Technical and Creative skills
• Describe the technical and creative skills you developed (about 4 paragraphs)
The technical skills which I developed were the use in which the camera has to be used for a shot. For example as we got into the filming process we discovered the use of a tripod for some shots would add to good use of cinematography, however once we got further into the filming process we also discovered that it is vital to use a tripod in the greenroom. This is because once we got our footage which we thought was perfectly still by hand wasn't, as once you place a still image into the backdrop it picks up every move that is not still, therefore we had images flying around the greenroom which caused us great disappointment, and we had to cut the scenes at the most still images. When this idea occurred we decided to use a voice over. However this wasn't what we wanted, as the footage was more understandable, and the cuts may have confused the audience as some of the footage was missing.
In addition camera shots we used were very unique and creative also, as we used a range of shots such as high angle which gave a clear essence of the setting when a fight occurred. Furthermore low angle shots were also portrayed to enhance the fact that one was more powerful than another in some cases.
On the other hand i believe the props and costumes were a more successful outcome as each character was addressed appropriately for the role. For example a black coat or blazer with a fedora and a gun was the basic male film Noir character which was portrayed. Furthermore, the Femme Fatale was also dressed appropriately in a black slick dress and red lipstick at times.
However in some cases where we had to film the makeup wasn't done unfortunately, with it could have captured that intriguing, seductive look which Fatale's portray. The bar scenes were good the bartender wore an apron, and the props used were relevant for the scene such as the alcohol bottles, money glasses. The setting and locations where the film was based i believe were perfect. The location outside of SG where we filmed most the scenes gave us a variety of options to shoot. However not all the shots were put in the film, but because of the connecting bridge along the SG we were able to film high angle shots which no other group did. In addition the building wasn't modern therefore i believe in black and white it gave off a 1940s aura.
During the process of editing the film opening, took a little bit of time to get use to the software, however once we did we got straight into cutting down scenes such as the one in the greenroom, adding effects such as black and white and music to make our opening more professional. The music was typical Noir music n the beginning, however towards the end the pace of the film and tempo increased to build tension among the audience as also the scenes were increasing the pace therefore we needed a piece of music to fit that perfectly. We also added an ident, which was the MGM in addition we also added the credits to create an overall professional look.
The skills i have learnt about is how to use the greenroom, and use final cut pro, i have developed skills such as using the trimmer and blade tools, also adding affects such as filters and sound effects.
CODES AND CONVENTIONS
The title font used in the film was because it was elegant it created a sense of mystery which the film portrayed, it was in the colour white as it stood out, it created suspense and blended well with the backgrounds like a sly femme fatale. Furthermore linking to this we chose white for the credits as well, due to the prominent colour against the background and the sense of mystery which white represents.
We tried creating a film Noir atmosphere in numerous ways such as in the beginning once the credits were rolling in; the footage which was portrayed at the start was very mysterious we tried not showing any of the faces to already set the film in a film noir atmosphere. Furthermore we created shadows of the main character walking down the stairs; we did this by using lighting. However we didn’t have a natural source of light nor did we have professional lighting equipment in the greenroom. Therefore we used our phone torches as a creative way of portraying a shadow, I believe this worked and the Noir atmosphere was shaped. In addition we used classic film Noir props and costumes which also produced the atmosphere due to the classic femme fatale wearing a clean black dress and the doomed hero and other male acquaintances wearing a clean suit with a fedora, in addition the props portrayed such as the guns, the dollars, and alcohol bottles all shaped the opening of a classic film noir.
The film Noir characters were introduced in a creative way I believe, they were introduced through as flashback that’s how the opening of the film is unravelled. It starts off in the bar where the first character (the femme fatale) is introduced speaking to her friend as she retells the story to the other characters the rest of the characters are introduced. We did this as this created a sense of mystery and suspense as the opening unfolded. This can be linked as it kept the audience engaged and interested. However enigma codes were used to also engage the audience, for example 3 twists were used in the space of the 3 minutes. This would keep the audience on the edge of their seat and eager to find out what’s going to happen next. In addition the ending ends with voice over saying after a death scene saying ‘he will never get a scratch on this pretty face’ keeping the suspense there and making it more dramatic and tense for the audience.
I used MGM as the producers of my film because they were a very famous film company commonly used in Film Noirs in the 1940's and I felt that this suited my genre best. Our ident is an old fashioned MGM ident in black and white.
Overall i think my film was decent, it ranged in different film angles which made it stand out compared to everyone else's i used an amazing high angle shot which bizzared the audience, however footage was lost which made it nonsensical at times however this could be a good thing and add to the enigma of wanting to find out more and unravel the film. However I do believe the film would be a better turn out making more sense as enigma codes were already put in place.
The technical skills which I developed were the use in which the camera has to be used for a shot. For example as we got into the filming process we discovered the use of a tripod for some shots would add to good use of cinematography, however once we got further into the filming process we also discovered that it is vital to use a tripod in the greenroom. This is because once we got our footage which we thought was perfectly still by hand wasn't, as once you place a still image into the backdrop it picks up every move that is not still, therefore we had images flying around the greenroom which caused us great disappointment, and we had to cut the scenes at the most still images. When this idea occurred we decided to use a voice over. However this wasn't what we wanted, as the footage was more understandable, and the cuts may have confused the audience as some of the footage was missing.
In addition camera shots we used were very unique and creative also, as we used a range of shots such as high angle which gave a clear essence of the setting when a fight occurred. Furthermore low angle shots were also portrayed to enhance the fact that one was more powerful than another in some cases.
On the other hand i believe the props and costumes were a more successful outcome as each character was addressed appropriately for the role. For example a black coat or blazer with a fedora and a gun was the basic male film Noir character which was portrayed. Furthermore, the Femme Fatale was also dressed appropriately in a black slick dress and red lipstick at times.
However in some cases where we had to film the makeup wasn't done unfortunately, with it could have captured that intriguing, seductive look which Fatale's portray. The bar scenes were good the bartender wore an apron, and the props used were relevant for the scene such as the alcohol bottles, money glasses. The setting and locations where the film was based i believe were perfect. The location outside of SG where we filmed most the scenes gave us a variety of options to shoot. However not all the shots were put in the film, but because of the connecting bridge along the SG we were able to film high angle shots which no other group did. In addition the building wasn't modern therefore i believe in black and white it gave off a 1940s aura.
During the process of editing the film opening, took a little bit of time to get use to the software, however once we did we got straight into cutting down scenes such as the one in the greenroom, adding effects such as black and white and music to make our opening more professional. The music was typical Noir music n the beginning, however towards the end the pace of the film and tempo increased to build tension among the audience as also the scenes were increasing the pace therefore we needed a piece of music to fit that perfectly. We also added an ident, which was the MGM in addition we also added the credits to create an overall professional look.
The skills i have learnt about is how to use the greenroom, and use final cut pro, i have developed skills such as using the trimmer and blade tools, also adding affects such as filters and sound effects.
CODES AND CONVENTIONS
The title font used in the film was because it was elegant it created a sense of mystery which the film portrayed, it was in the colour white as it stood out, it created suspense and blended well with the backgrounds like a sly femme fatale. Furthermore linking to this we chose white for the credits as well, due to the prominent colour against the background and the sense of mystery which white represents.
We tried creating a film Noir atmosphere in numerous ways such as in the beginning once the credits were rolling in; the footage which was portrayed at the start was very mysterious we tried not showing any of the faces to already set the film in a film noir atmosphere. Furthermore we created shadows of the main character walking down the stairs; we did this by using lighting. However we didn’t have a natural source of light nor did we have professional lighting equipment in the greenroom. Therefore we used our phone torches as a creative way of portraying a shadow, I believe this worked and the Noir atmosphere was shaped. In addition we used classic film Noir props and costumes which also produced the atmosphere due to the classic femme fatale wearing a clean black dress and the doomed hero and other male acquaintances wearing a clean suit with a fedora, in addition the props portrayed such as the guns, the dollars, and alcohol bottles all shaped the opening of a classic film noir.
The film Noir characters were introduced in a creative way I believe, they were introduced through as flashback that’s how the opening of the film is unravelled. It starts off in the bar where the first character (the femme fatale) is introduced speaking to her friend as she retells the story to the other characters the rest of the characters are introduced. We did this as this created a sense of mystery and suspense as the opening unfolded. This can be linked as it kept the audience engaged and interested. However enigma codes were used to also engage the audience, for example 3 twists were used in the space of the 3 minutes. This would keep the audience on the edge of their seat and eager to find out what’s going to happen next. In addition the ending ends with voice over saying after a death scene saying ‘he will never get a scratch on this pretty face’ keeping the suspense there and making it more dramatic and tense for the audience.
I used MGM as the producers of my film because they were a very famous film company commonly used in Film Noirs in the 1940's and I felt that this suited my genre best. Our ident is an old fashioned MGM ident in black and white.
Overall i think my film was decent, it ranged in different film angles which made it stand out compared to everyone else's i used an amazing high angle shot which bizzared the audience, however footage was lost which made it nonsensical at times however this could be a good thing and add to the enigma of wanting to find out more and unravel the film. However I do believe the film would be a better turn out making more sense as enigma codes were already put in place.