Marking Criteria For Research and Planning

This post is the marking criteria for the research and planning of my Film Noir OTS. The grade boundaries that I am showing is C-D and A-B.


Level 3     12–15 marks   Grades C-D

• There is proficient research into similar products and a potential target audience.
• There is proficient organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props.
• There is proficient work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding.
• There is a good level of care in the presentation of the research and planning
• Time management is good.

Level 4     16–20 marks   Grades A-B

•  There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience.
• There is excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props.
• There is excellent work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding.
• There is an excellent level of care in the presentation of the research and planning
• Time management is excellent.

Marking Criteria For Video

I've posted this marking criteria to help me in understanding more clearly the things I have to do when it comes to filming. It is written in a vague yet helpful way, and will help me as a guidance in what I should be doing. I have put both the criteria and grade boundaries for the C-D and A-B grade. I feel that I could aim and fulfill the higher grades and am working at the C-D criteria. The marking criteria for these grades are as follows:


Level 3        36–47 marks     Grades C-D
There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:

• holding a shot steady, where appropriate;
• framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;
• using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set;
• selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;
• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer;
• using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set;
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
•  using titles appropriately.

Level 4      48–60 marks       Grades A-B

There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

• holding a shot steady, where appropriate;
• framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;
• using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set;
• selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;
• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer;
• using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set;
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
• using titles appropriately.

Marking Criteria for Unit G321 : Foundation Portfolio in Media

 This is the marking criteria for our portfolio on our blogs in our Media AS course. To me personally I think I might be aiming at an A-B but most definitely will be reaching a C-D so I will show both sets of marking criteria.

Level 3           36–47 marks          Grades C-D 

There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:

• framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;
• using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set;
• selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;
• manipulating photographs as appropriate to the context for presentation, including cropping and resizing;
• accurately using language and register;
• appropriately integrating illustration and text;
• showing understanding of conventions of layout and page design;
• showing awareness of the need for variety in fonts and text size;
• using ICT appropriately for the task set.

Level 4           48–60 marks        Grades A-B

There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

• framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;
• using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set;
• selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;
• manipulating photographs as appropriate to the context for presentation, including cropping and resizing;
• accurately using language and register;
• appropriately integrating illustration and text;
• showing understanding of conventions of layout and page design;
• showing awareness of the need for variety in fonts and text size;
• using ICT appropriately for the task set.

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'.