2 things i've realised today.

1. That when it comes to the blog layout, or mine in particular, the bit on the right hand side next to the posts, with the hyperlinks in, is white (or sometimes black) and you can actually see the writing on a windows computer, but on an apple mac you can't. So all that struggling to change it on the mac was pointless (arghh !!), sums up most of my experiences with technology I suppose :)

2.  That I have like a photographic mind (no, not where I can take a photo in my head and remember something down to every detail) when it comes to planning. I want to see everything in front of me before I can begin to think about what happens next. So I think because I have done photography for so long, and have only filmed a music video, documentary and other little things, I think I have gotten used to the simplenss and quickness of setting up a shot for a photo. I find it hard to visualise the whole thing and to imagine it, I have the ideas but I would rather just do it there and then when I think of it. But, alas I know it doesn't work like that and I know that to be successful when it comes to planning I have to do the dreaded long process of storyboarding or trying out a different thing like an animatic where I could also speak over it to tell the audience the camera shots, or editing and transitions that I plan to have in my film Noir OTS.

A film noir inspired piece about a lonely man who meets a mysterious woman in a bar By Tara Lee Knight

Killing Time from Tara Lee Knight on Vimeo.


   I searched vimeo to find some film noir style mini films that would have a sort of bar or another scene similar to how I want my scenes to look, from a young film maker like myself. I found this one and while I do like the sin-city neo-noir almost animated style of the setting of the outside of the bar, and think the narration fits in with the film noir conventions, with the close-up shots building tension, concentrating on the two main characters chemistry. I'm not too sure if the australian accent (not that I have anything against it) fits in with the film noir style, it's just not the accent you would expect to hear. The femme fatale seductions works well but in my OTS I'm going to have Jack (the anti-hero) seduce the femme fatale and let him have the power over her situation.
   I like the shots of the eyes and lips to show emotion and seduction, but some shots don't seem elegant enough, like the quick close-up of him putting out his cigarette, whereas in mine I want Jack to lightly tap the cigarette into the ash tray. I like the shadows created and the almost silhouettes, which add to the mystery, but think the ending of it is quite a change in pace compared to beginning and middle. I think its a bit too sudden and graphic and gory, and makes it slightly comedic, but perhaps she wanted this affect, to break the tension suddenly instead of slowly or not at all.

Stereotype and representation

I need to think about ways of framing iconic images in a way thats familiar to audiences but still has some of my own Bethany originality.

 In my first scene at the "bar" I thought about using the classic close-up shot of the man holding a cigarette, tapping the ash into the ash tray. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on this though as I dont want to lose the elegance of film noir.

I found this image when I typed 'stubbing a cigarette out' into google images, but I wouldn't use it in my film noir as it looks like it fits in more with the western genre what with the costume and how the man is choosing to put out the cigarette.

I like this photo because you can see the trail of smoke, it makes the photo look delicate and the way the hand looks as though its about to tap the ash off fits in with how I want it, but I don't like how its so there in your face as the other photo in black and white is more abstract and you realy have to concentrate on what it is to reveal it.

I like how this photo of a man (or is it a man?) and cigarette is silhouetted, this fits in with the stereotypical mysterious of the film noir genre. I think its a very well took photo, working well with the rule of thirds. 

In the photo on the left the attention is far too much on the cigarette with the background and person being blurred with the small depth of field, it looks too youthful and I want it to be all about the character, with the cigarette being but a prop that only eccentuates the tough character of Jack like in the photo on the right. 



Location, Location, Location

For my first scene, I wanted to create this type of bar/restaurante, a public place, where typically two of the main characters would meet to create and set the scene and the beginning of the OTS. I'm planning on creating this table (with a strong contrasting spotlight to draw attention onto the characters), in my living room, initially putting a room inside a room to create this closed in threatening atmosphere.

Photos by Jim Ferreira.     His website is in the hyperlinks down the right side of my blog under the category name of 'Inspirations of Film Noir'.

A Review of a past blog

  I chose to analyse and review this persons blog as I know this person and I think I know they wont mind me critiquing it :)
   I chose to firstly look at his older blog : http://samwebbermedia.blogspot.com/
I found that compared to his newer one, he was obviously less advanced in his knowledge of how to use blogger and so prezi's were not shown on it and were only hyperlinked and the content of it was much smaller. But, there was good use of other types of digital media such as photos uploaded and youtube videos embedded.
   Next, I looked at his second and newer blog : http://www.a2samwebbermedia.blogspot.com/
I found that it looked much more visually stunning and its content larger. He seems much clearer in what he is doing and this is shown in how the blog looks much more professional. He has uploaded many more photos, embedded youtube videos and has shown his powerpoint presentation through screen shots. This all helps people to see his work in different perspectives. He writes confidently with a clear knowledge of media terminology and all his work links and fits in with what he is trying to say and the work that is being put across. He has understood that youtube videos can not always be seen at school and so has found a way to put them onto vimeo and then upload and embed them from there, making sure that anyone can watch or listen to them at any time, anywhere- http://vimeo.com/18585656


The way I will be following him in terms of technique or style/methods is that I will be ensuring people can see all the videos by using vimeo and will use more videos to show examples of my own work, getting ideas.
I will show more of my inspirations through photos and film noir photographers, like how he did but with his he used artwork and directors work through film.
I will be doing more things to show my ideas, through explanation of target audience and animatics.

Diagetic or Diegetic?

Just a little post to express my slight annoyance on how everyone spells the word diAgetic or diEgetic in different ways. I have seen in numerous texts it spelt with an 'a' and then in other ones an 'e'. I was undecided until I came across the word 'Diegesis' which is a word that is actually in the dictionary. So from that, even though I think it sounds better with an 'a', I'm going to spell it with an 'e', even though on some occasions I may spell it wrong.

In the lesson of the 9th of November

This is what I produced in the media lesson on the 9th of November. It is notes on what must be involved in my concept board for my film noir. In this lesson I learnt new terminology such as contrapunctual (see sheet) and the thing that I have been wondering about (what do you call sound that is supposed to be in a scene that the audience know has been edited in) has been answered- it is called implied diagetic.