Camera Skills

It is always important to know how to use the camera completely before you go out and film anything. In order to get the best possible result you must know the following:

• You must ALWAYS white balance before you film, and everytime you change location
• Focus on the actors eye when you manually focus
• Tripod- more resistance means a better pan as it will be smoother and less jumpy

Aspect Ratios are very important to know:

• Film Image 2:3 pixels wide
• TV Image 16:9 pixels wide
• Former TV Image 4:3 pixels wide

You work out aspect ratio by using the following:

Scripting Workshop

In our scripting workshop we learnt about things that needed to go into our film noir script.

Some terms:

B.G.- Background

C.G.I.- Computer Generated Image
Example: Lord of the Rings used C.G.I. e.g. monsters, landscape. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQee3ag4niE

F.G.- Foreground

S.F.X.- Sound Effects
Example: Iron Man uses a lot of sound effects e.g. explosions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBC1Qob27sM

S.P.F.X.- Special Effects
M.O.S.- Mute of Sound (replace natural sound with something else)

MONTAGE 1/2/3- A series of shots in the same sequence but different things shown e.g. 1= Grass, 2= Trees, 3= Sky
Example: Natural Born Killers uses montages throughout the film, they add poetic meaning to the film as the audience find connections
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAZjuCMkRl4

V.O.- Voice Over (written next to characters name) 
Example: Shawshank Redemption uses voice overs to show what characters are thinking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_lp4_Jfz7U&feature=fvw

O.S.- Out of Shot (can hear a character but cannot see them

Our Film Noir Scripting:

• 1940's slang must be used for authenticity
• Behaviour needs to be conventional and shown in the directions
• Parenthetical words used - describe how a character speaks e.g. (Anxiously) Only needs to be used when a certain emotion needs to be conveyed through the speech
• Only write- cut to, fade in/ fade out, dissolve to- when you think the editor wold do something different
• Only write camera shot in when they are significant to the scene, write them in capitals in the scene description
• Dual dialogue (speaking at same time) written like this:

                   JOHN:                                                 ALINA:
     ....................................                    .................................... 
     ....................................                    .................................... 
     ....................................                    .................................... 

• It is often 1 page per minute of film
• Production scripts= Draft scripts and
• Shooting scripts= One you will actually use 
• Every time you change location- change scene number

Acting workshop

On Wednesday 2nd of February our media group took part in an acting workshop during one of our lessons. We learnt what actors require from a director mostly but we had a go at acting as well to see what it is like to be directed- this was useful as we got to see what we [as actors] needed from our director first hand.

• Help actors to perform- do not instruct them how to act as they should already know and it is patronising
• Use 'More' or 'Less' as guidelines for the perfect performance
• Script, costume and make up should be provided for unless the actors are asked specifically to bring their own
• Always direct the actors before you direct the cameras or you will end up wasting a lot of time on shots that won't look right, and often you find the perfect shots by observing the movement of the actors
• Always tell the actor what shot you will be doing of them as this will affect how they act e.g. if it is an extreme close up they will concentrate on facial expressions
• Tact= be sensitive and polite towards your actors- this will encourage a more confidant performance
• Always do a cold reading before you start filming, this will get the actors more confidant with the script before they think about acting it out
• Get the actors to do as many takes as possible, this is because performance will get more believable as they get used to it
• To start a scene always say 'action' this means all the crew will do their jobs at the same time
• Do practice acting before you record, this means you can direct as they act and are more likely to get the perfect shot quicker
• As a director you must look out for volume, face expression, pace, tone of voice and change in atmosphere.

Our acting workshop was assisted by Simon Ockenden- he sampled some film noir American accents and we asked him if he would be able to do our voice over for our film.

Weather check for Saturday- Stamford

Production Schedule

The Big Sleep- An example of a successful film noir

What is the story about and how does it convey the story to the audience?

The protagonist is asked a favour due to his job (he is a private detective). He has been asked to sort out an issue of blackmailing by a wealthy old man, however it seems much more mysterious than this. It is suggested that people in the film are noisy and sneaky, the audience aren't sure who knows what and if there are secrets beneath the surface. Nobody wants the same things and the detective has his work cut out trying to piece together information. This is mainly conveyed by different characters putting in different clues, it suggests rumours and secrets are going round, the whole job is a lot more complicated than it looks at first.

What production techniques are used to bring this film to life?

Lighting has been done very precisely, the femme fatale is lit with an air of elegance by using soft lighting- she looks young, flawless and radiant. This has been achieved by using a soft lighting at the front creating a darker light/ shadow at the back. Only simple shots and angles are used as a common film noir convention, such as long shots and medium shots. Silhouettes are used to add mystery by taking away a clear identity, this leaves the audience guessing who is the bad guy and who is up to what.

How is it a conventional film noir?

The protagonist is about 50 and is a detective/ man of the law. He wears a suit, but wears it casually and is typically American.
Certain lighting techniques are used in very specific ways to convey emotions and connote atmospheres.
Mis-justice is used as a narrative as well as crime and deception, a love interest is also introduced but it is unclear whether she is good or bad (very typical of a femme fatale), she is presented as a femme fatale by the way she is dressed and how she acts towards the detective.
Smoking and drinking is used to convey upper class attitudes and glamour.
However no real crime has been shown- only mis-justice has been spoken of.

What sort of props are used and why?

Props are used to keep the setting realistic and atmosphere consistent. In the large house, typical 1940/1950's furniture is used- extravagant and expensive looking, this suggests that the sort of issues and situations that will occur and the kind of enemies they will have will be due to the power they have or the wealth that they have earned themselves.

Where is the setting, why do you think this setting has been used and how is the setting being portrayed on screen?

It is set in Hollywood (this is shown by a shot of a sign above a public library) this set has been used as Hollywood is well known for deception, people gossip and a lot of people who have made it there have done very well for themselves, so it conveys tensions between people. There are also large stately homes- money is often a sign of power a person has- if a lot of people are powerful then tensions and conflicts could be common place, people get greedy. The area is really well kept- but suggests everything isn't what it seems, this suggests narrative. 

Why do you think, in an era that has discovered colour film (Gone With the Wind- 1939) this film is in Black and White? What effect does this have on he audience?

The Black and White effect in this film works well because it is mysterious and eerie. Just like there are conventions in modern day films e.g. a sci- fi is more likely to have loads of gadgets than a rom-com, film noirs were conventionally black and white, Howard Hawks (director) must of felt that colour would not convey the emotions and atmosphere as well as black and white. The whole narrative is about mystery and secrets- black and white portrays this.
To some extent i imagine filming a colour film was very expensive as it was a new concept.

What sort of titling and music is used throughout?

A big, pacey orchestral piece is used as well as strings (used for suspense and tension). Titles are convention to the film noir genre- they use plain and simple fonts and there aren't any complex transitions. The background of the titles focuses on one single shot/ moving/ tracking background. The titles are not part of the film as no one is shown or identified.

Who are the main characters and how are they portrayed?

The protagonist appears in a suit- including trousers, black tie, white shirt, jacket (he spends most the time without/ carrying around) and black suspenders. He takes the usual form of a main character e.g. he smokes and drinks. The femme fatale was first introduced in a skimpy outfit with the main focus being on her legs- is suggestive, glamorous and sexy (textbook femme fatale). A love interest is suggested between the detective and femme fatale as she is draped over him when they first meet, he doesn't react to it, but this is probably to keep up his persona and not let his guard down. 

How would you describe the lighting used and what time of day is
it filmed at? 

The lighting is very conventional to the film noir genre, this is because the lighting is used and set up differently to change the mood of each scene and connote the different characters. A lot can be said about a film noir character by the way they are lit, softer light makes a character look more youthful and attractive (used on females) a faint shadow over the face of a character suggests they are tough and hard to crack (detectives/ protagonists), and darkly lit faces with shadow suggest bad intentions and wrong doings (the villain) however it is unlikely that the villain is shown in this light straight away unless he is identified as the villain straight away. The scene we looked at was filmed at day time, however the mysterious opening sequence is dark- suggesting night-time. It is day when the detective first goes to the house, this is because no crimes have happened yet, the audience are still establishing characters, setting and narrative, only when a crime happens or the story starts to unfold when the light is most likely going to get darker.

What sorts of costumes are used for the main characters and what does it say about them?

the detective is wearing a conventional suit, however the top button is undone and the tie is loose. The suit shows he takes his job very seriously and gets it done well, the casual wearing of the suit suggests he bends the rules- he knows better than the system and often rebels against it, he is good at what he does and never plays it safe when it comes close to solving a crime. The old and wealthy man is dressed in a smoking jacket- he has earned his wealth and lives a very glamorous lifestyle, however it could be suggested that he has had to walk over a few people to get to were he is, he has a butler dressed in traditional servants uniform- back up idea of wealth and power. The femme fatale is dressed in shorts/ short skirt, it put the focus on her long radiant legs- this suggests that she is a bit of a rebel and uses her sexuality to her full advantage, although a lot of her is on show the audience gets the impression she is hiding things from people.

Conventions of a Film Noir

"A stylish Hollywood crime drama"

• Black and White film- imense concentration of lighting as all types of character are lit differently e.g. the femme fatal is often lit with a very soft light for a flawless more attractive effect.

• Characters are often Good vs Bad with the protagonist being quite traditionally a detective/ police officer etc.



• Actors are attractive, men often in their late 30's early 40's but femme fatales much younger and more youthful if not in mid 30's maximum
• Characters are often seen smoking and drinking- it is sexy and glamourous- it conveys upper class lifestyle.

 

• Costumes usually consist of:

Men:

• Hats
• Suits
• Trench coats

Women:

• Dresses
• Heels
• Trench coats

• Titles at the beginning in type writing style font and they fade out to the next credit, will often have panning/ establish shot as background