Film noir is a style of filmmaking which usually uses elements of cynical heroes, stark lighting effects, frequent use of flashbacks, intricate plots, and even a bit of existentialist philosophy. This style of filmaking was popular during the 1940s and 1950s thanks to the work of directors such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, and Billy Wilder, whom popularised the genre to the mainstream.
The main hero of a noir film is not really a hero and is more of an anti-hero. The women in this genre are usually portrayed as being "femme fatale", which literally means "deadly woman" in French, who hide their true purpose by using their beauty, charm, or sexual allure, to get what they want.
As most of these films came after the end of the Second World War, there is a sense and theme of pessimism throughout these films. The atmosphere of these films and how the characters act and view the world reinforce this theme when these movies were first released. It gives a feeling of dread and a strange uncertainty of what is going to happen in the story, leaving the audience with the same feelings when watching such movies and also feeling a connection to the characters, atmosphere/setting, and the story overall.
13.11.24
Media roles
Actor- An actor is someone who plays a role of a character in a particular story.
Concept artist- A concept artist is an artist who draws out ideas and plans for what a particular story should look like and what should be included in it.
Film director: A film director is the person who directs how a particular movie should be like, and what the actors and actresses should do in a particular scene.
Film/Video editor: The job of the editor is to edit together the scenes of a movie/video, and see what works and doesn't work. They also may add extra elements such as sounds, texts, titles, ect.
Game developer: The job of the game developer is to help develop a game. An example would be Super Mario, as they would have worked on this specific game's gameplay and desgin of the game elements as a whole.
Writer: The job of the writer is to write down the story of a particular project (i.e. a movie, tv show, or even a video game). They also would help to adapt a particular story for any sort of media product.
In order to get into acting you have to enrol into an acting class or join a local drama group. It is also important to research the industry to get an idea of what to expect from it.
To become a concept artist you have to have obtained a a high school diploma, then pursued a bachelor's degree in fine arts, get an art certification, practice regularly, create a portfolio, network, and gain experience through internships or related jobs.
To become a film director gain an understanding of screenplay writing, attend film school, experiment with filmaking (such as making a short film with lego as an example), and building a strong professional network.
In order to become film/video editor study a degree or course in a related field such as film studies, videography, screenwriting, and or video editing. This will help you to get into the world of editing, and overall have a good grasp of editing.
To get into the world of game development have an understanding of games, coding, and develop technical skills.
In order to become a writer, write everyday, think of stories, read books, comic books, and or screenplays, ect, to familiarizes yourself with the world of writing. Also listen to how other writers work and their personal philosophies to writing, and in this way you will learn how to become a writer.
15.11.24
(My suspense movie idea)
19.11.24
Looking at suspense in film:
The Zodiac (2007)
The Zodiac (2007) is a movie directed by acclaimed American movie director David Fincher (well known for directing hits such as Fight Club, Seven, and Gone Girl), starring an ensemble cast of Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr, just to name a few. The story/plot follows cartoonist Robert Graysmith (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), who becomes obsessed with finding out the true identity of the mysterious serial killer, only known by his allais the Zodiac killer, whom had been terrorising Northern California during the 1960s and 1970s, the same time-period and setting that this film is set in.
In a scene from the film Robert Graysmith get's an anonymous tip about a man whom may have employed a man, who is believed to be the Zodiac killer, at a cinema around the late 60s, the same time period that the Zodiac started his murders. When he begins to question the man he tells him to go with him to his basement. Robert seems supsired as he remarks that there aren't that many basements in California. He goes down with the man anyway to pick out a film that the alleged Zodiac Killer may have put on while working at the cinema and had been inspired by to carry out his killing spree. While in the basement Robert begins to hear noises upstairs, as if someone else is in the house beside the two of them. When he confronts the man who let him in his home he ignores his questions and continues about finding the film. This causes him to run up the stairs and try to escape but the door is locked. The man comes up to him and opens the door for him to leave.
This particular scene is quiet suspenseful as it makes the viewer think that sometinhg is going to happen to Robert Graysmith, and that it would reveal the Zodiac killer. There is a lack of music in this scene, which gives the sense of that something is going to happen, and that thing won't be good! The use of ambience such as the water running, and the kettle going off really adds a sense of unease of the moment to the viewer. When he starts running up the stairs and tries to open the doorknob further adds to the suspense of the scene.
20.11.24
The basement
scene from The Zodiac
Mise en scene
27.11.24
What is media?
Codes and conventions: Different media texts contain codes and conventions which define their genre, and give their audience expectations. For example there is narrative, which is how the story is told in a film or television programme through plot devices, situations, characters, and actors associated with specific genres. While the narrative in magazines, which even include the cover design and all of it's content, including regular features, horoscopes, readers' letters, and advertising.
Representation: This is the way of how something or someone is portrayed. At the most basic level, we can usually understand whether an image we see is representing people or things in a way that is positive or negative. For example Darth Vader from Star Wars wears all black, a helmet styled like a skull, carries a red lightsaber, and even the way he speaks. All these aspects show that he is a bad guy in the story.
Denotation: The obvious character features in a particular piece of media. This can include
Connotation: Associations that the viewer infers from a particular piece of media.
Genre: A genre is a classification of what a particular piece of media style (such as a movie) is about. An example would be The Departed (2006) which is a crime drama, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) which is a comedy romance film
29.11.24
I made this movie intro concept using Adobe Aftereffects.
3.12.24
Soundscape
I created this sound effect(s) using Adobe Audition, and downloaded the sounds to create this from the internet.
4.12.24
Diegetic sound
The origin of diegetic sound comes from the Greek word 'diegesis', which simply means the world of the film and everything in it. It comes from the ideas of ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, which in their view 'diegesis' was an act of telling a story.
Diegetic sound is the sound that originates from within the video or film's world.
Non-diegetic sound on the other hand is any type of sound that does not specifically exist within the world of the film itself.
Trans-diegetic sound is the sound that is playing in the actual movie with the characters being able to hear it as well.
Creative exceptions is a mix of all three diegetic sounds.
Examples of Diegetic sounds
The Boys
At the beginning of the scene there is a character who performs a musical number in front of a crowd. After he finishes it the crowd listening to it then suddenly start clapping. This is an example of diegetic sound as these sounds all occur inside of the clip's world.
After the song ends herioc music begins to play as diffrent charcters begin to come onto the stage. This shows the shift in the moment of the scene.
Later on in the scene the characters start to discuss with each other, and two of the characters have speeches as well, with one of them interrupting the other. There is also another moment when a heckler also interrupts when one of them is speaking.
During the end of the clip the music starts again and is much more eerie than before reflecting the change of tone in the moment. This music is non-diegetic meaning that only us the audience can hear it and not the charcters.
Fight Club
At the beginning of this scene we can hear the sound of the inside of an aeroplane while it is flying. This tells us that it is taking place in an aeroplane mid-flight. This sound effect is also diegetic as most people who have used an aeroplane will know what it sounds like when it's flying.
We also get a dialogue between the two characters that this scene is focusing on.The dialogue is also diegetic as we can see the two talking two each other directly.
There is also the sound of a suitcase being opened which is also a diegetic sound effect.
Around the middle of this clip we can hear a non-opened sound in the form of a narration which lasts for a couple of seconds.
9.12.24
Storyboard for film idea
10.12.24
Movie idea
(Group Work)
Title: The Devil Strikes at Midnight
The scenario of the story: A couple hire a paranormal investigator to investigate their mansion to see if it is haunted as they have been seeing abnormal things around their mansion.
The scene we should shoot: The inspector knocks at the door, meets the couple and investigates the mansion.
Location: An old countryside mansion, inside and out of it.
The props: Green screen (option), an old phone, old camera , smart suit, dress, magnifying glass, pocket knife, fedora (maybe), trench coat, revolver.
Storyboard
13.12.24
17.12.24
Script writing notes
I started to write the script for our film to give out actions and orders on how to approach the specific scene that we want to film from the movie, which is the opening. To write the script I used the website Celtx which helps with writing movie scripts giving us a more realistic layout.
I put screenshots of the script from the previous lesson. A storyboard was also created to plan out what our opening could look like.
The team involved in the making of the movie
Me: The scriptwriter and editor
Reni: Director and editor (backup role: the inspector)
Ishwar: Camera-man
Darius: Inspector Fraser (backup role: editor)
Harris: Gerald
Dayo: Erin
15.1.25
Change of plan(s)
We had to change the story as we weren't able to shoot the scene where we desired at. We won't be able to shoot at Ishwar's house (which was where we were going to shoot the original scene) so we shot it around the college itself instead. Due to this we had to change the story itself. However, we do plan to shoot more of the scene, and add more to it as well.
31.1.25
Evolution of my title sequence
work
4.2.25
My title sequence
for the film
25.2.25
Music in title sequence
For the title sequence's music I used three different creepy music tracks and merged them together to create one big track altogether. I took the three tracks from a royalty-free music site, I then opened up Adobe Audition and made a multitrack. Later I put the three tracks together creating a mixdown. After I created the title sequence I then put the the soundtrack into it via Adobe Aftereffects.
26.2.25
Title sequence analysis:
The Sopranos (1999-2007)
The title sequence starts off with the pov of a car driving out of a tunnel on a road with some other cars driving. The audio of the entire title sequence is the 1997 song 'Woke up this morning' by the British band 'Alabama 3'. The song also starts playing at around one second into the title, with the cars coming up around 5 seconds in.
In the next shot we continue with the pov of the car with it this time turning behind another car around seven seconds in.
At nine seconds we have the next shot is that of the camera looking out of the right window of the car showcasing a landscape of diffrent buildings and skyscrapers in the front of it. At the same time we see the first credit appear.
Later on in the title sequence we see more buildings and other landmarks.
The use of the diffrent landmarks, and vehicles in the title sequence shows us the main character of the show, as they drive through different places on their way back home. This is meant to act as sort of a point of view, and to show the world that they inhabit. It also leads us to question where he is coming back from, and what he may have been doing.
We also get shots of the main character of the show, that being Tony Soprano, inside of his car while he is driving in the title sequence. This lets the viewer know who is driving the car, and to what is going on inside it. The title sequence then ends with Tony Soprano arriving to what looks like his house, and gets out of his car before the title pops up and the background cuts to black, with the title still appearing before cutting out at the end.
What I personally liked about this title sequence would be how it is overall presented. The use of the pov from the car driving through different areas, accompanied by the song 'Woke up this morning' makes it interesting to see what will happen in the episode that the title sequence is playing before.
18.3.25
Movie Brochure
21.3.25
Final Evaluation
for brochure and title sequence
I created my title sequence using Adobe Aftereffects, it was a bit hard to make at first as there were some bits that I found frustrating to navigate. However after some time I managed to get a hang of it. I aslo based the title sequence off the inital idea that I had for the film, before we had to change it. I used an effect to make the credits that appear on screen later fade away into the background. Later on, I created a soundtrack for the sequence using three diffrent soundtracks. I put them into Adobe Audition and created a multitrack, I then completed my title sequence and added the soundtrack into it via Adobe Aftereffects.
For my brochure, I used Adobe Indesign to make it. I took inspiration for the design from other brochures that I had researched. Using this new found knowledge of brochures I used different parts to be put into my own design. I also put in the stills from the film into it, so that people who are looking at it get an idea of what is going on. I added in text including credits, a plot, and even fake reviews, so that it looks like that we are actually marketing it.
2.4.25
Group Short Film Scene Edit
A scene from the short film that we made. I used Adobe Premier Pro to create it. I also added music from the title sequence onto the scene, with the use of Premier Pro. After completing this scene edit I uploaded it to Youtube.
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