FIlm Noir history Group4
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Thursday 28 January 2010
Target Audience Research
Film Noir Target Audience
We intend to produce a film noir opening sequence with a rating of 15. Due to the research on target audience it means we could use some violence and bad language in the clip.
BBFC Classifications
Typical Film Noir Classifications
L.A Confidential- Rated R by the MPAA which is equivelant to an 18 rating in the UK.
Sunset Boulevard- PG rated as it is set in the 1950’s
Double Indemnity- PG rated made around 1944
Memento- 15 rated made in 2000 contains frequent strong language
The Usual Suspects- rated 18 made in 1995 has an adult theme and strong scenes of sex or violence or bad language
The hays code had to be obeyed in earlier film times from 1930 to 1968. During these years film producers had to limit the amount of explicit footage seen or heard on screen. After 1968 it is clear that the ratings of film noirs dramatically increased due to the extra bad language etc that was added.
The Production Code enumerated three "General Principles" as follows:
No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.
Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.
Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.
Specific restrictions were spelled out as "Particular Applications" of these principles:
Nakedness and suggestive dances were prohibited.
The ridicule of religion was forbidden, and ministers of religion were not to be represented as comic characters or villains.
The depiction of illegal drug use was forbidden, as well as the use of liquor, "when not required by the plot or for proper characterization".
Methods of crime (e.g. safe-cracking, arson, smuggling) were not to be explicitly presented.
References to alleged sex perversion (such as homosexuality) and venereal disease were forbidden, as were depictions of childbirth.
The language section banned various words and phrases that were considered to be offensive.
Murder scenes had to be filmed in a way that would discourage imitations in real life, and brutal killings could not be shown in detail. "Revenge in modern times" was not to be justified.
The sanctity of marriage and the home had to be upheld. "Pictures shall not imply that low forms of sex relationship are the accepted or common thing". Adultery and illicit sex, although recognized as sometimes necessary to the plot, could not be explicit or justified and were not supposed to be presented as an attractive option.
Portrayals of miscegenation were forbidden.
"Scenes of Passion" were not to be introduced when not essential to the plot. "Excessive and lustful kissing" was to be avoided, along with any other treatment that might "stimulate the lower and baser element".
The flag of the United States was to be treated respectfully, and the people and history of other nations were to be presented "fairly".
The treatment of "Vulgarity", defined as "low, disgusting, unpleasant, though not necessarily evil, subjects" must be "subject to the dictates of good taste". Capital punishment, "third-degree methods", cruelty to children, animals, prostitution and surgical operations were to be handled with similar sensitivity.
We intend to produce a film noir opening sequence with a rating of 15. Due to the research on target audience it means we could use some violence and bad language in the clip.
BBFC Classifications
Typical Film Noir ClassificationsL.A Confidential- Rated R by the MPAA which is equivelant to an 18 rating in the UK.
Sunset Boulevard- PG rated as it is set in the 1950’s
Double Indemnity- PG rated made around 1944
Memento- 15 rated made in 2000 contains frequent strong language
The Usual Suspects- rated 18 made in 1995 has an adult theme and strong scenes of sex or violence or bad language
The hays code had to be obeyed in earlier film times from 1930 to 1968. During these years film producers had to limit the amount of explicit footage seen or heard on screen. After 1968 it is clear that the ratings of film noirs dramatically increased due to the extra bad language etc that was added.
The Production Code enumerated three "General Principles" as follows:
No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.
Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.
Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.
Specific restrictions were spelled out as "Particular Applications" of these principles:
Nakedness and suggestive dances were prohibited.
The ridicule of religion was forbidden, and ministers of religion were not to be represented as comic characters or villains.
The depiction of illegal drug use was forbidden, as well as the use of liquor, "when not required by the plot or for proper characterization".
Methods of crime (e.g. safe-cracking, arson, smuggling) were not to be explicitly presented.
References to alleged sex perversion (such as homosexuality) and venereal disease were forbidden, as were depictions of childbirth.
The language section banned various words and phrases that were considered to be offensive.
Murder scenes had to be filmed in a way that would discourage imitations in real life, and brutal killings could not be shown in detail. "Revenge in modern times" was not to be justified.
The sanctity of marriage and the home had to be upheld. "Pictures shall not imply that low forms of sex relationship are the accepted or common thing". Adultery and illicit sex, although recognized as sometimes necessary to the plot, could not be explicit or justified and were not supposed to be presented as an attractive option.
Portrayals of miscegenation were forbidden.
"Scenes of Passion" were not to be introduced when not essential to the plot. "Excessive and lustful kissing" was to be avoided, along with any other treatment that might "stimulate the lower and baser element".
The flag of the United States was to be treated respectfully, and the people and history of other nations were to be presented "fairly".
The treatment of "Vulgarity", defined as "low, disgusting, unpleasant, though not necessarily evil, subjects" must be "subject to the dictates of good taste". Capital punishment, "third-degree methods", cruelty to children, animals, prostitution and surgical operations were to be handled with similar sensitivity.
Wednesday 27 January 2010
Monday 25 January 2010
Review of Touch Of Evil
The opening sequence of Touch Of Evil.
When the short sequence starts we begin by seeing the logo of the producers of this particular film. It is accompanied by a piece of dramatic, brass instrumental music. It then takes us to a shot of a man setting a bomb, straight into a crime. The camera then cuts to the intended victims. The perpetrator then runs to the victim’s car and places the bomb into the trunk of the vehicle. They do not notice him and get into the transportation without worry. The music throughout this little sequence has a fast paced rhythm and begins to add more instruments for extra tension. When the engine starts we hear the music change into what we would assume the emotions of the characters would be like. It becomes happy go lucky, like an everyday piece of music. They than drive out of the place they are parked in and see them be on their way to their intended destination. The tension then rises in the audience as the couple are on their travels. They keep getting stopped by traffic officers and pedestrians. We become tense and nervous because we know that there is a bomb in the boot of their car ready to explode. Traffic passes by them at their first stop. This diverts the audiences attention to what is passing them by, the people and what they are transporting, the vehicles and their different styles. The music becomes bouncier and we hear symbols collide within it to add even more tension to what should seem like an everyday night. The car then travels further down the road and is stopped by yet another traffic warden. It is shot from in front and is tracked using a dummy. We then focus on another couple as well as the vehicle and it’s victims inside. The two are on foot and are the cause of the car stopping. They are then pushed aside by the car onto the sidewalk. We watch the couple walk for a bit down the street in the direction the car had gone. They then make their way onto the road and are overtake the car that passed them, the car stopping due to live stock on the road. We then follow in front of the couple a little more seeing the car finally get past the sheep in the background only to be stopped by more traffic. The music is still bright and chirpy and you feel, as an audience member, tense and anxious to see the inevitable, the explosion. The car is sowed slightly by pedestrians and then comes on par with the walking couple. Both the vehicle and the walking couple reach the same destination at the same time, but the couple win as the man in control of what is happening addresses them first. The woman is American but the man is obviously well known. The enforcer seems intrigued to find that this man is married to this particular woman but allows them to carry on. The two in the car are impatient and distract the attendant’s attention, guiding it towards them. The music is low in the background but is still happy, jive type music. You know the bomb is going to go off and you can’t wait to see where and when. Anxiously the clip makes you wait even more, the frustration and tension encapsulates you. The well known man from the couple is then talking again and the man in the car seems frustrated, like he know he should hurry, but will it be too late. The woman then hears a ticking noise and becomes distraught. No one believes her and the man lets them be on their way. The music has all but faded away and you know the explosion is going to come soon. We then see the car drive past and two wardens appear. The camera skips past them to focus once again on the walking couple who are now deep in conversation. The couple are about to immerse into a passionate kiss until there is an asynchronous explosion. The camera cuts to a flaming vehicle. The one we saw in the car. Each of these individual things contributes to the genre of film noir. I think me and my group and I can add specifics into our idea to contribute to our opening sequence. I like the idea of starting off with a crime and letting the audience become tense and nervous as the 3 minutes comes to an end with a mystery.
When the short sequence starts we begin by seeing the logo of the producers of this particular film. It is accompanied by a piece of dramatic, brass instrumental music. It then takes us to a shot of a man setting a bomb, straight into a crime. The camera then cuts to the intended victims. The perpetrator then runs to the victim’s car and places the bomb into the trunk of the vehicle. They do not notice him and get into the transportation without worry. The music throughout this little sequence has a fast paced rhythm and begins to add more instruments for extra tension. When the engine starts we hear the music change into what we would assume the emotions of the characters would be like. It becomes happy go lucky, like an everyday piece of music. They than drive out of the place they are parked in and see them be on their way to their intended destination. The tension then rises in the audience as the couple are on their travels. They keep getting stopped by traffic officers and pedestrians. We become tense and nervous because we know that there is a bomb in the boot of their car ready to explode. Traffic passes by them at their first stop. This diverts the audiences attention to what is passing them by, the people and what they are transporting, the vehicles and their different styles. The music becomes bouncier and we hear symbols collide within it to add even more tension to what should seem like an everyday night. The car then travels further down the road and is stopped by yet another traffic warden. It is shot from in front and is tracked using a dummy. We then focus on another couple as well as the vehicle and it’s victims inside. The two are on foot and are the cause of the car stopping. They are then pushed aside by the car onto the sidewalk. We watch the couple walk for a bit down the street in the direction the car had gone. They then make their way onto the road and are overtake the car that passed them, the car stopping due to live stock on the road. We then follow in front of the couple a little more seeing the car finally get past the sheep in the background only to be stopped by more traffic. The music is still bright and chirpy and you feel, as an audience member, tense and anxious to see the inevitable, the explosion. The car is sowed slightly by pedestrians and then comes on par with the walking couple. Both the vehicle and the walking couple reach the same destination at the same time, but the couple win as the man in control of what is happening addresses them first. The woman is American but the man is obviously well known. The enforcer seems intrigued to find that this man is married to this particular woman but allows them to carry on. The two in the car are impatient and distract the attendant’s attention, guiding it towards them. The music is low in the background but is still happy, jive type music. You know the bomb is going to go off and you can’t wait to see where and when. Anxiously the clip makes you wait even more, the frustration and tension encapsulates you. The well known man from the couple is then talking again and the man in the car seems frustrated, like he know he should hurry, but will it be too late. The woman then hears a ticking noise and becomes distraught. No one believes her and the man lets them be on their way. The music has all but faded away and you know the explosion is going to come soon. We then see the car drive past and two wardens appear. The camera skips past them to focus once again on the walking couple who are now deep in conversation. The couple are about to immerse into a passionate kiss until there is an asynchronous explosion. The camera cuts to a flaming vehicle. The one we saw in the car. Each of these individual things contributes to the genre of film noir. I think me and my group and I can add specifics into our idea to contribute to our opening sequence. I like the idea of starting off with a crime and letting the audience become tense and nervous as the 3 minutes comes to an end with a mystery.
Friday 22 January 2010
A touch of evil - Opening sequence
This is research for some ideas for mine and my groups attempt at a film noir opening sequence.
Our first initial idea
Idea 1
In the beginning we start with the credits. This is cross cutting with a person holding a camera in an eye line match. This person is running through a wooded area, panting and the camera keeps looking behind to show that they are running from something. The credits keep cutting with a calm but fast paced piano/brass piece over the top of the panting. The person then runs to hide and is killed. The credits end showing the title of the film. We then cut to the next day at a crime scene, the woman is dead and the inspectors are there investigating. The inspector is smoking. And at the end of our clip he flings the cigarette towards the body and walks away.
Thursday 21 January 2010
In the beggining
We have started our coursework in AS Media studies. This consists of planning and developing an opening sequence to a film noir or a horror. We have decided to do film noir and are still in the process of coming up with ideas. x x
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