Exchange Evaluation

After we had finished filming the Exchange, we had the opportunity to present our final piece to the class. Here they gave us critique and feed back, this gave us an idea to what areas worked, and where needed improvement.

The initial impressions (good areas) were that the chosen music created a good effect and worked well with the sequence, however, they were not too keen on the second song - explaining that the lyrics did not work. The use of the helicopter was approved by the class, who agreed it created a sense of sketchy action and urgency. Feedback of the location we used, which was down by the docks, was also positive.Good areas of camera work included the high angle shot, when we were first introduced to the location, and the dutch tilt at the beggining.

The Exchange

Our next task was called the Exchange, which was a short video production that tested our proficiency with using the cameras. Unlike our preliminary production, The Exchange was to have no dialogue or voice-overs, this meant we had to do storytelling through cinematography - it also emphisises the importance of music. So instead we had to agree upon a sound track that complemented what was happening on screen. The brief was to shoot and edit a short sequence in the style of film noir - the main focus was to be an Exchange of some sort (eg. Envelope, tape, drugs etc..) We also had to chose an appropriate location to give the production a believable, dodgy film noir feel. As a group, we decided upon an abandoned alley on the docks - in between two dilapidated buildings.

Before we could start filming, we each had to work on an idea for a sequence, make a storyboard and then select the best elements from each idea to make an overall group production. We then had to complete a synopsis and treatment so it was clear on what we wanted to achieve, although we often referred to our pre-production tasks, we did not follow them exactly because when we where physically out and filming we came up with new ideas that worked better for us.

When we were out filming, we used a wide range of shots so when we went back to the editing suite, we had enough tape to chose from. As this was to be a contemporary noir, we remembered to add in the normal conventions, such as dutch tilts, smoke and sketchy looking characters. We also decided to make drugs the point of the Exchange as this sometimes came up in classic noir, but also adds a modern twist.

When we had finished filming we had to take our footage into the editing suite and log the shots onto the computer, and also on a log-in sheet. We then chose the various shots that worked best, encountering a few problems, put them together and added titles, here we also uploaded our chosen music and tried to make it fit nicely with our edit.

Evaluation of the preliminary excerise

Although this exercise seemed to be an easy one, we soon discovered it took a lot more time than anticipated. I now appreciate that you usually have to film a shot more than once as you need to have space to overlap. For example, a simple shot such as opening the door took at least three takes - the first, filming character 1 walking towards the door and pushing it open from a long shot, the second, a close up of character 1's hand opening the door, and the third from the other side of the door with character 1 walking through. We also had to get to grips with using the microphone properly, without it being seen on the camera. To insure we had a wide range of shots in case something goes wrong or it doesn't flow, we filmed even the shots we knew were decent at least a couple of times.

Once we had finished filming, we had to move on to editing, again, i though it would be easier. It was hard to put each shot in exactly the right place to make it flow, we even had to take it back frame by frame to make sure of it. It was during editing that we noticed our mistakes, such as not long enough handles and crossing the 180 degree line, however, we learned how to overcome these obstacles by covering them up using our newly learnt editing techniques like over-lapping.

Even though there were a few mistakes within our filming - I am happy with our overall outcome, I believe we done well for our first time on the cameras, and the whole point of the preliminary excerise was to make a few mistakes and learn from them. When the class had completed, we decided to evaluate each others work - this way we knew what areas we had done well in, and where we needed to improve. Overall, the class agreed our opening was good. However, when the conversation began errors occured - such as breaking the 180 degree rule twice, too high eye lines and a slight slip up with bad continuity.

The preliminary excercise

We were set the preliminary exercise for a lesson with the intent to further our knowledge and skills of the camera equipment. We had previously been out with the cameras once, but this was only to learn how they actually worked, and to shoot single shots. With that knowledge, we were set the preliminary exercise to film a sequence, simply of a short exchange of dialogue between two people. The whole sequence had to be made up of roughly 12 shots, we filmed character 1 walking down a corridor, into a room and sitting opposite character 2 - here they recited a short script.

Before we done this, we had to get used to the 'prep' task - this included a storyboard and the pre-production, which made sure we knew exactly what we were doing. At this time, we also acknowledged what groups we would be in and what we wanted for our overall production outcome.

Within filming our sequence we needed to use a wide range of camera shots and angles such as close-ups, long shots, over the shoulder etc, and get used to the idea of handles and overlaps, which when it came down to editing, it flowed a lot nicer. Also, we had important rules we had to get our heads round, which are the 180 degree line and the rule of thirds - that stop any confusion.

After we had filmed, and are confident with our shots, we had to use the editing programme on the mac's to log in our footage. We then chose the shots we were happy with and put them in order, once this was done we had to cut down, overlap and capture the induvidual shots to make them flow nicely, make sence and ultimatly make the sequence.

My own Noir film opening idea

Sitting on the side of his bed in a daze, a young man sits silently, staring at the wall ahead, his eyes are not particularly focused on anything - like he is hypnotised perhaps? He sits listening to a pretty blond woman kneeling behind him - her lips are seductively red and she has porcelain skin, she whispers softly in his ear, yet we cannot hear what she is saying.

Skewed, distorted and sometimes misty looking images flash on screen in black and white, the young man, still looking as if he is in a daze, picks up a gun and shoots at an older, smart looking man.

The scene flashes between the black and white sequence and a close up of the woman's lips, still whispering.

Then suddenly, the man wakes up - he was in a bad dream, he looks confused and shook up. With that, he gets up to get him self a glass of water, when he has finally come round from his deep sleep, there is a knock at the door. He is speechless to find the pretty blond from his dream standing, smiling at him from outside - she introduces herself and explains she lives in the flat next door and has lost her key - not knowing what to do she is welcoming into the young man's flat.

Who is this mysterious woman? Was his dream just a coincidence? Maybe he had seen her before? Or maybe his dreams are warning him...

Editing will be used to make the scene look convincingly noir, the flashes of him shooting in the dream will be in deep black and white, with long shadows and areas with no light. Low camera positioning will change the horizon line to make the viewer feel disorientated, as will skewed and distorted images. Other parts of the sequence, that are not flashes will be in colour, but with a low contrast in colour to create a 'cold' feel. Usual noir codes and conventions will be used, such as the characteristics of femme fatals and innocent 'hard boiled' men for her to seduce and manipulate and ultimately, change his life.

Neo noir: Against all odds

A tagline from this movie pretty much sums up Neo-noir: "She was a beautiful fugitive. Fleeing from corruption. From power. He was a professional athlete past his prime. Hired to find her, he grew to love her. Love turned to obsession. Obsession turned to murder. And now the price of freedom might be nothing less than their lives."

Terry Brogan, an aging football player in L.A., is cut early in the season; he needs money, so he takes a job from a shady friend of his, Jake Wise, to track down Wise's girlfriend, Jessie, who's somewhere in Mexico. She's also the daughter of a very wealthy land developer, who owns Terry's team. He heads for Cozumel, finds Jessie, and promptly falls in love with her. He thinks it's mutual, then without warning, she heads back to L.A. and Jake. What's going on with her, and what's the connection between Jake's hold on Jessie and the various politicians, lawyers, and environmentalists who seem to be converging on some sort of land deal? Terry keeps looking for answers.

Neo noir: Blood Simple

Another classic neo noir which lives up to noir expectations of crime and thriller.

In the first film of the Coen brothers , Emmett Walsh plays Visser, an unscrupulous private eye hired by Texas bar owner Marty to murder Marty's faithless wife Abby and her paramour, Ray, one of Marty's employees. But Visser is no more up-front with Marty than with anyone else; he makes some slight modifications of the original plan so that it better serves his own best interests. After a surprise double-cross and the murder of one of the important players, matters spiral out of control, and the plot gyrates through a complicated string of darkly humorous events.