Production post (purchasing the props needed)

     I found both the fake cigarettes and lighter that will enhance the look of the film in order to make it look more professional. 

(props being purchased)

      Both the lighter and the fake cigarettes should come by Tuesday, March 4th. Once the props are delivered I can start filming with the actors. The vintage lighter is a key part for the film as its a key component in letting the audience know that the film is taking place during the 40's and 50's. 

     

       Along side with the lighter the "fake" cigarettes will further push the time period to the audience. Since smoking was such a huge activity during the 40s and 50s, having the actors smoke fake cigarettes will reinforce what time period the film is taking place. Also the smoke coming out of the fake cigarette creates a foggy atmosphere which is perfect for film noir. 

Planning post

     While in Colombia, my room had curtains that reminded me a lot of the curtains in film noir movies but just a little more modern. 

(Example of the curtains)

    At first I wanted to see how the curtains looked with an basic opening. As the light penetrated through the curtains, I observed the shadow it looked very accurate to how it does in the films. Shortly after I realized that in order to achieve the best look or a sharper look with the shadows I will need a strong light in a controlled environment.         

    Realizing this I realized that I would need to hang the curtains in a dark room by itself with a Harsh light, creating the iconic shadows. Purchasing the venetian blinds by it self from a hardware will insure a smooth process in recording the needed shots for the opening. Or instead of buying the curtains I can simply purchase carboard and make individual slits. 

(Curtain with different vanes)

      I also tried seeing how the curtain's shadow would look if the vanes of the curtains were closed more shut. Overall the shadow that was created by the different vanes didn't look as good as the original one. In the end I am going to use the original look of the curtain but create the shadows using a piece of paper or carboard having horizontal slits

(Curtain with different vanes)

Character development

(List of names from 1940s)

     Many ideas popped up when I was trying to come up for a name for the protagonist. I was mainly trying to come up with a name that sounded cool in order to match his character. Like I'm not gonna name the protagonist Gerrald. I started to look at lists of names and boom Ace popped up. Shortly after I thought of the name "Ace" I realized Ace doesn't suit the times of the 1940s/50s. So I decided with the name James Howard.     

    As for the dead Body, he doesn't have a huge impact in the opening minutes of the film but he holds a lot of mystery towards him as a character. As for that I think Norman Walker sounds pretty mysteriorius  

     For the serial killer I was lookin through a list of names of that were popular in the 1940s and Bonnie Vanderbilt is perfect. It is classily, powerful, and can be seductive, which perfectly matches her character as she lures her victims with her looks then kills them shortly after.  

Audio that wil be used in film opening

     For the opening I will be using royalty free soundtracks, foley sounds, and also sound effects from audio databases

    

(website)

    The way that I would attain royalty free soundtracks is going to be from websites such as ALIBI. ALIBI is a website that provides its users with thousands of soundtracks ranging from all types of moods. ALIBI has is so reliable and useful that multiple big time productions have used their website such as Inside out 2, Dunkin Donuts for their commercials, Stranger Things season 2, Febreze, Oppenheimer, and many more. 

(The way I would capture the rain sounds)

 

    For my foley sounds, I would record them using a high definition microphone, ensuring the best possible capture for the audio. Some of the foley sounds I'm considering on making is the sound of knocking and also the sound for rainfall. For knocking it would be as simple as recording me knocking on a door, but for the rain I would record food frying on a pan. The food frying gives a accurate representation on how rain sounds like. 

(Pixabay)

    The audio databases that I would be utilizing for my project would be both Bensound and Pixabay. Both Bensound and Pixabay are great sources for sound effects. A feature that Bensound offers that I particularly enjoy is that you can filter the energy level which can be especially useful for when you want to create a mood or tone in a film. Pixabay includes over 90,000 sound effects that are completely free to use. These two websites are going to help me a big time when it comes to audio. 

(Baysound)

Costumes for film opening

     The time period where the opening is gonna take place is during the late 1940s/early 1950s in the busy city of New York.   

(Clear representation
of how I want the 
outfit to look)

    

    After looking at a lot of pictures of what New Yorkers wore, the outfit for the detective is comprised of a suit(dark blue), a fedora, black dress shoes, and obviously a beige trenchcoat. This look will further enhance the time period and the detective vibe. An other look that the detective will have is a PJ look. This will be comprised up of a basic button shirt with pants matching the color. 

(PJ look)

    

    

    For the dead body, I want him to be wearing basically the same as the detective but without the trenchcoat and with out the top half of the suit. Essentially for the dead body he would be wearing suit pants a white button shirt, and suspenders. Reason for this is because the dead body just got back from work and was getting unready but got killed during the process.

(The one on the right)

 Lastly for the female serial killer she would be wearing a dress that about knee length with a trench coat over her dress. She would also be wearing basic black heels. Her look is very simple but still manages to bring the 1940s/50s time period. 

(Example of the outfit)

Props for opening

     For the film opening to be executed good, the use of props is an import factor. Some props that I'm considering on using are fake cigarettes, empty alcohol bottles, lighters, and a news paper.

(Fake cigarettes that
look like Marlboro)

    

    The cigarette was a object that was seen everywhere during the 1940s/50s. With the film opening taking place during that time period it only seems right to have cigarettes in the opening. Since the actors in the film opening are minors and can't smoke. The use of fake cigarettes are essential in creating the right look in the opening. The fake cigarettes don't contain any nicotine but rather made up of herbal blends  such as marshmallow root, red clover flowers, rose petals, honey, and fruit juice. 

     

(News paper template that
I will be using)

 

     For the rest of the props such as the alcohol bottles, lighters and newspapers they will just be in the scene solely to enhance the idea that the main character drinks and smokes. For the news papers i'm planning on using a  news paper template and having a story on the news paper talking about a serial killer on the loose. On the news paper I would also include a police sketch of the serial killer. The implication of the sketch on the newspaper will create a mood of uneasiness because in the film the detective would face the serial killer face to face realizing that she is the killer. I got this idea from watching a short film  labeled Miss Barton's Famous Cakes - Film Noir Shor   created by People Zoo.

    Citations 

“Miss Barton’s Famous Cakes - Noir Short Film.” Www.youtube.com, 31 Oct. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiLLsfpRZls. Accessed 13 Feb. 2022. 

“     Do actors Really Smoke?” Backstage.com, 29 July 2022, www.backstage.com/magazine/article/do-actors-really-smoke-75370/.

Storyboard

 

Short blog post today but these are some of the shots that I will most definitely use in my film opening. I will use the storyboard as a guideline while filming my opening. I will implement various types of shots to increase their length and meaning.