However, my personal opinion is that the film would probably be better by taking the Hitchcock route – getting rid of the shots that actually show the torture and to instead use the power of suggestion brought on by Sam’s screams and the cook’s sadistic grin. I think that would actually make the scene much scarier, since the audience is forced to imagine what is occurring. Once we actually see the action, that element of fear is removed from the story. Think about Reservoir Dogs. Did the audience really need to see that policeman get his ear cut off? Hitch could have done it better, I think.
Visual Look
In keeping with the film noir feel of this movie, a lot of this movie was shot at night, so many of the shots are darkened or contain very harsh shadows. A scene that I particularly liked was a flashback to the four-member gang in a pool hall as they are planning their up-coming robbery. Hanging from the ceiling, just above the pool table is a long, bright light, which illuminates the characters as they lean over the table, but immediately casts them in shadow when they step back. In addition, the overhead lighting makes for some really great shadows on the character’s faces.
As amazing as the film noir look is, it is very difficult to pull off. Shooting at night can be very tricky as one doesn’t want to use too much light, but without enough it’s impossible to see the on-screen action. Unfortunately, nearly all of the night scenes in this film are too dark to be seen well. There are a few instances where they director made use of car headlights in order to light some of the outdoor scenes, as that is an easy and inexpensive way to light at night. It also fits in well with the gangster genre, as the presence of cars in deserted locations at night can be easily explained. There are several instances, however, where headlights would have definitely come in handy, most notable in which Mr. Kerr’s henchman take Sam to a warehouse to await the arrival of the cook. Though one can guess that Sam is probably being taken out of the trunk, the scene is far too dark to actually see.
Though dark shots like this fit the film noir/gangster genre, ones that are too dark really distract from the movie. As there’s really no way to fix these issue in post, several re-shoots might be necessary. Lighting at night can be done fairly cheaply by using car headlights in strategic locations, or streetlights can be faked by gelling lights and hanging them in high locations, out of view of the camera. However, as it’s very expensive to get a really good nighttime look, the easiest ways for microfilmmakers to pull it off is to shoot day-for-night. The scene itself is shot in daylight, but the sky itself is never shown, and the camera’s white balance is skewed in order to make the scene look like night. Also, plug-ins like Nattress FilmEffects (for Final Cut Pro) and Magic Bullet Editors can be used to give a more realistic conversion. If all else fails, one can always resort to green-screening, but all these effects should be tested before shooting begins.
Use of Audio
I really liked the music in this movie; it fit the scenes very well, plus it was interestng to listen to. I also thought it was remarkable how the filmmakers made use of the music – in several scenes, the music was used as though it was coming from the sound system of a car. The music would be clear while shooting inside the car or while the car door was open, but when the characters would shut the car door, the music would suddenly get quieter. This little attention to detail really added a lot to the film itself.
However, there were some issues with the dialogue audio. The beginning of the film, for instance, is meant to take place at night near an airport runway. Though this is an interesting setting – and makes for some very good shots of the airplanes coming in and out – there are a couple instances where this sound overpowers the dialogue. And with such a climactic beginning as this film has, it is vital that the opening dialogue be understandable. There are several other instances throughout the film – though not very many – where the audio suddenly dips in volume. The cook, for instance, has a very quiet voice. Though this only serves to enhance his very eerie character, at times he is difficult to understand. There are also a few instances where the audio echoes, such as in the warehouse where Sam is being tortured by the cook, although that does fit in well with the setting. It seems as though there may be a few instances of dialogue that could be helped by some ADR or at least a little enhancing.
