The Exchange Evaluation

My responsibilities in the group assignment ‘The Exchange’ were firstly writing a storyboard as the rest of my group had to do as well, pre-production work such as the call sheet, then as an actor in the shoot, filming some of the and part editing the final sequence.

 So firstly each person in the groups of four were assigned a storyboard and then all the storyboard would be put together and the best parts of each one would be used for the storyboard of the sequence. The storyboard was important in many ways to the sequence, it helped everyone to think about a setting for the shoot, it helped to established what type of shots were to be used in the shot, described each shoot and what was happening in it. For the task groups were required to have around twelve shots in their sequence and the storyboard should reflect each shot used. My storyboard after being feed back to the group helped to establish the setting for the shoot which was within the college groups on steps and down an alleyway. Some of my shots from the storyboard were used in the exchange shoot also such as a few of the close-ups and shots of the character which was me as the actor walking down the alleyway. So therefore I think my input to the group in terms of the storyboard was quite effective.

 Also I filled in the call sheet and location sheet which were along with the storyboard part of the pre-production work for the exchange shoot. The call sheet set out the roles within the group for each person and contact number and the location sheet said where the location is as well as general information surrounding the location.

 So as well as being an actor in the exchange I shot one of the shots in the sequence, this shot was where the character was standing on the steps waiting for the exchange, this shot I feel went well and I feel the introductory task using the camera which we done before helped when shooting this footage.

 Lastly in the group it was important to share around the responsibilities when we editing together the footage from to shoot to create our final sequence. So my roles in editing the exchange footage were to capture some of the shots as well as to edit part of the final footage after rendering the shots. I edited the opening few shots when the character in standing on the steps which moves into a close-up of the character. I think the edit when generally well, the experience of using the software on the Macs of Final Cut Pro in the preliminary task definitely helped me when editing in this project, and therefore I feel that my skills have improved over the two tasks, I found it easier to capture the shots and easier to use the timelines when editing this time around when compared to the first time using the programme. However despite there being improvement in my use of the software I feel that further enhancement to my skills can still be made in using different tools on the editing programme for example using the tools to make the length of clips slightly more accurate may save time when editing in the final task of the year for the film opening.

 Additionally I think my performance and contribution within my group of four was good, I felt hast I got my point and opinions across when discussing the possible options the shoot within the group, however there are still I feel areas where I think I could improve greatly upon such as a filming different shots and expanding my editing skills. So I think that next time within my group I would think to have more responsibility in these particular areas of the next task.

 I feel that I have learnt many new skills from this projects when compared to both the start of the course and from the first group task we were set. Firstly I think I have been more productive as I mentioned before within my group[ however as I also suggested there is still room for improvement but it is important to note any problems at this stage before starting work on the final project. So the new skills that I have learnt are framing in particular in terms of filming shots and this was helped by not only the previous project which was the first time I had used a video camera to shoot anything before but also from better understanding of camera placement for shots so it is evident to the audience what the important part of shots are and so there is a better finish to shots when shown in the final sequence. Also as I mentioned in terms of editing I think that better understanding of capturing and rendering clips as well as using the timeline was gained through this project along as I also suggested there is still plenty of room for improvement from me when it comes to editing.

 The technical quality of the video was largely satisfactory we used a number of different shots and I think the end edit sequence was good. Also I felt the framing and camera placement in general was good. Although was a minor error which I will go onto explain there were no major obvious errors were made for example breaking the 180 line rule or anything in the sequence so this was good. There were an area which when editing we thought as a group we could have dealt with better in being showing what exactly was exchanged more clearly so viewers could make out what was exchanged between the two characters. This was perhaps the most clearest error in judgement but when compared to our previous project, where nothing in particular was focused upon expect the facial recognition on camera of the character when exchanging dialogue, the lack of experience in realising how to focus more on the shot was why failed to realise the unclearness of the shot to the audience when watching when we shot it.

 Editing throughout the exchange was good there were a lot of sharp cut from character to character involving the three actors involved which we decided to use a we thought this added tension and made the scene more dramatic as film noirs themselves are typical examples of doing this as well as also using a fade out edit to end. The continuity was decent throughout along it may be said that some of these rapid cuts we which were created when edited could have been slightly slower so the audience were perhaps more surprised but nevertheless as I said this can work either way in making it fit the style of a thriller or not a being too quick. However generally otherwise the editing was good and as a group we were pleased with the final production in terms of this particular area. The titles were shown at the beginning and end which fitted quite well using just white text on a black background which was formal and I feel was both simple and effective for the task.

 With the cinematography of the sequence we used a range of different shots to add the mood of it such as close-ups to show the emotion of the character and mid shots and long shots to establish characters as well as set the scene also. The use of a number of different shots not only added to the tension but avoided there being the same shot used over and over again throughout the sequence.

 Mise-en-scene in the exchange was aimed to be in fitting with typical noir scenes where there is a sense of mystery and some wrongdoing occurring imminently. There are two characters wearing dark coats which is in fitting with the classic noirs and the other characters shown wearing more casual clothing which we chose to do so it looked as if he was hired by someone to deliver item to the shady character in black. This also worked well in perhaps creating a conflict between a more classic style noir character and maybe a more contemporary noir character. This we thought was a good mix, the character waiting for the exchange on the steps has jeans on as well which further helps to make this more of a contemporary scene, with both noirs era styles mixed in and freshening the style up as well.

 The sound used for the sequence was gentle slow starting music which built well to the action taking place in the shot throughout the scene for example when the character approaches down the alley as he is first seen entering into the shot the music picks up and gets more dramatic which we thought worked well. So I think the sound worked very well to the action it started of slowly then picked up at a significant time then died away again at the end.

 Narrative in the exchange I think was clear for viewers to understand and accurate in terms of meeting the criteria for the task.

 The genre was also I feel easy to see from watching the sequence. The thriller type mood was met well by both the action and the sound throughout.

 Representation on our production as the setting worked well I feel and gave us freedom to shot some great long shots for instance with the character holding the phone at the end the location allowed us to be able to frame this shot well and give the perspective view of the character also. We were able get some brilliant shots of the character approaching the one on the steps as well which we were pleased with. So the overall representation I think was satisfactory as we were able to get some great shots and scenes which presented the narrative of the sequence to the audience well.

 In the final production of the exchange I think our ideas came across well that we had from planning and the setting helped us to produce great shots. From what we had planned we were able to get on with the shooting quickly and still be accurate with the shots and get across the narrative well so it was important that our plans before were able to help us to do this. Next time we could improve upon maybe planning more similar shots of which we could pick the best ones out of to give us more choice when editing as we did encounter a few minor problems as I mentioned when editing this task.

 Before shooting the piece we decided the target audience for the sequence would be teenagers upon finishing the project each groups’ tasks was screened to the rest of the class. Our feedback pointed out both good and bad things about the production which is helpful going forward for the final film opening task of the year. The class suggested that the framing and camera placement was good in the production but did say that as we found upon editing that it was unclear what was exchanged. However this does work in two ways as we were only shooting an exchange scene so if it were a full film you would likely know later on in the film what was exchanged so again mystery was added by not showing exactly what was exchanged. Feedback revealed also that the music may be slightly too dramatic in general but particularly on the entrance which was both interesting to learn and helpful as well because as a group we felt it matched the mood but feedback revealed that this may not be the case in actual fact. So I think from this we discovered that more research may be needed for music in the next task, it was a last minute choice of music though although we thought it worked, in the next task we need to budget more time for finding music and maybe split up when editing to do this or find it out of class.

The editing and titles were said to be solid upon feedback however which was pleasing to learn along with the class ageing that the narrative was good. In other areas the class said it kind of felt like a film noir/thriller type sequence so perhaps more focus on noir traits is needed in the next task. The class did agree there were good technical production values and storyline shown though which again was good. Therefore the feedback I felt was important for us as a group to receive as it helped us to understand exactly where we went right and wrong and mistakes that we may have missed when filming and editing.

 In terms of our noir comparing to examples of noirs and thrillers I think we did largely manage to make our sequence fit this mood but as feedback revealed there is still room for improvement. A possible thing which could be done in the next task which another group doing this task done was put some of the sequence in black and white in order to enhance the feel of a film noir and make the visual representation more interesting for viewers.

 In conclusion I feel the production of the exchange did go well and there has been definite and evident progress made when comparing the two projects. I feel the planning needed to be and was more in depth for this project as the shoot was longer so required more thought. There were a few mistakes again in this project as with the preliminary task but this is perhaps to be expected when you consider this was only the second group project. Making mistakes at this stage means you can learn from them ready for the final project which I feel more confident about going into it as the next project now also. So much has been learnt in this project as along being largely satisfactory at times it has been troublesome also as I mentioned with editing etc. but the mistakes made and feedback received from the class on the task should definitely help in the final project.

The Exchange brief

 For the task The Exchange students were required to work in groups of 3-4 to shoot the exchange of something between two characters. There was a maximum limit of 12 shots for the sequence which was required to be no more than two minutes long. The item could be anything such as an envelope or package etc. The sequence is to then be shot and edited to add music and titles to fit the style of a thriller. Additionally the exchange setting was required to be around the proximity of the college campus. In addition the equipment required was a camera and tripod. The microphone on the camera was to be used to record sound but the shot required there to be no dialogue from the characters involved.

Evaluation of Preliminary task

 In order to effectively carry out the task it was important to make a sufficient storyboard and plan the shots well as there was a maximum of eight shots for the sequence. As a group we decided to use some close-up shots along with more obvious shots for the scene such as the over the shoulder shot during the exchange in dialogue. The close-ups were used to show a hand of one character opening the door as well as to focus on the legs of the character walking which also used a panning from right to left. Another panning shot was the character walking down the corridor this was shot using another right to left pan.

 Throughout the project it was important to improve efficiency and to make sure everyone knew how to carry out the tasks required for as a group to balance out the workload. So to do this we shared out the shooting the six shots for the task with each person in the group shooting their two one after the other. Also each person would hold the microphone which was recording the required sound while one of the other two were shooting we rotated this task also. It was important to share the workload during editing so we could get used to using the editing software. So we took turns extracting the shots from the camera and editing precisely what we needed for the final sequence.

 For the sequence I shot the part of the sequence were one character walks into the room to meet the other and sits down at the desk. Also my second shot was the dialogue exchange which was edited to be shown at the required parts of the sequence to ensure fluency. Further to this I edited the opening three shots where the character walks down the corridor, a close-up of the legs walking and the hand opening the door. I extracted the clips before editing the opening part of the interview also.

 Moreover I think that I made a satisfactory contribution to my group and the task in general. As much of the tasks we completed shared the responsibility I feel I contributed equally to the final end production of the sequence.

 I think my standard of the tasks I completed and the shots I shot for the sequence were to a decent standard. However as it was only the second time I had shot during the course there is still room for improvement I feel to my work. For example when shooting the character entering the room and sitting down, it took me three takes to get the shot correct, though I had not shot a similar tracking shot previous to the one for the sequence. Despite this I was relatively pleased with the shots I took for the sequence and shooting new shots is a helpful experience for working towards the next and eventually final tasks. An area I feel I could improve on in terms of taking shots is panning the camera to take shots, as this was the reason it took three take to get the sufficient take however I feel it was a decent result in the end, next time when shooting this kind of shot to help myself I will probably focus more I my framing to make sure I accurately capture what I am aiming to in the shot.

 In terms of editing it was the first time that I had used the Mac software so therefore it took me a while to get used to it. I still feel as though I need more practice on editing however since I had not previously edited before this is understandable for this to be the case. The edit of the shots which I carried out were completed to a satisfactory standard I feel although I feel the area which caused the most problems was the capturing and rendering of the shots. This is an area which I feel as a result I can improve on and will be important for me to gain adequate knowledge of it by the time it is needed for the final filming task of the year. I think that the task I have before the final one will provide me with the opportunity to practice upon my editing helpful and will be helpful for me.

 In addition from the preliminary task and the tasks which had be completed I think that many of my skills which are linked to filming improved. One example of where this applies is in completing the storyboard for the task. It was crucial as this was the first task I had completed which required a storyboard to make an accurate one which will be satisfactory for the shooting of the task. So therefore it was important that the storyboard for the task included what shots were to be used and in what order.

 Further skills which were enhanced through the task were camera skills, shooting a panning shot which I had only briefly practiced previous to the task, as well as shooting the meeting between the two characters which was easier. I think the camera skills which I obtained through the task will help for the next project and the final project.

 As I mentioned previously it was the first editing on the course for me in the preliminary task. So the skills I gained such as learning how to extract clips, render clips, edit scenes fluently and add effects to sequences will be crucial to the tasks I partake in the future.

 The technical quality of the video was generally well presented the sound throughout was good in set a realistic mood for the meeting. However there were some problems encountered when editing the sequence as we did not film enough shoots so that both people in the exchange were seen saying there lines on camera. As a result of this happening one of the lines of dialogue in the final footage is behind the back one of the actors. This presentation of the sequence would have looked better if we were able to have the face shot of the dialogue however I feel that otherwise the editing went well. For improvement when shooting my next task I think focusing on satisfactory framing of shots and leaving handles for editing before and after each shot would improve the technical quality of the next sequence for this one.

 I felt that the editing of the sequence was satisfactory and the final piece was to a good standard. The cinematography was also good I thought as there was a range of shots used although the sequence is only 0.26 seconds long. Also the mise-en-scene we decent but in order to achieve a greater representation for the audience the costumes and setting could have been worked on more and this obviously is more important for the later filming projects not so much for this one as it was more about getting used to using the camera equipment. The sound was recorded using a microphone and I think captured the mood of the sequence well although when editing next time I think the sound can be adjusted more so that it focused more on the important sounds. For example in the sequence when the actor is walking down the corridor instead of hearing the noise from his jacket maybe focusing more on the footsteps as he moves towards the door.

 I think that the sequence although has areas for improvement was a decent first attempt for a filming. In future shoots it will be important to focus on making sure the more aspects are thought carefully about when editing and filming such as sound and shooting enough shots. However as this was essentially an introduction task there was always likely to be areas where improvement could be made, so therefore I think generally the project went well, and with greater planning in costumes and setting etc. and more thought on the final piece the piece project should improve greatly when compared to this one.

 The project when finished I think did reflect the planning and research completed previously for the project. We were able to get a good amount of shot in an only a short sequence although we missed an important. As a result I think that editing went about as well as could have been expected.

 The target audience which were teenagers responded largely well to the sequence. Although they did point out that the face dialogue shot was missing but the general feedback was good for the sequence.

 As I mentioned before I think the sequence we shot in the group did look well quite well presented and reflected a realistic visual representation. This compared to other film and video of the kind where you see a meeting between to people was not too bad considering it the first attempt at shooting so therefore I was satisfied with the end result of the project.

 In conclusion I feel the overall the project went well and there have been many things which I have learnt from the shooting of this preliminary task. Even from such a small sequence as this there were evident areas where I feel improvement can be made so it is important to realise these areas before completing the next and then final projects which remain. The project was a good learning process for me and I feel that the lessons learnt should help me in the future to avoid making similar mistakes and realise how the visual you see when shooting the footage for a sequence can at times differ from the end outcome after editing, as with the dialogue mistake which was made by my group in this project, which was the fundamental mistake and most notable out of the mistakes which were made.

Perliminary task brief

For my preliminary task we were required to work in groups of three to produce a short sequence in which two characters exchange two lines of dialogue each to another. The characters in the scene also were to be shown coming into the room and sitting down as well as one of them walking along the corridor.

Own Idea of Film Noir Opening

 Before working in a group to come up with a group idea for a film opening to a film noir, individually each person in the group first had to create their own idea for a noir opening, which would then be presented to the rest of the group and parts out of each individuals’ idea would be used to create the final finished group idea for the film opening.

 So for my idea of a film noir opening I focused on trying to base it around the theme of film noir crime thriller and made it a flashback which would show the end of the film at the start similar to Double Indemnity which also used a non-linear narrative.

 My film opening idea starts with a female body lying on the floor presumed dead which is to immediately set an enigma just as classic noirs aimed to. There would then be a cut to a male character wearing all black leaving the scene of the crime in a hurry. He would then be shown throwing a weapon away which is presumed to be what was used on the female. The male then is shown meeting another man and receiving a package from the man. This male who gave the package the presumed hitman would in the next seen be shown going to the seen scene of the crime and finding the body which is followed by a dissolve flashback. In this flashback the hitman receives an email which shows a picture of the victim shown previously (female body on floor).

 Moreover for my idea for the noir opening I intended to interpret some stylistics from classic noirs so that there was a certain mood and feel to the opening based largely around mischief and wrong doings so the noir crime thriller edge is portrayed. To achieve I included typical noir scenes and characters in my opening. The female body lying on the floor at the start is the femme fatale and the hitman is the typical male character making a wrong decision and going too far. The scene where the hitman leaves the crime is typical in noirs the feel of tension as he hurries away is similar to that of Neff in Double Indemnity as in the opening he struggles to his office following killing the femme fatale Phyllis. So I think this idea would make and can be improved with the input of the rest of my group’s ideas as well.

 For the editing in order to attract viewers when watching the opening I planned to have high action quick cuts between shots. To do this using cuts between close-ups and mid-shots would be important and cutting between characters. A further editing technique which I mentioned before is to use flashbacks in the opening to show how the hitman came to be involved with the hit and at the same time make use of a classic noir feature in the flashback.

 Cinematography in the opening I planned to involve using close-ups and mid-shots. The close-ups would be to display character emotion and detail to the audience while mid-shots would be used especially in shots involving the hitman making his way to the hit. Also I had planned to use an establishing shot at some point to set the scene at this is often a helpful shot as a tool for film openings. So using the tripod and maybe free hand to film some shots such as close-ups with the camera in the opening is my intention. In addition shot sizing, framing and shot length would also be elements to think about when shooting. It is important to frame shots so that the subject is well positioned to give the audience a greater visual representation so using the rule of thirds and 180 degree line rule for footage will to achieve this. The shot size to be adequate also to add to the overall look of the footage. Importantly as well shot length is a crucial element to making sure that the footage does not run over the three minute maximum length of the opening. Therefore not having needless shots and making sure that everything shown to viewers is relevant will be something to think about as in such as short sequence and especially an opening engaging the audiences’ attention will be imperative.

 In terms of mise-en-scene the clothing of the characters needs to reflect how the viewer is expected to see the character in most cases in film. So the hitman dress code I plan will be likely to be dark clothing maybe black and professional looking due to his line of work. Whereas the female as in many classic noir’s I plan to have a femme fatale look so being seen as the viewer as seductive and attractive. The set for the shoot will likely be on college premises so maybe the studio, park or nearby streets could be possible settings for the sequence. This will in turn achieve the intention of making the viewer realise the background of characters and hopefully relate to the target audience which is teenagers in being shot in more rural surroundings. Props will include the weapon the hitman uses, the package and the computer with the email. Actors casting will be restricted to the people in my group for the task and will all likely be teenage actors so finding the person who most matches the characters will be the method of selecting cast.

 Lastly for sound in the opening sequence I plan to have quite fast pace music playing throughout the opening building as it goes along. This will hopefully create tension and add to the action packed footage. Also voiceovers may be helpful in telling to story of characters, so perhaps the hitman telling his story or the femme fatale character telling hers, using two characters for the voiceover could work also as being voices in the hitman’s head or an argument in the voiceover between the characters. These ideas will be to think about when presenting my idea to the rest of my group. Voiceovers were also very common in classic noirs as well but using developing their usual concept or likewise challenging it could be interesting in creating to more contemporary representation of a noir.

Brick (2005) - Neo-noir report

 An example a modern adaptation of a film noir is Brick (2005). The film created by Rian Johnson is a neo noir which uses some elements a classic noirs but has many updated characteristics to it which are more in fitting with modern civilization.

 The storyline of the film is based around the main character Brendan Frye (Joseph-Gordon Levitt) who searches for much of the movie for his ex-girlfriend in his Californian high school and then eventually the killer of his ex. The movie starts with Brendan seen looking at a body which appear to be the dead body of a woman in a stream near a tunnel. Following this the next scene set a few days before the first and shows Brendan upon finding a letter in his locker, going to a payphone, and on other end of the phone is his ex-girlfriend who sounds worried and hangs up mid call. Brendan sets out to find his ex-girlfriend Emily (Emilie De Ravin) and discover why she is distressed, however when he does track her down she tells him nothing is wrong and to leave her alone, although Brendan ignores her and sets to find out what she meant on the phone call when she said that she “didn’t know the brick was bad” and what she meant by “the Pin’s on it now”. As his investigations continue though, Brendan finds Emily’s dead body, and now he must find the killer.

With help from Brian (Matt O’Leary) who is a loner is school very much like Brendan who is himself an outcast amongst his peers, he discovers that the brick mentioned in the call referred high volumes of drugs in the shape of bricks which are owned by the Pin (Lukas Haas) who Brendan finds out is a drug dealer. After meeting with the Pin, Brendan decides to work on the inside with the Pin, but must also work with the Principle of his school, who threatens to put the killing on him unless he tracks down Emily’s killer. Throughout many of the scenes Brendan is seen is different fights and is shown to be able to defend himself. Before long working for the Pin, Brendan learns that one of the Pins understudies Tug (Noah Fleiss) was responsible for the death of Emily.

 In the finale of the film there is a showdown between the Pin and Tug (who previously fall out) as they meet to discuss future arrangements. The Pin blames Tug for contaminating one of the bricks and eventually a fight breaks out however Brendan had already decided to frame everyone present in the house. He calls the police to make them aware that drugs are in the house and puts Emily’s body in the boot of Tug’s car. The police raid the house and arrest people inside. The film ends with a twist as Brendan thinks that Laura (Nora Zehetner) - who is a popular girl at the school and helps Brendan in his various struggles in throughout is, is behind Emily’s death and the drugs being contaminated, although she denies this. The last scene shows Brendan and Laura on the school field as Brendan revealing he has told what he believes the truth to the principle and the police before he walks away from a tearful Laura.

 Moreover the film portrays typical traits of film noirs, and one of these traits is evident in the film’s use a non-linear narrative, which was used in film noirs such as Double Indemnity and also contemporary noir film Memento. The storyline of Brick itself is typical to noirs it uses an enigma at the start which the audience are intrigued to see slowly unravel through the film. Also the central character to the film Brendan is seen as an ordinary character and not the usual hero but this was a feature to classic noirs with an anti-hero as the heart of the storyline. Brendan is dragged unbeknownst to him innocently into a world of corruption and crime in order to save Emily. Furthermore a typical scenario which is frequent throughout Brick is the role of the femme fatale, Laura on several occasions shows a sense of trying to seduce Brendan and attempts to a few times as well, the viewer is made to feel that Laura is devious and has more about her than originally meets the eye, and this is proved to be correct at the end of the film as Brendan reveals that he thinks Laura was behind the missing drugs as well as other corruption.

 In addition Brick does send out certain messages and values to the viewer and an example of this is Brendan as requested by Emily’s going to the phone box this in turn is the trigger to what turns out to be a long spiral of unexpected events and unearthing of clues to Emily’s death. So through Brendan starting the chain of events in this ways the film shows to the audience that on wrong decision or just decision in general like Brendan’s to help his old girlfriend can lead to things uncontrollable spiralling in the wrong direction. Another message in the film is that mixing with the wrong crowd is not necessarily a great idea as Emily ends up being killed as a result of this. Moreover the anti-hero of the film in Brendan shows that although Emily died in the process it is possible for the normal person to achieve justice in life by standing up to people, not taking no for an answer and not taking things at face value which are all things which helped Brendan along the way.

 Furthermore as I previously mentioned there are in Brick many typical film noir type characters. One of these is Brendan the anti-hero who is seen as an ordinary person drawn into a life of turmoil in order to find justice. Another character which is typical is the femme fatale, as I mentioned Laura is seen as this type of character, however another femme fatale type character is Kara she also looks to manipulate men, tries to seduce Brendan on several occasions and gives the viewer the sense that she is up to no good. Principle Trueman is seen as the authority figure of the film similar to the police in previous noirs and Keyes in Double Indemnity for instance.

 

 

The mise-en-scene of Brick is that it is mostly film in the daytime with some scenes shot at night and this is therefore where darker lighting is used. Moreover the use of a daytime setting can work to surprise the viewer also as it does at the beginning of the film where Brendan is on the phone and expectantly a car drives past and a cigarette is thrown out a car. This scene is set in the day although a night setting would be more tense but using this method the film surprises the viewer, as they wouldn’t necessary expect much drama in the daytime of a film like this, however in a later scene Brendan returns to the phone box at night and the night setting is used this time thus showing an example of the film using dark lighting which it does on occasion which links backs to film noir. Additionally on the main reasons that the film is mostly in the day is that it is set in a school so the hours of activity to work around in a setting liken this revolve around the daytime. This setting is unusual for this type of film and makes it a great example of a modern film noir as it takes the ideas first portrayed in noirs a step further, this adds different elements the characters for example the characters are much younger and perhaps more vulnerable, another thing as setting such as this achieves is that the characters are most likely to make mistakes such as dealing drugs as the Pin does.

 Further mise-en-scene the film is dark lighting for the scenes at the Pins house for example. The costumes are mostly casual clothing for much of the characters which is in-keeping with the setting of a school, however the Pin wears more formal clothing which gives a sense of him being superior to other characters and in charge, Tug wear a vest which shows the viewers the type of character he is e.g. proud to show off biceps and thinks he is strong. The performance is largely of a social feel at the school with different groups of friends around the school. Much of the action in scenes is quite brutal and physical with many fights breaking out in the film.

 The sound in the film is very much typical to classic noirs where certain sound are emphasised for effect in scenes. This method is used in the various fights scenes where punches can be clearly heard and the sound has an old fashion feel to it which links back to film noir. Furthermore silence is used in Brick is build suspense in different scenes and an example of the film use of this is when Brendan tries to break into Tug’s car there is a silence during the start of this scene top build tension.

 Cinematography in the film involves many over the shoulder shots as Brendan goes round interrogating over Emily’s disappearance, this is used during exchanges with Kara several times and Emily also, this type of shot gives the audience the view the characters see through exchanges of dialogue. Another shot used continually is close-ups these shots help to establish the facial expressions and feelings of the characters. Low angle shots are used to make certain character superior also in the film and there are many instances where this is evident. This type of shot is used to show Tug’s authority over Brendan when Brendan is in the boot of the car and Tug is towering over him outside of the car, the principle’s authority over Brendan when Brendan is in his office as well as Brendan’s superiority over Brian during their exchanges where Brian is usually sitting on the ground where Brendan is standing up.





 Another aspect which is important to Brick achieving the feel of being a contemporary noir is the use of editing. The film uses flashbacks several times to Brendan finding Emily’s body in the stream near the tunnel and the film is set in flashback from the start. This is similar to noirs which would at time constantly flash back to memories in characters mind. A further editing tool used in Brick is effects and a use of this is when Brendan attempts to break into Tug’s car and tug punches him there is a speed of effect added. The film otherwise uses mostly cut and continuity edits to go from scene to scene.

 Since its release the film has received largely positive feedback with many people praising Rian Johnson on making a great film on a low budget. It can be argued however that you have to like this kind of film to be able to truly enjoy making it. This mood is echoed in the review of the film on Film4.com (http://www.film4.com/reviews/2005/brick).

 Another review of Brick on ropeofsilicon.com makes the comparison between Brick and the classic film noir Maltease Falcon. Also the review looks at the whodunit element of the film which is a classic noir trait. (http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/overlooked-greatness-brick-2005)

 Brick is generally considered to be a neo-noir as the movie takes many classic noir aspects and modernises them with a great end product in the film itself.

 Finally I think the audience for Brick is likely to be of the younger generation who are into high action thrillers, although the film takes noirs traits it does in being set in a school naturally aim itself at a younger audience, however it could be argued that because of the links to noir that the film appeals to anyone who likes film noir or simply crime thrillers.

Film Openings - D.O.A (1950)

 D.O.A (1950) is a film noir directed by Rudolph Maté which has an attention grabbing start to it. All the elements of ECMS work well together to achieve an intriguing beginning to the film.

 The editing present at the start of the film is firstly an establishing shot which shows a man walking towards a building the first edit shows the title of the film in dinstincitve huge bold 3D like writing which is eye catching to the viewer. The shot following this lasts for around a minute and a half and is of the man walking presumably inside the building walking towards to homicide division. During this long first shot the rest of the titles are displayed on screen in smaller type than the name of the film but in the same 3D like shadowed form. This font is likely to have been used as it was seen as looking in your face for the audience and makes the writing stand although in modern society this type of type is seen as out-dated and looks tacky. However the use of this font is interesting and the type does jump out at the viewer to grab attention. As the man goes through the homicide division door before the enigma of the start of the film which is so surprising to the viewer is revealed there are two edits. Both are continuity edits and are used as the man enters two rooms.

 Cinematography is used with various lights in the building creating shadows and the floor and walls. This is particularly notable in when the man wlaks down the corridor with many lights used to light up the hall. During the talk between the main as the inspector he meets with over the shoulder shots and medium shots are used to keep fluency through the conversation. The film uses mostly medium and wide shots for the start sequence of the film with the medium behind-the-back tracking shot following the man – Frank (Edmond O’Brian) as he walks to the office. There is as I mentioned a notable establishing shot at the start of the film also. The man reveals is a twist when talking to the inspector in the homicide division that he wants to report a murder, when asked who has been murdered he says he has been murder which is a huge surprise to start the movie as you would expect that he would be reporting the killing of another, what this does as well for the audience is create an enigma and make them make to find out how he can possibly be reporting his own murder. Another surprising element to the opening is the reaction of the inspector who does not simply ignore the seemingly crazy reveal by the man but acts as though he expected him to come and say what he did which again creates a confusing situation for the audience. So therefore this is clever filmmaking in the way that the suspense of the man walking to the office is matched by what he reveals to the inspector and how the inspector reacts to this reveal.

 The elements which make up Mise-en-scene that are shown in the opening sequence add to the suspense, set the scene and location of the film. One way in which this is done is by making the audience aware that the man is walking inside a police station, this is shown by the costume of the actors in the building as he initially enters as there as dressed as police officers, another way the audience knows the setting is a station is by the name of the room he enter which is ‘Homicide Division’. The props in the homicide division office e.g. the desks and office equipment  also set the scene of the sequence as well as the fan of the wall in the inspectors office which itself creates an eye catching shadow which seems somewhat mysterious and in keeping with this thriller film. Moreover the use of these props allows the viewers’ realise the suspense of the sequence. The location is set by the man stating the murder was in San Francisco which immediately within the first five or short lines of dialogue notifies the audience of the location of the movie.

 Sound is used to create suspense through the opening sequence it grows and dies and through different at different points. During the establishing shot at the beginning of the film the music is calm however as the man walks through the police station the music grows which create a sense of a man on a mission, it is very frantic as he reaches the office then then is a sudden jump as the doors shows ‘Homicide Division’ on it. After this though the music dies down again as enters the office and stays the same until he reveal he has been murdered to which there is another sudden jump in the music for it to go calm once more after. So sound is important in the opening scene of D.O.A as without it the audience would not be aware that the movie is a crime thriller which the sound to an extent itself reveals by creating a sense of mystery throughout and the sudden jump at the homicide division reveal which shows it has importance to the film.

 ECMS is important to the start of D.O.A as it makes the audience want to continue watching the film and understand what the film is going to be about i.e. the enigma of the man saying he has been murdered although he is clearly still alive and how to inspector can be aware of the murder before told.