For the film extract assignment our group focused on the genre of film noir; we narrowed down this broad genre to the more modern neo- noir. Our chosen genre had a lot of influence with the choices we made as a group and me as my role of cinematographer. The main aspects that were affected by our genre choice were the type of shots we used, the editing and music. The shot types we used were very “pretty” to look at, and had an artistic flare to them. This was influenced by films like “Brick” Rian Johnson, 2005 (photo on right) and “Control” Anton Corbijin, 2007 (photo on left.)
As a group we were all involved in developing the narrative to make it a stronger, in depth piece. Using my role as cinematographer I was able to apply the main convention of neo noir, being that the type of shots are very stylish and classic looking.
I am very pleased at how well we all worked as a group, there were no conflicts and we all agreed with each other and helped develop each member’s ideas. The narrative was very easy to develop, as it is a fairly simple storyline. Our protagonist was very easy to build on, as he was a generic character type of neo- noir films. In our group, the genre didn’t really need as much developing, as we stuck to the conventions of a neo- noir film. We made our character to be a troubled teen, who has gotten mixed up in the wrong crowd. This is shown through the fact that he’s sitting outside the head teachers office, and is being “told off” and informed on his true potential. In our sequence, we see him being followed, and finally shot. In the extract we never find out if the protagonist lives or dies, but for the rest of the film, it would be a flashback into his life a week before he got shot. Showing the audience how and why he got into the situation he’s in now. This gives an audience the opportunity to sympathise with our protagonist, or to turn against him.
Throughout the planning and filming process we changed our plans a lot, even to the extent of changing our narrative. At first our narrative was too generic and very unoriginal in the way that it had been done before, several times. Our previous idea was to still have our protagonist to get shot, but this time he would be in detention, and we would show close ups of the clock, and emphasise the loud ticking noise. After looking over our synopsis again and being advised by our teacher we decided to change the narrative to something a lot stronger. Although we had drawn up a storyboard, we also tested out several different shots to see if they fit. We decided that it was better to have more footage than less; in the end we didn’t use these extra shots. Apart from the obvious change in narrative and storyline we didn’t make any other adjustments.
Being cinematographer I aimed to make the audience see that our extract was evidently a neo- noir based film. To do this I tried using really stylish shots, ones that would look attractive even as a still image. I used a lot of inspiration from other neo- noir films, “Brick” in particular, as the whole of our group had seen it, so it was easy to make links. I also wanted the moving shots to look modern and classy almost. The most successful moving shot, was the pan, which we had to film as I was moving backwards. To do this, I sat on a wheelchair, whilst another member of my group moved backward, whilst our protagonist walked forward. After a few attempts the shot was very triumphant. At this point of the sequence we didn’t want the audience to relate the protagonist in any way, so at points we purposely cut his head from the shot, only seeing his torso. This helped disassociate himself from any stereotype he may have been related to.
The feedback we received was not as constructive as we’d have liked, but still very complimentary and appreciated. We definitely had a problem with what time we’d film, as when we shot first, it was very dark outside, whereas when we shot second time, it was light. Our editor tried her hardest to de-saturate using the colour corrector on final cut express; which made the shot darker, but not as dark as previously, without losing our protagonist.
The fact that alongside Film studies I also study two other media orientated subjects which involve a lot of technical use, it was very easy for me as a cinematographer to use the camera, and all its functions to the best of its ability. The use of the camera, and my technical knowledge hindered our sequence in no way.
Overall I’m very pleased with our final piece, and I think as a group we worked very well. Not only creating a successful film extract but enjoying ourselves whilst doing so.
For this round of filming, we didnt want to stay behind at college for longer than necesarry, so we filmed the extra shots in daytime, knowing we could edit the darkness later. The shots were very sucessful and we were filming for less than an hour. At the moment we're editing using the colour corrector to find the right colour that matches our previous shots.
When that is done, we would have finished our whole piece!
This a clip from Brick. It's the type of thing we wanted when it came to sound; very minimal. There is no dialogue in this clip, and there isn't for a long time. This is unconventional in a typical film, but common for neo noirs. We like how uncomfortable it makes the audience, from having no dialogue for an extended period of time.
This is the trailer for Brick. Although, we're not making a trailer, the sound and music has a very big impact on the mood and atmosphere of the film. This is what we'll be trying to do; to create an atmosphere from our music, as we'll have little dialogue. The music is fast paced, but minimal, building to a crescendo, which is what we'll be doing when our character gets shot.
This is where we shot our extract, which is on college grounds. We used a long shot to emphasise how long the corridor is, and to make the protagonist (who's sitting on the first bench) look insignificant, which is what his character is like in the film.
This is the bench where our protagonist waited to be called into the headteachers office. We did a close up of the character doodling obsessively in his notebook before he went in.
From the previous shot, we filmed our character going into the "headteachers" office. We shot from different positions to get a range of footage. In the end, we chose the clip from (around about) this position.
This is where we went around the corner, for the panning shot. To achieve this, the cinematographer (Ram) sat on a wheelchair with the camera, and was pulled out by Nicola (Editor) whilst our protagonist walked forward, and the camera went backward. This was so we could create a successful panning shot.
From the previous shot, the protagonist walked around this corner, to leave the building. It was difficult to shoot this, as by the time the cinematographer got around the corner, the protagonist was already out the door. After a few test runs, we managed to get the right shot, as Ram had to twist the camera, to stay focused on the protagonist.
Once around the corner, our protagonist walked out the doors into the car park, where he would get "shot." We didnt manage to film the shooting, as our actor, and director needed to get home. We're planning on shooting that scene later this week. We'll have to wait until it gets dark, as when he leaves, its night, as we don't want any continuity errors.
We shot from this position once we got outside the door. The shot was static, as we watched him carry on walking. (It was dark at this point)
From this shot, we'll see our protagonist get shot, but the shot will jump to being infront of the character.
"The Darjeeling Limited" Wes Anderson Cinematographer: Robert D. Yeoman I really like how Yeoman pans the camera from one situation to the other. (at 0.59 of clip) He does this a lot in this film, and it gives you a sense of being there in the same situation as the protagonists. Its also an effect which isn't overly used so it looks new and different to typical films. We probably wont be using this effect for our piece, as it wouldnt fit well, but i will try to use some experimental shots, and using oblique angles.
"Control" Anton Corbijn Cinematographer: Martin Ruhe One of my favourite things about this film is that its all in black and white. Not only does that indicate its time period, but it makes the whole thing look really classy and sophisticated which is a contrast to the actual film which is about rock & roll, women, drugs and suicide. Ruhe uses the black and white well to create really effective shadows which indicate the character's feelings, and the current mood of the situation
