FILM NOIR 'CHEAT SHEET' PREP

Hello Year 13,

I'd like you to do some prep for me this week. It will be due next Friday - 5-8 pages of information - working in groups of 2-3 or individually. 

It's a 'cheat sheet' for film noir to help you with exams as you must talk about society has influenced film noir during the time it was made.

I'd attached an example I've made of a cheat sheet (but I'd really rather you make your own!) which details what you should be looking for in terms of research. You have my blog, the internet and your exam booklet to help you. I'd like film posters, synopsis and details of the date of release and details of the main actors and the director of the film under 'TITLE' too please.

We will be watching NOTORIOUS by Alfred Hitchcock next week which is why I have included it in the list. 

TITLE	INFLUENCES ON SOCIETY	KEY QUOTES FROM FILM OR ELSEWHERE	RELEVANT THEORIES
GENRE AND FILM NOIR	Look for: details on what genre could be considered as (genre as a whole to start of the essay remember).  Then... Talk about how film noir was influenced by society here and how it could be considered as a sub-genre of crime. Discuss where film noir originated from and the role of German expressionism – look this up. Find out what was happening during the time period when film noir was popular.		Take a look at quotes from Daniel Chandler, Steve Neale and David Buckingham on what genre is. Take a look at the documentary notes when we watched the noir documentary...
SCARFACE (ORIGINAL) ADD DETAILS ON DIRECTOR, DATE AND SYNOPSIS HERE AND BELOW....	Look for: portrayal of real life criminals, the role of the Hayes code and the role of studio bosses/commercial success of the film. All in your booklet or use internet research.
CASABLANCA	Look for: WW2 and the USA ‘call to action’, how Warner Brothers accelerated the release, Ingrid Bergman and her requirements as a star, the role of the studio boss, how the American Dream influences Casablanca.
MILDRED PIERCE	Look for: the role of women in the film, how women were perceived at this particular time, how the film portrays the role of women and the vote, Joan Crawford as a ‘star’ and how her perception changed after the film release.		Male Gaze?
DOUBLE INDEMNITY	Look for: Take a look at the notes you took for the documentary. Look at the Hayes code and the film, the role of women and especially Barbara Stanwyck as an actress, how the story by James M. Cain was perceived and why it took a while to ‘green light’ the project and how the film reflects public ideas post-war.		Male Gaze?
THE BIG HEAT	Look for: the role of women in the film, the Kefauver hearings, the references to nuclear war, Fritz Lang’s German Expressionist influence.
NOTORIOUS	Look for: details on Alfred Hitchcock and his role as a director - speak about how he influenced the film during the time it was made. The film is about espionage and was made just after the war - research ideas about fear and anxiety at this time. Look at details of Ingrid Bergman and whether her role changed after Casablanca.

Notes on Scarface

Notes for SCARFACE can be found in 25-34 of your revision ‘film noir’ booklet.

Here are some shortened notes to accompany the film which you will be watching this week:

• Gangsters in the film are always portrayed at ignorant and misogynistic, reflecting the treatment of women. 

• The film is not strictly recognised as film noir but certainly spurred the genre on. 

• The film was released in 1932. The film reflects the prohibition era, zoot suit riots and the Valentine’s day massacre. 

• It is said that Tony has a somewhat incestous relationship with his sister Francesca.

• The Hays code set ways to censor the film in the following ways: an apologetic/moral statement at the beginning of the film, various cuts and changes were made to the film and the voiceover, Tony’s mother was re-filmed to make dissaproving remarks to her son, although there are almost 30 deaths in the film blood is never shown and a second/more hopeful ending is shown.

• In the second/more hopeful ending.. Tony is left emasculated. 

• the film, despite all cuts and edits did not do well at the box office. This reflected that people weren’t quite ready for this new violent and horrific form of cinema.

• The Valentine’s Day massacre took place in 1929 and killed mob bosses during the prohibition era. Al Capone was the head of the gang.

• The film reflects racial segregation prevalent during this time. The Zoot suit riots occuring later also reflects this era. 

KEY DATES FOR MEDIA

FYI: You'll have to ask permission to come to the talks at 11am during double periods where you're not timetabled for Media. I will need notes from your teachers for these talks.

12th AUGUST - 11AM - Talk by Bruce Cotterill from Yellow Pages and Metro on re-launch ad campaigns in Media Room

16th AUGUST - SPARK PHD and DRAFT FCB Advertising field trip - all day - winter no. 1

20th AUGUST - 11AM - Talk by Karen Maurice O' Leary from STARSEED PR (PR Company)

30th AUGUST - Colenso and DDB Advertising field trip TBC - all day - winter no. 1

6th SEPT - 11AM - Talk by Colenso TBC

20th SEPT - OGILVY and Mi9 Advertising field trip - all day - winter no. 1

27th NOV - Media External Exams - Film Noir and Advertising @ 2pm (3 hrs)

HOLIDAY PREP - Hand in July 31st

During the holidays, I'd like you to write a 1 and a half page evaluation of your original idea for your 4 credit planning work. This will be marked as a form of reflection/refinement.

To make it interesting I'd like you to use photos/screen grabs of your final edit to describe your ideas.

Happy to get this on Powerpoint, Keynote, Pages or Word. It should be printed out by 31st July.

1) Did you keep to your original idea? If not, why did you decide to select another idea?

2) Did you change/adapt your original idea or include it in another film idea? How did you do this?

3) What film noir conventions did you use in your final film? How did these interest your audience and adhere to film noir conventions?

4) During your planning process, how realistic did your idea become? Were there too many scene changes and actors for example? Were there any difficulties with locations, etc?

5) If you went back to stage your original film noir idea what would you change?

Film Noir Essay - Another Example

Film Noir Essay - First Example

In the exam booklet I've incorrectly labelled this as OPTION A. It is for OPTION B which is what you'd answer in the exam. This is Merit Level. 

HOLIDAY PREP - Evaluation - due 31st July