Favourite Films

Here is a Prezi of what was supposed to be my top ten favourite films of all time. However, I could only think of seven, and even though others movies I've watched are very good, they're not my favourites. I will be updating this though, as I have planned to watch some films which I'm sure will make it into my top ten. For now though, here are my top seven. Enjoy! (I would recommend watching full-screen).

Film Noir Research

Below are blog posts on the research I carried out about Film Noir.

Neo-Noir

Neo-noir is the continuation of Film Noir with some features altered. This can range from changing the generic narrative of Film Noir, relationships between characters, costume, theme as well as many more. Here I will be talking about some Neo-Noir films, and how they're different to Film Noir.

Bound (1996)

Bound is a neo-noir crime thriller film, starring Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon, and was directed by The Wachowski's. 

In 'Bound,' many aspects have been changed. Firstly, characters. The 'every-man' is an 'every-woman'. Corky, has a regular, some would say 'boring' job as a painter and plumber, which is very typical, as in classic Film Noir's, this would make the character seem more attainable and achievable to the audience. Another difference in terms of characters and their relationships is that Corky, and the other principal character, Violet, have a sexual/romantic relationship. A relationship between two women in the 40s would have never been shown in a film, so this is a nice difference, as it represents the LGBTQ+ community in a Neo-Noir in a way that wouldn't have been conceivable in the classic Film Noir period.

Narrative

Violet, playing what would be described as the 'femme-fatale' at first, forms a relationship with a hesitant Corky, as at first she's not sure if she can trust Violet. 

Violet's boyfriend in the film, Caeser, is double crossed by Violet, which is common in Film Noir's, although the film focuses on Corky and Violet's relationship. I can see how Ceaser and Violet's relationship would be the typical 'every-man' and 'femme-fatale,' and if this was a Film Noir, their relationship would be the focal point.

The ending is also not a conventional Film Noir ending. Usually, the 'femme-fatale' is killed or flees from the situation and the 'every-man' is injured, in prison, or something along those lines. However, in Bound, Corky and Violet form a relationship and show that two people who are very different both deserve to live, and should not be punished by the way the act. This film also celebrates sex, sexuality and female empowerment, instead to portraying it as something negative, which is often seen in Film Noir. 

'Bound' trailer

Costume

In 'Bound' costumes are somewhat conventional, but also keeping it up-to-date. Violet wears tight dresses and high heels, which is what a conventional 'femme-fatale' would wear. In the first scene the audience sees a big rack of high heeled shoes along with a rack of dresses. 

Corky wears jeans, baggy t-shirts, which is un-conventional, but if the classic 'every-man' was living in present day, he may wear something like that, especially if he was a plumber/decorator. 

However, both Corky and Violet wear black leather jackets, which is paying homage to the 1950s, a decade where Film Noir was popular. 

Blade Runner (1982)

Blade Runner is neo-noir science-fiction film starring Harrison Ford and directed by Ridley Scott.

Setting

Blade Runner is set in a futuristic, 'sci-fi' Los Angeles, in 2019. Even though this is very un-conventional, 2019 LA is a bustling city with shops, restaurants, loads of people, much similar to where a traditional Film Noir would be set. 

'Blade Runner' trailer

Character

Rick Deckard, the 'every-man' was a blade runner. He had the job of hunting replicants (bio-engineered beings) and exterminate them. However, Rick Deckard is retired. So, if we translated this job into something Rick Deckard would be if he were living in 2015, he would have been a retired police officer. Even though this sounds quite run-of-the-mill, a police officer is still not something that a conventional 'every-man' would have.  

As I have been writing about the differences between Film Noirs and Neo-Noirs, I'm going to list some tropes of Film Noir which I have seen in most modern Noirs. Here are some collages I made, comparing elements in Film Noir and Neo-Noir:

Smoking

Shadows

Overall, Film Noir never really ended in my opinion, and has been re-invented over the years, and even though they may be very different (which is usually a good thing, in terms of messages they give to the audience). However, elements have still been left over through the years, mixed with new ideas, creating a fantastic new genre.

Lighting

Lighting is a key part of any film, but is very obvious and prominent in Film Noir. 

Low-key lighting is used a lot, creating an intense contrast between dark and light, and more visually harsh. 

This type of lighting creates what is called a chiaroscuro effect. Chiaroscuro originated in the Renaissance through paintings. It  This is used in film to create bold contrasts, as I said before, but also to produce a sense of volume in the subject on screen.

Here are some examples of chiaroscuro lighting used in Renaissance paintings. 

The term 'low-key lighting' is used to address any scene/shot which has an intense contrast in lighting. If shadows are outstanding, the contrast in lighting heightens even more.

Low-key lighting changes when filmed inside or outside (interior or exterior). The challenges of filming outside is the natural daylight, as it can disrupt the effect trying to be achieved. Filming outside at night poses fewer problems. Filming inside is much easier, as the ever-changing, uncontrollable natural daylight is at bay. Below are some examples. 

Low-key lighting (interior)

Low-key lighting (exterior)

The use of shadows is a trope of Film Noir. They can be seen as shadows of a person, from blinds, banisters, but they can also be used to conceal certain things, usually characters, who then appear into the light, revealing themselves to the audience. This is used to build tension and excitement, and also an interesting way to reveal something. Shadows can be cast, as I just said, upon an actor, large shadows upon a wall, or upon props/set. Below are some examples.

Equipment

There are certain types of equipment used to create particular effects with lighting.

Gobo

A Gobo is a cut out of a piece of glass or plastic which sits between a light source and the lens of a camera, creating a strong contrasting, harsh shadow. 

Cucocolis

These are a similar piece of equipment to the Gobo. They are cut-outs, of metal, wood or plastic, to create sharp shadow images. The cut-out sits between the light and whatever the shadow is being projected on to. 

Barn Doors/Flags

These are types of equipment used to create an effect called the 'eye-light'. An eye-light is to highlight the eyes and brow, and create a reflection in the eyes. This creates a dramatic and striking effect. 

This effect can be achieved by using 'barn doors' or 'flags'.

Thanks for reading!

Editing

Editing in Film Noir depends on the narrative, which often include flashbacks. Therefore, the editing/transitions will depend on whether the narrative is in the present or past.

In so many Film Noirs, flashbacks are where the main bulk of the story is told. This is to convey the 'dark' element of Noir even more, as the story has happened, and there's nothing anybody (characters, audience) can do about it. 

As well as this, many Film Noir endings are presented in the opening scene. This is an editing technique to make the audience excited and eager to find out how the character(s) ended up here, and what happened leading up to this moment. 

A trademark element of Film Noir is voiceovers. There is one person, usually the 'every-man', if not, somebody who knew him (but not a main character), narrates the story. This also keeps on reminding the audience that what happens on screen is in the past, not in the present. 

Job Roles in the Media

We were asked to do some research surrounding jobs in all different types of media. I focused on Film TV, Fashion, Hair and Make-up, as well as jobs in publishing. Enjoy!

I've noticed that the slides change by themselves, not giving anyone enough time to read it entirely. I'm afraid you'll have to press pause whenever you want to read a slide and play when you're ready to move on. I'll try and fix this soon. In the meantime, enjoy!

Costume

Costume in Film Noir is fairly straight-forward and rarely changes.

The 'Every-Man'

The 'every-man' will usually be wearing a suit and tie, often with a fedora/trilby. In more stressful scenes, he may as suit without the jacket or hat, showing his less professional side. The 'every-man' would often wear this to appeal to other men watching who may be like him, so that they felt they could relate with him as a character.

The 'Femme-Fatale'

The main female role is usually dressed in tight, stereotypically feminine evening dresses. Typical 40s/50s fashion is also used, trench coats, high necked jumpers, tight trousers, silky gowns etc. Women in Film Noir would wear these outfits, especially evening dresses, as it was meant to portray confidence and sexuality, which at the time was supposed to appeal to a male audience, but also make them feel frightened and intimidated by these characters. This was just after World War II, when women had obtained more rights, freedom, and liberation. The character of the Femme Fatale was supposed to scare and intimidate men, making them feel the need to bring back specific gender roles and brush rising female empowerment under the carpet again. 

I will be posting more about other aspects of Film Noir soon. 

Camera and Composition

Many different techniques are used in terms of camera and composition to create different effects with the audience and represent different things.

Low-angles 

Low angles, if on a person, shows their power, as the audience is looking up to them. The amount of power they have may change throughout the movie, so the way they are filmed will probably change as well.

Below are some low-angles used in Film Noir.

As you can see, the low angle gives the audience the feeling that this character is powerful, capable and authoritative. 

High Angles

High angles are used for the opposite purpose. They are used to make the audience view a character as vulnerable, weak and possibly not in control.

Below are some high-angle shots from various Film Noirs and Neo-Noirs. 

Dutch Angles

Dutch/Canted angles is a shot where the camera is at an angle, so the image on-screen is not parallel with the bottom or top of the camera frame. This gives a distorted effect and is used to make the audience feel un-nerved, restless and apprehensive. It also gives the viewer a feeling of disorientation. If being used from a character's perspective, Dutch angles can show how they feel psychologically or physically. Below are some Dutch angles used in Film Noir and Neo-Noir. 

Deep Focus

Deep focus is a cinematic technique using a large depth of field. Depth of field is the distance between subjects that are sharp in an image, before the image becomes blurry and out of focus. 

This technique uses lighting, wide angled lenses and small apertures (apertures is a unit of measurement used to calculate the size of the opening of the lens, to control how much light reaches the film/digital sensor). This means that very little lighting reaches the film. Below are some examples of Deep Focus being used in Film Noir. Deep Focus shots are also used to show the status and importance of characters in those shots, or the role they play. 

Composition

In Film Noir, composition of the image on-screen is massive part of what makes the film, and in developing characters.

Firstly, there is a conventional way actors and actresses are composed in certain shots. For example, a lot of the time, the main actress in shot will be standing a few feet behind the male actor. This shows that the director wanted to show her apparent lack of power, and that she is could be 'dangerous,' in a weaker position or doing things behind his back. Here are some examples of this type of shot. 

This can of course be composed the opposite way, with the actress in front, showing power and the male actor a few feet behind her, showing his weakness and how he is dangerous, in the entire film but especially towards the female character in shot. Below are some examples of this. 

The way in which actors are placed, level-wise also effects the way they are perceived in a shot. For example, if a character is sitting in a shot, they can seem more vulnerable, or if one character is at the top of a set of stairs, and one is at the bottom, this can give the audience a feeling of who is more authoritative. 

Here are some examples:

I will be posting more about other aspects of Film Noir and Neo-Noir soon. 

Stock Characters

Stock characters of Film Noir are a massive part of what makes the genre so recognizable.

Below is a brief description of the generic stock characters used in Film Noir. I would recommend watching it full-screen.

Classic Film Noir

Here I'm going to discuss different features found in Film Noir as well as some practical work we did in class.

Structure

Film Noir is where we first saw the 'every-man,' the 'femme fatale', villains, henchmen and 'girl's-next-door' all in the same film.

The structure of these movies were quite predictable, the plots would vary a lot of course, but the basic events stayed relatively similar. Not every Film Noir narrative followed this structure, but many would go something like this:

1. Begins at the end, we discover that the 'every-man' is in trouble, and is retrospectively thinking about the events that got him to his current position 
2. Flashback to the trouble beginning, he meets someone, giving him some business to deal with or a mission to complete
3. Will then meet the 'femme-fatale' and the protagonist will  become completely infatuated with her
4. Something goes wrong, causing the villain wanting the 'every-man killed'
5. The narrative will then return to the present, the main character often regretting the decisions he made to get him to this point, and the one's he made next
6. Another flashback to the 'femme-fatale' deceiving/double-crossing the main character, pretending to be in love with the him, and promising to stay with him forever
7. The 'femme fatale' will be killed or punished (usually by the protagonist) after he has lost all feelings for her, realizing what she's done
8. The film will then end with a similar scene the audience saw at the beginning. 

A few other plot points that are often included in the narrative:

• The protagonist will end up with another woman, often known as 'the girl next door,' who he may have ignored earlier on in the film, or he was dating before he fell in love with the 'femme fatale'.
• Sometimes the 'every-man' will be dead in the present (in 'The Killers' for example) and then there will be flashbacks leading to the moment. 

Below is a a generic Film Noir narrative we were given. They were jumbled up, and we were asked to put them in order and then create stills of the scenes. The captions we were given are next to each photo in the presentation. I would recommend watching full-screen.

Music

The music used in Film Noir's were often very dramatic, especially in the title sequences.

The music would sound very orchestral, and climactic. Mainly consisting of brass and string instruments, as well as percussion  This built tension, the mood of the scene was often known before anyone had spoken.

Here are some trailers for Double Indemnity and Kiss Me Deadly, using this kind of music:

  Double Indemnity 

   Kiss Me Deadly

I will be posting more about different features of Film Noir soon.

An Introduction to Film Noir and Neo-Noir

I've always admired how Film Noir's are visually presented, the use of dark and light, shadows, smoke, giving them an un-realistic, mysterious element. The rest of my knowledge was that they were made predominantly in the 1940s and 50s, were filmed in black and white, and had pretty cool names. And that was about it.

But, I thought I would share a little bit of knowledge of what I have learnt so far, in this post.

Film Noir's are usually crime dramas/thrillers and the plot would usually be, as the title tells you, dark. Usually, they pushed cynical attitudes and sex. Although, there was a cynical attitude around the sexuality in these films, especially at the height of their popularity.

Below are some trailers to Film Noir, including The Big Sleep (1946) and The Asphalt Jungle (1950).

'The Big Sleep' trailer

'The Asphalt Jungle' trailer

Tropes of Film Noir include smoke, dramatic contrast in dark and light, the use of shadows, dramatic music, and a specific set of stock characters, which I will talk about in more detail in a later post. Most Film Noir's also followed a certain structure and had very similar visual elements. 

Neo-Noir is another genre we have been studying, and one I find very interesting. Neo-noir films are modern takes on Film Noir, whether that's using a similar narrative, characters, or just similar visual features used. The narrative can be entirely original and not like a classic Film Noir's at all, but the images created on screen are similar. On the other hand, a similar set of characters can be used, but the look can be entirely different. Neo-noir is very experimental, and adds another dimension to an already brilliant genre. Below are trailers to some Neo-Noir films, Lost River (2014) and Bound (1996). 

'Lost River' trailer

'Bound' trailer

I will be posting more soon about the different features of Film Noir and Neo-Noir in more detail soon.

Media & Me

Since everything I've posted so far has been about Sweded films, I think it's about time I introduce myself, and talk about what Media means to me! (Sorry about the fact that the music starts from the beginning every time a video has finished playing, I've tried, but there's no way to stop that from happening. I would also recommend watching full screen). Enjoy!

Sweded Film Process

Below are the blog posts I wrote on Sweded Films; creating our own and research about Sweded Films.

Editing, Uploading and Sharing

All the editing was completed by Emily, using iMovie. 

We wanted to keep the same feeling that the original trailer brought to the audience (creepy, building tension), but also make it comical, as it is a sweded film. The title cards and production company logos at the beginning were homemade, mainly using a white and red pen on black card. The pieces of music were overlapped with the video, leaving it quiet in some place and then suddenly loud, to re-create the jump scares in the trailer. 

After the trailer was edited, Emily sent Chloe and myself a link to it, giving us a preview of how the final product turned out. We were all very happy with the end result, as it was very similar to the original, just A LOT funnier, and much more silly, which is exactly what we were going for.

I then shared it to Twitter and Facebook, giving the opportunity for friends, and other students in my Media Studies group a chance to look at our work, and see what they thought of it, maybe even sharing it to others themselves. Below are some screenshots of where I shared our work:

Twitter

Facebook

I'll be uploading the final trailer soon, along with the original for comparison, I hope you enjoy!

Shooting the Trailer

For me, shooting the trailer was definitely the most fun part of the entire process. We shot everything at Emily's house as it gave a similar feel to the one featured in the movie.

The first shot was the of the exterior of the house. The camera was tilted upwards, giving off an ominous, looming feeling. This is used to make the audience feel more vulnerable, corresponding with how the characters feel later on. The house is also where everything, good and bad, takes place. Below are two shots, one from our trailer, and one from the original. 

The scene shot in the bedroom was really fun, and we didn't really have to adjust the setting too much, as the bedroom we shot in was very similar to the room featured in the trailer. However, because I was ill for a short period of time whilst filming, Emily had to edit around this scene as I wasn't there to finish it acting in it. Emily had to overlap the scene with music and edit around it, to make sure the continuity was consistent. Below are some shots from this scene:

After these shots had taken place, lighting and costume really came into play. Torches and candles were used to put focus on something in particular, or to hide certain things, building tension (or as well as you can making a Sweded film!). Masks and veils were used to re-create the demons in the film, as well as wigs to show changes in character.

In certain shots near the end of our trailer some inky looking footprints are shown, being looked at by someone walking down a corridor with a torch. Those shots were carried out by Emily making tiny inky footprints on pieces of card, which looked like the floor. In one shot, a tiny piece of fabric is used to look like a rug.

Overall, I really enjoyed the filming process, wondering whether certain shots would turn out well, the lighting was right, and whether our shots were close to those of the original trailer.

Also, well done and thank you to Emily and Chloe for filming around the times I wasn't able to be there!

Research/Planning Our Sweded Film

The research that went into our Sweded film was quite simple. Firstly, we watched the original teaser trailer for 'Insidious Chapter 3' many times to get a feel for the film and also how many different scenes, shots and settings there were in the trailer, as we were trying to re-make the trailer as accurately as possible.  As there are more characters in the trailer than were in our group we made had to adapt it slightly, but it wasn't too much of a problem as they were more background characters and were only featured in the trailer in one particular scene. 

Script

The script for our film was almost of the dialogue in the original trailer. We wanted to make it as close to the real trailer as possible, so we kept the majority of it the same. 

Script used during the making of our Sweded film

Music & Sound

At the end of the trailer 'Tip-Toe Thru' The Tulips' is sung acapella by Chloe and Emily, as we could not use the original track or add any backing digitally. Throughout the rest of the trailer, short pieces of music were created with a keyboard, to give an eerie effect throughout. I'm very happy with how the music and sound turned out as it makes a massive amount of difference when watching something. Even if there is barely anything happening in the scene.

Storyboard

Emily created a storyboard, showing every scene individually, with brief description of what would happen in each one. Storyboarding really helped as it gave us, whenever we were in a scene an image we needed to create and keep that in mind when visualizing the scene. Storyboards also helped everyone involved understand the structure of the the project and exactly what's going into the end product. 

I'll be posting more soon about the rest of the process. 

An Introduction to Sweded Films

Our first assignment was to create a movie/trailer, Sweded style. Before I did anything, I needed to find out exactly what 'Sweded' was. So, I did my research, and here's what I found out:

The idea of Sweded films was first born in 2008, when the film ‘Be Kind Rewind’ starring Jack Black and Mos Def was released. The film’s plot in a nutshell is: Jerry McLean (Jack Black) and Mike Coolwell (Mos Def) are working in a video-store and decide to re-make many different types of movies after Jack Black’s character erases the shops video-tapes by accidentally creating a magnetic field. They re-make big-budget movies (Ghostbusters, The Lion King, just to name a few), with a handheld camera and no budget. In the film, the videos take an extensive amount of time to 'arrive' at the store and are sold at a higher cost, because, as Jerry and Mike tell their customers, they are from Sweden, hence the name, ‘Sweded’. Below is the trailer for 'Be Kind Rewind':

For many years, people have been re-creating movies and trailers in the Sweded style. They are supposed to clearly be badly made, using shoddy costumes and often using home made props and music. Below is an example of a Sweded trailer from the YouTube channel ‘Dumb Drum.’ The majority of their videos are Sweded re-makes.

I really enjoyed making our Sweded trailer and I will be uploading posts about the process very soon. Enjoy!