Preliminary Exercise: What was it about?

Setting out with a camera, tripod and microphone, the preliminary exercise was to gain experience with the cameras and to see what works and what doesn’t. This was really a test, a learning curve, and in the end, a bit of a wake-up-call about what makes a bad video, a good video, and the elements of an excellent video. First, we produced some light pre-production - storyboards and a short script were composed to give us a rough idea of what to do and the order of which we would do it in once we had all of the kit in hand.

The task was to film a short sequence with around 6 shots of a person entering a room, sitting down and having a short conversation. Continuity was the biggest aspect to keep in mind when shooting this short scene. Techniques such as the 180° line rule, eye lines and shot reverse shots were all things that would contribute to good continuity throughout, as well as making sure we had the right shots and asking ourselves if they would match up when it comes to editing. The rule of thirds, shot types and sizes were also things to consider for a well made product.

Once we were happy that our shots were useable, we headed back to the editing suite. This was the first time we’d edited in Final Cut Pro so the whole process took a bit longer than usual while we learned what to do and why we were doing it. Editing taught us valuable and vital techniques and certainly made me realise how important a good edit is in a final piece.

Idea for an Original Contemporary Noir

The plot of the sequence will be set at a party. The main characters in will be introduced in the opening shots, interacting with extras as we gain information about them. Dancing, drinking, and chatting will fill the first few shots to set the scene as we advance to introductions. Suddenly, a deafening scream is heard from upstairs and immediately the characters rush to investigate. All they find is a Polaroid, drops of blood on the carpet and “pay” written on the far wall next to the open window. The police are called straight away until one of the characters discovered the hacked telephone wire.

The characters then stay close together downstairs and decide what to do, who’s to blame and how to prevent another murder. Who needs to pay? What for? The story slowly unravels when the telephone rings; the same one without connection. Three words can be heard upon picking up; “three... two... one.”

The sequence will use continuity editing throughout though discontinuity editing could also be used to build up a sense of confusion and suspense as the story progresses. Angular shots and angles will also be used to provide a sense of noir throughout the film - a good example of this would be dutch tilts to represent how the characters are thinking after a few drinks and how they they get themselves in danger etc. Sharp and irregular shots and various depth of focus’ will also give off a really noir theme to the piece and will definitely be incorporated into the piece for effect.

Location is important to give a realistic representation of the story so location would have to work with all of the proposed shots. Props, costumes and performance all build up the importance of mise-en-scene also, so dummy alcohol bottles, weapons etc will have to be acquired for filming for realism.

Neo Noir Analytic Example: The Matrix

I’ve chosen to analyse The Matrix as I believe it’s a really good example of a contemporary film noir. After researching the typical characteristics of a neo noir I really believe this fits in perfectly, from the colours, characters, conventions as well as the technology and futuristic theme.

The characters in The Matrix are typical of those in Film noirs; detectives, the protagonists, femme fatale, antagonists and double-crossers. The protagonist in the film is Neo (which is coincidentally associated with the genre). Neo (also known as Thomas A. Anderson) is a computer programmer but leads a secret life at night hacking by the alias, Neo. Trinity definitely represents the femme fatale in the movie, she’s mysterious, pretty and definitely dangerous with flawless skin, an assertive dismissive attitude and is portrayed in a strong sense of power. The “Agents” in The Matrix play the role of the detectives, though this time, they’re not the “good guys” and add a futuristic body to the plot.

Thomas A. Anderson, a programmer/hacker finds himself a target by police when contacted by a man by the name of Morpheus. Morpheus is considered a threat and terrorist by the New York government and is a notorious computer hacker; he awakes Neo so he’s able to see the world as it really is - an illusion. The world, in reality, is nothing more than a computer program named the Matrix... Neo is transported to the real world which is a wasteland full of sentinels, robotic creatures and more computer programs and is informed of his mission: to return to the matrix and defeat the agents, the powerful clones of men who control the computer program, The Matrix, in entirety in order to bring realisation of life to the entire human population.

Just as film noir typically uses two colours, the two very prominent and infamous colours used in this production are green and black used as “the matrix code”. There are a lot of contorted, serpentine shadows and contrasts lead by low-key lighting contrasts. The main contrast this provides is between the real world and the matix - the matrix has a very natural ambience, natural lighting, minimal shadows etc. while the “real world” uses a lot of distortion, dark, shadows and low key lighting to provide the audience with a sense of awkwardness and unsureness about the location. Other characteristics also fall in to this category, one in particular is the rain as Neo is being transported to to Morpheus by members of the real world. Pathetic falacy is extremely widely used in film noirs, as it is here. The heavy rain, dark, dimly lit streets and back alleys reflects the serious nature as well as the obscurity and darkness that the plot is about to and is showing.

Continuity editing is mainly used is The Matrix, just as it is in film noirs, but noticeably, especially in action sequences, the thing that ties the editing most to noirs is is the use of dutch tilts and other obscure angles. Jump cuts are also used when the plot thickens to intensify that two major stories are happening at the same time and tie in with one-another.

The way the story-line is composed (the idea that the world is one big computer program) clearly defines that the film is in every way contemporary; the use of referring to technology and effects in the film are really modern ideas and conspiracies. The noir trademarks mixed with the contemporariness and technological side of the plot definitely set it up to be an epitome of a neo noir.

Great Neo-Noirs: Sin City

Sin City - 2005 - Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez

Sin City is definitely comparable to the norms of noir; femme fatales being a huge factor in this, as well as crooked cops, crime, murder, criminals and antagonists. It’s the most film-noir-like neo noir to date in my opinion as pretty much all of the codes, conventions and characteristics are covered.

Unlike most neo noirs, the colours used the the movie are heavily influenced by film noir - Sin City uses black and white as it’s main colours; very bright whites and the darkest of blacks. Occasionally, and typically for blood, vivid reds are shows among the black and whites of the film and really provide that contrast and meaning that the audience can engage in.

The film consists of 4 tales of crime from Frank Miller (director)’s popular comic books. A man is fed up of the corrupt enforcement of the law and decides to take matters in to his own hands over the death of a woman named Goldie who meant a lot to him.

Great Neo-Noirs: L.A. Confidential

L.A. Confidential - 1997 - Curtis Hanson

3 1950’s Police Officers use their own methods and tactics to reveal the truth about a tragic shotgun murder of the patrons at an all-night diner risking corruption and murder. The three cops use every trick in their books in order to get ahead and won’t stop until they do so.

This two-time oscar winning film is extremely comparable to the typical characteristics of a film noir. The locations, plot and mise-en-scene are almost identical to that of a noir in it’s prime years and definitely retains the era though definitely adding modern day editing and cinematography.

Stylistically, it's a very typical noir. Hard boiled characters, femme fatales, cigarettes, strange lighting, ex-cops and detectives. I think it's a really 'true-to-genre' film.

Great Neo-Noirs: Blade Runner

Blade Runner - 1982 - Ridley Scott

Set in 2019, replicants (human clones) have been developed to serve in colonies on planets other than earth, and though they have fixed life-spans, 6 of these replicants hi-jack a ship and head for earth... Deckard, a retired cop, re-enters the work force to try and stop these “skin jobs”... He goes on a mission to hunt them down and terminate them.

Blade Runner uses many film characteristics in the film, the most prominent being crime, retired cop-come-detective and the the dark nature of the film. The fact that it’s set in the future and utilises technology and pre-conceived ideas of the future tie in perfectly with the characteristics of a typical neo noir too.

What is a Neo-Noir?

Neo-noirs are extremely similar to film noirs in terms of codes and conventions as well as the typical mise-en-scene and the literal translation of “neo noir” is “new black” which in theory is true as it’s the evolution of the classic film noir sub-genre. Neo-noirs keep the sinisterness of film noir but definitely add a contemporary twist including factors such as technology and current affairs to the plot. Shadows and angular low level lighting remain key to the genre definition and definitely qualify these films to be associated with the term “noir”.

Colour is also very noticeable compared to film noirs; some neo-noirs are shot in colour, some use very washed out colours and some remain black and white with vivid colour themes (with the most prominent, red, used for blood).

Great Noirs: Farewell, My Lovely

Farewell My Lovely (A.K.A: Murder, My Sweet- UK) - 1944

Director: Edward Dmytryk

A character by the name of Moose Malloy has detective/private eye Marlow hired. Malloy is known to be a “petty crook just out of prison” and uses Marlow to find his ex-girlfriend who’s been missing for the past six years which proves to be much more of a challenge than originally anticipated! Theft, untruthfulness, bribery and violence all contribute to the plot as the sub-plot unravels along-side; why Malloy is so intent to find her...

The reason I’ve chosen to write about this film noir film is mainly due to one of the actresses; Claire Trevor. Trevor gained the title of “The Queen of Film Noir” and rightly so. This was one of the bigger debuts for the actress and definitely a huge part of the road to aquiring the mentioned title.

The film Farewell, My Lovely was re-named for the American market but kept it’s original name (Farewell My Lovely) in it’s country of origin: The UK.

Great Noirs: Satan Met a Lady

Satan Met a Lady - 1936

Director: William Dieterle

Trouble-maker detective Shane is banished from town and decides to head for his hometown but more specifically, his friend’s detective agency. He soon finds the business is on it’s last legs and needs serious work so he’s happily given the work as he’s a man with a “good” reputation. Following this, a woman (in this instance a “femme fatale”) comes to the agency to seek revenge on an ex-partner of hers who was unfaithful to her and Shane gets right on the case. To his surprise, things don’t go as planned though and his partner gets mysteriously murdered and he comes home to his apartment to find a “gentlemanly crook” has completely wrecked and robbed his property. The police are suspicious as the “femme fatale” is seeking desperate protection though Shane always manages to stay one step ahead of the game and overcome most obstacles thrown at him!

Great Noirs: Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity - 1944

Director: Billy Wilder

Double Indemnity, in my opinion is a prime example of film noir; it’s a classic within the genre and perfectly defines everything noir stands for; Crime, murder, femme fatales and misery. The antagonist, a salesman named Walter Neff meets the wife of one of his clients and they have an affair. To gain accidental insurance of her husbands death there is a plot to murder him though Walter Neff aims to receive a “double indemnity clause” and get twice the amount of money (hence the title of the film). He succeeds in fooling the police once the woman’s husband is found dead on a railway track though the insurance company is suspicious and believed the death was intentional. This story-line is typical of film noirs as the wife/adulterer is described as “seductive” which is typical of the representation of women in the genre’s era.

Film Noir Characteristics: Characters

Predictive, the characters and representation was fairly similar throughout the era though very different from today’s representations. The women in these films were seen as beautiful, sexy, though incredibly dangerous; otherwise known as “Femme Fatales”. The way women were shown in Noirs was very contrastive to their portrayal in society. These women were manipulative, persuasive, though strong, powerful and fierce. Using their sexuality effectively along-side their cunningness, wit and beauty, these "Femme Fatales" could wrap a man around their finger and use them for just about anything they needed; money, power, information... They had it at their beck and call.

There would usually be a hero who would endure violence, fights and legal drama in his quest and was usually the character to be associated with the Femme Fatale. This character's fate was never characteristically set-in-stone, though, it would either be death or success.

The hard-boiled protagonist would usually play the part of an ex-cop of detective and was typically, coy, shady and assertive. This character almost always ended up in a lot of trouble...

Film Noir Characteristics: Editing & Cinematography

The cinematography and editing in film noir films was basic to say the least. For effect and concordance with the angular, minimalistic lighting, the camera angles and cinematography were equally as strange. Heirarchy and power struggles were shown through high and low angles. Characters who were deemed more powerful were shown at a low angle to appear bigger and intimidating and characters who were seen as inferior were shot at high angles for opposite effect. Dutch tilts and depth of focus are without question recognisable as extremely “Noir” techniques. These make the audience feel confused and are mainly used in point-of-view shots to help understand the characters and how they’re feeling.

In it’s day, continuity editing was just as important as it is today, definitely taken advantage of in Noirs and was the sequence editing of choice but it wasn’t the only type of editing they used. Jump cuts were very popular and were specific to the genre as there were typically more than one thing happening at one time, for example, car chases. Non-linear and discontinuity editing was also used, though not largely - these types of editing were uncomfortable to the eye so were used sparingly, but to give the mentioned effect.

Film Noir Characteristics: Sound

The music in Film Noirs consisted largely of downbeat jazz and piano music and this gave a really dramatic feel. Voice-overs were also a very popular choice when considering non-diegetic sound. These would typically provide information about the unfolding plot or give insight into the characters mind or feelings. Sound effects were definite staples of Film Noir - these would usually be very over the top but added emphasis on dramatic scenes (car chases, gun fights etc.)

Equally important, was the diegetic sound (what the characters could hear). Ambience of the city and suburbia made the audience feel like they’re right in the scene and though ambience isn’t vital, it still really helps to give the scenes a genuine feel whereas the total silence, sometimes used for awkwardness or suspense, left viewers on a cliff-hanger and wanting more.

Characteristics, Codes and Conventions of Film Noir

Film noir can easily be summarised as sinister, grim and dismal but the codes and conventions are extremely important factors that build up the reasons for these labels.

The most important and definitely distinctive would be the lack of light that I believe reflects the temperament of the films. The sets for these films would generally be low-budget and anything the the filmmaker could get their hands on; dimly-lit streets, apartments etc. The use of angular, obscure shadows and reflections definitely captured the tone of the movies - they were dark, mysterious and suspicious. Bars, police stations, apartments, streets and diners were all common locations in the genre and definitely helped to elaborate on the characters emotion and status as well as the level and obscurity of lighting.

The story-lines in the genre were never hugely varied and all seemed to revolve around detectives, crime and murder and the narrative was usually quite predictive.

A short list of common codes and conventions:

• Rain
• Cigarettes
• Flawless women
• Mendacious men in suits
• Smoke, fog and mist
• Detectives and police
• Guns
• Abstract lighting

The History of Film Noir

Defined in the 1940s, film noir (French for “black film”) was an extremely popular, though dark, style of film. In the ‘30s, films such as Satan Met a Lady started the idea for these grim movies that would be such hits. Since the early ‘30s, It was films such as Double Indemnity that started fruition of such popularity in culture, 10 years later in the mid 1940s. Crime and murder were key themes in most film noirs as well as sexual innuendos, women, and of course, dark, shadows and obscure lighting.

The term “film noir” was invented by a French film critic named Nino Frank in 1946 due to the dark, woeful nature of the films both in content and mise-en-scene (lighting and colour in particular).

Film noir was at it’s prime during/after WW2 and fully took advantage of people’s states of hopelessness, pessimism and emotion during this time. Due to the war, Hollywood saw a wave of European directors seeking refuge and making short films that combined American story-lines and fiction with European art-cinema which was something new and intriguing to US audiences. That’s why the genre was most popular around this time (1940s to 1950s) and though the genre was widely available before this, the films weren’t penned “noir” films as this was yet to be defined.

Portrayal of women changed drastically in this era with “Femme Fatales”, seen as independent, strong and powerful. Something women were never seen to have been until the noir days. These women used their beauty, sexuality and charm to entice the men into giving them what they wanted; money, answers and more power. After the popularity of noir, women were definitely perceived as stronger, dynamic individuals.

The budget of these films varied widely, some bigger than other though many were simply b-pictures. The time played a huge part in the budget of the films, filmed in dark streets, diml-lit apartments and post-war housing, the classic effect of noirs was easily achieved on a small budget.

AS Media 2009-10: Work Brief

Hi, my name is Ben Halliday, an AS Media Student studying at Suffolk New College in Ipswich. From here, you'll be able to see what I've been up to on my course, track progress and find out what my course is actually about as I regularly post blog updates, videos, pictures and ideas for my final piece. Here is a breif summary of what's expected of me during my first year of A Level Media:

As we have been introduced to the world of film noir, after extensive research, getting used to the wide range of equipment and learning more about the style of film, the brief comes down to one thing: a 2 minute opening sequence for a film noir.

After making a preliminary video, we will work on planning and create ideas in order to construct a final, detailed idea on how will we recreate the style of a film noir using contemporary imagery. We have been asked to update the genre and add a modern feel to it, bringing in modern values, ideas, narrative and mood whilst still retaining that of a film noir. Working in groups of 4, we will all have different responsibilies in this piece and will have to produce individual work, planning and blog posts corresponding to that role.

We will put to use everything we learn in lessons and from our preliminary exercise in this video and show how far we have progressed. Skills such as cinematography, editing, direction, sound and performance will be displayed from experience and this blog will keep you informed of the progress we've made on this course.

The age certificate we should aim for is a 15-18 because of the dark, sinister, quite angular nature of the genre. Anything under this age rating and we wouldn't be able to fully exploit this large quality of noirs.

Over the course of the AS year, we have three components to the course:

1. Research + Planning: To be posted on this blog.
2. Finished Product: Which is the video I briefly explained above, mastered on to a DVD.
3. Evaluation: Also posted on this blog, reflectively analysing the opening sequence with examples of work in the form of pictures, video, powerpoints or actual footage.