XL2-B&W

[Tugce Sen]

Hi,

 

After having some experiences as a student for my class projects, I have decided to shoot my first short film; I worked on its script very hard and it looks it has done.

I am planning to use Canon XL2 since I had experiences with it. I am a fan of Jim Jarmusch movies, and also like deadpan cinema a lot. My film will be black and white, highly contrast to get close feeling to Film Noir. First, I was planning to shoot in black and white but then I decided to do it in post production; in Final Cut.

However, my question is, while shooting the film in color, what do I have to do differently that can help me in post production for b&w.

 

Thanks

V.

[Jack Barker]

Be very careful in your selection of wardrobe and location color selection. I guess you need to "audition" what your talent is going to wear. A jacket that is grey over a shirt that is some other mid-color will end up the same tone in black and white and may look washed out and uninteresting, especially if they are going to be shot in a light, or mid-color location. If you are going for a contrasty look (and what noir isn't), go with combinations of dark and light colors for clothing, unless you deliberately decide to have characters (extras, for example) fade into the background.

 

Try and use cookies (cucoloris) to good effect. I don't think I have ever seen any Noir film without at least one "venetian blind shadow" on the wall behind the talent. You can make you own cookies easily and cheaply using sheets of foam-core board available at Office Depot and the like, and simply cutting you random shapes, or venetian blind slats with a razor knife. I recommend using the black foam core boards to minimize any potential for reflecting unwanted light into other parts of your set.

 

And by the way, what is "deadpan cinema"?

 

Edited February 21, 2007 by Jack Barker

[Tugce Sen]

Thank you for your help, I will keep them all in my mind:)

 

 

Film noir is all about style with its different camera angles, dense shadows, high-contrast black and white, and also with with its high-contrast shadow, etc...

 

And, Aki kaurismaki might be the best example for deadpan cinema, and also Jim Jarmusch.

 

Thanks again

V.