Film Noir

I have been watching some old movies like “Touch of Evil” by Orson Welles. I kind of waned to look at some of these Film Qualities.

Here is quote from an Essay by Lise Hordnes’s "Does Film Noir mirror the culture of contemporary America? "

Discussing Film Noir:

“…. One of the techniques used was the low-key lighting which causes the effect of obscuring the action, and deglamourizing the star so that the composition becomes more important than the actor. Earlier American movies had focused on the star. The use of night and shadows emphasizes the cold and the darkness in the noirs. The change of focus from the actors and movement in the image to the compository excitement underline a fatalistic and hopeless mood. This mood is also fortified through a complex narration, often disjuncted and fragmented. To do this flashbacks are often used, which emphasizes the feeling of lost time and despair. According to Paul Schrader time is manipulated because the form stands above the content. In the narration voice-over is also often used , and in connection we sometimes get to see the end of the film in its beginning. This is also an unconventional use of the time notion that call forth a feeling of predestination and irrevocable past.

The wide-angle cinematography participated in making the space distorted and the audience disoriented. In film noir we also find a repeated use of an image composition where the lines no longer are horizontal, but vertical and sloping. This gives an unsettling impression. In the noirs the world often seems like a prison, something that these images along with the use of image metaphors like sun blinds help to underline. We also find an extended use of extreme low and high-angle perspectives.

All of these stylistic elements served to disorient the spectators and create a mood of uneasiness, alienation and loneliness in the movies. Thus, the dark and uneasy visual expression of the film noirs emphasize the themes.…”

Inspirations

Here are some things I have been looking at: I have been reading a magazine, “Super 8 Today” In the September/October issue there is a good article called “Super-8 Tips: Making Your First Film” I Also liked an article that Ron sent me “Shooting DV for Broadcast”

Oh, and here’s a link to a site that has video artists. I accessed this site when I did my research on Eija-Liisa Ahtila. It’s called: “Video Art Contemporary Artists”
www.the-artists.org/tours/video-art.cfm

And a Thank You out to Ron for referring me to The Karakuri Corner: www.karakuricorner.com

Progress:

The digital work has been going fine; however, my work with the 8mm is going a bit slow. I have been working with an old 8mm camera and have had some problems. First of all, I didn’t know I had to turn the film over after I shot one side so, my first reel is really just half a reel. Also, it was processed on a reel that didn’t fit on the projector I have. My plan of attack now is to just have it put to DVD from the start. I have to have three rolls completed for the DVD minimum.

"Struggle" and "Hollywood Take"

I am still working on both of these pieces. I want to experiment more with 8mm film with both of them, as well work on the souund. My idea is to record music from old 78’s on an old Victrola. I like the scratchy sound. We’ll see how it goes.

Video Clips: "Hollywood Take"