Diary Entry 3 - Scene structure & script development

Today Chris & I went through what we had decided on last lesson, making a few minor adjustments to the original brainstorm.
Will was able to join us as we began writing a very basic structure of what the scene will contain, how it will be compiled, and how we will go about creating it.
This allowed us to gain an understanding of what the film will be, putting us all on the same 'wave length' so to speak.

From this, as a group, we decided that Chris would take the plan home overnight to create a basic script containing only the actions required from the actor in the scene. This can be done separately as there are no other characters & no dialogue.

When Chris brings the script to school tomorrow, I will begin adding in a voice-over script to suit.

I was also able to source an original, working typewriter for use in the scene, as well as getting a contact from whom I may be able to get a 50's style radio in working condition (not that this matters too much). Both props are essential to the scene, so the earlier we can get them organised, the better.

I will add the brainstorm, basic structure & finalised first draft of the script in the next few posts.

Similar Products - Film Noir Movie Posters

By observing movie posters of big time Film Noir films, it is clear that, like the films themselves, there are lots of conventions that are used across the genre, for many films.

As a whole, it is uncommon for the Film Noir movie posters to follow the same visual style as the film itself; the posters are often cartoonized & full of colour; unlike the films themselves. The posters do often have some sort of mystery, but this goes for most film posters, as this is often the thing that influences the potential viewer to watch the film. The movie posters do however use a convention that is also used in the films; darkness & mystery. This is established through the use of harsh lighting - as with the films. The contrasting colour & darkness is a noticeable difference from the Film Noir movie posters in comparison to conventional modern day movie posters.

Touch Of Evil (1958) - Orson Welles

The fact that this film was created toward the end of the 'Noir Era' may be one of the reasons why it looks more realistic & slightly more modern than the poster for 'The Maltese Falcon' for example.
The poster uses the conventional scheme of showing (what seems to be) the protagonist, the femme fatale & the villain. A notable point to make is that the man in the shirt, on the left; who seems to be the protagonist, is shrouded in a darkness. This is unusual, as it would be expected that the villain is the character in the darker light (as shown in the poster for 'the blue dahlia').
The film name & lead actors are written on a gravestone, which leads the viewer to ponder what relevance that has. The detailed drawing at the bottom of the image, just above the credits has the same effect. Showing some sort of crossing, with fleeing people & a burning car. Watching the film will later answer the question as to both of their relevance.
The poster boasts a bold title, in a colourful font, in order to grab an audience's attention. It also uses a tag line, which is common in Noir posters. The tag line uses Barthe's Enigma Code theory. Giving the audience enough information to trigger some understanding, but not enough to satisfy their understanding. So they are propelled to find out the rest of the information. Which in this case, means watching the movie.

The Blue Dahlia (1946) - George Marshall

The poster for the film 'The Blue Dahlia' is one of the more conventional Film Noir posters. It uses the typical artistic, cartoonized portraits of the main characters. It is easy to distinguish the protagonist, villain & femme fatale,due to the way they are presented in the poster. For example; the villain is shrouded in darkness, with little light. The femme fatale (bottom left) is dress in the typical glamorous attire. The protagonist (center) is portrayed in ample light, with a typical 40's/50's style haircut, suit & tie. He is also sporting a cigarette, which was seen as fashionable and 'more acceptable' at the time. This carried through into Film Noir, which was the main film type in production during this time period.
The style & placement of title is similar to the 'touch of evil' poster with its colour, & shaky effect, which is in this case, created by a hard shadow. The poster is also similar to the 'touch of evil' poster in the way it uses contrasting colours in the font, compared to the background to display the actors names. The credits are displayed in a the same format, with a plain black, vertically elongated font.
This poster doesn't use a tag line, which is one of the reasons i believe it has less of an effect on the audience. Although it has some mystery to it, created in the lighting & the way the characters are standing. The mysterious element is never prominent enough to urge the viewer to want to watch the movie.

The Maltese Falcon (1941) - John Huston

The Maltese Falcon movie poster has a different look than the other two posters analysed above. This is mainly due to the unrealistic looking portraits used, of what seems to be the protagonist/villain & the femme fatale of the film. It is also due to the, what looks like, shaded black colour dotted about, but could be some sort of dark shrouding, as used in the touch of evil. It is possible that this poster, although using 2 of the same concepts as the 'Touch Of Evil' poster, looks looks different, because of the technological advances between the creation of the 2. It is also possible that the 'The Maltese Falcon' poster is intended to look like that for a reason.
Although the poster, as a whole looks slightly different to other Noir posters, it uses a large amount of the conventions such as:

• bright colours (in comparison to the black & white film)
• Cartoonized character portraits
• Bold Fonts
• Tag line to interest potential viewers
• Credits & production company logos small at the bottom

Similar Products - Movie Openings

In order to gain an understanding of what a Film Noir opening scene should be like, it is necessary to understand what is to be expected from a Film Noir opening scene & the included credits. The best way to do this is to analyse the all time best Film Noir blockbusters.

Sunset Boulevard

The Sunset Boulevard opening credit scene begins with the introduction of the paramount pictures logo, on a dark  paved floor, with a loud, commanding brass instrument accompaniment. This is then followed by sharp, repetitive, high pitched sounds adding tension & increasing the intensity of the movement of the camera as it pans down slightly, setting the scene, showing the sunset boulevard markings on the pavement. When the Sunset Boulevard markings are being shown, the music intensifies, then as the camera continues to pan & track, the intensity is reduced, showing the street name as a focal point. The musical score is kept slightly fast paced, but becomes more mysterious as it continues to track. The music stays, consistent, but is never too repetitive, showing variation & flow as the camera does likewise, following the same road down its given path. The musical score is dark, adding some mystery, especially as the camera angle gives very little away, making the viewer anticipate what is to happen.

The street, sunset boulevard, is clearly going to be one of the focal points of the story. The way in which Wilder has framed the shot of the road as the backdrop for the titles and names of the cast & crew is clever in its own right, but i believe this is one of the things that improves the opening scene as a whole, as, unlike some other Film Noir opening credits, it gives the viewer something to watch, setting the scene whilst informing, rather than showing the minute long, empty tracking shot by itself, or the credits, with a block colour, or still backdrop (which could be equally boring for the viewer). The musical score, slowly fades from diegetic to non diegetic, as it transforms into the sirens of the police vehicles.

The typical male voice-over is used, to set the scene, as soon as the camera tilts back to a P.O.V, while the camera tracks slightly, before panning quickly to show the movement of the cars & motorbikes. The voice-over sets the scene,  describing the fact that the cars, police cars & motorbikes are the 'homicide squad complete with detectives & newspaper men' - all of which are stereotypical characters of Film Noir.

The voice-over sets the location in more detail, as well as describing what sort of person it is that has been murdered - 'an old-time star is involved'. The mystery then begins, as the viewer becomes intrigued more and more as the description of who he is, is given. The voice-over gives a very intimate description of the character, describing his feelings saying 'he always wanted a pool' and calling him 'a poor dope'. This is unusual, but as the viewer will find out, the reason for this is that the voice-over is indeed the man in the pool.

The policemen are wearing typical police uniforms from the time, the newspapermen are wearing the typical trench coat & trilby hat that many Film Noir characters wear, especially the detectives. The costumes worn, as well as the use of props such as the cameras with large flash bulbs & the classic 50's cars indicates the time period in which the film is set.

The opening scene of Sunset boulevard does very little in the way of setting the scene of the storyline or the plot, but instead establishes the fundamentals of the film, laying down a nature of mystery, as soon as the film starts as well as establishing the geographics of the film. The opening scene isn't rushed, and gives away very little as to how the story will progress, or who is who. I believe this works in favour of the film, as one of the key conventions of Film Noir is the mysterious aspect of the films. This opening gives the film that. It indicates that there is 2 sides to the notoriously glamorous Hollywood, the glamorous & the crime-ridden, and that the latter will be the one portrayed in this clearly unglamorous movie.

I like the way that Wilder uses the road as a backdrop for the credits, as it is different & interesting, whilst still giving the viewers the chance to ingest the credits, and start to get into the film. I also like the way that the opening scene leaves the viewer in the middle of a mystery, before they know any detailed information about anything in the film.

I intend to use both of these concepts in my production if the storyline permits and i am not restricted in doing so by other factors.

As you can see, the titles used have a very conventional, bold, white-on-black font & style (especially with the use of several ellipses in order to separate job roles & names (as shown on the right). The fonts fade into shot, then fade out - with the fade out being slightly more prolonged than the fade in. The font is also tilted slightly, in order for it to follow the shape of the road, as if the letters were sitting just above the road.

The conventional use of logos in one of the last pages of credits at the bottom is also used (right)

 

Double Indemnity

As with many Film Noir openings, the production company's logo is shown, with the dramatic sound being played as the logo is on screen. The music then progresses to play as the Paramount pictures logo (in this case) fades out to reveal the credits/the action on screen.

One thing that sets this opening scene apart from the others analysed in this post is that this is the only one to use a silhouette as a backdrop for the credits. Use of silhouettes is very common in Film Noir, as it provides the same purpose as the zither in the third man, and the shot of the sunset boulevard road, showing movement, and giving a subtle description of what's to come/the narrative, without requiring so much attention that your concentration is taken away from the credits. In this case, the silhouette is of a man on 50's style crutches, walking towards the camera, becoming more prominent as the music becomes more intense & dark, giving the the audience an indication that this character may be powerful, and may have a dark nature. The use of a silhouette, combined with the action of the silhouette seemingly getting bigger as he walks towards the camera and the increased intensity of the music, urges the audience to ask themselves questions about the character, causing mystery. This is also known as the enigma code.

You can tell that it is a silhouette of a man because of the common trilby hat worn in a large amount of Film Noir movies, and especially during the time that this film was released.

The musical score that accompanies the opening credits is typically orchestral, which fits well with the silhouette walking towards the camera, as it is thrilling, and as the intensity increases it gives the reader a feeling of 'impending doom', darkness & mystery. It also gives an indication about what the character may be like.

The credit styles are quite generic in terms of Film Noir movies, as a large, plain bold font is used, with a shadow behind to give it a 3d effect. The typical ellipses are used to distinguish roles, from the name of the person who controlled that role. The more important the role in the film, the larger the font is; for example, the director has a larger font, and has a credit frame to himself, whereas the costume designer, and other such roles are all in one frame, with smaller fonts. A cross fade transition is used.

The Third Man

The above clip shows the opening credits, and a snippet of the opening scene of 'The Third Man' by Carol Reed. The credits are automatically recognisable as being unorthodox in comparison to other Noir movie openings, simply due to the use of the instrument as a back drop for the duration of the credits.

As the credits begin, the picture of a zither fades in from a black background. The music then begins to fade in, quite quickly. This is not out of the ordinary for many Noir films, however; the fact that the zither's strings vibrate, as if that zither is the one being played in order to generate the music. This could have been animated, but due to the fact the film was created in 1949, it is likely that it was filmed, this may be why only a section of the instrument is in frame. The zither continues to be played (or so it seems) throughout the entirety of the opening credits.

The music used throughout the opening credits is very lighthearted and comical. This is unconventional, as Film Noir movies tend to be dark, mysterious & full of mystery, so the music tends to fit the same concept, usually sounding very orchestral. The music used here, like many Film Noir movies is frantic, although it doesn't have any mystery/darkness to it, and isn't thrilling like music used in many other Noir films. The music used may set up the audience for the fact that the film may be comical, or may have comical aspects. This however may not be the case, as one of the noticeable things about the sound given off by the zither, and especially in this scene, is that it does not convey a particular mood. When listening to the entirety of the musical score, you can never be certain what sort of mood/feeling the song is trying to convey to the audience, this causes a mystery in itself, however different it may be to common Noir mystery.

The style of credits used are quite simplistic. The titles simply fade in, then cross fade, as the titles change. The simplistic nature of the credits allows you to take not of the movement of the zither, and take in the catchy tune, as well as reading the credits themselves. Just like Sunset Boulevard, the credits are shown in front of a movement of some sort.

As the credits end, the zither fades, as the music begins to do the same, showing an establishing shot  of Vienna. A voice-over then describes how he 'never knew the old Vienna before the war' - describing that the film is shot in a post war Vienna. He then goes on to describe, in first person, his dealings in the black market, establishing to the audience, who/what sort of person he is. This is being spoken over shots of items being traded illegally, giving a visual representation to the audience in order to aid their understanding & progress the narrative.

The choice of Vienna as a setting, is quite typical, as many Film Noir movies choose post war urban environments that have were strongly affected by the war itself. They do this because it is an easy way to attract the audience into the narrative, as the director could play on the downbeat feelings the war had left the audience with at the time.

Diary Entry 2 - Pre Production - Initial Brainstorming

Today, Chris & I had an hour long lesson in order to get on with the pre-production. As there was a mix up in the groups we were unable to start doing any work on the production until today.
We both had similar ideas on what sort of plot we would come up with, as we both decided we should know what the basic plot line for the whole film would be before we could decide what we would include in the opening scene.
We both had identical views on the following:

• The scene should be relatively simple, with little action in the scene.
• The scene should be located in 1 place, with possible movement from 1 place to another, if 1 continuous shot is used to capture the movement.
• We will use a main character that has gone through a 'riches to rags' scenario - this is because in many film noir movies, the protagonist is driven by past experience/event.
• We will use a male voice over
• The voice over will be the most predominant in informing the viewer, and moving the film along. (basically, without the voice over the scene would prove very little purpose)

By the end of the lesson, we had come up with a basic plot, that had then been developed, so that we had created certain character types that would work with the storyline. We have made sure the storyline of the opening scene can be carried through to the rest of the film (if it were to be created).

Will was away for the lesson today, so we had to update him on what we had brainstormed. Next lesson we will add in any input he has, or rearrange/change what we've brainstormed if we decide between the three of us that something requires.

Next lesson, or before next week, we will finalise the plot ideas & decide on final characters & their names as well as what sort of actors we want to play each of the characters. We will also try to get a rough idea of what costumes we want the characters to be wearing.

Similar Products - Film Noir Plots

Many Film Noirs have recurring characteristics. In order to understand some of them, the basic plots can be compared.


1. Sunset Boulevard
The story, set in '50s Hollywood, focuses on Norma Desmond, a silent-screen goddess whose pathetic belief in her own indestructibility has turned her into a demented recluse. The crumbling Sunset Boulevard mansion where she lives with only her butler, Max who was once her director and husband has become her self-contained world. Norma dreams of a comeback to pictures and she begins a relationship with Joe Gillis, a small-time writer who becomes her lover, that will soon end with murder and total madness. [1]


2. M
In Germany, Hans Beckert is an unknown killer of girls. He whistles Edvard Grieg's 'In The Hall of the Mountain King' while attracting the little girls for death. The police force pressed by the Minister give its best effort trying unsuccessfully to arrest the serial killer. The organized crime has great losses due to the intense search and siege of the police and decides to chase the murderer. [2]


3. Double Indemnity
In 1938, Walter Neff, an experienced salesman of the Pacific All Risk Insurance Co., meets the seductive wife of one of his clients, Phyllis Dietrichson, and they have an affair. Phyllis proposes to kill her husband to receive the proceeds of an accident insurance policy and Walter devises a scheme to receive twice the amount based on a double indemnity clause. When Mr. Dietrichson is found dead on a train-track, the police accept the determination of accidental death. However, the insurance analyst and Walter's best friend Barton Keyes does not buy the story and suspects that Phyllis has murdered her husband with the help of another man. [3]


4. The Third Man
An out of work pulp fiction novelist, Holly Martins, arrives in a post war Vienna divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has lead to a flourishing black market. He arrives at the invitation of an ex-school friend, Harry Lime, who has offered him a job, only to discover that Lime has recently died in a peculiar traffic accident. From talking to Lime's friends and associates Martins soon notices that some of the stories are inconsistent, and determines to discover what really happened to Harry Lime. [4]


5. The Maltese Falcon
Sam Spade is a partner in a private-eye firm who finds himself hounded by police when his partner is killed whilst tailing a man. The girl who asked him to follow the man turns out not to be who she says she is, and is really involved in something to do with the 'Maltese Falcon', a gold-encrusted life-sized statue of a falcon, the only one of its kind. [5]


There are instant similarities in the plots of these films; the most apparrent of them all is the fact that the stories are based around a common concept; crime. A murder occurs in every one of the 5 films chosen, indicating common ground in terms of the fact that a crime such as a murder can be incorporated into almost any film noir storyline, unlike many other crimes. All of the films (besides sunset boulevard) revolve around some sort of mystery; usually the murder itself, but this differs from film to film as the crime is not always the focal point of the film. Another noticable point about the plots is that they are usually located in popular/famous post war destinations such as Hollywood, America, Vienna, Austria & Berlin, Germany.




References
[1] - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043014/plotsummary (accessed 20/01/12)
[2] - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022100/plotsummary (accessed 20/01/12)
[3] - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/plotsummary(accessed 20/01/12)
[4] - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041959/plotsummary(accessed 20/01/12)
[5] - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033870/plotsummary(accessed 20/01/12)

Similar Products - What is Film Noir?

'A style or genre of cinematographic film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace. The term was originally applied (by a group of French critics) to American thriller or detective films made in the period 1944–54 and to the work of directors such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, and Billy Wilder'[1]


Film Noir, nowadays, is seen as a genre of film, containing certain recurring similarities in terms of characters, lighting, themes (to list a few). However, when 'Film Noir' was introduced, post world war 2 to the 50's, it wasn't intended to be seen as a genre. It was due to the fact that the conventions of the films that we today classify as 'Film Noir' were used so consistently that a whole new style of film was created. It is often debated as to whether film-makers of the time intended the films to be that way, or it was just a trend of styles that went down well with audiences of the time. It is also debated as to whether Film Noir is a genre & whether it was meant to be a genre at all.


However, one thing that is certain is that films classified in the modern day understanding of the term 'Film Noir' do have many recurring conventions that combine to form the style of film that is seen as 'Film Noir':

• Black & white (although modern day Film Noirs have introduced small amounts of colour & have a different style of black & white rather than the typical grayscale style picture from the original Film Noir films.
• Low Lighting - used to intensify the dark atmosphere, moods of characters & the feeling of mystery)
• Unusual camera angles (extreme low/high shots, change of depth of field)
• Characters: - (typically aged in their late 20's & 30's)
• Heroes/Anti Heroes (very often detectives/journalists etc. - regularly portrayed as a 'lone wolf' who is 'morally ambiguous' or a 'low life'[2]
• Main villain (sinister, usually slightly older than the hero)
• Other villains (main villain's henchmen)
• Femme Fatale (Always beautiful, often dangerous and/or double-crossing. A vital character of many Film Noir movies as the lust for the femme fatale is regularly the motive for actions that occur throughout the film)
• The protagonist often has a past that propels him/causes his 'doom & gloom' personality
• Themes:
• Crime  (The films would often revolve around a central crime, from which the rest of the story is revealed to the audience. Often this would be a murder or a death. Drugs, wealth, corruption were also introduced. showing the dark side of people's personalities.)
• Romance (Often focused toward the femme fatale. Often, it is the main villain & protagonist hero that both lust after her, causing a twist in the storyline & increased risk for the hero)
• Setting:
• Urban surroundings (almost always set in an urban environment. Eg. cities, train stations, city apartments, hotel rooms, alleyways.)
• American (Film Noir movies are often set in built up American cities such as new york city. This determines the nationality of the main characters. Often, due to the period in which the original Film Noirs were created, American characters with immigrant roots are also common)
• Clothing & props:
• Of the era (Props such as radios, cars etc. from the 40's & 50's are regularly used in both the original Film Noirs of that time as well as the Film Noirs made since then. This is also true with the clothing. The most frequently used clothing is the typical hat, suit & jacket or the flowing, sexy yet classy dress as shown in the following image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxPPIPg7vgJySjyDaBodgDGMRrLuhjw-UEHA54rRaOzjs7RlhBdhzda2D_0Hp83nkWpOZs-WZitoxUyO7Hr3dH9l6V-pByytbxYzzZrEpZrTrBMBzmID_f-ahgLBFCQdoU8TfHMourkQ/s640/film_noir.jpg. Characters often smoke.)

References:

• [1]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir  (Accessed 20/01/12)
• [2] http://www.filmsite.org/filmnoir.html (Accessed 20/01/12)

Diary Entry 1 - The Main Task

AS Main Task - Film Noir
Task Brief:
'Create the titles & opening of a new Film Noir film'.
The film is to last no more & no less than 2 minutes.

For the task I will be working with Christopher Howard & William Hewitt.

During the course of the task I will aim update this blog daily/bi-daily depending on time restrictions.

The Deadline for the completion of the production and all relevant surrounding material is 27th March.