Original shooting schedule

 Below is the initial plan for our shooting schedule.

Casino Royale Poster

Below is a poster we created and annotated with how the opening of Casino Royale uses conventions of the Noir thriller, through the use of it's camera angles, shot types, lighting and general mise-en-scene.

How does Sin City use voice overs to establish the tone of film noir?

The opening of Sin City uses language to immediately set the tone and scene of the film, indicating it's genre, and themes throughout the rest of the film.
The voice over is of an American man, with a masculine husky voice, narrating the scene before the audience in a first person monologue, giving a detailed description of what he is doing, and what he is thinking. These are already heavily saturated in Noir conventions, as usually the character that is first introduced to us, is a man, and we are given some insight into what he has done, what he is thinking, or what he is doing. This is a theme present in older Noir films such as Double Indemnity where the audience are immediately first introduced to a male character, giving a speech about a crime he has committed, and it is through this that the audience are first aware of the immoral nature and ominous tones present within the film.
As well as this, the most important way in which the voice over suggests that it belongs to that of the Noir genre, is through the language and actions of the character. The audience are informed of the sophistication and the males seemingly high intellectual abilities through his well spoken voice, and immaculate grammar, that he is a man belonging to that of a higher class, which is again a common theme of the Noir genre, as it usually features the corruption and criminality within the upper class.
The opening Protagonist uses lines such as "I've been watching you for days" which the audience are aware has an ambiguous underlying tone, that he could simply mean he has taken an interest in her and noticed her recently, or that he has actively been watching her, but she is drawn in by his charm and deceivingly good looks, and as a result killed. This man takes on the features of the femme fatale almost in this clip, using his charm and physical appearance to lure her into a false sense of security, so that she is unaware to the dangers of being in his presence.  
By the use of voice over, it also shows the complex and developed character roles so commonly used within the Noir genre, for example, once engaging in conversation with the woman in a striking red dress, and seeing her vulnerability, he appears a gentleman, offering her cigarettes and an embrace, and then goes greatly in detail describing the woman in a fond manner, using lines such as "Her perfume is sweet promise that she brings tears to my eyes" which gives the audience the impression that he is greatly fond, and infatuated with her, and therefore happy to see the characters passionately involved, and whilst doing so, he kills her. This makes the audience ponder over whether he is an assassin who has a 'kind' way of killing his clients, or if he is simply a twisted man who likes to bring others false hope  before crushing any chance of them having a better life, either way, it certainly reflects the idea of moral ambiguity within characters from the opening sequence.
This event of the killing immediately sends the audience into a sense of confusion, and alarm, realising that they too had fallen for the typical narrative set up that we are so used to seeing in the mainstream box office, such as as the helpless beautiful woman being 'saved' by a masculine heroic man. By doing so, it makes the audience question all of the characters and events they see, speculating their true purpose and cause, setting the feeling of distrust and suspicion up from the beginning, as well as a more complex and real narrative, again all key traits within the Noir genre.

Question 6- What have you learnt about technologies in the process of constructing this product?

Research and Planning
Technology has enabled us access to a wide range of media information, from websites such as IMDB for facts on films, to finding clips of Youtube, to peoples personal film blogs. This has made researching and planning our thriller easier, with the internet allowing us to have almost infinite access of resources for us to use to inspire us and influence our decision making.
For example, with the development of Youtube, when needing evidence of a genre which we were personally unfamiliar with, Youtube gave us suggestions to videos which may be of use, allowing us to find more relevant evidence quicker to support our research as well as introducing us to filming techniques, shot types, narrative or character portrayal that would influence our own media product. As well as this, it enabled us to watch previous students productions through the schools Youtube channel, as well as other small films, uploaded by any member of the general public that was relevant to the thriller genre, to influence our ideas and planning.

Another way in which technology has influenced our process of making our thriller, is through the use of Blogger itself. Blogger is a website which I was before unfamiliar with, and have over the course began to become more familiar and comfortable with using it to express my ideas. It is, in my opinion, an easier, more practical, more reliable way of displaying coursework, rather than the traditional method of writing coursework.
 This is because of many practical issues, such as there is not the problem of loosing the coursework, as all blog posts are kept separate, and so even if one post is accidently deleted, the others would remain secure. 
Also, by using blogger to present coursework,

A print Screen taken from my blog to show the variety
of Media forms I have been able to use on my blog.

 it allows me to use a variety of different visual forms that cannot be shown in other methods, such as simply written, for example, youtube videos can be embedded to support my point. It gave us as media students the ability to use our creativity and give us a free reign on how to express our ideas in a way that suited as individuals. For example, I often when draughting ideas use mind maps to organise concepts, and therefore was able to create and embed Prezi's to display my thought process, or when I wanted to organise my work in a visually different way, would sometimes create and upload slide shows.
As well as this, It gave all media students an opportunity to watch the process of other media students, as we all developed our thriller, meaning that we could use other peoples blogs as a source of guidance if in need.
By having a public blog, it also enabled others to leave feedback on our work so that we could improve it in an quick and easy way to strengthen our points. By having an online blog, it meant that it was easier for me as a student, as I could access it from a multitude of locations, from home, to school, to libraries, so that I had more time to work on my blog as I did not need to pre-plan having to do the work, like I would if I was doing it writtenly, by ensuring I had my notes, and physical coursework, but instead know my blog was readily available to me.

During this process, as well as being introduced to new websites such as Prezi and Scribd, I have learnt how to use HTML to embed other resources, or my own products onto my blog. Previously, this was something I had great difficulty understanding, but once I understood the basic concepts, am now comfortable and confident in using, which is a skill useful and relevant within the media industry.


Production
The progression of technology has changed the way in which we constructed the opening of our thriller. For example, we were able to record our thriller on a Canon HD camera which we borrowed from the school, which was light weight, and was of no expense to us, giving all potential film makers an opportunity to create and film a thriller,and at little expense to the school because of the reasonable price of digital cameras. Because of this, we were able to film our thriller in high quality, adding to the visual aesthetics and clarity of the picture improving our final product.

Because the camera itself was small and lightweight, it meant that it was easy to carry around, as we had to do lots of location scouting and filming in various locations, by having a light weight camera, it physically eased the process for us. As well as this, the digital video cameras we used also had a camera built in, so when we were location scouting, we could take photos on the same camera, which again eased our process as we did not have to carry around two cameras.
During the production stage, we learnt more about how to use the digital cameras from our preliminary task, learning how to angle different shots, to create a variety, such as the various tilt shots used.
Another benefit of using digital cameras in recording our footage, was that they were easy to use, so even those who struggle to get to grips with technology, were able to use them, simply pressing record, photo, or playback, or adjusting the shot itself via the zoom button, which were the only functions we needed to use and therefore made filming easier as everyone was able to film. 
The playback function was extremely useful when filming our thriller, as we learnt the importance of ensuring we had the right shots before finishing, which we learnt from our preliminary task, and therefore when we believed we had the right shots, before moving locations, we would watch some to ensure they were suitable. When shooting the dressing room scene, we watched our footage back, and realised that there was a difference in the colour of the shot, due to the lighting, and therefore had to re-shoot some shots. However, this was easier than not realising until viewing the footage on a computer, and then having to go back and re shoot and re-construct the dressing room again, whereby we would have to re-shoot the entire sequence as it is unlikely we'd be able to get exactly the same lighting again.
The final piece of technology which we used, was the SD card, to record our footage onto. By recording onto an SD card, it had many practical benefits, such as it is small, extremely light, and able to hold a large amount of files, as well as being waterproof and dust-proof  so that even if something happened to the camera, there was still a chance the footage we had we would be able to use. Because they were able to hold such a large capacity of storage, it didn't restrict us to the amount of footage we shot, unlike other previous more restricting methods, such as recording onto tapes did, although we still carried a spare SD card in case, which was not any extra burden because of its small nature, and effortless portability.
SD cards also conveniently slot directly into most computers, so that we were able to easily just transfer our files onto the main computer ready for editing.

Post Production





All of the stages above demonstrate the ways in which technology has influenced every process of film making, and how it has become more easy for the general public to create their own media products, empowering the democracy, as it is no longer only professional film makers, or those with substantial amounts of money who can make and distribute their films, but as the general public now generally carry media recording devices with them, and are able to easily upload them onto sites such as youtube, and then distribute them through social networking sites at no cost, it means that we are able to blur the boundaries between Professionals and Consumers, to become 'prosumers' as the audience are no longer generally passive figures who do not produce and contribute their own media products to the industry.

Changes we made based on feedback of our rough cut

To try to improve our thriller, we thought it was essential to ask other film makers and our potential audience of any improvements that they thought could or should be made to improve our thriller.

Sheet of feedback from our thriller.

By asking for feedback from others it outlined several issues which we did not even recognise as issues of concern, and therefore gave us a fresh insight on how to further improve our thriller.
To gather this feedback, we had others view our thriller and make notes for feedback.
For example, a key theme highlighted in the feedback sheets was the font that was used. Many said that the font didn't quite fit the thriller genre we were after, and based on this, decided to research and find another font. This was useful as I found deciding on a particular font difficult, and by being informed before our final cut was due in, I had time to rectify this.

Font used in our rough cut

 In addition to the font itself not fitting the genre well, many said the title of the film itself was not suited to the genre. For this reason, we decided to abolish the title, as it was not necessarily needed this early on in the film, but like many thriller films, it would be later introduced after an opening sequence, such as in Se7en whereby the titles do not begin until after 4 minutes, giving the audience time to be solely focused on the enigmas set in place.
As well as this, I already noticed from comparing my own thriller, to those of fellow media students that the titles were unevenly placed, varying in length, and did not therefore flow, and so I edited and adjusted the credits accordingly to look more appropriate in the final cut.

Font used in our final cut

The font was changed to Nite Club from the previous font, completely changing the impression of the opening of our film to one I believe more suited. The previous font was hard and stern, and gave the impression of a serious and plain film, compared to the latter font used, which reflects 1930's Hollywood glamour, a distinctive feature of Noir films.


Other changes I made, were the shot lengths of Ray, as in the Rough Cut, it seemed to be unclear to the audience who the man in the photograph was, and who the man who was pursuing Scarlett was. As it was too late to shoot more footage of Ray with Scarlett, we had to make do, by lengthening the time of the clips of Ray to give the audience longer to make the association between her husband and the person following her.

One final change that we felt needed to be made, was the ending of the film, as we didn't feel that we used the most appropriate footage to create enough tension, and therefore changed the last few clips used, as we felt that, especially the final clip whereby a gun shot is sounded, the part of the scene which was supposed to have the highest point of tension, seemed too relaxed. Therefore, we chose to add an ambiguous shape of Scarlett's shadow running up the stairs, rather than herself as we thought it would create another sense of enigma and add unease to the audience. 
We then chose the final shot of Scarlett, to one of a low angle shot, making Scarlett appear powerful and in control with a sense of interest and apprehensiveness, rather than the previous, where Scarlett was concealed within a doorway, looking extremely apprehensive and making her appear vulnerable, which is not how we wanted to portray Scarlett, as it portrays her as more of a victim than the Femme-Fatale bought to moral justice.

Whilst we did rectify accidental errors in our Rough cut, such as deleting accidental clips, when exporting our final cut, a fading transition was accidently deleted during the final few moments of the opening of our film, which was unnoticed, and which resulted in the skewing of the non diagetic sound of the bell, to the fades and final shots ,which was not noted until after our media product had been exported.

Question 5- How did you attract/address your audience?

Audiences consume different media texts for different reasons, which is why it is important when creating a film, to think about what will make the film appeal most to it's audience.

For example, some people consume films because of their style and aesthetic pleasures that they gain from viewing it, such as through costume, sets and props. This is a way in which we have particularly tried to appeal to our audience, as it is highly likely that a large percentage of our audience, are those who enjoy such aesthetics which are so beautiful presented in other similar Noir. We have tried to therefore cater to this section of our audience by choosing glamorous and aesthetically appealing Mise-en-scene, such as the glamorous characters we have created, to the appealing and enriching vintage style locations. As well as this, it is filmed in a stylish authentic Noir like way, using lighting and camera angles in an interesting way that appeals to our audience.

 For example, the composition of the shot when Scarlett is applying lipstick,uses the rule of thirds, allowing the audience to recognise that it is well shot and follows the genereal guidelines of film making. In addition, it produces a secondary reflection image that will appeal to those members of the audience who gain pleasure from such aestheticly pleasing shots, as it is visually engaging and glamorous to view.

All of the locations that we chose to use were also ones which we felt would appeal to those who viewed films because of their aesthetics. For example, all locations we chose were visually rich and interesting for the audience to consume, so that those looking for aesthetics would be satisfied by the content within the shot. For example, the shots where Scarlett leaves the house do not just close in on Scarlett, but allow the audience to explore her environment, and take in the interesting setting in which she is placed in, the deserted and aspiring spotless urban setting.

Another example of when we have used locations which we felt would appeal to our audience interested in the visual aspects of thrillers, were the shots by City Hall, which includes a prominent and dominating Vintage feeling building, with columns  street lamps, and a statement making stair case, all of which projected grandeur and elegance which are not so commonly featured in modern day thrillers, and may explain why our thriller would appeal to that kind of audience.

One exception to this is when we had to use a seemingly plain location, where we had to shoot the dressing room scene, however we tried to over come this, by using tight shots, which did not expose the plain and dull setting into which she actually is placed in, and fill the shots, mainly with Scarlett, the enigmatic, bold character, and make the audience focus on the establishment of character rather than the necessary visuals at this point.

Another element that we had to consider when planning our thriller, were the narrative pleasures that our audience would gain from watching our film, as one main reason that audiences consume a media text, is because of the interesting narratives, and without that, it risks loosing a large percentage of its audience.

This is where we had to carefully consider the narrative structure of our thriller, as we had to hold the audiences attention, set up and establish characters, settings, and story lines in just under two minutes. We decided from the offset that establishing character was always going to be the main aspect of importance within our thriller, but in order to maintain the audiences attention, we would have to use enigmas and build suspense to keep the audience focused and hooked into our thriller.

One of the ways in which we created enigmatic codes, is by not choosing to reveal Scarlett's entire face for half of the establishing sequence, which although does not seem long, is frustrating and puzzling to the audience, as it makes them want to find out who this person they are so carefully watching is, and why she is so steadily getting ready. We then drop more enigmatic elements into the scene, by showing the image with her husband, her caressing the photo as if in fondness, her reflecting emotions, and then her drastic slamming of the jewellery box, which once again makes the audience question

why she seems to feel guilty, and then what memory spurs such an emotion that makes her slam the jewellery box shut so drastically. The audience are constantly given more questions within the opening clip, such as where she is leaving, why she is going, who is following her, why is he following her, who is she meeting, but are not given any of the answers. These enigmatic hooks keep the audience involved, as they wish to carry on viewing the film to discover the answers to the questions they keep asking.

The cliffhanger at the end of the opening of the sequence is rather ambiguous as it is not entirely clear what happens to her, although the audience can presume that she was eventually shot and killed by her husband, but what happens after the cliff hanger, is a question that our target audience are bound to ask, and by using a cliffhanger within our opening clip, it made audience dwell on the ending, and contemplate theories to answer their own questions, meaning that our media product is not one so easily forgotten, impacting the audience for longer.

Some audiences also watch films because of Genre pleasures, choosing to specifically enjoy certain aspects of genres, and therefore take an interest and watch films because they are of the same genre to each other. For this reason, we decided to conform to the majority of Noir conventions to address our audience, as it is likely that our audience were choosing to watch our thriller, because it is a Noir film, which are a limited and narrow genre type, with few set conventions, meaning that it was likely that audiences were expecting certain Noir criteria when viewing our film, such as the most obvious, although not essential, characteristic as being put in black and white, which immediately gives the impression of an older Noir like film. As well as this, we used quirky camera angles, as expected, subverting stereo-types of characters, such as the stereo-typical passive damsel in distress women, and replacing them with roles such as the Femme-Fatale, along with the idea and theme of deceit and betrayal which are essential within Noir films.

When viewing a film, some audiences seek aid and comfort through being able to relate and share experiences with characters, gaining Representational pleasure from viewing a media text. However, because of our characters being in such unique circumstances, such as the fact they live in such a different society, are of the upper class, and living such a glamorous life, along with such extreme and dangerous intentions, it is highly unlikely that the audience are going to be able to relate to the characters much, meaning that it had potential to lack representational pleasure for the audience.

 However, in some aspects of our thriller we created characters that our audience aspired to be, through this high class society life style they seem to lead, in a beautiful house, in a beautiful area, and especially through the elegance , beauty, possessions, and seeming power (at the beginning) that Scarlett possesses makes the audience envy her, and her lifestyle. 

Having said that the audience may find it difficult to relate to the characters, the audience can draw real life concerns that they have which can be applied and drawn from our thriller, such as fears that our female audience can relate to, as being chased, or indeed hunted by men, which is a fear still very applicable in modern day society, which the audience can relate to. Another example of concerns that the audience may have, are that of men being lured by beautiful women, who will eventually cause him trauma and emotional distress, such as the character of Ray, who the audience see destroyed by the works of a woman, and again is a relevant modern day concern within some men, that a woman could lead to his downfall. It also means that those who were betrayed and are the victims of a broken marriage, can identify with the characters on some level, and begin to establish a strong personal connection between the characters and the audience, again making the impact of the film greater, as well as giving the audience the representational pleasures so many desire.

 By drawing on the audiences own personal fears and concerns, it makes the audience feel as if they are being directly approached and gives the film a more personal feel to the individual viewing the film.

Question 2- How does your media product represent particular social gFroups?

In our thriller we have both heavily conformed and subverted from the stereo-types of both men and women, choosing to portray them in a complex and subjective way to the audience. For example, we have played on the typical archetype and manipulated them in a way that is both similar and new to the audience.

The character of Scarlett is represented to the audience as the typical 1940's upper class woman, who is beautiful, extremely feminine, glamerous, and an object to the male gaze. This idea of the typical upper class 1940's women was extracted from our research into other such film Noirs, such as the 1946 Noir Gilda where the main character is presented as beautiful, desireable and enormously feministic.

We used this idea as a template for our own character, portraying similar characteristics to the audience through her costume, such as by wearing a striking red lace dress, fur coat, and make up to enhance her femininity all of which connote sophistication, and luxuriousness.

However, she seems to rely on her husband for financial support who flourishes her with gifts, such as those we see Scarlett wearing, and therefore presents Scarlett as a woman who has a trapped in limited role within her life, and is seen as merely an object of beauty to a man.This was the real representation of women during the time era in which this was set, as she is seen as merely a housewife of a rich and successful businessman. 

This portrays women as being weak and simplistic, finding pleasure in only materialistic matters in life, appearing perfectly happy as long as they are being spoilt with gifts.



Scarlett at a vulnerability because of her
husband.

Scarlett is also the woman who is the victim of the piece being followed and eventually killed by her husband, presenting women as eventually always the weaker and more vulnerable gender who if want to remain protected, should remain oppressed and subordinate to men.

Scarlett taking an active
role in her fate.

However, Scarlett does not conform to the role of victim, as she possesses several qualities which transform her into the Femme-Fatale, such as her deviant, secretive nature, and her double life as an attempt to escape the oppression and give her power within her situation. Although these divert from the typical stereo-types of women, they do perfectly conform to the Femme-Fatale role featured within so many Film Noir's. By presenting women in this way,it reminds the audience of the human nature that also occurs within women, to become powerful, independent, and rebelling, presenting them as more real meaning that the audience can relate to her as a character, rather than this stereo-typical idea which we are so used to consuming. Scarlett is also seen as the obviously more important character, as the opening slowly introduces this enigmatic, exciting woman whom all shots focus around, and she seems happy and comfortable taking centre stage, taking control of situations, such as taking an active role in deciding her fate by choosing to rebel and break out from what is expected from her and her stereo-type. This highlights her importance, as although Ray is the character who overall seems to be the most powerful, is featured very little in the opening of the thriller, taking time instead to establish Scarlett's character, suggesting that she is the character of main importance.



Ray appearing the loving husband.

Ray however is presented as a stereo-typical male, living in a patriarchal society, asserting his power over his wife, and punishing her when she does not follow his orders. However, we reveal the loving husband that he seems to be at the start of the clip, through the photo whereby the couple embraces, appearing to be happy and in love, resulting in the audience sympathising with Ray, and therefore do not see him as the villain because they understand that the actions of Scarlett are what drove him to committing such an atrocity. This therefore presents him as more human and in one perspective, weak, as he is so drastically affected by the notions of a woman, following her to try to prove to himself that she is the loyal and innocent wife who loves him, implying he truly did love and care about her and hurt her because of pure jealousy and the hurt that she has caused him, subverting from the previous idea that men only objectified women. It is also not stereo-typical as it does not present men to be continuously violent and careless, like shown in so many thriller films whereby they seem driven by an enjoyment for violence, and cause harm purely because of their own selfish power, or money, such as in Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels whereby men are driven by money, to commit what they regard as 'necessary evil.'

Class is another social group which we have consequently represented in our thriller through Scarlett and Ray, in their luxurious life style through the glamorous Mise-en-scene, presenting the white middle upper class as corrupt and immoral.

 This is an idea featured in many Noir films such as Laura a 1944 Noir film presenting the morally corrupt group of higher class society types, proving that lower classes weren't the only ones behind crime, as so commonly stereo-typed, but that the upper class whom many expect better of, are equally (if not more so) dangerous and untrustworthy. It presents class in another light to the audience, suggesting that the material matters are all just a front, to cover the unhappiness and un-fulfilment of many (especially women's) lives at the time.