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Genre Analysis of Smokin’ Aces and The Killers

Film Noir is a term used to describe a stylistic movement depicted in crime dramas of the 1940’s and 50’s (Horsley). This genre is usually represented in low-key black-and-white melodramas, involving character types such as the private eye, the Femme Fatale, or the Male Sapp that revolve around flawed heroes (Horsley). Film Noirs encompass a range of visual styles that emphasize low-key lighting, with stark light/dark contrast and shadows cast upon the characters’ faces. Also used are low-angles, wide-angles, unbalanced compositions and shots of people reflected in mirrors (Muller). The storylines are often complex, using editing techniques that involve flashbacks, and often have a tragic or bleak ending. Neo-noir films encompass the same elements, but with updated themes and visual styles. The Killers and Smokin’ Aces are both Film Noirs that exemplify comparable and contrasting visual elements in their cinematography through the stylistic use of angles, lighting and editing cuts.

Smokin’ Aces, directed by Joe Carnahan, is a 2006 neo-noir crime film about the endeavor of various assassins in their attempt to kill mafia informant, Buddy Israel. Mob boss Primo Sparazza issues a bounty on Buddy Israel for one million dollars. Among these assassins seeking the award are two females named Sharice and Georgia, the mysterious assassin called the Swede, torture expert Acosta, and the neo-Nazi Tremor brothers. The assassins all get access in their own way to the hotel that Israel is hiding out in. FBI Agent Messner and his team are tasked with retrieving Israel and bringing him in before he is killed. The day’s event consists of bloody battles and unnecessary deaths, before Agent Messner brings Israel to the hospital alive. It is later revealed that Sparazza was in fact an FBI agent under cover whom needed a heart transplant from Israel, his biological son. The FBI corruption blurs the lines between loyalty and betrayal as the truth is finally revealed. Both Agent Messner and Buddy Israel represent the protagonist and the Male Sapp. The stylistic use of angles, lighting, sound, and camera shots evoke the mood of a neo-noir crime and mystery film.

Agent Messner narrates the opening scene of the film, presenting a background on each known assassin. While this is occurring, a visual shot of each character assassin is shown. When the narration reveals each name of the character, the shot freezes for 5 seconds and the title of the character appears beneath their face. This use of editing cuts represents the crime/detective genre of neo-noir films. The scenes switch frequently with cuts between conversations and include fast-paced dialogue. When the two female assassins Sharice and Georgia are introduced, they are having a fast-paced conversation in a diner about the bounty hunt for Israel. The scene because in the middle of the conversation that they were having, however the audience is aware of what they are discussing based on the context of the previous scene. Frequently, the screen will cut into two frames and display two scenes occurring simultaneously. This is a narrative storytelling technique, because the frame on the right will display the FBI agent describing the character assassin, and the frame on the left will portray that character in a flashback. Flashbacks are often used when stories are being told about the assassins in order to give the audience more information. The flashbacks are also an element used to present clues involving the mystery of why Buddy Israel is such a target.

The climax scene begins with an extreme close-up shot of Charice looking into binoculars while speaking to Georgia through an earpiece. Then, the camera slowly pans out to reveal the size of the extended sniper gun that she is actually looking through. The long shot zooms out the window and then zooms in to the far away target, being another hotel across the street. Georgia is changing in the room above the target as she is speaking to Charice. This beginning of this long take is an element of Film Noir where the camera watches a character watching another character.

The camera then moves down a floor to the lobby where all of the FBI agents have taken position and are pointing their guns at the closed elevator, waiting for it to open. The lighting is bright, as opposed to the dark shadowy lighting portrayed in scenes involving the assassins. This take is extremely long without any cuts or breaks, zooming in and out on each FBI agent holding their position. The camera scans the entire room before zooming in on the elevator as it begins to open. The neo-Nazi Tremor brothers exit the elevator and begin shooting carelessly. The sound design of this scene is altered with the increased sound effects of their machine guns. The moment the Tremor brothers appear in the scene, their signature hard-rock music is used to represent their character. The repeated pairing of sound with a certain character is an element that is used in many Film Noirs.

The camera then breaks and cuts to a hallways scene where the camera scans down a line of FBI agents leading up to the door to Buddy Israel’s penthouse suite. An extreme close-up is shot of the FBI agent’s fist as he knocks on the door. The scene quickly cuts to a shot of Buddy Israel hiding out in his bathroom. The contrast of light and dark is used on his face at all times. Chiascurro tints his face, creating a shadowy tone to his skin. The lighting in the bathroom has a strong blue tint to it, which was manipulated during the editing of the film. He is shot with a wide-angled lens as he is doing drugs and looking at himself in the mirror. The shot of a person’s reflection in the mirror is a common element of Film Noir, which is frequently shot in all of the Buddy Israel scenes.

The Killers, directed by Robert Siodmak, is a 1946 Film Noir based on the story written by Ernest Hemingway (Dirks). Two hit men, Max and Al, are assigned to find and kill a man named Ole Anderson, referred to as “the Swede.” The scene opens with them arriving at a small-town diner, where they later find and kill the Swede in a boarding house, where the Swede did not even put up a fight. The investigator Jim Reardon is assigned to the murder case. He interviews many people from his past and determines that the murder stemmed from a robbery years earlier, involving a gangster Jim Colfax and Kitty Collins, whom the Swede loved. He investigates the case to try and find who hired the contract killers and why. The Swede plays the protagonist and the Male Sapp. Kiddy plays the well-developed Female Fatale. Both of these kinds of characters are common in Film Noir, a stylistic movement that mainly existed from 1941- 1958 (Muller).

Cinematography is the manipulation of the film strip in the shooting phase and the developing phase, which affects the aspect ratio, color, deep focus, film stocks, framing, lenses, lighting, long take, special effects, speed of motion, and tonal ranges. These aspects of cinematography were all used in Robert Siodmak’s film, The Killers (1946). In The Killers, and example of Film Noir, Siodmak uses its cinematography to create an existential bleakness in Film Noir, describing that the world is an ambiguous place. The lighting in the film does not represent the usual representation of good and evil. The lightness is presented sometimes to represent evil and the darkness is presented sometimes to represent good. This also explains the existential idea that it may not be possible to find truth. One would think that the representation of lightness and darkness is also a representation of good and evil, however this is far from the truth. Therefore, the cinematography describes the impossibility of finding the truth in life.

The Killers uses restricted narration, a technique of Film Noir, in order to give confusion and disorientation to the audience (Dirks). This also is associated with many detective films, which are common among Film Noirs. Flashbacks are repeated in the film, which is also an element of film noir. In the first scene, visual styles are imposed using shadows and low-keyed lighting. The tone in The Killers is of an existential bleakness, representing doom and the idea that nothing can be done. The Swede describes his situation; explaining that you can take a wrong turn that leads you to a path to your destruction. This is an appeal to the visual style of shadows and doom that is also represented in Film Noir.

The Swede is the protagonist in the film, playing the Male Sapp which is the male hero who can either be taken in by the Female Fatale and be doomed or refuse and be the hero. Kiddy plays the actual villain. The female character in Film Noir is called the Female Fatale, which means the fatal woman. There is a constant conflict between the Male Sapp and the Female Fatale. This describes a misogynistic view of the world. Real relationships between sexes are impossible. We constantly watch the Swede watching Kiddy, representing the cinematography of shots; especially in Kolfaxe’s apartment (Dirks).

The cinematography depicts the meaning of the film especially during the shot in the Green Cat. The camera is shooting in to the mirror when Kiddy is entering the restaurant. The giant cat dominates the scene. It represents the idea that Kiddy dominates the place. The sound is light, which is a motif of the cinematography. The same music comes on when a certain person enters which makes the audience more aware of the ambient background noise after the music starts. This is the diagetic music. Someone is shot playing the piano. Then the music gets faster to create tension. The background noise is increased. The non-diagetic music is the theme song, which brings a sense of chaos to the room.

In conclusion, The Killers and Smokin’ Aces are both Film Noirs that exemplify comparable and contrasting visual elements in their cinematography through the stylistic use of angles, lighting and editing cuts. In The Killers, Siodmak uses the cinematography to create an existential bleakness. Many of the techniques used represent elements of Film Noir. These include the character potrayal of the Male Sapp and the Female Fatale, the use of flashbacks and framing, and the contrast of light and dark compared to the theme of good and evil to represent an existential bleakness. Smokin’ Aces is classified as a neo-noir because Carnahan utilizes elements of Film Noir in portraying modern and updated themes. The low-key lighting used to create a shadowy undertone represents the visual style of Film Noir. Other elements include framing, camera angles and cuts, flashbacks, mirror shots, and the character potrayal of the Male Sapp, Female Fatale, and flawed heroes. Moreover, both films encompass tragic endings and existential bleakness, evoking the mood of a melodramatic crime and mystery film. Thus, elements of cinematography in Smokin’ Aces and The Killers incorporate a visual representation of the stylistic movement known as Film Noir.

Works Cited

Dirks, Tim. “The Killers (1946).” Greatest Films – The Best Movies in Cinematic History. American Movie Classics Company, 2010. Web. 03 May 2011. .

Horsley, Kate, and Lee Horsley. “Crime Films.” Crimeculture. Arts and Humanities Research Board, 2002. Web. .

Muller, Eddie. “GreenCine | Film Noir.” GreenCine | Main Member – Video-On-Demand, Buy and Rent DVDs. All Media Guide, 2006. Web. 02 May 2011. .

National Geographic: The Photographers –Reaction

National Geographic: the Photographers explores the actuality of photojournalism and the stories behind the renowned photographs that were captured around the world.  To many, photojournalism is a glamorous and romantic dream job. However this film proves that to be a common misconception by investigating the reality of the profession. To capture these amazing images, photographers often face harsh weather conditions, issues with safety, arranging meetings and authorization to travel to different locations. Photojournalism is so powerful because they do this all to capture an image that can tell the world a story. Whether it is war, famine, or any event in history, these photos are shot to capture a moment in time.

It is impossible for me to choose a favorite photograph because I admire them all. I specifically like the portraits and agree with the narrator when he said that the human face speaks to people. Portraits really capture the essence of a person and freezes that moment in time. The picture of the market woman in Turkey was exceptionally compelling because, for a moment, her eyes locked with the photographer. Her personality was captured in that photograph and I liked how it was described as the “lost age”. The photographs taken in Somalia were especially eye catching and disturbing because a horrifying and depressing event in history was being covered. Circumstances like these make photojournalism so powerful because with it is the responsibility to accurately portray a situation to the world with their work. To tell a compelling story, people, animals and objects must be sharp, clear and maintain a strong center of interest in the composition. They must capture the right moment that resonates with the audience and evokes the feeling of movement to illustrate life.

Eastern Market

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Photo Essay

Valentine’s Day

Visual Analysis from Newseum Pulitzer Prize exhibit

I chose to analyze the Pulitzer prize winning photograph taken by Carol Guzy, Lucian Perkins and Michael Williamson called Refugees From Kosovo. The photograph captures refugees fleeing to an Albanian refugee camp from the Serb fighters in Kosovo. This composition was taken to illustrate the news and an event in history. High intensity cool colors are used for the baby’s clothing, which is a bright blue. The photographer used a coated lens to emphasize and deepen the color blue (Berger, 85). The rest of the photograph appears to be high value light colors of grey. This allows for the baby to stand out in the photograph. The photographer manipulated the photo by taking away the shadows and achieving even exposure. I think that the shadows would have emphasized the dreariness of the setting, however without shadows the composition is sharper. I think that achieving even exposure sacrificed the dramatic effect that more natural lighting would have afforded. I would have captured the faces of the people by avoiding overlap and standing further away, creating a distant viewpoint.

The baby is the center of the photograph, marking it as the one single vantage point of the horizontal and vertical lines. An angle shot is used, capturing the baby being passed and the barbed wire continuing down the field with more people on the other side of the wire. This illustrates deep space because it is assumed that the barbed wire continues and the background reveals a great distance between the front and the back planes (Blackboard, Space). The objects that appear closer are in focus to emphasize the depth of field. The composition is not grainy, but very clear and sharp. Grainy photographs are usually associated with photographs taken by chance or in situations that are difficult (Berger, 84). This photograph must have been edited because it doesn’t look grainy, but very clear and sharp. It is a medium shot because some of the faces and figures are cut off. This shot is meant to focus on the baby being passed through the barbed wire.

According to the rule of thirds, the mind has the tendency to focus on things in a clockwise manner. This photograph does not properly guide the eye to move around the photo in a way that would allow the photographer to relay what she is feeling or even seeing at the time. The angular framing of the photograph overemphasizes the baby and cuts out much of the refugee camp. By posing the baby in the center of the composition, it is the only object that the eye focuses on.

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