OTS Animatic

Ace animatic-Large from Cal Ives-Keeler on Vimeo.

We can improve by including a wider variety of camera angles, as most angles we use are mid shots. We could include more camera angles by using close ups of particular details for example, a close up of Elliott's cigarette as it is a typical convention of film noir. 
As we took the pictures in school the location isn't a typical convention of film noir, to improve we could of filmed in the city at night. 

Continuity Task

Night stab from Cal Ives-Keeler on Vimeo.

4 areas to cover

1. Health and safety definition

Consider actors health and safety, location, use of props and dress code.

Vision during filming, falling over, walking into things etc.

Risk assessment

2. Ethics definition

Responsibility vs. Rights and Wrongs

Managing people

3. Film Classifications definition

Links to audience

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

Our film will include strong violence, frequent strong language and portrayals of sexual activity although not all o these will be in the OTS, so our film will be rated a 15.

4. Copyright definition

You can't use other peoples work, you can only use copyright free or original music. I must use evidence to prove it is original or copyright free.

OTS planning

My group, 'Pulse Productions' includes; me, Elliott and Cal

Producer: 'Pulse Productions'

Director: Cal

Camera operator: Elliott

Editor: Elliott

Costume/make up: Ruby

Lighting operator: Cal

Sound production: Ruby and Elliott

Special effects: Elliott

Prop manager: Cal

Casting: Group (Cal, Ruby, Elliott)

Cinematographer: Elliott

Foley artist: Ruby and Elliott
Script writer: Ruby and Elliott

As it's a small production we only need one camera so it is possible for the director to film whilst directing, however, we could always enlist help off people from different groups to help with filming if needed.

Locations: Cal's house

Actors: Elliott, Ruby, Cal (hopefully)

This list is somewhat accurate, however we will each partake in assisting each other with the creation of our opening title sequence project. 

Storyboard

Our first task was to create a story board which shows the plot of our OTS and also includes the camera angles that we have chosen for each shot. This story board was drawn by hand and also shows annotated notes of what is happening in each individual shot such as the lighting.

Animatic

Our next step was to create a photo animatic of our OTS. For this we took photographs of us acting out the OTS, just like how we decided we wanted it to look in our storyboard. Each photograph is basically a simple recreation of our drawings. We couldn't get each shot perfectly how we wanted it to be but we instead just changed some of the camera angles and lighting to make it work. From doing this we know we need to add more creative camera angles as we realised after making the animatic most angles are mid shots. Our animatic will either be uploaded to slide share or vimeo. 

Our next step of planning before filming the OTS will be to write the script. This will be a group effort so we can discuss as a group to involve everyones ideas and keep everyone happy.

What is Film Noir? extended

The ten basic rules of film noir from Gonzalo Cordero de Ciria on Vimeo.

Film Noir is a cinemtic term which was popular in the 1940's to late 1950's. The translation of film noir, is black film. Film noir began in Hollywood and the genre they included was mainly crime.

Definition links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir
http://www.essortment.com/search.htm?r=%2Ffilm-noir-definition-information-65487.html&q=film%20noir%20definition
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Film_noir

Understanding Neo Noir, with examples

Neo Noir is a modern style, that include elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements. When translated neo noir is "new black". 

Examples of Neo Noir films:

also...

Black Swan (2010)
The Lookout (2007)
The Machinist (2004)
Memento (2000)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)


In class, we watched the opening title sequence of The Red Riding Trilogy, Mullholland Drive, and Blade Runner. Below I will outline how the film is conventional and unconventional of a film noir featured in the 3 films. The unconventional elements combined with the conventional elements make them a Neo Noir.

I have listed the convention and unconventional elements, and in the slideshows from cincopa.com I have shown stills from the movie/movie artwork etc which fits with my list.

The Red Riding Trilogy:

Conventional noir elements:

Non linear

Distopian

Chiaroscuro
Anti Hero's Voice over
Smoking
Crime
Weapons
Rainy weather
Violence
Police

...

Unconventional noir elements:

Rural location

British - Yorkshire

Based in 1974

Acoustic guitar

Sepia - brown tone

Child murder case

Mullholland Drive:

Conventional noir elements:

Chiaroscuro

Urban

Red lipstick

Men in suits

LA

Weapons

Reflections
Mist/Smoke
Spotlights

Unconventional noir elements:

Colourful (intro)

Happy atmosphere (intro)

Stunts

Two female protagonists

Blade Runner:

Conventional noir elements:

Mist

Smoking

Chiaroscuro

Urban area, city

Distopian

American

Rain

Red lipstick

Violence

Extreme close ups

Guns

Dim

Unconventional noir elements:

Sci fi

Multi racial

Electro music
Bright lights

Audiences: Trends, Profiles and Patterns

Pete Buckingham statistics:
People aged 15-24 represent 32% of the population but 40% of cinema audience, while 55+'s represent 34% of the population but only 20% of the cinema audience.

I think 15-24's have double the amount of a cinema audience as more movies are aimed at people between these ages, this is due to them have more spare time as they don't have children, full time jobs, or money problems such as loans to pay off that older people may have. Also as 15-24's are mostly students, they have friends in school they can go with.

Pete Buckingham statistics:
ABC1's represent 49% of the population, but 60% of the cinema audience.

ABC1's are more commonly known as the middle class, I believe they'll be a high percentage of the cinema audience as they have a higher disposable income.

Audience pete buckingham what people go to see from Elaine Humpleby

Why do you watch films?
Some people watch films/go to the cinema because of this
I watch films for the entertainment, I enjoy surprising films, but my favourite genre of film is horror (which has typical conventions, which makes horror films not very surprising) so I also enjoy the exhilaration and excitement of a film.
I mainly consume films through streaming or the cinema, but the overall trend for film consumption is:
(see slide 2)

Research task uk film consumption from Emily Hymus

Driver and barriers:

Drivers:
Things that encourage me to go to the cinema

Genre
Actors

My favourite genre of film is Horror. If I see an advert for a new horror movie that is coming to cinemas I will imediatley be interested in it and so will want to watch it.
If my favourite actor is in a film I will be interested in the film, even if it isn't my favourite genre, as I prefer films featuring them eg. My favourite actor is James Franco, and although he doesn't star in horror movies, I watch and enjoy his films. This is simular for any popular actor not just my favourite.


Barriers:
Things that discourage me to go to the cinema

Cinema price
No spare time

Cinema prices are not cheap, and so I don't go to the cinema as much as I'd like to. When I do go to the cinema I have quite a hedonist attitude when picking a film to watch, as I make quick decisions on most films I watch, instead of planning out a film I really want to see.
Sixth form is my top priority and in my spare time I'm more likely to finish work or revise for certain lessons than go to the cinema.

Sweded Film Definiton

Definition:

A sweded film is the brief re-creation of a popular film using a low budget and a camcorder. The sweded film must be brief, so no longer than 10 minutes.

Useful links:

What is a sweded film and examples
Definition
"7 Best Sweded Films"

Sweded Film example: Be Kind Rewind

Link on youtube (not sure if this works as in school)

Audience Terms

Active - Will take notice of the media, eg. watch the movie, listen to the music and be an active perticipant.

Passive - Will have the media (eg. music, film) in the background as they do something else, or won't want to watch the film but go to the cinema anyway.

Traditional - Watch only their typical favourite genre, usually go to the cinema or buy dvd's. Examples of films for traditional audiences: sequels such as Harry Potter, Star Wars etc.

Hedonist - Take a leap of faith, and watch whatever they want at the time. They don't plan their cinema trips they just go with their sudden feelings. Hedonists tend to go with new ideas and new ways of doing things, for example they'd rather stream movies than go to the cinema. Examples of films for hedonist audiences: Sin city, as it takes different concepts of films into one (eg. film noir)

Post Modern - Usually intellectual films, which use different forms of media. Will usually stream films than go to the cinema or buy dvds like the hedonist views. Sweded films are a post modern technique. Examples of films for this audience: Avatar.

I think I consume media actively, I am hedonistic and slightly post modern. I usually stream films as it's cheaper than going to the cinema, and so I don't mind if the film isn't to my taste. As for going to the cinema, I'm still a hedonist, as my favourite genre is horror, and most horror films are rated higher than my age, and so I cannot watch in the cinema. Also, as my favourite genre is horror, I like to watch other genres as the horror genre is a genre that follows a sequence and most horror films are very similar to each other, (typical conventions slide share seen below) so by watching a different genre of film, I consume inspiring media.

Horror genre conventions from marine18

Vimeo example link.

Audience from cigdemkalem
This slideshare helped me understand different audience types as mentioned in class. The theories mentioned in the slideshare were not mentioned by my teacher, but by finding this slideshare I have a wider understanding.

As my OTS genre is neo noir, my audience will more likely be hedonistic as neo noir is a rather new genre that takes the old genre, of film noir, and recreates it. I believe every person in my media class consumes media actively, and as I will be asking for my peers view on my OTS, I will get a more analysed opinion of it.

21 Jump Street Sweded

Our sweded film is on Vimeo. 

We could improve by adding non diegetic sound and finishing

Film Noir Style Images - Edited and Annotated

Our version.

original

I edited our version on this photo by increasing the contrast, making it black and white and also changing the size to a typical movie screen ratio. I could improve the edit of this photo to make it look more greyscale as it would look more like the original, however I like how the colours used are mainly just black and white as it makes the shadows more dramatic and follows the genre of Film Noir better when the contrast is higher.

 Our version 

original

I edited this photo by removing the colour and making it a black and white image, and by increasing the contrast. I could improve the photo by using a spotlight (as used int he original image) to make the light more obvious, as Cal's face is in darkness and the whole image uses more shadows than the original. I'll also need to flip the image.

Our version

original

I edited this photo by making it black and white, increasing the contrast and changing the size to a typical movie screen ratio. I could improve the image by using a spotlight on Emily, as it would look more like the original as our version is a lot darker. Also we could get the ashtray and glass in the shot as shown in the original. I also need to flip the image.

___________________________________________________________________________

Before the shoot, individually we organised which clothes/props we would need. These clothes/props included: fedora, suit jacket, red lipstick, and a tie. Other props we borrowed within school.

In our group, we mainly just organised where we going to take the pictures. We used a Drama room, as the lights were more professional and were good to take photos, however, the flash light was a little dim, but the room could be completely dark, which was good for the use of shadows.

We didn't really organise who would be in the picture until the photo was about to be taken, whoever wanted to be int he picture and looked best for the role was chosen. This was good as there were no disagreements within the group.

The only real challenge we had was the flash light, as mentioned before, it was too dim. If we were to take these photos again we could use a stronger flash light or borrow a lamp. 

Film Noir Style Images - Unedited

Here are our groups photos from our shoot. The objective of the shoot was to recreate or create film noir images. We chose to recreate what was on the hand out, the images we used to recreate will be shown on a different post with some edited images, however this post just includes our original unedited photos.

This photo is of an inspector/anti hero (me) looking at the femme fetal's dead body. The use of light and shadows worked well in this picture, as the foreground is light and the background is dark. However, this picture is not one of my favourites as you can see Cal's leg, who is taking the photo.

I love this picture as the use of light and shadows is exactly what we wanted. We used the Drama room, with no lights on, and the outside room with natural light and doors with windows to create this. The edited photo, as shown in my next post, looks even better as the silouettes are more outlined.

This picture is a little confusing, what should be shown is an inspector/ anti hero, looking through a door or window to a woman and man. The female is doing her lipstick and the male adjusting his tie. This photo isn't very film noir as the angle is rather boring and the lighting is normal, however the anti hero / inspector is in a shadow, and his face is in the light, which is good.

This picture is of the anti hero smoking a cigarette. I like this picture, however, the cigarette isn't real which is clear to see, and makes the photo look childish. Also, his face isn't in the light, as it is in the original image. After editing this photo, it does look better, however no problems were really solved.

This picture is of the anti hero and femme fetal. This photo looks very similar to the original, however the only problem is that the ash tray, isn't really an ash tray. Other than this, the lighting and characters look like the original.

This photo is supposed to be of the femme fetal with the shadow of Venetian blinds across her. As we didn't have Venetian blinds we had to improvise with fingers over the light source, this didn't work out too well.

This is me as the anti hero. We took this photo outside and so the lighting isn't very film noir and also the fake cigarette is obvious, however, I am in the foreground, the angle is like depth of field, which is conventional of film noir, and I am wearing the fedora and suit jacket. If I edited this photo, I would darken the back ground. Also, to make this photo more film  noir, we should have taken the photo when it was raining and in an urban area, rather than a field.

This picture is good as the anti hero is shown in the foreground and I, the inspector is in a good area for the mid ground. However, the location isn't very film noir because of the weather.

This photo is of the anti hero, which is supposed to be over some stairs. Because of our location we couldn't have stairs in the picture, but we made use of the stage in our school. Also, as we took the photo from a higher angle, it is a different angle from other photos.

This photo is of the anti hero smoking a cigarette with someone in the background. This photo is ok, as the over the shoulder angle hasn't been used before, however I am not in focus, the stage is, and really it should be the other way round. If I edited this, I would make the whole image darker, and increase contrast, so the cigarette was more defined in the light as it is in the picture.

Understanding Film Noir

Film Noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywoodcrime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Film Noir was created in America and hit it's high point in the 1940's and 50's, but was created in the 1930's. The first Film Noir film was Morocco (1930). Although they were generally made between the era of 1940's - 50's, Film Noir movies are still being made, for example, Sin City (2005). Film Noir is "Black Film" in French which links to their convention cinematography as the films were originally all in black and white. Recent Film Noirs are still in  black and white, but Sin City for example had hints of red too. Film Noirs usually fit genres such as thriller, crime, melodrama, romance, and mystery. 

Examples of original film noirs.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

So what are the typical conventions of a film noir?

I used my own knowledge and the slide share below to include the conventions of a film noir.

Film noir codes & conventions from jonsaward

I like this slide share as it includes images that link correctly with the different conventions, which makes it easier to understand. Also, the slide shares theme is black, white and red, which are typical conventional colours for a film noir, which is clever.

Research: Textual Analysis

Double Indemnity

Synopsis:

Phyllis Dietrichson seduces insurance agent Walter Neff into murdering her husband to collect his accident policy. The murder goes as planned, but after the couple's passion cools, each becomes suspicious of the other's motives. The plan is further complicated when Neff's boss Barton Keyes, a brilliant insurance investigator, takes over the investigation. Told in flashbacks from Neff's perspective, the film moves with ruthless determinism as each character meets what seems to be a preordained fate.





Genre: Film Noir, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Release Date: 1944

Duration: 107 mins long

Produced by: Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom

Distribution company: Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios

Director: Billy Wilde




Main Actors: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson

Box Office: $5,000,000

Facts:

• Based on James M. Cain's 1943 novella of the same title

• Nominated for seven Academy Awards

• Billy Wildes also wrote (with 10 others) the first James Bond movie in 1967 - Casino Royale

• Ranked number 27 of the American greatest films

Links which helped me find this information:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Indemnity_(film)

Typical conventions of film noir in Double Indemnity:

• Non linear
• Black and white
• Venetian blinds to cast shadows
• Theme of murder
• Suits
• Red lipstick

Conventions of an OTS

Core conventions of an opening sequence to a film:

• Title
• Main Actors
• Short scene
• Production company
• Director
• Distribution company
• Opening credits

Conventions of Title Sequences from reigatemedia
This slideshare was given by the teacher,.

Why does an opening title sequence include these?

An opening title sequence must include some information about the film (such as main actors, production company, title) so you know what film you're about to watch. Some opening title sequences may include brief scenes of the following movie, I prefer opening title sequences that do this, as it gives the viewer an idea of the film, and is a good way of anticipating whether you'll enjoy the film.
Although the opening title sequence should include part of the film, it shouldn't give away too much of the plot or the viewer will already know the story and so will not be interested in wasting an hour or so watching.
A good opening title sequence should end on a cliff hanger, as the viewer will be thrilled and anticipating what the film will include.

Opening sequence of Se7en consists of:

Production company: 

Director: David Fincher

Main Actors: 

Title:

Stills taken from http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/se7en/