Film Opning With Commentary

questionair results

I noticed that people answered the first question (“what do you expect from a crime thriller?”) expected the same things from a crime thriller as a noir film; criminals (all), detectives (all) , violence/gunfights (9) and city settings (4). All these are themes used in film noirs. Blade runner was the most mentioned crime thriller in question three as 4 people put it down. Question three had the most varied responses but almost all (8) described an action sequence of some kind e.g the car chase in “the bourne identity”. Only four people ticked yes on the fourth question, 2 put down “sunset boulevard” and the others put “the big sleep” and “in a lonely place” these were filled in by older participants (aged 47 to 60) so they would be more familiar with the classic film noirs. No one ticked yes on question five, film noir is still a rarely used term. All ten participants ticked the first box (enigmas and intrigue), dark storylines were also popular as 6 people ticked that box.

group evaluation

We tried to stick to the original film noir style narrative. It was through this style that we were able to include enigma and use mysterious twists in the story such as the dead femme fetale in the beginning and the elusive and shady characters that we used to help attract the viewers attention.We used young characters when casting the characters due to the target audience being 15- 30. Because in the storyline the characters make the wrong decisions etc, this allows the younger viewers to perhaps relate themselves to the story when watching the film, allowing us to grip them in further and infuse their feelings with the characters. We also used one of the character's ethnicity to our advantage while casting the roles due to one of our actors being mixed race, they often are stereotyped to be bad guys which worked well with his character as "Boss".

We tried to stick to the classic film noir theme when we was choosing how to present the film to the viewer, but included a more modern and darker element added to it. This helped to achieve the noir thriller we were aiming to achieve which helps build tension and suspense for the audience which was what we were hoping to create while filming and editing the final piece.The overall ideology we wanted to convey to the audience was that making one wrong decision can make you end up in a big mess, which is what happened to the main character in our noir opening. Also another message could be read that mixing in the wrong "crowd" can land you in trouble you weren't expecting to get involved in which teenagers can also relate to.The costumes were that of the original noirs, long dark coat for the anti-hero and a more promiscuous and revealing outfit for the femme fetale.

This helped us achieve the contemporary film noir status we were looking for and the audience can relate this to the old noirs.We used slow, suspenseful music during the slower scenes where we were establishing the scene and when the action was on screen it was more fast paced which we used to build tension and makes the viewer feel "on edge" and like somethings about to happen which we used to grab the audiences attention.The main location was of the dark room in which the femme fetale lay dead, this stayed true to the original noirs of dark alleys and streets which help add a darker element to our opening. This allowed for us to use interesting contrasting lighting which they use in the classic noirs to create interesting lighting effects such as when the light shined of the Hitman's hair and created a silhouette on his face. This adds mystery and creates interesting images for the viewer to watch.We used all these elements to add to the overall effect we wanted to achieve and made the viewer feel tense like a thriller should. We even used simple effects such as the use of simple titles to establish the kind of film we wanted the audience to perceive it as. All this came together to help us achieve the contemporary noir image we were looking for.

I would hope that our media would be picked up by a distributor like BBC Three, E4 or channel 4, the reason why is because those television channels have a much suited audience age than any others with them all having views from young teens to young adults, this channels would suit our project the best and would then in return hopefully give us more viewers. Also we aren't hoping this comes on in every cinema in the world for four weeks, but even with our low-budget we hope it would be released in some cinemas across the uk for a couple of weeks. Also we would hope that our project would get noticed enough to be rewiewed and hopefully from this and a small website we could make this would generate more antcipation for the release and once again try to attract a large as possible audience we could recieve. by leit henry

used in creating opening on
The target demographic for our picture is males from aged 15 to 25 years and we did our best to promote interest to this specific demographic with actors of that age group making them more sympathetic and keeping the film fast paced.The position in socio-economics status of our target audience would be between E and C1 as this is the class we are representing in our film.Mainstreamers and reformers would be the type of consumers we appeal to as mainstreamers make up most of the population we want to get most of them interested in seeing our film, reformers are always looking for something new so our fresh approach to film noir would hopefully get their attention.

Teenagers would get a sense of personal identification from our film as we use characters of their age group in the storyline as well as a bit of surveillance because of the extreme lifestyle of the characters make the teenage audience feel normal. Genre communities would be a good audience for our film as it would be of great interest to film noir enthusiasts who haven't seen any good new noir for a few years. Anyone who likes an intellectual puzzle would enjoy our film as the plot is based around a young man trying to get to the bottom of a mystery and proving his innocence.

Synopsis

The femme fetale is seen dead on the floor.(Flashback)The boss appears at a meeting place with a folder. The Hitman is then seen to join him and they both sit on the bench. They wait a little while so not to arouse suspicion. The Boss then leaves and the folder is left behind. The Hitman picks up the folder and reads what he has been assigned to do.(Present)The Hitman is shown walking to his hit, Bracing himself as he prepares to do the murder.(Flashback)A flashback of a conversation is had between the Hitman and the Boss to confirm the mission. It also shows him preparing for the hit as he takes the photo of the subject to be killed and places it in his coat clearly showing the price he is being paid.(Present)As he approaches we see the Hitman preparing his weapon, tightening it so that he can easily strangle his victim. Upon entering the room, he notices the already dead body laying on the floor. He rolls her over and checks her identity. In so doing this, however, he gets the blood of the victim on his hands. Sirens can be heard. The Hitman is on the run. Trying to clear his name. The victims face and identity is revealed. by matt keeble

Audiance

The target demographic for our picture is males from aged 15 to 25 years and we did our best to promote interest to this specific demographic with actors of that age group making them more sympathetic and keeping the film fast paced.
The position in socio-economics status of our target audience would be between E and C1 as this is the class we are representing in our film.

Mainstreamers and reformers would be the type of consumers we appeal to as mainstreamers make up most of the population we want to get most of them interested in seeing our film, reformers are always looking for something new so our fresh approach to film noir would hopefully get their attention

Teenagers would get a sense of personal identification from our film as we use characters of their age group in the storyline as well as a bit of surveillance because of the extreme lifestyle of the characters make the teenage audience feel normal

Genre communities would be a good audience for our film as it would be of great interest to film noir enthusiasts who haven't seen any good new noir for a few years. Anyone who likes an intellectual puzzle would enjoy our film as the plot is based around a young man trying to get to the bottom of a mystery and proving his innocence.

Group treatment

Editor's (Editing) Treatment (by Nathan Ramsey)

As editor for the final project it was extremely important to concentrate on making sure that the continuity of it was very smooth, and also not to confuse the audience with the effects used. Without editing it is impossible to screen it all in one go and come out with a project that the audience will understand, editing enables break aways and cuts to other scenes and also enables more camera shots so it is a more exciting project to watch.

Before jumping on the machine and editing away, i had to ensure that as a group we all had the same ideas and aspirations for the project once we were happy with the kind of effects we were going to use i jumped on board and started the logging and capturing you need to before you can start chopping and editing on final cut pro. Having used final cut pro i have some experience others don't and therefore that enabled to teach my group new skills and also confidence with the computer.

In final cut pro there were many effects you could use, but we felt the more simpler effects worked the best with our piece, with consideration to the task we were giving. Film Noir's don't use a lot of editing and more focus on the narrative and cinematography, so in some aspects it felt i was restricted to what i could do, but on the other hand it was a challenge not to use the flashy effects. The effects we used was a fade in fade out template, we particular used it at the start and end of our project and after a few minutes perfecting the time and speed of the fades we were happy to move on.

The next effect was the jump cuts, this was more tricky aspect of editing and we did need some advice from our teacher, once the advice was given it was relatively easy, with jump cut the character jumps forward a few yards when walking down a long walk-way and we got this idea from many films like 'Snatch' and 'Run Lola, Run', after we found out how to create a jump cut, you just then need to repeat this several times. Once we fiddled around with the time line and the speeds, as a group we felt this is defiantly our best editing used. Not just because it was probably the hardest effect to create but because on screen it looked very good and professional.

Another effect we used in our final project, was the use of saturation and color corrector. The use of these effects created a more contemporary Film Noir feel, with the characters glowing in black and white or the character being hid by the darkness in other cases. We didn't get lucky with these effects because we had already planned that we were going to use it from the word go, and the effects themselves to a long time tweaking them to make the characters and the props really dark and create that shadowy effect.



Director's (Cinematography) Treatment (by Leit Henry)

As director for the final project, it’s important for me to think beforehand about the different shots which are going being used in the shoot, as well as making sure the intended visual representation which as a group we planned is met. Therefore cinematography in particular is a vital element in achieving this.

Things to plan before shooting included framing and shot sizing. Using the rule of thirds to adequately frame shots so that the action is well placed on the screen for the viewer is crucial as shots where the action is in the middle of the screen looks amateurish to audiences. Another basic but important nevertheless thing which needs to be thought about when shooting is not breaking the 180 degree line rule of action was not broken.

Particularly for the first few shots of the opening framing and shot sizing where vital as the action in the dark room set which we planned needs to represented well on screen. So for these shoots the point of action or prominence needs to be in a corner of the screen or off straight using the rule of thirds whilst still making sure that all that needs to be in the shot is in the shot. Moreover using the scenery within the room in important to set the scene and this is where mise-en-scene comes in as well. The angle of the shots and sizing must be correct as in the first few shots close-ups and mid-shots in particular are used so camera placement also will be an element to carrying out the shots as planned. Furthermore using the tripod to position the camera will be helpful in shooting the shots with the hitman in the room and the female lying on the floor whereas a freehand shot will be used for the close-up shot and extreme close-ups therefore making the camera to vital for the professionalism of the shots.

The corridor shots in the sequence involve a tracking shot of the hitman approaching the dark room and close-ups of the phone call between the hitman and the person who has apparently arranged the hit on the female as well as the hitman looking at the photo. For the tracking adequate shot length is an element to think about in a short film opening the shot length must not be too long and tedious also there needs to be a point to each shot used in the opening sequence. So for the tracking shot the action needs to be picked up a the right and ended at the correct time as well as making sure that the camera remains steady as is not jumpy although using a tripod is a shot like this will help. As for the close-ups in the corridor scenes just as the close-ups used in the dark room using these shots is very much in keeping with the theme of the opening which is film noir. The close-up was a common shot used in classic noirs and it is used to display facial emotion and/or show the viewer something in more detail. These shots will are likely to be shot free hand with the camera so it is important the height and focus remain accurate along with good shot size and framing also.

Additionally for the outside shots in the park and the street shots making use of the surroundings and good framing will be particularly vital. Another thing to consider although I mentioned before that the opening in not massively long in three minutes; it is also important to ensure that when editing there is enough footage so that there is no requirement to shoot more and everything can be easily edited.

When considering the audience for the opening it is important to remember that as a group we choose teenagers to represent our target audience so the shots used must in a way cater for this being the case. So using interesting shots which hopefully will create a thriller feel to the action will be important to attract and keep the attention of the audience. As I mentioned before using long and dull with likely make more viewers uninterested and become detached for the action which is not what we want.

Art Director's (Mise-en-scene) Treament (by Caroline Chicken)

The locations we used were chosen to fulfil film noir style conventions The interior location (film studio) has curtains lining the walls, they created a really interesting visual effect when the spot-light was turned on with a stripy light and dark pattern not unlike the venetian blind effect used in classic noirs. The empty, vacant spaces of the room are filled with darkness so it’s difficult to tell how big the room is and the function of the room is unknown to the audience, the only clue is the table and chair but it still doesn’t tell the audience exactly where they are, this sets up an enigma. The exterior location of


The small spot light we used was the only source of light in the interior location, this use of key light made deep long shadows contrast with bright (almost) overexposed pools of light, the overall result made average shots look moody and interesting. The exterior location had no artificial lighting, all natural, this made the outdoor shots look bland and flat compared to the indoor shots.

The props we decided to use changed a bit from our original plans, in our brainstorm sessions before shooting we wanted to use a toy gun but later agreed that it was not an appropriate prop to bring in to college and was not as realistic as a garrotte wire. The cord we used turned out to be a much better choice in the end as it gave the actor a good chance to interact with it and perform through it, like winding it around his hands and fingers to build suspense, it was more flexible and safer than a plastic gun. The blood was Burger King ketchup, we wanted to get enough on his hand to be dramatic and shock the audience but not so much that it would effect the classification, I think we achieved a good amount as it is not over the top but enough to be disgusting.


The costumes of the feme fetal and hitman are very different from each other, this was done to highlight the two extremes of film noir, the classical old-school noir and the modern neo-noir. The dead feme fetal has a fur coat and red dress, this stereotypical conventional attire puts her into an easily recognisable role so the audience understands who she is. Matt the hitman is wearing more modern normal clothes that don’t reveal much about him, he needed to be more of an enigma than the dead woman so we thought he should be more neutral and unassuming.

Grimwade Street

was chosen because of the boarded up building and graffiti, the rough down-and-out looking street Matt walks down matches the conventional noir settings of dodgy back alleys and drab streets.

The shots along the street of the hitman walking towards the building require as being predominantly tracking shots leaving handles again before and after as well as good shot sizing and framing. Also the angle of the shot must be thought about action in all in shot. These shots again will be shot using a tripod will be crucial in ensuring the camera stay steady and must be adjusted to effectively produce the shots. So for the park shots which like the phone call and the hitman looking at the picture are flashback shots to keep with the theme of noirs, there will be an establishing shot of the park bench and the very start of the scene, followed by long shots of the instigator and hitman as they approach the bench. There will then be a mid-shot of the two on the bench then a shot of the hitman leaving with the folder. For these shots considering shot lengths and leaving adequate handles before and after shots will be important. Camera movement should be made easier to control by using a tripod for the shots. Framing will be important in the shots where characters approach and leave the bench to make sure everything is well positioned on screen throughout the shot.

Producer's (Sound) Treatment (by Matt Keeble)

Sound is used in film to create the tone and mood of a scene. We used various sound techniques in our film to establish to the audience the mood we were trying to achieve and set the correct atmosphere to the action on screen.

Diagetic sound is sound that is heard by the characters on screen, often called "actual sound". This is the most obvious sound technique because we normally use it without even thinking were using it. Evidence of this would be the police sirens near the end of the film.

Non-diagetic sound is sound that is coming from a source that isn't in the story. We used this technique when we did our voice-overs. We used this as classic film noirs usually use voice-overs to help narrate the film and give the story a sense of direction or to explain what the character is thinking or feeling at the time, which is why we used the technique.

Music is the main contributor to the atmosphere and tone of the scene. Classic noirs used it to build up tension which is what we tried to do when we chose our music. The aim of the music we chose was for it to be suspenseful and create tension during the slower parts of the opening, slowly building up to the action. This is also used to help create the pace of the film.

Sound FX were used in our noir to make a specific narrative point in the story, for example the police sirens, which alerted the audience that the Hitman was in trouble and allowed up to let the viewers know this without change in music or through the use of dialogue.

Ambiance - There wasn't much background noise in our film opening due to the music creating the tone instead of ambient noise. This allowed us to fully control the mood of the scene instead of relying on background noise while we were filming which adds to the building of atmosphere.

Volume - We used volume mostly in the music, voice-over and sirens. We changed the volume of the music at certain points to make it louder which quickened the pace of the scene when it was more action packed. We lowered the music when there was a voice-over so it could clearly be heard and so the audience definitely know what the character is thinking. We used sirens that were louder than the music to add the element of danger to the scene which helped to increase the urgency of the main character's getaway.

group notes

Here are some notes we made when first brainstorming our ideas

Characters:
Hero(hitman): takes a job from boss to kill his ex-girlfriend, he arrives at her location and finds her dead (or dying), he realises he has been set up and runs out. a voice over will be added on the action.

Feme fetal: unknown cause of death, signs of a struggle and a bit of blood. Not revealing her face until the end makes her identity an enigma. We will make it clear that she is a feme fetal with her costume and make up

Boss/hitman employer: we wont show his whole face, just the lower half of his head while he’s on the phone to give him a sense of mystery.

Props
- feme fetal : red dress, fur coat (maybe), shoes, lipstick, blood
- hitman : gun, black coat/jacket, phone
- boss : phone


we changed alot of our first ideas, like the feme fetal's relationship with the hero and anonymous boss. We decided that the set up of the hero’s previous meetings and feelings for his ex-girlfriend (the feme fetal) would take a lot of time and over complicate the hero’s motives and felt a mysterious identity would be more in keeping with the conventional film noir narrative. We decided to reveal the boss as we needed to show more of the set up of the hit and more exterior shots.