Film Noir Evaluation

March 18 

1) How your idea came about and your contribution to this, in terms of Screenwriting.

 

            The idea for this film noir project was influenced by many stories and movies. First here is a summary of the story. The protagonist, Man, is walking on the streets until he meets a Woman. They converse and he learns that she is a prostitute. They talk about the morality, and whether a drunkard is higher than a prostitute, or visa versa. The Man then expresses love for the prostitute, but she dismisses it as something conjured up by alcohol. The Man then tells the prostitute that he had a previous experience with one. He says that the woman he slept with was named Daisies. The Woman pulls a gun and aims it towards him. Apparently Daises’ name was Jennifer, and she was her sister, which the Man murdered. The Man, knowing that he is going to die, simply tells the Woman that he did love her and because of his own flaw of getting drunk, killed her sister. The Woman ignores any sympathy. She kills him. The final shot, the Man is lying, dying. But his final sight is his love, Daisies, lying next to him, as dead as he is.

            Within the script I also used flashbacks to give the storyline more depth without disrupting the flow and coherence of the film. It also makes the film extend to something other than what is currently happening; another dimension if you will.

            The title of the film was based on a line written in the middle of the script. For a while it was untitled. It was only after I finished writing it did I come up with the title.

            The two main inspirations were Moulin Rouge and Sin City. Moulin Rouge gave me the idea of falling in love with a prostitute, and how dark, yet romantic it could be. Sin City gave me the idea for the ending. The story, “the Hard Goodbye” with Marv and Goldie ends with both of them lying dead together in the same bed, in this case, it was the Man and Daisies. Goldie is, coincidentally, a prostitute, and Marv does fall in love with her. Those two films gave me the idea for the story.

            There were other influences that helped me write lines. Songs by Radiohead helped me. “Paranoid Android”, with the lines “Rain down/Rain down/ Come on rain down on me/From a great height/From a great height” gave me the lines “I felt rain coming down on my face but everything was clear” in the script. It is used as an omen for what is coming next; his death. The song “Reckoner” also by Radiohead helped me. The song is about destiny and how unfortunate but inevitable it can be. The lines “Reckoner/Dare not speak its name/Dedicated to all human beings” helped me develop the fate of these three characters, as if death and murder is inevitable. Also, its haunting melody helped me create the atmosphere of the script.  

            I wanted to use Nancy Sinatra’s song “Bang, Bang” but because of copyright, could not use it. I tried incorporating music into the script by using the line  “I hear a guitar weeping”, but we could not use the song and so I changed it to “I hear her (Daisies) weeping”.

            I also took advice from Quentin Tarintino. In an interview, he says that in watching a movie, if he does not understand what is going on, he immediately stops watching, because what is the point of watching something you do not understand, and, it would be impossible to appreciate it. It told me to keep the story clear, elegant, and coherent, especially for a short film.

My group members also did not like the line “Tease”. The Woman says it. It’s a response to the Man’s line “Ten thousand dollars for one night, you’re right, I can’t afford it.” So I removed it.

            Aside from that the script was convenient in the sense that it allowed our cameraperson envision each scene clearly. The atmosphere of the script allows the cameraperson to create the frame perfect for each line. Also, the plot is very organized, which facilitate the Editor’s job.

            Again with the atmosphere, it facilitates the Sound Director’s job to find songs that fit the mood, as well as allow creativity; using sound as dramatic devices such as reverberating footsteps as the Woman leaves the scene.

            This was how my idea was conceived and how it contributed to the project.

 

2) How did you plan as a group and your contribution to pre-production?

           

            We planned what to film first and what to film last. We decided to film the meeting between the Man and the Woman first, the Flashbacks next, then the Walking Scenes last. The conversation was the main bulk of the script. The Flashbacks were shorter, but still important. It had an interior setting, which was the main reason why we chose to film it on a separate day. The walking scenes were filmed on a separately day because we also though it would be ideal to film any reshoot since we were out filming. We were confident that we would not make a mistake because walking scenes were simple to do.

            During classes I worked with Andy and Medora – the actors – to develop their character. I felt that even though acting was not the priority, bad acting could distract the audience from the point of the movie as well as the cinematic elements to it. I did everything I could for Andy and Medora understand their character, and develop their own nuances and subtleties so that it would seem natural on screen.

            The advice I gave them were sometimes specific, at other times ambiguous. The intent is to have them create the character on their own perception; my job was just to nurture that perception. At times, when they were rehearsing their lines, I would say “darker”, “sadder”, etc., ambiguous lines like that because I did not want them to think to much and confuse them. I also did not want to say the lines because I did not want them to do an imitation of me. Other times, I would give them a whole background of the character, but again, not going into the habit and tell them how I would do it. This again led to naturalistic performances.

            I followed the advice of

3) What was your contribution during the actual production stage?

 

            During filming, I was basically the consultant and co-director with the Cameraperson. If the actor had trouble knowing a line, I would tell them since I know the script inside out. Also sometimes the Cameraperson would not understand the point of the scene, so I would explain what the mood should be and what the frame should express, which is usually the character’s mentality. And because while writing it I had a vision of what each scene looked like, I also would be the safety net. The Cameraperson would tell me a potential idea and I would explain why it would or would not work. And if the Cameraperson were having trouble developing the shot, I would be of assistance. In short, I would be the safety net and the problem solver of the group.

 

4) How did you work as a group I the post-production? What was your contribution to this?

 

            During post-production, I was mainly helping the Editor. I would tell him the shots that need to be used to coincide with the script, and the shots that are unnecessary. Similar to the production stage, I was the safety net, but instead of the Cameraperson, it was for the Editor. If the Editor missed something or cut something out by accident, I would usually be the first person to notice. I was there to ensure that the plot was expressed. Also, the Editor dealt with the color of the film. I had to make sure that he did not mitigate any atmosphere or did not express the character’s emotions effectively.

            Similar with the Sound Director, I was there to make sure that the songs and sound effects were appropriate. There were two sounds we had trouble with; a gunshot and the Flashback effect. The gunshots we found seemed too fake, and eventually had to edit it ourselves by decreasing the reverberation and making it higher pitched as well as a shorter length. For the Flashback sound, it was a ‘whoosh’, and each sound we found seemed too fake as well. Eventually we found an appropriate one, but decreased the volume so that it was not too obvious.

            In short, I was the safety net, making sure that the ideas by each group member would benefit the film without ruining its substance and meaning the script provides.

5) Evaluation of the final product. How successful were you in achieving your goal? How did you perform your designated role? How did you work together as group? What feedback did you receive as a group and as an individual? How can you improve, both as a group and as an individual?

 

            The final product was successful. It was coherent, effective in expressing the character’s emotions, and expressed the themes of the moral dilemma of loving a prostitute effectively. The film received praise from our peers and teacher so we knew that it turned out well, with the quote from Ms Wong “it set the bar high”.

            In terms of my role, I thought I performed well. The class immediately after the class we began, I already wrote a draft, which, aside from a few cut lines, was the one we used. My group all thought that the script was great and very film noir-esque. The script allowed imagination flow through my group mates, which made their jobs easier. It also provided tasks for each role, so that no one would be left out and everyone would have something to do.

            Some people outside my group read my script and had no complaints. They understood the plot and agreed it exemplified the film noir style.

            I did not receive any criticisms with the script and I have asked people. Although the script may not need any improvements, I may need to improve as a screenwriter. Perhaps I can write an even better one with a different, better, more developed story without having to rely on flashbacks, as well as wittier dialogue with more memorable lines. 

            As a group, we could have been more efficient during the production stages. For each filming session we took literally hours. We ended up tired and exhausted, but still determined to finish what we planned to finish, even though it went into overtime. We should have been more realistic in planning out our time and schedule. But our commitment to the project is what made our final product what it is; the Broken Beautiful.