PBS American Cinema: Film Noir Notes

Recreation video

Our task was to recreate a clip from a film of our choice, we decided on Mean Girls as we are all familiar with the plots and characters and thought that we could recreate it easily and apply the correct editing material and features. The aim of this task was to recognise how much value editing has to a footage and what impact it has on the scene.

I believe that we did a good job at the acting and the editing however with the sin pits of dialogue imported from the film it could have been dialed down a bit so it wasn't so obvious and we could make the lips sync with the speech being used. 

Film Noir Analysis: Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity is a 1944 film noir directed by Billy Wilder, co-written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and produced by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom. The screenplay was based on James M. Cain's 1943 novella of the same name, which originally appeared as an eight-part serial in Liberty magazine.

The film stars Fred MacMurray as an insurance salesman, Barbara Stanwyck as a provocative housewife who wishes her husband were dead, and Edward G. Robinson as a claims adjuster whose job is to find phony claims. The term "double indemnity" refers to a clause in certain life insurance policies that doubles the payout in rare cases when death is caused accidentally, such as while riding a railway.

Scene 1

(Medium Shot) In this  scene we meet Phyliss, she is the femme fatal of the film noir sequence. The lighting in this scene is very low-key which is a common convention in film noir. She is seen in a white dressing gown which usually resembles  pure and innocence which is quite the opposite for the character. Phyliss is also seen to be smoking a cigarette which is another convention of film noir and was a fashion in the 1940s. The use of a mid shot here allows use to see the beauty of the femme fatal and the details that relate to the stereotypical image of the character, this including the blonde hair, red lips (darker as black and white film) and the pure whiteness of her gown.
Scene 2

(Long shot) In the next scene we meet Walter Neff who is the detective in this movie. Walter comes into the film dressed in a suit with a hat as well which is another convention of film noir for the stereotypical detective. Walter seems to be displaying his dominance in this scene as he is looking down at Phyllis as if he is trying to intimidate her or prove his power over her. The use of a long shot here allows us to see Phyllis in full and notice how much she resembles the stereotype of a femme fatal, we also see more of the scenery which also shows the se of venetian blinds which is a convention of film noir.

Scene 3

(Medium shot) Next we meet  Barton Keyes who is the boss of Walter Neff. In this scene they are both dressing in suits which is a stereotypical convention of film noir, also Barton appears to have a cigar in his mouth which is also a convention of the time and genre. Walter is again displaying his dominance in this scene and is looking down on Barton who is actually more in power than Walter. The use of a mid shot here allows us to see closer details of the characters and more conventions of the genre.

Scene 4

(Long Shot) In this scene is all 3 of the characters that we have met so far in the other scenes. It appears that Walter is trying to hide Phyllis from Barton. All of the characters seem to be dressed in a stereotypical detective manner of the suits. Again here Walter is looking down on Barton as if to intimidate him so he does not go any further and discover Walters secret affair with Phyllis. Looking at Barton's body language in this scene it is as if he knows that Walter is hiding something and is trying to peer around Walter to see it without Walter noticing.  The use of a long shot in this frame allows use to see all of the characters and evaluate the body language displayed by the cast, Phyllis is scared and trying to hide herself by being pushed up against the wall, Barton is trying to peer around Walter and Walter seems to be very protective and confident to hide the fact of Phyllis's presences. 

Scene 5

(Medium Shot) In this scene we seem Walter and Phyllis is a new location and looking at the body language of the two, it appears that they are trying to pretend they do not know each other and are trying to lie low. The lady in the middle seems to be quite surprised by Walters clothing as it is rare to see a detective not in the office. Phyllis is again wearing white to display her purity and potential innocence. The lighting used in this scene is quite high-key compare to the rest of the piece and this makes the scene seem more unusual. The use of a mid shot here allows use to see both of the characters however not in full and we get the idea that they are trying to conceal their identity and act as if they are not together. 

 Scene 6

(Long shot) In this scene we see the pair leaning over Phyllis's late husband. Looking at the mise en scene of the scene we see that contrast of clothing between the two characters, by Walter being dressed in black it is as if he killed Phyllis's husband and is proving his guilt. As Phyllis is dressed in white it is again proving her innocence which occurs a lot through out the film and is a common trait of the femme fatal. The lighting used in this scene is very low-key and provides the feel of gloom and death. The use of a long shot here allows us to see the characters in full and assess their body language and see what they are doing, it also allows us to see the location and how out of the ordinary it is.

Scene 7

(Close up) This scene shows that Walter and Phyllis are finally together. High-Key lighting is used here to show the facial expressions and details of both of the characters. Phyllis seems to be very happy that she finally has Walter to herself and Walter seems very lustful towards Phyllis. Both characters are wearing white clothing which symbolises innocence however this contrasts with the previous scene where they kill Phyllis's husband. The use of a close-up here allows us to see the characters in detail and to gain a better feel for the mood of the scene.

Scene 8

(Medium Shot) This scene again shows the two main characters, Walter and Phyllis. Lighting used here is high-key in comparison to the other scenes throughout the film. Despite the pair being participants to a murder case, they are both dressing in lighter clothing which makes them appear to be more innocence and unlikely to be involved with illegal work. Another stereotypical convention seen in the scene is the light streaming through the venetian blinds, this could indicate that the pair have a chance of getting away with the murder as the light is peeping through the blinds acting as their chance of freedom is almost there but not quite yet. Walter seems to be standing higher than Phyllis which proves his dominance, in addition to this Phyllis seems to be looking very vulnerable to Walter by looking at her body language. The use of a Mid Shot here allows us to see the pair clearly despite Phyllis foreshadowing Walter slightly, we can also see the surroundings and the environment it is set in.

Scene 9 

(Medium Shot) This was the last scene of Double Indemnity where Walter has confronted Phyllis about her involvement with Nino Zachetti, this scene results in the death of Phyllis and a wounded Walter. Neff''s idea was to visit Phyllis, confront her about Nino's involvement, Kill her and put the blame on Nino. In this scene we revert back to the Low-Key lighting as it fits well with the circumstances of the scene. Phyllis's body is lying in a way that makes it look like the murder was an accident as she is lying in a dramatic manner. Walter seems a bit surprised by the fact that he has just killed his love who never loved him. The contrast between good and bad is displayed in this scene through the clothing wore by the actors, Walter in darker colours resembling bad and guilty and Phyllis in white resembling purity and innocence. Again the venetian blinds are seen at the back of the room in this scene. The use of a mid shot here allows us to see everything that is going on in the scene and clearly see the murder weapon that Walter possesses.

Conventions of Film Noir

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Foley Sound

Foley sound is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that is added to film, media and post-production to enhance audio quality. The reproduced sounds can be anything from glass breaking to footsteps to wind swishing through the trees. The best Foley sound is when it goes unnoticed by the audience, it helps create a sense of reality and realism in the scene/film. without background sounds the film will sound quiet and uncomfortable. 

Foley artists recreate the ambient sounds that the film portrays. Foley sound is used to enhance the auditory experience of the movie. It is generally used to cover up unwanted sounds that were caught whilst filming such as traffic or birds. 'Foley' is also used to describe a place, a 'Foley-studio', where the Foley process occurs/takes place. 

Jack Donovan Foley started working with Universal Studios in 1914 during the silent movie era. When Warner Studios released its first film to include sound, The Jazz Singer, Universal knew they had to step up in order to keep the competition going and to keep in business. Foley became part of the sound crew for Universal and his small crew helped project the film, 'Show Boat', on a screen while recording a single track that captured their live sound effects. Their timing had to be perfect, so that footsteps and closing doors synchronized with the actors' motions in the film. Jack Foley created sounds for films until his death in 1967, his methods are still used today. 

Film Noir