Film Concept

CONCEPT:

Target Audience: The concept for my four to eight minute film noir short film will be targeted at a wide audience but mainly an older audience accustomed to film noir unlike the younger generation who enjoy the newer neo noir.

Title: The film will be called “The Smoke” a foreshadowing title that alludes to glamour and mystery.

Conventions Included (5):

Plot Synopsis- A detective’s (Compton Ward) mobster brother (Dixon Ward) comes to him and tells him of a new drug on the street that has been worrying the underground of the city code name run by a mysterious crew named The Smoke. Meanwhile the detective’s innocent girlfriend (Evie/ Evangeline) works at a speak easy bar and one day goes missing – the detective runs to the bar that is completely trashed with a single cigarette sitting on the bar. The two brothers team up to find out what happened to Evie. Together they shake down criminals in a montage sequence- every time the audience will catch a glimpse of a mysterious figure watching them in back leather gloves. They confront the man beating a confession out of him until he tells them about a drug drop that the mysterious leader of the smoke will be at. They are situated in an abandoned theatre -going to find this mysterious criminal figure- then they find out that he is been Evie all along who faked her own death! The film ends as the brothers engage in a huge shoot out with the femme fatale and her henchmen. A stray bullet catches the femme fatal and as she is dying but whispering that she always loved him.

Characters and Motivations:

·      Detective Compton Ward – Wants to capture the mysterious smoke gang and find out what happened to his girl.

·      Dixon Ward – The Mobster – Wants to help his brother and take back control of the underworld

·      Evie/ Evangeline – The Innocent waitress/ Femme Fatale – wants to maintain control of the underworld, having to make a choice between love and money

·      Bruno – The Henchman- wants to serve his master and to kill the ward brothers

·      Group of Henchmen 3-4 – Shoot the good guys

·      Speak easy bar patrons 3-4- Drink and mind there own business.

Practicalities:

Settings-  Settings will have to be quite basic as some students are boarders so as many on school shots as possible – and as it will be shot in Black and White this will add a dark tone. Rain is important as well as damp streets add to the mise-en-scene, Kings college stairway shots, Window shots, Staff Room Bar shots. The locations should be common urban settings to give it a realistic feel.

Costuming- Costuming will have to set the time period of the late 20s with suits and glamorous dresses, leather guns, and hats– these will need to be made available from the costuming department in the great hall, as well as some donated costumes. Costumes will need to represent characters such as good lady no lipstick, bad lady bright blood red lipstick.

Props- Again period setting props – maybe some martini glasses and a few guns as well maybe an old car- Will need to be borrowed maybe from a teacher.

Cast- Cast will be very important, as serious actors will be needed with flexible schedules.

Five things:

Cinematography

·      High low angles

·      Reflection

·      Distortion and skewed view

·      Extreme Close Ups

·      Deep focus

·      Faces obscured through objects

·      Dutch tilt

·      Irregular framing

Mise-En-Scene

·      Rain and Damp streets

·      Urban Settings

·      Low Key lighting – Chiarascuro

·      High contrast

Post Production

·      Sound

o   Down beat music

o   Heavy breathing

o   Quiet and silence

o   Sudden music

o   Voice over

o   Sound effects

·      Editing

o   Non linear start

o   Day shot for night using filters.

o   Montage

o   Jump cuts