Research - The Big Sleep.

What is the story about and how does it convey the story to the audience?

In the film “the big sleep”’; a rich man is being blackmailed and has called a private detective to help him find out who is doing this and why. The audience are told this through the dialogue and props such as: the old man talks about how he is being blackmailed & shows the detective some paper slips as proof.

What production techniques are used to bring this film to life?

Throughout the film there was a series of techniques used:

-          Non diegetic sound; in the opening titles with loud, intense music

-          Back lighting; to emphasise the time of day and key lighting on the characters

-          Camera shots; on the women very blurred, focusing on her features to show her beauty and feminine side.

-          Costumes; fairly “typical”, with a white shirt for the detective

-          Silhouettes and smoking (in the opening titles)

How is it conventional?

The conventions of film noir that are included in this film are generally; black and white, using a femme fetal, the costumes used, smoking and titling. Although one main convention was not used, the narration at the beginning.

What props & why?

A large house, cigarettes and alcohol were used in the duration of the film because it expressed the “fashion” at that time. For example women that were seen smoking and drinking alcohol meant that it would have been seen as a “cool” thing at that time and therefore set a trend for other women.

Where the setting, why is it used & how is it portrayed?

The setting of the film was generally based at a large house to show the storyline involved a rich family/man; it was also a very dominant setting showing that they may be very dominant characters. I feel that the house was a main location as it’s seen as a convention for the film noir movies and an affluent location.

Why do you think they kept it black & white in an era that has colour film?

By keeping the film Black and white during an era in which had discovered colour film it enables the film to take the audience back to an earlier time zone through lighting & ambience, it also makes the character and storyline have a glamorous edge. By this technique it can enable the lighting effects to be used in different aspects and therefore will make it a great deal easier to connote from the audiences point of view.

What sort of titling and music is used throughout?

The opening titles was shown using silhouettes of people smoking in the background and fairly basic titling on the foreground, by showing smoking again it shows the role model idea of the activity and emphasized the “cool-ness” of it.  Also the music throughout the opening titles is intense and dramatic to show that something has happened.

Who are the main characters and how are they portrayed?

Female 1 – A long shot is used to introduce her character as she is shown in a short tennis outfit with her legs emphasised in the shot. By this is portrays her character as a playful and teasing personality that sometimes crosses the line with her attitude.

Detective – he’s shown very serious about his work by the way he ignores the flirtatious attitude of the females and uninterested of her behaviour.

How would you describe the lighting used & what time of day is it filmed?

It was filmed during the main house of the day, as this is shown through the lighting outside the window of the house; this would have been caused by the back lighting which is generally to highlight the background features of the setting. The key lighting that was used came from the right side of the camera and wasn’t very sharp, although when a shot of the female was used the shot became very blurred and highlighted her key features and her beauty.

What sorts of costumes were used and what does this say about the characters?

The detective wore a white shirt, black tie and black trousers, showing that he was serious about his work but he wore this in a fairly “laid-back” aspect with the top button of his shirt undone & his tie worn loosely and therefore may show that although he takes his role and job seriously at times he will relax.