Film Noir

Film Noir is French for "black film".

Film Noir was first shown in the 1950's.

They were filmed in black and white.

They are dark films.

They have evil/bad themes.

-Film Noir were the first thrillers in mainstream cinema.

-They have very good cinematography.

-They were hugely popular in their day.

-They have an extremely effective use of mise-en-scene and lighting.

-They were highly influential on modern cinema.

Conventions of Film Noir

-There is a hero with a past.

- A fatal woman (femme fatale).

-They were set in big American Cities.

-They were mostly popular immediately after World War 2.

Themes

-Sexual politics

-Deception

-Crime

-The past catching up to you

Hero with a past

-A middle aged man.

-Often brought into a situation he did not create.

-He can't resist the sexual advances of a female.

-He usually dies at the end.

Femme Fatale

-Sexually liberal woman.

-She gets the hero into trouble.

-Double Crossing.

-She is murderous.

-She tends to wear her hair draped over one of her eyes.



Film Noir is designed to indicate a darker side of life, this is done with the low-key lighting or black and white effect. Film Noir focuses around crime thrillers because they can make the criminals or detectives motives seem dark.

Target Audience

Age Ratings
Age ratings are designed to stop children from seeing or hearing unsuitable things in films. The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) give the public information about the film, like the age rating, the genre, how long the film is and what unsuitable actions are in the film that might cause the viewer to become uncomfortable. The BBFC examine films before they are published and gives them a suitable age rating.

The BBFC look at issues that children should not be subjected to, such as discrimination, sex and nudity, drugs, foul language and violence when making decisions. The more frequent these groups are in the film the higher the age rating meaning the film is only suitable for adults.


Demographics

-Age

-Gender

-Race/ethnicity

-Socio-economic class

Psychographics

-Interests

-Hobbies

Socio-economic class

A - CEO's, surgeons

B - Teachers

C1 - Nurses, accountants

C2 - Plumbers, electricians

D - Retail

E - Students, pensioners, unemployed

Sub Genres and Hybrids

A sub genre is a genre within a genre.

Hybrids are made of multiple genres.

Examples of hybrids:

Speed - Action Thriller

Sin City - Action Noir

District 9 - Action Sci-fi

The Departed - Action Crime

Star Persona

This is  when an actor is associated with a genre and personality of character.

Crime Thrillers
A crime thriller is a sun genre of both crime films and thrillers. A crime thriller involves either successful or failed crimes and focuses more on the criminal then the police. They usually focus more on the action than the psychological aspects.

Conventions of a crime thriller

• Crime thrillers usually contain robberies, chases, murders and shoot-outs. Double-crosses are also commonly used in crime thrillers.
• They involve lots of suspense, action and violence.
• There is usually an investigation into the crimes committed.

• The props used in crime thrillers are usually weapons, fast cars, armoured trucks and police equipment. 

• The costumes used in crime thrillers are mostly police uniforms, or smart men in suits because it shows authority and dominance.

• The lighting in crime thrillers is low-key lighting because it creates shadows which adds tension to the scene.
• The colour scheme in crime thrillers is also rather dull which emphasises the sadness and depression in the scene.

The Departed is an excellent example of a crime thriller. It follows the investigation of a South Boston gang. The film features a corrupt cop who works on the inside of the investigation to aid the gang but he kills the gang leader at the end to not appear as the mole. There is also another cop working undercover to bring down the gang and he is told to identify the mole in the investigation.  

The film features lots of action and shoot-outs and it features a lot of the investigation. Suits are worn by both the police/detectives and gang leaders to show their authority in both sides.

Editing

Transitions
Transitions are the ways that two shots are joined together. The most common transition used is the straight cut as it keeps the pace of the film going. Transitions are usually used to convey a tone or mood or to suggest the passage of time.

Dissolve
This is a gradual transition.
It can help with the continuity.
It can show movement from one location to another or it can show the passing of time.

Fade to black/white
This is where one shot fades from or to black and white.
This gives a sense of time passing or flashbacks.

Fade in/out
A shot is faded out to a black screen or from a black screen.
It helps to create a montage effect.
It also shows a progression of time.

Cross-cutting
This is to establish action occurring at the same time in two different locations.
It can also help to create tension.

Wipe
This is where a line moves across the screen showing a transition from one shot to another.
It can be used as a marker of a change in location.

Iris Wipe
This is where a blurry circle sweeps inwards to the middle of the frame, drawing attention to the subject occupying this centre.
This is made by closing the iris on the camera.

Jump cut
This is an abrupt cut between two shots.
It is a transition which appears to jump between the two frames.

L cut
This is where the cut occurs at a different time for audio than for video.
For example, we may hear characters' voices a few seconds before we see them.

Match cut
This transition is designed to completely hide the transition from the audience.
If a character were to walk towards the camera and completely cover it, you would cut to a shot of the same character walking away from the camera.
The cut is disguised by the character blocking the camera.

Diegetic sound 
This is the sound heard from the recorded footage like dialogue.
Diegetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame.          
Another term for diegetic sound is actual sound.

Non-diegetic sound 
This is sound added during editing like sound effects or music.
Another term for non-diegetic sound is commentary sound.


This is an example of some transitions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCEdSGeFCCA&edufilter=KV3_ygAX_HOVYsozxNZYmg&safe=active

Sin City Audience Profile

Overview

Sin City was made in 2005 and it is a Hybrid genre. It is a crime thriller and it’s a neo-noir styled film. The majority of the film is shown in black and white but there are certain colours that are shown (e.g. red and yellow).

Demographics

Age:

It is rated an 18 but it is aimed at people up to 30 years old.

Gender: 

It is mainly aimed at men but it is also aimed at women.

Race/Ethnicity: 

This film is aimed at people of every race.

Socio-economic class:

It is aimed at groups E, D and C2.

I can tell that it is aimed at this audience because younger people enjoy action films and men especially like them. It is aimed at all races because there is no racial sidings or discrimination so no one will find it offensive. I think that it is aimed at those socio-economic classes because students enjoy action films and people who work in retail will enjoy something like this when they get back from work.

Psychographics                                 

Interests:

This film is aimed at people who enjoy action, violence and thrillers. It is also aimed at people who like comic books, as this film follows the style of the original comic books.

Hobbies:

It is aimed at people who like being active.

It can also be appealing to people who like shooting guns.

Star Persona:

Furthermore, this film is aimed at people who are Bruce Willis fans and who enjoy the films he is in.

I know this because it contains all of the things that these types of people enjoy and it can help engage them in the film more when they have a better understanding of what is happening.

 

 

Peer assessment of pitch

Presentation skills - 2/3                                                                  
Eye contact - 2/3                                                                            
Excellent visual presentation - 2/3                                                  
Uses good shots from the film - 2/3
Uses excellent examples from advertising campaign - 1/3
Uses psychographics - 3/3
Uses demographics - 2/3
Uses socio-economic status - 2/3
Have you got a clear idea of the typical audience - 2/3

Overall - 18/27

Improvements:
I need to speak clearer and more confidently.
I need to make more eye contact.
I need to use more adverts for the film.

Screenshot Analysis

Game of Thrones Screenshot Analysis

 

This is a long shot. It shows an army of soldiers walking towards the camera. The shot focuses on a small number of soldiers rather than a whole army. This allows more detail to be shown in the individual soldiers which expresses their feelings and helps to make the fight look more vicious.

In the centre of the shot and in the foreground there are two men. The man on the right is the leader which is shown by him being more central and further forward. This makes him look bigger than the soldiers. His armour is also different and better than the other soldiers and he has a house marking on it which shows his importance. It could suggest that he is the king or a prince as they wear their house badge.

The man on the left is his adviser which is shown by him being slightly further back but still being close enough to him to receive orders. Furthermore, neither of the two men have a helmet which makes them stand out and their facial expressions make them look scary.

Behind the two men there are lots of other soldiers. They are further back which makes them seem less powerful. Their blood covered swords however, do retain the fierceness of them. Furthermore, at the bottom of the shot there is a dead body which shows that they are more skilled than the enemies. Moreover, the flags being carried shows power and authority which tells the audience that this is an army owned by people of a high up house.

The surroundings in the shot help to build up the effect of war. This is show by the ground because it is muddy and it has a dead body and fallen tree on it which makes it seem more like a war zone. The snow on the trees makes it seem cold and possibly hard to fight in. The fog also makes the men look “cooler” when they walk out of it which excites the audience.

 

 

 

 

Pulp Fiction Screenshot Analysis

 

This is a long shot and it shows four men in a small apartment room. The shot is focusing on the man in the middle and there are another three men around the sides. This is done to highlight the man and it implies that he is important. The man’s suit suggests that he has money and it also gives him power and importance. The handgun tucked into his trousers also suggests his power over the other men and that he is violent. Furthermore, the fact that it is not in a holster suggests that he is not supposed to be carrying it and he is not from the government. His facial expression furthermore suggests that he is disappointed and not impressed by the other men and it also suggests that there is someone else in the room but out of the shot.

The man furthest to the right by the door has a scared facial expression which suggests that the man in the suit is dangerous. He is backed up into the corner which makes him seem weak and overpowered. He is also holding his two hands together and is fiddling with his fingers which suggests that he is nervous and he is keeping himself busy to try and overcome it. This is done to make the man in the centre appear better than them and it also suggests the outcome of the scene.

The man sat down at the table is sat in a way which suggests that he is stressed by what is happening. He is positioned further into the shot than the other two men which suggests that he is more important than them. There is also cocaine on the table which shows that they have done something illegal which creates a bad image for them. The director did this to make them appear like the bad guys in this situation.

The man on the sofa is lying down which makes him appear smaller than the man in the suit. This makes him appear weak and helpless. He is also eating which makes him seem like he is not interested or bothered by the man, this suggests that he has prepared for what is about to come and he knows that he can’t prevent it. Furthermore, him lying down suggests that he is not very important as he is not very noticeable.

 

 

Composition and Framing

Composition

• This is where objects are placed and arranged in a shot.

Rule of thirds

• When you are composing a shot, you can imagine a grid over the top of it.
• The points of interest occur where the lines cross.

The golden mean

• When you are composing a shot, you can imagine a diagonal line over the top.
• The points of interest occur on this line.

Framing

• Framing is what you choose to include and what not to include on the shot.
• It is just as important to think about what you don't include in a shot as well as what you include. This is so you don't get anything that looks out of place.
• It is important to look at how much space is given around an object.