Screenplay formatting - Filmmaker IQ

The history of screenplay formatting & why it's so important.

Film Noir Hair & Make-up

Before hair & make-up

After. 1940s hair & make-up by Janine Perry.

Film Noir inspired costume.

Film Noir Project

Last night I finished filming a short film with a 1940s film noir feel. It will take me a while to edit the piece but I thought I'd share some behind the scenes pictures.

Here are the lights we used. Extremely bright and hot to work under.

1940s inspired hair and make-up by Janine Perry really helped to achieve the femme fatale look we were going for.

Our private detective's desk with vintage clock, typewriter, telephone and magazines. 

Our Private Detective's reading material.

No hardboiled detective would be seen dead without his trusty fedora.

Our Noir detective with actual period costume.

Remakes

Infernal Affairs (2002)

The original film was made and set in Hong Kong. It is the story of two friends who attended police academy together. One is an undercover cop and the other a police department mole. They are both trying to uncover the other. The main themes are that of loyalty and identity with undercurrents of Buddhism, the film's Cantonese title translates as "The Unceasing Path" and is a reference to the lowest level of hell.

The Departed (2006)

In the remake the action is relocated to Boston and the criminals are Irish-American. The Departed is a much longer film with a runtime of 1hr 51 min compared to Infernal Affair's 1hr 1 min. Much more time is spent on characterisation however The Departed takes elements from the entire Infernal Affairs' trilogy. To add a sense of realism the main antagonist, Frank Costello, was based on real life criminal Whitey Bulger.

Infernal Affairs vs. The Departed - Rooftop Scene

Spider-man (2002)

Based on the iconic Marvel character this is an origin story. Peter Parker is an orphan raised by his Aunt and Uncle. He is a nerdy, shy high school student with a crush on his next door neighbour Mary Jane Watson. After he is bitten by a genetically enhanced spider he gains super powers and is spurred on by the death of his uncle to use his powers for good. The film is bright and glossy and really captures the feel of the original comic. For me Tobey Maguire is Peter Parker!

The Amazing Spider-man (2011)

This is also a Spider-man origin story but more time is spent on Peter Parker's biological parents who do not even appear in the 2002 version. Peter Parker is still in high school but the love interest in this film is Gwen Stacey. In my opinion Andrew Garfield looks too cool to be Peter Parker with his lustrous hair and skateboarding skills, however many people have praised his portrayal of Peter Parker's alter ego Spider-man as closer to the wisecracking hero in the comics.

Scarface (1932)

The film is set in the 1920's during America's Prohibition Era. It is based on a 1929 novel, itself loosely based on the career of Al Capone. The protagonist is Tony Camonte an Italian immigrant who works his way up selling illegal liquor. He ignores his boss' advice not to mess with the Irish gangs and pursues his girlfriend Poppy. Tony is inspired by a billboard for Cook's Tours which states "The World is Yours." The original script caused some problems with the censors as the film was made when the Hay's code was in effect.

Scarface (1983)

The action is relocated to Miami in the early 1980s. Tony is now a Cuban immigrant with the surname Montana who arrives during the 1980 Mariel boatlift. Instead of liquor it is cocaine that Tony is peddling and his boss advice is "don't get high on your own supply" which he later ignores. His boss' girlfriend is now Elvira and the billboard becomes a blimp. The 1980s version is much more graphic and had it's own trouble with the censors who originally wanted to rate it an X but after an appeal it was lowered to an R. It is shot in colour and is 77 minutes longer.

Ideas Tap & Sky £30K Bursary

Ideas Tap - £30K Bursary

Sky Academy invites IdeasTap members to apply for one of five £30,000 Arts Scholarships (€38,000). These life-changing bursaries, which include a programme of expert mentoring, allow each scholar to focus exclusively on their creative practice for an entire year. Get ready to give up that day job...

The scholarships are open to artists aged 18-30 and are designed to help emerging talent from a range of disciplines to develop their work and take their careers to the next level. In addition to financial support, winners are paired with business and creative mentors from Sky and their industry to support them along the way.