Storyboard

We used our script as the basis for a storyboard for our film, and brainstormed different camera angles we could use in each scene. It also meant we had to carefully consider locations in detail, helping us be practical when we developed our ideas as this was one of the biggest problems we faced making our AS Level film. We eventually created this storyboard. 

As well as a static storyboard, we created an animatic version. Where the above version made us think about camera angles, we could now look at how we could edit our film and which features would be useful. For example, using a black and white filter and a flash transition helped emphasise the flashback, and we could superimpose different shots over the master shot in the introduction which we really liked. It also gave us the opportunity to test out our music and sound effects.

Script and Actors

Our next step was to create the script for our film. We began by creating the three main characters:

• Kevin
• How he fits into film noir: Kevin is the "fall guy", as our film documents his downwards spiral. His biggest flaw is his dark history and mentality (like with many film noir heroes)- he suffers from PTSD and dissociative amnesia, which drive him to murder. There is definitely ambiguity to his character- obviously he is a killer, however because he doesn't know this he acts innocent. The audience could sympathise with him although not fully. He allows himself to be manipulated by the femme fatale.
• Violet
• How she fits into film noir: Violet is the "femme fatale" in our film. She is everything Kevin is not; independent, confident, seductive, lacking compassion and career orientated. This makes it easy for her to manipulate him for her own gain; she feels no guilt despite their months together and escapes unscathed. She is nothing like the traditional woman (a domestic housewife) and like the femme fatales in early noirs defies gender roles. We have taken inspiration from characters such as Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity, an archetypical femme fatale.
• Policeman
• How he fits into film noir: In many film noirs the police are actually shown as corrupt and immoral (for example in LA Confidential), so we have actually subverted this convention. We wanted one character who was clearly good and moral to act as a foil and remind the audience of how terrible the actions of the other characters are. He sees the femme fatale for what she really is and although he is glad to have found the killer he is clearly uncomfortable with how she caught him.

After creating a rough draft of the script, we wanted to record a read through with our actors to see if it ran smoothly and to get any feedback on what we could do to improve the narrative. 

The two main issues were:

1. Kevin and Violet's relationship seemed to move forwards very quickly

We planned to show this though a montage, using no dialogue, so maybe the script didn't make this clear enough. When we film we could perhaps use different costumes and filters to make it clear that a significant period of time has passed, for example from a sunny day to a colder, rainy one. Even a caption could be used to make this explicit.

2. Violet's monologue didn't quite explain how Kevin had committed the murders and needed developing

We will need to adapt our script to make this clear, so perhaps Violet's monologue should be extended slightly. We could name the condition and she could give a definition so the audience can see where it all fits in.

We considered this feedback before creating our final version of the script.

Final Script

Final script from jessfareymedia

Title

We decided on the title "Blackout" for our film, a direct reference to the protagonist's periods of memory loss, which we make clear when Violet finds Kevin's medical records. It could also be interpreted as a synonym for death, which fits in with some of the darker themes and ideas in our film.

Typography

We knew that we wanted to use a white font on a black background. The dark background is conventionally used in title cards to draw attention to the text, and in classical cinema when there was no Technicolor white was the only colour which clearly stood out. Therefore the title card will be reminiscent of the iconography of traditional film noirs filmed in the 1940's and 1950's. This was important to us because we are filming a neo noir which actually subverts many of the conventions of these films.

Title cards of classic film noirs

We began by looking at the fonts on Final Cut Pro X. Although we would have more choice on custom font sites, we would have had to export the title card as an image which would have been of a lower quality and harder to animate. We found three fonts that we liked

What we liked	What we didn't like
Simple and bold font makes it stand out	Possibly overly simple, looks too boring
Sans serif with no embellishments means the audience won’t struggle to read it	Nothing which directly links it to film noir or the film itself- very generic
The subtle reflection makes it a bit more sophisticated

What we liked	What we didn't like
Very clear, large lettering	From a distance it still looks too simple and boring
The font does not just use solid blocks of colour but markings which look like scratches to give it texture	The markings, which make it look rough and damaged are possibly more reminiscent of an action film than a film noir

Our Final Font

What we liked	What we didn't like
The typography is retro and reminiscent of old film posters, such as classic film noirs.	It doesn't contrast with the background as much as the first fonts, so we would have to make it as big and bold as possible.
It is still fairly simple and bold, even if it is not white, so it stays legible.
Close up, there is a shadowed pattern which makes it more interesting. The combination of black and white is again associated with film noir specifically.

Mind Map of Initial Ideas

Having studied the history and conventions of film noir, we feel we are ready to begin planning our own film. We tried to come up with three different ideas and developing a premise for each using stereotypical characters, themes and ideas. We eventually combined different elements of each of them to create our final premise:

A war veteran suffering from dissociative amnesia finds himself at the psychiatrist's coinciding with a string of local murders. He meets a young undercover journalist who has her own career at heart- and sees the opportunity for a breakthrough.

From this we were able to discuss initial ideas for the setting, characters, props, costume and makeup.