The Exchange Project

For this project, we were asked to improve our skills from the Preliminary Exercise and produce a sequence where a package (e.g. microfilm, briefcase, envelope etc.) was exchanged between two characters. Unlike in the Preliminary Exercise, there was to be no talking, dialogue or voiceovers in this media product. I have learnt from the things I can do and the things which I cannot, and in this exercise how to portray feelings and represent characters without the use of dialogue, where a voiceover can very much help the progress of the story in a typical Film Noir.

I drew a storyboard, and coloured it in, to show that the location was an alley and that the exchange was deliberate but also accidental. Josh and Marc, my two friends in my group who had also drawn storyboards, agreed that my storyboard was a good plan, and after discussing it and making a few modifications we completed the pre-production process. There were a few concerns about my plot, but Josh made the decision that my plot, narrative and storyboards were more interesting, and his and Marc's looked quite bleak when compared to mine.

The location that we were going to use was a back alley near to Josh's primary school. He knew the location well, and surprisingly it was only a few minutes walk from the College Campus and was the right size and shape for filming our project. I had looked at a footpath around the back of the 6th Form building, but after looking at the photographs that Josh had taken of his chosen alley and my chosen footpath, we decided that the footpath I'd chosen just wasn't the correct choice. Mainly because there wasn't much space available for setting-up the camera and also shooting the sequence. Plus, the stretch of footpath I had chosen wasn't very long, so the Exchange would have taken less time, and there would have been less build-up to the main action, just like in the Preliminary Exercise when there wasn't enough build-up to the main action, and the audience were left dazed and confused.

The shooting went well, but just as we were about to film our final few shots we ran out of battery-power, and had forgotten to take with us a spare battery. We shot again on location about a week later, getting the footage that we needed, taking a spare battery in case we needed it, then we were ready for editing our piece. Next time, on the coursework project, this will NOT happen, and I will make sure it doesn't by first checking the equipment, then making sure that we have more than enough battery-supplies before we start the production of the opening sequence to a Noir-style thriller movie.

I thought Editing went as planned, although I had to do it myself on the first day since my group were all off ill. Nevertheless, I had finished the editing of our final piece by the end of the first day, and on the second day Marc came in and helped me to finalise the project, by adding titles to the beginning and end and by converting the whole sequence from colour to black and white. We wanted to give the feel of a Noir film, yet we shouldn't have coverted it to black and white since our task was to update the Noir genre, not replicate it, so my ideal coursework product will contain no black and white, except in flashbacks.

It didn't take as long as anticipated to complete the final edit because I was on my own, and there were no discussions, and I had a rough idea of what I wanted to create by referring back to my storyboards each time I edited the sequence. I changed a few bits along the way to improve the whole understanding of the sequence, so that it was easier for the audience to understand the plot.

To do this, we decided on selecting a clip from the end and adding this clip to the beginning of the sequence. Therefore, from this shot the screen would fade out to black. We also unintentionally created the main "Exchange" in true Noir-style as a flashback. Then we decided on adding a title to refer to the next shot, suggesting to the audience that the action to follow was a flashback. I typed-in "This is the full story". Then these titles could fade out to black, and the next shot could then fade in from black. This shot would then be the [initial] establishing shot, following the "This is the full story" titles, and would contain the selected background music for the first time in the project.

At the end of the lecture on the last day of editing, whilst I was putting the final touches to our sequence, a member of another group told another group (who were still editing), "If you think yours is good, then you want to check theirs out. It's much better than all the ones I've seen." I thanked the other group member for complimenting our sequence, and went into the next lecture, where all projects were to be screened, with a positive attitude.

The feedback we received, as from the previous lecture (editing), was all positive. The other group member (called Chris R.) went further with his compliments, making a gesture that we should be applauded for having made the best project. Our lecturer did, however, give us some pointers for the future:

There would be the use of one font or typeface only. Two many different fonts and typefaces can spoil the effect of the sequence on the audience. For instance, a blue "outline" is used on the opening title screen, and on the "this is the full story" title screen. Also, a big, orange,
Italicised and nursery-themed typeface was used on the opening title screen. On the final shot, the closing title screen, another typeface was used, this time adding the effect of an American Presidential Campaign. This was a stupid mistake which I didn't realise, and my intentions were to only be creative and imaginative. Next time, I shall have to control my creativity and imagination.

We had been asked, as part of the task set, to "update" the Noir genre, not replicate the black and white noir films, so he advised us to not film in black and white. This was true. We had a class discussion about the colour/black and white factor, and the results were that the majority of students in our lecture would prefer to watch a colour film over a black and white film. These will be useful points to consider when carrying out my coursework project.

On the last shot (of an empty alley), Marc and I decided that the background thriller-style music should stop as soon as the last shot began, to show that the character who had just given the package to the other person had vanished. A heartbeat, drum roll or percussion "bang" sound effect would have been nice on the last shot, to emphasise my character vanishing, but we couldn't find anything on the free internet libraries, and since we were running out of time we left the film as it was. The sequence, in my opinion, was as good as we could have made it, so we wouldn't have needed to add any more to it. Though I may have been wrong about the "colour/black and white" factor and the "titles" issues.

After watching it so many times, I have to admit that I'm not the best actor in the world! The establishing shot on me, when I am entering the alley (I'm the tall bloke with the hat and leather jacket, I'm the one who barges into the other guy!) , well it is clear that I'm laughing and trying not to smile, probably because I'm camera shy (though I am not admitting to that), and next time I shall make sure I am ready before the shot is taken of me, in the final coursework project.

Now, judge it for yourself! What do you think about it? Please post your comments, as this will help me to produce an even better piece, as my main Coursework Project (the 2-3 minute Film Noir Thriller opening sequence). You will need some speakers or headphones to listen to the sound, otherwise you're only seeing half of the final piece!!

The Preliminary Exercise

We were set a task, the Preliminary Exercise, a continuity task including filming and editing a short sequence: "a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom he/she then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue." And, we had to show that we knew the 180-degree line rule, a shot/reverse shot, and match on action - the continuity through the story. Continuity meant that if there was a chair on one side of the room that was very noticeable on-screen, it had to remain in the same position for the whole production. If it had moved we would have had to show the audience how it had moved.

We had a plot - a man had returned to his boss after killing someone, but the script did not make sense to the audience:

A: "Am I late?"
B: "No. Are you clean?"
A: "Yeah, he was easy."
B: "Good, now we can begin."

(You will need a set of headphones or speakers to listen to the sound. Otherwise, you are only experiencing half of the whole thing!)

If we had male actors, it probably would have gone okay, but because we had female actresses our production seemed to be out of context. The feedback we received was interesting because we learnt that other people interpret storylines in a different way. So to make them understand what you're trying to say, you have to explain your point clearly through the use of camera shots and angles, and editing. One key thing I have learnt from this exercise is what looks good on paper and on the storyboard looks a lot different on a big screen, projected to a wider audience than just Josh and myself.

We were told to KISS our work - Keep It Simple Stupid. This basically means we had to keep the plot and camera angles simple, and not to complicate things.

Also, handles was a big factor that did not go well in our first production. It was the first shot, of Person A walking down a corridor to a door, and opening it and walking through. I added enough handles but didn't make sure that the camera was recording, so when editing we found that we only had the bit where she is right beside the door and opens it. The beginning was therefore too sudden and the audience didn't have a chance to try to understand the storyline before the dialogue. Next time, I shall make sure that I leave at least a ten-second handle before each shot, since we've got 60 minutes of tape available.

Another factor that I failed to understand whilst filming was the microphone actually recording sound. It was half-way through, when playing-back our work, that we realised that I hadn't recorded any sound, so the dialogue (one of the most important aspects of the production) was missing. This meant we had to film everything again. Next time, I shall remember to check that the equipment is working properly before we start recording our footage.

Titles, or credits, is an area within the editing process which I really need to look at. Making them is fine, but I need to learn how to make the words fly and shoot across the screen, the basic title-transitions, using the provided editing software at the Editing Suite in College, "Adobe Premiere Pro". I know how to do screen animations and how to use transitions in a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, so I now need to take those skills and use and develop them to a high standard in the editing of a moving sequence.

The BBFC & The Classification of Our Film Noir Thriller Opening Sequence

In a group discussion about our film noir opening, we decided that our target audience would be 15-24 year olds. This is because we would be aiming our media text at students and young adults between 15 and 24, which is the main cinema-going audience.

In November, as a class, we went to the 'Hollywood Cinema' in Ipswich to participate in a talk from the BBFC, after a screening of an interesting and inspiring film A Guide To Recognising Your Saints. The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) are an independent, non-governmental company who certify different media texts to their suited audience. These media texts include film trailers and advertisements, DVDs, videos and their advertisements, video and computer games and other interactive media texts.

The main reason for attending this talk was to gain further understanding of what content we are allowed to include in terms of content in the film, and how this content in our film noir opening sequence will be classified. The BBFC could look at sexual content, the use or promotion of drugs and smoking, and the use of violence and sexual violence.

The talk given by a representative and a member of the BBFC was interesting and extremely useful, and one thing that I have learnt from the talk was that last year (2007) they certified 639 different films, of which 227 where certified at 15. This point shows that 15 films are very popular, at almost a third (1/3) of the total number of films that they certified.

After a brief introduction to the screening and talk, we were shown the film (A Guide To Recognising Your Saints), which was released in 2007. This was a typical 15 film and was specifically aimed at people our age. This was one of the 227 out of 639 films the BBFC had rated at certificate '15' in that year.

The reason the BBFC had rated this film a '15' was evident in the content of the film, such as the way the characters talked, behaved and dressed. Our aims of watching this film were to see what content was allowed and what would make the film a certificate '15', and how it's directed to appeal to such an audience.

During our pre-production process, many ideas and concepts will be considered from this film, even though it isn't a typical noir film, but the fact that it's aimed at the same audience as ours makes the film relevant to our studies.

Below are some of the websites and webpages which we found useful in the classification of our film noir thriller opening sequence:

The BBFC Official Website: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

A BBFC webpage specifically designed for Media and Film Studies students:

http://www.sbbfc.co.uk/

The BBFC Webpages (by age rating):
Certificate 'U' & 'Uc': http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/c_ucu.php
Certificate 'PG': http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/c_pg.php
Certificate '12' & '12A': http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/c_12.php
Certificate '15': http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/c_15.php
Certificate '18': http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/c_18.php
Certificate 'R18': http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/c_R18.php

Three Examples of Contemporary Film Noir

I researched three contemporary film noirs, the Coen Brothers’ 1996 film Fargo, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982), and David Lynch’s 1986 film Blue Velvet.

Fargo is a suspenseful crime drama, a violent mystery thriller and a satirical comedy. It follows an incompetent car salesman a hapless husband (William H. Macy) who plans his wife’s kidnap and ransome from his wealthy father-in-law when already in debt, but he hires two men who together fail to just “kidnap” his wife.

The heavily pregnant but highly intelligent Chief of Police (played by Frances McDormand) is smarter-than-she-looks, and appears to the audience as the one who solves the crime within the first few minutes after the opening sequence, with her comic policeman-partner.

With stark white vistas and backdrops, the noir film was shot in the Upper Midwest of America (Minnesota and North Dakota), not actually in the city of Fargo as the title may suggest. The film is supposed to be based on truth, the real story taking place in Minnesota in 1987. The names of the characters have been altered as requested by survivors but the story itself was told “exactly as it happened”, in respect for the dead.

The film was shot during periods of cloudy skies, because sunlight reflected off the white surface would have exposed the camera lens to a bright light. This was an important factor to consider when filming in these conditions and locations because the main subject in the opening sequence may not have shown up on screen because of the increased exposure to the light.

After directing the big-hit film Alien in 1979, Ridley Scott returned in 1982 to direct a film called Blade Runner. The film itself has grown to be one of the most popular and most influential science-fiction films of all time. The film is set in the future, and follows an ex-cop and bounty hunter (played by Harrison Ford) who is searching for four android replicants who have been driven to earth by fear. Their goal is to find their creator and to make him extend their lives.

Set in the year 2019, the wasteland of Los Angeles shows a decaying planet. The original 1982 version shows Harrison Ford’s character as a human bounty hunter, but Ridley Scott’s tenth anniversary ‘Directors Cut’ shows the character as a replicant and so science fiction fans look at the two versions as completely different films.

The film Blue Velvet (1986) has themes of sex, violence, crime and power and is set in a ‘peaceful’ small American town in the mid - 1980’s. Although thought of as a dark, vulgar and disgusting film, it also won awards - Best Film of 1986, Best Director, Best Supporting actor and Best Achievement in Cinematography from the National Society of Film Critics. The plot line is sketchy but involves an innocent college student discovering a severed ear in the sleepy town and who finds himself dragged into the darker side of life. The two male leads could be seen as representing the opposite sides of life (attraction/repulsion, innocence/experience, perversion/love) that struggle for dominance.

Three Examples of Classic Film Noir

I researched three classic film noirs, The Maltese Falcon (1941), directed by John Huston; Laura (1944) directed by Otto Preminger; and Touch of Evil (1958), directed by Orson Welles.





The Maltese Falcon is a detective mystery starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Aster. It is a mixture of mystery, romance and thriller, known mostly for its corrupt, hardened characters and the plot which is full of double-crossings and deceptions.

Laura, on the other hand, is a romantic melodramatic mystery and detective thriller. It is about a naïve, Southern playboy from Kentucky (played by Vincent Price); a society columnist and homosexual bachelor (Cliffton Webb); an ageing female (Judith Anderson) who wants the younger playboy to be ‘her’ man; the beautiful advertisement designer and heroine (Gene Tierney) who is presumed dead for half of the film; and a detective (played by Dana Andrews) who chain-smokes and plays puzzles.

Touch of Evil is a dark crime thriller filmed on location in California rather than the film’s setting in Mexico. The actress Janet Leigh plays a character who is staying in a motel. The motel landlord (Dennis Weaver) won’t leave her alone. The police captain is an obsessed, driven and bloated character who is a tragic figure with a “touch of evil” in his enforcement of the law. The controversial film considers the themes of racism, betrayal of friends, sexual ambiguity, frame-up, drugs and police corruption of power.

The Characteristics, Forms and Coventions of Film Noir

The main character is often male, either a cop, private eye, or war veteran, and is trapped in a difficult situation (often because of a woman). Sometimes he would be stuck between two women, one dutiful and responsible whilst the other was sexually attractive and unreliable (the Femme Fatale - a woman with no morals). The male would make decisions out of desperation. In Fargo, the 1996 film by the Coen Brothers, the main character has some kind of debt (which is not revealed) and knows he’ll receive lots of money if his wife is kidnapped, because she and her father are both very wealthy.

Film noirs covered a wide range of genres, from gangster movies, detective and private-eye stories to films about social problems. They were made in black and white not only because this was low-budget compared with the new ‘Technicolor’, but also gave a dark and sinister feel to the film. The mood is also created by the setting, the dialogue, the filtered lighting through 'Venetian Blinds' which gives long shadows, and the locations which were often dimly-lit rooms with circling cigarette smoke to give a claustrophobic, gloomy appearance. Back alleys were often used to create paranoia and the fear of being followed. First-person voice-overs were used in some films to give a sense of reality and to speak directly to the audience. The music was often heavy, discordant and serious. Some tunes became popular because of their haunting nature, such as the theme tune from the film Laura (1944).

Camera techniques included low-angled camera shots which made the character seem taller and more powerful; deep-focus shots allowed both the foreground and background to remain in focus in the same shot; high contrast lighting was used to produce silhouettes and shadows in some of the films whilst camera panning was also used in film noir. The most used narrative is the first person voiceover, using flashbacks to tell the story, and sometimes narrated by the character who had died. Deep shadows, odd camera angles and wide shots were used to give a sense of perverse reality.

(Sources used: Wikipedia-"Film Noir" and "Neo-Noir"; A Guide to Film Noir Genre - http://rogerebert.suntimes.com; www.filmsite.org; The Rough Guide To Film Noir (book) by Alexander Ballinger & Danny Graydon, 2007)

The History of Film Noir

Through research I found out that film noir literally means ‘black film or cinema’ and the term was invented by Nino Frank in 1946. It was first used by French film critics to describe a type of film which was of a dark or negative nature. These type of films were made in black and white during the 1940’s and 1950’s, the last one being Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil in 1958. The directors of Film Noir include John Huston, Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Edgar Ulmer, Douglas Sirk, Robert Siodmak, Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger, Henry Hathaway and Howard Hawks. The directors who had emigrated from Europe to America brought with them the moods and feelings of Europe during the Second World War. The gloomy films typically had a main character who was brutal and moody and the films never had happy endings.

(Sources used: Wikipedia-"Film Noir" and "Neo-Noir"; A Guide to Film Noir Genre - http://rogerebert.suntimes.com; www.filmsite.org; The Rough Guide To Film Noir (book) by Alexander Ballinger & Danny Graydon, 2007)

The Brief for my AS Media Coursework Project

· To produce a 2-3 minute film opening with the theme of “contemporary ‘film noir’ thrillers”.
· To introduce a new audience to the values, traditions, narrative, mood and conventions of film noir but in an updated, contemporary style and setting.
· To mention the type of institution it would sit within.
· To consider the cinemas and distribution patterns the film would have.
· To consider the best time slot in a television schedule and which channel would be most suitable.
· To evaluate the finished film noir opening sequence.