angles that look interesting, building and creating more tension. The colour tones and textures fit in well ".

Erin (aged16) : ''Colour tones fitted in with the old style of Film Noir, and because the camera wasn't the best of quality it made the moving images look sort of gritty, which looks effective''.

Sam (aged 18) : ''I can tell that you have looked a lot more into continuity than I usually do, and you make sure everything runs smoothly and makes sense. But, it needs to go into something more as it doesn't entice me, as him walking up stairs doesn't seem to lead to anything''.


Final Cut Express

I will be using Final Cut Express to edit a few of my scenes, using the more advanced editing skills. For example, in one of my scenes I made the mistake of having a very recent and modern car just being visible. To get rid of this continuity error (beings as I wanted my OTS to be set in the 1950's) I would need to crop the frame to cut out the car from the shot.

Mine and Lee Cooper's first Continuity Task

Continuity task for AS media from Lee Cooper on Vimeo.


 This is what me and Lee filmed together, using Erin (another sixth form student) as another actress. We both were a little rushed for time as we missed the lessons in which other members of our class were filming the continuity task, as we were both on holiday. We both agreed that it wasn't as successful as we wanted it to be and thought it wasn't quite up to our standards, as we thought we could have used more interesting camera angles and shots.

 From this first try at the continuity task, I have realised I need to plan it a bit more before I film, so will be doing a storyboard for it, and I know I will need to use more interesting camera angles and shots, working on my own, so I can have my own take on it and add my own originality to the piece, perhaps incorporating some Film Noir conventions.

My Role In My OTS

    As you may already know, I am working on my own in this project of making a film noir OTS and have therefore taken upon myself all the different roles in making a film.
   To understand what these roles are I have researched them to ensure I do all the jobs effectively and to a high standard. From my research I have discovered that there is a lot more involved in making a film, many smaller jobs I'm understanding for the first time.

Director - They direct the actors and crew in the scenes and controls the films artistic and dramatic aspect
 whilst still being able to guide the technical crew and actors. They develop the vision for a film and ensures it is carried out and turns the script into a sequence of shots deciding how the film should look, sometimes using storyboards to illustrate sequences and concepts. They also direct what tone it should take and what different audiences should gain from the cinematic experience. They decide camera angles, lens effects, set design and lighting and are often taking part in hiring key crew members. They are sometimes involved in the writing, financing and editing of a film.
 Every director is different in the methods that they use, some preferring to have lots of rigorous rehearsals, others just having a basic plotline, allowing their actors and actresses to improvise some of their dialogue. Other jobs include participating with the editor and in the sound mix and musical composition of the film, with them also advising on the colour grading of the final image.
   Som things I didn't know was that they sometimes use a director's viewfinder (a thing that looks like a monocular telescope that allows the director to see the scene as seen by the camera lens) to set up camera angles.

Cinematographer -  They photograph using a motion picture camera. They are often called director of photogaphy, which is generally the equivalent, but just a different name. Their jobs include designating a chief over the camera and lighting crews and are responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image. They select the film stock, lens, filters, aperture and shutter angle etc and the director will typically convey to the cinematographer what they visually want from a scene and will allow them latitude in achieving that effect.
In the American system, which is more widely adopted, the rest of the camera department is subordinate to the DP, who, along with the director, has the final word on all decisions related to both lighting and framing.

Editor - An editor is one that works closely with the director to work creatively with the layers of images, story, dialogue, music, pacing, as well as the actor's performances to effectively 're-imagine' and even rewrite the film to craft a cohesive whole. They assemble the footage, mechanically put pieces of film together, cut off film slates and edit dialogue scenes, but this isn't always their only job. They often play a dynamic role in the making of a film. 
''Film editing is an art that can be used in diverse ways. It can create sensually provocative montages; become a laboratory for experimental cinema; bring out the emotional truth in an actor's performance; create a point of view on otherwise obtuse events; guide the telling and pace of a story; create an illusion of danger where there is none; give emphasis to things that would not have otherwise been noted; and even create a vital subconscious emotional connection to the viewer, among many other possibilities.''- Wikipedia

Producer - They create the conditions for making movies. The producer initiates, coordinates, supervises, and controls matters such as raising funding, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors. They are involved throughout all phases of the film making process from development to completion of a project.

Casting Director -  They choose the actors for the characters of the film by inviting them to an audition to practise the script for the character they think they should be.

Production Designer  -  They are also known as the creative director. They are responsible for creating the physical, visual appearance of the film - settings, costumes, character makeup, all taken as a unit. The production designer works closely with the director and the cinematographer to make sure the 'look' of the film is achieved.

Set Designer - They are the draftsmen, often an architect, who realizes the structures or interior spaces called for by the production designer.

Location Manager - They oversee the locations department and its staff, typically reporting directly back to the production manager and/or Assistant Director (or even Director and/or Executive Producer). They are responsible for final clearing (or guaranteeing permission to use) a location for filming and must often assist Production/Finance Dept(s) in maintaining budget management regarding actual location/permit fees as well as labor costs to production for himself and the Locations Department at large.

Make-Up Artists -  They work with make-up, hair and special effects to create the characters look for anyone appearing in the film. Their main role is to manipulate an actor's on-screen appearance whether it makes them look more youthful, larger, older, or in some cases ugly or monstrous looking.There are also body makeup artists who concentrate their abilities on the body rather than the head.

Hairdresser - They are responsible for maintaining and styling the hair of anyone appearing on screen, and work in conjunction with the makeup artist.

Costume Designer - They are responsible for all the clothing and costumes worn by all the actors that appear on screen. They are also responsible for designing, planning, and organizing the construction of the garments down to the fabric, colors, and sizes. The costume designer works closely with the director to understand and interpret "character", and counsels with the production designer to achieve an overall tone of the film. In large productions, the costume designer will usually have one or more assistant costume designers.

Camera Operator - They use the camera at the direction of the cinematographer, director of photography, or the film director to capture the scenes on film. Generally, a cinematographer or director of photography does not operate the camera, but sometimes these jobs may be combined.

Production Sound Mixer - They are headof the sound department on set, responsible for recording all sound during filming. This involves the choice and deployment of microphones, operation of a sound recording device, and sometimes the mixing of audio signals in real time.

Gaffer - They are the head of the electrical department, responsible for the design and execution of the lighting plan for a production. Sometimes the gaffer is credited as "Chief Lighting Technician".

Sound Designer - Or "supervising sound editor", is in charge of the post-production sound of a movie. Sometimes this may involve great creative license, and other times it may simply mean working with the director and editor to balance the sound to their liking.

Sound Editor - Responsible for assembling and editing all the sound effects in the soundtrack.

Foley Artist - They are the people who create many of the sound effects for a film.


In the real world when making a film you have to go through these steps :

Development—The script is written and drafted into a workable blueprint for a film.

Pre-production—Preparations are made for the shoot, in which cast and crew are hired, locations are selected, and sets are built.

Production—The raw elements for the finished film are recorded.

Post-Production—The film is edited; production sound (dialogue) is concurrently (but separately) edited, music tracks (and songs) are composed, performed and recorded, if a film is sought to have a score; sound effects are designed and recorded; and any other computer-graphic 'visual' effects are digitally added, all sound elements are mixed into "stems" then the stems are mixed then married to picture and the film is fully completed ("locked").

Sales and distribution—The film is screened for potential buyers (distributors), is picked up by a distributor and reaches its cinema and/or home media audience

Technophobia.

Technophobia is the fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices, especially computers. And I think I may have this fear. I've never been a big fan of technology, steering more towards pen and paper, rather than a computer.

From this, I think I have overcome a lot of fears when it comes to technology. I've forced myself out of my comfort zone, overcoming blogger, prezi, vimeo and other technology related things, learning the basics and more.

 I have had to learn these things because I chose to work on my own, and am proud of myself to have learnt so much, with only some technical assistance.

Digital Media

The methods and elements I plan to use and incorporate into my blog, evaluation and final production (completed Film Noir OTS) are these :

Digital camera- to take photos to document how I am getting on, capturing images of some of my work to show on my blog. Also to advertise my film noir OTS by using a photo to create a film poster. Also, different photos that  I have found have inspired me in what style I want and what type of era I want it set in.
The Internet and Computer- will be very important for a lot of research into film noir and to help me with my OTS, and my evaluation and maybe audience feedback using the internet, with the editing software that will lead to the final production.
Mobile phone/Email- to contact people to organise when to film.
Video Camera- to capture all the footage that I will then edit to lead on to my finished final production after editing, also I will use a video camera to film me filming to see what my directing skills are like and to interview my cast to see what their opinions are.
Film- so I could research into different Film Noir's to help me in getting a idea in to what it is and what conventions they portray.  
Photoshop- to edit some of my photos that I am using to show my actors/actresses and characters, and locations and settings etc to fit in with the old film noie genre. I may also use this software to edit a photo and make it into a film poster to advertise my film noir.

In the lesson of the 18th of January

Have planned to do the majority of filming in the afternoon of thursday the 20th of January in the afternoon. Also have added more useful hyperlinks to help me with research into film and film noir and how these sites will help me with my OTS in different ways.

Further Ideas for my Film Noir OTS

Because i'm planning to have a gun shooting in my Film Noir I researched the different ways you could show it on various websites and I tried looking at some on youtube and found this video and even though I liked the effect, I think its a bit too in your face and disgusting looking.

I can't seem to find a still shot out of the film Micmacs, which is a french film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, so i'll just describe it. Basically he gets shot in the head and they do a high angle shot over him and you can slowly see the blood trickle down his head and instead of looking grotesque, it looks elegant and very arty, and this is what I want to achieve in mine.






My next idea fitted in with the fact that I want the song Screamin Jay Hawkins-I put a spell on you to be in it.

I saw the trailer for the film Nowhere Boy and instantly loved it because of how they had edited it to cut in time with the song I put a spell on you. This gave me the idea and encouragement me to try it in my own film, as I think it will give it an edge of how its silent and tense and then it cuts to this cheeky upbeat yet slightly creepy music when Jack is walking away from the scene of the crime, perhaps in time with the music?

The idea behind the silence creating immense tension was mostly my idea, but a film Noir that is similar and uses silence is 'The Man who wasn't there' (2001) Directed by Joel Coen