I am going to identify the relevant codes and conventions of the medium by analysing similar texts.
The first media I analysed was the film 'The Third Man' released in 1949 and directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard. This film is in the genre of 'Film Noir', which is the genre we want to emulate and I analysed the first five minutes. Throughout the first five minutes there is a male narrative voice-over who takes us through what is happening in each frame and introduces the audience to the male protagonist. This voice-over is a feature that is commonly used in films of this time and genre. Emily and I have come to the decision that we want to use a male voice-over in our film noir so it is important to analyse a film which also has the feature we want to use and see if there are any other features that we want to emulate.
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+Credits.png)
The slow rolling credits build up tension for the action of the film to begin.
The music is classical with strings which are in time to the plucking of the strings on the screen. The strings are being played by unseen hands which connotes mystery and suspense.
It is a slightly contrapuntal sound sound as it is a very happy little tune with quite spooky visuals.
This establishing shot shows Vienna and the dark murky streets. This connotes darkness and spookiness.
The classic font shows the time period and classical nature of the film.
When the image goes it fades to black, which gives a slow and erie feel.
This is the shot that occurs when the male voiceover mentions the 'damages' that happen. This image of a dead body in the water shows the dark underbelly to the city and the after effects of the bad goings on.
The high contrast lighting used makes the dark body in the water more
This is a shot that happens in the sequence when we are first introduced to the male protagonist 'martin'. His name is said by the voiceover as soon as we see him.
The way he emerges out of the train with his head down, obscuring his face and the smoke from the train also clouds the first sight of him. This has the effect of connoting mystery surrounding his character and intrigue as to what he looks like.
The use of lighting and camera angle here shows the male protagonist being looked down on. This connotes that he is being watched and someone is further up the stairs looking down on him. The shadow which is significantly larger than him looks daunting and spooky and makes him look small in comparison. The large shadow and high angle suggests to the audience that he is up against something.
The shadows on the stairs are visually appealing and add another piece of interest to the frame.
This is shot which is a close up on the face of the male protagonist showing the importance of his emotion. Most of his face is in the light and less than a quarter in shadow connotes another dark side to his personality. The way he takes up the whole of the frame shows that he is the focus and a very important part of the film.
The first media I analysed was the film 'The Third Man' released in 1949 and directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard. This film is in the genre of 'Film Noir', which is the genre we want to emulate and I analysed the first five minutes. Throughout the first five minutes there is a male narrative voice-over who takes us through what is happening in each frame and introduces the audience to the male protagonist. This voice-over is a feature that is commonly used in films of this time and genre. Emily and I have come to the decision that we want to use a male voice-over in our film noir so it is important to analyse a film which also has the feature we want to use and see if there are any other features that we want to emulate.
+Big+Ben.png)
The establishing shot of the film 'The Third Man' shows Big Ben which is a very iconic british monument in London. The overcast background and clouds connotes darkness and perhaps mystery. The font is in an old style of writing which shows the period of time. This combines with the image of Big Ben to establish the context of the film company. The actual film is not set in London, but it is produced by a British Film company called 'London Film Production'. After this frame it then fades to black, which is a classic effect used in film noirs.
+Credits.png)
The slow rolling credits build up tension for the action of the film to begin.
The music is classical with strings which are in time to the plucking of the strings on the screen. The strings are being played by unseen hands which connotes mystery and suspense.
It is a slightly contrapuntal sound sound as it is a very happy little tune with quite spooky visuals.
This establishing shot shows Vienna and the dark murky streets. This connotes darkness and spookiness.
The classic font shows the time period and classical nature of the film.
When the image goes it fades to black, which gives a slow and erie feel.
This is the shot that occurs when the male voiceover mentions the 'damages' that happen. This image of a dead body in the water shows the dark underbelly to the city and the after effects of the bad goings on.
The high contrast lighting used makes the dark body in the water more
This is a shot that happens in the sequence when we are first introduced to the male protagonist 'martin'. His name is said by the voiceover as soon as we see him.
The way he emerges out of the train with his head down, obscuring his face and the smoke from the train also clouds the first sight of him. This has the effect of connoting mystery surrounding his character and intrigue as to what he looks like.
The use of lighting and camera angle here shows the male protagonist being looked down on. This connotes that he is being watched and someone is further up the stairs looking down on him. The shadow which is significantly larger than him looks daunting and spooky and makes him look small in comparison. The large shadow and high angle suggests to the audience that he is up against something.
The shadows on the stairs are visually appealing and add another piece of interest to the frame.
This is shot which is a close up on the face of the male protagonist showing the importance of his emotion. Most of his face is in the light and less than a quarter in shadow connotes another dark side to his personality. The way he takes up the whole of the frame shows that he is the focus and a very important part of the film.
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