Genre

This video explains genres, hybrid genres and sub genres and how it affects audiences as well as institutions and industries.

Genre and Sub-Genre from Sam SheepDawg-OEight on Vimeo.

Experimenting with Film Noir imagery (Draft)

We were given the task of creating photographs that explore the use of Chiaroscuro in noir as well as the use of noir imagery. This is so we can get a better understanding of how to use such techniques when we create our own film noir piece. The results we got were some quite interesting shots with the use of shadows and light. We also used props to create the feel of typical film noir characters. We then used simple editing techniques (E.g. Desaturation) to enhance these photographs to give typical looking noir imagery.

This shot is one of the best in terms of Chiaroscuro, this gives a really good backlight on the man with the gun pointed at him and gives just enough light to highlight the arm holding the gun. Guns are in a lot of films and they have become accepted as Iconography for the genre. I intend to experiment with backlighting and silhouettes in my film to add mystery to certain characters and maybe use them as an establishing tool.

This shot came out really well for how we wanted to experiment with light. We have a concentrated, powerful light focused on the girl in this picture and she is applying Lipstick in the mirror.  Not only does the light contrast extremely well, but lipstick is another signifier of film noir. I really like the difference in light and I think I will aim for an effect like this in my final production. 

This Photo really highlights some of the conventional characters in a Film Noir. It shows the Protagonist and the Femme Fatale and this usage of costume really gives a good effect. This picture has been desaturated and contrast has gone up slightly to really enhance the photo. When it comes to costume for our film, this style seems to work incredibly well and I see no reason not to try and recreate it.

Film Noir Characters (improved)

Film Noir is a genre that has many of the characters already predetermined. The characters are the basis of a generic film noir plot. Characters such as the Femme Fatale play a role in the film as she will usually corrupt or lure the hero or antihero whether she works for the villain or she is in turn, the villain. Each generic character is described below.

An example of an Antihero from Sin City

Male
Hero (Protagonist)
Villain (Antagonist)
Antihero (Transforms form the Antagonist to the Protagonist) - Redemption, lust, flawed
Sidekick (Police/ Moral Majority)
Extras (Side plots/Workers/Crowds)
Female
Femme Fatale - Sexuality, Danger, Risk, Antagonist, Forbidden.
Girl Next door (Redemptive Woman) - Salvation, Honour, Sacrifice, Courage, Redemption.

Sin city has examples of all of them, especially as there are several stories revolving around different characters. This film may help when writing the characters for my film

(from left to right) Femme Fatale, Girl Next Door, Antiheroes and sidekicks (female sidekick it unconventional)

WHAT IS FILM NOIR?

Film Noir refers to a genre of film that spawned in the 1940's. The term "Film Noir" simply means black film and refers to the experimentation with lighting (or chiaroscuro). The Films will usually feature guns, smoke, and overly sexual women for the time. The owner of filmsnoir.net described the genre in a way I completely agree with: "I consider a movie a film noir if it has a “noir sensibility”. This sensibility must have a redemptive focus for me to value a film, whether redemption is achieved or not. This is what the great films noir have in common: a profoundly and deeply human response to the chaos and random contingency at the edge of existence." The theme of redempion is a common factor in many of the most critically acclaimed films of the genre and in a way, this theme is what draws many people to the films.

The target audience for film noir  titles is discussed in the slideshare below. I agree with the presentation to an extent. I do think the genre is aimed at males with the violence, crime, and women. I believe that the target audience has greatly changed since the genre has been established. At this point in time, the audience varies way too much to distinguish a certain demographic. Back in the time these films were made, they were rather explicit for the time and likely not made for a young audience. I would therefore say that these films were aimed at men between the ages of 20-40.
  

Film Noir target audience from SFDobson94

Audience and Pete Buckingham

An audience is a group of people experiencing an event.
(From audience)
Active - Preferred: an audience that is targeted.
Passive - Oppositional: Not the expected audience.

Preferred and Oppositional refer to How the experience is recieved as opposed to how it is sent.

Distribution: How the media is shown to an audience Streamed/Cinema Ticket/ DVD bought/TV broadcast Buy DVD
Rent DVD
Illegal Streaming
Legal Streaming
Download
Watch on TV/Freeview/Cable/Satellite
Pay to view
Cinema (Art-House, Multiplex)

Exhibition: How the media is watched from industry to audience.

Traditionalists

Streaming/Rental - Modern technology allows cheap, easy, immediate access.
Audience capability: Digital Processes

Audience pete buckingham what people go to see from Elaine Humpleby

This presentation is a visual representation of Pete Buckingham's paper that I will be referencing throughout the rest of the post.

Pete Buckingham suggest that several factors effect audience patterns in the UK. There is evidence that most international audiences follow similar patterns. These patterns are as follows:

• Level of Education and job status - He states that more educated people and therefore, people with higher class jobs such as ABC1's make up a higher population of cinema goers than people in the other categories. He says "ABC1's represent 49% of the population, but 60% of the cinema audience which increases to 66% amongst heavy cinema goers." This implies that a higher level of education makes a person more likely to go to the cinema. This Is because they would have more disposable income to spare so they can afford the cinema more often than people who have lower paid jobs.
• Age - He shows statistics that suggest that younger audiences (ages 15-24) make up a high amount of cinema goers. This trend drops as ages 35-44 make up a lower amount than the previous group and 55+ represent a low amount. People of ages 15-24 make up 32% of the population but 40% of cinema goers. People of ages 35-44 make up 38% of the population and  35% of cinema goers. People of ages 55+ make up 34% of the population but only 20% of cinema goers.

According to Pete Buckingham's method of classifying audience, I am closest to the hero seeker as I don't watch many films at the cinema (around 2 or 3 a year) and I never go on impulse, it is always well planned. The problem I have with this classification is that the groups are quite stereotypical and not everyone that follows certain trends mentioned will follow others and therefore, make them hard to classify.

Buying films on DVD Is the most frequent way through which I watch Films. I usually watch these with family although I do watch some with friends or by myself, depending on the interest they have for the film. I spend about 4-5 hours watching these a week. I do this traditionally.

I use Legal Streaming to watch a small majority of the films I watch, I do this at home, on my Xbox 360 console or my laptop alone. I tend to watch about one film a month using this method. I do this Hedonistically.
TV is the third most frequent way in which I experience film. I do this both alone and with others. I will tend to watch one film a month depending on what channels are broadcasting at the time. I will never plan to watch films on TV, I will just happen to find films on different channels. I do this traditionally.

If I were to want to find out more about audience trends, I could use all sorts of means and tools:

• Online surveys (Primary research)
• Interview and vox pops (Primary research)
• Statistics from Cinema's or BFI ( Secondary research)

Representation: Double indemnity OTS (improved but still needs to add pictures)

As double indemnity was created in the 1940's, representation is very stereotypical of the views one might have in that era. I am analysing the Opening Title sequence of the film in terms of representation as well as Sound and Style and the form of the title sequence. I also briefly discuss industry and audience.

Representation 
All Male Cast shows a male dominance in work and high status as it is situated in what is obviously a
workplace of high status.
Trilby's, suits and tuxedos reinforce a high status
The man is in charge, He is dismissive and is the strong and silent type
Male is a juxtaposition of characteristics (Scruffy/Shot/Uses Slang/Status and Wealth)The car he has shows he has quite a high status
Black actors are cleaning which shows the status of black people in that era as quite poor
A lot of slang is used which suggests crime involvement
It is shot in a big city
Obsequious (overly polite and obedient) door man further states and reinforces the status.
Sound and Style
Quite expensive at the time of release
The music is Classical, timeless, contextual and reminiscent of music tastes at the time.
Form
The form is simply the order of appearance in the Opening Title Sequence.
Studio
Producer
Title
Director
Cast
Production Team
Industry
As this was a time in which there was little variation in film industries, the film is a mainstream example of cinema at the time
Audience
Male and Couples
Vicariously living through others experiences
Generic pleasures: The pleasures of the genre