The Changing Nature of Noir

Recently, I watched a box-set of 'THREE MUST-SEE MOVIES' from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. This included Fight Club, The Usual Suspects and Memento. All three films could be described as thrillers; they all combine mystery, pacing, and a twisting plot in order to evoke tension.

Browsing through various DVD extras, I was surprised to find that both The Usual Suspects and Memento were regarded as works of film-noir. On further investigation, I found that all three of the movies in the set were labelled under the genre of 'Neo Noir' on The Internet Movie Database. As a prefix, 'Neo' means 'new,' and is usually used in the case of something being revived or reinvented. With this understanding, it is easier to see why these films fit under the neo-noir genre; they contain certain elements present in original film-noir, but do not attempt to replicate classic film-noir. After making sense of neo-noir, I was further intrigued by the current popularity of neo-noir as opposed to classic-noir or immitations of classic-noir. In order to establish exactly what neo-noir has to offer to modern cinema, I first needed to clarify what it directly borrows from original noir.

The most commonly borrowed aspects of film-noir are the dark, malevolent atmosphere and the flawed, morally ambiguous chracters. Crime-based narratives provide a firm platform upon which these elements of film-noir can flourish, which explains why so many neo-noir films revolve around stories of heists, murder and gang warfare. So if neo-noir borrows on both narrative and thematic fronts, then the only true source of originality is in style and context.















Even this poster for the theatrical release of Blade Runner emulates the style of those that were used for classic film-noir.

Neo-noir has a certain amount of charm that other genres lack, because the films it describes portray film-noir in a new and unique light. The most obvious, and perhaps the most famous example of this is that of Ridley Scott's 1982 film Blade Runner. The narrative follows almost all of the traditional film-noir conventions, but is set in Los Angeles in the year 2019. The film is particularly clever in the way that it integrates the rudimentary film-noir plot elements into the futuristic setting. Where the classic film-noir take on the plot may have been: a cop must hunt down and kill a group of highly-dangerous escaped convicts, the neo-noir take is: a 'Blade Runner' must hunt down and retire (kill) a group of Replicants (androids). Whether the directors of neo-noir films are conscious of it or not, they are carrying film noir influences into new and unique areas.



Suprisingly, the most prominent of all these 'new areas' seems to be that of intellectual thought. As directors synthesise film-noir and other cultural influences, they soon find themselves with an expansive melting-pot of ideas that need to be explored. More often than not, this results in more compelling and philososphical films that contain a specific moral, or are designed to make the audience think in a certain way. The above clip from the ending of Blade Runner illustrates this trend perfectly, as the main antagonist discusses the nature of his own life as a Replicant.

Another good example is that of Memento (below), which directly challenges the viewer to make sense from the unconventionally arranged narrative. The film's protagonist suffers from a mental conditions which prevents him from making new memories. As a result, he can only remember things for a short amount of time, and relies on notes, pictures and tattoos to guide him. The film begins with the protagonist shooting someone, and then the rest of the film is made up of clips chartering the protagonist's progress up until this point, all in reverse order. This method works incredibly well, because each new scene brings a sense of both satisfaction and mystery; you discover what led to the beginning of the previous scene, but are left wondering what led to the current one. Some people state that Momento is a non-linear film, however, as Director Christopher Nolan points out, the film is most definitely linear, because if the narrative did not follow a set path, the entire structure of the film would fall apart.




Even more interestingly, there is no real reason to restrict neo-noir to the confines of the medium of film. With the ever-expanding world of media distribution, it is no surprise that noir influences find their way into video games and music videos. The video for Franz Ferdinand's 'Walk Away' (below) is a prime example from 0:50 onwards, utilizing the film-noir style and stock-characters to tell a clichéd tale in a short space of time. The video is definitely a work of post-modernism, as it clearly exaggerates the conventions of noir (particularly the shadows on the wall at 1:44) but also goes against general conventions, revealing the filming studio at the end for dramatic effect.




Another manifestation of the neo-noir trend is Rockstar Games' Max Payne series of video games, which, so far, has taken a gritty look at present-day crime. Interestingly, Rockstar are also currently working with Team Bondi on a game called L.A. Noire. The website claims that the game will be "an interactive detective story set in the classic noir period of the late 1940's". If the game lives up to these claims, and to the quality of the announcement trailer (below), it will be sure to stand out from the crowd; I am sure that gaming audiences will welcome a game that combines free-roaming, mission-based action with an immersive and distinct time period.




It seems, then, that film-noir was never really left behind at the end of the 50s. Noir is no longer just a genre or style; it has become a meme in the true sense of the word. It has embedded itself in the roots of popular culture, and its influences can be found spread across all areas of entertaining media. With regular deveopments in media technology, such as 3D viewing, the reaches of noir can only be extended.

Perhaps film-noir will re-establish itself as a cinematic trend in the coming years, or perhaps it will remain as an underlying and pervading influence, but either way, noir looks set to stay.

Film Viewing Statistics

In order to try and predict the potential success of a film, it is essential to look at the success of recent films. The film that our OTS represents would be a UK independent film, so I looked for the top 10 UK films for box office gross in 2009.

Top 10 UK films released in the UK and Republic of Ireland, 2009:

1. Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Sherlock Holmes*
4. Fantastic Mr Fox*
5. St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold*
6. The Boat That Rocked
7. Nativity!*
8. The Young Victoria
9. Harry Brown*
10. Planet 51*

Source: Nielsen EDI, UK Film Council RSU analysis
Films with an asterisk (*) were still being exhibited on 10 January 2010.
UK and Republic of Ireland are a single “territory” for film distribution purposes.

Taken from:
http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/media/pdf/k/s/The_UK_box_office_in_2009_Final_Version.pdf

Whilst there is only one close match to our psychological-crime-thriller genre, Harry Brown, the list shows that UK audiences for UK film are interested in post-modernist peices with a mixture of historical and cultural influences. These include Slumdog Millionaire, Sherlock Holmes, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Boat that Rocked. Therefore, a film influenced heavily by film noir, such as that which our OTS preceds, may actually find quite a large audience; the ambiguity of trailers would appeal to hedonists, and the influence of classic film-noir would appeal to both post-modernists and traditionalists in different ways.



Whilst looking at past statistics can be a real help, it is also wise to look at films that are currently being shown. I chose to look at films showing currently at cinemas in the city of York. York a modern, diverse, and culturally dominant city, and so I felt it would accurately reflect traits of the UK overall.


The films on show at least 3 times everyday this week at Vue are:

• Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (U)
• Daybreakers (15)
• Edge of Darkness (15)
• It's Complicated (15)
• Ninja Assassin (18)
• Sherlock Holmes (12A)
• The Book of Eli (15)
• The Road (15)

The films on show at least 5 times this week at the 'art house' Picturehouse are:

• A Prophet (18)
• Avatar 3D (12A)
• Precious (15)
• Up in the Air (15)

What these figures show is that, at the moment, both large and art house cinemas are endorsing more adult films of thriller-related genre. It is particularly surprising to see the BBFC's '15' rating dominating the list, along with two '18's. Although it could indicate a rise in demand for such films, it may well be the result of York's two popular universities, creating a large student population that regularly watch such films.

Overall, the conditions of the film industry are promising for the success of a '15' rated film that endorses the classic film-noir style and fits into the psychological-thriller genre. I think that, if the film that our OTS precedes were to be released soon, it would perform averagely, but not better than most, because it fits into the thriller genre, which is quite densely populated, and would have to share audiences with other films within this category.

OTS Review & Revision

After filming as complete group on Sunday evening, James transferred the footage to his computer and set to work editing in Sony Vegas. The result was a basic workprint which we could review and criticise in order to revise; to make improvements.

Although a workprint version is simply intended as a rough 'test-copy' to convey a film's basic structure, theme and chronology, the first edit surpassed expectations, and I was incredibly happy with the way our footage had been composed into a high-quality piece of film. Although there were still problems we needed to address, I am sure that the initial high-quality of the piece will save us time when we come to perfecting it, as the changes we make will only need to be very small.

In order to clarify our next steps for the production, we all gathered for a group reviewing session, in which we discussed our respective views and opinions of the film, and how we thought it could be improved. The first problem we noticed was that of the film's duration. It lasted around 3:00 minutes, whereas ideally it should be 2:00, but could go up to 2:30 maximum. To get feedback from the perspective of newcomers to the film, we asked various people from our media class to watch our film and tell us what they thought. One problem that arose was that of a white van that crossed the shot about half-way through the piece. Some people said that it detracted from the tense atmosphere; one moment you are watching a man fearing for his life, yet trying to remain inconspicuous by walking at normal pace, and the next you are watching an everyday van rattle along the street. The tone was not maintained. During the reviewing session, we took note of these and other, less noticeable problems so that James could go and implement the changes.



The video above is the first revised version of our OTS, with the main changes being the exclusion of the white van and other pieces of redundant footage to reduce the length of the peice. We will recently held another small review session, and the main criticism was that the Femme Fatale's voice didn't fit the character; it was not stern enough, and so her role as leader of a crime syndicate did not seem legible.

To solve this problem, Tom and I have been sampling different female voices by recording them saying some of the Femme Fatale's lines. I have produced some mock-ups of the OTS with the new Femme Fatale voice overlayed using Sony Vegas, and we have determined a suitable actress. Now, all we need to do is to record the new actress saying the lines, extract the audio, and James will overlay this as best as he can with the existing footage of the original Femme Fatale. Syncing the speech shouldn't be such a problem, because most of the time you cannot actually see the Femme Fatale's mouth moving prominently. Aside from helping with recording, Tom is in the process of writing a questionnaire which we can use to get feedback from a wider range of age-groups and audience types.

Filmed!

Yesterday evening, we gathered our equipment and prepared out notes for the most important day of the media course yet: the filming of our OTS.

After many takes, much discussion, and copious moments of ever-so-slight failure, I am glad to say that, overall, it went very, very well.

Because I had drawn the storyboards and written the flashback script, I blocked most of the scenes, explaining what we had in mind to our kind volunteers, whilst other members of the group set up equipment and discussed the movement of the camera. I also carried a list of the shots we needed, which I had derived from the storyboards. The actual filming was shared around the group, depending on who had the clearest ideas of the shot we wanted to achieve.

It was incredibly useful having four group members, because there were times when every member was needed for a specific purpose: a person to operate the camera, two people to relay signals to the volunteers (to control the timing of the scene), and a person to hold the notes along with any spare equipment.

We did experience some difficulty when filming in the city. Difficulty that came in the form of regular passers by. These ranged from a rowdy group of teenagers to an old lady out for a very, very, very relaxed strole with her inexplicably slow dog. We also had problems with cars, particularly on the small cobbled streets. These, however, were minor setbacks, and we simply waited until the coast was clear before beginning a shot. Towards the end of the night, we were alerting each other of such problems early-on, so that we didn't begin a shot only to have to re-take later.

The flashback sequence, which was filmed in an alleyway closer to home, also went very well. Unfortunately, it was raining, but we overcame the problem by holding a large umbrella over the camera, and incorporating an umbrella into the scene; held over the Femme Fatale by the Goon. We had several scripts on hand so that we were all able to supervise the volunteers with their lines, and James had a fully charged battery on hand when the first one eventually died. Whilst we were filming, Tom pointed out that the rain would actually add to the effect of the flashback; the rain would reinforce the idea that the flashback occured at a different time to the running sequence, adding to the realism of our narrative.

In summary, I am very happy with the way our evening of filming went, even if it did mean getting slightly wet, and scaring a cyclist who found us filming in an otherwise deserted, dark alleyway.

Storyboard Evolution

Before we film, it is of utmost importance that we have an idea of the exact shots we want to capture, so that we use all of our time efficiently. In order to clarify what shots we need, I drew up a detailed storyboard on the basis of all our previous ideas.

Storyboarding is an effective method of planning for film, because it allows ideas to be succinctly conveyed through the medium of still frames. Storyboards allow people to envisage the film in a way other plans, such as lists or charts, cannot.

The images below show our different stages of storyboarding, from our basic ideas to a structured plan.

I created this very basic storyboard in order to explain our ideas for the narrative, which were discussed in our first group planning session. The drawn images did not represent actual shots, but were simply used to explain what the scene would contain.


These are some examples of shots for key-scenes that Tom, Daniel and I drew for our second class presentation. I drew these particular frames as ideas for shots in the flashback sequence of the OTS.


These are the final storyboards that I drew just before we began filming. Drawing the frames enabled me to get a clearer sense of exactly what shots we needed, and as I completed each frame, I also wrote it down on a list that I will be able to use when we are actually filming.

Overall, the gradual development of accuracy and detail through the use of storyboards has helped me to understand precisely what we are aiming for in terms of raw footage. Whilst filming, I will refer to my list of shots in order to ensure that we acquire exactly what we need.

Ready To Film

In a recent media lesson, we gathered for a group discussion in order to reiterate the progress we have made, and to clarify what we now need to focus on.

We now have three willing volunteers to act in our OTS, and we have set a date when they are all available for us to capture the vast majority of our footage. We will be able to arrange other times to film if need be once we have reviewed the footage.

My finished script for the flashback sequence has been given to the volunteers so that they can get a basic idea for what they will be doing.

Although we all have a good idea of the shots we want, I am in the process of drawing up a more accurate storyboard along with a basic list of shots so that we know exactly what we are doing on the day.

I will post again after shooting to explain how the process went.

Pre-Production Test Footage

A few nights ago, Tom, James and I took a school camera and filmed some test footage at the locations planned for our OTS. We organised to film at sunset so that we could check the quality of recording at different light levels, but we also simultaneously attempted some of our different shot ideas. Below is the footage we shot, edited and compiled by James, along with some notes about the clips.



1 & 2: I wanted to attempt this shot, because I have seen it used previously on TV and in film, and it is extremely effective in coveying a sense of speed. The motion of the camera mimics the head-movement of someone watching a person run past, and so the shot adds towards a more immersive experience. Unfortunately, I found it tricky to track the subject with a smooth pan, so they are slightly out of shot for a moment. Also, the fast movement resulted in a glitch with the autofocus, causing the shot to blur out of focus, which looks incredibly unprofessional. This could be prevented by fixing fixing the focus at a suitable distance. This may even add to the effect of the shot, as the focal blur in some areas would give a sense of distance. On the second attempt, the pan was smoother, but still not perfect. The down-hill run would work better in the context of our OTS, as it would show the Victim being forced into a position of lower status.

3: After spotting the bars at the side of Elm Hill, we decided to try filming the subject through them. We have used bars to a similar effect in our continuity task; they work particularly well to enhance the theme of crime, because tall certical bars are commonly associated with prisons or areas of security, as a mechanism of containment or exclusion. The bars would also help to justify the Victim's furtive behaviour: with the camera on the other side of the bars, the shot feels similar to a POV of someone watching the Victim from an unseen place.

4 & 5: The idea for this shot arose in our first group planning session, when we were suggesting ways in which the Goon character could appear unexpectedly in order to shock the audience. In our actual OTS, the Victim (sat on the bench) will be reading a newspaper as opposed to a blank notepad, but the rudimentary mechanics of the shot will remain the same. Both shots worked well, but we decided that the Goon should be closer to the camera in order to ensure that viewers do not miss the unexpected appearance of the character.

6: This is another shot that we used in our continuity task. It did not work as well here, because the cobbled ground was less even, and it was difficult to keep the camera steady and low. That said, such footage would work well in short bursts to focus the audience's attention on the fact that the Victim is moving hurridely away from something; maintaining a sense of urgency.

7: I proposed this shot as part of the flashback sequence under the name of 'Ambiguous Closeup'. Just as the name implies, the purpose of the shot is to capture a character, who will be the Femme Fatale, without revealing their full identity. Although the framing could be improved, I feel this shot works well.

8 & 9: Work on the same principle as clip 6, but from different angles. 8 may work well along with 6 in short bursts, but 9 is more of an establishing shot, and would interrupt the flow of the scene if it was used to show the Victim running.

10 & 11: The low angle works incredibly well with the towering clock-tower, creating a sense of foreboding. The lighting conditions at this time of day also work really well to provide contrast and accentuate the bold, crisp outline of the tower.

12: This works well as an establishing shot, because the street sign gives the viewer an idea of location, not necessarily because they can read it, but because of its style. That is not to say that it would have to go at the very beginning of the OTS, but it would work best in the early parts. As in clip 3, the bars give the idea that someone is looking through them, and that the footage is from their point-of-view. For our OTS, this character could be the Goon, looking through the bars to see the Victim walking or running away.

13: A highly effective way of conveying the speed of the Victim as he runs from the Goon. Again, would work well with clips 6, 8 & 9 in short bursts. Fast cuts between the different peices of footage would also give a sense of speed.

14: Probably the creepiest shot we have, because it is full of signifiers that combine for a dark theme. The flitting sillhouette invokes a sense of fear and ambiguity, whilst the church windows juxtapose nicely with pessimistic themes of crime and danger.

15, 16 & 18: Perhaps our most professional and effective shot. The framing, the canted angle, and even the shadow on the cobbles all work incredibly well to convey the warped circumstances that the Victim finds himself in. In 15, there was a pole in the middle of the frame, and in 16, I felt the angle was too low, but in 18, I think the framing is perfect; from the moment the subject walks into the frame, they are completely captured, and the audiences eyes can follow them into the distance.

19: Same as 4 & 5, but in lower light. Still works well, but framing is a bit off. Will have to re-think newspaper, because a man reading a newspaper in the dark is way too suspicious, even for film-noir.

20: This shot works nicely as a way of capturing the environment at the same time as chartering the Victim's progress. The framing of the old architecture is good, and captures the subject's shadow perfectly. It would work well in between sets of close-up shots to show the audience more of the location, and also to show the distance between the Goon and the Victim.

21: Hand-held tracking shot. The quick, jerky movements would confuse and irritate an audience if shown for too long. As with shots 6, 8, 9 & 13, this would work well in quick bursts to convey the running motion of both the Victim and the Goon. Such a shot could be interpretted as the Goon's point-of-view.