Film Noir

Film noir is a cinematic term used to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that are quiet ambiguous and sexually motivated. Hollywood's classic film noir period is known to be established from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography, while many of the stories have derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression.

The term film noir (French for "black film"), first applied to Hollywood movies by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, was unknown to most American film industry professionals of the era. 

The lighting featured in this image is a mixture of low and high key lighting, this could suggest that the character has two sides to them, maybe an evil and good. This is known as Binary opposition as it is the contrast between two similar but not so similar words. 

To show the characters fascial expressions a bright under and key light is used, as this brings out the actors expressions clearly.  Filler lights are absent here, as we can see that a shadow is created, although this is not the characters shadow, but a crow which could indicate the characters discreetness, as crows are seen to be discreet and fast. Also some bright light is focused on the prop (gun), so the director or producer wanted the audience to notice this, as it gives them an insight as to what the film is about. 

This scene taken from Saw 5, features low key lighting, which primarily uses filler and backlight, as the producer wanted to create a dark and gloomy atmosphere which coincides with the film as it is a thriller. At times the villain is shown to be in both dark and bright light, to show that the character has an evil side to him. Because of this, the audience knows who is the villain. 

Some high backlight is used, however this is done to make the scene look real and adds an authentic look. Because of the lighting, the audience feels more involved as this sort of lighting is used frequently used in thrillers and horror films. 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zL3c52mwWSo

Still image

The costume used in this still image, is a smart suit which signifies power and respect. This is often used in gangster movies, as it indicates the actual boss therefore the audience expects him to be dressed accordingly. The suit also outlines the wealth and financial advantage the "Don" has, which also links with great power and respect.    

The lighting used in the image is both low-key and high-key, however to show the characters fascial expressions high-key lighting is featured. From this we can see the character has a plain, blunt face which could suggest no remorse or the actors coldness.

Acting or the actor included in the image, is quiet effective as we can see his attention is elsewhere, and from his expression we can state he looks rather angry and unimpressed, which coincides with his role.

Make-up could have been used, maybe to bold or underline certain features of the character e.g. wrinkles. This shows that the Don is quiet old, suggesting he has been around for some time and is still in power. An airbrush could have been the primary applicant used in this situation.

In this still picture, no props are used because the suit and the expression is where the attention should be. This could have been done, to show that the film is quiet ambiguous about the type of violence used, or that the Don does not do the killing himself but gets people who are working for him to do so. Again, this is related to his superiorness, and the impact he has on others.    

The setting looks like a room, however due to the lighting we can not really make out where the character is based. This could indicate that the film will be shot in various different places. This is because the directors or producers do not want to give away to much information, which creating a form of enigma code. 

Peer Assessment

Harvinder - http://harvy92.blogspot.com/

Sound - A Classical/Techno Beat Has Been Used In This Trailer It Reflects The Struggling MC Find Wile They Are Getting Familiar Industry it Also Keeps The Audience Interested.

In the trailer, a rather unique beat/track is used, which merges the Hip-Hop and classical genre together. The tune is quiet up beat keeping the audience entertainment and focused. The music shows what audience the trailer is aimed at, as this music is the kind young and old teenagers would listen to.   

Suhu- http://x-suhu-x.blogspot.com/

The lighting of the trailer and the beginning institution that was used, Warner Bros pictures was dark lighting. The use of the dark clouds were all conventions used to create a frightening climax to the trailer in order to fulfill the titles credentials. The dark cloudsconnotes dark and intensifying trailer. 

Throughout Face of Fear the lighting used is low-key. This sets the scene for a thriller/horror movie, as lighting is a key convention is this type of genre. The use of dark, gloomy clouds creates a frightening and evil look, as a result the audience feels more involved, as this replicates reality. The lighting indicates the nature of a character (villain), as the darkness connotes death and evilness, because of this the audience knows who the key character is and what his or her role consists of.

Jehrique- http://jehrique-mcqueen.blogspot.com/

Actors used were important, and well executed as they featured a real life drug addict. I believe what separated this from so many other trailers was that the group had gone an extra mile by getting a real life drug addict, which could have been dangerous.

In the trailer crime, actors played a key role as they made the production effective and unique. The primary reason for this is that it featured real class A drug use. As a result, this adds authenticity to the trailer, and the audience witnesses a first hand experience of drug use. This is what separates "CRIME" from all the others trailers and productions.  The producers of "CRIME" actually went out and interacted with a drug addict, which was not done by any other producers, so we know that extra effort and time went into this production.

WWW- noticed what made the production different

          - mentioned why actors made the production good

          

EBI- Analysed the effect on the audience

     - used media terminology 

     - Analysed in detail

Pathé

Pathé was originally founded in Paris, France on September 28, 1896 by bothers Charles, Émile, Théophile and Jacques Pathé, during the first part of the 20th century. 

Pathé later became the largest film equipment and production company in the world as well as a key producer of phonograph records.

The driving force behind the film operation was Charles Pathé who had helped open a gramophone shop in 1894 and then established a phonograph factory at Chatou on the western outskirts of Paris. Successful, he saw the opportunities that new means of entertainment offered and in particular by the fledgling motion picture industry. Having decided to expand the record business to include film equipment, Charles Pathé oversaw a rapid expansion of the company.

Pathé has a major presence within the UK film industry, operating as a fully integrated studio. It is involved in all aspects of film- making, from production and development through to international sales and distribution.

One of the UK’s leading independent film distributors, Pathé Distribution releases around 20 titles each year, ranging from quality and specialised films to crowd- pleasing mainstream movies and genre titles.


Pathé have 11 films distributed in France and 9 in the UK in 2007. Nevertheless, they have 550 films in the film library.

Pathé have distributed the following:

- Adulthood, Crash, Deep Water, Wrong Turn and many more. 

Revolver Entertainment is a multi-award winning, marketing-lead, and all rights film distribution company based in the UK.

Revolver Entertainment is the 14^th largest film distribution company and the 20^th largest home entertainment publisher in the UK. The company are specialists in delivering maximum media coverage, with Revolver Books 357 records. Also, they won Oscars and they were nominated for a Bafta. From this we can see how successful and popular, Revolver is within its market. 

The titles Revolver have distributed:

Kidulthood, 3000 Miles, Macbeth, Dirty Love and many more

Revolver Entertainment also produce, broadcast also they benefit from journalism, marketing, which boosts their annual income and power.

My three broadcast fiction texts

The three broadcast fiction texts that i have chosen to do is Goodness Gracious Me, East is East and Silver street. I have chosen these three aspects of media, as they all share similarities through the representation of Asians. Goodness Gracious Me and Silver Street both are or where broadcasted by the BBC, on radio and TV. The humour that coincides with all the shows, rises from how Asians act or speak, which indicates that the Asian community are no longer insecure about their culture or views, and that they can have laugh and joke about them. 

East is East- It is set in a mixed-race household with a Pakistani father and a British mother in Salford, in 1971. George Khan (played by Om Puri), the father, expects his family to follow his strict Pakistani ways, but his children, who were born and raised in Britain, increasingly see themselves as British and reject their father's rules on dress, food, religion, and living in general. This is were the comedy arises from, as we see how the children try avoid being typical Asian children.  

Silver street- Silver Street is a radio soap opera, the first such to be aimed at the British South Asian community, and is broadcast on the BBC Asian Network. The storylines focus on the lives of a primarily British South Asian community in an English town of unspecified name and location, with themes generally related to issues that affect the daily lives of British South Asians and their neighbours.

Goodness Gracious Me- Goodness Gracious Me is probably one of Britain's best comedies and it's a shame it only aired for a couple of seasons. The show was comprised of sketches portraying a humorous take on Indian culture in the UK, poking fun at both Asians and British alike without causing offense. The four performers of the show- Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir and Nina Wadia- all threw themselves into their various roles, bringing their outlandish characters to life and clearly had much fun doing so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFL0w1ruiCM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-RGcNrA8eI

Fear or Fear

In this production there are a number of shots and camera movements present. An example of when a shot is used to create a certian affect, is the use of the close up, this is done to show the actors expression, as a result the audience knows how the actor is feeling and builds tension.
At times a high angled shot is used, this is done to show one character is superior then the other. To coincide with this, a long shot is used to show the surroundings, which helps the audience to visualise whats actaully going on.
In the trailer not alot of pans, tilts or zooms are used, however this could be seen as an advantage as sometimes certain camerawork could look unprofessional and very budgeted.

The sound used in the production is both diegetic and non-diegetic. This is becuase as the production is running we can hear the actors in the back, but the soundtrack is laped over the voices, therefore the non-diegetic sound is what the adueinces hears primarily.

In Fear Of Fear, there is one primary edit that is used constantly, which is the cut. This is when a series of shots are put together, to create build up and pace. However, there are some scenes which fade into others, but the editing is fairly fast and discreet.

The costume of the actors in the trailer are quiet colourful and casual. As a result the trailer seems quiet real, as the clothes featured are worn by urban teenagers. Becuase of this the audience sympathies for the actors, as young teenagers are seen to be helpless.
Becuase a character is wearing dark clothes, we can establish that he is the villian, as dark colours connote evil and death. The contrast between the characters, underlines the evil and the remorseless actor, out of the cast.

The lighting used in the trailer is dark , low-key and there is no bright noticable light in sight. This connotes pain and death, which integrates with the theme and genre of the trailer. The lighting used in the production, helps set the scene thus adds a professional effect to the trailer, which imitates a real horror film, as a result the audience feels more involved with the production.

The acting featured in the trailer was reasonably good, considering the roles that had to be played. The actors fitted into their characters very well e.g. the Villian, as he had to be very serious and fluent with his acting, so that the production looks even and same.
However, the make-up could have looked more neat and real, the reason being is becuase as times it looks very smugged and rushed.

The setting and props worked effectivly, as each of them helped set the scene. The setting coincides with the genre of the trailer, as the surroundings looks very effective. The main prop is the axe, which obviously connotes death.

Rappers Ambition

Costumes- The costumes that are worn in the trailer, mainly consists of casual, everyday clothes . The costumes that the actors wear, have not really been concentrated on, as the outfits are clothes we wear and see in out daily lives. However, most actors in the trailer are wearing hoodies and big, heavy jackets, this automatically sets the scene and we know what kind of an audience the trailer is aimed at.


Lighting- The lighting in the trailer is mainly dark, this is done to create suspense and build up tension. As a result, the audience knows that there is more to the story and makes them want to watch the actual film. However, at times the lighting is bright to show the characters face and expression.


Actors- The actors in the trailer fit the characters role very well, this is because the acting looks fairly professional and real. At certain times, were the actors expressions should have been plain and serious, were featured in the trailer quiet effectively. But, through out the whole trailer, they were some scenes that could have been re-shot, due to the acting. But overall it was fairly good acting.


Make-Up- In this type of a film or trailer there is no make up used. However, there were not many scenes that needed any use of make up anyway.


Props- In the Trailer, a small number of props are used, mainly microphones and equipment used to record or produce music. As a result the audience has an insight as to what is going to be featured and shown in the production, also what the the actual film is about.


Setting- The setting of the trailer consists of normal streets, roads and alleys, however some scenes are shot in a recoding studio and on a train. This is done to show the audience what features in the film and to create pace.