Film

This is the final product. I am proud of the film as it has many noir concepts. The film is enjoyable and has a lot of drama.

Editing

The past 3 week we have been up in the Apple Mac room editing on Final Cut, we have previously used this software before as practise in the run up to A2 media. Our trial.
Using final cut is very confusing and we started off knowing very little about the software and had to read up from a booklet and it was time-consuming and many mistakes were made. Our first attempt at the film had to be scrapped because we were having serious problems stitching the film together and making it flow.
First Week
Choosing the footage to use was quite a simple task, we filmed over 150 videos so we had to watch all of them and sorting them out into categories of rubbish, maybe and definite. This took at least an hour an we ended up with many clips we could use and have many angles of the same scene which was very useful.
We then methodically put every scene in and left a 30 second gap in between each scene so we can mess around with each scene and once happy with the scene then move onto the next one. After week one we had only completed scene 1 and 2 as they are quite short scene.

Second Week
We continued to work through the scenes while also recording monologues which we would have in between scenes. We were initially going to have image over the clips but we ran out of time to film and it was essential to finish the film on time. During this time we had to decide what music we wanted over the top of the film. We used the site www.freesounds.org to download the music and Jack had some songs he had found elsewhere which we wanted to use. During this time we also wanted to try and create our own sounds using a piano and a tablet. However it turned out a lot harder than we thought as the sound quality was not good enough to use. We also had to do sound editing on the phone conversation between Sheldon Rex and Sylvia Freeman, which was hard and had to google the answer. By the end of the second week we had completed 3-9 scenes. However we knew the final scenes and the credits would take a while to do and then we had to make the movie flow via transitions.

Third Week
The final week and we knew we had a lot to do because the final scenes were the longest and the most important scenes so editing them would take a long time. We also done a lot of our sounds this week finding sound effects for guns, typewriter and phone calls, we needed to make these sound convincing so we had to trial and error a lot of the sounds. Also in this week we had to input our credits as all films need credits and to put our film company name on it. We had a preview of our film on the Thursday so we need to make sure we had time to export the film which takes a while so it had to be finished by the Wednesday.

The whole editing experience was a very long and hard process but eventually we had completed the film and I am proud of the finished product and if you compare it to the example earlier you can see I have made huge improvements in quality of work. Final Cut is very complicated but I definitely feel more confident work with the programme.

Day Three Filming

Scenes we filmed on 22/02/12

• Scene 1
• Scene 2
• Scene ?
• Scene 3

The filming today was good as we had many locations to film in, in Baldock. We had a classroom, an office, an alleyway and another office. We also needed the help of a friend to play a drug dealer for scene 4. Initially scene 4 was going to be at The Freeman Manor but we felt it would be nice to have a different venue which would be darker and more sinister.

Characters required:

• Sheldon Rex
• Reece Freeman
• John Barnacles
• Drug Dealer

Props required:

• Typewriter
• Cigar
• Cigarette
• Drugs
• Mug
• Hat
• Briefcase
• Trench coat
• Black suits
• Gun
• Newspaper

These are some shots of the locations that we filmed at on 22/02/12


 The alleyway that we filmed on is in Baldock and we waited until night time as a lot of outside filming in noirs films are dark as it creates more mystery and greater shadows. The alleyway is a single lit path which looked really good as the drug deal took place underneath it.

The Boss' Office scene was quite easy to film, it was my first bit of acting and even though I'm not brilliant I think I pulled it off. Jack Squires filmed this scene. We used a lot of over-the-shoulder shots to show the close relationship between Rex and his boss. Also there is a good slanted shot of Rex entering the door which creates obscurity and mystery.

The typewriter scene is also a good scene and the diegetic sound of the typewriter creates a sense of eerieness. Also when the typewriter is snapped back it also make a bang noise which is related to the gun shot in scene 12. The cracked secrets typed in will be used in the opening scenes to introduce the film and will fade out.

The most creative shot of the day was definitely when we placed the camera inside the briefcase and then opened it as it creates suspense as you hear the click of the briefcase and you then have a shot of a man grinning with a cigar. It looked very professional as we used the torch to shine on one side of his face.

Tom Batt was our actor who played the drug dealer and we decided it was best to take the speech out the scene because it added another element to the film, no words need to be said and the scene is obvious. This means that you have to make sure that the camera angles are good and that it is easy for the audience to understand.

Day Two Filming

Scenes we filmed on 19/02/12

• Scene 12
• Scene 5
• Scene 9

The filming today was good but quite tricky especially the kill scene (12). Because of our choice of death our main character Sheldon Rex (Ben Cartwright) had to knell down in the water and eventually end up face down in the freeze cold springs. Because of the conditions we had to make sure we done this quickly and in one take as moral was low and everyone was cold. The scene looks really good because of the fantastic location and a big thanks to Lucy and Ben for going in the water. The other scenes filmed today went well in (9) we filmed a flashback/thought of what Sylvia has been up to with Rex. And Scene 5 we needed to find a classic phone box as they are used often in film noirs such as Brick. We filmed in:
                                                   -Ashwell Springs
                                                   -Ashwell Phone box
                                                   -My House

Characters required:

• Sheldon Rex
• Sylvia Freeman
• Reece Freeman

Props required:

• Red dress
• Gun
• Trench coat
• Two suits
• Blazer
• Black dress
• Bed
• Umbrella
• Fur coat
• Classic red phone box

These are some shots of the location that we filmed at Ashwell Springs:

These are taken from google and when filming it was darker and gloomy which added to the eeriness of the scene





These are some shots of the location that we filmed at My House:

These are taken from my phone and they just give you a rough idea of the proximity's and the scenery.









The filming at my house was easy as the clips we needed were only a few seconds long. We included a good shot of the femme fetale Sylvia Freeman leading Sheldon Rex up the stairs and this shot looks very effective and seductive. She is definitely in control in this scene and is practically dragging him up the stairs to her bed. I filmed this scene and I used a few different angles such as, low angle, high angle, close up.

A classic noir convention is venetian blinds and is a concept we really wanted to include a shot of the femme-fetale eyes, this creates mystery and hides the identity of the women. We didn't have any of these blinds so we had to make do with my parents blinds in their room(left) as it was dark when we were filming we needed to make light pass through the blinds to created the desired shadows, this was a lot harder than expected as the bedroom is on the first floor so we improvised (right). This involved using a torch and having an Ben Cartwright take the shot as Jack Squires was not available/not needed for this scene.

The final shot of the venetian blinds was (bottom left). I was pleased with the final result as it hides the identity of the women and the next shot is her at the door revealing who she is.

The telephone scene was good camera work from Jack Squires. A noir convention is a slanted angle and when Sylvia is walking up to the phone box it creates mystery and once again does not reveal her identity again. It is a quick tempo scene and the music that we have added to it is also quick. Another shot we used in this scene is the close up of Sylvia Freeman's lips which is a classic shot seen in film noirs. Once again it is a very seductive shot and adds to the intensity of the relationship.

Day One Filming

Scenes we filmed on 15/02/12

• Scene 5 
• Scene 9
• Scene 11

The filming today was successful and we were at the location which was Jack Squires' house in Rushden UK. We filmed in 3 separate rooms :
                                                           -Living Room

                                                           -Master Bedroom

                                                           -Dining Room

Characters required:

• Reece Freeman
• Sylvia Freeman
• Sheldon Rex

Props required:

• Two guns
• Candle
• Two suits
• Phone
• Black dress
• Wine bottle
• Flowers
• Desktop objects (Paper, Pens, Stapler)
• Wine glasses
• Bed
• Mirror
• Bedside lamp

These are some shots of the location that we filmed at Jack's house:

Today's filming went smoothly and it was easy to film. Today I filmed all the scenes in the house as Jack was needed to act out in all of the scenes. It was the first time I have ever done any filming professionally and found it quite tricky to keep the camera still as we did not have access to a tripod. I believe that the filming from me was good and was able to include many different shots;

Over The Shoulder

This shot it usually used when there is a conversation but as Reece is getting angrier he is crossing words out with his pen more vigorously and this is important and that is the reason we used this shot.



Close Up

This is a good shot as we can see the gun and the legs. This is a very seductive shot as the skirt/dress is quite high and she has her legs crossed, this is a classic femme-fetale pose. (example)




Low Angle

This shot allows us to determine who is in control. Reece Freeman has just walked in and found his wife with another man. This shot shows his anger and assurance and makes other characters in the scene inferior and vulnerable.


High Angle

An important aspect of the scene and as it is a high angle shot of a black gun again white paper it stands out.

As you can see it is quite and old house which is good as it fits with the age. Also the wooden beams in  Jack's living room also work very well as they look royal and the black beams against the white ceiling look like venetian blinds which is a classic convention.

Character Profiles

Sheldon Rex
Played by: Ben Cartwright
Age: 41
Relationships: Broken up with his childhood sweetheart of 19 years of marriage a year before these events. He is now married to the job and misses female attention.
Past-times: Sheldon Rex has always been a journalist but always small time. He is having a mid-life crisis and is looking to be in a relationship.
Ambition: His ambition is to be a top journalist and believes that with one big story he could be famous. As he craves attention he looks forward to the fame but will his ambition for passion obscure his career.


Reece Freeman
Played by: Jack Squires
Age: 48
Relationships: He is happily married to Sylvia for 3 years.
Past-times: He has graduated from Harvard many years ago and has always been involved with politics. This is his first time he is running for Governor and is seemingly in the lead by a mile as the newspaper article suggests. He is seen by the public as a good guy in the corrupt city of New York and with the recent Governor stepping down after an alleged affair. Reece needs to make sure he keeps a clean slate and any problems with his marriage or other activities
Ambition: His only ambition is to become Governor he has no other goals he wishes to achieve.

 
Sylvia Freeman
Played by: Lucy Cunnington
Age: 39
Relationships: He is happily married for 3 years to Reece but is seeing Sheldon Rex on the side so that Sheldon does not release the drug deal story about her husband
Past-times: Sylvia has been married to many men and all of them have come from a wealthy background and she has accumulated thousands from divorce settlements. She was a model when she was younger but she has found it easier living off the achievements of her other half.
Ambition: Her ambition is to be rich and this will come with Reece Freeman becoming Governor of New York.


John Barnacles (Boss)
Played by: Daniel Cowie
Age: 58
Relationships: He is happily married to his wife and has two children who both go to college.
Past-times: He has been Sheldon Rex's boss for many years and they have worked closely, he is gradually giving Rex more important stories and believes he could one day take over his paper.
Ambition: He has no real ambition apart from to make sure his paper continues to be successful.

Locations

Freeman Manor
Outside

We choose this locations as it is a very big house in the countryside which would be suitable for a very rich manor house. As the Freeman family are of a well respected and posh past-time and as Reece is running for Governor it is important for his image to have a well-presented and nice house.

Living Room

We choose this room because it is very spacious and looks old fashioned. The wooden beams against the white ceiling and walls look ominous in black and white and really stand out. This room was used for Reece Freemans flashbacks of his deteriorating relationship. Also the black on white of the beams are iconic in film noirs and it is a similar effect to venetian blinds.

Dining Room

We choose this room because it continues with the wooden beams and makes it easier for the audience to establish where we are. The window at the end of the room is very effective as it is a single source lighting which is a classic noir conception. The oak furniture is also very posh because of its dark rich complextion and it shimmers the light from window. In this scene Rex and Sylvia are caught and as this room is very small it is meant to have the conotation that the net is closing down on them and that their affair is about to be blown out the water and end up in the water.

The Springs
The springs is a location situated in Ashwell in Hertfordshire, it is an eerie spring and is a popular place for tourists. The reasons why we choose this scene was because it is a good place for a murder and it seems very seculded. It has many trees around the water so it is quite dark there and has the sound of running water which causes a lot of tension. The murder scene also allowed Reece Freeman to have the power as he forces Sheldon Rex into the cold freezing water before killing him. The stairs that the characters will travel down are stoney and cobel and make a tension building noise. The springs echos a lot which will have to be taken into consideration when choosing the gun shot sound.


The Drug Deal Meet

This is the alleyway that we will choose to film the drug deal scene. Initially we were going to use the Freeman Manor but decided we could use better concepts and make it darker as it is a dangerous illegal scene. We will film this scene at night as there is a single lampost in the middle of the alley and will be a single source lighting. The alley has walls either side and it quite scary and shows there is no escape and as Reece kills the dealer there will be an effective shot of him walking away.  The conotation of walking down the straight and narrow certainly doesn't apply here.


The Affair House
Ouside

The town house has to be smaller than the Freeman manor it is actually my house and as it is in Ashwell we can film it on the same day therefore saving time. The house is quite small which is good as it is an intimate seen and we want them to seem close.




Stairs

We will have a shot of the stairs and Rex and Sylvia walking up. The bars also create a venetian blind efect casting shadows on the stairs.




Bedroom

This is the bedroom that we will use for the bed scene, the bars on the headrest conotation is that Sheldon Rex is traped by Sylvia Freemans charm. The bedroom scene will only have two shots so we will not include the pictures and other stuff in my bedroom and keep the scene simple.