Monday 28 February 2011
The end is in sight!
Myself and Joseph have almost completed our OTS, it has taken a rather long time due to the sheer amount of complexity we set out for the project. We seem to have come into a few difficulties with music and sound, as fitting in a variety of music doesn't always sound 'right'. We've been testing out different music tracks and such, just a few more adjustments need to be made.
Sunday 27 February 2011
Script
As our OTS has several musical changes and sounds, we thought it would be best to keep the voice overs short and simple, but long enough to further explain what the viewers are seeing on screen.
Vee
"I still remember that night. The smell of my babies sweet clothes. That shot changed my life in a second.
My guy took money from a man with no soul. My family paid the price."
Butch
"It's just business he said, we'll make it big. We made it all right. In this business, it's a one man game he said.
Apparently I wasn't that man. Everyone's expendable. They can rip your future away in a second."
Champ
"My mother. Faith. Children. Love. Security, For what? It took him 2 days to leave her. It took me a week to find her. Her heart. My heart. Stolen. Ripped. Dead. For what?
Wherever he went, chaos followed. Now we were brought together. For what? Revenge."
I wanted the pieces of dialogue to be very short in order for them to be spoken slowly and clearly. This is to contrast the speed the stories unravel on the screen. If the voice overs were long and drawn out, it would force them to be spoken quicker, therefore creating too much of a fast and rushed pace for the OTS as a whole.
Vee
"I still remember that night. The smell of my babies sweet clothes. That shot changed my life in a second.
My guy took money from a man with no soul. My family paid the price."
Butch
"It's just business he said, we'll make it big. We made it all right. In this business, it's a one man game he said.
Apparently I wasn't that man. Everyone's expendable. They can rip your future away in a second."
Champ
"My mother. Faith. Children. Love. Security, For what? It took him 2 days to leave her. It took me a week to find her. Her heart. My heart. Stolen. Ripped. Dead. For what?
Wherever he went, chaos followed. Now we were brought together. For what? Revenge."
I wanted the pieces of dialogue to be very short in order for them to be spoken slowly and clearly. This is to contrast the speed the stories unravel on the screen. If the voice overs were long and drawn out, it would force them to be spoken quicker, therefore creating too much of a fast and rushed pace for the OTS as a whole.
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Target Audience
Our target audience for our OTS will be both males and females aged between 15 and 20.
As our OTS involves more male characters than female it may stereotypically be more attractive to females. Our femme fatale is not a conventional girly, long haired beauty. She turns conventions through the discarding of a dress and wearing of jeans, and having short spiky hair. This may also attract females as it has more of a 'girl power' feel.
We decided upon this category whilst collecting information from questionnaires and polls.
We thought the suitable class choice would be middle to lower class, as from what we have found, these are the classes that are more open to unconventional styles and editing. A mature (perhaps in their 20's) audience may enjoy our OTS more as it has quite a confusing and interpretable storyline.
The classification for our OTS will be a 15, as it contains a fairly adult storyline involving death, murder and crime. This would not be suitable material for younger audiences.
As our OTS involves more male characters than female it may stereotypically be more attractive to females. Our femme fatale is not a conventional girly, long haired beauty. She turns conventions through the discarding of a dress and wearing of jeans, and having short spiky hair. This may also attract females as it has more of a 'girl power' feel.
We decided upon this category whilst collecting information from questionnaires and polls.
We thought the suitable class choice would be middle to lower class, as from what we have found, these are the classes that are more open to unconventional styles and editing. A mature (perhaps in their 20's) audience may enjoy our OTS more as it has quite a confusing and interpretable storyline.
The classification for our OTS will be a 15, as it contains a fairly adult storyline involving death, murder and crime. This would not be suitable material for younger audiences.
Copyright
Whilst deliberating over what music and sounds we wanted to use in our OTS, we had to research copyright laws in order not to break them unintentionally.
Copyright
Copyright is a set of exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original
work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. Copyright does
not protect ideas, only their expression. In most jurisdictions copyright arises
upon fixation and does not need to be registered.
Copyright owners have the exclusive statutory right to exercise control over
copying and other exploitation of the works for a specific period of time, after
which the work is said to enter the public domain.Uses covered under
limitations and exceptions to copyright, such as fair use, do not require permission
from the copyright owner.
All other uses require permission and copyright owners can license or permanently
transfer or assign their exclusive rights to others..
work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. Copyright does
not protect ideas, only their expression. In most jurisdictions copyright arises
upon fixation and does not need to be registered.
Copyright owners have the exclusive statutory right to exercise control over
copying and other exploitation of the works for a specific period of time, after
which the work is said to enter the public domain.Uses covered under
limitations and exceptions to copyright, such as fair use, do not require permission
from the copyright owner.
All other uses require permission and copyright owners can license or permanently
transfer or assign their exclusive rights to others..
-This is a section taken from wikipedia.
There are principally 2 types of copyright to consider when we talk about music copyright.
-The traditional ©, ‘C in a circle’ copyright, applies to the composition, musical score,lyrics as well as any artwork or cover designs, as all of these are individually subject
to copyright in their own rights, (though when you register, you can include them all in
a single registration provided they have the same copyright owner(s)).
-The second type of copyright applies to the sound recording itself, and is signified by
the ‘P in a circle’
.
the ‘P in a circle’
.If we want to use music in our piece, it must either be copyright free, or only be used
for a small amount of time. We will need to consider this when editing the music
into our final piece.
for a small amount of time. We will need to consider this when editing the music
into our final piece.
Fonts
Whilst browsing through some possible fonts to use for our title screen on our OTS, myself and Joseph came across the fonts used in films that brought us inspiration.
This is an example of the font we will be using for the title of our film, it incorporates the cartoon type style, but has been changed with colour to suit the Film Noir black and white appeal.
 |
| Although the typography and such for this film was very impressive, we did not think it suited our OTS. This appears more horror like, as it appears that the lettering has been cut in half. |
 |
| This was our favorite font, as we felt it added most cartoon like appeal, which is partly what we were attracted to when planning our OTS. |
 |
| This font has far too much aggression linked with it, and appears too brutal for our thriller. |
This is an example of the font we will be using for the title of our film, it incorporates the cartoon type style, but has been changed with colour to suit the Film Noir black and white appeal.
Audience Research
I created a poll on Facebook to gather some general knowledge on what people actually know about Film Noir, what it is, and where people prefer to watch products. 20 people took the poll, the ages/class/status of the participants varied largely, so we could get an insight into all different areas.
I also created a hand out questionnaire to find out further audience information.
I also created a hand out questionnaire to find out further audience information.
As we were querying a different range of people, I thought to ask favourite genre again. Out of the 20 mixed gender and aged participants, the majority preferred to watch drama and crime. These results were useful to us, as this is the mix of genres we are aiming for our OTS.
As a side question I wondered what directors were favoured (if any). It turned out that out of the 7 people that answered the director question, 5 preferred Quentin Tarentino, of whose style inspired us.
The majority of males/females of whom liked crime and drama were aged 15-20, which is our target age group.
Wednesday 9 February 2011
Textual Deconstruction - Neo-Noir
Red Riding - 1974
Red riding begins with a camera panning up as if travelling through ground to light, as the camera reaches above the earth, chiaroscuro is used between the darkness of the night and the vivid white of wings on a child's body. This technique is common in traditional Noirs to define the contrast of light and dark. A droning sound is heard through out this, which is used to create tension and suspense. The scene then cuts to our 'protagonist' covered in dirt/blood dropping a gun. The colours used here appear quite desaturated, which is a common factor in Neo-Noirs. As the beginning scenes unfold there is a sense of disorientation due to the blurring of the image and moving camera. This is perhaps used to intrigue the viewer as to what has been occurring, it is also commonly used to distort the storyline, which alludes back to the twisting, maze-like plot of a Noir.
As the scene moves into current day, we meet our protagonist. The setting is one of morbid dystopia due to the rain, cloudy sky and deserted road which appears to be in the middle of no-where. This dystopian setting is often used in traditional film Noirs to emphasise the dark themes. Traditional Noirs are often set in suburban areas, Red Riding subverts this and places itself in a rural marshland. Acoustic guitar music plays throughout the car journey, which is a modernisation from olden Noir, yet still sends the feeling of isolation. This isolation is also portrayed through the narration, again a convention of Noir. Whilst driving, the protagonist is smoking. This is often a signifier in a film Noir, traditionally it shows seduction and mystery.
As the scene moves into a dull and smoky room, we are informed that our protagonist is in fact a traditional anti-hero, as he has failed in his job in London. The colours used in the room are all very dull and desaturated, highlighting the melancholy tone. The 'law enforcement' characters inform the viewer that a child is missing, which refers to the opening scene where we see a body of a child. This narrative of murder reverts back to traditional Noir.
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a classic example of a 'modern' neo-noir. Set years in the future, the film is still able to incorporate traditional Noir conventions. The opening scene conveys a wide darkened sky scape which is pierced by the blaze of fires and lights. This merges classic chiaroscuro into 'modern' day. Film Noir is most often recognised through the strong use of light and shadows, this is shown in the scene where characters are first introduced in Blade Runner.The surroundings appear very desolate and dystopian emphasising the darkly thematic plot. Noir often attempts to create a feeling of hopelessness and anguish through its setting. The music score is far from conventional as it includes electrical sounds and drones created from machines rather than orchestral.
A figure is then introduced in a shadowed and smoky room, the darkened silhouette accentuated in white light (again applying chiaroscuro). The character smokes which adds elements of mystery and rebellion, traits associated with orthodox Noir. Blade Runner does not create a sense of realism which is something Noirs traditionally try to do, differentiating it from customs.
Red riding begins with a camera panning up as if travelling through ground to light, as the camera reaches above the earth, chiaroscuro is used between the darkness of the night and the vivid white of wings on a child's body. This technique is common in traditional Noirs to define the contrast of light and dark. A droning sound is heard through out this, which is used to create tension and suspense. The scene then cuts to our 'protagonist' covered in dirt/blood dropping a gun. The colours used here appear quite desaturated, which is a common factor in Neo-Noirs. As the beginning scenes unfold there is a sense of disorientation due to the blurring of the image and moving camera. This is perhaps used to intrigue the viewer as to what has been occurring, it is also commonly used to distort the storyline, which alludes back to the twisting, maze-like plot of a Noir.
As the scene moves into current day, we meet our protagonist. The setting is one of morbid dystopia due to the rain, cloudy sky and deserted road which appears to be in the middle of no-where. This dystopian setting is often used in traditional film Noirs to emphasise the dark themes. Traditional Noirs are often set in suburban areas, Red Riding subverts this and places itself in a rural marshland. Acoustic guitar music plays throughout the car journey, which is a modernisation from olden Noir, yet still sends the feeling of isolation. This isolation is also portrayed through the narration, again a convention of Noir. Whilst driving, the protagonist is smoking. This is often a signifier in a film Noir, traditionally it shows seduction and mystery.
As the scene moves into a dull and smoky room, we are informed that our protagonist is in fact a traditional anti-hero, as he has failed in his job in London. The colours used in the room are all very dull and desaturated, highlighting the melancholy tone. The 'law enforcement' characters inform the viewer that a child is missing, which refers to the opening scene where we see a body of a child. This narrative of murder reverts back to traditional Noir.
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a classic example of a 'modern' neo-noir. Set years in the future, the film is still able to incorporate traditional Noir conventions. The opening scene conveys a wide darkened sky scape which is pierced by the blaze of fires and lights. This merges classic chiaroscuro into 'modern' day. Film Noir is most often recognised through the strong use of light and shadows, this is shown in the scene where characters are first introduced in Blade Runner.The surroundings appear very desolate and dystopian emphasising the darkly thematic plot. Noir often attempts to create a feeling of hopelessness and anguish through its setting. The music score is far from conventional as it includes electrical sounds and drones created from machines rather than orchestral.
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive appears to conform most to traditional film noir conventions than the previous films I have observed. The opening scene shows classic 50's style dancing surrounded in bright coloured lights. This style of dancing and such is quite fitting to the Noir genre, and so fits in with conventions.
The scene then transcends to a darknened road in which the camera is following a moving car. The headlights of the car act as spotlights, which interjects classic chiaroscuro. The music in the background is orchestral and high pitched, which is a classic effect for building tension/suspence, a factor almost always included in film Noir.
The 'femme fatale' is then introduced, dimly lit in a dark car. She wears traditional dark makeup and lipstick, and appears the most conventional character. The driver threatens the 'femme fatale' with a gun, a classic signifier. The plot then thickens as the car crashes and our protagonist limps away from the wreckage. The narrative of attempted murder becomes clear here, which is one oftened assosiated with Noir. The two main characters create a kind of chiaroscuro through both their images, and the storylines that they are involved in.
Brief re-cap on conventions of film noirs..
In a traditional film noir you'll find something that goes like this..
Narrative
Narrative
- Seduction
- Tragedy
- Crime
- Violence
- Melodramatic
- Femme Fatale
- Antagonist
- Protagonist - Law Enforcement
- Chiarascuro - Contrast between dark and light
- Monochrome - Different shades of one colour
- Seductive
- Period Costumes
- Suits
- Urban
- Bars
- Casinos
- Dystopian looking surrounding
- Orchestral
- Classical
- Jazz
- Heightened sound effects
- Generally simple
- Sense of realism
- Verisimilitude
- Slow pace
- Suspence/Tension
Wednesday 2 February 2011
Targets for now up to half term.
- Complete all audience research including graphs.
- Voxbox interviews on cultivation theory (http://katharinewood.blogspot.com/2010/12/task-4-cultivation-theory.html)
- Experiment with Foleying + Go through piece in detail to see where foleying needs to be put into place.
- Complete all editing.
- Deconstruction of the opening of a film noir.
- Script narration, record + fit into final piece - after completion of editing without sound
- Voxbox interviews on cultivation theory (http://katharinewood.blogspot.com/2010/12/task-4-cultivation-theory.html)
- Experiment with Foleying + Go through piece in detail to see where foleying needs to be put into place.
- Complete all editing.
- Deconstruction of the opening of a film noir.
- Script narration, record + fit into final piece - after completion of editing without sound
Filming DONE.
I can finally say that we've completed all of our filming and are now fully concentrated on editing. Joe has been experimenting with different final cut effects that we could use in our final piece, so we can try and get to grip with the programme. As we've got quite a complicated narrative, it will take quite a long time to complete editing. I'm also quite a perfectionist so directing the editing process may become quite tedious for Joseph. We've played around with how we want the lighting in the flashbacks and current day to look, using low saturation levels for current, and bright saturated colours for flashbacks, which diverts conventions as you usually find flashbacks in B/W or sepia. We've also been toying with the use of slow motion to emphasise certain places in our piece, so that the audience doesn't get lost in the plot.
At the weekend I'm going to collect the results for the polls myself and Joseph created on facebook, and also the one I created on paper. These will be put into a graph for a visual aid to convey information about our target audience.
At the weekend I'm going to collect the results for the polls myself and Joseph created on facebook, and also the one I created on paper. These will be put into a graph for a visual aid to convey information about our target audience.
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