Organisation shot listing:

My partener has finished compiling the script and has looked at shot listing ready for when we decide to film hopefully beofre the christmas hollidays (17th December

Shot Number- Shot Type- What it Shows/ Happens- Continuity editing if any

Also the parts in certain colours can all be done at the same time, the black parts will have to be done on their own or separately. Eg. the close-ups!

1. Extreme Close up- Of woman’s Fingers stroking the stem of the martini glass
2. Mid Shot- Woman is in foreground, man is in background seated at a bar.
3. Extreme Close up- of Mans mouth sipping his drink.
4. Mid shot- Of man putting down his glass from drinking- Match on action from him drinking.
5. Extreme Close Up- Of Woman’s Mouth also drinking her drink
6.  Extreme Close Up- Of mans eyes –Eye line Match
7. Extreme close Up – Of Woman’s Eyes- Eye line Match
8. Close Up- Man smartening up his suit or doing up the buttons/ re arranging his tie.
9. Same as shot number 2.
10.  Close Up- Of woman – she moves out of the shot.
11.  Close up- Of woman taking out a cigarette box from her pocket or bag.
12.  Close up- Of man opening up a zippo lighter.
13.  Mid Shot- Of woman turning around and walking towards the door.
14.  Close up- Of mans hand whilst he is walking with the lighter in his hand
15.  Mid shot- Of woman leaning against the wall, putting a cigarette to her lips outside the bar and the man walking out of the bar door.
16.  Close Up- Of man lighting the woman’s cigarette
17. Mid Shot- Woman smoking and exhaling as man walks across the screen.
18.  Two shot- of man in the background and woman in the foreground still exhaling
19. Back to the mid shot of woman smoking(17)
20.  Back to the Two shot (18)
21. Back to the mid shot/ Close up of the woman smoking (17)
22.  Mid shot- Woman walking back inside and the man being left behind
23. Mid shot- Woman sitting at the bar and in the background there is a shallow depth of field showing a mysterious looking man.
24.  Two shot- Of man and woman sitting at the bar during conversation.
25.  Back to mid shot of woman (23)
26.  Over the Shoulder Shot- Of the man looking at the woman
27. Back to the two shot (24) Shot/Reverse Shot in dialogue
28.  Back to the mid shot (23)
29.  Back to the two shot (24)
30. Back to the mid shot (23)
31.  Back to two shot (24) End of dialogue
32.  Camera pulls out to a long shot to show the man and woman sitting at the bar whilst the barman makes the female character a drink.
33.  Extreme Close up- Of woman sipping a martini
34.  Back to a two shot (24)
35.  Mid Shot- Of mysterious man in the background- use of pull focus so he becomes clear
36.  Back to the two shot (24)
37.  Close up- Man Stroking the Woman’s arm- Match on action from previous shot.
38.   Back to the two shot (24)- man going in for a kiss, woman rejecting him, she goes for a smoke and goes out of frame, man also leaves the frame, following after the woman
39.  Mid shot- of Mysterious looking man putting on his hat
40. Long Shot – Man and woman walking out of the door, she lights up a cigarette, exhales, then grabs the man to kiss him
41.  Mid shot - of mysterious man walking out of the door after the other two characters have left.
42.  Long shot- of the mysterious man on the pavement, different angle to the one before- Match on action of him walking out the door?
43.  Close up- of his feet rubbing out the cigarette
44. Close up- of the mans face as he looks up from the floor

Planning of casting:

I have found to willing people who have said that they wouldm't mind being the fem fetal and the man.
Harriet and Harry who are a couple.
So now we only have to find extras and a mysterious man.

Updates:

I have been having difficulty getting feedback from people on the facebook group but i have been pestering people so hopefully i will get some soon.

audience research mood board:

target audience and audience research:

Target Audience

I would like to do something with the same creative twist attracting a more unique audience perhaps (B C1) INDIVIDUALISTS people who are slightly higher demographic. people who aren't afraid to stand up or who are slightly different.I would like to aim it at quite a large age group perhaps 16-30 I would also like it to be aimed at both genders (suitable for both men and women.)

Audience Research

Name: Ryan


Sex: Male

Age:20

Background: Studying at University (music industry and game animation), middle class, lived around the world in places like Africa and the Far East.

Likes: Music of various electronic genres, especially Breakbeat, Dubstep, Drum and Bass and Electro House. The music industry. Gaming. TV shows like Dexter, the Walking Dead, robot chicken Simple Fashion; jeans, t-shirt and checkered shirts and simple colours.

Dislikes: people who are hedonistic, R and B music, people who were cheap sportswear clothing all the time.

Favourite Movies: Snatch, Lock Stock and Two smoking barrels, Gladiator, The count of Monte Cristo.
Favourite/Prefered Movie Genre: Action or Comedy

Response to Film Noir mood board: It's a bit like time travel getting to see how social groups were, but still being able to relate to them even if it is a tad alien. It’s very glamourous and focuses on the fine details of a. You get a strong sense of what’s wrong and right (binary opposition). There always seems to be a bad guy which the hero has to catch, often to save a female character in distress. I like it but I’m not familiar with it and would like to know more.



Name:Nick

Sex: Male

Age:17, almost 18

Background: Student, from essex, middle class

Likes: Punk, rock and indie music, Horror, Comedy, Romance movies. Vintage things, the colour pink, comfortable clothing like jeans, converses or doc martens and a plain t-shirt . The media and film industry, Collecting shoes, zombie films, gaming

Dislikes: Vain people, tabloid newspapers and gossip magazines,

Favourite Movie: V for Vendetta, Zombieland

Favourite or preferred movie genre: Documentary films or Bipoics like the one on Ian Dury made in 2009

Response to Film Noir Mood Board: It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I can identify with the subjects as they are used in films today and aspects of film noir are used frequently to add a sense of drama or sinister tone to some films. The Mise En Scene that is used in creating a Film Noirs, are really cool as they are different to the movies nowadays. I think its great and would definitely like to watch film noirs due to the themes and aspects shown by the pictures.



Name: Jodie


Age:19

Sex: Female

Background: from Yorkshire, Lives and works in New castle, Middle class background

Likes: trendy fashion, Pop music and music from the 80’s, beauty and makeup, cooking, relaxing with the family

Dislikes: soppy romantic films, reality TV programs

Favourite or prefered movie genre: Horror

Response to Film Noir Mood board:This reminds me of an era of glamorous women, of gangsters and sinister events. There is always an element of mystery, of someone evil lurking in the shadows and private detectives solving crimes. The pictures give the impression of murder, suspense and tension is accentuated by the use of black and white which highlights the shadows and silhouettes. I really like it.



Name: Cat


Sex: Female

Age: 16

Background: Student, Middle class, lived in the UK her whole life.

Likes: all types of music from Indie rock to pop, She likes simple fashion of jeans and a graphic t-shirts and colourful hoodies. Enjoys listening to music and having fun with friends at the weekend after college. Likes languages and science.

Dislikes: Ignorant people, Metal music, taking the bus

Favourite movies: Shaun of the dead, Dirty Dancing

Favourite or preferred movie genre: Romance, Comedy or a combination of the two (rom/com)

Response to Audience moodboard

How Will This feedback help you in your research?
This will help me to define wha tit is that people want to see and want to get out of it. Taking in to account that sometimes peopel are not very individual and like more mainstreem films. This is why themes from other genres will be incorperated in o our final piece.

Mood Board

synopsis

 I aim to set up and equilibrium which will be hinted that it will soon be broken. I would like to create enigmatic codes so the audience will become more intrigued into watching the rest of the film.

I would like to introduce an unnamed femme fetale character that will bring on the downfall of the main hero who will interact with the female chraracter in the opening title/scene.

I would also like to create another sense of mystery by showing a dangerous looking man in the background of some of the shots to make the audience ask questions like: who is the man? why is he looking at the 'couple'? and what relationship does he have with either of the characters.

The proposed setting is a bar and the street outside a bar at night. This will give me a chance to experiment with dramatic and unnatural night time and create a sense of mystery as the night setting will heighten the drama and enhance the feeling that something bad might happen, as most crimes occur at night.

I would like the scene to end with the dangerous looking man becoming more a main character as he will be given more screen time as well as following after the other two characters. This should hopefully connote to the audience the themes of violence from the dangerous looking man and romance between the hero and femme fetale.

Genre Research Summary:

1.What do the titles tend to look like?

The titles are often white top contrast against the dark shadows, intergrated into the opening scene. The font tends to be bold and in capitals and fade on and off on top of the scene that opens.

2. What kind of music/ or other non diegetic sounds are used?

Film Noirs tend to use music that isoften extremely dramatic. In the opening sequence to DOA the music creates tension and a sense of mystery and engages the audience as the scene starts with loud non diegetic music that fits the titles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYiqW-6iKOs

3. What types of character do we see in the opening sequence? How are their chracters established through technical features?

Film Noir establish a male hero type figure, often a detective or a police officer who the audience are positioned to like as he is tough but has some sort of hardship, so the audience sympathise with him. A femme fetale figure is also introduced that acts as a danger to the hero in some form. Occasionally a villain is introduced, but often the femme fetale and the hero work together as the binary opposition.

4. What kinds of mise-en-scene dominate? What are typical features of setting, lighting, props?

Settings often include Urban or city landscapes or Police stations as a common theme in Film Noirs is crime. Props were also associated with the same theme, such as guns and wepons. Since most Film Noirs were set in the 1940’s and the 1950’s, alot of the props were from those eras. Costumes, props such as cars and objects were all from the 1940’s and 1950’s. A lighting technique called ‘Chiaroscuro’ (basically means light and dark) was used to which heightened the drama of Film Noirs.  The use of shadows and silhouettes to outline characters made things look more sinister. 

5. What narrative codes are employed and how?

 Enigma codes were a key aspect of Film Noirs to intrigue the audience and create a sense of mystery and suspense. The audience are meant to ask questions that they expect to be answered, thus making them more interested in watching the film. A binary opposition is also created of hero vs. villain or male vs. female.

6. Is there a particular form of cinematography or editing that is specific to the genre you are working in?
Generally there is a slow pace of editing in Film Noirs between shots. A key aspect of cinematography is the lighting which I have previously explained. The lighting is dramatic, creating crisp black lines and shadows, that make the scene all the more mysterious.

genre analysis

03/01/2011

Genre specific analysis

The film “sunset boulevard” (1905) is an American film noir film written and co directed by Billy Wilder. This film was named after the boulevard that runs through los Angelis and Beverly Hills, California.

The genre of the film is demonstrated through the use of the typical conventions of film noir using black and white to illustrate the seriousness almost menacing feeling, whilst also using typical non diagetic, foreboding, fast pace music over the opening titles. The use of black and white can also be used to connote the underlying sense of depression. Most of the film noir films where written in the 1940s when many people were fleeing the from Hitler and the Nazis. This is why depression is a running theme within the film noir genre because they were written during the great depression.

 Bart’s enigma code is used to create mystery and questions for the audience as it generally begins with the conclusion and works its way back through the story in order to unravel the mystery. This allows the audience to establish that this is a murder mystery. Murder is a common theme associated with the film noir genre that runs through many of the classic film noir films. This use of Bart’s enigma code allows the audience to begin working out what has happened. We are aware that the murder has taken place at one of the biggest old time start homes as the body was found in her pool. This positions her character in the eye of the audience making her a character of suspicion.  

The tone of the music creates a tense, dramatic mood throughout the opening sequence.  In contrast however, the tone of the narrator appears to be very detached and lacking in empathy. In this context, the narrator gives a factual account of events, almost devoid of emotion.  This exposition voice is common to the film noir genre. It is often used to reveal characters inner thoughts (mainly the hero), as their personality and character develops.  This allows the audience to actually witness the development of the main character. The narration can also be used to reveal certain parts of the story, establish time and place and create the mood and tone. For example, in “Sunset Boulevard” it is used to explain what is happening, where it is happening, what time it is happening and why it is happening. “Yes this is Sunset Boulevard Beverly Hill California, its about five o’clock in the morning. That’s the homicide squad complete with detectives and news paper men. A murder has been reported in one of those big houses on the 10,000 block”. This is all said while the action of the scene is taking place. This reoccurs a number of times throughout the film. This is another typical convention of film noir and is used in other well known film noir films such as “Sin City”

 We also learn that the film is set in the suburbs of Beverly Hills California, through the cinematography (the wide angle long shot) of the police cars speeding down the country road in to the large mansion grounds.  This is a typical camera angle used by film noir films. Another classic cinematography method used are close ups on feet. This creates a mysterious feeling because it is only allowing the audience to see a very small portion of the action happening leaving the audience having to guess what else is happening.  

The suburbs are often used as locations in film noir films along with urban locations and dark city streets. These are often used to connote the sense of underlying depression.

The “hero” is a character typically associated with film noir films. The hero is often a man from the darker side of good trying to escape his mysterious past and often led a stray by the notorious fem fetal another character associated with this genre. The fem fetal is a women who uses her seductive charm to lead our helpless hero in to dangerous situations and is often the person who commits the crimes, allowing the hero to take the blame. Or lours the hero in to committing some crime of passion.  

Finally some of the props associated with the film noir genre are cigarettes and cigarette smoke. They are used mainly in the scenes between the hero and the fem fetal to enhance the sexual tension. Brimmed hats are also a prop strongly associated with film noir. They are used to create shadows over the face enhancing the mystery and adding to the feeling of menace.    

First thoughts

I liked the the opening sequence of the Dexter the TV series this made me think about using ideas outside the box. Looking closer at the opening sequence I realised that it had elemnts of film Noir in it.
So I looked at other film Noir movies and decided I would quite like to work with the idea but mix it with other genres such as indie and maybe action.

The opening sequence of Dexter also had Barts enigma code in it throwing up questions for the audience about Dexters character intriguing them and making you question what you think you know about him.
This also re- contextualises the way in which the audience look at the everyday things such as his morning routine at the start.

I would like to do something with the same creative twist attracting a more unique audience perhaps (B C1) INDIVIDUALISTS people who are slightly higher demographic. people who aren't afraid to stand up or who are slightly different.I would like to aim it at quite a large age group perhaps 16-30 I would also like it to be aimed at both genders (suitable for both men and women.)

I would like to include aspects of film Noir as well as some more subtle enigma codes.
I want to look in to some of the key conventions of film Noir so I can get a better understanding of how to construct a good opening sequence using narrative and possibly some aspects of narration (In Search Of A Midnight Kiss).

key conventions of film noir

Key conventions of film noir

Film noir was influenced by the great depression surrounding world war 2, when many British people escaped to America to escape Hitler and the Nazi’s.

One of the key conventions of film noir is the often dark and pessimistic mood (the fact that these films were made during the great depression explains why this may have been). This often gives a sense of moral corruption and paranoia. There is often a hero (antihero) or corrupt character and villains such as bent cops, gangsters and government agents.

They were usually based on people such as war veterans, petty criminals or murderers. These protagonists are often morally ambiguous low- lives from the underworld of crime and corruption struggling to survive and often ultimately losing.

The females in film noir are either of two types: dutiful, loyal, trust worthy and loving women or femme fatals , mysterious, double-crossing, unloving, predatory, manipulative and desperate women. Usually the male protagonist in film noir often wishes to avoid their mysterious past and has to chose what path to take (or has the path chosen for him) the choice would often be an overly ambitious one. It would often be to follow the goading of a traitorous femme fatale who destructively would lead the struggling hero in to committing murder or some other crime of passion.

Film noir films are often shot in gloomy blacks, greys and whites. This helped show the dark and inhumane side of human nature. Lighting is also used to portray different characters and their nature. For example, hero, villain, good , bad. 

Film noir was marked by expressionistic lighting deep focus camera work, disorientation, visual schemes jarring editing, or juxtaposition of elements and skewed camera angles. The use of different lenses is also favoured in film noir experimenting with both high and low angle shots. The use of silhouettes is also popular in film noir, this follows Barts enigma code because it creates questions within the audience making them curious as to who the character is and why they are not allowed to see them.  Circling cigarette smoke is another typical key convention of film noir. Settings were often interior with low key lighting. Whether would also reflect the general mood as well. This is known as pathetic fallacy. Examples of this would be rain or fog. Moving the camera from object to object creates a tense atmosphere. Accentuating the eyes with lighting was used to portray the emotional and mental state of the character as well as illustrating emotion.

Shadows are also used for dramatic effect a great deal of the time and it is said that shadow is a film noir creators best fiend.

Yet another key convention of film noir is the frequently complex narrative typically told with foreboding background music.

From Script To Screen: Dexter opening

From Script to Screen: Dexter

How does the credit sequence from Dexter work?

Where did the creative ideas come from?

The Creative director , ‘Eric Anderson’ ,saw the letter forms in DEXTER look almost identical right side up as well as upside down. Crime scene photography also played a key role in the context of the creative ideas as it showed the mundane or normal everyday things to be sinister, recontextualising how the audience view the ordinary or everyday things such as the morning routine. 

Eric Anderson wanted to examine the way an audience looked at everyday things:

"Everything, no matter how mundane or beautiful, has an undercurrent of violence to it. It is just a matter of how closely you look. We are conditioned to see a blossoming flower as beautiful. But if you look closely, if you look differently you will see it more like an explosion. Here we see a mundane morning routine illustrated in extreme close-ups showing the underlying tension found in everyday situations making violence a part of everything"

The window where Martin Luther King was shot from

How did they fit in with the concept of the character of Dexter?

This fits with the concept of the character Dexter as on the whole it looks normal, but really there is something slightly wrong, such as the letter forms, the ‘T’ and the ‘R’ which are upside down. Much like his character, on the outside or to soceity he seems normal/acts normal when  really he is a serial killer. The use of jump cuts also emphasise the sense that there is something wrong with him as the jump cuts make his routine seem even more sinister. This raises questions and sets an 'enigma code' in which the audience are intrigued to find out more.

How did the actual sequence communicate this meaning about Dexter?

The mise-en-scene of ordinary things that can be seen as violent enhanced the audiences understanding that although things may look normal, they have a darker meaning. The morning routine certainly shows this as the simple act of making breakfast becomes disturbing by the use of close-ups on the food and the knives that are used in preparation of it. The Orange especially does this as it looks like a normal orange, but however when it is cut into it is red inside which connotes that ‘Dexter’ will be far from ordinary and subtly gives indications into of the unusualness of his character.

Cutting meat or fish seems like an ordinary task but if you think about it, it seems almost violent and disturbing.

How did the use of noir lighting and shallow depth of field add to the atmosphere of the piece?

The shallow depth of field helps to add atmosphere as if you normally look at things you are conditioned to see them as beautiful, where as if you look closely, shown by the extreme macro close up shots of his routine such as his face, you think it is almost grotesque and out of the ordinary as it is a different way to look at things. The creative director was aiming for what he called ‘unpolished grittiness’.

 Noir films portrayed a more dark side about urban life filled with crime, mystery and often a horror feel. In ‘Dexter’ noir lighting was used to enhance the feel that underneath the character surface, that there is something dark about him.
One of the key aspectss of film noir is the lighting which gives a crisp and precise image and figures outlines in the darkness. Shadow was extremely important to create a certain mood, like in the opening sequence of ‘Dexter’.




How did the choice of music anchor the meaning of Dexter, why was it chosen over the Xploding Plastix track?

The undercurrent violence that Anderson wanted was mean to represent Dexter, whilst the Xploding Plastix track wasn’t like by the creators of the show as it seemed to violent and didn’t fit Andersons concept. The second track however gave the audience a playful view of the character Dexter as well allowing them to imagine how normal things can be perceived as violent or humorous. The first track didn’t work as it came over as too strong and violent and not the concept that everything mundane can be seen as sinister if you look at it closely



Juno opening:

Film Openings: Juno

http://www.shadowplaystudio.com/juno/index.html

Take Juno’s opening: it immediately tells us this is going to be a sweet, funny-sad film with an indie spirit. And, of course, it is.

Pick 5 denotations from the title sequence (you might include the music, different parts of the mise-en-scene, the titles themselves, the animation effect ...) and explain what is being connoted about the film and about Juno’s character. Provide an image for each point you make.

1

The font used for the titles shows the indie style of the film. The scribbled titles show that the film is going to be light hearted and good fun and a bit quirky. The writing also connotes childishness, so the audience can guess that growing up might be a theme in the movie.

2

The acoustic music also gives an indie feel to the movie; it also gives it an upbeat feel, so the audience can tell it is going to be quite a happy film with some elements of comedy.

3.

  The hand drawn style shows that Juno is a quirky character. The audience can tell that Juno is going to be an interesting character because she is all in colour but everything else is quite bland and plain, this shows that Juno’s life is quite simple; it’s all bland colours, whereas she is bright and colourful and lives in a world of her own.

4   

The bottle of Sunny D also connotes childishness; it shows that Juno is unconventional and individual, just because she is supposed to be more grown up doesn’t mean she will act grown up; because the Sunny D bottle has also got lots of colour it shows that the childish side of her is very important in the film.

5

  This shot shows that Juno is a world of her own and is completely removed from the rest of life, the fact that she is walking one way and the runners are going the other way shows that she doesn’t fit into the norm, that she is different from the rest of the people her age and does her own thing her own way. Also because she doesn’t acknowledge the runner it shows that she doesn’t really pay attention to the boring, average things around her.

Film Openings: Juno

http://www.shadowplaystudio.com/juno/index.html

Take Juno’s opening: it’s a lo-fi animation sequence in which the teen of the title strolls pensively through her neighbourhood, chug-a-lugging a jug of SunnyD in preparation for a pregnancy test. With cut-out Xerox images of Ellen Page, hand-drawn typography and a whimsical tune by kids’ balladeer Barry Louis Polisar on the soundtrack, it immediately tells us this is going to be a sweet, funny-sad film with an indie spirit. And, of course, it is.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/credits.html

In order to analyse the opening sequence of Juno (Jason Reitman, 2008) I will look at the different micro elements and try and establish how they are used to set up character, narrative and genre.
 The music chosen for the opening sequences is by anti folk artist Kimya Dawson. It is evocative of Bob Dylan and helps to establish the low key feel of a US independent film - on which the film was successfully marketed. The lyrics tumble along in the style of a quirky, downbeat love song listing partnerships like ‘if I’d be a tree you would be my leaves’, this helps set up the character of Juno as both innocent and pensive, alluding to the search for romance and the coming of age story that follows.

 However, I feel that it is the mise en scene that plays the most important part in establishing the tone and genre, as well as the lead character in the film. Juno is depicted walking through suburban USA, shiplap houses and mail boxes set up her small world in which the local shops - the guitars shack, beauty parlour and drug store - are the dominant features and from which the park represents a temporary break for reflection. The leaves falling from the trees show time passing and establish the time of year – this will become important when Juno gets pregnant. She passes an acoustic guitar and a retro TV that reinforce the teenager’s interests. 
 Juno’s costume acts as a kind of timeless unisex teen uniform; blue jeans, sweat top and canvass shoes. It indicates to us that she is perhaps a bit of a tomboy but neither extraordinary or pretentious. The sunny delight carton she is drinking reasserts the bland diet of the mid American teen. The college team that jogs past at the start and end of the sequence further set us in the teen world and act as a contrast to Juno’s lonesome figure. 
 The animation technique of rotoscoping (tracing over live action filming) suits the US independent style by alluding to independent comic books like American Splendour. This technique allows the director to simplify and mute the colours, making it graphically pleasing as well as mundane. The unfinished drawings also build on a concept of an almost incomplete environment. 

 Some interesting slide and push edits also allude to comic books. Juno s character is sometimes on the screen in two different shots and this along with her constant presence and dominant framing establish the centrality of her character within the film. Some of the more adventurous camera angles, for example the overhead shot, are pleasing to the eye. 
 Of course the key function of a title sequence is as a vehicle for the main credits. In Juno these are brought in as neatly hand drawn three dimensional block letters, continuing the comic theme and not unlike a teenager’s graphics project or doodling. An effect has been used that keeps the titles wobbling slightly in an organic way.The titles are framed thoughtfully to balance with the framing of the subject and many are brought onto screen from behind bits of the set or are integrated into the scene. An example is a title that appears painted on the fence by using perspective. Juno also walks in front of a number of the titles. These techniques are satisfying for the viewer and help integrate the title sequence into the film.