Sound
Sound is used in film to create the tone and mood of a scene. We used various sound techniques in our film to establish to the audience the mood we were trying to achieve and set the correct atmosphere to the action on screen.
Diagetic sound is sound that is heard by the characters on screen, often called "actual sound". This is the most obvious sound technique because we normally use it without even thinking were using it. Evidence of this would be the police sirens near the end of the film.
Non-diagetic sound is sound that is coming from a source that isn't in the story. We used this technique when we did our voice-overs. We used this as classic film noirs usually use voice-overs to help narrate the film and give the story a sense of direction or to explain what the character is thinking or feeling at the time, which is why we used the technique.
Music is the main contributor to the atmosphere and tone of the scene. Classic noirs used it to build up tension which is what we tried to do when we chose our music. The aim of the music we chose was for it to be suspenseful and create tension during the slower parts of the opening, slowly building up to the action. This is also used to help create the pace of the film.
Sound FX were used in our noir to make a specific narrative point in the story, for example the police sirens, which alerted the audience that the Hitman was in trouble and allowed up to let the viewers know this without change in music or through the use of dialogue.
Ambiance - There wasn't much background noise in our film opening due to the music creating the tone instead of ambient noise. This allowed us to fully control the mood of the scene instead of relying on background noise while we were filming which adds to the building of atmosphere.
Volume - We used volume mostly in the music, voice-over and sirens. We changed the volume of the music at certain points to make it louder which quickened the pace of the scene when it was more action packed. We lowered the music when there was a voice-over so it could clearly be heard and so the audience definitely know what the character is thinking. We used sirens that were louder than the music to add the element of danger to the scene which helped to increase the urgency of the main character's getaway.
By Matt Keeble
Editing
As editor for the final project it was extremely important to concentrate on making sure that the continuity of it was very smooth, and also not to confuse the audience with the effects used. Without editing it is impossible to screen it all in one go and come out with a project that the audience will understand, editing enables break aways and cuts to other scenes and also enables more camera shots so it is a more exciting project to watch.
Before jumping on the machine and editing away, i had to ensure that as a group we all had the same ideas and aspirations for the project once we were happy with the kind of effects we were going to use i jumped on board and started the logging and capturing you need to before you can start chopping and editing on final cut pro. Having used final cut pro i have some experience others don't and therefore that enabled to teach my group new skills and also confidence with the computer.
In final cut pro there were many effects you could use, but we felt the more simpler effects worked the best with our piece, with consideration to the task we were giving. Film Noir's don't use a lot of editing and more focus on the narrative and cinematography, so in some aspects it felt i was restricted to what i could do, but on the other hand it was a challenge not to use the flashy effects. The effects we used was a fade in fade out template, we particular used it at the start and end of our project and after a few minutes perfecting the time and speed of the fades we were happy to move on.
The next effect was the jump cuts, this was more tricky aspect of editing and we did need some advice from our teacher, once the advice was given it was relatively easy, with jump cut the character jumps forward a few yards when walking down a long walk-way and we got this idea from many films like 'Snatch' and 'Run Lola, Run', after we found out how to create a jump cut, you just then need to repeat this several times. Once we fiddled around with the time line and the speeds, as a group we felt this is defiantly our best editing used. Not just because it was probably the hardest effect to create but because on screen it looked very good and professional.
Another effect we used in our final project, was the use of saturation and color corrector. The use of these effects created a more contemporary Film Noir feel, with the characters glowing in black and white or the character being hid by the darkness in other cases. We didn't get lucky with these effects because we had already planned that we were going to use it from the word go, and the effects themselves to a long time tweaking them to make the characters and the props really dark and create that shadowy effect.
By Nathan Ramsey
Mise-En-Scene
The locations we used were chosen to fulfill film noir style conventions The interior location (film studio) has curtains lining the walls, they created a really interesting visual effect when the spot-light was turned on with a stripy light and dark pattern not unlike the venetian blind effect used in classic noirs. The empty, vacant spaces of the room are filled with darkness so it’s difficult to tell how big the room is and the function of the room is unknown to the audience, the only clue is the table and chair but it still doesn’t tell the audience exactly where they are, this sets up an enigma. The exterior location of Grimwade Street was chosen because of the boarded up building and graffiti, the rough down-and-out looking street Matt walks down matches the conventional noir settings of dodgy back alleys and drab streets.
The small spot light we used was the only source of light in the interior location, this use of key light made deep long shadows contrast with bright (almost) overexposed pools of light, the overall result made average shots look moody and interesting. The exterior location had no artificial lighting, all natural, this made the outdoor shots look bland and flat compared to the indoor shots.
The props we decided to use changed a bit from our original plans, in our brainstorm sessions before shooting we wanted to use a toy gun but later agreed that it was not an appropriate prop to bring in to college and was not as realistic as a garrotte wire. The cord we used turned out to be a much better choice in the end as it gave the actor a good chance to interact with it and perform through it, like winding it around his hands and fingers to build suspense, it was more flexible and safer than a plastic gun. The blood was Burger King ketchup, we wanted to get enough on his hand to be dramatic and shock the audience but not so much that it would effect the classification, I think we achieved a good amount as it is not over the top but enough to be disgusting.
The costumes of the femme fatale and hitman are very different from each other, this was done to highlight the two extremes of film noir, the classical old-school noir and the modern neo-noir. The dead femme fatale has a fur coat and red dress, this stereotypical conventional attire puts her into an easily recognisable role so the audience understands who she is. Matt the hitman is wearing more modern normal clothes that don’t reveal much about him, he needed to be more of an enigma than the dead woman so we thought he should be more neutral and unassuming.
By Caroline Chicken
Cinematography
As director for the final project, it’s important for me to think beforehand about the different shots which are going being used in the shoot, as well as making sure the intended visual representation which as a group we planned is met. Therefore cinematography in particular is a vital element in achieving this.
Things to plan before shooting included framing and shot sizing. Using the rule of thirds to adequately frame shots so that the action is well placed on the screen for the viewer is crucial as shots where the action is in the middle of the screen looks amateurish to audiences. Another basic but important nevertheless thing which needs to be thought about when shooting is not breaking the 180 degree line rule of action was not broken.
Particularly for the first few shots of the opening framing and shot sizing where vital as the action in the dark room set which we planned needs to represented well on screen. So for these shoots the point of action or prominence needs to be in a corner of the screen or off straight using the rule of thirds whilst still making sure that all that needs to be in the shot is in the shot. Moreover using the scenery within the room in important to set the scene and this is where mise-en-scene comes in as well. The angle of the shots and sizing must be correct as in the first few shots close-ups and mid-shots in particular are used so camera placement also will be an element to carrying out the shots as planned. Furthermore using the tripod to position the camera will be helpful in shooting the shots with the hitman in the room and the female lying on the floor whereas a freehand shot will be used for the close-up shot and extreme close-ups therefore making the camera to vital for the professionalism of the shots.
The corridor shots in the sequence involve a tracking shot of the hitman approaching the dark room and close-ups of the phone call between the hitman and the person who has apparently arranged the hit on the female as well as the hitman looking at the photo. For the tracking adequate shot length is an element to think about in a short film opening the shot length must not be too long and tedious also there needs to be a point to each shot used in the opening sequence. So for the tracking shot the action needs to be picked up a the right and ended at the correct time as well as making sure that the camera remains steady as is not jumpy although using a tripod is a shot like this will help. As for the close-ups in the corridor scenes just as the close-ups used in the dark room using these shots is very much in keeping with the theme of the opening which is film noir. The close-up was a common shot used in classic noirs and it is used to display facial emotion and/or show the viewer something in more detail. These shots will are likely to be shot free hand with the camera so it is important the height and focus remain accurate along with good shot size and framing also.
Additionally for the outside shots in the park and the street shots making use of the surroundings and good framing will be particularly vital. Another thing to consider although I mentioned before that the opening in not massively long in three minutes; it is also important to ensure that when editing there is enough footage so that there is no requirement to shoot more and everything can be easily edited.
So for the park shots which like the phone call and the hitman looking at the picture are flashback shots to keep with the theme of noirs, there will be an establishing shot of the park bench and the very start of the scene, followed by long shots of the instigator and hitman as they approach the bench. There will then be a mid-shot of the two on the bench then a shot of the hitman leaving with the folder. For these shots considering shot lengths and leaving adequate handles before and after shots will be important. Camera movement should be made easier to control by using a tripod for the shots. Framing will be important in the shots where characters approach and leave the bench to make sure everything is well positioned on screen throughout the shot.
The shots along the street of the hitman walking towards the building require as being predominantly tracking shots leaving handles again before and after as well as good shot sizing and framing. Also the angle of the shot must be thought about action in all in shot. These shots again will be shot using a tripod will be crucial in ensuring the camera stay steady and must be adjusted to effectively produce the shots.
When considering the audience for the opening it is important to remember that as a group we choose teenagers to represent our target audience so the shots used must in a way cater for this being the case. So using interesting shots which hopefully will create a thriller feel to the action will be important to attract and keep the attention of the audience. As I mentioned before using long and dull with likely make more viewers uninterested and become detached for the action which is not what we want.
By Leit Henry
