The exchange

The brief
I was asked to create a short noir style film involving 2 characters exchanging something e.g. a tape, an envelope, a briefcase etc. There would be no recorder sound other than from the camera-top microphone, so we were asked to find suitable music to accompany the on-screen action. By completing this film we would be able to gain further knowledge of camera work and be able to meet our targets from the preliminary exercise. I worked in a group of 3 with Emily and Conna. Each of us participated in filming at least one shot and I also acted in this film as we were short on team members and chose not to rely on any outside talent to help us as they could prove unreliable.
Planning
Before filming, as a group we had to complete many pieces of pre-filming paperwork. These included the following:

• A location finders checklist - answering questions about the location (e.g. suitability)
• A 10-12 shot storyboard - to plan our shots and make sure we were prepared
• A risk evaluation sheet - examining the potential hazards of filming in our chosen location
• A risk reduction sheet - actions we would take to reduce the risks identified
• A call sheet - containing all the vital information needed for our film to run smoothly (e.g. equipment used, directions to our location and group member's phone numbers)
• A camera logging sheet* - used whilst editing the film to establish how long each shot is and how often we would use it in our exchange piece

After completing all of the above (* - we completed this piece of paperwork after filming) we was able to set out as a group and film our exchange. It was very important that all paperwork had been completed because it enables the shoot to run easier and we would be more likely to film successfully if everything was prepared.

The exchange exercise is below

Evaluation of the exchange piece

We showed our exchange film to the rest of the media class to gain feedback and targets to improve on for next time.

The location: We chose this location because the shaded trees above gave a dark image and the privacy ensured people wouldn't be walking past whilst we were filming. The audience felt the location was ideal though the sunlight sometimes left a few of the shots under exposed. We had noticed this but thought we would include the shot anyway as the shadowy effect it gave appeared to be very noir-style.

The music: The piece of music we used was from the famous noir film DOA (Dead On Arrival). We used it because we thought it would make our film seem dated, and it also went well against the action on-screen. The audience gave mixed feedback on this. Half the class agreed that the music went well with the action, but the other half felt it made the film more like a traditional noir and the instruments used in the music didn't set the noir mood. I think the music did go well with the film, though there were many other more suitable options that we could have considered as a group at the time.

The mise-en-scene: We chose the costumes to look smart and mysterious and also similar to those we had seen in previous noirs. Both characters wore long coats, and the audience mentioned the characters looking older. The item we chose to exchange was an envelope. We chose not to show the contents of the envelope as this would create an enigma. The bare trees and the piles of leaves on set gave a 'dead' atmosphere, though the new buildings in the background made the film more modern.

The cinematography: We decided to include a mix of shots to tell our exchange story. This was because it would be boring to watch if it was all done in the same shot type. We used a high-angle shot to show the importance of the characters, the over-the-shoulder shot was to give the impression of the audience secretly peering in on the action, the close-up and extreme close-up shots were used to show the character's emotions, and the long shots were used to portray the characters as lonely and secretive. The audience felt the variety of shots worked well though they commented on the framing on some of them. Since framing was a target from the preliminary exercise evaluation, I must consider the 'rule of thirds' when filming next time, as it appears to be a continuing weakness and can spoil the audience's viewing experience. We also had to consider the 180° and the 30° line rules as it would look odd and ammateur if we didn't. In one of the shots, the audience felt that the 30° rule wasn't met as it switched between Emily looking around, and then an extreme close-up from the same position. This is something we didn't notice as a group, but is very important to consider for next time.

The narrative: We planned the narrative in a storyboard so that we all fully understood it before we went out to film. We idea was to create 2 mysterious characters exchanging some secret information in an envelope. We wanted there to be an enigma that would persuade the audience to watch more. The audience feedback was generally positive about our film narrative, but some people thought that it could have been a few minutes longer so that the characters would be better established.

Overall, I think our exchange piece was very successful as the majority of our audience enjoyed watching it and felt it was in the style of a film noir. I felt we met the exchange brief, but there are still a few things that I could improve on for next time, such as the positioning of shots/framing, the 30° line rule and considering the rule of thirds.