Black cinema has evolved significantly, continuously changing the socioeconomic and political situations of African Americans have been and are still changing over the past 50 years. At the same time the art of filmmaking has undergone a lot of changes as well, constantly refining and redefining itself in terms of technology and special effects. Black cinema from its early roots to the current day has always been more concerned about character study and development in its films, but this could be argued during the early stages of 'Black cinema'. Going back to when 'Black cinema' first came to light society was dominated by white people who were of a higher social and economic class and black people were inferior to them; this was portrayed during the early films were black people bullied into silence by white people.
However since then 'Black cinema' had moved on from this a couple of years lateer, when the portrayal of 'Black people' had shifted slightly so black men in films had suits, middle class jobs and conventions that you would expect a white person to have, so it subverts the stereotypical black person at thte time, but despite this, black people were still represented as drunks that were illiterate and did not have an educational background. In comparison with a white person they were still second rate in society. This representation of black people still conformed to what people expected a black person to act at that time period, because of their idea of how a black person should act.
Progressively though black peoples roles in cinema has changed for example a black teacher teaching a rowdy group of young white people subverts what you would expect of a black perosn, becasue black people were supposed to be illiterate and have no educational background, however it represents how socities views of black people have changed by allowing a black man to teach the next generation of white people, becasue he in a sense was a role model to the youn white people. The typical conventions of black men, were viloent, had guns and always got into fights, and even though detective films such as Bad Boys which had actors like Will Smith and Martin Lawerence even though they are still using violence it is justified violence to help society.
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Script
Int. Biology lab- Night
Scientist is working on a new cure
for a disease which is inherent; but has been working on this cure for several
months. He is drinking alcohol and it stains his overall.
Scientist: A
little bit distortedly “I have to finish my research it will be a breakthrough
in science!”
Scientist staggers
and looks around the room as if he is trying to find something.
He trips over
and hits his head on the floor.
Close up shot
of his head and then pans to the trickle of blood running down the side of his
head.
Night- 12
O’clock
Camera. Uses a
bird’s eye view shot of the scientist who is unconscious on the floor then
zooms into the clock.
Hours pass
Camera. Long shot is used when he staggers to
his feet
Scientist: Head
hurting, “what happened” disorientated
Ext. leaves the
laboratory and goes to clear his mind outside
Walks outside
Int. Back
inside lab
Scientist contorts
his body so his feet are over his head and his hands are beneath him.
Camera. Long shot
Unknots his
body, but one of his elbows comes out of his socket and his leg has also come
out of his socket
Camera. Zooms into
his elbow, which is hanging off his arm, then tilts to his leg, which is
significantly longer than his other one.
Camera. Extreme
close up of his face; he is lying on the floor position less
Hours go by
before he eventually attempts to stand.
Non diegetic
sound
Attempts to put
arm back in place.
Non diegetic
sounds heightens
Camera. Medium length
shot of the scientist.
Elbow cracks
back into its socket and his eye ball poops out his socket.
Camera. Close
up of the hole left by his eye ball dropping out.
Blood drops out
his socket.
Camera. Follows
the blood dripping down his shirt.
Walks over to
the eye ball.
Camera.
Birdseye shot.
He stands next
to the eye ball and begins to stamp on his eye ball.
Camera. Low
camera angle and blood and other parts of the eye are every where on the floor.
Camera. Pans
from his feet to his head.
Non diegetic
sound.
Camera. Close
up of his face.
His brain
starts to come out the socket of his missing eyeball.
Camera. Zooms
out and he falls to the ground.
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Monday, 27 February 2012
How closely involved was Godard in creating the look of the film? Did he check each shot through the viewfinder, for example?
The process of making the film 'Breathless' was like being a photo-journalist. When I was moving the camera there were no instructions – Jean-Luc would just say, “You follow her,” or “You don’t follow her.” It wasn’t complicated. His approach was the opposite of the usual one. A director normally states what he or she wants in the shot or before shooting they would say what they want or how they want to capture a particualr scene or image, but Jean-Luc would say, ‘I don’t want to see the top of his hat or anything below the pocket.” Instead of saying, “I want this in the frame,” he’d just explain what he didn’t want to appear.
What are your impressions on watching Breathless 50 years later? What do you feel is its lasting influence?
It hasn’t dated. A lot of Jean-Luc’s films have that in common: often, when they first see them, people don’t like them at all, but then when they watch them a few years later they find them very good. His influence has been both good and bad. He changed the face of cinema and got people using different tools, different methods, to make films. At the same time, it has been damaging because for a while everyone thought you make a film about anything, with anyone and in any old way, forgetting that Jean-Luc was not only talented but a genius. Breathless redefined how we view films by reinforcing the importance of the auteur and the power of editing, as well as introducing new narrative techniques that would influence every film made afterward. Its main character was the first of his kind- amoral, self obsessed, and detached. Godard, inspired by filmmakers such as Welles, Rossellini, Fuller, and Melville, essentially took everything he knew about film technique and history (tracking shots, crane & dolly shots, fade outs, etc.) shot in a documentary style and put everything together through his revolutionary jump-cut editing.
Why did you not tell any of the
The process of making the film 'Breathless' was like being a photo-journalist. When I was moving the camera there were no instructions – Jean-Luc would just say, “You follow her,” or “You don’t follow her.” It wasn’t complicated. His approach was the opposite of the usual one. A director normally states what he or she wants in the shot or before shooting they would say what they want or how they want to capture a particualr scene or image, but Jean-Luc would say, ‘I don’t want to see the top of his hat or anything below the pocket.” Instead of saying, “I want this in the frame,” he’d just explain what he didn’t want to appear.
What are your impressions on watching Breathless 50 years later? What do you feel is its lasting influence?
It hasn’t dated. A lot of Jean-Luc’s films have that in common: often, when they first see them, people don’t like them at all, but then when they watch them a few years later they find them very good. His influence has been both good and bad. He changed the face of cinema and got people using different tools, different methods, to make films. At the same time, it has been damaging because for a while everyone thought you make a film about anything, with anyone and in any old way, forgetting that Jean-Luc was not only talented but a genius. Breathless redefined how we view films by reinforcing the importance of the auteur and the power of editing, as well as introducing new narrative techniques that would influence every film made afterward. Its main character was the first of his kind- amoral, self obsessed, and detached. Godard, inspired by filmmakers such as Welles, Rossellini, Fuller, and Melville, essentially took everything he knew about film technique and history (tracking shots, crane & dolly shots, fade outs, etc.) shot in a documentary style and put everything together through his revolutionary jump-cut editing.
Why did you not tell any of the
Monday, 20 February 2012
How do micro codes in 'Double Endemnity' help enhance the central themes presented in the film?
The film 'Double Endemnity' is highly regarded by many film critics as the first true film noir. It is also one of the best film noirs, because of the characters, the scenario and the stylistic elements of 'Double Endemnity' that all perfectly represent this group of Hollywood films from the early 1940's to the late 1950's. Throughout the film there is a dark tone that constantly revolves around the protagonist characters and the darkness is visually visible which creates enigma and a sense of the unknown. The protagonist is led astray by the allure of potentail wealth promoted by greed and lust and the seductive, yet deadly femme fatale which will lead the protagonist to his impending fate set up the narrative for an excellent film noir.
'Double Endemnity' is a great film noir, because it has some of the best examples of hardboiled language as two legends of hardboiled fiction contributed to the script. Another characteristic of hardboiled fiction and film noir is the first person narrative which 'Double Endemnity' also incorprates and the film is in flash backs which was the typical style of film noir and because it is in stages of a flash back, it ensures that the characters are morally complex with an evoking enigma and it takes the basis of a story; it is also non linear. In the beginning of the film it starts with the protagonist getting out of a dark car and there is low key lighting. This already draws forth that this character is morally complex, because we do not know where he has come from and what he is going to do at his destination. It is dark outside and when he enters the room, it uses low key lightning which creates a sense of perplexity. What the protagonist is wearing is also a key ingredient; a trench coat and a suit which are typical micro codes which help to enhance the central themes expressed in the film.
Also in the beginning when he walks out of his car, we dont actually see his face until a couple of minutes later which reiterates the idea of a mystifying character and his back is turned to us, as he walks further away from the camera, it uses non diegetic film to create an ery tension which keeps the audience watching. When we eventaully do see his face it is a low camera angle, about a middle shot and the camera is panning following the protagonist. Not many camera angles or shot types are used in this film and it is at a slow pace which is benefical for a film noir. When he walks on the veranda from the night sky and the low key lighting it creates a shadow that walks with him and this is the shadow effect which gives the idea of a split personality that will be conveyed throught the film. The film presents itself as a no linear structure because the protoganist is reflecting on what has digressed and it uses a single shot which represents his allientation and what he does not have in his life.
From the opening camera shots of the protagonist character in the beginning of the film, it uses single shots to represent the protagonists alienation, but when he first enters the femme fatale's house the typical convention of venetion blinds is used. The effect of this is the split personality and conflicting morals. With the introduction of the femme fatale, the protagonists fate is already sealed. The femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive women who charms ensures that she wraps her lovers in bonds of irresistable desire and in many cases often leading them into comprising, dangerous and deadly situations and 'Double Indemnity' is no exception. The femme fatale finds herself in a precarious predicament when she reaslises that she does not love her husband and she wants to kill him. The femme fatale asserts her stereotypical characterisitics when she first encounters the protagonist and she is in her bath robes with nothing on underneath. The camera angle that is used here is an over the shoulder shot from the protagonist and this is used so that the audience can reflect with the protagonist's character and we can see his view.
Describing their first encounter, Walter Neff, the narrator and central male figure of the film, immediately verbalizes the way Phyllis is meant to be perceived both by the male characters and by the audience. His eyes, along with the camera, are immediately drawn to her curvaceous figure, her tight-fitting clothes, and her tempting anklet. The camera follows his lustful gaze giving a long close-up of the anklet in question. Nearing the end of 'Double Indemnity' and Neff's suscpicions of Phyllis double-crossing him are confirmed, he realises that one death is not enough. The scene is a steryotipical of film noir, Phyllis, scented and wearing silk pajams, typical conventions of the femme fatale conceals her pistol below a cushion before diming the lights. Non diegetic sound is used to create an uprising tension and the camera angle used when Phyllis goes to the door is a high camera angle, so where she believes that she is in control, we can see that because the camera angle is making her seem smaller in stature and smaller in power it is decieving becasue the femme fatale is about to meet her fate. She goes off turning all the lights off which could present her darker side closing in on the light and finally the venition blinds create the split personalitly. Phyllis takes out a cigarette which is another convention of film noir, which is used for relaxation. The non diegetic sound stops when the sound of the door closes. When Neff enters, he is preceded by his shadow, as if this rendezvous is already in the immaterial world.
'Double Endemnity' is a great film noir, because it has some of the best examples of hardboiled language as two legends of hardboiled fiction contributed to the script. Another characteristic of hardboiled fiction and film noir is the first person narrative which 'Double Endemnity' also incorprates and the film is in flash backs which was the typical style of film noir and because it is in stages of a flash back, it ensures that the characters are morally complex with an evoking enigma and it takes the basis of a story; it is also non linear. In the beginning of the film it starts with the protagonist getting out of a dark car and there is low key lighting. This already draws forth that this character is morally complex, because we do not know where he has come from and what he is going to do at his destination. It is dark outside and when he enters the room, it uses low key lightning which creates a sense of perplexity. What the protagonist is wearing is also a key ingredient; a trench coat and a suit which are typical micro codes which help to enhance the central themes expressed in the film.
Also in the beginning when he walks out of his car, we dont actually see his face until a couple of minutes later which reiterates the idea of a mystifying character and his back is turned to us, as he walks further away from the camera, it uses non diegetic film to create an ery tension which keeps the audience watching. When we eventaully do see his face it is a low camera angle, about a middle shot and the camera is panning following the protagonist. Not many camera angles or shot types are used in this film and it is at a slow pace which is benefical for a film noir. When he walks on the veranda from the night sky and the low key lighting it creates a shadow that walks with him and this is the shadow effect which gives the idea of a split personality that will be conveyed throught the film. The film presents itself as a no linear structure because the protoganist is reflecting on what has digressed and it uses a single shot which represents his allientation and what he does not have in his life.
From the opening camera shots of the protagonist character in the beginning of the film, it uses single shots to represent the protagonists alienation, but when he first enters the femme fatale's house the typical convention of venetion blinds is used. The effect of this is the split personality and conflicting morals. With the introduction of the femme fatale, the protagonists fate is already sealed. The femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive women who charms ensures that she wraps her lovers in bonds of irresistable desire and in many cases often leading them into comprising, dangerous and deadly situations and 'Double Indemnity' is no exception. The femme fatale finds herself in a precarious predicament when she reaslises that she does not love her husband and she wants to kill him. The femme fatale asserts her stereotypical characterisitics when she first encounters the protagonist and she is in her bath robes with nothing on underneath. The camera angle that is used here is an over the shoulder shot from the protagonist and this is used so that the audience can reflect with the protagonist's character and we can see his view.
Describing their first encounter, Walter Neff, the narrator and central male figure of the film, immediately verbalizes the way Phyllis is meant to be perceived both by the male characters and by the audience. His eyes, along with the camera, are immediately drawn to her curvaceous figure, her tight-fitting clothes, and her tempting anklet. The camera follows his lustful gaze giving a long close-up of the anklet in question. Nearing the end of 'Double Indemnity' and Neff's suscpicions of Phyllis double-crossing him are confirmed, he realises that one death is not enough. The scene is a steryotipical of film noir, Phyllis, scented and wearing silk pajams, typical conventions of the femme fatale conceals her pistol below a cushion before diming the lights. Non diegetic sound is used to create an uprising tension and the camera angle used when Phyllis goes to the door is a high camera angle, so where she believes that she is in control, we can see that because the camera angle is making her seem smaller in stature and smaller in power it is decieving becasue the femme fatale is about to meet her fate. She goes off turning all the lights off which could present her darker side closing in on the light and finally the venition blinds create the split personalitly. Phyllis takes out a cigarette which is another convention of film noir, which is used for relaxation. The non diegetic sound stops when the sound of the door closes. When Neff enters, he is preceded by his shadow, as if this rendezvous is already in the immaterial world.
Monday, 9 January 2012
Film evaluation
On the whole, I think as a group we worked well together considering it was the first film we have produced. I think that the filming was good, but we had issues with our timing and we had to keep moving the day of filming back, due to a number of different factors. The actual organization of the camera, the objects in the room and the lighting I think was very well done, basically the setting. I think we captured the images that we had in our minds before filming. We used a variety of camera angles, editing techniques and lighting which was at a good standard and we implemented some good non-diegetic sound to highten the mood and create an enigma for our thriller film. However in the actual film we made about two or three basic mistakes that we realsied after editing. Also I think that we tried to make it a bit to complicated and as a result it took longer than expected, considering it was only meant to be a two minute film. As a result from our first film being made, I think it was a positive start and something that we can learn from.
Technical aspects of Film Noir
Lighting
A French term that translates as 'black cinema', film noir is a style of film making that is largely dependent on light for its effects. The term is used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particualry those that emphasie moral ambiguity and sexual motivation. Noir tends to use low key lighting schemes, producing stark light/dark contrasts (chiaroscuro) and dramatic and ominious shadow patterning. Venetian-blinded are an iconic visual in film noir, windows and rooms and dark claustrophobic, gloomy appearances. Exteriors were often urban night scenes with dark shadows and flashing neon lights. Low key lighting or high contrasting light. White and black cinemotography considered to be one of the essential attributes to classic film noir.
Setting
Settings were often interiors with low key lighting, Venetian-blinded windows and rooms and drak and claustrophobic, gloomy appearance. Exteriors were often urban night scenes with deep shadows, wet asphalt, dark alleyways, rain slicked or mean streets. Story locations were often in murky and dark streets, dimly lit-rooms and low-rent appartements.
Characters
Heroes or anti-heroes, corrupt characters and villains included down-and-out. Conflicted hardbolied detectives or private eyes, cops, gangsters, government agents, a lone wolf.
Mise-en-scene
Film noir locations used the everyday urban settings to make what was happening seem more real to the viewer. Moved from crime movies only happening at the end wrong of town and dodgy areas to everday locations. Low key lighting and high contrast images. Everyday urban locations.
Narrative
Narratives were frequently complex, maze like and convoluted and typically told with foreboding background music, flashbacks or a series of flashbacks. Witty razor-sharp and acerbic dialogue and or confessional first person voice-over narrative. Amnesia suffered by the protagonist was a common plot device aswell as the downfall of an innocent everyman who fell victim to temptation or was framed.
Camera angles and movements
Dutch camera angles are used in Film Noirs, it is a tilted shot and is most commonly used to portray tension or psychological uneasiness. Also low camera angles are used to create the same effect. The pace of Film Noir films are very slow paced and have very little different camera shot. It would normally consist of one shot with panning or tilting.
A French term that translates as 'black cinema', film noir is a style of film making that is largely dependent on light for its effects. The term is used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particualry those that emphasie moral ambiguity and sexual motivation. Noir tends to use low key lighting schemes, producing stark light/dark contrasts (chiaroscuro) and dramatic and ominious shadow patterning. Venetian-blinded are an iconic visual in film noir, windows and rooms and dark claustrophobic, gloomy appearances. Exteriors were often urban night scenes with dark shadows and flashing neon lights. Low key lighting or high contrasting light. White and black cinemotography considered to be one of the essential attributes to classic film noir.
Setting
Settings were often interiors with low key lighting, Venetian-blinded windows and rooms and drak and claustrophobic, gloomy appearance. Exteriors were often urban night scenes with deep shadows, wet asphalt, dark alleyways, rain slicked or mean streets. Story locations were often in murky and dark streets, dimly lit-rooms and low-rent appartements.
Characters
Heroes or anti-heroes, corrupt characters and villains included down-and-out. Conflicted hardbolied detectives or private eyes, cops, gangsters, government agents, a lone wolf.
Mise-en-scene
Film noir locations used the everyday urban settings to make what was happening seem more real to the viewer. Moved from crime movies only happening at the end wrong of town and dodgy areas to everday locations. Low key lighting and high contrast images. Everyday urban locations.
Narrative
Narratives were frequently complex, maze like and convoluted and typically told with foreboding background music, flashbacks or a series of flashbacks. Witty razor-sharp and acerbic dialogue and or confessional first person voice-over narrative. Amnesia suffered by the protagonist was a common plot device aswell as the downfall of an innocent everyman who fell victim to temptation or was framed.
Camera angles and movements
Dutch camera angles are used in Film Noirs, it is a tilted shot and is most commonly used to portray tension or psychological uneasiness. Also low camera angles are used to create the same effect. The pace of Film Noir films are very slow paced and have very little different camera shot. It would normally consist of one shot with panning or tilting.
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