Story Boards and scripts

Today we finished of the story boards and the script.

We now have:

• A completed script with a few stage directions and all the correct lines (previous posts)


• A complete detailed story board of the whole film


• A basic detailed story board of each scene with details of shots (e.g. angles and lengths)

We are now looking towards locations to set a few of our scenes, we are looking at an authentic achiac american restaurant to set our restaurant scene.

Scripting - Scene 6

Scene 6:
(Setting: Bobby’s house. Bobby just been shot. Confession that it was femme fatale who devised the drug deal)
Bobby: [In agony on the floor] It wasn’t me!
Detective Carter: Cut the bullshit, Bobby
Bobby: I’m telling ya, detective, it wasn’t me. I swear to god
Detective Carter: Swear to me! [Punches bobby]. If it wasn’t you who was it, huh?
[Detective punches him again. No response/confession from Bobby. Detective turns to leave, about to walk out the door]
Bobby: Wait… [Detective pauses then turns. Paces slowly, menacingly towards him. Bobby gets up, hunched over desk, struggling for breath]
Carter: Who was it? [No reply] Bobby, who was it?!
Bobby: [Reluctantly] Bonnie. [Detective pauses in shock] I couldn’t tell you before but-
Carter: What? What do you mean?
Bobby: She’s been playing you like a fool and me as well apparently! Right now your so called beloved is dealing 100 grands worth of smack, she got us both right where she wanted. Out of the way!
Carter: No no wait, that can’t be right!
Bobby: sorry detective but little miss bonnie is probably out with hundred grand right now, and you won’t ever see her again. Trust is a powerful thing isn’t it.
Carter: Chester get him to hospital, I’ve gotta get after that bitch!
(runs out)

Scripting - Scene 5

Scene: Detective Carter arrives at Bobby the mob Boss’s house.
-Knock knock-
(Scarlett, one of Bobby’s comrades, comes to the door, she opens it a crack. Obviously trying to protect her boss. She is trying to make detective Carter leave. He Refuses. )
-Door opens.-
Scarlett: And who might you be?
Carter: I’ve come to speak to your boss, now move aside sweet cheeks I haven’t got all night.
Scarlett: I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, ya know its past eleven, I could call the cops on you for making such a nuisance of yourself on my doorstep.
Carter: Good luck with the cops, now I’m here to see mister Dents, Bobby Dents. I’m sure he is here, now either you be a good girl and let me in, or things could get pretty nasty around here (opens jacket, a revolver on show)
Scarlett: Shit okay, hold on just a second mister.
(Door closes, Carter is left outside, and He sparks up a cigarette while he waits)
Scarlett: Okay sir, he will see you now
(She holds the door opens as he steps through)
-Bobby is sitting at a desk writing, he hardly acknowledges the detectives arrival. Scarlett walks over and perches herself on the side of the desk.-
Bobby: Step outside darling
Scarlett: But sir he…
Bobby: Leave us! (Slightly shocked at his outburst Scarlett slips out the room) Now detective, what was so urgent that you had to almost knock down my door at this time of night?
Carter: Maybe I just wanted a chat, its come to my attention that you might come into some money soon, (pause) ya know try about 10 K. This drug heist you’ve got going on, don’t insult me by saying you don’t know what I’m talking about, that amount of smack could make L.A. drop back into the oblivion that it was just crawling its way back out of! Now Bobby, if you would be so kind id like you to tell me where the deal is happening, then come with me to the station. Now this is gunna happen, you either tell me then walk there, or ill beat it out of you and drag you there, and I wouldn’t wanna rip that tailored suit of yours, would I?….So?….What’ll it be?
Bobby: Well sir seems you’ve floated out into some rather deep water; you don’t wanna mess with the sharks out here, so I suggest you run along and keep your nose outta my business.
Carter: I don’t want things to get messy, just tell me what you know!
Bobby: You have no idea what you are talking about, obviously whoever opened their trap to you, and I have a good idea who it is, isn’t telling you everything…
Carter: Cut the crap Dents.
Bobby: Uh uh uh, I wasn’t finished. (Pause) Now you should go and find out what is really going on, because Miss Kensington isn’t as she seems.
Carter: Leave her outta this!!
Bobby: Ahh I see, she already has you round her little finger, just be careful you don’t get scratched. Now I’m gunna give you 5 seconds to get the hell outta my house, or the next time you see your beloved Bonnie is at your funeral! (Puts a gun on the desk)
Carter: (pulls out gun) I said leave her outta this! Tell me where the deal is taking place!
Bobby: 5…4…
Carter: Don’t make me kill you; I wouldn’t want that information splattered over the wall behind you.
Bobby: 3…2…last chance detective.
Carter: Spill it Dents! (Raising his gun)
Bobby: 1...well I am sorry it came to this, shame you let your heart rule your head (picks up gun) rookie mistake kid.
-Starts firing at each other, Bobby behind his desk, carter behind the door-
-Bobby gets a hit in the stomach; he falls to the ground with a cry of pain, the gunfire ceases-

Scripting - Scene 2, 3, 4

SCENE 2
Detective John Carter: Chester! Get in here. We’ve got a case to unravel.

Chester and Carter look through the people bobby has supposedly murdered, and Carter’s father’s photograph appears. Music comes in and shows his face as he looks at it determinedly.




SCENE 3
(out for dinner)
Detective John Carter: (VOICEOVER) I couldn’t work out for the life of me what it was about Miss Bonnie Kensington that made me fall so fast. Knowing she had the control and was almost in charge of me made me weaker than I’d ever imagine.
(Giggles, leg rub under the table, laughing, drinking)
Fade in sound of them conversing but also the hustle of the restaurant. No focused dialogue.

SCENE 4

Bonnie: I’ve had a wonderful time
Carter: I shall sort this thing out for you baby.
Bonnie: Oh you are so kind Detective. I wish I could repay you!Carter: No repayment needed. It’s for you and me both.
Bonnie: Thankyou.
Carter: Anything for you! (they kiss, long shot)

Carter calls chester:

Carter: Meet outside the station. We’ve got to sort this thing out now.

Scripting - First scene

SCENE 1
(In office)
Detective John Carter: “I was told that these photographs of the towns latest criminals contained some of those we have before seen on many occasions. They were not wrong. 'Bobby' as he had been known had been in these photographs of the most wanted since he shot my father. He had also been drug dealing since I began my job back in '34. This lady was supposedly known to have a connection with him. I knew it was my job to try and find the two so that I could finally be at peace with the death of my father. Had I known what wool was to be pulled over my eyes, things could have ended very differently."

Date put on the bottom to show change of time.
SCENE 2
(In office)
(knock at door)
Detective John Carter: Come in
Bonnie Kensington: hello, sir. (waits by door)
Detective John Carter: What may I help you with, madam?
Bonnie Kensington: well, I’ve been thinking for some time that I should perhaps tell you policemen something, but I keep changing my mind. I don’t know if I should, oh
Detective John Carter: Maam you know we’ll help you and have your best interests at heart.
Bonnie Kensington: yes I know. Okay well I came over here 5 years ago from England, and my family, well, they weren’t to well off you see. I met this man called ‘Bobby’ one day after class and he promised me he’d make things better for us. So I believed him.
Detective John Carter: Bobby? Bobby Dents?
Bonnie Kensington: oh have you heard of him?
Detective John Carter: the name is a little familiar.
Bonnie Kensington: I’m not supposed to tell anyone what he’s doing with all his business but he does bad things to me sir, and I can’t take it no more.
Detective John Carter: what business?
Bonnie Kensington: Oh I couldn’t
Detective John Carter: Look doll, you gotta tell me what you know if you want this man to have the justice he deserves.
Bonnie Kensington: Well, okay sir. I know for a fact that if I was to be perhaps taken out for dinner by you I’d be more persuaded to tip the scales in your favour. You see, I can’t just give in to you immediately. He’ll have me shot!
Detective John Carter: Is there actually a problem here? Or do you just want some appreciation?
Bonnie Kensington: Oh sir there is a problem. A big problem. But there’s something about you and I don’t want to let you get away. So take me somewhere I’ll like and we can sort this thing out.

Our characters - Miss Scarlett Jones and Chester

Miss Scarlett Jones:

This character is the other female character, she is very loyal to Mister Dents (which is the opposite to our main femme fatale, Bonnie, who seems to only be loyal to herself). She puts up with the detective's abuse to try and protect him and then even takes Bobby being rude to her. This shows she might not be a very independent woman and likes having the structure and reliability of working for Mister Dents. In this photo she is show as quite a dark and mysterious character with her dark hair, eyes, dress and a dark background...these however compliment her pale skin. Her red lips show a sign of lust which makes the audience wonder if there is more going on than just a working relationship between her and her boss.

Chester:

Chester is a small part in our film noir, he is another police officer at the station with Detective Carter and seems to be pulled in to do all of the detectives dirty work (being the one who has to get Bobby to the hospital). However a hierarchy within police was common at that time and usually officers lower down in the force would have to do everything their superiors said. Just like our other male characters in the film, we have put him in a suit to show that he does have some responsibilities and wants to look professional. In this picture he is looking directly at the camera, leaning on his hand to show a slight sense of mystery about him (like all our other characters, as mystery was a big part of film noir) - however he looks honest and intelligent which is just what policemen were suppose to look at in that time period.

Our characters - Mr Bobby Dents

Mister Bobby Dents:

This character is our second lead male character, the opposite of our detective, what some audiences might call the "baddie".

In this photo he is looking straight at the camera with a slightly menacing stare, almost like he is trying to intimidate the audience. This is like what he does in the film, he tries to intimidate our main character ( Detective Carter) as he is obviously older and a lot more powerful the the detective. Again we have put the picture in black and white and slightly blurred it to give it a more conventional and authentic look of old film noirs. His suit is also important as it shows his wealth, and the fact he is a business man (as all important men of that era used to splash out on nice suits). He believes he is above the law, and most people, as he talks down to and patronises the detective. He also shows his power by controlling people, the Scarlett Jones character is there to prove this as she at first protects him by trying to not let Carter in, then after showing her loyalty is rather rudely told to leave the room by Bobby.

Our characters - Miss Bonnie Kensington and Detective John Carter

Detective John Carter:
This is our main male character of our piece, this specific still shot of him is interesting because it has the conventions of a detective of the era (the hat, the suit, being clean shaven etc) however we have added the shadow of half of his face to show the mystery behind the character. He isn't just the straight police officer that he is shown to be at the beginning. We chose black and white to suit the period as we thought it would be more authentic, and slightly blurred it. This character falls in love with our femme fatale and on her word goes to a mob bosses house. Now the audience doesn't know whether it is through love he does this, or through revenge as it is mentioned at the beginning that Bobby actually killed his father. The outfit we have put him in is much like that of the character in the film double indemnity, we liked the typical conventions of it so the grey suit, white shirt, hat, black tie and over coat will also be used in the actual filming as well as it being in the still shots. We show him falling for Bonnie through the dinner scene as at we will show laughing and flirting and at the end will show a glimpse of a kiss between the pair from a far. Her influence is all he needs as a reason to go after Bobby.

Miss Bonnie Kensington:

This is our main female character, aka our femme fatale, the first picture shows her lying down, her eyes not directly on the camera and her hair flowing down towards it. It is an incredibly suggestive photograph. The dark lip colour, bold eyes and blond hair are very authentic conventions of film noir, almost all film i have seen the main female character wears red lipstick to show an essence of seduction around the character, this will be shown in our piece as Detective Carter starts lusting after her, and eventually she manages to seduce him enough to get exactly what she wants. Miss Kensington seems to play both male characters off each other, making the both distracted while she slips away with the money. She also wears a white dress to begin with to suggest innocence and purity (when she acts hurt to persuade Carter) however during the film her outfit get darker, to show her passionate and deceiving

side. (As show in the photo earlier when she is wearing a bight red dress and black hat). In this next photo she is looking directly at the camera with a slight smile on her face, this shows her strength and shows the has no remorse about her actions towards the other characters in the film. The fur she wear indicates she has power and wealth (prefers the finer things in life) which is conventional to most femme fatales who wear lavish clothing and jewellery.

The background is dark to show a complete contrast towards her hair and outfit, however it shows that this character may not be all that she seems. Which is very true as she lies and manipulates everyone around her so she can get away with the deal without the police or the gangsters able to stop her. This is conventional because most Femme Fatale's are very self centred and are only bothered about themselves.

Our still shots

Miss Bonnie Kensington:

We chose this photograph for our still shot of our femme fatale because of many reasons. We also tried to stick to as many of the conventional aspects of film noir as we could so we could have a realistic look for each character - and therefore a realistic character that an audience would believe.

The white background was chosen because she is a main character in our film so we wanted her to stand out. It also could be a portrayal of innocence, but because we chose to have our shots in black and white it also may signify a sense of mystery around the character.

Her costume was chosen very carefully, this outfit is more like how she will look towards the end of the movie when she doesnt have to pretend she is innocent. She is wearing a bright red dress which signifies lust and passion - which she uses to manipulate the characters around her, however it also signifies danger - to show there is some underlying characteristics that the men don't know about. This is also mixed in with the red lipstick and nails which is very conventional of femme fatale's in film noir, as the colour red is almost seen to lure in the unexpected men into her trap. The shawl we decided to use is made of faux fur (which is conventional, though in those days it would have been made of real fur), this signifies wealth and status as fur was often only worn by aristocrats who could afford it in those days. The hat was also chosen to hide part of the actresses face, this is to show the audience that she is hiding something from the other people in the film. It also gives her a sense of mystery which is perfect for our film. Although you cannot see it, she is also wearing heels to show off her femininity and power (coloured black) - and she is also wearing tights (maybe stockings as women of that era usually wore stockings with a suspender belt rather than tights) - this will make our character seem more sexual, which is what we want for this role. She will also wear some expensive looking jewellery, which will show off her wealth in the same way the the fur shawl does.

Detective John Carter:

Again we have used the white background to make the actor stand out. However we have faded in a slight blackness around the edges which for one makes him stand out even more, and second gives a slight bit of confusion to the character - this is conventional because in most film noirs, the detective is usually on the line of the law, he has a sense of justice etc however he has the wrong moralities to get what needs to be done (like in our film where he pulls the gun and ends up shooting Bobby). His costume is also perfect for the role:

The hat is black, very much like one which would be worn in that time period. It also stands out from the background. We are using the hat in our film as a metaphor for his control of the situation, he will take it off a lot around Miss Kensington (Our Femme Fatale) - then when he realises she has double crossed him and he runs out to try and stop her...his hat will fly off again in the process. The suit is also perfect for the role as in contrasts nicely, yet is in a very conventional style. Grey suit, white shirt and black tie go very well together and will be perfect for our film. What I particularly like about this shot is the shadow across half of the actors face, this again creates a sense of mystery surrounding the character, making the audience wonder if there is more to this Detective than meets the eye.

Mister Bobby Dents:

Now this shot is perfect for our mob boss, he has so much status without even having to look at the camera. Again we have put him against a white background to show his importance, but what is different between him and the other male characters in the film in this photo is that he isn't wearing a blazer. This signifies maybe that he has a lot of work to do, but also that he is the boss, he doesn't have to dress smart to impress anyone - however he does wear a suit (waistcoat, shirt, tie, trousers) which shows he likes to make sure people know that he is of a high status (which he needs as a mob boss, he likes to be able to intimidate people) - It also shows him as being clean shaven, as most business men were of that time, and hair fairly well groomed, quite short etc.

His hand also covers part of his face which again leads an audience to believe there is more to this character - which we realise at the end of the film when he was actually covering up for Bonnie. As you can also see from this photograph, our actor has quite broad shoulders, this is conventional because most bosses liked to be as big as they could to intimidate any enemies (however on our actor his broadness is due to muscles and bone, rather than fat) - He is much bigger in stature than our detective, this was done on purpose as in scene 5 he tries to belittle/patronise the detective.

Miss Scarlett Jones:

The significant difference you see about this photograph is the background, unlike the previous photos this background is black. Scarlett isn't really a main character in our film so we decided to use the black background, this is also because we do not know much about her character as her story isn't really told in the film - all we know is that she works for Bobby and is slightly protective over him (as you will see later in the filming of the beginning of scene 5).

The black background also mixes with her black hair and dress, this makes her skin really stand out nicely and her eyes look deep into the camera with a slight suspicion - this is the same look she gives the Detective when he turns up on Bobby's doorstep. Her arms are crosses in front of her which may make the believe that there is something she is keeping to herself..again bringing out the conventional sense of mystery of the film noir genre. Her lips like Bonnie's are painted red, to show a slight hidden lustful side of the character.

Chester:

Using the black background again shows that Chester is a small character in our film (mainly because we need the actor as he is our main camera man as he has the best skills out of all of us in this area). As a policeman he is also a professional business man and is therefore also wearing a suit. looking directly at the camera he looks interested and intrigued (with also the use of his hand) which is what a normal police officer would looks like when they have to try and unravel a case.

MEET THE TEAM :)

Ellen Bradford:

-Film Maker

-Character: Bonnie Kensington

(Femme Fatale)

This is me :)

I am so looking forward to be doing this film as media is a big interest of mine. I loved the authentic 1940's-50's black and white films as i believe they show of the conventions of this style of movie perfectly. I am the lead female character which was chosen cause of my fair hair and look etc...this is because we want our film to look as realistic as possible and in most film noir movies the femme fatale is usually blond with pale skin.

Edward Beard:

-Guest Actor

-Character: Detective John Carter

(Main Male Character)

We chose this person to be our main character because we thought he had the right look for the part, he is quite tall and lean (meaning we can part our femme fatale in high heels and he would still be taller) - this is because he has to believe he has dominance over her, even this it proves not to be true at the end. We also chose this actor because he has a lot of acting experience (also can do a very good American LA accent, which is good as this is where our film is set) as we wanted the audience to believe his character, rather than see it as a student acting.

Ben Humberstone:

-Guest Actor

-Character: Mister Bobby Dents

(Mob boss/bad guy etc)

We chose this person to be our mob boss because we believe he has the right look for the part (broad shoulders, strong look) - but also mainly because of his acting experience, the scene between him and Detective Carter is the pivotal point in our film and we want it to be perfect. He again can do the correct accent for the place and era that the movie is set in, while being able to be very convincing and slightly intimidating in his role which is exactly what we want.


Antonia Hunter:

-Film Maker

-Character: Miss Scarlett Jones

(One of Bobby's girls)

This is another one of our film makers who is really excited about the making of this movie. We decided to put her as our other female character in the film (Scarlett), she has a quite dark sultry look about her which is perfect for this part as the character is on the side of the bad mob boss; therefore shouldn't look too innocent. She is also a good actress as she plays her part with a thick accent.


Toby Fitch:

-Film Maker

-Character: Chester

(Small policeman part)

This is another member of our film making team, he was chosen as a small police man part as we think he would be really good as this part. The reason he doesn't have a main part is because he is our main photographer and camera-man because he has lots of knowledge in these fields and will be crucial in to getting the right lighting and angles to make our film perfect.

Still shot conventions.

Still shot research:
We chose all our photos from the black and white category, this is because our film is going to be in black and white therefore it is only natural that our photos should be the same - Because of this all the photos that i am going to research and analyse will also be in black and white otherwise it would be no help to our task.

Femme fatale (In our movie, Miss Bonnie Kensington):

This first photo we really liked as the lady is slightly lying down, head tilted back a bit in a quite suggestive way. The things we really wanted to focus on was how she looked in the photo, the big curls and her makeup were really helpful to us because we wanted the character to be as authentic as possible. The makeup is simple yet effective and really matches that era of movies, it is a minimalistic eye - mainly just liquid eyeliner, mascara, pencil liner and natural shades of eye shadow. The skin is quite pale with a slight blush to highlight the lady's bone structure, however the main point is the lips...the lips are a dark red, this is very conventional to the femme fatale character - this gives the character a really sexual edge, which we will need in our film as our very own femme fatale is suppose to seduce most of the male characters. She is also wearing very simple jewellery, and a quite low cut tight fitting yet long dress which hints a sexy, but also with class and elegance. The main ideas we have got from this photo is the suggestive 'lying down' pose and the styling of the woman, both of which are very effective and will really help us create that classy yet seducing female character of Bonnie Kensington.


My second photo is of the femme fatale from the film 'Double Indemnity' which we are using a lot of the techniques from for our own film. The actress in this film (Barbara Stanwyck) plays leading lady 'Phyllis Dietrichson'...who seduces the male lead and plots to kill her husband. Again the first thing you notice is the big curls, simple eye makeup and red lipstick - these are all powerful features in this photograph and film noir movies to represent the never before seen confident, powerful, sexy side to women. The white background, mixed with her white clothing really gives her character a sense of innocence, this is done to mislead the audience into thinking that she is genuine - however the lips and hair tell us otherwise. She has on one statement piece of jewellery on (her necklace) which leads the audience to think that she is wealthy, however classy enough no to overdo it. Her top is also interesting, it again confuses the audience - at first glance she looks like a modest innocent woman, first of all the colour (like previously mentioned) and then the style, it covers her up - neither her arms or cleavage are on show, which is what you would first think of when you would describe a 'sexy' photo . However the tightness really (in the un-crudest way possible) draw the eye to her breast because of its shadow underneath, therefore it is a sexy photograph but not in the conventional way. The things that i believe we should take from this photo are as follows: first again the style of hair and makeup, second the mid shot works really well and third (which i believe is the most important) the background and clothing being white, and the clothing having a modest touch because i believe it really puts a unique twist on it.

The Detective (In our movie, Detective John Carter):

The main thing i like about this photo is the shadows, the shadows are created by the direction of the light and the detective's hat that he is wearing. It gives his face a slightly mysterious feel to it, like there is more to the character than what meets the eye. It also gives us a great idea about the type of clothes a character like this would wear - therefore we are going to take inspiration from this photograph and have our detective wearing a black hat, white shirt, black tie and a grey suit - this is because his job (as a detective) would have been quite a professional line of work and therefore he would have had to play the part by looking professional. We can also tell that he is a smoker from the cigarette and lighter in his hands, we do not plan to copy this as none of our film making team smoke so we cannot get a cigarette out of no where for the shot (and we couldn't have it lit anyway in the studio) however at some point in the movie we will have our detective smoking, even if it is just a fake cigarette we have made. I really like this shot because of the shadows and it gives us a lot of ideas to use for our photos/film however i would really like our own still shot to be slightly more intense, which this really could have been if the actor had looked directly into the camera - therefore in our shots of the detective figure i think he should be looking at the camera.

My second photograph of the detective character is from the film 'Double Indemnity' (like the photography of Barbara Stanwyck above) and as we are using so many conventions of this movie we decided we should study the main male character (the protanganist) which in this film is the actor, Fred MacMurray, playing insurance salesman gone bad, Walter Neff. He is interesting because he is not the usual detective, yet uses the same conventions of ones we have seen in other movies. Again like the shot above, I like the shadow cast across the actors face as he looks towards the light - this creates a sense that he is looking back on his innocent good (light) life and about to turn towards the evil corrupt (dark) side. This is a mid shot showing slightly more detail of the characters outfit, however the basics that we want are there...grey suit, white shirt and black tie. Both photos of the main male character show him to have short hair and be clean shaven, this is how most business men of that time period would have looked therefore we want to make sure our actor puts across our detective as this clean shaven professional business man.

Mobb boss (In our movie, Mister Bobby Dents):

This last photo is perfect to help us create the still shot for our mob boss/drug dealer, Bobby Dents. Like the main male character this man is also wearing a suit, this show that like the detective he is a professional business man (just on the opposite side of the law) - he also has short dark hair and is clean shaven which just reinforces this point. What i also like about this photograph which i have said before is the shadow, it really gives the photo a sense of mystery which is one of the main conventions of any character in the film noir genre. The next thing that we also liked about the man in this photo is the fact he is sitting down, it almost gives him the power and authority over the situation, as he feels he doesn't have to stand for any person entering the room - we will play about with this idea and see how the still shots of our mob boss comes out when he is sitting down. The final thing i like about this photo is that as he is sitting down, his arms cross over his chest...this may signify that he is keeping a secret from the audience or other characters in the film which gives surrounds the character in the film noir conventional sense of foreboding mystery.

Film Noir - Our Plan :)

In our media studies lesson on the 10Th of January all of our team got together to make to big decisions, what kind of film noir are we going to make, what is actually going to happen in our movie, what characters are we having etc.

What type of film noir are we going to make:
Well we all decided that we really wanted to make an authentic conventional film noir, much like the film Double Indemnity (1944) that we had watched and studied as a class. We also really wanted the film the be in a classic black and white format as it would really bring our movie back into the era of films that it is intended for - the storyline should be simple, the camera angles should be unique and different from average films, and we should add many conventions into the film (for example smoking, some of the characters, the dim lighting, minor key music etc)

The story line:
We decided to keep the story line very simple so we can be creative with the settings and camera angles and shots we use, this is all because we have to fit the whole movie into an approximate five minute time slot - so keeping it simple was really our only option. The movie will basically start with just a man, our detective alone at his desk (this is also similar to the beginning of double indemnity)...a voice over of the man (Detective John Carter) speaking to the audience about a drug dealer/mob boss and his female sidekick comes on, the film then turns to a flash back. The boss's female sidekick (Our femme fetale) comes to the detective offering him information about a drug heist that is about to take place, she seduces the detective and asks him to take her out to dinner - the whole situation gets more serious as she reveals that this information could cost her her life. After a romantic dinner and a steamy kiss the lovers split and the detective goes straight to this boss's house to demand answers, he is met by another of the boss's workers who obvious has an attachment to the boss as she tries to prevent his entry. However after revealing he is armed she reluctantly lets him past then leads him to the boss's office, though quickly made to leave the room. There is a confrontation between the two which suddenly turns into a gun fight, the mob boss gets shot - however in a massive turn around the boss reveals that it was his female sidekick (the detectives new lover) who was actually in charge of the drug heist, she wanted to get her boss and the police out of her way by any means possible so she could get away with the money. It is already too late to catch her. At the end the film will return back to present day where the detective speaks directly into the camera and vows to catch her - which is then where the film finishes.

Characters:
Main male character/Detective: John Carter
Female character/femme fatale/sidekick: Bonnie Kensington
Mob boss/drug dealer: Bobby Dents
Mob boss' gang member: Scarlett Jones

We chose these names for each character after some long discussions, we felt each name suited the people we wanted portrayed (which i will go on to describe later on in a different post) - Even though some of the characters names might not even be mentioned in the film we still wanted to create them and a whole back story for each one because we thought it would help when it came to shooting, editing and scripting for each character.

Antonia then started working on the first section of the script while i started on the story board, we all knew that the opening section to our film was the most important so we had to get Carter's speech perfect. This is a first draft of that speech:
Detective John Carter: "I was told that these photographs of the towns latest
criminals contained some of those we have before seen on many occasions. They
were not wrong. 'Bobby' as he had been known had been in these photographs of
the most wanted since he murdered my father. He had also been drug dealing since
I began my job back in '54. This lady was supposedly known to have a connection
with him. I knew it was my job to try and find the two so that I could finally
be at peace with the death of my father. Had I known what wool was to be pulled
over my eyes, things could have ended very differently."

It was then carefully analysed and criticised by all members of the group because this was the first thing that the audience would get to see so it had to be just right. This speech automatically gives an essence of the cynical film noir view on things and really brings the audience closer to the character of Detective John Carter emotionally. I really like having this speech at the beginning of the film as it really starts the movie with a mysterious atmosphere.

Costumes and props:
Detective John Carter (One outfit)-

• Black trilby type hat
• Grey suit
• White Shirt
• Black Tie
• Small pistol
• Paper work at the beginning including photos
• Cigarette

Bonnie Kensington (Three outfits):

• White dress
• black tights
• fur coat
• red heels
• yellow dress
• black heels
• fur shawl
• red dress
• veiled hat
• brief case

Bobby Dents (One Outfit):

• Grey suit
• Grey waist coat
• Shirt
• Patterned tie
• Guns
• Paper work

Scarlett Jones (One Outfit):

• Black dress
• black tights
• black heels

Other props that we will need:

• Glasses/bottles
• suitcases
• lamps/phones/clocks
• letter
• cloths/photo frames/desks/fans
• extras

We will need a number of things to make each an every set and location we use look as authentic as possible and each decision we have made has taken a lot of time and discussion but we are all really 100 percents committed to making this film as good as we possibly can. As our setting is Los Angles, USA we have decided that all the actors that we choose must speak in an American accent otherwise it will set off the whole film and confuse the audience. We want our film to be conventional, sharp talking, dark with an omniscient as much as possible to really set alight the genre that we are working with.

Film Noir Movie analysis

Black dahlia:

Black Dahlia was a film created as a neo-noir American crime film in 2006, it is based on the true story of a horribly gruesome murder of Elizabeth Short in 1947. The film is about two LA police officers of that time who try to solve the murder of Short, Dwight 'Bucky' Bleichert (Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard investigate the case together until Bucky falls for his partners girlfriend Katherine Lake (Johansson) - Lee get more and more suspicious and obsessive until he disappears, only to be found dead later on. As this is all going on Bucky meets Madeline Linscott (Swank), who looks practically identical to the recently found dead woman, Elizabeth Short, what else is interesting is that she is obsessed with the 'Glasgow Smile' which is one of the wounds found on the body. Bucky starts dating Kay, however gets caught red handed by her as he is trying to get Madeline to have sex with him. Next he goes to a barn below the Hollywood sign and finds a picture of a man on the wall with a Glasgow smile painted on in blood, it is the same picture that Madeline has in her house! He storms to her house and accuses Madeline's father of the murder, when in a surprise twist her mother owns up to it. He goes back a few days later and speaks with her sister when he finds the real truth towards the death of his partner, Lee, at which point he finds Madeline in a Motel and shoots her dead. The film finishes with Bucky walking towards Kay's house, realising that he had just had a hallucination which is where it ends.

Film noir conventions are actually a key part to this movie, the costumes (suits, hats, dresses), The smoking, blinds etc - what i also liked is that, although the film wasn't in the authentic black and white, the low key (dim) lighting really brought it back into the film noir genre. Also the quite simplistic story line was good because you could really get into the story without getting confused about what was going on, however it had some nice twists that an audience wouldn't really be expecting. It really has a modern feeling to a cynical film noir story line, i believe the characters fit well, the scripting was very good and all in all an interesting film to watch - we will definitely be taking a few pointers from this movie as it really captures the audiences attention which is what we want for our own movie.

Double Indemnity:

Double Indemnity is a 1944 film (Based on the book by James M. Cain), this movie is one of the most authentic and conventional film noir genre movies that i am going to look at. In the film an Insurance Salesman, Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), in down town Los Angeles. The film is told as a flash back by Neff, as he is sitting in his office speaking into a Dictaphone - he is gravely hurt and obviously wanted to tell someone the truth of the events of the last few weeks before he died. At first Neff is trying to sell a man car insurance, however at this point he meets the mans wife, Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) and falls in love with her - things however get sinister when she tries to take out life insurance for her husband without even telling him, she is planning on murdering him and keeping the money. Physillis seduces Walter even more and (knowing that he knows all the loop holes of the trade) convinces him to help her murder her husband. They carry out their plan as Walter breaks his new lovers neck after hiding in the back seat, he then poses as the man when boarding the train and pretends to fall off the back while no ones looking, they then drag his body onto the train tracks and disappear! Investigator Keyes, Neff boss, suspects foul play with the death and sets about trying to work it out - Walter then goes to see his lovers step-daughter, Lola, who believes Phyllis killed her father, however Walter then finds out his apparent love is actually seeing Lola's Boyfriend behind his back, and is trying to kill Lola off. He is disgusted and is about to kill Phyllis when she pulls out a gun and shoots him first, he is injured but not dead however instead of firing again she confesses her love for him - however Walter doesn't buy it and shoots her twice, dead. He then drives back to his office and sits down (back like the first scene)- Keyes arrives and hears enough however there is nothing that can be done and Walter dies.

I really like the style of this film, it is the perfect conventional film noir, the story line mainly centred around the femme fatale which was also interesting to watch. The film was also in the authentic black and white format, i really feel like it makes the film look more like it is from the time period it is set in. The audience are also really drawn in emotionally because of the narrator, they see at the beginning he is gravely hurt so automatically feel pity for him, then through the movie it is quite obvious that he is just being used and so the audience almost ignores the fact he kills someone and actually sides with him. I really like the flash back idea because it slightly confuses the audience, however like said before you really do get a closer connection to the main character and how he is feeling, especially when the femme fatale is seducing him - and you don't really want to like her character but you always end up liking her, because in those days the strong, sexy, independent women was just hitting the population.

Brick:

Brick is a 2006 neo-noir movie which was written and directed by Rian Johnson. The films indicates to an authentic film noir detective based film, however it is set in a modern Californian suburb centred mainly around a high school - most of the characters are high school students and the film name represents a block of heroin. Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) receives a call from his hysterically terrified ex girlfriend, Emily (Emilie de Ravin) pleading with him for help before a car drives past and she suddenly hangs up. Brendan searches for her, pushing his way into different cliques at school until he finds her with the stoner group. However she turns round and says that she no longer needs him and wants him to forget all about her - Brendan manages to steal her notepad, only to find a clue about where he will find her dead body a few days later. He then takes upon the role of the film noir main male characters conventions, the detective, and plans to find out whoever killed Emily. It is then found out that drug gangs are at each others throats because, the now dead Emily, apparently stole a brick of heroin, sold half, then filled it back up with detergent (causing certain heroin users to fall into comas). On receiving a note about the death of Emily, Brendan goes the one of the drug baron's houses, firstly only to be accused of murdering his ex girlfriend himself, and then to be stuck in the middle of the gangs gun fight (and finds out that Emily was also pregnant when she died) - the next night he sleeps with Laura (Nora Zehetner) who is in one of the drug gangs, then goes back and meets up with the two gangs, another fight breaks out over another missing brick of heroin and Brendan get out just before the police turn up, however on his ways out sees Emily's body in the trunk of the car he had just borrow to try and set him up.

Though the next day Brendan meets up with Laura and reveals that he has worked out that she was behind Emily's murder all along, she had made Emily take the wrap for the brick of heroin that she stole then refilled, then manipulated another gang member into killing her believing the baby she was carrying to be his - and now has stolen another brick in order to start a war between the two rival drug gangs. He has already left a note for their vice principal to check her locker for the brick, and revealing all of her deeds - he then begins to leave however as a final blow, Laura tell Brendan that Emily was 3 months pregnant, the baby that she was carrying when she died was his.
This modern film noir was interesting as it didn't settle on the normal conventions of film noir but changed some of them to suit the time period. The femme fatale (Laura) was very modernised, with her shortish hair and slim figure, however she did wear red lipstick and clothes at some points to highlight the seductive nature of her character. The storyline was very hard to follow, especially when seeing it in different sections (because we watched it in class and wouldn't have time to finish it in one lesson) however a discussion with my group and some research online we began to understand what the film was really about, and the messages it was trying to get across. The thing i can learn from this is to not make our story line too difficult, if people cant keep up with the story it will make them less able to appreciate the time and work that has gone into creating it. The editing however was amazing and some of the sections really inspired me and made me excited towards creating my own film noir, the suspense of the movie was also incredible and you really felt drawn into the movie, and even though it was modern it kept the same dark cynical story line and characters of any authentic film noir movie.

L.A. Confidential:

L.A. Confidential is a neo-noir movie created in 1997, (Based on the novel written by James Ellroy) - it is telling the story of a group of LAPD officers in 1953, it mainly revolves around police corruption and the Hollywood celebrity world. Three police officers; Detective Wendall White, Sergeant Jack Vincennes and Sergeant Edmund Exley, become tangled up in the Los Angeles world of corruption when they started to investigate a multiple murder at the coffee shop, Nite Owl. Sergeant Exley is the son of a famous investigator and therefore desperate to live up to his fathers reputation. However this makes him isolated from the other officers as he believes everything should be done exactly to the rule and his harsh feelings towards his colleagues as he even volunteers to testify against them in a police brutality case. Though because of this he gets promoted to detective lieutenant through doing this, much against one of the captains advice. White, who is obsessed on dishing out his own form of punishment on any criminal he comes across, hates Exley after his testimonial leads to his partners firing, however the whole thing becomes personal when his Partners body turns up with the others in the Nite Owl massacre. Sergeant Vincennes is a narcotics detective, who is also a TV personality as a technical advisor - he used to receive money for tipping off a magazine editor about up-coming celebrity arrests however when a young actors gets killed because of him, he feels guilty and is then determined to find the killer. The three men are all investigating separately, however their fates are always intertwined - Lynn Bracken is a prostitute who looks extremely like actress Veronica Lake, who ties in to both White's and Exley's investigations, this also ties in with Vincennes who discovers a pornography racket, where an operation of prostitutes have plastic surgery in order to look like famous actress' - There is a dramatic show down at the end with power and corruption leaking into the city's political departments.

This film was harder for me to analyse because i missed a lesson due to illness and therefore did not actually see the whole film, however with a lot of research i began to piece together parts of the movie to help inspire me towards my own film. Even though this is a modern film noir it still has many of the conventions of an authentic one, although not in black and white the colour is very low key and dim which brings the movie down to a somber emotion, also the uses of costume, smoking and setting are much the same as any another conventional film noir. The characters are quite interesting as the aren't your usual film noir based characters, but the storyline really gets you hooked, however at some points may have been slightly complicated. The editing and scripting was amazingly good and made the film flow really well, however it kept the main film noir feeling at the for front of the movie at all times (with the deaths, hints at pornography/sex, corruption, treachery etc).