Film Noir... or 'Dark Cinema'?

The Idea

This short movie idea has become known as "The Dark Cinema" for a variety of reasons. First, me and Rebecca can't seem to avoid the intense desire to make a 'film noir' worthy of the genre classification & all of the history that goes with Detective/Crime stories & movies of the day (from the late 30's to the late 50's). Of course the title, "The Dark Cinema" is a direct correlation to the name 'film noir,' or 'black film,' which I really translate 'dark' in my head anyway. There is also a very distinct connection between the title & the plot of the story as well, but I'm not gonna reveal any spoilers. I have to admit, the idea of making this film does sort of fulfill at least the feeling of 'making the quentissential' film noir. I only say this because after writing about 2/3rds of the script and being, really, very satisfied with it's quality.

As a short comparison here with other classic film-noir, there is a murder that takes place within the darkness of a movie theater while a movie is taking place, no less. Although, it should be noted that, while this plot point may make someone think this is a horror or suspense genre of film, it is not. But, keeping with the feeling of films of that day (which is I think one of the best things about film noir) a classy, determined lead character dominates the movement of the story through dark sets, lighting & situations. As "The Maltese Falcon" was a driving force in my love of film noir (between the dialogue Dashielle Hammett craftily establishes and Humphrey Bogart's intensely passionate acting), so are many of my themes influenced by these two factors- strong dialogue & strong characters.

In "The Maltese Falcon" we are swiftily brought along on this emotional roller coaster which engenders this certain clinging confidence to the character 'Sam Spade,' rather out of necessity. While we are left with feelings of romantic admiration for this time in the past we are also left with the cruel realities that society seems to present us. The Producers & Director do not shirk off this reality and as a result tell a gritty tale of conflict, inner turmoil and sexual tension, though, as it comes to the morale, we are given no option to interpret what the end of all of these problems will be in society. The hero, who is powerful and suave, just as James Bond may be, uses every means at his disposal to destroy the clever wiles of evil men (and even women) in the story (it is as though good is the ruthless victor- which can be a controversial opinion, yet it always seems to work in the most legendary and popular stories).


The Film-Noir Anti-Hero

Though, I realize that film noir was one of the first to present the idea of an anti-hero, the problem an anti-hero presents in the story is usually portrayed as a more vague symbol of some social ill, and less, a sort of super-villain or 'misguided hero' issue, as more recent indy films really love to use these days.

The Film-Noir Symbology

So, I realize that in writing this script I have some elbow room to work within as it comes to character development, and this leaves room for surprises. I think it may be good, though, to keep with some legendary symbols in the film to draw us back to the real deal. For example, The hero symbol, the femme fatale symbol, the habitual smoking and drinking is difficult to avoid, guns, police, organized crime, and a gritty black & white look along with dramatic lighting is essential, '40's era costuming is necessary (which is my favorite era of film noir), and, of course, some sort of mystery for the viewer to uncover. This is, to me, a chemistry to bring success as long as certain production points are achieved. Keeping vigilant as to lighting, acting style, costuming, sound quality & a strong sense of focus on the meaning in the story.

I am hoping to use B&W Digital HD with warm, somewhat intense lighting. Of course with video, lighting a scene will be easy as long as I chose my subjects carefully whether they be an urban scene in a back alley or the character of a face revealed in the light. Digital tends to be much more sensitive to light than film, not to mention post-production gives under-lighting an advantage in digital as opposed to film. All of this means a B&W film noir is great in digital (to me) while film is, no doubt, more expensive & time consuming to light. As long as there is a gradient of depth to the shadows and there is a gritty feel (which digital may have trouble with), I am golden!


Obstacles & Format

As it comes to the obstacles I forsee, I have many. I have a very limited budget, I don't have many props, nor do I have access to many professional actors & I don't have access to any '40's era automobiles. So, I am presented with some very real limitations. I believe it is possible to create the feeling of dramatic black & white and a gritty film feel while using digital, though I don't think this would be unnoticeable and this, I cannot prevent. So, I mustn't pretend to have achieved some sort of authentic black & white soft film look. This would be over-promising and under-delivering. However, if you have viewed my trailer (which is a very temporary main-idea trailer which was filmed on DV in one day- edited on Final Cut in two or three days) you can see that it feels 'film noir' & this is good. I'm sure a lot of that is the classic trailer 'big letter' titling and that was part of the plan, but dramatic shadows were of primary importance. This is done with the aid of fairly strong lighting for the most part and it does seem to work well. Shadows on walls are never to be underestimated or downplayed and don't forget the very oft presence of ceilings in film noir. In film noir prominent shadows, in a sense, ARE the movie & ARE the characters in the movie.

Planning & Scheduling Issues

As I had planned production of 'The Dark Cinema" for the fall of '06, obviously this did not occur. This was for a lot of reasons, I'm sure. The biggest reason I believe, is that I took too much on myself to accomplish (things I could not have accomplished alone). I did not think people could help me achieve the look I wanted. In some ways this may have been true but in others, obviously, it made it an 'un-dynamic' experience, neither did I achieve everything I desired. I need to work smarter in my field & delegate things that are a true distraction for me. I need more people to help me accomplish what this movie needs to have in order to come alive! I need some people I can trust to come through for me & I need to get better organized, as well, so I have prepared everyone- the crew as well as the cast. This is, after all, not a professional union picture. I cannot expect people to be fully acquainted with their jobs & I cannot expect people to exhibit a measure of desire either. Desire is either present & kicking or making a film becomes a sort of novelty. This is not the way to make movies, but especially on my part, expecting what is unrealistic is just bad management. Most of all, there is no substitute for organization in management. Unless everyone is hanging out ready to film at a moments notice people's schedules MUST be considered & appropriate events that contribute to production value must be clearly determined & communicated in a way everyone involved can understand.


I would like to know how people would like to schedule their time if they simply cannot use my method. My method is google calendar presently because it can be shared, kept private & it works. The people I work with need to make use of information such as production schedules, scripts & shot lists (etc.) if it is relevant to their work. This is something essential to consider if you want a professionalism on set. I think emailing this directly can be a good method to use, although something more central like a website, or google calendar can be helpful for event times & descriptions. The advantage google calendar has is its easier & faster to update & share. This blog can just as well serve as a source of this kind of information if everyone thinks so, but I prefer to use it strictly as a blog.

Making movies has taken a long time for me to develop, but I think collaborations are always things that can easily fail when expectations are not obvious & you are using sub-par employees. This is one reason Hollywood has grown so huge at making films. They'll tell people you'll get tons of money or they'll make them famous (without even blinking) if you'll only go & fetch their cappuchino & do their laundry! What's funny is people actually believe these scheming peddlers & will jump through never-ending fiery hoops like a good little toy dog. And you'll get nothing for it but an illegitimate child & never ending credit card debt. Well, maybe you'll get a few doggie treats out of it...

But I can't do that to people & even if I was a Hollywood producer, I wouldn't want to motivate people with half truths which are no better than lies. Of course, I probably would never want to be a Hollywood producer for that very reason. Please, if you want Hollywood from me, don't help me out or desire to work with me please! Cuz, it's not help...

To the strong, the brave & the believers out there who are still unoffended... let's not let the time get away with us. We can make something as enduring as film noir if we never give up. So, never give up!


Jon