Film Noir
Film noir is a style of filmmaking, that is generally a style or genre of cinematographic film marked by the mood.
Film Noir is a term that is used to describe styled Hollywood crime dramas, those in particular that emphasise cynical attitudes and motivations
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025) Film noir | Definition, Movies, & Facts. https://www.britannica.com/art/film-noir.
Cinematography is the art and technology of motion picture photography. It involves techniques such as the general composition of a scene, the lighting of the set or location, and their choice of cameras, lenses, filters and film stocks. when the camera angle and movements.
Mise en scene refers to everything in front of the camera, including the set design, lighting, and actors, this also includes the ultimate way the scene comes together for the audience.
Sound in films can include music, dialogue, sound effects, ambient noise background noise and soundtracks.
Editing plays a big role in Noir, it involves a lot of flashbacks which involve voiceovers. The editing can be non-linear at the beginning due to voiceovers.
Narratives in film noir are known for non-linear storytelling, first-person narrative and complex plots with moral characters.
Characters in Noir differ from other genres, it is usually difficult to say who is good and who is bad.
UK Disability History Month (2015) What ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) 3/5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbyHy-d5aks
Group Discussion on Scenarios
In this lesson, everyone was given a sheet of paper to create their own scenario. This could be any genre, I chose romcom as I am more fascinated about the stories that have this genre.
The story I wrote about contained three characters, a protagonist, an antagonist and a character that could be counted as the second lead.
Industry Roles
Actor is a role that communicates a character or situation to an audience through speech, body language, and movement across different mediums, which include theatre, film, television, radio, and video.
Animators produce multiple images, which are called frames juxtaposed together to create an illusion of movement. This is known as animation and different animators have different styles of animation.
Film directors have the responsibility for the production of a film, from the start to the finish of the production. As a director, you'll contribute to all the creative elements of the production and shape them into a cohesive film.
Location managers find the right location for films, shows, or shoots and coordinate. As a location manager, it's your job to find the perfect location to turn a script into a production.
Radio producers have the responsibility to keep a plan for the audio content of the broadcast via the radio, the Internet, and other mobile platforms. They have to manage the audience response after all programs.
Game developer uses their technical knowledge to translate concepts and designs into finished products.
Media and internet job profiles | Prospects.ac.uk (no date). https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/browse-sector/media-and-internet.
Suspense in Films
Suspense is the feeling of anxiety and uncertainty about the outcome of the scene.
The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock once explained suspense by describing a bomb underneath a table. The action of the bomb exploding will give the audience shock. In suspense films, the audience is already aware of the upcoming explosion. The audience is allowed to take part in this scene by making a conversation.
By using the following techniques you can create suspenseful short films:
Camera techniques are handheld camera movements, framing, extreme close-ups, close-ups, point-of-view shots, canting, and camera angles.
You can create suspense by showing low angles, the film-makers can establish a sense of dominance or a sense of threat, which amplifies suspense.
Mise ens scene methods such as lighting can be used to create shadows and silhouettes in thriller films
Editing can be used to create suspense through parallel editing, pace, cutaway, and slow motion. You can use music to set the tone, and mood of suspense.
Lighting like low-key lighting, backlighting, and chiaroscuro lighting.
Sound like dietetic and non-dietetic sound effects, music, silence, and non-dietetic sound effects.
Mis-en-Scene
Everything that is shown before the camera and its arrangement, composition, sets, props, actors, costumes and lighting. It helps what is being shown to express a film's vision by bringing a sense of time and space. It also helps set the mood and sometimes suggests a character's state of mind.
Composition:
This is one of the fundamentals of Mise en scene, it can be determined during the storyboarding phase of a film. This is the placement or arrangement of visual elements in the work, as distinct from the subject of a work. It usually takes lave during the pre-production that the framing, compositions, and camera movements are determined before the shooting.
Set Design:
This is the visual aspect of the set that is created for the setting that you capture within the frame of each shot.
Lighting:
This is something you set up after you determine the setting, location and the set design. It sets the aesthetic of the set.
Costuming:
With costume you can convey the characters personally or even the time the character is from.
Hair and Makeup:
This is essential in the movie as it echoes the look and feel of the time. Looks can represent the life the character leads in the movie.
Key Media Concepts
Media is a main platform of mass communication using platforms such as broadcasting, publishing and the internet.
Representation: The way various ways of media, such as television, film social media etc influence public perceptions and societal norms.
Denotation: It is the first level of analysis and refers to what the audience can visually see. Denotation usually links with symbolism.
Connotation: This is the nonliteral definition of the word or object that is used in film. When words or phrases are used in film there is usually a emotional interpretation of the word.
Narrative: In media terms, this means an overarching story or theme that is constructed by media.
Genre: The description and categorise different types of media is put into depending on its theme. Some media can be both, and when this occurs this is called a hybrid genre, for example, comedy and romance are called romcoms.
After Effects - Experiment
In this lesson we used After Effects, I imported a video of these floating jellyfishes. I was able to do this task by following the teachers instructions. Using the effects on this software I was able to add CC drizzle and CC bubbles.
Green Screen - Experiment
For this task we also used Adobe After Effects. I used two types clips that I used to overlap to create this green screen. As I followed the instructions I was given to create this video using green screen.
Audition Soundscape Experiment (suspense)
On Adobe Audition I experimented with sounds to mix two different sounds together.
Planning for Final Project
Scenario - The Devil Strikes at Midnight
The scenario of the story we want to create as a group is about this couple that hired a paranormal investigator to investigate their home to see if it is haunted as they have been seeing abnormal things since they first moved in.
The props we might use are a green screen (option), an old phone, an old camera, a smart suit, a dress, a magnifying glass, a pocket knife, a fedora (maybe), a trench coat, a revolver
Shot 1:
Action: Husband and wife talking about the inspector
FX: Outfits - The shot takes place on the inside of a building, or room.
Shot 2:
Action: The Inspector knocks at the door.
Dialogue: Husband and wife go to answer the door as they finish talking to each other
FX: Door - Sound for a knock at the door.
Storyboarding
Above is the storyboarding of the scene we want to create. This scene would be after the couple experience seeing abnormal things around their home.
As a group, we decided that we wouldn't like to use a green screen as we wouldn't know how the scene would turn out to look. So the location we decided on instead is Ishwar's house.
We have started writing our script for the scene which includes the action and dialogue that are in each shot. We used Celtex to help us write the script in a more realistic layout.
Below I've attached some of the script writing we have finished so far:
Script Writing
We have assigned roles for each character and the off-screen roles: our actors are Dayo and Harris as husband and wife, Darius as the inspector, Ishwar as the cameraman, Viktor and me as the directors and editors.
We plan to shoot at Ishwar's house as it best suits our description of the couple's house.
Last Minute Changes
As the group and assigned actor found it hard to go through the original plan to shoot the scene, we had to change location. The only time and location everyone was able to agree on was at college during school time. As the scenario we had couldn't work in a college environment and neither of the group members wanted to use a green screen we all decided to change the story.
Although these changes completely change the story of the scene we were willing to take the risk.
We ended up changing the scenario to a school stalker type narrative, with no dialogue. The no dialogue helped us go through the shooting smoothly.
Group Scene (take two)
When filming the scene, I would say that everything went smoother then I expected it to go. This was because the group had good communicational skills and this helped the crew and the cast to work together. The only problem we faced were technical and managing the small space we had to work in while shooting but we eventually overcame that through the communication and help from one another.
Darius was part tacking in the filming and direction of the film taking while Ishwar was assisting with the filming and I was assisting with the directions. Viktor was one of our negative leads. The other actors that helped us with the filming were Dayo (main lead), Leet and Ali. During the start of the filming we used the help of a camera stabiliser but then we soon figured out that we would film better without it. As we were dealing with some small filming areas.
During the film taking we tried using angles that would help evoke suspense to the scene. So when it came to the editing part of this project I felt as if the element of different angles has definitely helped to evoke some suspense. While editing I felt as if we could have taken some smaller shots, as this could have helped create uneasy feel to the audience while watching. I was inspired by this technique from the opening scene of the show 'Luther' when the lead is chasing after his suspect and there are multiple cuts with multiple different angles.
Audio Planning
Diegetic sounds can be heard by the characters in the film or TV show. This sound can be the characters talking, music played in the show even sounds that are made during the scene.
Non-Diegetic sounds can not be heard within the films world and the characters can not hear. This can be the opening sound of a film, music or songs played that only the audience can hear and that is not heard by the characters in the film.
For the short scene I'll be editing I want to only add diegetic sounds, as the characters wont have any dialogue. The non-diegetic sound I'll be adding will be is music that helps the scene create suspense.
Analysing Title Sequence
Drive Opening Title Sequence
Emily Baker (2013) Drive Opening title sequence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm0cZB4XQjI.
I analysed the opening title sequence for the film "Drive", I have added the link to the opening title sequence above.
The second shot is a low angle shot, it creates an idea that the character has authority and status. This angle also allows the actor to look down at the audience. The way they an introduce the film with the actors name instead of the title of the film show ow much star power the actors has and how much of a advantage it is for the film to use his name.
The third shot is also a establishing shot, this shot is blurred but you can still make out that it is a shot of the city buildings and the sky scrapers tp make a clear understanding of the location.
As for the audio the title sequence has the same beat through out. The use of auto-tune for the voice, gives a
Title Sequence
I was given some websites where I would be able to find free and non-copyright sounds. I found this very useful to create my sound track for my title sequence.
Multitrack
Planning for multitrack: I decided what kind of audio I wanted for in my title sequence by looking at few crime drama intros such as the British crime drama Luther. Although I wanted it to be similar I didn't want my audio to have any lyrics. I also wanted to add the element of repetition of the beats like the Drive intro. This is what influenced me to use similar audio, I also wanted the audio and visuals to match so it creates a more enjoyable watch.
While making this multitrack on Adobe Audition, I already knew that the sound should fade in. I wanted it to have a subtle start and end. As I think this helps create more suspense to the title sequence. When finding the audio I used the website Pixabay to find a sound effects.
Suspense Sound effects (no date). https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/suspense/.
While creating this multitrack I developed the skills such as learning to lower the volume of a track and blending the sounds to sound more natural. In future I would like to dive further into the detailed editing features in the adobe software.
Adobe After Effect
I wanted the sound for the title sequence to have a slight suspense. As well as the title sequence it self, the slow movement and fading helps create suspense. I chose this audio, as I thought it best suited the title sequence.
I created this title sequence using adobe after effects, I used the help of a tutorial to create this. I struggled to make this at the start, as I had to keep changing computer I kept loosing my work. Then I soon figured out how it works. After working on this software I developed an understanding of adobe after effects. The "mysterious" images help create further suspense.
If I were to improve this I would make the fading in much more cleaner as I feel that it looks rough. The most successful I would say is creating the same filter I wanted each image to have I this title sequence.
Press Kit
I created this press kit using Adobe InDesign, I had a look at some example press kit before starting on my own. It helped me think of my own design and get my own idea on mine. I used screenshots from the actual film to use in the press kit. I tried to used a colour theme that suited the genre of the film.
The front page of the press kit and all the title of the film in the press kit has the same font in the title sequence. This helps the audience to recognise the film easily, as the font doesn't change and keeps consistent.
The Devil Strikes at Midnight - Own Edit
This is my final cut of the scene we filmed for the movie title The Devil Strikes at Midnight without the title sequence.
When editing the audio to my scene, I knew that I didn't have any intensions of adding any sound effects, so I only added a soundtrack. I made sure to choose a sound track that would evoke suspense from the start but in the most subtle way and gradually have some build up towards the climax. I fortunately found something suitable for my edit of the scene.
I used Adobe Premiere Pro to do my edit of the scene, as I have some experience with this software I found it much smoother to finish it. How I would improve this for next time would be by adding sounds such as foley sounds. This would be a good to experiment and add in my coming projects, as I think this might help create a more realistic touch.
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