Problems we encountered during filming

During the course between planning and shooting our thriller, we encountered a series of problems which we had to overcome, some of these were problems which we failed to foresee when filming, and others were unexpected which could not have been helped.
Our first problem which we encountered was the cancellation of one of our chosen locations, the Playhouse Theatre changing room. This was an unexpected problem which we were given the evening before we had planned to shoot. This disrupted our entire filming schedule, which delayed us for a few days until we were able to think of another location suitable for our thriller.Along with these disruptions to our shooting schedule, heavy snow and bad weather resulted in our shooting being further delayed, as we did not wish to shoot during the snow over fears of continuity if any scenes had to later be re-shot.

The second problem which we encountered, was the difficulty of finding time to shoot our thriller, as the three members of our group all had fairly full timetables, as well as commitments outside of school which severely limited the time in which we could shoot. As well as this, the friend we asked to play the role of Ray went to a different school whereby he had to stay later to work, on the available times we had to film, meaning we had limited time to shoot the scenes which included Ray. As a result of this, we had to choose to shoot when we were able to, rather than necessarily when we would have liked to, for example, the scenes with Ray were shot during the afternoon when it was almost still broad daylight. This did not comply with our initial idea of wanting to shoot in the evening, when it would therefore seem more dark and mysterious. However, as the film is intended to be shown in black and white, we hoped that the brightness of the day time would not be so obvious, and therefore not such a dilemma. As well as this, we experimented in the evening with filming, and found that when we planned to shoot, for the correct night time atmosphere, was in fact too dark, and the camera could not detect all of the actors and general mis-en-scene of the environment. In addition, the camera quality was lessened as it came out grainy, and therefore shooting during the day  actually worked out better.

Our main problem which we faced when shooting, was the popularity of the locations, which did not only make shooting physically more challenging, but it also meant that trying to maintain the vintage aesthetics was even more so. For our house location outside, it was inconveniently placed on a busy road, which was also a well used bus route, and directly opposite a high school and sixth form, which coincidently finished just as we had begun to film meaning that there was a continuous stream of people in the background of the shot which again interrupted our filming. In retrospect, we should have thought about these aspects when planning to shoot on this location, but as it did not actually implement our shooting too much as we did not need many shots, nor did we need diegetic sounds so the clips could be muted, it was not a major concern.
However, our other location, Norwich City Hall, was although aesthetically perfect for our thriller, it was a disaster to film at, due to the time in which we filmed, and its key city centre location meant that trying to get any shots un-disturbed, was almost impossible, with pedestrians, cars, and a taxi rank passing through which obviously gave away the time era (which was probably our biggest concern whilst shooting) and as we needed long wide shots to establish location here, it was very difficult to get any clear frames and we were therefore limited with regards to material when it came to editing.
To reduce this, we should have re-thought our shooting schedule, but as we were pushed for time due to re-scheduling to other aspects such as weather, we had to again shoot when we were able to, and not when it was necessarily ideal, meaning that we were shooting at the busiest possible time in the most central location, as it was our last location to shoot at.

Practical issues such as the camera battery not lasting long enough also meant that we could not shoot on location for as long as we had hoped for, and we therefore had to rush some of the shots which when we over looked, were not quite exactly how we had planned them and therefore don't have the same desired effect.

Location changes

Due to problems with availability and suitability for shooting, we had to change some of the locations, which appeared problematic, but in hindsight was probably easier and more practical.
The first location which we had planned to use was the Playhouse Theatre dressing room. We decided to initially use this location because it was old fashioned, as well as it obviously immediately gave the audience an idea of the setting. By using a real dressing room we thought this would add to the authenticity of the location, as we did not have to try to create and portray a dressing room to the audience, and would therefore not have to convince them of the setting.
However on the evening before we planned to shoot, the theatre company phoned to announce that the dressing rooms were no longer available for us to film in as they were needed for actors. With a deadline for filming, and no other theatres available it resultantly meant that we had to delay shooting, whilst we tried to think of another suitable location. This deemed difficult with no other theatres available, until we as a group were discussing that perhaps a dressing room was not in fact needed, but a dressing table, mirror and plain wall. We therefore decided to use Holly's hallway, as she had appropriate props, and it also gave us more flexibility as we wouldn't have to rush to get all of the shots that we needed in a one hour time slot allocated to us like if we were shooting in the theatre dressing room. By being able to film in one of our homes, it also meant that we had more flexibility options over aspects such as positioning of props and lighting, unlike if we filmed in the theatre dressing room, as we were not sure if the lighting was suitable.
By using the hallway it therefore turned out to be more appropriate for our needs, as it is  not clear from the shots that it is a hallway, and therefore leaves it up to the audiences own imagination as to where exactly she is, but it has enough essential props for the audience to recognise that it is a dressing room set up.

The second location change was the street, which we had planned to use Elm Hill for, but when it came to filming, realised filming would be impractical at that location, because of the large amounts of visitors and cars which 'gave away' the real time era. We also realised that it did not seem like somewhere Scarlett, an upper class wealthy woman, would live, as the old fashioned street shops and cobbled streets added a sense of vintage 'quirkiness' but not of 1930's industrial glamour or wealth. The uneven cobbled streets would also prove to be difficult to film on, as well as the issues of continuity with the other planned locations. In addition, we decided that we did not have enough time to include all of the planned walking locations and we would therefore shoot a short walking sequence at the entrance to the alleyway, so that there would also not be problems with continuity.

We then decided on using the 1st alleyway photographed instead of the second which we initially thought that we would use, because although both were in extremely close proximity of  each other, the lighting and stairs were more dramatic and an important symbol within our thriller which we felt was essential to include. As well as this, the other alley way had brightly coloured modern day  looking shops which would again ruin the aesthetics of our Film Noir. By using this alleyway, it also conveniently had a church which was also going to be in the next shot, therefore improving continuity.

The other location which we were uncertain of, was the house in which we were going to show Scarlett leaving. We knew that it had to appear vintage industrial looking, to fit in with our urban location, as well as needing to appear large and expensive, to make it apparent that she is wealthy, and not committing this sin as a result of money, but purely because she wishes too. Because we were limited on time, and were not sure when we were able to shoot, but sure that some locations in Norwich were suitable for this location, we planned to do further location scouting when we wished to shoot, as if we planned to shoot, and the home owners were not there when we wished to film, it could have been problematic. We had already mapped out and pre-planned areas of houses which looked upper class, urban and had a staircase (which we again thought of as an important symbolic message about her onwards decline in power) and scouted until we found somebody who was home during the day with an appropriate house, who did not mind us filming.

The house we found was in fact a terrace house, although it appeared large with 4 stories, as well as clearly industrial, and it had an appropriate large stone stair case which was perfect for our location. 

Thriller Opening Rough Cut

Things I think work well:
- The soundtrack before the clips slowly eases the audience into the thriller and creates a sense of mood.
- The shots of Scarlett applying her lipstick at 0:14/0:17 where she is reflected in the mirror connotes to the audience the idea of her double life.
- The slow establishment of the character whereby the props reveal the character like seen in 'Se7en.'
-The transition between the blowing out of the candle and the fade to black at 0:59 I think looks smooth and effective.
-The tight tilt shots used between the wall and Scarlett where she is being followed is similar to that of the sewer scene shots in 'The Third Man' which resultantly creates a sense of claustrophobia. 

Aspects needed to Improve:
- A more appropriate genre and time fitting sound track is needed to replace the current action/adventure sounding track.
- The titles for the film begin a few seconds too early, and are too large as well as needing re-positioning.
-The titles do not last the same length of time and thus look odd, as well as appearing too quickly after one another.
-The entire film including the opening 'Pioneer Pictures' needs to be put in Black and White which will also make the continuity flow better as there are lighting colour changes between the shots.
- The shot of Ray at 1:13 where the audience are first introduces to him, is too short, and therefore needs to be expanded, or another shot needs to be used to introduce Ray to the audience so they are able to make the clear connection from the man in the photograph, to the man following Scarlett as it is an essential part of the story.
-The accidental clip at the end of the thriller needs to be deleted.
-The final sequence as she goes up the stairs I think needs another tension building shot added as it ends too bluntly.

Costume change- Ray

Whilst filming, we encountered several problems which impacted the quality of our thriller, and therefore we had to compromise on our initial ideas to make it practical and realistic.

 For these reasons, we had to change the costume of the character of 'Ray' because we were unable to find or gain access to the desired trench coat and hat, which we thought suited our character. This means that the costume of the character did not reflect the traditional qualities of a Film Noir thriller, and therefore lacks the desired connotations about the character that may not have been made clear without these props. Instead, the character of Ray wears a large army camouflage like jacket, which reflects his brutality, determination, and his potential violence, and therefore another more dangerous side to him, which may not have been revealed if he was wearing a trench coat and hat which has the potential to create more fear for the femme fatale, and create a higher level of tension.

 In addition, we could not use a gun as a prop, because of the difficulties of finding a replica 1930's gun, as well as the obvious possible problems that we could encounter whilst filming in such a public area with a replica gun which could interrupt our filming. 

How does the character of Lynn Bracken in LA Confidential conform to the typical role of the Femme Fatale

The Femme Fatale is a role adopted by many female characters in 1940's Noir style films. The Femme Fatale is a French translation literally meaning dangerous woman, or according to the dictionary, means 'A woman of great seductive charm who leads men into compromising or dangerous situations.'
The character of Lynn Bracken in LA Confidential therefore conforms to this role by not only the typical aesthetic appearance, but of her nature of bringing men into compromising situations, and deviant behaviour.
Before even watching the film, we are shown the image of Lynn Bracken on the cover of the DVD case, in which she is composed being the centre of the shot, where she makes eye contact to the camera and thus the audience, and looks down on them, whilst wearing clothing which highlights her femininity. All of these are key signifiers to the audience that she is the Femme Fatale, due to her beauty, power and self confidence she appears in control and dangerous to the audience. 

In the first scene which we are introduced to her character, the director has purposefully chosen clothing to connote certain ideas about the character, and give the audience an impression of what to expect from her. In the first scene, Lynn is shown wearing a long black cape lined with a pure white around her face, with her blonde hair, flawless skin, and striking red lipstick. The extreme contrasting colours of black and white reflect her moral ambiguity and connote contrasting ideas about the character, one being that she is pure and innocent, supported by her blonde hair making her appear almost angelic to the audience and the other being that she is dark, evil, and deceitful  . This insinuates to the audience that she is a 'bad' character, but she was once good, or has the potential to be good. Her striking red lipstick can also be viewed as a signifier of the danger that is to come, because of this character, making her again seem threatening to the audience. By wearing something so out of place such as a cloak, it makes the audience wonder what she is hiding from the audience, adding a sense of mystery about this character that there is perhaps more than meets the eye with Lynn, as so often with Femme Fatales.
The way in which the camera moves, also highlights the 'Male Gaze' as the camera slowly pans across her feminine features, as if through a mans eyes, therefore portraying the femme fatale as a beautiful entrancing object, as so many men mistake her to be, and it is as if the audience can see the male falling into the trap of lust after her, not looking beyond her physical appearance to the dangers she could posses.

Another typical Femme Fatale trait of which Lynn appears to possess, is her ability to manipulate and control men, by seeming vulnerable and sincere and using her feminity to get men to do as she pleases. As shown from the image by which she has to get a client to leave, she acts upset by the news, and promises to 'make up for it' as if she is genuinely sorry that he has to leave, and physically takes control by holding his neck and putting her finger against his mouth, an action similar to that of a mother quietening her child. This shows the audience how she can so easy manipulate men and 'train them' to respond how she wants them to. It also shows the audience how good she appears to be at lying to men, making them believe what they want to believe, when the audience know that she does not truly feel this way, and that he is no more than a client to her. Because she needs to posses these qualities for her job, it makes the audience question if they can truly trust her, and her intentions with Bud White, or if it is all just a scheme to lead to his downfall.
Miss Bracken also participates in a plot to anger her lover, Bud White, by sleeping with his co-worker who he already deems as his enemy in the police force because of their extreme differing views, which nearly results in him killing Exley and stopping the investigation, however, the two work together and figure out that the provocation was in fact part of a larger plot, and Lynn does not then ultimately lead Bud or Exley to their downfalls.

However, some aspects are shown in the character of Miss Bracken that do not conform to the stereo-typical femme fatale role, such as her vulnerability, by which we see her crying and genuinely upset to see that she has hurt the man we believed she cared about, and then betrayed, and the audience are assured that she is no longer pretending as she is shown to look guilt ridden before Bud White shows at her house, and then once he has left, she sinks to the floor in despair of what she has done. This subverts from the typical femme fatale, who is shown to be ruthless and cunning and knows what she is doing from the start, and does not care about the consequences as a result of her doing.

Another way in which Lynn appears vulnerable and sincere to the audience about her feelings for Bud, are the ways in which she exposes her vulnerable side, even by appearing to wear no make up, and just have woken up, she seems to feel comfortable with sharing herself in a vulnerable way that she is not perhaps used to with Bud. As well as this, she also comforts and supports Bud when he is loosing confidence in himself, and re-evaluating his role in the police force and with his co workers, and restores his confidence which enables him to continue with his quest to track down the real killers, and solve the case. 

In despite of this, Miss Bracken is essentially revealed to have true intentions, as she is seen at the end to be caring for Bud, which makes the audience believe that she was not in fact the deviant femme fatale we believed her to be, but a vulnerable woman, trying to make a living, who had genuine feelings for a police officer who was pushed to make some difficult decisions that played heavily on her conscience, therefore in the end subverting heavily from the typical femme fatale role.