Film Noir Research

Am I am producing my film in a Film Noir style, I have done some research into different films that're shot like this.

Maltese Falcon
This is a Warner Brother's film and it done in film noir. The film follows San Francisco private detective and his dealings with three unscrupulous adventures, all of whom are competing against to obtain a jewel-encrusted falcon statuette.

Immediately, this links in with my film 'Missing', as three people are all after something and they will happily commit violence offences to get what they want. This links well as someone is looking for people who want/have an important object/package, which they shouldn't have and it's the detective/Laurene's mission to find them.

This is an extremely old film as it was premiered in 1941 and it shows more a of an 'original' film noir style.

All of these images link in with my film as they have the film noir style, however they also have some sort of violence shown in them as well, linking in well with the action.


Kiss Me Deadly
This film is shown to extremely violent as it involves scenes of people being tortured to death. The sinister storyline is reflected within the film noir style as the lighting is particular dark. The storyline is based around a 'missing box', which immediately links in well with my film as there is a missing package. The missing box is meant to have contents worth a fortune, however it is left open for debate. Whilst on the hunt for the box, there are shootings which occur, linking in well with my film as Laurene shoots Dosh Longrin in the process of hunting for the missing package. The box turns out to be full of explosives and the film ends in the an explosive scene, which is particularly interesting.

This storyline links in great with my film as it follows a similar storyline. Also, the film noir works extremely well with the sinister atmosphere...

As you can see, the lighting much darkner than a usual film noir style, however this works well with the basis of the storyline.

Both films link in great with my film as the characters both use violence to get what they want.

Flashforward Scene

This is a very short snippet of the footage that I shot yesterday, however it gives you an idea of what we did.

I shot the footage in a Long Shot, Medium Shot and Shot Reverse Shot to give me a range of angles to work with during editing.

The only problem is, during the SRS, David Dowson, say's "25 Park Side West" instead of "24", so I won't be able to use that, however I can use a voiceover from another clip, so that's no problem.

Van Theft

This is part of the Van Theft scene. I had Luke film it in a Long Shot and MS and also from various different angles to create the best effect and also giving me a lot of footage to work with in the editing process.

At the end, I had Luke pause on my face for a few seconds as I am going to put names on the  screen during editing when I produce a freezeframe.

The wind is a slight problem, however the audio will be muted as there is a voiceover going over the top.

Gun Barrel Tutorial

I have looked into photoshop tutorials of the how to create the gun barrel sequence in James Bond, however I started trying to make it but it didn't work out very well.

I followed each step of the tutorial and the first step worked out well. I had to change the gradient to create this particular effect:

However when I continued each step, the project screen went blank and I couldn't get back the progress which I had made, so I am unsure on what to do next.

I am going to email James Corker as he said he would look into the sequence as well and see what he found.

Filming = DONE!

So...yesterday I spent my day filming, acting and more filming! 

I took part in the van theft yesterday and I had Luke Brocklesby film for me, and he did a great job. We got home after finishing it and then I realised that I wanted to film some more, so we went back to Bowburn Industrial Estate and filmed some more. When we were filming inside the van, I realised that I'd forgotten my leather gloves that I was previously wearing, so luckily, I had a black cardigan on and was able to cover up my hand and it loos fine. I won't be using a lot of footage inside of the van, so I will be able to work around that issue.

Whilst filming for the Flashforward Scene, I got extremely confused at how I was going to create the effect of Laurene (Luke Brocklesby) turning around and shooting at the camera, as the script didn't fit totally in with the effect. After coming home and watching Casino Royale with both Luke Brocklesby and David Dowson, they soon realised what they were meant to do and I came up with an idea. The toilets were extremely narrow, so it was a hard environment to work in, however we got around it. I had Dosh Longrin say, "Am I free to go then?" and when Laurene said "Nice Try", Longrin knocked the gun from his hand so he dropped it and as Longrin was running away, Laurene picked up the gun and shot at the camera as Bond does it Casino Royale. 

Throughout the whole filming process of Missing, parts of call sheets and scripts have been changed, however the way that they have been done fits in better with the plot. 

I am so pleased with how filming has turned out and I think that the planning has paid off...

I will upload some of the footage from yesterday very soon :))

Car Theft Location

 

This is the original road in which I was planning on using, however I thought it would look a bit strange if the car was just sat on an open road and then stolen in broad day-light. 

 

 

In my location sheet, this is the location which I drew in the box, and this was the place I was going to film, however as I said above, I changed my mind.

 



 

This bush is the place where I had my actress, Liz Soler, hide and then look round to see if anyone was about, before she pounced and stole the car.

 

 

This was the car parking space where I parked the car ready for it to be stolen. I thought this worked particularly well as that is where a car would normally be stolen.

 

 

 

Here is the entrance to the location where I was filming the car theft scene and I thought it was realistic as it was a derelict and deserted, which was great.

Plan For Next Weekend

Next weekend, I am hoping to get all of the flashforward scene completed and also a few touch up's done on other scenes, so I will be very busy next weekend!

Hope you're liking my footage so far.

Clip Of Money Theft

Here is a CU clip of the money theft scene which shows the criminal taking the money.

I have filmed him getting to the room also.

What do you think of this scene? Feedback much appreciated!

By the way...the quality of the actual footage on my laptop is much better quality than this!

Money Theft Scene

I have just filmed the money theft scene, however because of security reasons, I am unable to disclose the location.

I will upload the location sheets, however I cannot give you a name.

I am uploading the footage to my computer now, so I will stick some on here!

Hope this is ok...

Footage From Car Theft Scene

This part of the footage that I filmed today. 

I particularly like the CU of when Liz is at the car door and and she looks around. I think this is very effective.

The only problem is the focus - it's slightly out of focus and that's to do with the camera.

What do you think?

Car Theft Scene

Well...I have just filmed the car theft scene with Liz Soler and the snow was a slight problem! 

I had Liz wearing red heels, however she was slipping everywhere and her feet were numb, which cut the filming process short, however I managed to get everything filmed that I wanted.

The only problem that I am thinking about is the light. The car was white and so was the snow, obviously, so I am going to see how it looks on the computer.

I am just uploading it now and I will upload a clip to my blog to show you.

Also, once we got to the location, we changed where we filmed. I was planning to film on the main road from the entrance, however we found a quiet car park which looked more realistic.

At least it's done...but lets see!

Location Sheet For Bowburn Industrial Estate

I am unsure on whether I am going to get my actresses to move away in the Car/Van Theft, however that will have to be decided on the day as it will depend upon the busy-ness of the industrial estate to whether it is safe to do so.

 

The contact for this location is N/A as it is an open space and therefore there isn't a manager.

Shooting/To Do List

I am shooting the Car/Van Theft on Sunday, however I haven't managed to get the images up yet, so I have visited the location numerous times, so I shall take those images on Sunday and get those posted.

I am just about to upload my location sheet for the industrial estate.

Previously, I uploaded a To Do List and this is what I have managed to complete:

 

I have managed to complete most of the things on this list, which is extremely good, however there are just a few things left to do!

 

 

Music For Missing

I have started to think about the music in which will be played over the top of the title sequence, and I have looked into the previous music which has been used in Bond films and I came across this website: Bond Film Music

They're all based around the idea of killing such as "Live and Let Die" and "A View To A Kill".

Also, the songs that're played are actually named the title of the film.

The majority of the songs are sung by females, and they're mostly done in minor keys to create a more sinister effects and the slowness of the songs capture the meaning of the title sequences.

I am going to create my own piece of music for my title sequence and one of my actors, Paul Soler, is going to help me to produce that as he has helped me produce my other original albums, so that is extremely exciting!

I am hoping to write the lyrics and the music for the track.

Release and Consent Agreement

As I am using number plates from a car and a van, I wanted to ensure that all rights were covered and the owners were comfortable in the use of their vehicle. I had them both sign an agreement to cover any misunderstandings/problems:

Gun Barrel Sequence

Daniel Craig was first introduced in the film Casino Royale where the gun barrel sequence was introduced into the plot, however previously the film started off with the gun barrel sequence, which was extremely ususual as it was made like this in Casino Royale.

Skyfall however, was extremely different as the gun barrel sequence was shown at the end of the film, which is the highly traditional way of doing it.

 

 

I have chosen to base my title sequence and gun barrel sequence to link in with the Casino Royale gun barrel sequence as it will fit in with the plot.

Car Theft and Van Theft

I haven't managed to get in touch with the owner of the truck stop in Shotton Colliery, so I think I will just be using Bowburn Industrial Estate...

I will upload the location sheet in the next couple of days!

Location Sheets

Dolly's For Filming

I was doing some research into Dolly's for the filming and I found this rather amusing!

Post-Production Risk Assessment Of Smashing Window

On my location sheet, I mentioned in the health and safety box that the smashing of the glass may be a possible issue and to be careful on when doing it.

Before we left to go to the location, Paul Soler, brought along sunglasses with him, partly to hide his identity, however also to shield his eyes from the glass when smashing it.

When it came to filming this part of the scene, I wore Paul's hat that he brought along and set the camera away, pulling the hat over my eyes to shield them and Luke, the other camera man was stood much closer to Paul and he set the camera away and covered his eyes with his hands to make sure that he wasn't hurt.

Paul also wore some thick, protective gloves to ensure that when he was smashing the window and also afterwards when he was feeling for the catch to get in, that he wasn't hurt in the process.

Overall, everything went extremely smoothly and I am extremely happy with what footage I got.

Once I have got all of my footage together, I will do a rough edit, and you can see what you think!

Shotton Colliery

I am hopefully going to visit Shotton Colliery again this week, to get some images to draw up my location sheet, giving you a clear view of the location.

I will also upload those images as soon as I get them to allow you picture the scene etc.

I am going to upload my other location sheets to give you an overview of the locations that I am using.

Coxhoe Club Toilets - Flashforward Scene

Whilst I was location scouting last week, I also took some images that help you picture what the scene is going to be like...

This is the view of the toilets head on, and I was thinking maybe filming up against the left hand wall as I will need as much space as possible to get different angled shots...

That is the full view of the right hand side of the toilets...

These are the toilet sink and door where the actual toilet is, however I would only need to use that if I was filming a fighting scene, however I am not...

I changed the colour of the picture to black and white to allow you to picture what the film will look like once the footage has been filmed in film noir.

How do you think this looks? I think feedback is important, so please let me know as I am starting to film this scene next weekend.

Briefing Scene Filming

We filmed the briefing scene this morning between Jo and Laurene and that also went very well...we slightly changed the script in some places, however it worked great...

I thought the "Drink Laurene?" worked extremely well, as I watched a scene this morning and this is how James Bond does it...James Bond Briefing Scene

Here, I also filmed from a range of  different shots, panning around the table to make it look more interesting, fitting in with the James Bond feel to it.

Yesterday's Filming - Smashing Window

Wow, yesterdays filming went absolutely brilliantly!

Paul Soler is a FANTASTIC criminal...

I managed to get another actor, Luke Brocklesby, to film using another camera in a CU format, enabling a wider range of footage, however I also varied my shots using my camera as well.

I managed to get a high angle shot done at one point because where we were, we backed in a pick up truck and I was stood on the back of the pick up with my tripod, shooting from up above everything...it was so much fun!

When we arrived at the location, we did some more preliminary scouting and managed to find somewhere better to film. Once we chose the location to film, we chose the window that we were going to place the loose window in and it was too small and unrealistic, so we then found an identical window and the manager of Coxhoe Timber Services, Roland Cubello, screwed the windows in place, making it look extremely realistic. 

The white window is what Paul Soler smashed and this image shows you how it fits into the original window perfectly and how it looks realistic (it looks better during the filming, which you will find out!)

Paul also managed to fit into the criminal role extremely well. We only needed to shoot the different angles once as you immediately got into character and looked great...

His sunglasses worked particularly well as he was covered from the glass!

Well, I certainly couldn't have done the filming I did if it wasn't for the help of Roland Cubello, Paul Soler and Luke Brocklesby, so THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Here is some footage to show you a rough idea of what happened...

Personally, I think it's absolutely brilliant! What do you think?

Feedback much appreciated...

Rough Footage Of Jewellery Scene

This is the raw footage of part of the jewellery scene. This gives you the basic idea of what the scene will look like and how it works. 

The slight sound glitches will be sorted out once it has been edited as the audio will be muted for that clip as there is a voice over playing during this scene.

Hope you like the gist! Let me know...

Location Images - Window Scene

I have just been over to Coxhoe Timber Services to arrange the details for filming the window scene. 

We have arranged it for Saturday morning and I managed to pick the window that I wanted. We are going to play the window over the top of an existing one and then just smash one pane of glass as the window is double glazed, ensuring that the existing window won't get damaged.

Also, I am going to film Paul going to hit the window and then have a close up of glass smashing as my end point so that you can't see that the rest of the window isn't being damaged. 

Hopefully this'll work!

Here are a few images of what I want to happen...

This is the window which is already existing, and Paul is going to be breaking into this business  as it is no longer up and running, and 'make his entrance', however this is going to be placed over the top it...

This is an unwanted window in which I am allowed to use for my project.

If the window doesn't work for some reason, the owner said that I could try it with a door.

These are the surroundings of the window, so I will have to work out where I will film Paul coming from, however below is the original place which I wanted him to walk down. The side road here, was what I wanted him to walk down, then he can turn at the bottom and the window is there.

I will film it both ways and see what works best!

Flashforward Scene Location

This is my flashforward scene location...



I have chosen to use Coxhoe Club because the toilets in there are extremely good for the scene that I will be shooting. I am going to be changing the colour of the scene to film noir, so this will be great.

Shotton Colliery

Today, I was talking to Leanne about the car theft and van theft and the location which I was wanting to use.

I was thinking about Bowburn Industrial Estate, however Leanne has a friend who owns a truck stop, which would be perfect for the type of environment that I need.

I am hoping that this will be ok and I have been told that it would be best to film both scenes on the Sunday 20th as it'll be quieter than a Saturday.

I keep you posted on how it goes!

Jewellery Scene

So, tonight I filmed part of the montage. I filmed John Lindsay and the Jewellery Scene, where he steals the jewellery from the Prime Ministers Office. 

I used a balaclava for this scene which my gran made! It is pretty good...

This is the balaclava she made! I think it's great.

So, back to the filming! It went extremely well tonight, got exactly what I wanted.

It didn't take long at all, maybe 10 mins at the max.

So, very productive night :))

Kathryn Dowson's Call Sheet

Actors Call Sheet

Programme Title: Missing Package

Director and Producer: Kathryn Dowson

Call Dates:

 - Saturday 26th

Actor: Kathryn Dowson

Character: Mrs Fangtastic

Call Date	Call Time	Wardrobe and Props	Make-up
Saturday 26th	10am and 3pm	Clothing; black lace dress, black tights, high boots Props: wire to break into car (these will be provided on the day, however please make sure that you have them with you before filming starts)	Eyes; black, smoky eyed effect Face; full makeup Lips; bright red lipstick Hair; straight

Location Venue:

Van Theft ­– Industrial Estate

Transport

You will have to make your own way to your house.

PLEASE MANAGE YOUR TIME WISELY

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT YOURSELF DIRECTLY

Stand In For Jessica Hay's Call Sheet - Liz Soler

Actors Call Sheet

Programme Title: Missing Package

Director and Producer: Kathryn Dowson

Call Dates:

 ­ - Sunday 20th

Actor: Liz Soler

Character: The Hay Meister

Call Date	Call Time	Wardrobe and Props	Make-up
Sunday 20th	12pm	Clothing; a dark coloured blouse, black trousers, red or bright coloured high boots/heels Props: wire to break car (these will be provided on the day, however please make sure that you have them with you before filming starts)	Eyes; black, smoky eyed effect Face; full makeup Lips; bright red lipstick Hair; straight

Location Venue:

Car Theft ­– Industrial Estate

Transport

You will have to make your own way to the director’s house and we will make our way to the location

PLEASE MANAGE YOUR TIME WISELY

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT ME DIRECTLY

Jessica Hay's Call Sheet

Actors Call Sheet

Programme Title: Missing Package

Director and Producer: Kathryn Dowson

Call Dates:

 ­ - Sunday 20th

Actor: Jessica Hay

Character: The Hay Meister

Call Date	Call Time	Wardrobe and Props	Make-up
Sunday 20th	9am	Clothing; a velvet top, black leather skirt/trousers, black tights, black high boots/heels Props: wire to break car (these will be provided on the day, however please make sure that you have them with you before filming starts)	Eyes; black, smoky eyed effect Face; full makeup Lips; bright red lipstick Hair; straight

Location Venue:

Car Theft ­– Industrial Estate

Transport

You will have to make your own way to the director’s house and we will make our way to the location

PLEASE MANAGE YOUR TIME WISELY

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT ME DIRECTLY

Possible Actress Change

The character that I have to play 'The Hay Meister' may be unable to play the role, so I have got a stand by ready incase there is a change of plan.

When I hand out the call sheets, I will give on to both the original actress and the stand in, so they both have their parts learnt and ready to go!

Paul Soler's Call Sheet

Actors Call Sheet

Programme Title: Missing Package

Director and Producer: Kathryn Dowson

Call Dates:

- Saturday 12^th (Smashing Window Scene)

Actor: Paul Soler

Character: Smashup Frobo

Call Date	Call Time	Wardrobe and Props	Make-up
Saturday 12th	11am	Clothing; black jumper/jacket, jeans, trainers Props: balaclava, possibly a hammer to smash the window (these will be provided on the day, however please make sure that you have them with you before filming starts)	N/A

Location Venue:

Smashing Window – Behind Coxhoe Front Street

Transport

You will have to make your own way to the director’s house and we will make our way over to the location.

PLEASE MANAGE YOUR TIME WISELY

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT ME DIRECTLY