Audience Research Results

Where do you normally watch films?

As you can see from this graph most people watch films at Vue which is the cinema in the city centre so it is easier for people to get to. Cinema City is the other cinema in the city centre but it is out of the main city. Also it shows a different selection of films such as independent and a few specific mainstream films. People might not go here as they haven’t heard of the films because there aren’t any TV advertisements. There is only a fraction of people that actually go to Cinema City. A lot of people watch films on the television which are just a random selection of mainstream films, and occasionally independent. 

Do you usually watch mainstream or independent films?

As you can see from these results only 1 person just watches independent films who was a 50-year-old lady. The rest were 16 or 17 year olds. This shows that most people aged 16-17 watch mainstream films and about half of them watch independent films as well. This is good to know as we were planning our thriller to be independent and to know that our target audience age will also watch independent films as well as mainstream. We will definitely make our thriller opening scene independent because we don’t have the mainstream equipment or money. Also from this graph it shows that maybe older people would enjoy our opening to a thriller, as it will be independent.

What do you like about mainstream films?

The main reason why people like mainstream films is because of the special effects, actors and the locations, having high budget they are able to do this. During our opening scene we will not be using famous locations as it is an independent film and they do not include them, mainly because of money but also it gives it a sense of reality for some viewers as they can imagine it happening in their own town. All of the people that said they enjoy special features in mainstream films were mainly male apart from one and all teenagers that are 16 or 17.

 

What do you like about independent films?

A majority of the people we asked said that they like the storylines because they are different and realistic. Another main reason why people like independent films is because of the actors as they are not ones you see everyday, which gives the sense of mystery. Whereas in mainstream films if you see an actor in more then one film you are likely to associate them with a different character.

Characters and Castings

Archie
Archie is going to be the main character in our thriller opening scene. This character was part of a gang with friends until the murder of his brother. This character is 19 years old and had a bad reputation. But since his close brothers murder he has turned his back on his gang because a member of the gang was the reason for his borthers death. The beginning of the film is a slow start as this will show how hurt and lonely he is without his brother and this will set the scene for the thriller opening.

Nathan
Nathan is the main characters brother who is his twin brother. He was the newsest member to the gang and the most naive and innocent, but this didn't always mean he ended up in the right situations. Being the newest to the gang always made him do their dirty work and he didn't always feel comfortable about with these decisions but his brother was always there to try and help him out. When Nathan refused to do a job that was given to him by the gang leader it resulted in death.

Gang Leader/Murderer 
He is a very sly and serious character when it comes the gang and their jobs, the gang is the most important thing is his eyes and when it comes to crime and jobs they do, he will do anything to make sure they are completed. He is the murderer of Nathan and the fact that he is the gang leader it gives him higher status and authority over all of the gang members and definitely Nathan.

Castings

We decided to use Jack (Hattie's brother) to play Archie and Nathan as the characters are twins. He was a good candidate because he around the correct age of what we were looking for. Also he was convenient as he was able to help us out at any time. Unfortunately this was a problem as it wasn't completely obvious that he was supposed to be acting two people not just one. We used Martin (Hattie's Dad) as he was around at the time we wanted to film also the we were filming in his house so it was convenient to use him. He is going to play the part of the murderer/gang leader as he needed to be older so it looked like he had more experience leading gangs. He was maybe a bit older than we anticipated, but it wasn't much of a problem once we dress him correctly.

Locations:



Cellar



Cellar

We have decided to use my cellar as one of our locations as we thought this would be a good place to have the main character plan revenge, because it is a dark, small and messy space which will give the sense of claustrophobia which is used in a range a British gangster thriller such as Essex Boys. This this is a convenient as it is at my house and also the garage location we are going to use is at Hattie's house, which makes both locations easy to get to. Also we will be shooting our thriller opening in the city on top of the mall; this will be good to show typical British weather and also shots of the city to help the scene be British gangster. Another good feature of using the city it that it’s a fast paced environment which will be good for a running shot. Also for the flashbacks we have decided to use Hattie’s garage because we thought this is a good place to have a murder as it is gritty, claustrophobic and there is no escape.

Cellar

Props, Objects and Costumes:

To make the scene more life like and for our target audience to relate to the opening scene we have decided that our characters should wear everyday gangster clothes such as hoodies, jackets, jeans and a hat. In Essex Boys the characters are wearing jeans, shirts and leather jackets so this has influenced our idea as we are also making a British gangster film. Also the costumes relate to other thrillers for example 'Kidulthood' and 'Bullet Boy'. I think a quite important prop is the photo of the main character and his brother as it shows the connection between them and why he actually wants to take revenge. Other props we are going to use are money, table, a chair, paper, phone, a whiteboard to plan revenge and shelf. These will all help our opening film become a British gangster.

The props such as pen, paper, address book and photos will help suggest what kind of person the main character is, for example, this suggests that he is determined and strong willed. But during the film he starts to push these props off the table suggesting that he is also depressed, stressed and upset about his twin brothers death. One of the main props is the gun and it shows how vicious, harmful and hateful the gang leader can be. It also helps the audience to see what type of gang the two brothers were in and helps shows what type of trouble they got in. As well as the props hopefully the costumes will show what type of people the characters are, for example, the gang leaders black hat and hoodie shows the dark side of him.



Storyboard:

Practise Shots

Long Shot

Medium Shot

Close up

Bird's eye view

Opening to Thriller - Proposal

In the opening of our thriller the main characters brother is murdered in garage by the gang leader. The main character keeps having flashbacks to his brothers murder. Whilst getting more and more distressed and decides to take revenge in his cellar.

In this British gangster thriller we will be using ideas from Casino Royale as it's opening scene contains flashbacks as will ours. In the opening to our thriller we will be using a garage and cellar as settings, also we will be using an outdoor city environment. These will be representing themes from Essex Boys as it includes claustrophobic spaces and typical English grey sky. The flashbacks are going to be in black and white which the same technique is used in Momento as they present day is in colour and the flashbacks are in black and white which will be the same in the opening to our thriller opening scene.

The elements that will engage our audience will be because of the characters are of a similar ages that the target group is, which could make it easier for them to relate to. Also we hope the music we selected is appropriate and attract the audience because it will set the mood of the storyline.

Improved Questionnaire for audience expectations of independent/mainstream film

1.What age are you?


2. What gender are you?


3. Do you normally watch independent or mainstream films? (please tick)

    Independent        Mainstream         Both          Neither
   

4. Where do you normally watch films?

Television      Internet       Vue       Odeon      Cinema city

5. What words best describes these characters?

Gangster, Hero, Dodgy

Untrustworthy, Funny, Alcoholics

Formal, Romantic, Deceptive

6. Which location do you think is an independent and mainstream?






7. What do you think about Mainstream films?



8.What do you think about independent films?

The Male Gaze

The Male Gaze was first founded Laura Mulvey in her essay ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ which was published in 1975. Mulvey states in film women are typically the objects, because of the control of the camera (thus gaze) comes from the assumption as men are the default target audience for most film genres. This was true when Hollywood protagonist were male because the audience were men and women watched still applies today, despite the number of growing movies aimed towards women and feature female protagonists. The Male Gaze can also be seen in media such as adverts, as the creators are men, they make the advert what they think and what other men want to see or think to be true. There are a lot of adverts which stereotype women from example as housewife if she was standing next to the sink. A lot of women don’t do their housework guys do it too, also another reason it that as well as men, women have high aspiring jobs rather than just being a housewife. If some adverts it is as the women is being bought and sold, or buy the product and get the women. But also today in the media there is an advert were a guy is doing laundry, this helps show that women and men are in fact equal and here none of them are being stereotyped.

Preliminary Exercise Practise

My partner and I used a camera around school today to practise what sort of shots we are going to use in our final preliminary exercise. We decided that it would be a good idea to use close up shots of the cards when the two are playing cards. We decided to do this because it will make the game more tense as only the audience know what cards the other player has and who is going to win. When the two characters are walking in we are going to do an over the shoulder shot so you can't see this character until they have actually sat down at table. Also to keep the characters a mystery we have decided to film the other characters feet walking to the common room. Using these two ideas we can keep it a mystery from the audience who the characters are. Also its as if the other character doesn't know who they are playing which makes the game more exicting and tense as you don't know how the characters are going to react to each other. This is a video I found on youtube which helped me make sure I knew the main principles of the task and how to do them correctly:

Media Studies Advert Essay

Media Studies Advert Essay

Codes and Conventions

The model is female and she is lying on a beach in a bikini, when the sea right behind her. This shows that she is relaxing, having fun at the beach. It tell the audience that the product is relaxing and to be worn when having fun. Using the beach is a good idea as you can tell because it is a beauty product and so is the location, model and flowers are also. Another idea is that the product is fresh like the sea and the sky, the sky and sea represent the sense of freedom, latitude and opportunity which you can receive when you wear this product. They have added a picture of the perfume, the Roxy logo and flowers to the original photograph. I think this because not everyone has heard of the brand, having a picture of the perfume bottle and box reminds you what the product is if you’re buying it and you forget. They put the logo on to advertise as people might recognise the logo from their clothing range. Also people might think it looks like the Quicksilver logo (the men’s version) and might appeal to them more. The flowers make the advert more girly, also flowers represent a lot of different meanings such as love, happiness and youthfulness. The location is on a beach in somewhere probably like Australia this tells you that the product/brand is something to do with the beach or water sports such as surfing. Also the beach is a really good setting to take photos because hardly anybody sees it everyday and everybody loves going to the beach. The picture is very bright and I don’t think any lighting would have been used here. But the picture being bright makes you feel like it’s really sunny and glowing which makes you feel happy and makes you wish you could be there. No actual objects are used in the shot as the bottle is added on by computer. The product is placed in the bottom right hand corner which is a quite easy place to remember and the bright pink makes it stands out. The pink colour is the brand main colour which represents love, romance and beauty. So if you use the product it can make you feel these ways. The advert doesn’t have a slogan and I don’t think it really needs one because the photo says it all really; also not many perfume adverts have slogans.      

            I think the photo is culturally specific to somewhere that is well-known for surfing as Roxy is well known for Surfing, so I think it would be a place like Australia, New Zealand, California or an American east coast. Also it looks quite like an Australian beach as you can tell from the colour of the sea, sand and sky.

               I think this advert is inter-textual and reminds me a little bit of the film ‘The Beach’ starring Leonardo Dicaprio as the beach in the film reminds me of this one. Also how amazing the character finds the beach reminds how amazing this beach is. It also it has mountains in the background, in The Beach there is a rocky cave around the beach.

            I think there is no genre to this advert but a narrative which is she is waiting go surfing or into the sea with her friends/boyfriend or wait till sunset and having a beach party. She has quite an exciting fun life and she earns a good- wage because the product is quite expensive.

            I think there is some secondary selling in this advert such her bikini is Roxy, so as well as marketing the perfume also their brands clothes. I think also a country like New Zealand or Australia is getting sold. Definitely her lifestyle is getting sold lying on a hot, sunny beach and she can do that whenever she likes, being able to afford Roxy branded clothes and perfume.

Representation

I think a relaxing, exotic and safe life is being represented on this advert. She is able to lie at the beginning of the sea and no one is interrupting her and she can relax. I don’t think the model is represented as a ‘sex object’ even though she is in a bikini because it seems like she would do this anyway even if she wasn’t if this advert. I think she is Australian as that’s were the brand was founded (but based in California), but I don’t think it would matter what race the female model was, because I think this advert would with any race because any race can wear their products. Also in other Roxy advertisements they use models from different cultures, religion and backgrounds. I would say the model is in her late teens I think most models are about this age or a bit older, to change this advert they could use a different any range of people. I don’t think you can really give the model a social class as she just she just seems like an average female, but if I did I would probably guess around C1/C2. I think overall the representation of this advert is very positive because I don’t think this advert could offend anyone and the advert just seems so natural and life like.

The values that are being communicated are that I assume that the advert is traditional for Australians and maybe people from California as they are used to this weather and this brand, especially as it was founded in Australia in the 70’s also Australians can lay on the beach all year round, also surfing is a big sport in Australia and Roxy is a surfing brand.
Audience

I think that the demographic audience for this perfume are about aged from 15-20, you can tell this because she is in between these ages. Obviously the advert will appeal to women mostly as it reflects the gender of the model, also the bottle and box are pink which is usual associated with girls. I think because of brand it will appeal to people who are interested in water and snow sports. I think most likely a girl age from 15 to 20 who wears the Roxy brand would be highly interested in this perfume.

Institutions

            I found this advert on a perfume website with a range of different perfumes but this one stood out most for me. It was also advertised in a magazine called ‘Surf Girl’ who also has a website where it could have been posted. So there is many ways to see this advert.

Evaluation

I decided to use this advertisement for analysis as I like the brand and also when I first saw the advert it caught my eye and I really liked it. I think the strengths are that it will appeal to people who like the brand, as it is well known for making wetsuits and holding surfing competition, so having the advertisement of someone lying on the beach a bit in the sea is a good idea, as the consumers can imagine themselves doing the same, e.g. maybe after they have won a competition on one of the surfboards. I think how nice the location is will help sell the product as it is selling a lifestyle as well as a perfume. I think the bright pink box and bottle stands out and will catch people’s eyes easily because the bottle is bold and brave and so can you be if you wear the perfume. Weaknesses of this advert is that people might not see how it advertise a perfume, but I think you can tell because it is a beauty product and the location, model and flowers are also beauty. People might think this advert it quite boring as not much is not going on as it doesn’t have a slogan, it can be quite hard to find a narrative also that advert doesn’t contain any humour compared to some of there adverts, but others will find it relaxing and gentle. But overall I think the advertisement it good and will catch people attention well and will sell the product well especially to people it appeal to.   

Preliminary Exercise

What do teenagers find scary?

Blood and Gore


Violence


Being Followed


Drug Dealing


If these were scenes from a film, which would you find the scariest?

Participant 1: Being followed
Participant 2: Blood and Gore
Participant 3: Being Followed
Participant 4: Violence

What music do you think would suit the opening to a thriller best?

Water Circles
http://www.audionetworkplc.com/production-music/water-circles_35022.aspx

City Lights
http://www.audionetworkplc.com/production-music/city-lights_38083.aspx

Flaregun - Tell It To The Marines (Unsigned Band)




Fire Comet
http://www.audionetworkplc.com/production-music/fire-comet_22546.aspx


What music do you think would suit the opening to a thriller best? Or more than one? Or none of these?

Participant 1: I think that Flareguns - Tell It To The Marines and Fire Comet would both be good songs to use for the opening of a thriller.
Participant 2: I think that water circles would be a good choice.
Participant 3: I like the sound of flareguns, but i dont know if the vocals would go. Also i think fire comet is a sound that could suit the feeling of your opening.
Participant 4: City lights,as it sounds quite mysteriuos and threatening.

What types of thrillers do teenager prefer?

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels



Sin City



Casino Royale




Which film do you find most appealing and why?

Participant 1: I found Sin City most appealing because I like the black and white colour scheme that the creator has used, also the use of random bright colours to make elements more important and stand out.
Participant 2: I think the film I found most appealing was Casino Royale as it has lots of action scenes which I enjoy and also it has Daniel Craig in who is a good actor as I have see from different films he is in.
Participant 3: Casino Royale, because i prefer the storyline.
Participant 4: They all appeal to me, and as i haven't seen lock, stock and two smoking barrels i would be interested in watching it, as it seems like a crime thriller that could also make you laugh.

Questionnaire for audience expectations of independent/mainstream film

1.What age are you?


2. What gender are you?


3. Do you normally watch independent or mainstream films? (please tick)

    Independent        Mainstream         Both          Neither
   

4. Where do you normally watch films?

Television      Internet       Vue       Odeon      Cinema city

5. What do you think of these characters?

6. Which location do you think is an independent and mainstream?





7. What do you think about Mainstream films?



8.What do you think about independent films?

Thriller Film Audience Research

What I want to find out:

1. The audience expectations of independent/thriller film
2. What type of thrillers do teenagers prefer
3. What music is scary/tense
4. What are teenagers are scared of
5. What storyline would appeal to teenagers

How I am going to find out:

1. Video clips or/and questionnaire
2. Interview with film clips/posters
3. Interview with music clips
4. Interview with picture/ film clips or questionnaire
5. Interview by giving examples

What I expect to find out:

1. Not many have seen independent films. Mainstream - good actors, location and effects.
2. Action/jumpy/British Gangster
3. Tense/ Jumpy Music
4. Villains or Real life situations
5. Real life situations but everyone is different, so it is hard to judge. 

Aurora Perfume

Cosmetic Adverts Final Design

            When planning my design for an advert, I worked in a pair with Hattie; we together decided to create an advert based on a perfume. Instead of having just one advert we thought using all the seasons we could make for mini adverts and pull them all together, therefore we had four different perfumes to represent each season. We decided to aim our advert at females aged 16-18. We decided to call it Aurora after our first idea ‘escape’ was already a perfume. Using the name Aurora we incorporated the colours of the Aurora Borealis into each of the mini adverts.

            I mainly worked on the summer and winter advert whilst Hattie did the autumn and spring. For the winter advert I used my friend, Hattie’s twin sister to model. I actually took this picture of her in my bedroom wearing the winter accessories, on Photoshop I then added I different wintery background which I found on the internet to obviously make it fit in withy the theme of winter. I also added a slogan ‘escape the winter blues…’ to make the advert more interesting and to make people believe that they will feel better and happy during the cold, dark winter months. The only reason we decided to put a slogan onto this advert is because it is the last one and it finishes with an ellipses so the buyer has to finish of their story while wearing perfume. Also we thought it was the only one that needed it to make it more interesting also engages the reader into the advert more. We thought it would make the advert look good if the perfume colour also represented the season, so they is a different colour and perfume. This shows the audience that you can use ‘Aurora’ all year round, and there’s a different scent for each one, as there is a different scent for each season. Also the green colour bottle also reflects the name ‘Aurora’ as green is one of the colour included. I think that the advert is mature which females from 16-18 are looking for as they are becoming adults.

            The summer photo was actually taken of me in Spain, but I edited the contrast and the brightness to make it look sunnier like it was shot in a more exotic place. The perfume bottle is a different which represents the Aurora Borealis; also it matches the colour of my shorts. This colour blue makes the audience think of bright blue summer sea which is good as the product is design for summer. At first I was quite worried about having my back to the audience but I edited the colour of the sea to make it purple as it looks like I’m looking out to the sea and the Aurora Borealis is happening and reflecting onto the sea. Therefore it is like I am searching for the perfume. Also the beach is a relaxing place which shows you that when you wear this perfume you will have a relaxing and life, also there isn’t a lot going on, which I think makes the advert appeal to 16-18 year olds as it is laid back and chilled out which most teenagers are. The age of the models reflects the age of the audience. Also the advert it like an adults advert so it is quite sophisticated, which I think females in this age range are looking for.

            Overall I am proud of how this advert turned out and how it all slots together well, and you can tell easily it is each season. I think a real strength in the adverts is the use of colour as it helps represents seasons and the Aurora Borealis. I think you can tell easily the audience of the product is and who it would appeal to. I think to improve the winter advert I should have edited snow into the picture as well to make it look more like a winter wonderland. 

From Script to Screen: The differences between a mainstream and independent film

Independent and mainstream films have a range of differences and normally it is easy to tell which is which. But the films are produced, marketed and distributed differently which can be harder for independent films.

There are a lot of differences between mainstream and independent films for example the companies that make independent films are small, some are even made by one individual. Whereas mainstream films have a massive team including people to role the camera, do computer affects, actors, stunt doubles, set designers and much more which independent films cannot afford. Another feature that makes mainstream films more popular and famous are the a-list actors that are used such as Will Smith, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and Angelina Jolie. Which independent films can’t afford, so they have to use unknown actors which makes the film less appealing to some because people see a film just because it’s got a certain actor in. But if the characters role is to be mysterious having an unknown actor will help because the audience won’t have any expectations. You can tell if a film is independent by the low budget setting and there are normally no special effects which mainstream might normally include and could do so easily, so films spend most of there money of special effects and graphics.

Another difference between these two are the soundtracks as mainstream films usually use famous, well known songs or songs special made for the film whereas some independent films don’t really use a proper soundtrack, but London to Brighton actually use about 7 songs throughout the film one of which is by Plan B who are quite famous now, but not really in 2006. Another point that can help the production of films is whether it has a Novel, Sequel or an award winning director which normally mainstream films do have one of for example Harry Potter which has all three. Independent doesn’t really have any of these points which can also make it hard to produce.

A major difference between these types of the films is the money. Independent films have a significantly lower budget; some independent films don’t have all the money to make the film at the start and have to borrow throughout making the film. But mainstream films cost a lot more for example Batman: the dark knight reportedly took $185 million to make. Also mainstream are tended to be thought of as blockbusters or Hollywood films which are usually seen first in cinemas whereas independent films are less commercial. The release of mainstream films on DVD’s are usually depends on the popularity of the film but around 3-6 months.

Some independent films to market use the internet by discussing your film on Internet forums or others attend independent film festivals or attend other small filmmakers premiere events. The posters made for independent films are quite basic using a shot of building/character in the location whereas mainstream film posters are usually of the main cast stating all of the actor’s names and have been edited to have a white background or something similar. Mainstream film makes trailers which are shown on T.V or in the cinema and this is how usually people find out about films. But if independent films do have trailers they aren’t that good, but can be scene of the internet. There is actually a magazine dedicated to independent films where posters can be advertised which is a good way to market your film.

            A distributor’s job is to releases a movie to the public either theatrically or for home viewing. Mainstream films usually go into cinemas all over and are distributed by big companies such as 20^th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures or Paramount Pictures. Although independent films are small there are still distributers special for independent films for example Miramax Films before it was acquired by The Walt Disney Company, another is Verve Pictures.

            Overall, independent and mainstream films use different techniques and are very different when finished. Mainstream films are mainly viewed but it doesn’t mean that independent films aren’t as good.

How does Essex Boys use British Signifiers and Thriller Techniques to Establish the Audience Expectations?

This is the first scene in Essex Boys, this scene seems quite neo-noir because the the garage lighting is dark but the lighting outside is bright and harsh, this creates shadows. Which could show that maybe the character has a dark side or that the car is being used for something dark. The cobwebs shows the audience that the car hasn't been used in a long time and him using it must be for something important. The shot to the left and below are dark and mysterious which are techniques used in a lot of thrillers

This shot is after when Billy is wiping the screen. When he is actually wiping the screen you don't expect to see Jason, so this is a shock for the audience. The screen was dark and using the window wipers for him to appear shows how evil and dark he actually is, because you can't see him through the darkness. The bright light behind Jason gives the audience an uncomfortable atmosphere because the light is bright and harsh, it could even make the situation uncomfortable for Billy. What Jason is wearing is a classic Essex/East end shirt and a long leather jacket makes him look like Alfie Moon who is a east end character. A long jacket is also a very noir piece of costume. His costume shows you what type of guy he is and give an idea of which way the film might go.                              

This shot shows Billy and Jason driving into a tunnel, a tunnel is a claustrophobic place which are used in thrillers because there is no where else to go. Them going through the tunnel shows that there's only one way forward and that its too late for Billy to go back. Even the road sign is telling him to 'stay in' the lane and continue forward. 

The bars that reflect onto the car over the characters faces shows that they are both heading for trouble. The bars represent being in prison, behind bars. It looks like Billy seems quite worried about what going to happen. But Jason in the back couldn't care less and he is use to it and he has already been in prison. The light around Jason head could be to show that Billy is actually in fact good but Jason is blocking it.

This scene is taken place is a fish factory, which makes the mise en scene very dirty, smelly and gritty. A fish factory is a manly environment so during the fight there is a lot of male jeering and swearing. Some people might see humour in the scene because it is a weird place to have a fight because there is fish flying around. This shows the audience what sort of trouble Billy is in.

In this shot it is Billy looking into the wing mirror, so we are seeing the story through his eyes. This mean the audience can see and feel clearly how Billy is feeling.

The First thing you notice in this scene is the weather - grey, drizzle and cold. This is typical English weather. Another British signifier is that the characters are driving a white ford transit which is a very English and are stereotyped as 'white van man' who are a bit dodgy and you can't trust every single one. This scene also shows how insignificant they are, it also shows that they are in the middle of no where so the man Jason attacked will not be able to find his way home easily.

Neo-Noir

Conventions of Neo-Noir

Neo-Noir uses certain elements of Film Noir but with updated style, themes and content as Film Noir was created in the 1940’s/50’s, whereas Neo-Noirs are made outside of the Film Noir period. But unlike Film Noir Neo-Noir usually is filmed in coloured instead of black and white, for example Chinatown. It is film in colour but still includes many techniques of film noir such as big cities, costume, crime and the use of props.

Both Sin City and The Black Dahlia include jazz music at the beginning of the opening scenes as this helps set the time era of about 1940’s when film noir was first created. Both of these films use a very important element of film noir which is to be set in big cities, because most cities have big buildings of office to make a person or people to seem insignificant or unimportant, also big cities have side streets and alleys because this is where secrets and lies are kept.

Both of these films start with deception or lies. In Sin City she is lead to believe that the man loves her but in fact he was actually assigned to kill her. The Black Dahlia starts with a man voice over on the radio, and he is saying that the police department has the city under control when they clearly haven’t. I think lies and deception are critical in film noir or neo noir as this how all the crimes start and the beginning of how everything goes wrong.
Another thing these two scenes below have in common is that they are both set at night time as it represents mystery, sadness and danger. But the difference between the shots below is that there is a lot happening in That Black Dahlia unlike in the opening of Sin City because there are only two characters. I think having more characters and a lot happening makes the scene more action like and rushed which isn’t an element of film noir but is used in neo noir.




In film noir and a lot of neo noirs venetian blinds are used a lot. The main character of a noir film is usually a detective or journalist so they have there own office and the blinds gives a feel for this. But also the blinds represent that they are trying to keep the goodness out of the room as they are discussing dark, deficient things. Also the black and white shadows onto their face which shows that the characters have a good and evil side to them.


These shots are both different from each other but both can be used in film noir or neo noir. The shot of the below is from Double Indemnity, the uses of shadows are really effective in neo noir. This shows you that this character has an evil side even though the film hasn’t introduced him yet. Whereas the left shot from The Black Dahlia it shows you that the three men near the window are good, as the high contrast light is shining through the window on them, also all of their suits have an element of white which represents goodness.





It is a very film noir technique for the characters to be wearing suits and this has been carried through into neo noir. The only thing similar in these shots is that both of the main characters are in black which represent that they are dark characters. Both of the main characters from Double Indemnity and The Black Dahlia are both wearing a hat which is very noir. A hat makes the character seem bigger and higher up therefore they have a higher status.
Overall film noir and neo noir are very similar and use some of the same and different techniques but are both genres of film.