completed storyboards and extra pre-production

The following images are of our storyboards. Some of the shots were not used but this is just a clear indication of some of the planning that we undertook.

Our shot list that is seen here was what we used to plan the shots from the footage that was filmed. This helped to find scenes that were needed and in doing so caused less time in finding them.

script for the meeting between spencer and the femme fatale

Screenplay.

INT. COLLEGE CORRIDORS.
SPENCER enters a corridor and hears two girls talking.

Girl
(Loudly)
Yeah, I saw on the news that they found the fifth dead boy yesterday and like the other ones, the cause of death was totally unknown.

INT. SPENCERS CAR
SPENCER’s car is parked by the bridge that was shown on the photograph, OLIVIA turns off the music.

Olivia
With a posh accent
Hi, I’m Olivia. I see you got my letter.
Would you like to play a game?

Spencer
What do you mean a game?
Seriously, is this some sort of joke?

Olivia.
No. Not at all.
This is nothing more than just an exhilarating pastime.
You will get a lot of money if you win the game.

Spencer
What I have got to lose. I’ll play.
Who would pay me if I won?


Olivia
Let’s just say, I’m a very generous person.
However, if you were to lose, the consequences would be great!

Spencer
What type of game is this?

Olivia
A treasure hunt


Spencer
Ok, what am I looking for?

Olivia
You will know when you find it.

Olivia gives Spencer another pink envelope and exits the car.

The treatment of our contemporary Neo Noir

Treatment

For our modern film noir adaptation we intend to use part of our exchange exercise, in order to make a piece that is both modern but also has the classic characteristics of film noir.

Cinematography by Rita

We decided to use a wide range of shots that will add to the film noir effect, We used a long panning shot of the bridge because it not only shows the location but it can also be used as an establishing shot as well as being visually beautiful. This shot was quite lengthy compared to our second panning shot of the atrium which was a point of view shot of our male character. The speed represented the fact that he was looking for someone, but most people in the shot weren’t important.

In the car, while the characters were talking we filmed the conversation from either side and from the back. This was so that when editing we could use the shot-reverse-shot technique for the conversation. This was a medium shot. This helps show facial expressions of both characters, which is quite important. We also had an extreme close up of the radio when Olivia enters the car and turns off the music, the close up was so that the audience could see the action, which was quite empowering for her which was also a cross match with the music flowing into the second scene inside the car.In the car we also shot the conversation scene from the back, we positioned the camera in the boot of the car. This gave us another angle on the conversation that could be used later on.

We filmed a shot of Spencer in the atrium in which he was sitting down and Olivia was standing in the background by the wall, she then walks up to him, puts and envelope in his back and walks away. For this shot we kept Olivia to walk as far away from Spencer as possible within shot so that when it came to editing we could give in a ghostly effect of her jump cutting towards him which added to the mystery and non linear effect of film noir.

Editing by Joshua

The editing techniques used for our final piece will try to make the film noir filming a continuous flow to make the viewer feel like they are there in first person viewing the action taking place. The beginning shots are taken from our 1^st piece, The exchange. What we are trying to go for here is a flashback scenario. Showing the viewer what is going to happen and then relaying back to how this situation happened. Black and white is used for the beginning to make the viewer aware which is the flashback and which isn’t. This stylistic has also been used to refer back to the old noir stylistics. Our opening scene of the flashback shows Spencer, our male protagonist, sitting alone unaware that the femme fatale is behind him lying in wait. When she approaches him to place an envelope into his bag a use of jump cuts are used to speed up her movement towards Spencer. In doing so it also develops an eerie perception to be made….Is she real?The shot of Spencer opening the envelope fades out and the next shot fades in to show that time has passed between shots. That scene also show the unveiling of the Orwell bridge and the next shot to follow will be its graphic match of the Orwell bridge….hopefully.

The sound within this scene is digetic and non-digetic. with the inclusion of background sound such as that within the atrium aswell as non-digetic music which ends during the shot of justine turning of the radio.

In general the transitions between shots will be to link the sequences being shown. The use of Cuts which will be used to change locations/ scenes within the film. The next shot will be of the Orwell bridge and a panning shot towards our male character. This shot also allows the graphic match but also starts an opening to the scene and the meeting between Spencer and the femme fatale.Motivated cuts will also be used, like those scene in the beginning with Spencer sitting, to try and keep the viewer constantly anticipating the next shot….hopefully!

Sound by Rita

The sound on our film noir is dialogue, atmosphere voice over’s and music.The dialogue is quite simple and relatively short as most of the film is mysterious. In the dialogue, Olivia the femme fatale asks Spencer to play the treasure hunt game. It is quite posh dialect as Olivia is ideally, a posh, rich character. Although she keeps he sentences short and mysterious, and never gives away too much information. The voice over’s will help us put across what our main characters feels about the mystery and the treasure hunt.

The music is copy-right free; it will be used at the start to see the mysterious, film-noir mood. The music we chose effectively portrays the mood of our movie as it is sort of dark and gloomy. The music will be something that also matches the actions and fits in with what it is seen on screen.

Mise-en-scene by Rita

We used the Orwell Bridge as a background and the fields because they tied in well with the gloomy day, which added to the dark film noir effect as he filmed the characters in the car. We also used the atrium in the college as another location in which Spencer gets the first letter from Olivia, because the atrium is a room full of people and Spencer was sat there alone which helps us portray how alone he is.

As for costumes, we dressed Spencer in fairly casual wear, as he is a teenager, but we tried to dress Olivia in more formal clothing with the skirt and a blazer which we wore underneath her coat. We only had one main prop which was the pink letter with the picture inside the Olivia always used to communicate and lure Spencer around.

　

Synopsys

Spencer valentine is an eighteen year old guy with a burning desire for some excitement in his life. He picks up a pink envelope that falls out of his coat pocket. He notices his name on it.
The country is currently shaken up over the mysterious deaths of male teenagers in the region, this is the main topic of conversation, even in the lessons but to Spencer this is no more than atmospheric sound.
He opens the pink envelope and takes out a picture of a bridge, on the back written it say’s “February 1st 2010 at 12pm. don’t be late”.
Curious, two days later Spencer goes to the nearby bridge that was shown in the envelope. He meets Olivia who invites him to play a game with her, giving him another pink envelope; this raises more questions for Spencer than answers. Olivia claims that money will be given to the winner of her treasure hunt game.
Spencer isn’t so willing to believe that this is anything more than a joke but still decides to open the envelope that was given to him. With the second envelope he gets a set of photographs which together lead him to the next location through clues.
The clues lead him to different locations under a time limit.
He then comes to meet another young man named Eddie who is playing the same mysterious game that Spencer is. Though soon after the meet, Eddie is dead. The reasons for his death are unknown.
Spencer finds himself drawn to Olivia when they meet again. Assuming the feeling is mutual he ends up placing all his trust open her.
Gradually the deaths surrounding the young male adults start to stir interest upon Spencer and soon he finds out by news reports that the deaths are all related to a game.
Wondering if Olivia knows anything about the strange occurrences, Spencer decides to confront her. He goes to the next meeting place at the time and date planned though Olivia doesn’t show.
She evaporates as soon as she materialized. This leaves Spencer wondering if she was nothing but a product of his fertile imagination.
One year later, Spencer walks down the college corridors to his art class. A pink envelope is passed into his hand as he walks pass a girl who was walking in the other direction.
The familiarity of the girl causes Spencer to stop and stare as she walks away, but not for too long as Olivia doesn’t leave business unfinished.

Analysis of film Opening sequences

Fight club
The beginning of fight club I love. Mainly due to the enigma that sets. The camera seems to be of a continuous scene through only what can be a field of electricity pylons. Though, we later find that it’s an inside sequence of shots flowing through the inside of the human mind and out through the nostrils to the end of a gun barrel placed uncomfortably inside Edward Norton’s mouth. It leaves so many unanswered questions straight away within the film fight club. It also inspired an idea for our contemporary noir to use our previously filmed exchange footage to use as our opening scene which too, would leave an enigma on how/why has our protagonist male died.

Lock stock and two smoking barrels.
This wasn’t an opening scene which inspired me but I am a fan of a great British film and this one in particular has to be one of my favourites. Its black comedy delving into the underbelly (bit like a noir-ish story plot, without the pessimistic ending) of society in London and use of quite wit throughout the film as well as a fantastic story behind it makes it an unmissable film which keeps you engrossed within it so that you don’t miss any of the action.
The reason I liked the opening sequence is that it amused me. The cockney banter being dealt out to bacons’ (Jason Statham’s) punters on the black market is hilarious and really makes you feel like your one of the punters being haggled due to the good use of mid shots, once the police arrive though they ‘scarper‘. which kind of looks similar to the opening scene of transporting which is another fantastic British film.

my treatment & synopsis of a contemporary noir

Synopsis of ‘15minutes of fame’

A woman is desperate for fame and will do anything for it and I mean ANYTHING. So when the chance arises to go to an opening of a new bar in London with her friend she jumps at the opportunity, knowing full well that she will be rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.
As the night continues she is getting close and comfortable with a rising star of British tennis. He believes her to be single; she knows that he’s not. Whilst he leaves to talk to his agents and sponsors she slips a drug into his drink. This way he won’t remember the evening’s events and she can blackmail him with any story that she can muster. If he doesn’t succumb to her desires then he has two ultimatums.
1. To keep his normal life he must pay a large sum of money….or too ignore the threats she will
2. Sell her story for the 15minutes of fame that she has always wanted.

Treatment of ‘15 minutes of fame’.

To make this truly a contemporary noir the editing will be non-linear with enigma’s set within the film that aren’t making too much sense at first until nearer the end. Maybe he has wronged the femme fatale before but is unbeknown to this. Maybe there is more than one person involved within the blackmail?
Jump cuts will help to aid the feeling of unease, felt by viewers from previous noirs, within scenes such as the spiking of our males drink as well as low key lighting and maybe the use of a ‘hard’ light in some scenes at the bar and the morning after within the apartment.
The cinematography will incorporate shots such as high/low shots to show the shifting of power from the male protagonist (the tennis player) to our femme fatale.
Two shots and over the shoulder shots will enable to capture the meeting and conversations throughout the night and Dutch tilts to express the feelings felt from the morning after.
The clothes worn will be a modern twist incorporating old styles of the 1940’s such as pencils skirts and pea coats whilst modern stylists will be within the technology such as cars, phones, modernistic furniture and lighting seen within the club.
The sound will be between digetic and non digetic sound as well as adding atmospheric sound to aid the feeling of desperation felt by the tennis player when he hears the blackmail delivered to him by the femme fatale.

Title faces of noir

Title faces

Title faces of film noir are of a bold text. Some of the later versions displayed italics within them such as the Maltese falcon but the later versions were more of a plain and ordinary type. Seeing that our noir is meant to be more of a contemporary spin off then the title fonts that I am going to use are going to be of bold font, evenly spaced out like that of taxi driver and la confidential.