Planning: Production meeting - 28/3/12

As it stands, our film is almost complete. All the footage has been filmed and edited, and our film is currently at the length of 1min 30secs. There is a small possibility we may have to obtain some more footage to increase the duration.
The main thing we still need to do is music. We have a number of ideas but we are yet to make a final decision. These ideas are:

• Jazz
• Strings/classical
• Pop (our suggestion is ABBA - The Winner Takes It All as the lyrics match the synopsis and content of our film). If we were to use this however, we would break the conventions of a film noir quite explicitly, and we are not sure whether we want to do this.

We have listened to examples of the two instrumental suggestions, but have yet to find a suitable piece. We are also undecided as to whether we want the music played independently or through a radio.

The plan for today is to show our OTS to teachers and get their feedback. We can then make any appropriate changes. The next step will be to create a survey through Survey Monkey to generate even more reactions, and know what improvements to make.

Planning: OTS - Prezi on original idea

Our OTS on Prezi

Above is a Prezi detailing our original idea for our OTS. This idea has now been changed due to difficulties with filming and editing, and not fitting noir conventions closely enough.

Planning: OTS - New Idea

*UPDATE - Wednesday 14th March*
We have made a number of significant changes to our OTS since our initial storyboard idea. We were struggling to fit our film into noir conventions. The ending of the femme fatale waking up in a modern setting was particularly implausible and much more suited to a picture set in present day. We changed this to a title appearing on the screen reading '6 DAYS EARLIER', fading into a scene of a poker game being played between three men. One man says 'We have a proposition for you' before the screen cutting to black.

*UPDATE - Wednesday 21st March*
We have changed our idea further after a meeting today. We decided that much of our original idea would be difficult to film and would likely not transfer and give the desired effect in the finished product. We were also having trouble sorting schedules for Ivan to film his part.
NEW SYNOPSIS
The femme fatale has a penchant for poker against female opponents. Anyone who beats her meets a grisly end. She has a good luck charm - a doll that she takes to every game and leaves at every murder scene.
The new working title is WINNER DIES.
The cast for our OTS is:

• Abbie Hampson as the femme fatale
• Pip Evanson as opponent and victim
• Olivia Shearing as journalist investigating the murders

The props for our OTS are:

• Poker chips and cards
• Doll
• Rocking Chair

Planning: Storyboard of initial OTS idea

Below is the storyboard of our initial OTS idea (now changed).

Planning: OTS - Storyboard Animatic

OTS Storyboard from Pip Evanson on Vimeo.

This idea has now been changed due to difficulty in obtaining some of the shots. Also, we didn't feel the story fitted noir conventions closely enough.

Compulsory Continuity Task

Continuity Task from Ryan Fisher on Vimeo.

Critical Theory: Ambiance (micro essay)

Through creating ambiance, you establish an atmosphere and mood that will be transferred to your audience. Music is the most common instrument used to do this. It is particularly useful in conveying emotion and tension. Horror films are the genre where this technique is commonplace. There is often a gradual build within the music, creating and enhancing the suspense. Visual clips with similar intentions often accompany this, and the two together develop an uneasy feeling within the audience. If the ambiance is not correct or established clearly, the audience can be left confused or emotionless.


Happy (HD) from HappyChow on Vimeo.

The above video features music that is very upbeat. This is a clear indicator that the audience are meant to feel happy and cheerful whilst watching the video. It also enhances the imagery - even the more mundane shots become exciting and make the audience smile.

Critical Theory: Copyright (micro essay)

Copyright is 'a legal concept giving the original creator of a piece of work exclusive rights to it'. This is applied to many forms of work, most in the entertainment industry. It means that no piece of work can be used or adapted without the permission of the initial author. Breaking this right is called copyright infringement, and is a criminal offence.
Copyright will affect us in the production of our OTS. The most significant of these difficulties is that we are not allowed to use any music, unless playing through a television or radio. Sound effects may also infringe on copyright. However as a resolution to this, we will be using foleying to produce desired effects.

Critical Theory: Foleying (micro essay)

SoundWorks Collection: Gary Hecker - Veteran Foley Artist from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.

Foleying is the art of creating sound effects. They are added after initial filming (otherwise known as non-diagetic sound). The technique enables any effects that weren't picked up during filming, or ones that were unable to be produced at the time, to be featured in the finished product. They create a complete image for the audience, allowing them to fully imagine and believe in what they are seeing.
Foley artists use various objects to create a desired sound. These have to fit the pictures within the scene, so appropriate objects must be used to ensure the resulting sound appears genuine. Some of these can be seen in the video above.

Planning: Cast of OTS

We have established our cast for our OTS.
The protagonist (girl) will be played by Jessie Gregg. Playing the antagonist (man) will be Ivan Tilman - a professional actor.
Some shots, particularly ones with shadows, will feature ourselves. This allows us to film more often, and means we don't have to worry about availability.

Technical: Camera angles

HIGH ANGLE - when the camera is located above the eyeline, producing an overview of the scene. Often used to make a figure seem powerless and vulnerable.

LOW ANGLE - a shot taken from a position below the subject, looking up. Used to give the impression of power and dominance.

EYE LEVEL - the camera is positioned at eye level relative to the subject. It is an example of a 'normal perspective' - a representation of how the audience sees the world.

CANTED ANGLE - a camera angle deliberately slanted to one side. Often used to convey unease, disorientation, madness etc.

Planning: Props for our OTS

Here is a list of props we need for our film noir.

• Rocking chair
• Doll
• Rope
• String (to move the rocking chair)
• Mannequin/dummy
• Bed
• Alarm clock
• Window frame?

With regards to costume and make up -

• Nightgown
• Red make up e.g. blusher, lipstick

Mark scheme

PRODUCTION

Level 3         36–47 marks 

There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills: 

 Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task; 

 using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; 

 using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set; 

 shooting material appropriate to the task set;, including controlled use of the camera, attention to 

framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; 

 using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of 

shot transitions and other effects. 

Level 4         48–60 marks 

There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills: 

 material appropriate for the target audience and task; 

 using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; 

 using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set; 

 shooting material appropriate to the task set;, including controlled use of the camera, attention to 

framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; 

 using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of 

shot transitions and other effects.  

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

Level 4         48–60 marks 

There is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills: 

 material appropriate for the target audience and task; 

 using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; 

 using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set; 

 shooting material appropriate to the task set;, including controlled use of the camera, attention to 

framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; 

 using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of 

shot transitions and other effects.  

Level 4          16–20 marks 

 Planning and research evidence will be complete and detailed; 

 There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience; 

 There is excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props; 

 There is excellent work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding; 

 There is an excellent level of care in the presentation of the research and planning; 

 Time management is excellent. 

EVALUATION

Level 3            12–15 marks 

 Proficient skill in the use of digital technology or ICT in the evaluation. 

 Proficient understanding of issues around audience, institution, technology, representation, forms 

and conventions in relation to production. 

 Proficient ability to refer to the choices made and outcomes.  

 Proficient understanding of their development from preliminary to full task. 

 Proficient ability to communicate. 

Level 4           16–20 marks 

 Excellent skill in the use of  appropriate digital technology or ICT in the evaluation. 

 Excellent understanding of issues around audience, institution, technology, representation, forms 

and conventions in relation to production. 

 Excellent ability to refer to the choices made and outcomes.  

 Excellent understanding of their development from preliminary to full task. 

 Excellent ability to communicate. 

Critical Theory: Shots - my definitions

Shot reverse shot - a technique used to give the impression of interaction between two characters. Shots alternate between both characters. If speech is involved, the shot focuses on who is speaking before moving to the other character for their response or reaction.

180 degree rule - the characters remain in the same position whilst the camera moves in a 180 degree motion around them. If characters appeared to change places without seemingly moving, this would generate confusion with the audience.

Match on action - when an action is shown and is followed into the next shot. May show natural conclusion e.g. opening door and walking through it, or continuing. This is important in maintaining continuity with the audience.

Critical Theory: Initial thoughts on sound

Sound is an essential element of any film. Not only does it enhance the picture, it allows things such as emotion and atmosphere to be conveyed in a way other than visual. It also gives audiences opportunities to establish links with characters through the use of sound motifs. It can also help evoke certain emotions within audiences. An example of this is the slow, building music commonplace in many horror films. As the melody progresses, the audience is likely to react to the tension that accompanies this and, subsequently, feel scared. Indeed, even silent films rely on sound - largely to generate humour.

Planning: Setting for OTS

Due to the creepy atmosphere we want our film to convey, we are aiming to use dark locations. The first series of shots will take place in a dark room with some lighting to generate shadows. Our initial idea featured the camera zooming through a window onto a field with the girl hanging from a tree. We have struggled to find a suitable location, so may struggle to obtain the shots as easily as we would have liked. To hopefully rectify this, we plan to use two separate locations and segue the shots together through editing.
Below are images from Google presenting an example of the locations we are hoping to use:

Planning: Sound in our film noir

Sound plays a very significant part in our OTS due to the lack of dialogue. Lots of the effects have the primary purpose of establishing tension - something that is used frequently in films of our intended genre.
A list of potential sound effects is below.

• Creaking
• Footsteps
• Thunder
• Wind
• Heavy rain
• Instrumental music
• Alarm clock

Critical Theory: Fonts in film noirs

We analysed the fonts on the DVD covers of both original noirs and neo-noirs.

The font of both these covers is very typical of other films from the same genre. It is red in colour and is very solid in shape. The font is sharp and jagged, almost blunt in texture. All the titles are presented against a black background to emphasise and exaggerate them.
     The titles themselves have very dark undertones, often referring to violence and crime.

Planning: Potential titles for our OTS

We have produced a list of potential titles for our film noir OTS. They all revolve around the idea of eyes and sight, as we want this to be a prominent feature in our film.

TITLES

• The Eyes
•  Eyes Never Lie
• Addicted Eyes
• Lord of the Eyes
• I <3 Eyes
• Look Into My Eyes
• Always Watching
• Eye Spy

Critical Theory: Audience Theory

We decided the grade of our target audience would be D - B. A table of the grades can be seen below (classifications based on the occupation of head of household) .

We then devised an audience theory for our OTS.

The hypodermic needle model - The intended message is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver

Two-step flow - The people with most access to media, and highest media literacy explain and diffuse the content to others. This is a modern version of the hypodermic needle model.

Uses and gratifications - People are not helpless victims of mass media, but use the media to get specific gratifications (Diversion, personal relationships, personal identity, surveillance)

Reception theory - The meaning of a 'text' is not inherent within the text itself but the audience must elicit meaning based on their individual cultural background and life experiences

Obstinate audience theory - This theory assumes that there is a transactional communication between the audience and the media. The audience actively selects what messages to pay attention to. The Zimmerman-Bauer study found that the audience also participates in the communication by influencing the message

Technical: Lighting

We struggled with the lighting task. We found it hard to reproduce the images from which we took our inspiration. Due to our inexperience with the lights, we struggled to use them effectively to produce similar shadows.
The resulting images feature slight shadow, however the lighting is too bright and undoubtedly contributed in our failure of mimicking the original images.
The pictures can be seen below:

Planning: Synopsis of OTS

For my film noir opening title sequence (OTS), I will be working with Pip Evanson and Abbie Hampson. I have worked with these people previously, and found that we work well and effectively as a team.

We have decided that our film noir will be horror based. Many of the initial ideas we developed were devised through taking inspiration from psychological, supernatural horrors such as 'The Woman in Black'.
     Our OTS will open with a girl hanging from a tree. Accompanying this will be the sound of a rocking chair creaking. A shadow will then appear in the corner of the shot, with the figure looking out of a window towards the girl. The camera will zoom through the window towards the tree, before going into an extreme close up on the girls face, focusing specifically on her eyes. The titles will then fade in. The following shot will be another extreme close up, this time of the girl when she was alive.

There are a number of film noir conventions used in our OTS. The narrative will be backwards, something present in lots of films of the genre. Shadows and silhouettes will also feature. We plan to break conventions also. The most prominent of these will be the lack of key character types - no anti-hero or femme fatale will feature.