AICE Media Studies

Actors: We haven't concretely decided on an actor to play the main role, but we have decided that the role is going to be filled by a female. While we are constructing a narrative within the film noir genre, we aren't as eager to play into some of the more problematic tropes associated with the genre, like casual misogyny and classism, so we're approaching from a different angle and we definitely want the main character, typically a jaded, cynical man to be played by a woman. Costumes: We're going for a private eye, Carmen Sandiego but less flashy look for the main character, incorporating a trench coat or similar garment and some kind of fedora to complete the look. Props: The private eye's desk, associated miscellanea, and whatever we decide to incorporate in her car during the driving scenes will have to be accounted for during filming to make sure that there aren't any continuity errors. Locations: We're going to filming in the downtown Naples are...

Our group created this storyboard last week. Mickey was the talented artist (I sourced the collage) and together along with Kiley and Miranda we brainstormed the sequence of shots for our opening shown above. After the first few shots, the driving sequence will be in a sort of montage style, with each shot interspersed with jazz music in order to build viewer interest. There will be some dialogue in the beginning, and likely voice-over during the latter half.

Watching the sample film openings with my group gave us some good ideas for where we wanted to take our own opening! Particularly "Lost & Found" showed us that making high-quality, well shot footage is not at all outside of our reach, and we brainstormed how to create footage with the same level of quality - coming up with things like using a gimbal or a tripod, making sure to smartly color grade, and using a good camera. We also brainstormed a bit with some of our other influences, citing things from classic noir films, to Phineas & Ferb, to modern music videos as inspirational, and we took notes on aspects that we liked about each piece of media and how we can incorporate them into our own opening.

My group and I decided to create a film opening loosely set in the film noir genre. My groupmates and I are all fans of historical movies in the genre, like The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, and Laura , as well as more modern takes on the genre like Blade Runner  and Drive . We've decided to take inspiration from a loose interpretation of the generic standards, focusing on a mystery and utilizing the aesthetic and conventions while ditching some of the more dated, problematic aspects of the genre, like the romanticization of substance abuse and the rampant misogyny. Personally, Laura  is one of my favorite movies, and I've watched it maybe a dozen times since I first saw it in my childhood. The movie opens abruptly, narrated by a gruff man who immediately introduces the conflict of the film and keeps viewers hooked: "The night Laura died, a silver sun burned through the sky like a magnifying glass." The language is slinking, evocative, and intriguing. The viewer i...

Kiley Hartman, Mickey Poling, Miranda Webb and I are going to be filming a movie opening in the film noir genre!