The exchange

In groups of 4 we where asked to film and put together a simple project of 'The exchange'

the aim of this was to use our knowledge, skills and techniques from our past project and further these to increase our chances of making a good final project.

The project was to make a minuet long sequence of an exchange between two characters adding a little bit of noir, if we could. We couldn't add any dialogue or voice over so we had to try paint by pictures. Say as much as we could with visual representation. Although we could add music to our vid to add mood and tension.

We decided on a simple exchange of money between a possible drug dealer and a client. During the filming session we learnt from our mistakes and shot from everywhere trying all different shots from different distances, shooting through objects, dutch tilts to over the shoulder so when we got back to editing we would have a wide variety to chose from. We shot the individuals by them selves, them meeting and handing over the object.

I feel that we had come far since the preliminary exercise and had learnt allot. although it didn't come out prefect. we stuck to the 180 degree rule and believe our framing was better although still not perfect. And we had a much better outlook on shots and the mixture of things we could do with the camera.

Whilst handing over the money we had a problem with continuity. As we had switched hands during the passing over, so we could no longer use the those shots.

We added a bouncy slick piece of music that went well with the pace and feel of the video.

If i was to film this again i would change the outfit i was wearing as when screen this my audience laughed.. maybe i went a bit over the top. I would also pay more attention to continuity to maximized the amounts of shots we could have use.

All over i thought this was another great learning experience again and we had still improved and learnt alot and felt we did a good job for the brief even with slight hickups.

Film idea

Synopsis for opening
Open with a man sitting in a corner, head in his hands covered in a hood. The man appears emotional as he throws objects from nearby over the room. He sits in the room as he thinks. As he thinks he has a flashback, seeing a man walking down a road and seeing a girl, their eyes meet and the problems begin. The film goes back to the man in the room he has various flashbacks which could link to the story which will follow, leaving an enigma for the audience.

Later on the man is getting ready for a party with some of his friends, they talk about the girl he saw earlier that day anf he finds out from his friends that her boyfriend is a physco drug dealer.
At the party the guy and girl begin to talk then they get together, the boyfriend bursts in on them and hit’s the guy then proceeds to chase him out the house where he catches him and they both fight. During the fight the guy picks up a metal pipe that’s laying on the ground and brutally attacks the drug dealer, killing him in the process.

Preliminary exercise

For our preliminary exercise we got into groups of 3 and where asked to film a 30 second clip with the guide lines of 180 degree line rule, rule of thirds and had to be 6-8 shots. The mater piece was of a person walk down a corridor and into a room and have a simple conversation. Simple enough... you'd think. The aim was to familiarize our selves with the equipment and get a rough idea of how this whole thing works.. from shooting to editing.

During filming we tried to get a variety of shots from different angles and distance. We where working with a limited space and found when we came to editing that we should have moved around a bit more as the shots weren't to far apart from each other, not giving it a variety of angles we had expected. We also realized that our framing wasn't perfect and there was a few bits of dead space.

We all got hands on with editing trying to make our shorts flow from one to the other making sure our timing and things where right. As we didn't have a script our conversation came out differently every time so was hard to piece together something that made sense. This also may be the reason the shots where restricted.

But we hoped to learn from our mistakes and improve on our next project.

Analyze film opening

Black Hawk Down

The scene opens with a shot of Evers (Matt Eversmann) and his fellow army rangers in a helicopter. With a close up of Evers to show he is the hero. We next se a wide shot of a crowd gathering in a rather remote, hot piece of land in a foreign country (Somali). Whilst the helicopter is passing by be notice armed cars of self empowered natives (Somali militia) escorting a large wagon of food suplies. The locals, clearly starving, try to retrieve the food and are beaten back with sticks. In the chaos the Militia fire into the crowd from the mounted guns killing dozens. We cut back to the helicopter to see Evers reporting and requesting to help the civilians, in which the reply is that they have restrictions so they cant take action. Cut back to the ground where the man in charge of the men is claiming the food and telling the locals to return to there homes.

Evers is made to look like the main character, the hero as he is shown straight away and is the one wanting taking action. He is made likable by the way he wants to help the innocent with no benefit to himself. His facial expressions show that he is deeply worried, truly wants to help and is concerned for the locals. And is deeply disturbed when they cant help.

The militia are shown as heartless from the emotionless face to killing innocent hungry without hesitation. The opposites and contrast show that their enemies and two opposite ends of the scale.

Analyze film opening

American Pie

The scene starts with sounds of what you think is people having sex. With a pan shot across the floor filled with miscellaneous items of clothing. Eventually getting to the bed where we see a late teenaged male (Jim) attempting to masturbate. Whilst givinghimself a pep talk we see a shot of the TV of a, to say the least, fuzzy image of what seems to be naked females as he is certain that he sights a breast. Whilst continuing to talk to him encourage himself, he pulls out a sock in which we see to be placed on his reproductive organ as his mother walks in. As he scurries to hide what he is doing with a pillow, his mother goes to kiss him good night she becomes aware of the sound coming from the TV. Jim then is franticly trying to change the channel and assuring his mother and raffling off the excuses that he is innocently trying to watch a nature show, that the TV is broken. His Father then walks in when the mother informs him that there son is trying to watch an illegal channel. In realizing that she is telling the truth the father grabs the remote off of Jim in order to help his son to turn the TV off, but accidently revealing what Jim was desperately trying to hide beneath the pillow.

Jim is portrayed as a typical teenaged boy by his messy bed room floor, watching pornography, and masturbating. His room has checkered wallpaper as if his parents had decorated maybe suggesting that he respects them as not tried to alter it ect and that he is a good child. Also as he doesnt tell his parents to get out of his room and trys to hide what he is doing, wouldnt want his parent to judge him and speak to them respectfully.

Jims parents are dressed very smart suggesting they are of middle to upper-class. His mothers actions are more of shock to what she is seeing and maybe disgust. Where as his father is surprised but tries to him help to turn the TV off either to turn it off for his wives disgust or to not to prolong Jims embarrassment. Suggesting a close relationship between father and son.

The whole scene seem very clean cut and bright further adding to the nice household and the suggestion of a nice neighborhood and up brining.

My Film Idea

Story line.

A dancer at a strip club catches the eye of an innocent clean cut man (Jerry). He falls more and more in love with every visit back to the club in hope of catching her eye too. They finally meet when she catches her being beat in the alley by her boyfriend/the club owner. After helping her she begins to wrap him round her finger with promises of a happily ever after, they plan to kill the club owner and for her to inherit his money and club.

The film ends with the club owner dead as jerry drives to the local river to dump the body. The dancer has fled with and obscene amount of cash from the clubs save. And the man has been left to suffer the consequences from the police as hes caught red handed trying to dump the body.

Contemporary Neo noir

Brick

Brick was released in 2005 In the style of noir making with its modern setting with a hard boiled plot making this an epic neo noir. It was written and directed by Rian Johnson, but never planned it to be classed as in the genre.

Brick is a crime drama staring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Brendan. Brendan is force to investigate when his high school girl friend mysteriously goes missing. And finds himself up involved in the high school crime gang. He is the typical anti hero, intelligent and stubborn but a loner that makes him venerable and appealing to the audience.

There are various dark and shady characters to encounter during the movie. The dialogue is noir style, snappy and will keep you guessing.

The film made so with its $500,000 budget with dark scenes, off putting shots, jump cuts and rough edits all adding to the feel of noir, making it dark mysterious and some times hard to watch putting you on edge and on the edge of you seat.

The sound track and music are classic noir using classic instruments as piano trumpet which is hard hitting and down beat throughout.

Classic film noir

Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity is the first movie you think of when asked of classic film noir. It was a fictional crime based on a novel by James Caine. The film was released in 1944 and was directed by Billy Wilder.

The characters in Double Indemnity follow suit of the typical film noir genre.

Walter Neff narrates through out the whole film about his own fall and what lead him to the sticky end. He's always smoking and is the typical anti hero. plays the beat down insurance salesman that gets played by his attraction.

Phyllis Dietrichson is your run of the mill femme fatale, pretty, slightly dark and mysterious and more and more manipulative through the duration of the film. She winds Neff round her little finger with the picture of being happy together with the pay off of her husbands insurance policy.

The film follows a non linear storyline. We are shown Neff who has been shot and who is not in a good way at the beginning and the end of the film. From which he is telling his story and his actions to how he has ended up in this predicament. There is heavy music through out the dramatic scenes. There are often cut back through the movie to him in the office voicing his story and a dictaphone. There is high contrast of black and white and the occasional vanician blind effect. Various close ups coupled with prominent cigarette smoke make for a classic film noir touch leaving you intrigued to see how it all pans out.