Gangster Research

Names

After we were happy with all the work we had done of the storyboard and our research etc we decided it was about time we pay attention to other elements in our film such as the names we are going to use for our 'Gangsters'. Although we didn't dislike regular names, these would simply not fit in with the genre of our film. Creating a Gangster name wasn't as easy as we initially thought but it deemed to be quite enjoyable as we were able to explore our imagination and build the characters personality around their name.

  As I want our film to reflect our hard work and ability i did some research in my own time into Gangster names by researching on the Internet the reasoning behind the gangster names, the top 10 gangster names and also the names used in films such as The Godfather etc.

1) Think about your characteristics. Many people create a name based on a characteristic or habit that people commonly know them by. For example, if you're known to be cheeky and daring, adding "Dirty" or "Crazy" to the front of your name is a good idea. Using this method means that your name gives people an idea of what kind of person you are, and also makes it easier to come up with ideas. However, we have to be careful that we remain clear, and don't choose something that may give our target audience the wrong idea before they've met our characters.

2) Consider adding an inside joke or story. A lot of gangsters get their names from background stories and histories, or an inside joke. In the movie 8 Mile, the main character gets the name "Rabbit2, because when he was a baby he looked like a rabbit. Another character was called "Future" because people considered him the future of music. Although these names may not seem very gangster or "cool", they grow popular easily and often convey your personality easily.

3) Think about length. Some gangsters have three or four individual names that merge together, and others simply use one word. It depends on you, your gang and your style. If you're looking for a more expressive and traditional name, you will find it more convenient to come up with a longer name. If you just want something different for people to call you by, you can look at just one or two names.

4) Choose your style. There are various styles to gangster names. One popular style is Italian gangster names, which are often quite long. Other gangsters simply go for short, blunt names that are self explanatory. Once you select a style, you'll get a bigger understanding of what exactly you want. You don't have to abide by the rules, though creating your own style and rebelling on the traditions will probably make you considered more gangster, anyway.

5) Consult your gang. If your gang all have names that seem to follow a theme, you may draw inspiration from there. You can also ask people what they picture calling you, aside from your regular name. Asking them generally what they think would be a good gangster name for you may not come up with a specific name, but probably will give you some good ideas.

I am more than confident that these steps will help us a lot when it comes to creating the appropriate names, it will also allow us to build up the attributes as personality traits of our different characters as well as their rank in the gang.

Story Board

Making a story board is the starting point of creating a story board, it enables us to pieces together all of our ideas and put them in a specific order. It helps us understand our intended message as well as what we are trying to show. By creating a script or storyboard it ensures we as well as the audience understand our intent.  Whilst making our storyboard it is vital we keep in mind the 5 W's - Who, What, When, Where and Why as this will help us fill in the main body of the story. In addition we must also keep in mind other elements such as the protagonist, antagonist, plot, dialogue, setting and point of view etc.

  By creating a storyboard it makes it easier for us to plan out the whole concept of our plot. It allows us to pre-visualise each shot, each line of dialogue, each beat of soundtrack and imagine other elements such as editing, background and special effects. There are many advantages when it comes to making a story board such as:

- Programming skills are not required

- It is rather vague meaning the audience will pose questions

- It is a quick way to sketch ideas

- It does not require artistic skills

- It helps the audience pre-visualise

- It allows us to see certain elements that are missing

In my opinion making a storyboard before filming is very beneficial as it is something we are able to refer back to. It isn't very time consuming and will prevent disagreements within the group as it allows us to combine all of our ideas into one and see what fits best. It is also easy to edit a storyboard whether it means taking parts out or adding them in. My group and I have created a rough story board with the vital information such as the non/diegetic music, actions, transitions etc along the side. Creating it wasn't particularly hard yet we had to ensure we added all of the information necessary. We found that as we were creating it we were developing our ideas and writing them down quickly before we forgot them, therefore we will need to do a neat, detailed version of our storyboard in order for us to understand it. Once we have done this I will then upload a picture of the final version.

Film Noir

What is Film Noir?

Film Noir is a term used by French critics to describe a type of film usually of a detective/crime genre. Film noir movies are marked by a mood of menace, pessimism, fatalism and cynical characters. The characters tend to be corrupt or desperate. Film Noir is a term used to describe crime dramas, particularly those that emphasise moral ambiguity. The films are characterised by low-key lighting and grim, bleak urban settings. Film Noir is the point of view, mood or tone of the film.

History of Film Noir

The earliest Film Noirs were around about the 1940s. The first detective film to use the shadowy noir style in a definitive way was ‘The Maltese Falcon’ and since the 40s Film Noir has developed and further progressed into a much loved part of the industry.

Themes

The main moods of film noir are desperation, guilt, moral corruption, ambiguity and bleakness. The protagonist character in Film Noir tends to be morally ambiguous low lives that belong in the dark and gloomy underworld of violent crime and corruption. The general story line tends to be elliptical, twisting and non-linear. The narratives are frequently complex and usually told with background music, witty dialogue, flashbacks and often a first person voice over. The dark inhumane side of human nature is expressed thematically through Film Noir. They emphasise the cynicism, doomed love and the brutal, shadowy, sadistic side of human experience. An oppressive atmosphere of futility, menace and defeat are stylised characteristics of film noir.

Characters

The typical characters in a Film Noir crime genre tend to consists of heroes or anti-heroes, corrupt characters and villains. They also include conflicted, hard-boiled detectives, police officers, gangsters, socio-paths or killers, petty criminals or murderers etc. Distinctively they are tarnished, obsessive, cynical, disillusioned, menacing, frightening and insecure characters struggling to survive and in the end ultimately losing. The protagonist in the film noir are usually driven by their human weakness or their past to repeat former mistakes.

Visual Style and Setting

Film Noir films are marked visually by depth of field camera work, deep focus, expressionistic lighting, juxtaposition of elements, jarring editing, ominous shadows, skewed camera angles and unbalanced compositions.  Settings often consist of low-key lightning and dark, claustrophobic gloomy appearances. Story locations are usually set in murky and dark streets, dimly-lit and low-rent apartments and abandoned warehouses.

Narrative Devices

Narrative devices are used to create a relationship between the story and the plot. Flashbacks and voiceovers are persistent stylistic narrative elements of Film Noir. The narrative allows time and memory to come together leaving the audience in suspense what will occur/has occurred in the flashback story. The protagonist’s voice over is used to update the audience and progress of the film.

Iconography

Certain elements the audience expect to see in a film noir film are police, detectives, criminals, seductive females, murder and corruption. Items and settings that the audience expect to see are props such as guns, knives, dark dingy scenery and false love.

Sound

 A defining innovation of Film Noir was the sophisticated use of soundtrack. The main characters voice is often used as a voiceover for the film; this technique is used to present two versions of a single character simultaneously.

Institution Company

After researching into Institution companies I found that Paramount is often associated with films such as ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Untouchables’ which are both Crime and Gangster films. Paramount is also associated with rather light hearted films such as the new film in cinemas now ‘Hugo’ and rom-coms such as ‘I Love You, Man’ which are rather family orientated. In my own opinion I would associate Paramount with rather light-hearted, innocent films therefore this may not be the best institution and I would like something a little more Crime and Gangster based  for our film yet it is still a possibility yet I will still do additional research. Last year in our AS film opening we used Columbia Pictures as it was relevant to the time era our film was set in therefore I will research further to see which institution company would be appropriate.

SKA films, formed by Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn, is known for producing Gangster & Crime films and is recognised for films such as ‘Snatch’ and ‘Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’. This would be a really good company for us to consider for our production as we are creating this same genre. I also researched into institutions such as Screen Gems, Summit, MARV Films and Sony Picture Classics. I also found that Warner Brothers was considered the gangster studio par excellence when it came to early Gangster films.

Background of Gangster Films

The first Gangster film to be shown on the screens was ‘Dreams and Deadends, an American film which was set in Chicago in 1912. Surprisingly the film itself didn’t become a massive hit when it was first released in the cinema in America as the audience were unsure what to make of the film. The film was the beginning of the Gangster & Crime genre and as it created a dark, unusual and rather stylish film genre which began to grow in production as well as popularity.

Genre Generics

Crime and Gangster films began to flourish between 1920-1930s when the traditional stereotypical gangster was presented as being a well dressed New York ‘Gangster’ who is known for robbing banks. They also tended to use the traditional ‘Tommy gun’ which progressed throughout the years yet still kept the dark stylish physique and fashion. These films were later known as ‘noir films’ after World War II. Noir films were a category or sub-genre which didn’t just apply to Gangster and Crime films but any film set in black and white whether it was a Romance or Drama Film.

How It Appealed To the Audience

During the American depressing Crime and Gangster films became huge hits as they related to the dark, dull side of America and reflected the struggle. Films during that time also used real characters such as Al Capone and Don Calalony. Between 1920-1950 the appearance of a traditional gangster was a semiotic. They symbolised hate and greed which was an element commonly used in the majority of Crime and Gangster films also the use of the traditional appearance of an American gangster between the years 1920. The use of real characters, which actors would play the part of, remained consistent later on in the century as it made the plot seem more realistic. 

How a Crime Genre Is Conveyed To Target the Audience

Originally Crime was a genre that attracted young adults and middle aged people specifically targeted at men as they were able to relate to the dark, dull struggle during the depression in the early 20^th century in the USA. The Crime genre attracted their attention as it was something they were able to relate to in the financial struggles and dark atmosphere which the films at the time where usually about gangs and gangsters in America. The films were known for being very dark yet stylish in the early years of the Crime genre, known as ‘Noir Films. The crime genre had significantly changed in the 60’s and both the target audience and generic conventions had differed. The target audience had then changed to attract a younger viewer and also suited a female audience due to the less dark and depressing vibe it gave off.

The Progression and Growth

After the Crime and Genre ear between 1920-1950 the ‘Noir Film’ style of Crime and Gangster film had faded and wasn’t as recognised and related to as it use to be, the gangster image had now changed to the cop image during the 60’s.. However this wasn’t an end to the Crime and Gangster films there was just a slight change in style. The genre of Crime and Gangster films originated from America and later spread to Europe and the UK meaning the  gangster figure became additionally versatile and the traditional New York gangster became less threatening and less of a powerful semiotic.

Target Audience

As a group we designed a questionnaire to determine the appropriate audience for our film. After researching into films we aspire to such as ‘Public Enemies’ and ‘The Godfather’ etc we were aware that the typical target audience were males aged 18-30  due to the violence and bad language therefore the certificate has to be suitable. We are aiming our trailer to audiences who enjoy Crime & Gangster films but would like to attract a wide audience due to the fact it can be enjoyed by any genre film lover. We aim to target both genres but are mainly targeting men age 18-30 as that is the typical audience for this genre of film. The physcographic profile for our audience isn’t that specific but aims towards people who wish succeed and achieve. As we are hoping to attract a wide range of audience I feel that our specific audience will fall into most of the JICNAR scales except for E on the scale as I feel that state pensioners would not appreciate nor be interested in our genre of film.

 

  We made the questions for our questionnaire specific so we were aware of what we were aiming for, we also made the questions unbiased regarding genre as we wanted to get the best results and be able to apply this to our trailer to get the greatest outcome. We handed the questionnaire out to 20 people and plan on putting our results into a graph, possibly a bar or pie chart, and use them to develop our plot further. Although we have a rough idea these results will definitely help us finalise our ideas and inform us if we are reaching the demands of our consumers. We have printed these questionnaires and are going to give 10 to a group of boys and 10 to a group of girls to ensure our results are fair and reliable.