Film Noir: Storyboard

We made a sketched storyboard to go with each scene so that we had a good idea of how the sound, dialogue and shot types would all mix together in the scenes. It's definitely boosted our creativity and also made us feel more confident about what we want and how we want our film to look.

Film Noir: Filming Locations

Today we worked out all the locations we wanted to film our own Film Noir in!

It was a difficult task because making sure we find appropriate mostly local locations is key as it makes it easier for the whole team to get to where they need to be.

We rang up a restaurant named 'Frankie & Bennies' to see if we can film in there, but as they have said to us they need to ring their 'head office' for permission as they are a franchise, we have got a back up restaurant just in case, which is a pub in our hometown called George the 4th. Both are really dark and old fashioned restaurants and suit what we need a lot more than any other restaurants around. I hope that it is possible to film in our first choice. Venetian blinds are present in both for example, so they do fit the criteria already for 'Film Noir'!

We have worked out for each of our scenes where we shall film them and also worked out a filming schedule. After we know about the restaurant we can be sure of a timetable.

On Thursday the 1st of February we are going to a village road to film the changeover Bonnie does which is narrated by Bobby when he tells the story of what she is doing to detective Carter.

We will have two suitcases for props to make sure the point of the flashback story is clear. This will not take us a great deal of time to film, but we must make sure we stick to time limits so editing can be done efficiently.

Making sure that all of our cast can make these various occasions is really important. All 3 of our team must be there, but also because then we can all contribute to making sure the filming goes to plan.

We phoned the restaurant F&B's a final time and found that we could not film in our first choice of location. We have decided to film at George the 4th instead.

Our Schedule:

Scene 1 & 2: Tuesday 6th March, 11.20-1.20pm, In a school office

Scene 3 & 4: Monday 5th March, 5.30-7pm, George the 4th Pub in Baldock

Scene 5: Wednesday 29th February, 7-8.30, at a house of our own

Scene 6: Thursday 8th March, 9.30-11.15am, at a relative's office

I'm looking forward to starting to film!

Film Noir: Character Profiles

Scarlett Jones

Scarlett is shown to be a girl very loyal to Bobby. She is incredibly protective as we see in the scene where the detective turns up at Bobby's house, because she defends entry. In comparison to Bonnie, Scarlett has very little importance. But the 'femme fatale' quality that Bonnie posesses is what allows her to take control of the men she crosses paths with. Scarlett is left with Bobby as a second choice - he does not want to be used again. Scarlett is a very brave woman and if she had been given the option would have been right there shooting bullets at Bobby's enemies - anything to be alongside him. Something about the way the two behave suggest that they could have more than a professional relationship, but we never find out if this is true, because Bonnie is the one who is the sexualised female in the story, and should keep all attention throughout. What Scarlett's character can be compared to are the innocent females that usually deter the detective from the femme fatale for a short while, and then get let down as they fall in love with her. Scarlett is of course someone we would understand has some kind of linking to Bobby.

In this story instead of the detective having two women, Bobby does. This makes the Detective seem rather caring and his growing fondness of Bonnie seem much more realistic. I've found in films like 'Double Indemnity' that when the protagonist has two female interests neither seem very important to them, so I wanted to make sure the audience believe this relationship so that at the end they feel pity for Bonnie leaving the Detective behind for her own greedy benefit.

Film Noir: Character Profiles

Ben Humberstone - "Bobby Dents"

Bobby Dents is a criminal who is responsible for a number of murders relating to the drugs he deals and detectives who caught on to his violent ways. Detective Carter's father (as we are told in the opening narrative) was murdered by Bobby and his crew when he found they were responsible for dealing illegal drugs in the hundreds.

What we learn about Bobby however during this film is that actually he does not commit the crime Bonnie frames him for. This leaves us wondering whether he actually killed Carter's father, or whether Bonnie was in on that too - that would be why she targets him out of all the Detectives because he is more likely to be empowered by his drive for revenge. The rude nature of this character however does nothing for the audience to suspect his innocence - he has no respect for anyone other than himself. This is evident in the way he treats Scarlett and also the Detective when he arrives - he is not afraid of anything.

Bobby is portrayed as the innocent one in comparison to Bonnie at the end, and pitied because he was shot for something he wasn't responsible for. Bonnie is of course a character whose devilish ways are masked by her 'innocence', whereas Bobby never behaves innocently which is why he was easy to pin as guilty.

Bobby, like Detective Carter, is controlled by Bonnie. As the femme fatale, she has twisted both of them using her seductive mannerisms to make sure she comes out with exactly what she wants. Even though Bobby is a criminal and Carter a detective, they both still fall for Bonnie, which shows they are both weakened by the female lure. This gives them something in common, ironically, but also displays the typical nature of Film Noirs where the male character is a very insecure and weak person, despite their usual performance of strong, exterior emotions.

I think Ben is very strong looking guy and so to be able to play someone like Bobby this is perfect. Ben is a very good actor and despite his kind nature will be able to play this role with ease i'm sure!

Film Noir: Character Profiles

Ellen Bradford - "Bonnie Kensington"

Femme fatale: "An irresistably attractive woman who leads men to destruction"

This character is our femme fatale. She is firstly presented as incredibly vulnerable and someone that the audience perhaps wish the detective to fall for, as love stories are a nice watch.



We used Laura Mulvey's audience theory like they do in these films and put an attractive female in to attract the 'male gaze'.

I think by using a blonde femme fatale the typical 50's blonde, curly hair and red lipstick (much like marilyn monroe) is still interpreted as a 'sex' symbol.

The sexualisation of Bonnie should alert the audience that something is not quite right, however that reaction will differ from person to person. Ellen has quite a mature look about her and her eyes portray a hidden sense. This is key for the presentation of our character.



She moved from England as a young adult to the United States and so has picked up the strong american accent. Her sob story she brilliantly portrays in the first office scene to the detective shows the power of her seduction and female position. It's important that she has a past that will be very different from the detective's because it will add to her mystery and attract him to her further.




By shooting in the 1950's style it means that our femme fatale can be conventional. I like the way the women are portrayed - my favourite being the character of 'Phyllis' in Double Indemnity because she is perfectly conventional. I look forward to creating a similarly powerful character who dominates the storyline as a female.

Film Noir: Character Profiles

Ed Beard - "Detective John Carter"

This character posesses the arrogance and intelligence of the typical male potagonist that we see in so many film noir films, e.g Double Indemnity, but he actually loses out to the Femme Fatale (Bonnie Kensington) at the end.

I think it is important that our character can show some kind of emotional attachment to Bonnie because otherwise we cannot interpret the 'falling in love' process across to the audience effectively. This actor has a very soft look about his eyes which can contribute to understanding that he is a very gentle man at heart, but money and policing have hardened his exterior. This is obviously what makes him vulnerable to Bonnie.

When he goes to the Mob Boss's house (Bobby's) we know that Bobby murdered his father and that revenge could be his driving force, however Bonnie's power over him could also be responsible. As an audience we are left wondering who he actually did it for. If he did it for Bonnie, we then feel pity for him because he has lost not only his father but now his love through the conning scene.

Of course this character will wear a suit and a hat throughout the film, which is of course conventional. One idea we have had is that when Bonnie is in scenes with Detective Carter, he does not wear his hat. The hat can be a symbol of control, and he therefore only wears it when he has complete control over a situation.

One of the most common scenarios presented in film noir is when the main character begins the story from his point of view, and introduces the tale as a flashback. Carter has many narratives over the course of the film and I think this will strengthen his relationship with the audience, but also make our film similar to other film noir movies.

As the character is an 'anti-hero' (a term often used to describe the main character in this genre of films) we assume that his morals are not perhaps as innocent as they should be. His position as a detective does not stand in his way of getting revenge on Bobby - Bonnie provides the way in that he's been waiting for. However, it's important that the audience still feel pity for Carter because he is playing a depressed character and by the end of the story, despite a hope he might have found love, he ends up right back where he started.

Film Noir: Progress

Today we made sure that we completed the storyboards that go with our script. We have annotated them to contain details of our shot types and sounds so that we know exactly what each scene is going to look like.
One of the key details we have included for example is the close ups of our femme fatale. To make sure she comes across to the audience as a seductress we have included close up of her red lips, drinking from a wine glass, pose by the door upon meeting the detective, and also the sound of her giggles to add to her attractiveness. This is incredibly important because it leaves the audience feeling as though she is innocent and as we see the detective fall for her, it's almost like we don't want to believe that she is a criminal.