The Good Guys - A Short Film

After two years of IB Film, we have our short. Watch on YouTube for a normal-size player.

Enjoy.

Oral Presentation Checklist

1. Pick a film from the list of three.
2. Watch that film a second time.
3. Pick a five-minute extract from the film which I think demonstrates a crucial moment in the film's story.
4. Make notes on why this moment is important, and how meaning is created by the use of camera, lighting, etc.
5. Write this in script form and rehearse it.
6. Time my presentation and see if it is over or under the ten minute mark.
7. Watch the extract again and add or reduce information accordingly.
8. Prepare the notes that I will take with me to the presentation.

Thinking Independent Study

• To begin with, a topic for the documentary needs to be chosen. This could be: The representation of women in action movies since the 1950's.
• Then the two films that we will use to explore this topic must be chosen and watched. One of these films could be a popular film we know well, and the other one may be a less mainstream but equally valid film exploring the same topic.
• Research on the topic should have begun by now, and some ideas for the development of the script as well. When the topic chosen and its manifestation in the films are familiar to us, then we should start to write the script.

Portfolio for Barrio Chino Project

Pre-Production

For this project, I took on the role of the director. In the beginning I was uncertain of what my exact job or involvement in the project would be, and was wary of becoming involved in things that did not concern me. Initially, I saw my job as a sort of “supervisor” of the entire production, who needed to make sure things were going according to plan. However, when we arrived on location, it suddenly occurred to me: We had no plan. Here lies the first and perhaps most crucial mistake I made as a director. I failed in providing my editor and cinematographer with a clear idea and vision of the story (if it was a story we were indeed trying to tell), which not only would have made for a much simpler and efficient shoot, but would have made for a better film.

Production

So, without a solid plan, we basically improvised most of what we did in the restaurant and around Barrio Chino. The cinematographer and I thought up a quick and vague idea of what we should shoot and in what direction to take the project, and then did our best to shoot those scenes. The workers in the restaurant were informed that we would be filming there, and they were very cooperative and helpful, especially when the manager agreed to let one of the waitresses stop working for a minute to shoot the scenes with her in them.

Almost every scene was shot out of sequence, with what we could shamefully call a narrative only existing in the heads of myself and María Figueiras, the cinematographer. I feel we had no trouble at all communicating with each other and in sharing our ideas, one of these being myself and the editor, Catalina Somoza, acting as a couple behind the two actors to make it seem like the restaurant was not empty.

I was very careful to avoid what I dreaded: becoming a dictatorial director and becoming upset if I wasn’t listened to. Instead, I found that the joy lay in collaborating with each member of the group and making the project a group experience.

There was also a moment when we needed the waitress for one shot but she was no longer available to us, so we instead shot the scene so only an arm would have to be shown, and this way we could use any arm.

 

Post-Production

When the footage was imported into the laptop the editor, Catalina Somoza, and I began to piece together the footage. It was during this time that I discovered how fun editing could be, all my previous experience with it having been frustrating, confusing and irksome. I was able to see the footage slowly take shape and a narrative, however shaky, being formed. The wonderful thing was seeing on the screen what he had had in our heads only days prior. We paid special attention to the sound of the film. Despite the noise level in the restaurant, the audio that was recorded directly to the camera had been recorded well enough to hear and understand what the actors were saying.

In this screenshot, which actually ended up in the final cut, my arm is clearly visible on the left hand side of the frame. Because we were worried that the sound of the voices would not be heard, we recorded them on a separate device. However, it was obviously not our intention for my arm to be showing in the frame.

Evaluation

With respect to pre-production, and as I have already mentioned, the failure to provide a clear plan proved extremely hindering. I feel this was my main and most important mistake throughout the entire process, however it served to show me the significance of pre-production and its influence on the final film. The plan was not the only thing we could have done differently in pre-production, however. We also could have gone to the restaurant before the actual day of shooting and familiarized ourselves with the location and therefore would have been much more prepared when it came to shooting.

For next year, I think would like to be involved in the scriptwriting, or perhaps try directing again. That having been said, what I value the most out of this project was the learning experience. Being the director allowed me to be involved in each aspect of the project, and I enjoyed this sense of collaboration, and I would like to try directing again now with a little more experience. However, in this case there was no script to be written, so I would be interested in doing so in another project to see how a scriptwriter works within a crew.

The final film turned out to exceed my expectations, especially after the actual shoot, when I thought we were going to end up with a chaotic mass of clips and no order to put them in.

To What Extent is Memento a Flippo (1998) Film Noir?

Brief Synopsis of Memento

Christopher Nolan and Guy Pearce on the
set of Memento.

Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) has anterograde amnesia, an inability to form new memories, which he contracted from a head injury while trying to save his wife from two murderers. To his knowledge, he managed to kill one of them during the attack, but the other one remains on the loose. He believes this man to be called John G., and it becomes his main goal to find him and kill him. He has managed to create a system which, seemingly, allows him to move closer towards his goal, in spite of his condition. "Habit and routine make my life possible", he says in a voice-over. These habits include having a system of where to place things, talking to people face-to-face if possible rather than on the telephone as to be able to gauge their true intention, taking Polaroids to recall faces and, of course, writing copious notes, the most important of which he tattoos on his body so that they become permanent and cannot be lost. Leonard is not alone, however. He has many first encounters with people he has already met and who are aware of his condition. Two of these characters are a man he calls Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) and Natalie (Carrie-Ann Moss). Who they really are and their true intentions as to why they help Leonard find John G. are blurred, until the end of the movie when (hopefully, unlikely if it's your first viewing) the puzzle fits.


What exactly is Film Noir?


Is it a genre? Is it a movement? A style? Or just a fancy term that makes you sound like you know something about movies? I don't know, except that the latter is obviously a (bad) joke. In any case, there are certain characteristics which are so unmistakably recognizable, so distinct to film noir, that you will find yourself identifying a noir movie in no time.


A grim canvas
Filmed in black-and-white, noirs are distinct for their shadowy, dark images. Primarily influenced by German Expressionism, studios weren't quick to complain, as this meant less money had to be spent on lighting. Set in a nameless, timeless urban landscape, it becomes the ground for the trademark film noir characters. 





Femme fatale and male protagonist. Notice how she blows
the smoke on him, the suits, the liquor. Classic film noir.

The disillusioned antihero and the femme fatale
Film noir's protagonist, a tortured, cynical man dealing with inner demons is a staple of classic film noir. Usually a cop, war veteran or detective of some kind and a drinker on the side, he is almost always an alienated soul. He cannot help but fall for the alluring, sexy femme fatale, who will real him in, lead him into danger and then leave him astray when all is said and done.

Iconography and techniques
Always present are the cigarettes, the guns, fedoras and the three piece suits, which all work together to provide the look and feel of film noir. Close-ups, spot lighting, voice-over narration and flashbacks linking a lingering past and troubled present are just a few of the techniques used.

How do things turn out?
"Pure" film noir would not have a happy ending. A happy ending would turn a film noir into a film gris or a melodrama done in a noir style. Note: Often, the director would be one from the German school (Curtiz, Lang, Preminger, among others).

Analyzing Memento as a Film Noir

In what ways is Christopher Nolan's 2000 film Memento a film noir? 

According to Hyde Flippo, and as we have also seen earlier, a required element for a movie to be noir would be the trademark cynical, disillusioned antihero facing some kind of moral dilemma at the center of the film. Leonard Shelby, the character played by Guy Pearce, would fit the mold. Because of his condition, Leonard does become an alienated character. However, regardless of his condition, we still manage to see the stubbornness and the I-don't-give-a-damn attitude that he carries with him. Inner demons? You bet. There's only one thing on his mind: find John G., kill John G.

Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss

So, where's the femme fatale? She is the character played by Carrie-Ann Moss, Natalie. As the film progresses, we find that she is not an honest woman, and even says to Leonard in his face, "I'm going to use you". He won't remember, anyhow. She really puts the fatale in femme.

Classic film noir features the dark and shadowy images in black and white that we have already seen. You'd think this is where Memento might not cut it, but the film actually has sequences filmed in black and white, intersected in between the rest of the film which is filmed in color. They distinctly divide the story into two parts, which by the end converge.

Even in color, Nolan achieves a very noirish
looking picture through great lighting.

Here is a still of one the black and white sequences
in the film.

Flippo says that "often" the film is a crime or detective story. Do I even have to? Leonard Shelby thinks his wife has been murdered (a crime), and proceeds to track down the killer (he essentially becomes a detective by doing so). There.

The film also heavily features a typical film noir element: voice-over narration. The voice-over puts us inside Leonard Shelby's mind, a very useful (and helpful) way for the viewer to sympathize with him, particularly because of his condition, which makes us see how hard it would be to be in his shoes.

So, is Memento Film Noir?

From what we have seen, it is clear that Memento would fall into film noir. However it is important to note that, strictly speaking, films noir are no longer being made. The movies that are considered film noir, again strictly speaking, are the ones from the 1940s, 1950s and in some cases even 1960s. Many pictures released from the 1960s onward share attributes with film noirs of the classic period, often treating noir conventions in a self-referential manner. Such latter-day works in a noir mode are often referred to as neo-noirs.

Leonard Shelby, covered in tattoos.

So, where does Memento become a neo-noir? Firstly, the character of Leonard Shelby. Although he does posses the necessary traits to make him a legitimate film noir protagonist, the modern twist that Nolan and his brother, the screenwriter, give to the character is his anterograde amnesia, his inability to form new memories. This is unique to Leonard Shelby. 

Also, the iconography. Classic noirs, as we have seen, feature the cigarettes, the three piece suits, the fedoras and the guns profusely. In Memento, the iconography is played with. The character of Leonard Shelby may not carry a fedora with him at all times, but he is covered in tattoos. And all throughout the film, we are overloaded with notes, and Polaroids. He may not always where a smart three piece suit, but he tries to.

Almost a three piece suit.

Perhaps there aren't any true flashbacks, but anyone who has watched the film will agree that the sequences in black and white play and feel like flashbacks.

It's not a coincidence that Natalie, Memento's femme fatale,
works in a liquor store.

Close, Leonard, close.

From what we've seen, it seems that Memento is about as close to a film noir that you can get these days. So much about it evokes film noir. But if you're still not convinced:

"I try not to be too conscious in my influences, particularly when working in such a specific genre, because I do think the film is a film noir. People sometimes ask me if it's a film noir, as if I would take objection to that, but I don't. I'm comfortable with that."

Christopher Nolan on Memento

Secondary Sources:
The Telegraph: "Film noir is coming out of the shadows"
IMDb - Memento (2000)
Hyde Flippo: Film Noir Elements
Wikipedia: Film Noir
Quote from: YouTube: An Interview with Christopher Nolan
All images taken from Google Images.

Thinking Short Film

We find a middle-aged man in his small, messy apartment sitting down on his unmade bed. He is doing drugs. There is a briefcase next to him on the bed. From his somber face and his sloppy clothes, we see he is quite miserable. He is sitting on the bed staring at the ground when he recieves a phone call. He is slow to pick it up, but when he does, he says: "Don't worry, I'll be there. Tell them I got what they want", and he looks at his briefcase. He does some more drugs and leaves his apartment in his sloppy clothes, briefcase in hand.

He gets into his old, beat-up car and puts his briefcase in the back seat. While driving, his expression doesn't change, although he does nervously look at his watch and glance at his briefcase. He might say: "I don't know how much longer I can do this."

He finally pulls up at a simple building in a humble neighborhood. The sky is grey. He gets out of the car, taking his briefcase with him. He knocks on the door of one of the buildings and a woman opens the door, relieved to see him. She says: "Thank God! They won't wait any longer." He walks down the hall into a bathroom and sets his briefcase down. He opens it, and inside we see a box of make-up, a clown suit and a funny wig. He sighs and we see him put on the costume and do his make-up. When he is done, he opens another door, to a crowd of excited little girls cheering, and jumping up and down.

Short Film

This is one of my favorite short films of all time, called Apricot. It was directed by a great up-and-coming director called Ben Briand. Click here to go to his website, where you can see the other short films he's made.