Storyboard

Focus Group

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2IWqLWVOG8&t=14s

Influential Film Posters

We like the use of the low-key lighting on the character, supposedly the 'Dracula' due to the stereotypical make-up and hair-style, in creating secrecy and representing a Propp villain. Also, we like the elaborate 3D typography, conventional for Film Noir.

We like the use of red and white fonts, common in Horror posters, as well as the use of the one main image surrounded by darkness.

This poster is very colourful and unique, whilst obeying conventions such as: the main cast names at the top of the poster and 'a film by...'

Again we like the use of the main image. This poster effectively represents the possible Propp hero of the Detective, and the green, yellow and red colours all blend together nicely to create a hot atmosphere. This may connote the pressure within his profession.

Brand Identity (Hubert Osinski)

Costume Ideas

We already own the Vampire outfit, so there are no worries about sourcing the clothing from a particularly shop. However, the fangs will need to be sourced, likely from either ASDA, Aldi or Amazon. My Uncle is also sourcing the Detective outfit, again meaning that we do not need to source the clothing from a particularly shop. Therefore, the clothing seems easy, however, sourcing the props will provide a challenge.

Film Title Feedback

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/R3C66KX
Above is a link to our survey regarding possible Film Titles for our Film Noir/horror.

Prop Ideas

Mind Map created by Hayden Woodcock with GoConqr

Film Title Feedback

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/R3C66KX
Above is a link to our survey regarding possible Film Titles for our Film Noir/horror.

Film Title Ideas

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/R3C66KX
Above is a link to our survey regarding possible Film Titles for our Film Noir/horror.

Top Opening Shots Of All Time

What have I learnt?

• Symmetry between the opening and the closing shot makes the shot notable, perfectly sandwiching the film and underlying the extent of its journey
•  Slow motion works well
• Spoilers that we do not pick on until the end because it begins with a flash forward
• Opening long takes are always more impressive, but not always effective
• Shot reverse shot/cross cutting between an object creating tension and another scene (perhaps completely different) 

Affect on our production:

This research has been quite interesting and influential upon any styles we should consider when deciding carefully upon the shots we should include in the trailer. Symmetry between the opening and the closing shot will work well in our Film Noir/horror to link to the themes of menace and stylistic conventions include flashbacks or forwards, since they will provide audience engagement through the tension and information. However, because we are creating a trailer instead of a short or feature film, we will have to consider this with detail as it may be quite confusing. Instead, our trailer needs to be easy and quite episodic. Furthermore, we are planning to use cross cutting to cut between the tension of the Detective's telephone with the killings to connote that he will shortly be needed. This will represent his importance and his character type in terms of Propp's theory.

                                            

Institutional Regulations (Hubert Osinski)

Our film is going to be a hybrid between Film Noir and Horror, in order to retain most of the traditional Film Noir aspects I've decided to conduct research into the way film would've been regulated at the time Film Noir were most popular. Through this research I gained an insight on the cautions a director had in mind whilst directing their film back in the 50's.

The PCA (Production Code Administration) which was established by the MPPDA (Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America), established in 1934, enforced the Motion Picture Production Code. The code was a set of guidelines for all motion pictures in the US, it wasn’t enforced but it was applied by most industries as they didn’t want to provoke the attention of the law towards film.

This is a list of the “Don’ts” and “Be carefuls” introduced through the Motion Picture Production Code:

1.       Pointed profanity – by either title or lip – this includes the words "God," "Lord," "Jesus," "Christ" (unless they be used reverently in connection with proper religious ceremonies), "hell," "damn," "Gawd," and every other profane and vulgar expression however it may be spelled;

2.       Any licentious or suggestive nudity – in fact or in silhouette; and any lecherous or licentious notice thereof by other characters in the picture;

3.       The illegal traffic in drugs;

4.       Any inference of sex perversion;

5.       White slavery;

6.       Miscegenation (sex relationships between the white and black races);

7.       Sex hygiene and venereal diseases;

8.       Scenes of actual childbirth – in fact or in silhouette;

9.       Children's sex organs;

10.   Ridicule of the clergy;

11.   Willful offense to any nation, race or creed;

This is a list of things were to be shown with caution for suggestiveness and vulgarity:

1.       The use of the flag;

2.       International relations (avoiding picturizing in an unfavorable light another country's religion, history, institutions, prominent people, and citizenry);

3.       Arson;

4.       The use of firearms;

5.       Theft, robbery, safe-cracking, and dynamiting of trains, mines, buildings, etc. (having in mind the effect which a too-detailed description of these may have upon the moron);

6.       Brutality and possible gruesomeness;

7.       Technique of committing murder by whatever method;

8.       Methods of smuggling;

9.       Third-degree methods;

10.   Actual hangings or electrocutions as legal punishment for crime;

11.   Sympathy for criminals;

12.   Attitude toward public characters and institutions;

13.   Sedition;

14.   Apparent cruelty to children and animals;

15.   Branding of people or animals;

16.   The sale of women, or of a woman selling her virtue;

17.   Rape or attempted rape;

18.   First-night scenes;

19.   Man and woman in bed together;

20.   Deliberate seduction of girls;

21.   The institution of marriage;

22.   Surgical operations;

23.   The use of drugs;

24.   Titles or scenes having to do with law enforcement or law-enforcing officers;

25.   Excessive or lustful kissing, particularly when one character or the other is a "heavy".

Information source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_Picture_Production_Code 

History of 1950's Film Noir and Horror

Film Noir:

The 50s decade was known for many things: post-war affluence and increased choice of leisure time activities, conformity, the Korean War, middle-class values, the rise of modern jazz, the rise of 'fast food' restaurants and drive-ins.

In the period following World War 2, most films were ideolised with conventional portrayals of men and women, but young people wanted to see new representations.

Film Noir (literally 'black film or cinema') was invented by French film critics (first by Nino Frank in 1946), after noticing the trend between 'dark', downbeat and the colour black to the looks and themes of many American crime and detective films released in France to theatres following the war.

A wide range of films reflected the resultant tensions and insecurities of the time period, and counter-balanced the optimism of Hollywood's musicals and comedies. Fear, mistrust, bleakness, loss of innocence, despair and paranoia are readily evident in noir.

The criminal, violent, misogynistic, hard-boiled, or greedy perspectives of anti-heroes in film noir were a metaphoric symptom of society's evils, with a strong undercurrent of moral conflict, purposelessness and sense of injustice. There were rarely happy or optimistic endings in noirs.

Primary characteristics and conventions of Film Noir: Themes and style

The primary moods of classic Film Noir were melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia.

Heroes or anti-heroes, corrupt characters and villains included down-and-out, conflicted hard-boiled detectives or private eyes, cops, gangsters, government agents, a lone wolf, socio-paths, killers, crooks, war-veterans, politicians, petty criminals or murderers. The protagonists were often morally ambiguous and low-lifes from a dark and gloomy background. They had distinct character traits: cynical, hard-boiled, disillusioned, insecure and struggling to survive.

Storylines were often elliptical, non-linear and twisting. Narratives were frequently complex, maze-like and convoluted, and typically communicated through foreboding background music, flashbacks, witty language and first-person voice-over narration.

Horror:
Between 1940 and 50 the concept of a horrific monster barely changed. Although, there were more recognisably human faces attached to evil, for example WW2 traitors or Mad Scientists. Society was deprived from the joys of family and earth because of the numerous loss of loved ones during World War 2. Homecoming soldiers and bereaved widows had too many horror stories of their own to appreciate fantasies on the big screen, meaning that they gained no entertainment or escapism from these films, instead they may have only had the pleasure of information. The world could never be the same again, and the dawning of post-war posterity in America created a new breed of monsters, adapted specifically for survival in the second half of the twentieth century.

In the 1950's, Films were related to the B-movie category. Thus, the primary audience for horror movies were teenagers, who ensured that the genre remained very profitable. This demographic never truly cared about the plot or character development and the production values, instead they simply cared about the reactions and emotions they were experiencing whilst watching a particular horror film.

The main aim of the 1950's horror films were to thrill the audience the monsters, whilst perhaps more terrifying in conception than execution, never failed to deliver action and intensity.

Location Hunting

1. Interrogation room. We've taken our school theatre as a possibility due to its potential for lighting the scene.

 

2. Potential crime scene, we thought this would be a good area to shoot the crime scene because it's an open space with trees around it which gives us space for mise-en-scene

 

3. Ambience shots, the pines are really tall therefore they'd be good for capturing wind whispering through trees.

 

 

4. This is an establishing shot of the forest, looks very plain and boring without any mise-en-scene. For mise-en-scene we'd have detectives roaming the area.

7. This would be for interior ambience.

 

6. This is a small ditch in the forest, it is big enough to fit Hayden's body, it'd be ideal for the shot of the dead victim.

7. This would potentially be a shot of the detective or a character getting into the pond to take a dead body out of the water. 



This location would be great for the detective to walk down the path with a lantern in his hand to light his way, creating a sense of mystery.

Prop Ideas

Mind Map created by Hayden Woodcock with GoConqr

Resources & Equipment

How do we want our film to be regulated?

The Bitter Kiss age rating & censorship from Hubert Osinski

Codes And Conventions of Film Webpages

Target Audience Research

Demographics: This is an audience theory that ranks audience based on their occupation and thus income, as well as age.

As our Film Noir/Horror will be conventional, the aimed demographic would be B, but it would also attract audiences down to E. This is because the film will require a reasonable level of intelligence in order to feel involved by solving the crimes, in which the Detectives main objective lies in. Moreover, the horror aspect will attract middle to lower class audiences as they are more likely to want the thrill and suspense. The lower class audiences will be offered a sense of escapism and diversion from their physical occupations, whilst the middle class will gain information and escapism. For example, teachers may learn information about the history of the set country, allowing them to pass this information onto students.

Psychographics: This segmentation divides the audience into groups based on social class, lifestyles and personality characteristics. It is based upon the assumption that the brands and genre likability will reflect the audiences lifestyle and character. Here is a table that refers to psychographics:

My target audience would be the 'resigned,' who seek survival, rigid values and are interested in the past and tradition. These are typically older audiences, thus relating to the fact that Film Noir was a 1950's-ish film hit. Therefore, they will gain audience recognition from this genre, in the way that it provides reminiscence and relates to their past life, which they are interested with. Furthermore, the audience 'thrill' from the horror conventions and elements will enable the audience to rediscover the iconic and quite pleasurable creations during old-fashioned techniques and designs. For example, Film Noir/Horror werewolf's had a certain style that provide audience gratification and entertainment. As a result, our film will be based and stylised from old fashioned Film Noirs and Horrors, whilst reaching the requirements of these different audiences in order to widen the audience reach.

Poster Conventions from Hubert Osinski

Exploration of individual responses from final survey

  

·         Male

·         16-20

·         Prefer Neo-Noir because it seems to be able to mix the good of the old with the good of the new.

·         Would not gain gratification from old fashioned film techniques because they Just makes a film seem cringe

·         Not essential to have a Femme Fatale because even though it may intrigue, be a sexual interest, may be a good sales point,  may interest a lot of audience members it doesn't seem to be essential

·         Character traits most important=Committed and Critical

·         Antagonist: Mad Scientist-Seems to have the creepiest feel to it when not presented with the modern special effects or the art of colour to make the antagonist seem convincing enough to be scary

·         Most important horror conventions to include: low-key lighting, climatic music, silence and distorted camera angles

·       We should not show so many different locations because showing exciting moments in a trailer in one location means that when the film gets to that location you know something will happen; ruining any suspense or surprise 

·         Hook: Actors I know I like, an intriguing but vague storyline, good aesthetics/cinematography and good music

·          Male

·         16-20

·         Neo Noir

·         Would gain gratification

·         It is essential for Femme Fatale

·         Most important character traits for Detective: Hard-boiled, committed

·         Antagonist: Zombie

·         Should show many different locations

·         Hook=looks good

·         Female

·         16-20

·         Neo Noir-updated versions can be better

·         Would not gain gratification

·         Not essential for Femme Fatale

·         Most important character traits: Funny and committed

·         Zombie

·         Murder is most important for horror genre

·         Should use different locations

·         Hooks: music tension

·         Female

·         16-20

·         Film Noir

·         Needs to be modern, with old-fashioned techniques and sense of effortless

·         No Femme Fatale

·         Most important character traits: Hard-boiled and committed

·         Vampire

·         Very important horror conventions: climatic music

·         Should show different locations

·         Hook=it gives enough of the plot to interest you but leaves out elements which shock the viewer so they can find this out later.

·         Male

·         26-30

·         Neo-Noir because he dislikes old films

·         Would gain gratification as it would relate to the Neo Noir film, and create a sense of understanding

·         Femme Fatale would be good Neo Noir as it would reflect modern society

·         Personality traits most important for Detective: Committed and hard-boiled

·         Mad Scientist-always more to do with sense of ‘hopelessness’

·         Very important horror conventions: silhouettes and silence

·         No different locations because trailers that give too much away ruin the film

·         Hook=either action for a good watch or a suspenseful one that sparks my curiosity, a film that will have me guessing and thinking.

·         Female

·         31-35

·         Neo Noir-more modern

·         Would gain gratification because it is retro

·         Femme Fatales are essential because this character is a vital feature of noir cinema, although a more feminist twist would be appropriate for a modern audience

·         Characteristics: Hard-boiled and committed

·         Mad Scientist because he seems more realistic

·         Very important horror conventions: low-key lighting, climatic music, enigmas and silence

·         Should maybe show many different locations because it can make it a little confusing, but a trailer does not have to necessarily be obvious and clear

·         Hook=Clear plot outline and genre clearly defined

·         Male

·         31-35

·         Neo Noir because it is a higher production quality, less jazz

·         Not aware of old fashioned film techniques so this would be quite odd

·         It is essential for Femme Fatale because this character is a convention and expectation

·         Important character traits: Committed and hard-boiled

·         Mad Scientist because this character does not seem as saturated

·         Very important horror conventions: low-key lighting, murder and silence

·         Maybe show many different locations, but Depends on which scenes entice you to see the film, without spoilers

·         Hooks=Too dependent on the style of film I might want to watch

·         Male

·         36-40

·         Neo Noir because it is more relevant

·         Not essential for Neo

·         No Femme Fatale because they think that it is outdated for Film Noir

·         Most important character traits: critical and funny

·         Mad Scientist as his madness would allow room for interpretation and more complex themes and narrative

·         Very important horror conventions: enigmas and silence

·         Maybe show many different locations

·         Hook=intriguing story

·         Female

·         41-45

·         Neo noir because it would Probably have stronger female characters in modern films, less stereotypical

·         They would gain gratification from old fashioned techniques because they are A bit different, reminds us of the long history of cinema

·         It is essential to have a Femme Fatale, but they should not be complex and not too stereotypical

·         Detective personality traits: Committed and critical

·         Vampire because it would suit darker elements and be easily seduced

·         All very important conventions

·         Locations are important because they add variety

·         Hook=Suspense, intriguing characters, good set and costumes

·         Male

·         46-50

·         Film Noir-original interpretation of the genre and therefore of its time

·         No gratification from old fashioned technique because they think it would seem out of place and cheesy

·         Femme Fatale is essential part of genre

·         Characteristics most important: funny and committed

·         Mad Scientist because he could act as a foil to the protagonist and would seem plausible as a character

·         Very important horror conventions: low-key lighting, climatic music, enigmas, silence and distorted shot angles

·         Maybe show different locations, but only if they give the viewer an overview of the plot

·         Hook: title and the names of the actors featuring in the film

·         Male

·         46-50

·         Film Noir-like to watch black and white films

·         Would gain gratification from old fashioned techniques

·         Not essential to use a Femme Fatale

·         Most important character: funny and hard-boiled

·         Vampire

·         Important conventions to include: silhouettes, climatic music,

·         Maybe use different locations

·         Hook=if the trailer has lots of action i am most likely to want to watch the film

·         Male

·         50-60

·         Prefer Film Noir because they think that it is more atmospheric

·         Would not gain gratification

·         Most important character traits: Critical, funny

·         Mad Scientist because he the character would be interesting to explore

·         Important horror conventions: Climatic music

·         Different locations are important to keep you guessing

Results comparison and findings:

·         Younger demographics prefer Neo, whilst older demographics prefer Film Noir, likely because of recognition and more pleasures for both ages

·         Many more 16-20 year olds completed our response, thus, there is no surprise that the results show that Neo Noir is preferred overall

·         Would gain gratification, this response was quite mixed, so I can see no real similarity between genders and age

·         More think that it is essential that we use a Femme Fatale, this is seen clearly through middle-aged men and women, specifically men (gaze gratification), whilst the older respondents did not view this as essential

·         Many view committed as the most important character trait. Whilst, the older demographic are keen on having a funny protagonist Detective. Committed and hard-boiled were the most likable

·         Mad Scientist is a particular attraction through the ages, however, it is more varied for the younger audience (so we will aim to vary this because we are targeting the elders through the genre)

·         Very important horror conventions: climatic music, low-key lighting, murder and silence

·         Yes and maybe are even in the responses for using different locations, so we certainly will. This response is common from the 16-20 year olds, whilst the 30 year olds are unsure, perhaps because they have less views upon Film trailers because of busy lifestyles and lack of nurturing in either of these genres.

·         Hooks: ‘intrigue’, ‘action’, ‘title and the names of actors’, ‘suspense, intriguing characters, good set of costumes and designs,’ ‘intriguing story,’ ‘clear plotline and genre clearly defined,’ ‘either action for a good watch or a suspenseful one that sparks my curiosity, a film that will have me guessing and thinking,’ ‘it gives enough of the plot to interest you but leaves out elements which shock the viewer so they can find this out later,’ ‘tense music,’ and ‘actors I know I like, an intriguing but vague storyline, good aesthetics/cinematography and good music.’