For my film studies coursework I created an opening sequence to a short imagined film. I chose to work alone acting as director, editor, writer and cinematographer. Before production I researched the conventions of my chosen genre to help me plan my aims and context. My chosen genre is film noir. I applied knowledge that I learnt from FM1 such as cinematography, sound and mise-en-scene. I showed this by using the conventions of film noir for example first person narration, point of view shots, flashbacks and the appropriate costumes for each character.
My aim was to create an emotional response for my target audience who were males and females aged 18+. I also wanted to create suspense and mystery by using the conventions of film noir for example the use of non-linear narrative such as flashbacks. I also wanted to create suspense and mystery through the use of mise en scene, editing, cinematography and sound. The context of my film focuses on the murder of a gangster called Johnny. His lover Nancy begins suspecting his friends so she decides to go to a detective for help. She agrees to go undercover even though it means taking down the gang. I decided to have the film set in 1945 as this is the era Film Noir was popular. I also wanted to have old fashioned type gangsters.
I created a questionnaire to find out who my target audience would be. I asked 20 females and 20 males aged 12-25 years old. I asked whether they liked the genre film noir and 12 females said yes and 16 males said yes. These responses showed me I had picked a popular genre. Out of the 12 females 9 of them were aged 18+ and all 16 of the males were aged 18+. This concluded that my target audience would be males and females ages 18 + who are interested in film noir and the era of the genre.
I chose the story type ‘the quest’ as I felt this was the one which fit with my synopsis. My film fits with this story type because my protagonists are searching for a murderer. To find the murderer the protagonist (Nancy) goes undercover by going to Johnny's gang and risks putting herself in danger. Nancy has always been connected to the crime life so she never thought she would partner with the one detective who has been trying to take down the gang for years. However in this situation there was nothing else she could have done. This lets the character take a personal journey by doing some good in her life. When the protagonists find the murderer they arrest him and take him to jail. While being undercover Nancy managed to get evidence to get the other gang members arrested. Through this journey Nancy realises that the crime life isn't for her anymore so her reward is personal - being free.
Hollywood's classic film noir period was from the early 1940s to the late 1950s which is why I decided to have mine set in 1945. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black and white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Film noir has many conventions, such as the story lines are non-linear and twisting. Film noirs narratives also frequently involve flashbacks. First person narration by the protagonist is also conventional in film noir. For example in the 1946 film ‘Gilda’ the protagonist Johnny Farrell is narrating throughout the film. I included a voice over at the end of the film by the character Nancy. I decided to have my film in black and white as I knew this was key to Film Noir and I made the first scene as a flashback. I liked the idea of having a flashback first as it would make the audience keep watching as they would want to know who the killer was.
During the pre-production stages I looked at other gangster/film noir films for influence. The first film I looked at was ‘The Maltese Falcon’. It was the shooting scene of the detective. I used this scene as the influence of my murder scene. In ‘The Maltese Falcon’ scene the shooter isn't visible; this is what I did with my killer as it is more suspenseful for my target audience. The man who gets shot is dressed in a smart suit with a hat. This man isn't a gangster but he is a private eye whereas mine was. This scene is outside, I filmed mine in Old Town to make it look old fashioned like in this film. Another film I looked at was ‘Little Caesar’. The film is more of a gangster film than film noir however this scene illustrates a scene I was going to use from my original script. Little Caesar is being introduced to the other gangsters. A pan is used to show each character quickly but effectively. I was going to use a similar scene in my film however I didn’t have enough actors. I think this scene lets the audience know small details about the characters as later on the characters will develop.
Film noir is also known for its use of low angle, wide angle or Dutch angle shots. The use of extreme close ups are also conventional. In my film I used an extreme close up for example of both the detective (see figure 1) and Nancy’s eyes. This was to show their emotion which connotes they were thinking of a decision. Sometimes a close up will be used then the camera will move out to reveal the action. This makes the audience want to see more of the scene. The conventions of lighting are its low key and there are shadows usually of blinds, stairs, buildings and characters. The use of the shadows creates tension. Male characters in Film Noir are usually lit harshly from one side and this has a dark and moody affect to it whereas females in Film Noir are lit softer. In my film I made sure whenever the detective was shown the lighting was dark to make the character seem moody and mysterious. It also connotes dominance and authority. For the murder scene I used point of view shots from the murderers view shot (see figure 2). I think this made the audience more suspenseful as they couldn’t see the murderers face. I also used a tracking shot to follow Johnny down the street, this let the audience feel they were walking with the murderer and acting as a witness to the crime. I used a high angle when the murderer was smoking (see figure 3). When Johnny is on the floor I zoomed in which confirmed his death.
(Figure 1 - extreme close up of detectives eyes)
(Figure 2 - POV shot to create suspense for the audience)
(Figure 3 - high angle of the murderer - audience can't see his face creating mystery)
Non-diegetic sound is conventionally down beat music and diegetic sound such as heavy breathing and sudden noises. This creates suspicion for the audience. I originally was going to use a Miles Davis song whilst the character Nancy was narrating. However I felt the song was too upbeat and jazzy for the scene as it was meant to be serious. Instead I placed the narration over some long shots of different parts of town which connotes Nancy has walked there to meet Johnny's partner. For the opening credits I used the chase soundtrack from the XBOX 360 game 'L.A Noire' which continued to play until Johnny was shot and killed. I think this soundtrack is very tense and suspenseful which makes the audience feel scared for the character Johnny. I used no music when Nancy and the detective are talking in the detective’s office as I felt the music would be distracting the audience from the dialogue.
In the detectives office I used many different props. I made sure Nancy was constantly smoking as cigarettes are iconic in film noir. I placed a hat, gun, ashtray, papers and a small silver fan on the detective’s desk. The fan is another prop which is always used in film noir. I moved a cabinet near the desk and placed books inside it to make it look more realistic. The detective was stood in front of a blinded window. Blinds are another conventional prop in film noir, they connote that Nancy is trapped in an environment she is not familiar with. In the background I placed a small board and put cut outs of people and murder stories from newspapers. This looked like it was the detective’s cases or cases he has already solved. A significant prop was the murderer’s gun as it was the weapon which kills Johnny; the gun connotes danger and death.
There are many conventional locations for film noir. Usually the locations are in an urban setting, abandoned warehouse, motel rooms, bars, lounges, nightclubs or dark alleyways. The locations such as abandoned warehouses and dark alleyways are away from the public so they are good hide outs for the villains. Also it makes the audience feel lost and scared. Tall buildings would be used to look threatening. The films are usually set at night to create a secretive and creepy look. I decided to use a location in Old Town as there was a small tunnel which I thought would be good for the murder scene. The tunnel connotes mystery and entrapment. I also like this area as the floor was cobbles and I believe this gave the film an old fashioned look. I also filmed in the upstairs room above my dad’s takeaway. I created a detectives room as it was a big space. I originally was going to film in the night club ‘The Sugar Mill’ as they have booth seating areas inside which would have looked good as in my original script I was going to have Nancy meet up with Johnny’s gang members in there. I didn’t end up filming here as I couldn’t get enough actors to play the gang members.
I had to make sure the costume was old fashioned so I decided that Nancy would wear a white laced and frilly dress with a brown belt and brown heels. This costume fits the time era and it is also conventional for a woman to wear a laced dress. I also made her wear a long black coat. The white dress connotes she is innocent but the black coat connotes the bad she has done in her life. The detective’s costume was a white shirt with a black tie and black trousers with black braces. The black connoted mystery and dominance. Johnny wore a black suit; I placed a white handkerchief in his pocket as this was common for gangsters to have. The murderer wore a black hat and black long coat. This was to keep his identity hidden and make him look suspicious. He wore leather gloves which connotes he is threatening and mysterious.
I think the filming went well as I didn’t have any problems however I think I could have filmed earlier to make sure I had more time on the editing suites. One new technique I had to do was a voice over. I let my actor hold the script while her voice was recorded however I closed the cap on the video camera so it was just her voice being filmed. I used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit my film on. I only had a small amount of experience using the editing suites however I managed to get used to it quickly as I practised on footage I didn’t need. I changed the film into black and white as this is a convention of Film Noir. I added white text and chose a font which was old fashioned. I also placed the credits at the beginning as this is conventional of Film Noir. The actor who played the detective was called Mike however I didn’t know his surname so I made an intertextual reference to ‘Mike Hammer’ by adding the surname ‘Hammer’ (see figure 4). As soon as the title came on the soundtrack started. I made the soundtrack and dialogue louder as it was quiet at first and hard to hear. Making it louder also gave it a more suspenseful feel. I faded the soundtrack out when it reached the detective scene. I think that soundtrack was only needed for the murder as that was suspenseful. I used dissolves throughout the film as this is conventional in Film Noir. I used cross fades to show time had passed. For example when the murderer is waiting for Johnny to pass him and when the Johnny is dead on the floor then it fades to the detective’s office to show that he was found dead. I used additive dissolves whenever the murderer was on screen. This made him look more threatening. I think the editing went well with the soundtrack especially the scene when the murderer is putting on his leather gloves.
(Figure 4 - intertextual reference of 'Mike Hammer')
I created a questionnaire and asked 10 people to watch my finished film. I asked whether they understood the narrative and all 10 said yes. When asked what genre they think the film is they all said Film Noir. I asked whether they enjoyed the film and all 10 said yes and when asked why comments such as ‘good location, it goes straight into the killing scene and makes you think and wonder why that’s just happened’, ‘I liked the point of view show as it was suspenseful, I wanted to know who the killer was’ and ‘I liked the detectives office, the props made it look more realistic’. I asked how they felt while watching the film and 7/10 said ‘suspense’, 2 people said ‘anxious’ and 1 person said ‘excited’. I asked this question as my aim was to create an emotional response and I wanted to find out whether I managed to complete this aim. This was positive feedback as the audience had an emotional response. Improvements which was suggested was ‘could have been longer’ and ‘different types of shots in the detective’s office would have been better’.
Overall I believe my film completed its aims by creating an emotional response for the audience through the use of sound, mise en scene, cinematography and editing. I am very happy that the film was positively received by my target audience.
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