Sexuality: Gender identity (otherwise known as core gender identity) is the gender(s), or lack thereof, a person self-identifies as. It is not necessarily based on biological fact, either real or perceived, nor is it always based on sexual orientation. TV Dramas that are influenced by sexuality include: EastEnders, Holby city and Heroes
Ethnicity: An ethnic group is a group of humans whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage that is real or assumed. TV Dramas that are influenced by ethnicity include: EastEnders, Heroes and supernatural
Disability: the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness; "reading disability"; "hearing impairment. TV Dramas that are influenced by Disability include: Glee, ER and Doc Martin
Saturday, 8 May 2010
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Story board
The first shot follows Character 1 as he walks from round the corner of the train station and up towards the door. This shot is used to establish the focus on this person as a main character.
The second shot follows this same character into the entrance hall of the train station, the man walks through a set of pillars past a seemingly unimportant man who we later find out is to become involved in the story. The purpose of this is to show that these two characters have never met in person and is designed to raise suspicion in the audience when they realsise this later on.
The next shot sequence is an other the shoulder shot tracking the character through the train station until he reaches a phone box where he waits until the phone begins to ring. This sequence is designed to make the character feel like the victim of something, but this is desputed by the flash backs that have been occuring throughout the previous scenes. The flash backs are a slow linier progression showing a detailed account of how this character murdered his partner, using a knife in a seemingly ordinary kitchin for no apparent reason.
The character then picks the phone up and begins to talk, the audience discovers that the person he is talking to was passed outside the trainstation, he was leaning against the pillars, as the conversation transpires the audience hears only a voice over containing the mans thoughts about who he is talking to and what he has done. The desired effect of this is to create the scense that this man has become disillusioned from reality and he is living in a world where he is continually tortured by grief and remorse.
The phone call ends and the man is once again tracked by the camera as he walks out of the station. The shots mirror his enterance and represent the characters self reflection.
Finally the character walks out into the entrance hall of the station and is imediatly followed by the character which he has just had the telephone conversation with, this is extremly unusual and is designed to call atention to the nature of what they talked about and what they are doing. As they walk the scene begins to fade out revealing the first characters former partner lying on the floor motionless, the title then fades in on this image creating great tension about the nature of what is to follow in the film.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Evaluation of “INFATUATION”
Part one: In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions
The inspiration for my groups thriller “INFATUATION” was a take on the characters and voice over featured in layer cake, the brutal nature of the film inspired the enigma faced within our thriller namely how to remain a free man.
Layer cake along with the third man also inspired our costume choices generating the image of a sophisticated man whilst simultaneously portraying him as an unsavoury character, our female characters costume is loosely based on female characters seen in the third man portraying her as not a classic femme fatale but perhaps more as a heroine or anti-heroine depending on how you look at her current situation. Our film was named “INFATUATION” because it fits in with the story of the film,
infatuation means a temporary love, or foolish love. The main character is made to look foolish and like a child through the title. The sound track to our piece is very slow and methodical, it adds atmosphere to the video and is supposed to be very dreamy and surreal, its desired effect is to show the main character is in a world that he doesn’t quite believe and suggest that he is afraid of it, we acquired the idea from the opening of the third man which features upbeat music not fitting with the conventions of the genre. The camera shots used in our thriller opening have been inspired by the camera shots from red road, a good example of this is our use of an over the head shot / crane shot,
(although we didn’t have a crane) as in red road this shot is designed to make the occupant of the shot feel small and weak. Another camera shot we have used in conjunction with red road is our over the shoulder shot tracking the occupant through a train station,
as in red road this shot is designed to make the occupant look like she is being followed and a victim. Finally our location, a train station,
was an idea that we picked up from the third man. Train stations are a place of movement and travel a continually changing environment in which any one person bares no significant to the whole, we wished to capture this feeling of insignificance and place it on top of our main character (the murderer) showing how the world does not care about him in any way. Our thriller goes along with many of the conventions of a mainstream thriller, however it does not feature a strong hero of any sort much like many independent thrillers and it challenges the perception of the upper classes of society as the decent people whilst simultaneously challenging the convention of lower classes of society as the indecent people.
Part two: How does your media product represent particular social groups
Our Thriller opening was catered to the results of our initial research, the research suggested that people would like to see a male character in need of saving instead of the conventional female character, the results also showed that they would like a female hero but in keeping with conventions we decided to stick with a male character however he is in need of saving and he is haunted by the memory of his wife which would feature throughout the film representing the women perhaps as a symbol of happiness through love not the conventional femme fatal or heroine. The representation of the lower classes could be called typical but it does in fact show them as being caring and helpful in their own way,
the piece also represents the upper-class as unstable and untrustworthy against usual social etiquette. In all, our piece represents aspects of social standings and conventions that would be typically found in main stream thrillers whilst also containing aspects more commonly found in that of independent thrillers and perhaps moving towards other genres entirely.
Part three: what kind of media institution might distribute your product and why
To begin we would try and gain coverage of our media item by entering it into short film competitions such as the virgin media short film competition (http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/),
this competition is designed to find amateur film makers with talent and give them a helping hand into bigger movies, the winner gains 30 thousand pounds for their next production as well as their film being shown on 214 cinema screens nationwide; this is a great competition because it suits the amateur nature of our film entirely. Our film could also be distributed via internet services such as I-Tunes, distributing by these means is far cheaper than distributing to cinemas, this makes them perfect for us as we are on a limited budget. We could also try getting a larger company to distribute our film for a percentage of the profits, this would be the easiest way to distribute the film quickly and effectively. Companies such as working title and possibly warp would be ideal, these companies have the recourses to put the film out there whilst maintaining the link to upcoming film makers that larger companies have lost. Finally we would try to broadcast the film through other media platforms such as radio, the station that the advertisement should be broadcast on would be based on our target audience, which will be covered in the next section, it is beneficial for us to utilise as many media platforms as possible to cover all the possible market opportunities that are available for us use.
Part four: Who would be the audience for your media product
Infatuation has a target audience of the age range of 28-40 of no particular sex, this is due to the complex narrative structure that will take place in the finished thriller, requiring attention to detail to understand the end result. To add to this the Characters present in the thriller are all of around that age (actors ages are decidedly different) making them more identifiable to our target audience, the film also does not have the modern standard of entertainment value which seems to be senseless violence but should be more identifiable to people who enjoy a deep and compelling story line. We have also selected this audience with reference to our research which concluded that younger generations have lost touch with the classic style of thriller and prefer modernisations of it, this did not suit our thrillers makeup so it was decided that it would be aimed at a higher demographic.
Part five: How did you attract/address your audience
We have incorporated many aspects of classical thrillers into our piece to comply with our target audience of 28-40 year olds who enjoy classical thriller styling. The voice over is used as an identifier to the main character, it is a hook for the audience and was designed to create mixed emotions for the character and keep the audience in the dark about his true nature; the speech expresses deep sorrow for the mans lost love obviously making the audience feel pity towards the man, but they should also be conflicted due to the fact that it was the man who had taken her life in the firs place. This is a classical enigma posed to thriller audiences and complies with our target audiences demand. The incorporation of flash backs keeps the story interesting and was an idea based on the outstanding thriller “London to Brighton”,
this recognisable attribute in some thrillers is hopefully addressing our target audience due to its keeping with the convention of classical thrillers. “Good things wait for those who come” is the soundtrack used in our thriller, it is piano based and then built upon in a blues like manner, although it does keep with some conventions of classical thrillers it was chosen because of its link to the third man using an uncharacteristic style of music to unsettle the audience and will be key throughout the film, keeping audiences in mind we hope this style of music will not be identifiable with the audience, hopefully continuing to unsettle them and add too the overall appeal of the film. Finally the locations featured in our film were all chosen due to their familiarity with the target audience and their references to classical thriller styling. For instance the train station is a place which most people can identify with, whilst it is also a reference to the third man.
Part six: what have you learnt from technologies from the process of constructing this product
Part seven: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product
The preliminary task was a small a small and simple piece compared to the full product. The most obvious difference between the two is the planning, our preliminary task was relatively easy to plan because we knew exactly what the parameters of the task had to contain and we were limited in space and time so decisions were made on the fly. In contrast our thriller opening was extensively planned, we had a lot of ground to cover from the first task. To begin we needed to think of a plot to our thriller opening something we hadn’t really encountered in the preliminary task. We also had to plan out locations, actors, and transport which was another progression from the preliminary task due to the fact that it was shot in school using us as actors.
We were already quite good at working in groups and had a basic knowledge of the cameras so the next challenge after planning was actually shooting the scenes, this proved extremely difficult as we had to negotiate when all the actors could meet up at the locations to film, a practical problem that was unknown in the first task.
The title of the piece was not a great pitfall, although we were not experienced in generating unique titles it seemed obvious to use “infatuation” or something based around that because it fitted in with the nature of our thriller perfectly.
Our plot did cause trouble, we were ill prepared do deal with the complexity of a proper narrative structure and as a result the quality of our thriller opening suffered, we did not capture proper audio for scenes that would have greatly benefited the end result and we had to make many compromises on important decision whilst filming because of the lack of knowledge and preparation.
Are preliminary task did require us to edit the footage shot, but it did not force us to use some of the more advanced features within the program. This meant that we had a steep learning curb to contend with whilst editing our thriller, they key aspects to this were the controlling of effects and the layer system used to generate some of them.
The preliminary task did teach us the value of time and cooperation within a group structure to achieve the best results, unfortunately unforeseen delays meant that time quickly became an issue once more.
The inspiration for my groups thriller “INFATUATION” was a take on the characters and voice over featured in layer cake, the brutal nature of the film inspired the enigma faced within our thriller namely how to remain a free man.
Layer cake along with the third man also inspired our costume choices generating the image of a sophisticated man whilst simultaneously portraying him as an unsavoury character, our female characters costume is loosely based on female characters seen in the third man portraying her as not a classic femme fatale but perhaps more as a heroine or anti-heroine depending on how you look at her current situation. Our film was named “INFATUATION” because it fits in with the story of the film,
infatuation means a temporary love, or foolish love. The main character is made to look foolish and like a child through the title. The sound track to our piece is very slow and methodical, it adds atmosphere to the video and is supposed to be very dreamy and surreal, its desired effect is to show the main character is in a world that he doesn’t quite believe and suggest that he is afraid of it, we acquired the idea from the opening of the third man which features upbeat music not fitting with the conventions of the genre. The camera shots used in our thriller opening have been inspired by the camera shots from red road, a good example of this is our use of an over the head shot / crane shot,
(although we didn’t have a crane) as in red road this shot is designed to make the occupant of the shot feel small and weak. Another camera shot we have used in conjunction with red road is our over the shoulder shot tracking the occupant through a train station,
as in red road this shot is designed to make the occupant look like she is being followed and a victim. Finally our location, a train station,
was an idea that we picked up from the third man. Train stations are a place of movement and travel a continually changing environment in which any one person bares no significant to the whole, we wished to capture this feeling of insignificance and place it on top of our main character (the murderer) showing how the world does not care about him in any way. Our thriller goes along with many of the conventions of a mainstream thriller, however it does not feature a strong hero of any sort much like many independent thrillers and it challenges the perception of the upper classes of society as the decent people whilst simultaneously challenging the convention of lower classes of society as the indecent people.Part two: How does your media product represent particular social groups
Our Thriller opening was catered to the results of our initial research, the research suggested that people would like to see a male character in need of saving instead of the conventional female character, the results also showed that they would like a female hero but in keeping with conventions we decided to stick with a male character however he is in need of saving and he is haunted by the memory of his wife which would feature throughout the film representing the women perhaps as a symbol of happiness through love not the conventional femme fatal or heroine. The representation of the lower classes could be called typical but it does in fact show them as being caring and helpful in their own way,
the piece also represents the upper-class as unstable and untrustworthy against usual social etiquette. In all, our piece represents aspects of social standings and conventions that would be typically found in main stream thrillers whilst also containing aspects more commonly found in that of independent thrillers and perhaps moving towards other genres entirely.Part three: what kind of media institution might distribute your product and why
To begin we would try and gain coverage of our media item by entering it into short film competitions such as the virgin media short film competition (http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/),
this competition is designed to find amateur film makers with talent and give them a helping hand into bigger movies, the winner gains 30 thousand pounds for their next production as well as their film being shown on 214 cinema screens nationwide; this is a great competition because it suits the amateur nature of our film entirely. Our film could also be distributed via internet services such as I-Tunes, distributing by these means is far cheaper than distributing to cinemas, this makes them perfect for us as we are on a limited budget. We could also try getting a larger company to distribute our film for a percentage of the profits, this would be the easiest way to distribute the film quickly and effectively. Companies such as working title and possibly warp would be ideal, these companies have the recourses to put the film out there whilst maintaining the link to upcoming film makers that larger companies have lost. Finally we would try to broadcast the film through other media platforms such as radio, the station that the advertisement should be broadcast on would be based on our target audience, which will be covered in the next section, it is beneficial for us to utilise as many media platforms as possible to cover all the possible market opportunities that are available for us use.Part four: Who would be the audience for your media product
Infatuation has a target audience of the age range of 28-40 of no particular sex, this is due to the complex narrative structure that will take place in the finished thriller, requiring attention to detail to understand the end result. To add to this the Characters present in the thriller are all of around that age (actors ages are decidedly different) making them more identifiable to our target audience, the film also does not have the modern standard of entertainment value which seems to be senseless violence but should be more identifiable to people who enjoy a deep and compelling story line. We have also selected this audience with reference to our research which concluded that younger generations have lost touch with the classic style of thriller and prefer modernisations of it, this did not suit our thrillers makeup so it was decided that it would be aimed at a higher demographic.
Part five: How did you attract/address your audience
We have incorporated many aspects of classical thrillers into our piece to comply with our target audience of 28-40 year olds who enjoy classical thriller styling. The voice over is used as an identifier to the main character, it is a hook for the audience and was designed to create mixed emotions for the character and keep the audience in the dark about his true nature; the speech expresses deep sorrow for the mans lost love obviously making the audience feel pity towards the man, but they should also be conflicted due to the fact that it was the man who had taken her life in the firs place. This is a classical enigma posed to thriller audiences and complies with our target audiences demand. The incorporation of flash backs keeps the story interesting and was an idea based on the outstanding thriller “London to Brighton”,
this recognisable attribute in some thrillers is hopefully addressing our target audience due to its keeping with the convention of classical thrillers. “Good things wait for those who come” is the soundtrack used in our thriller, it is piano based and then built upon in a blues like manner, although it does keep with some conventions of classical thrillers it was chosen because of its link to the third man using an uncharacteristic style of music to unsettle the audience and will be key throughout the film, keeping audiences in mind we hope this style of music will not be identifiable with the audience, hopefully continuing to unsettle them and add too the overall appeal of the film. Finally the locations featured in our film were all chosen due to their familiarity with the target audience and their references to classical thriller styling. For instance the train station is a place which most people can identify with, whilst it is also a reference to the third man.Part six: what have you learnt from technologies from the process of constructing this product
Part seven: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product
The preliminary task was a small a small and simple piece compared to the full product. The most obvious difference between the two is the planning, our preliminary task was relatively easy to plan because we knew exactly what the parameters of the task had to contain and we were limited in space and time so decisions were made on the fly. In contrast our thriller opening was extensively planned, we had a lot of ground to cover from the first task. To begin we needed to think of a plot to our thriller opening something we hadn’t really encountered in the preliminary task. We also had to plan out locations, actors, and transport which was another progression from the preliminary task due to the fact that it was shot in school using us as actors.
We were already quite good at working in groups and had a basic knowledge of the cameras so the next challenge after planning was actually shooting the scenes, this proved extremely difficult as we had to negotiate when all the actors could meet up at the locations to film, a practical problem that was unknown in the first task.
The title of the piece was not a great pitfall, although we were not experienced in generating unique titles it seemed obvious to use “infatuation” or something based around that because it fitted in with the nature of our thriller perfectly.
Our plot did cause trouble, we were ill prepared do deal with the complexity of a proper narrative structure and as a result the quality of our thriller opening suffered, we did not capture proper audio for scenes that would have greatly benefited the end result and we had to make many compromises on important decision whilst filming because of the lack of knowledge and preparation.
Are preliminary task did require us to edit the footage shot, but it did not force us to use some of the more advanced features within the program. This meant that we had a steep learning curb to contend with whilst editing our thriller, they key aspects to this were the controlling of effects and the layer system used to generate some of them.
The preliminary task did teach us the value of time and cooperation within a group structure to achieve the best results, unfortunately unforeseen delays meant that time quickly became an issue once more.
Sunday, 28 March 2010
How is digital cinema production affecting the British film industry
The British film industry has been greatly affected by digital cinema production. To begin there is now a wide range of platforms on which users can access films, technologies such as the internet have now jumped across platforms from computers to mobile phones and other such devices and films have jumped onto the internet from CDs and the cinema screen; this convergence is both a great advantage and a great disadvantage to the British film industry. It is both advantage and disadvantage because of the following, it is an advantage because the cost of distributing films has fallen greatly meaning greater market coverage and there for greater audience and gain in capital sites such as I-tunes on the internet provide such benefits, it is a disadvantage due to the internet also; the internet has a large number of file sharing sites meaning films can be distributed illegally around the world extremely easily this piracy causes much capital on films to be lost and could shut down many organisations. However new markets have been opened up due to technological convergences, films are now being produced especial for viewing on mobile devices meaning more revenue can be generated for companies who exploit this new market.
The importance of technological convergences does however vary for different organisations, a large organisation such as Vue cinema does not greatly feel the effects of digital production and piracy due to their tendencies to show mainstream Hollywood blockbusters on a massive scale generating enough capital to counter the negative effects that technology can bring however in saying this they do have to recognise technological changes in some way fro example equipping their screens with digital projection to incorporate expanding markets that can benefit them greatly. In contrast small independent cinemas and producers of films such as cinema city are hugely effected by technology, with the integration of digital projectors small time film companies can expand their market size due to the fact that they can save their films on hard drives costing around 10 times less then film reels meaning more copies of the film can be produced and distributed.
Audiences now consume the most media products ever! This is due to the wide range of products that are available to them to consume them on this in turn affects the product itself, meaning that film companies are having to think about the consumption of films and make relevant changes to how they are made and distributed based on these facts.
The value of technological convergences definitely favour the audiences allowing for ease of access cheaper products and convenience. Were as the industry has to bend itself over backwards to keep up with demand whilst being stolen from and expected to generate the same quality of film in saying this they do receive some benefit to technological convergences such as wider audiences but the audience they have expanded to may not be inclined to part with their cash for the product.
The importance of technological convergences does however vary for different organisations, a large organisation such as Vue cinema does not greatly feel the effects of digital production and piracy due to their tendencies to show mainstream Hollywood blockbusters on a massive scale generating enough capital to counter the negative effects that technology can bring however in saying this they do have to recognise technological changes in some way fro example equipping their screens with digital projection to incorporate expanding markets that can benefit them greatly. In contrast small independent cinemas and producers of films such as cinema city are hugely effected by technology, with the integration of digital projectors small time film companies can expand their market size due to the fact that they can save their films on hard drives costing around 10 times less then film reels meaning more copies of the film can be produced and distributed.
Audiences now consume the most media products ever! This is due to the wide range of products that are available to them to consume them on this in turn affects the product itself, meaning that film companies are having to think about the consumption of films and make relevant changes to how they are made and distributed based on these facts.
The value of technological convergences definitely favour the audiences allowing for ease of access cheaper products and convenience. Were as the industry has to bend itself over backwards to keep up with demand whilst being stolen from and expected to generate the same quality of film in saying this they do receive some benefit to technological convergences such as wider audiences but the audience they have expanded to may not be inclined to part with their cash for the product.
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Independant and main stream cinema in my local area
1.Vue exhibits a total of 9 films at any one time
.Cinema city exhibits a total of 6 films at any one time
2.Alice in wonderland, shutter island and green zone all play three times during a day at vue
. slum dog millionaire, the wolf man and red road play once or twice throughout the day
3.The total number of films is around one third of the total number of screenings at vue
. The total number of films is around 2/3 of the total number of showings
4. vue has a predominately “Hollywood” film base almost all of its films are from America
.cinema city has a predominately independent British film base with a few Hollywood movies thrown in
5. Different audiences are extremely well catered for in my local area there are a wide range of films available at multiple cinemas in my area showing from independent extremely low budget films to multi million pound Hollywood films. This means no audience is un-catered for however it also shows how independent films are still struggling to break into main stream cinemas and distribute their work.
.Cinema city exhibits a total of 6 films at any one time
2.Alice in wonderland, shutter island and green zone all play three times during a day at vue
. slum dog millionaire, the wolf man and red road play once or twice throughout the day
3.The total number of films is around one third of the total number of screenings at vue
. The total number of films is around 2/3 of the total number of showings
4. vue has a predominately “Hollywood” film base almost all of its films are from America
.cinema city has a predominately independent British film base with a few Hollywood movies thrown in
5. Different audiences are extremely well catered for in my local area there are a wide range of films available at multiple cinemas in my area showing from independent extremely low budget films to multi million pound Hollywood films. This means no audience is un-catered for however it also shows how independent films are still struggling to break into main stream cinemas and distribute their work.
Monday, 8 March 2010
Thriller audience research
To obtain information on what people expect from a thriller film I am going to ask a set of 20 people a number of questions on the topic. The people asked in the questionnaire will be of varied age, sex and social distinction to ascertain a wide range of answers and stop the data from being bias.
(question 1 prediction) I believe that the result of the first question will heavily favour the main stream thriller, this is due to the fact that independent thrillers are slightly suffocated from the world so people may not know of many independent thriller titles meaning they will favour the main stream releases.
1. What type of thriller do you prefer?
A. Main stream x 14
B. Independent x 4
C. Does not matter x 2
(question 1 result analysis) As predicted the main stream thriller was favoured over the independent thriller. This is because as previously stated not many people are aware of independent thriller titles being released, meaning they can not judge fairly between the two causing a level of favourability to the mainstream thriller that it perhaps does not deserve.
(question 2 prediction) This questions outcome is harder to predict due to the variety of answers that can be given, however I believe that A,B and C will be the most commonly used answer. This is because Main stream thrillers are advertised greatly on their Actors and special effects used and they have the ability to go to many locations and create vast expansive sets which wrap the watcher in the perfect locations for the thrillers purpose.
2. What do you like most about main stream Thrillers
A. the special effects x 5
B. the actors x 8
C. the locations x 1
D. the sound track x 4
E. the camera shots x 1
F. the editing / story line x 1
G. I like nothing about them x 0
(Question 2 results analysis) The results show that people like main stream thrillers most because of the actors within them, this shows vast amounts about popular culture and how a film can be made just because it has a particular actor in it. The results also show how special effects can influence peoples views on films not just thriller, it is a clear demonstration of how a big budget can generate viewers due to that fact. Finally the sound track in mainstream thriller has been chosen to be a favourite amongst people, this is the anomaly to my prediction and could show that people like to be made to feel like they are part of the film through its sound track and that they can’t be easily wooed by expansive and numerous locations.
(question 3 prediction) This question will probably give results revolving around the idea that mainstream thrillers have reached perfection I.e. a typical answer of G; I greatly hope my prediction is mistaken and that people realise that mainstream thrillers can often be based upon a story that is well know/the idea has been used before following conventions and structures that could be the death of the main stream thriller.
3. What do you dislike most about main stream Thrillers
A. the special effects x0
B. the actors x4
C. the locations x0
D. the sound track x3
E. the camera shots x4
F. the editing / story line x4
G. I dislike nothing about them x5
(question 3 analysis) The results of question 3 show that the main stream thriller is perhaps lacking in imagination in the areas of casting, camera work and storyline/editing this could show that people are beginning to tire of the continual use of conventions and set structures within main stream thrillers. However in saying this I am aware that a quarter of the people surveyed believed the main stream thriller to be flawless in its attributes (this could be due to the general nature of the question or perhaps the scope of the question is not as big as it should be) this could indicate that the main stream thriller is reaching perfection or the people surveyed are basing their answer on very popular big hitting titles such as the godfather and are not taking into account other titles.
(Question 4 prediction) I would imagine people will be enthusiastic about the story line and editing for this question with perhaps some reference to the quality of acting behind the thrillers.
4.What do you like most about Independent Thrillers
A. the special effects x 0
B. the actors x 4
C. the locations x 0
D. the sound track x 2
E. the camera shots x 1
F. the editing / story line x 11
G. I like nothing about them x 2
(Question 4 analysis) this question clearly shows that the story line is key in independent thrillers, this indicates a highly imaginative and enthralling story line can make up for lack of budget and there for lack of special effects and well know actors. The results also show that although people prefer mainstream thrillers on the whole they are not completely critical of independent film makers and are understanding of their situation I can say this because only two out of twenty people surveyed answered G to this question.
(Question 4 prediction) I can’t hope to predict this questions outcome accurately
5. What do you dislike most about Independent Thrillers
A. the special effects x4
B. the actors x2
C. the locations x4
D. the sound track x 4
E. the camera shots x 3
F. the editing / story line x1
G. I dislike nothing about them x2
(Question 4 analysis) this question provoked a mixed reaction only two of twenty disliked nothing about them compared to five out of twenty for main stream films however specifically nothing really is disliked more than the others perhaps showing that the independent film is of a lower overall quality but nothing can be claimed to be seriously wrong with them it is perhaps that they are victims of a prejudice because of their inability to produce extremely high quality filming and shots due to low budgets.
(Question 6 prediction) this question I am hoping will create a strong sense of challenges to stereotypical views namely being that females should be saved and the males should be strong and heroic.
6.what character types do you most like to see present in any thriller film (pick any three)
A. Heroic male from beginning x 9
B. Heroic female from beginning x 24
C. Female in need of saving x 6
D. Male in need of saving x 12
E. Lonely male
F. Lonely female x 4
G. Female anti-hero x 3
H. Male anti-hero
I. Troubled male
J. Troubled female x 1
K. None of the above (please write you suggestion) x 1
(I would like to see a male and female work together both being strong and heroic)
(Question 6 analysis) The results to this question clearly demonstrated peoples willingness to challenge stereo types, this is interesting because many people preferred main stream thrillers to independent thrillers. Main stream thrillers are commonly associated with stereotyping all roles in society where as independent thrillers are commonly associated with challenging stereo types, the results of this question wildly conflict the result of the first question; this could be due to many people not being aware of independent thrillers.
To conclude, it is my belief that many people would prefer to watch independent thrillers but many have not been given the chance to therefore I am going to base my thriller production on the conventions of the independent thriller.
(question 1 prediction) I believe that the result of the first question will heavily favour the main stream thriller, this is due to the fact that independent thrillers are slightly suffocated from the world so people may not know of many independent thriller titles meaning they will favour the main stream releases.
1. What type of thriller do you prefer?
A. Main stream x 14
B. Independent x 4
C. Does not matter x 2
(question 1 result analysis) As predicted the main stream thriller was favoured over the independent thriller. This is because as previously stated not many people are aware of independent thriller titles being released, meaning they can not judge fairly between the two causing a level of favourability to the mainstream thriller that it perhaps does not deserve.
(question 2 prediction) This questions outcome is harder to predict due to the variety of answers that can be given, however I believe that A,B and C will be the most commonly used answer. This is because Main stream thrillers are advertised greatly on their Actors and special effects used and they have the ability to go to many locations and create vast expansive sets which wrap the watcher in the perfect locations for the thrillers purpose.
2. What do you like most about main stream Thrillers
A. the special effects x 5
B. the actors x 8
C. the locations x 1
D. the sound track x 4
E. the camera shots x 1
F. the editing / story line x 1
G. I like nothing about them x 0
(Question 2 results analysis) The results show that people like main stream thrillers most because of the actors within them, this shows vast amounts about popular culture and how a film can be made just because it has a particular actor in it. The results also show how special effects can influence peoples views on films not just thriller, it is a clear demonstration of how a big budget can generate viewers due to that fact. Finally the sound track in mainstream thriller has been chosen to be a favourite amongst people, this is the anomaly to my prediction and could show that people like to be made to feel like they are part of the film through its sound track and that they can’t be easily wooed by expansive and numerous locations.
(question 3 prediction) This question will probably give results revolving around the idea that mainstream thrillers have reached perfection I.e. a typical answer of G; I greatly hope my prediction is mistaken and that people realise that mainstream thrillers can often be based upon a story that is well know/the idea has been used before following conventions and structures that could be the death of the main stream thriller.
3. What do you dislike most about main stream Thrillers
A. the special effects x0
B. the actors x4
C. the locations x0
D. the sound track x3
E. the camera shots x4
F. the editing / story line x4
G. I dislike nothing about them x5
(question 3 analysis) The results of question 3 show that the main stream thriller is perhaps lacking in imagination in the areas of casting, camera work and storyline/editing this could show that people are beginning to tire of the continual use of conventions and set structures within main stream thrillers. However in saying this I am aware that a quarter of the people surveyed believed the main stream thriller to be flawless in its attributes (this could be due to the general nature of the question or perhaps the scope of the question is not as big as it should be) this could indicate that the main stream thriller is reaching perfection or the people surveyed are basing their answer on very popular big hitting titles such as the godfather and are not taking into account other titles.
(Question 4 prediction) I would imagine people will be enthusiastic about the story line and editing for this question with perhaps some reference to the quality of acting behind the thrillers.
4.What do you like most about Independent Thrillers
A. the special effects x 0
B. the actors x 4
C. the locations x 0
D. the sound track x 2
E. the camera shots x 1
F. the editing / story line x 11
G. I like nothing about them x 2
(Question 4 analysis) this question clearly shows that the story line is key in independent thrillers, this indicates a highly imaginative and enthralling story line can make up for lack of budget and there for lack of special effects and well know actors. The results also show that although people prefer mainstream thrillers on the whole they are not completely critical of independent film makers and are understanding of their situation I can say this because only two out of twenty people surveyed answered G to this question.
(Question 4 prediction) I can’t hope to predict this questions outcome accurately
5. What do you dislike most about Independent Thrillers
A. the special effects x4
B. the actors x2
C. the locations x4
D. the sound track x 4
E. the camera shots x 3
F. the editing / story line x1
G. I dislike nothing about them x2
(Question 4 analysis) this question provoked a mixed reaction only two of twenty disliked nothing about them compared to five out of twenty for main stream films however specifically nothing really is disliked more than the others perhaps showing that the independent film is of a lower overall quality but nothing can be claimed to be seriously wrong with them it is perhaps that they are victims of a prejudice because of their inability to produce extremely high quality filming and shots due to low budgets.
(Question 6 prediction) this question I am hoping will create a strong sense of challenges to stereotypical views namely being that females should be saved and the males should be strong and heroic.
6.what character types do you most like to see present in any thriller film (pick any three)
A. Heroic male from beginning x 9
B. Heroic female from beginning x 24
C. Female in need of saving x 6
D. Male in need of saving x 12
E. Lonely male
F. Lonely female x 4
G. Female anti-hero x 3
H. Male anti-hero
I. Troubled male
J. Troubled female x 1
K. None of the above (please write you suggestion) x 1
(I would like to see a male and female work together both being strong and heroic)
(Question 6 analysis) The results to this question clearly demonstrated peoples willingness to challenge stereo types, this is interesting because many people preferred main stream thrillers to independent thrillers. Main stream thrillers are commonly associated with stereotyping all roles in society where as independent thrillers are commonly associated with challenging stereo types, the results of this question wildly conflict the result of the first question; this could be due to many people not being aware of independent thrillers.
To conclude, it is my belief that many people would prefer to watch independent thrillers but many have not been given the chance to therefore I am going to base my thriller production on the conventions of the independent thriller.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
White Girl notes
White girl follows a white working class family and how they are torn apart by violence Drink and Drugs, it shows the father to be dominating and a figure of fear to the rest of the family. The story shows the family (The mother, Grandmother, Two daughters and son) trying to escape from the father/husband, they arrive at a council house in the middle of a Muslim community which immediately provokes conflict emanating from the white family. However soon the family gets integrated only to be torn from near happiness by their father discovering their location and slowly forcing himself back into their lives. The story is told from the perspective of Leah the eldest of the siblings in this family it shows her emotional struggle as she is torn between two communities and is trying to get to grips with who she is whilst trying desperately to keep her father out of her life and away from her family, assuming much of the responsibilities that the mother cant provide due to her situation and alcohol abuse.
The white working class is represented as violent and corrupted and uneducated;
-showing the father to be violent and oppressive
-lack of proper food for children and family
-using children to traffic drugs
-not allowing freedom of speech or expression
-mother cant read or write
-Leah(main character) is cast out as an 11 year old
The Asian community is a representation of stability education and food
-No fighting is ever seen in their community
-Religion brings the people together
-education is associated with the Islamic faith
-milk is often given to the white family
-Leah is taken in by them and cared for
There is an obvious divide between the two communities (often Leah is a representation of the Asian community) which is often displayed in the form of a small wall with many artistic gaps within it, this represents the small boundary that the communities are separated by and how easily it could be crossed if the white family was willing. Often the Asian community tries to embrace the new family but gets rejected, clearly showing ideas of intolerance in white working classes.
The white working class is represented as violent and corrupted and uneducated;
-showing the father to be violent and oppressive
-lack of proper food for children and family
-using children to traffic drugs
-not allowing freedom of speech or expression
-mother cant read or write
-Leah(main character) is cast out as an 11 year old
The Asian community is a representation of stability education and food
-No fighting is ever seen in their community
-Religion brings the people together
-education is associated with the Islamic faith
-milk is often given to the white family
-Leah is taken in by them and cared for
There is an obvious divide between the two communities (often Leah is a representation of the Asian community) which is often displayed in the form of a small wall with many artistic gaps within it, this represents the small boundary that the communities are separated by and how easily it could be crossed if the white family was willing. Often the Asian community tries to embrace the new family but gets rejected, clearly showing ideas of intolerance in white working classes.
Friday, 19 February 2010
Moving image production has always been lead by the audiences demand for new sensation
Through the ages of cinema and moving image production sensation has always played a significant role in the development of new films; however I do not believe that the audiences demand for new sensation is the leading aspect that drives cinema and other media types.
To begin I would like to suggest that the plot of a film is key to its success and no amount of new founded technologies will be enough to overcome the faults of a poor narrative structure. In saying this however I do accept that new technologies and methods of creating films and other media types are a draw to the audience, and when combined with a well thought out plot they can turn an ok movie into a fantastic one.
A good example of this is “Terminator 2 Judgment Day”, the film is 1991 sci-fi action film it used revolutionary computer-generated effects, marking the first use of natural human motion for a CG character and the first partially computer-generated main character. The effects in the film where and still are considered to be extraordinary however this is not why the film is remembered, it is remembered due to its influence on popular culture and it has left a permanent mark on the sci-fi and action genres.
To put further emphasis on the point that a great story can never match great effects and sensationalism I would like to mention the original toy story, a film which has charmed millions of people due to its unique and compassionate story line, the story follows the life of toys in particular woody and buzz a doll of a cowboy and an action figure. The story begins with woody feeling good about his life (as a toy) and his owner Andy ,a happy young boy who loves his toys, but as Andy’s birthday approaches the toys become increasingly nervous that they are going to be replaced. Woody’s worst fears are confirmed when buzz light-year a space toy is unveiled, it soon becomes apparent that buzz does not believe he is a toy he believes he is an actual space hero this adds a previously unseen dynamic to a film and reinforces the superb story. After Buzz is unveiled Woody is consumed by jealousy which soon leads to them being lost in the world the story follows their journey home and how they gradually become friends. Toy Story was also the first full length feature film to be made entirely from 3d models generated by a computer but that is not how it is remembered, this clearly shows that sensationalism is not the drive behind this media.
I would say that after plot lines the next key feature in a film has to be the entertainment factor, This includes keeping the audiences interest through continuously changing shot types and using the scenery available to you to the best effect. James Cameron’s Avatar is an extremely entertaining film and I will not deny that the way in which it has been created is sensational but that is not the only reason people have gone to see this film. Many people may have gone to see this film simply due to the fact that it is James Cameron’s work and it has been said to be a remarkable film, the film was shot in a new and unique way allowing complete procedural integration of life characters within a CG world allowing for maximum creativity and imagination. However if this was simply the only feature present in the film it would fail it was made a masterpiece due to its compelling storyline, an abstract version of “dancing with wolves”, and the visionary directing and creational mind of James Cameron who has been sitting on the idea for over a decade. The film can be viewed in 3D which Gives extreme depth and majesty to the piece but the film would still be a stunning creation regardless.
The case in point is sensationalism can be a part of moving image production and its drive but it will never consume the industry due to the fact that audiences now demand greater narrative structure and imaginative writing than every before, meaning the industry can only survive if it caters to the audiences wishes not meaning that sensationalistic visions are cast aside but rather they are part of the system that generates what the audience wants to see.
To begin I would like to suggest that the plot of a film is key to its success and no amount of new founded technologies will be enough to overcome the faults of a poor narrative structure. In saying this however I do accept that new technologies and methods of creating films and other media types are a draw to the audience, and when combined with a well thought out plot they can turn an ok movie into a fantastic one.
A good example of this is “Terminator 2 Judgment Day”, the film is 1991 sci-fi action film it used revolutionary computer-generated effects, marking the first use of natural human motion for a CG character and the first partially computer-generated main character. The effects in the film where and still are considered to be extraordinary however this is not why the film is remembered, it is remembered due to its influence on popular culture and it has left a permanent mark on the sci-fi and action genres.
To put further emphasis on the point that a great story can never match great effects and sensationalism I would like to mention the original toy story, a film which has charmed millions of people due to its unique and compassionate story line, the story follows the life of toys in particular woody and buzz a doll of a cowboy and an action figure. The story begins with woody feeling good about his life (as a toy) and his owner Andy ,a happy young boy who loves his toys, but as Andy’s birthday approaches the toys become increasingly nervous that they are going to be replaced. Woody’s worst fears are confirmed when buzz light-year a space toy is unveiled, it soon becomes apparent that buzz does not believe he is a toy he believes he is an actual space hero this adds a previously unseen dynamic to a film and reinforces the superb story. After Buzz is unveiled Woody is consumed by jealousy which soon leads to them being lost in the world the story follows their journey home and how they gradually become friends. Toy Story was also the first full length feature film to be made entirely from 3d models generated by a computer but that is not how it is remembered, this clearly shows that sensationalism is not the drive behind this media.
I would say that after plot lines the next key feature in a film has to be the entertainment factor, This includes keeping the audiences interest through continuously changing shot types and using the scenery available to you to the best effect. James Cameron’s Avatar is an extremely entertaining film and I will not deny that the way in which it has been created is sensational but that is not the only reason people have gone to see this film. Many people may have gone to see this film simply due to the fact that it is James Cameron’s work and it has been said to be a remarkable film, the film was shot in a new and unique way allowing complete procedural integration of life characters within a CG world allowing for maximum creativity and imagination. However if this was simply the only feature present in the film it would fail it was made a masterpiece due to its compelling storyline, an abstract version of “dancing with wolves”, and the visionary directing and creational mind of James Cameron who has been sitting on the idea for over a decade. The film can be viewed in 3D which Gives extreme depth and majesty to the piece but the film would still be a stunning creation regardless.
The case in point is sensationalism can be a part of moving image production and its drive but it will never consume the industry due to the fact that audiences now demand greater narrative structure and imaginative writing than every before, meaning the industry can only survive if it caters to the audiences wishes not meaning that sensationalistic visions are cast aside but rather they are part of the system that generates what the audience wants to see.
Media studies audience questionnaire
Media studies audience research
This is research into the audience of films including how people find out about films and where, when, why and how they so chose to watch them if at all. My research was targeted at 16-20 year olds to achieve results that should be similar I have surveyed 20 people in total.
The first segment of research is aimed at how people are informed about films.
Questionnaire
Where are you most likely to find out about films.
From the internet: 3
From friends: 5
From TV: 7
From leaflets: 0
From trailers in the cinema: 4
From the Radio: 1
If you answered from the cinema in question 1, what percentage of the films advertised would you on average go and see.
0% :1
20% :2
40% :1
60% :0
80% :0
100%: 0
This segment of research is aimed at how people view films.
Questionnaire
From the list below select the options you are most likely to view films with or at (You may answer for every box if you wish)
At main stream cinemas such as Vue or Odeon: 14
At non main stream cinemas such as planet Hollywood:4
On a mobile device: 3
On DVD/video at home:16
On Sky or other early TV release service:12
On TV (four year wait) :5
This segment is aimed at what genre of films people most typically view.
Questionnaire
Do you tend to watch a particular genre more than others if so please state which from the list below.
Horror:2
Action:4
Romantic comedy:5
Adventure:3
Comedy:4
Crime and gangster:1
Historical:0
Musical:0
Science fiction:1
War:0
Western:0
This segment is designed to asses how often people view films and for what reasons.
How often do you watch a film in any form.
Everyday: 0
Every three days:3
Every week:5
Every two weeks:7
Every month:3
Other:2
Why do you watch films.
Socialising with friends:4
Going with boyfriend/Girlfriend: 3
Wanted to see it because of
Actor/Actors:2
Setting :0
Director:1
Because it was recommended by friends:5
Because it was recommended by magazine:4
This is research into the audience of films including how people find out about films and where, when, why and how they so chose to watch them if at all. My research was targeted at 16-20 year olds to achieve results that should be similar I have surveyed 20 people in total.
The first segment of research is aimed at how people are informed about films.
Questionnaire
Where are you most likely to find out about films.
From the internet: 3
From friends: 5
From TV: 7
From leaflets: 0
From trailers in the cinema: 4
From the Radio: 1
If you answered from the cinema in question 1, what percentage of the films advertised would you on average go and see.
0% :1
20% :2
40% :1
60% :0
80% :0
100%: 0
This segment of research is aimed at how people view films.
Questionnaire
From the list below select the options you are most likely to view films with or at (You may answer for every box if you wish)
At main stream cinemas such as Vue or Odeon: 14
At non main stream cinemas such as planet Hollywood:4
On a mobile device: 3
On DVD/video at home:16
On Sky or other early TV release service:12
On TV (four year wait) :5
This segment is aimed at what genre of films people most typically view.
Questionnaire
Do you tend to watch a particular genre more than others if so please state which from the list below.
Horror:2
Action:4
Romantic comedy:5
Adventure:3
Comedy:4
Crime and gangster:1
Historical:0
Musical:0
Science fiction:1
War:0
Western:0
This segment is designed to asses how often people view films and for what reasons.
How often do you watch a film in any form.
Everyday: 0
Every three days:3
Every week:5
Every two weeks:7
Every month:3
Other:2
Why do you watch films.
Socialising with friends:4
Going with boyfriend/Girlfriend: 3
Wanted to see it because of
Actor/Actors:2
Setting :0
Director:1
Because it was recommended by friends:5
Because it was recommended by magazine:4
Monday, 8 February 2010
Shot list and thriller treatment
Shot list
High Angle Long Shot/Close up:
man walking, checks watch, straightens tie and stops at scheduled spot in train yard.
Mid Shot/Tilt:
man starts to pace and keeps checking watch obviously waiting for someone or something .
Close up/mid shot:
As the time passes his nerves begin to show resulting in him breaking down into a sweat (forehead).
Mid Shot:
Second person appears at the end of the train yard and slowly walks towards the first man.
Long Shot/Tracking:
A few lines of muffled dialogue are exchanged before they both exit the train yard in the direction the first man entered from.
Long Shot/Mid Shot/Close up/Mid Shot:
The scene changes and the first man is with a woman(the sound of echoed and the picture is distorted/fuzzy) he is walking with her and seems happy.
Close up:
Scene changes again and the first man is in a car with the second man, he is looking increasingly nervous.
Close Up/Long Shot:
Scene changes the man is back with the woman and he is holding a knife and looks upset.
Close Up:
Scene changes and the man is in the car looking scared.
High Angled Mid Shot:
Scene changes once more and the woman is dead with the man standing over her.
Close Up/Tracking:
Finally we see the man once more he has started sobbing, the car comes to a halt, the man waits for man 2 to exit before he slowly exits himself.
Thriller Treatment
Subgenre - for our thriller film we have decided to go with British gangster subgenre, meaning the film will have many cultural references and will portray British themes.
Style - The style of our film will be very dark and confusing, it will be designed to be intimidating to the watcher and will be portrayed from the perspective of a very un-intimidating man who has committed a regrettable crime.
Character - the characters in our thriller focus on the boundaries between the powerful and the weak.
Guy1 - is nervures and uneasy, he is slightly unstable but ultimately weak of mind and body.
Guy2 - is a strong and confident figure, he is an intimidating person and knows how to handle himself in any situation.
Props - the majority of the props will be held by guy1 who will have glasses, cufflinks, and a tie to complement the state he his in.
Costume - guy1 is in a suit it is ruffled and untidy, it is a suit suitable for an office employee and no one of great importance.
Guy2- will be hardly seen but will be dressed in trench coat and will have an intimidating veneer.
High Angle Long Shot/Close up:
man walking, checks watch, straightens tie and stops at scheduled spot in train yard.
Mid Shot/Tilt:
man starts to pace and keeps checking watch obviously waiting for someone or something .
Close up/mid shot:
As the time passes his nerves begin to show resulting in him breaking down into a sweat (forehead).
Mid Shot:
Second person appears at the end of the train yard and slowly walks towards the first man.
Long Shot/Tracking:
A few lines of muffled dialogue are exchanged before they both exit the train yard in the direction the first man entered from.
Long Shot/Mid Shot/Close up/Mid Shot:
The scene changes and the first man is with a woman(the sound of echoed and the picture is distorted/fuzzy) he is walking with her and seems happy.
Close up:
Scene changes again and the first man is in a car with the second man, he is looking increasingly nervous.
Close Up/Long Shot:
Scene changes the man is back with the woman and he is holding a knife and looks upset.
Close Up:
Scene changes and the man is in the car looking scared.
High Angled Mid Shot:
Scene changes once more and the woman is dead with the man standing over her.
Close Up/Tracking:
Finally we see the man once more he has started sobbing, the car comes to a halt, the man waits for man 2 to exit before he slowly exits himself.
Thriller Treatment
Subgenre - for our thriller film we have decided to go with British gangster subgenre, meaning the film will have many cultural references and will portray British themes.
Style - The style of our film will be very dark and confusing, it will be designed to be intimidating to the watcher and will be portrayed from the perspective of a very un-intimidating man who has committed a regrettable crime.
Character - the characters in our thriller focus on the boundaries between the powerful and the weak.
Guy1 - is nervures and uneasy, he is slightly unstable but ultimately weak of mind and body.
Guy2 - is a strong and confident figure, he is an intimidating person and knows how to handle himself in any situation.
Props - the majority of the props will be held by guy1 who will have glasses, cufflinks, and a tie to complement the state he his in.
Costume - guy1 is in a suit it is ruffled and untidy, it is a suit suitable for an office employee and no one of great importance.
Guy2- will be hardly seen but will be dressed in trench coat and will have an intimidating veneer.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Sin city
This essay will look at the opening of sin city, examining the use of mise-en-scene, cinematography, costume and setting and how each adds their own element to this extremely unique film.
To begin The mise-en-scene of this film is very dark using film noir styling’s and colours only present in objects or people of great importance to emphasise their role in the film. The opening scene is of a man promising to help save a women from whatever she is running from and then shooting her and stealing her money, although this may seem brutal the visuals show the mans true feelings of what he has done and how he may regret his decision. The women’s dress and lipstick are both coloured, in a black an white world this stands out greatly and is obviously their to portray her passion and possible fear of the world. When they kiss the styling’s change and they become almost a page in a comic book making their connection less meaningful and distancing the audience from their relationship.
The use of costume in sin city was no after thought each character can be identified from a unique costume style showing their individual personality, in the opening the women’s dress is obviously designed to show her passion through its colour however it also makes her seem very venerable as it is open backed and she is objectified as in many film noir films as the victim and sex object nothing more, this is proven true when she agrees to be helped by the stronger man and it is revealed that she has been running from something. The mans costume is a suit of no great wealth it is a symbol of his absence from the cares of society whilst still being a working part within it, the fact that no colour can be seen on him shows his bleakness of soul in not wanting to show any emotion; he plays a typical film noir character being isolated and alone focusing on his object able work.
Props are used frequently in sin city usually to convey the mood of the scene, in the first scene a cigarette is used to convey the women’s sexuality, this was common in the days when it was considered inappropriate for women to dress provocatively, the cigarette is used to convey a connection between the pair and when it disappears from the cameras view that connection seemingly breaks and the comic book style kiss ensues creating an even greater sense of distance between the pair even though they are physical close.
The setting of the opening scene of sin city is on the top deck of a building in a dark surrounding city, the setting is designed to look empty and hollow so the story focuses on the characters unless it need to draw emphasis to the scenery at anytime, the darkness in the opening scene is also a tool to convey how the women is to bright for the city and stands out of the ordinary and shows her disposition to be that she is being crushed by the darkness of the city, however the man is completely at home in the empty and dark environment suggesting immorality.
The cinematography of the scene is very interesting always changing the shot length and angle, this makes the scene seem very concise and only what is needed to be seen is seen focusing the attention on the characters. The scene ends with a dramatic pull out of the city from the rooftop of the murder, in doing this the characters seem dwarfed by the magnitude of the city and are immediately made unimportant from the scale of things.
To conclude Sin City uses a vast array of techniques to convey its point and sometimes to mislead and confuse the watcher, it is extremely effective in achieving the effect it desires on the audience making the whole film not just the opening a masterpiece and triumph of modern films.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
The use of chiaroscuro in the third man
This essay will talk about the use of chiaroscuro in the third man, focusing on the introduction and how it is used throughout to create a sense of confusion and foreboding.
The third man is a film set in Vienna following a man named Holly martins who has come to Vienna because he was promised a job of some description that his friend Harry lime who on his arrival is found to have died offered him, As the story evolves it is found that lime did not in fact die but is hiding due to his line of… work and will not meet Holly and insists on running from him in this avid thriller.
Chiaroscuro is the artful use of shadows and light, an example of this is light coming through blinds and striking the face of a person such as is done in casino royal.
The first shots in the third man are exceedingly gloomy showing a bombed and broken city with statues of angles weather worn and battered, the opening sequence also boasts the appearance of body’s in an icy sea and sinister black market scenes.
The use of chiaroscuro in the opening scene is very dramatic immediately showing the film to be a plunge in to darkness and despair the shots are extremely dark and have a grainy feel especially the shots of the body in the water the stark contrast between the ice and water creates a vivid image of the morality in the city and how it is turbulent and constantly re adjusting itself, this is present throughout the film the battle for right and wrong is portrayed in many ways in the third man.
The angles are very dark cast in shadow and server the purpose of being a clear representation of Vienna as the once great city, now descending into darkness but not yet totally consumed in it, this give4s the watcher a great sense of fear for what is to come and confuses them as to what the morality Vienna as a city is leaving them hopelessly lost just as Holly is helping the audience to relate to him.
Chiaroscuro is rarely used to portray positive images as it is mainly the use of shadows however it can be used to create other effects than darkness, the scene of the third man featuring holly walking up the gothic styled stares casting a strong shadow on the wall shows the imprint a person can have on the world around him whilst also showing how people can not change the way things are but only try to distort them so they suit the individual better.
An extremely useful scene for chiaroscuro in the third man is the sewer scene, this scene arises when Holly follows Harry into the sewer in an attempt to catch him and unravel the mystery, the shot is flooded with light despite the locating, the shadows in the shot are now being left behind and Holly is clearly walking into the light and obvious play on enlightenment in the story, the shot is extremely clever in that it transforms a place seldom thought of as uplifting into a sanctuary of light where the dark shadows hide between light and the good shows through, this also shows that Vienna is extremely dark in nature if the only place light can be found is within a sewer.
In conclusion chiaroscuro in the third man is a great tool for causing a sense of darkness and all things associated with it, the film is made to seem bleak and empty by filling it with shadows and darkness, however chiaroscuro can portray the lack of flaws in a place by removing shadows or using them minimally this effect is amplified in the third man as the film is full of darkness.
The third man is a film set in Vienna following a man named Holly martins who has come to Vienna because he was promised a job of some description that his friend Harry lime who on his arrival is found to have died offered him, As the story evolves it is found that lime did not in fact die but is hiding due to his line of… work and will not meet Holly and insists on running from him in this avid thriller.
Chiaroscuro is the artful use of shadows and light, an example of this is light coming through blinds and striking the face of a person such as is done in casino royal.
The first shots in the third man are exceedingly gloomy showing a bombed and broken city with statues of angles weather worn and battered, the opening sequence also boasts the appearance of body’s in an icy sea and sinister black market scenes.
The use of chiaroscuro in the opening scene is very dramatic immediately showing the film to be a plunge in to darkness and despair the shots are extremely dark and have a grainy feel especially the shots of the body in the water the stark contrast between the ice and water creates a vivid image of the morality in the city and how it is turbulent and constantly re adjusting itself, this is present throughout the film the battle for right and wrong is portrayed in many ways in the third man.
The angles are very dark cast in shadow and server the purpose of being a clear representation of Vienna as the once great city, now descending into darkness but not yet totally consumed in it, this give4s the watcher a great sense of fear for what is to come and confuses them as to what the morality Vienna as a city is leaving them hopelessly lost just as Holly is helping the audience to relate to him.
Chiaroscuro is rarely used to portray positive images as it is mainly the use of shadows however it can be used to create other effects than darkness, the scene of the third man featuring holly walking up the gothic styled stares casting a strong shadow on the wall shows the imprint a person can have on the world around him whilst also showing how people can not change the way things are but only try to distort them so they suit the individual better.
An extremely useful scene for chiaroscuro in the third man is the sewer scene, this scene arises when Holly follows Harry into the sewer in an attempt to catch him and unravel the mystery, the shot is flooded with light despite the locating, the shadows in the shot are now being left behind and Holly is clearly walking into the light and obvious play on enlightenment in the story, the shot is extremely clever in that it transforms a place seldom thought of as uplifting into a sanctuary of light where the dark shadows hide between light and the good shows through, this also shows that Vienna is extremely dark in nature if the only place light can be found is within a sewer.
In conclusion chiaroscuro in the third man is a great tool for causing a sense of darkness and all things associated with it, the film is made to seem bleak and empty by filling it with shadows and darkness, however chiaroscuro can portray the lack of flaws in a place by removing shadows or using them minimally this effect is amplified in the third man as the film is full of darkness.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
About me
Danny turner
Gcse results: my results consisted of 3 B’S in English, History, and science 1E in graphics and the rest C’s
I usually listen to radio 1 for entertainment and information but occasionally listen to radio 2 when I’m in a quiet mood
I enjoy many genres of music from rock to country and alternative but I would never listen to any classical. I download most of my music from the internet and my opinion of illegal downloading sites is that they are corrupting the music industry but are inevitable, and so I accept them. The music industry could change peoples dress sense by compelling them to buy to shirts advertising bands it may also alter people attitudes by making them feel they have to act like the band members however the music industry does influence people to become musical.
My favourite video game would have to be “rock band 2” it gives the player the impression that they are musically talented by simulating notes of a guitar or drums being struck or strummed. The video game industry and such videogames could be seen as a more male pastime (although I disagree with this statement) and is the cause for many stereotypes; the games could also give the wrong impression about how to solve problems (by fighting not talking).
New technologies have shown people how the nature of the world is and has changed and has introduced new concepts to people and allow them to see things once thought impossible.
Technology increases communication on a very literal sense (mobile phones, e-mail ect) but can be considered anti-social at times such as answering the phone in mid conversation.
Access to media is now at a peak due to technologies and should be considered a great help in society.
Now the creation of media text by the average person is easier than ever due to technology such as computers and computer programs the internet and portable cameras
My favourite television channels are Dave E4 and ABC1 this is because they provide a wide range of comedy programs which leads me on to my favourite TV genre which is evidently comedy because it is always nice to laugh in an ever more rigid and controlling world. A TV advert that is humours is the Barkley card “let your love flow advert” featuring a man going down a giant water slide to his home from his place of work, whilst using his Barkley card on the way, it conveys the message that the card connects people and makes the life a lot easier with it. The most memorable TV program for me would have to be heroes which is very iconic and innovative placing the unusual amongst the usual and mixing them together with spectacular results.
My favourite genre would have to be action adventure, because it is not a genre typically designed to scare or intimidate the watcher and often has a compelling story lines whilst moving at a relatively fast pace.
The three films I find outstanding would have to be “O brother where art thou”, “silent hill” and “the bucket list” This is because O brother where art thou features an actor I greatly admire “George Clooney” and it is also incredibly well written making it have a compelling story line that never gets boring it rapidly changes and evolves and you never know what’s going to happen next. “Silent hill” is a chilling thriller/horror with excellent visual effects and a mysterious and ultimately sad and lonely story line, featuring the importance of compassion. “The bucket list” makes my top three because of its stunning and compassionate performances all round, whilst being a comedy it also has very important significance relating to terminal illness I also enjoy the narrative as it is witty and really engages the watcher.
I prefer to watch films in a group because of the “chatter” and talk about the film it also makes the film seem greatly enhanced and better than it would be on your own.
The offensive media text I have seen is the logo for “French connection uk ” or fcuk it is a logo with offensive connotations and is one of the most offensive media texts I have seen
The most innovative media text I have seen is an advert for Ben and jerry’s ice cream conveying its origins referencing its connection to fair trade explaining how well it treats its live stock, the advert is very fast and it is a very funny advert using images and motion pictures to convey how good its product is.
A media text that has alerted my to the problems in the world is a song called waiting on the world to change by John Mayer, it showed me willingness of people to live their lives in complete contempt and not even try to change the way the world works for the better and it also made me think of how I could contribute to change in the world.
If I was asked to construct a media I would create a video demonstrating the condition of England and how English people view the world in a very negative fashion and should stop looking for holes in our lives because they are bound to find some but on the whole we have it very easy compared to many others in the world.
I have chosen media studies because it is something different.
Gcse results: my results consisted of 3 B’S in English, History, and science 1E in graphics and the rest C’s
I usually listen to radio 1 for entertainment and information but occasionally listen to radio 2 when I’m in a quiet mood
I enjoy many genres of music from rock to country and alternative but I would never listen to any classical. I download most of my music from the internet and my opinion of illegal downloading sites is that they are corrupting the music industry but are inevitable, and so I accept them. The music industry could change peoples dress sense by compelling them to buy to shirts advertising bands it may also alter people attitudes by making them feel they have to act like the band members however the music industry does influence people to become musical.
My favourite video game would have to be “rock band 2” it gives the player the impression that they are musically talented by simulating notes of a guitar or drums being struck or strummed. The video game industry and such videogames could be seen as a more male pastime (although I disagree with this statement) and is the cause for many stereotypes; the games could also give the wrong impression about how to solve problems (by fighting not talking).
New technologies have shown people how the nature of the world is and has changed and has introduced new concepts to people and allow them to see things once thought impossible.
Technology increases communication on a very literal sense (mobile phones, e-mail ect) but can be considered anti-social at times such as answering the phone in mid conversation.
Access to media is now at a peak due to technologies and should be considered a great help in society.
Now the creation of media text by the average person is easier than ever due to technology such as computers and computer programs the internet and portable cameras
My favourite television channels are Dave E4 and ABC1 this is because they provide a wide range of comedy programs which leads me on to my favourite TV genre which is evidently comedy because it is always nice to laugh in an ever more rigid and controlling world. A TV advert that is humours is the Barkley card “let your love flow advert” featuring a man going down a giant water slide to his home from his place of work, whilst using his Barkley card on the way, it conveys the message that the card connects people and makes the life a lot easier with it. The most memorable TV program for me would have to be heroes which is very iconic and innovative placing the unusual amongst the usual and mixing them together with spectacular results.
My favourite genre would have to be action adventure, because it is not a genre typically designed to scare or intimidate the watcher and often has a compelling story lines whilst moving at a relatively fast pace.
The three films I find outstanding would have to be “O brother where art thou”, “silent hill” and “the bucket list” This is because O brother where art thou features an actor I greatly admire “George Clooney” and it is also incredibly well written making it have a compelling story line that never gets boring it rapidly changes and evolves and you never know what’s going to happen next. “Silent hill” is a chilling thriller/horror with excellent visual effects and a mysterious and ultimately sad and lonely story line, featuring the importance of compassion. “The bucket list” makes my top three because of its stunning and compassionate performances all round, whilst being a comedy it also has very important significance relating to terminal illness I also enjoy the narrative as it is witty and really engages the watcher.
I prefer to watch films in a group because of the “chatter” and talk about the film it also makes the film seem greatly enhanced and better than it would be on your own.
The offensive media text I have seen is the logo for “French connection uk ” or fcuk it is a logo with offensive connotations and is one of the most offensive media texts I have seen
The most innovative media text I have seen is an advert for Ben and jerry’s ice cream conveying its origins referencing its connection to fair trade explaining how well it treats its live stock, the advert is very fast and it is a very funny advert using images and motion pictures to convey how good its product is.
A media text that has alerted my to the problems in the world is a song called waiting on the world to change by John Mayer, it showed me willingness of people to live their lives in complete contempt and not even try to change the way the world works for the better and it also made me think of how I could contribute to change in the world.
If I was asked to construct a media I would create a video demonstrating the condition of England and how English people view the world in a very negative fashion and should stop looking for holes in our lives because they are bound to find some but on the whole we have it very easy compared to many others in the world.
I have chosen media studies because it is something different.
La-noir and the opening of the third man focusing on binary opposites and enigma
La noir is almost a spin of from film noir, it is based in LA and focuses on the dark depravity of people and how everything may look shiny and nice on the outside but truly there is a very dark and deeply dangerous underside also showing how women often represented as object in film noir are just as dangerous as the men however they still remain an item rather than a person but they do gain authority even if it is through seduction.
The third man, a film based in Vienna following “Harry lime” on his journey to discover what happened to his believed dead friend uses enigma from the very beginning the first question asked is posed by “lime” himself stating I thought he’d be here to meet me, immediately making the watcher ask questions about his whereabouts; after which the question appears to be answered, however the question that run’s through the near entirety of the film is re-opened when “lime” sees his friend alive and again the watcher is forced to wonder about his whereabouts and why he has remained so elusive.
Binary opposites are apparent in the third man the obvious being black and white the filming style, but also opposites such as life and death (a heavy baring theme in the film) are pushed into question around the same time right and wrong crime and punishment are also made apparent which also bare a heavy stead in the film, all the binary opposites in the film follow negative connotations about its overall feel and plot.
The third man, a film based in Vienna following “Harry lime” on his journey to discover what happened to his believed dead friend uses enigma from the very beginning the first question asked is posed by “lime” himself stating I thought he’d be here to meet me, immediately making the watcher ask questions about his whereabouts; after which the question appears to be answered, however the question that run’s through the near entirety of the film is re-opened when “lime” sees his friend alive and again the watcher is forced to wonder about his whereabouts and why he has remained so elusive.
Binary opposites are apparent in the third man the obvious being black and white the filming style, but also opposites such as life and death (a heavy baring theme in the film) are pushed into question around the same time right and wrong crime and punishment are also made apparent which also bare a heavy stead in the film, all the binary opposites in the film follow negative connotations about its overall feel and plot.
Cosmetic advert
Target audience: 16-20
Gender:
Male
Codes and conventions
The design of the advert is showing the product “High Guard” behind mountains and over a lake, it’s appeal is to people who believe themselves to be pretty outgoing and the advert is designed to make the Audience think that if they use the deodorant their lives will contain a little more adventure. I have chosen the adventure genre because it appeals to people of my target age group and demographic. The backpack on the character suggests the product is for people that have to walk or bike to their destination (students). The slogan is very simple it makes the viewer feel good about themselves, and is effective and simple to remember. The lighting in the shot is extremely ambient and bright, no spot lighting is used creating the sense that the advert is very friendly and not harsh. The costume in the advertisement is simple trouser and shirt easily showing the advert to be of my chosen demographic. The positing of the product is at the back of the shot dominating mountain ranges creating the feel that the product is all mighty and that it is something to be truly desired. The slogan is simple and gives a clear message it is imbedded in the advertisement imagery giving the impression that everything is a part of the advert even the audience. The character within the advert are represented in a positive light showing a sport and more active group of peoples, the narrative of the advert is clear it is of a person or possibly group of people trying perilously to reach their destination of the deodorant. The character is displayed as in ore of the sight however irritated at its un-attainability; a subtle reference to the impatience commonly associated with the target audience.
Representation
Social groups are often represented in unfair ways, such as so called hoody’s, who are shown as violent and out of control. My advert I would hope does not represent any social group negatively, I would hope that its shows how social classes can be broken down and no group has to be represented in any negative way, although I would wager that it shows my target audience as a much more positive representation of young people than they are represented in the media.
Target audience
My target audience is demographically male and is comprised of the age range of 16-20, the group in particular I am targeting would have to be students who’s lives seem tedious and full of work and my product can put some adventure back into their lives. The demographic who I would most believe that my product would sell to is the young who are to be outgoing and adventurous already and they buy my deodorant to suit that life style. The media interests of my chosen audience would be stations on TV such as E4 and TMF also branching into the sun newspaper.
Evaluation
There are a few notable weaknesses of my advert firstly the quality is slightly lacking this is due to the poor quality of pictures used within it and a novice approach to photo editing programs, in saying this however I do believe the advert to be overall effective media text showing of a product. The advertisements strengths lie in its slogan and message showing the product as something that is worth having clearly demonstrating it is for sport people and giving a sense of adventure to the product itself. I believe I have met my brief to a satisfactory standard I would have liked my advertisement to be clearer on the target demographic however in doing this I would have spoiled the overall look of the advert and so it was necessary to not meet this target to its fullest requirement.
Advert analysis
Name of product: Nokia 5300 Xpress Music pack
The advert is from FHM on the 10/7
Images and text
The product in question does not feature in the advert per say, it is generated over the top of the image and is placed in the bottom right hand corner. It has some information about the phone with the super imposed image such as what comes free with it and a website you can visit. All of this is very helpful for the reader and it does not spoil the overall effect of the advert as it is small and placed in the corner of the advert.
The advert itself consists of two friends laughing apparently over a song, this is apparent because superimposed over the image are the words “Rubbish songs are sometimes the best”. The advert is clearly designed to show the phone as a music phone and that great times are never far away when you have one, it is also subtly advertising the fact that if you have this phone you are guaranteed to be laughing and happy all the time, also showing how the phone brings people together and how rubbish songs are some of the things that can bring people closer and make them happier when there together.
The phone not being in the imagery of the main advert is not a negative because the overall effectiveness of the advert is not changed as the phone is more clearly shown when it is superimposed into the corner of the advert and it gives a clear representation that the people in the imagery of the advert are using the product. The colours in the advert are bright making the whole image seem very happy or cheerful obviously a key theme in this advert.
Representation
The advert is not representing the world in any negative way, it clearly and plainly shows that the world being represented is one of laughter and fun it is not gender specific and I would say the world represented is a very optimistic and light hearted one.
The values of the advert appear to me to be that of the enjoyment and majesty of life and how fun can be found anywhere, you just have to look for it. In my opinion the advert is not sexist or racist, a lot of thought seems to be have put into making this advert very clean and it does not have any negative connotations or suggestions about anyone; the reason for this being I would wager is because the advertisers want to make their product seem friendly to everyone .The genre of this advert is clearly one of comedy and fun focusing in the humour of life which bring me nicely onto audiences
Audiences
In my opinion the audience intended for this advert are 15-22 year olds this is for a number of reasons, to begin the world represented in the advert is that of fun and laughter not readily associated with people above the age of 25 also the people featured in the advertisement are around 16 to 17 years old.
The appeal to the target audience is the relevance of humour and social ties fun and games relating to communication and laughter and friendship.
Evaluation
To evaluate my overall opinion of the advert is that is very effective, using bright colours laughter and fun to entice the target audience very effectively. The advert is also very careful not to offended or objectify anybody making the product seem very fair and good in many peoples eyes. The advert is effective even though the product is not greatly featured in the imagery of the advert, the message is clear.
The advert is from FHM on the 10/7
Images and text
The product in question does not feature in the advert per say, it is generated over the top of the image and is placed in the bottom right hand corner. It has some information about the phone with the super imposed image such as what comes free with it and a website you can visit. All of this is very helpful for the reader and it does not spoil the overall effect of the advert as it is small and placed in the corner of the advert.
The advert itself consists of two friends laughing apparently over a song, this is apparent because superimposed over the image are the words “Rubbish songs are sometimes the best”. The advert is clearly designed to show the phone as a music phone and that great times are never far away when you have one, it is also subtly advertising the fact that if you have this phone you are guaranteed to be laughing and happy all the time, also showing how the phone brings people together and how rubbish songs are some of the things that can bring people closer and make them happier when there together.
The phone not being in the imagery of the main advert is not a negative because the overall effectiveness of the advert is not changed as the phone is more clearly shown when it is superimposed into the corner of the advert and it gives a clear representation that the people in the imagery of the advert are using the product. The colours in the advert are bright making the whole image seem very happy or cheerful obviously a key theme in this advert.
Representation
The advert is not representing the world in any negative way, it clearly and plainly shows that the world being represented is one of laughter and fun it is not gender specific and I would say the world represented is a very optimistic and light hearted one.
The values of the advert appear to me to be that of the enjoyment and majesty of life and how fun can be found anywhere, you just have to look for it. In my opinion the advert is not sexist or racist, a lot of thought seems to be have put into making this advert very clean and it does not have any negative connotations or suggestions about anyone; the reason for this being I would wager is because the advertisers want to make their product seem friendly to everyone .The genre of this advert is clearly one of comedy and fun focusing in the humour of life which bring me nicely onto audiences
Audiences
In my opinion the audience intended for this advert are 15-22 year olds this is for a number of reasons, to begin the world represented in the advert is that of fun and laughter not readily associated with people above the age of 25 also the people featured in the advertisement are around 16 to 17 years old.
The appeal to the target audience is the relevance of humour and social ties fun and games relating to communication and laughter and friendship.
Evaluation
To evaluate my overall opinion of the advert is that is very effective, using bright colours laughter and fun to entice the target audience very effectively. The advert is also very careful not to offended or objectify anybody making the product seem very fair and good in many peoples eyes. The advert is effective even though the product is not greatly featured in the imagery of the advert, the message is clear.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Conventions of film noir
Film noir has the notable trend of being very dark downbeat and black it often features a solitary hero or in some cases anti hero on as typical his journey through the dark and depressing world, a murder is often featured in film noir often involving a detective of some description and this is as typical where the story begins.
Double identities are very common within film noir, people are often not who they appear and the story is often wrapped in mystery. The conventions of film noir where thrust intro being at the end of the Second World War, it reflects the tensions, bleakness, mistrust paranoia, loss of innocence and despair so very common after the war the common film noir reflects the feelings of the people after the war.
Injustice features heavily in film noir there is a deepest feeling of wrongs being committed within the film such as black market activities, murders, rapes and violence, there are many examples of this in film noir clearly suggesting that these films are designed to make the watcher think about the state of the world and not just enjoy the film/ or mot enjoy it as the case may be.
The characters shown in film noir are often the underclass of society some examples of these such people are Corrupt and indignant characters villains/criminals also including the down and out, gangsters, lone wolf people, sociopaths, killers murderers, also the complete often is possible the people at the top most rankings of society such as detectives, private eyes, war veterans, politicians (although they could have been put in either section) however on the whole the characters featured in film noir are often the low life scum of society with the occasional good guy or just average Joe so to speak.
The story lines so very common in film noir are often elliptical, non-linier and twisted, the stories narratives are often complex and very involved they are often confusing and a puzzle to the watcher they typically feature the continual sense of foreboding; flashbacks are very common and the film is often very clever and could be described as razor sharp and even the possibility of witty. The plot often followed a person who has suffered (as previously discussed ) an injustice and his or rarely her morality is put to the test as the plot unravels, and the watcher usually gets to see the disintegration of a normal person because of said injustice and the hero(or anti hero) usually has to solve or is the cause of the injustice. As the plot becomes apparent the hero/anti hero often has to come to terms with his/her cynicisms and gain some perspective on their own life.
The way in which film noir is shot is that of visual expressiveness the lighting is often that of contrasts using focused light to create vast sweeping shadows and brilliant whites showing the films morality and turbulence, the lighting is often low key (or single source) shot in claustrophobic settings such as in cupboards alleys or small rooms, it is often the case that the lighting is often designed to give a gloomy feel and appearance, the texture of the shot is important in film noir used to convey the feel of particular scenes and shots.
To conclude film noir is very dark and gloomy using metaphors to convey points and dark shady characters to convey the films gloomy feel.
Double identities are very common within film noir, people are often not who they appear and the story is often wrapped in mystery. The conventions of film noir where thrust intro being at the end of the Second World War, it reflects the tensions, bleakness, mistrust paranoia, loss of innocence and despair so very common after the war the common film noir reflects the feelings of the people after the war.
Injustice features heavily in film noir there is a deepest feeling of wrongs being committed within the film such as black market activities, murders, rapes and violence, there are many examples of this in film noir clearly suggesting that these films are designed to make the watcher think about the state of the world and not just enjoy the film/ or mot enjoy it as the case may be.
The characters shown in film noir are often the underclass of society some examples of these such people are Corrupt and indignant characters villains/criminals also including the down and out, gangsters, lone wolf people, sociopaths, killers murderers, also the complete often is possible the people at the top most rankings of society such as detectives, private eyes, war veterans, politicians (although they could have been put in either section) however on the whole the characters featured in film noir are often the low life scum of society with the occasional good guy or just average Joe so to speak.
The story lines so very common in film noir are often elliptical, non-linier and twisted, the stories narratives are often complex and very involved they are often confusing and a puzzle to the watcher they typically feature the continual sense of foreboding; flashbacks are very common and the film is often very clever and could be described as razor sharp and even the possibility of witty. The plot often followed a person who has suffered (as previously discussed ) an injustice and his or rarely her morality is put to the test as the plot unravels, and the watcher usually gets to see the disintegration of a normal person because of said injustice and the hero(or anti hero) usually has to solve or is the cause of the injustice. As the plot becomes apparent the hero/anti hero often has to come to terms with his/her cynicisms and gain some perspective on their own life.
The way in which film noir is shot is that of visual expressiveness the lighting is often that of contrasts using focused light to create vast sweeping shadows and brilliant whites showing the films morality and turbulence, the lighting is often low key (or single source) shot in claustrophobic settings such as in cupboards alleys or small rooms, it is often the case that the lighting is often designed to give a gloomy feel and appearance, the texture of the shot is important in film noir used to convey the feel of particular scenes and shots.
To conclude film noir is very dark and gloomy using metaphors to convey points and dark shady characters to convey the films gloomy feel.
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