Salon is a short experimental film that delves into the perception of reality. The concept of time is seemingly non-existent where the mind wanders between dream and reality. As the world becomes saturated in technology, the human experience is redefined and invited into a space of speculation. 

My methodology for investigating the style of film noir began with readings into its origin and comparing this classic style to a more modern take in neo-noir and tech-noir, before visual experimentation in After Effects. It was important to understand how German Expressionism influenced film noir to create a substantial foundation before layering the more futuristic technology based visual effects. Film Noir is a style of filmmaking that is fluid and changing, it incorporates existing cinematic techniques and varying genres. Thus the experimentation with technology that juxtapose old versus new and dream versus reality. The classic film noir that I think a lot of us are familiar with describes the American thriller or detective films around 1940s to 1950s in Hollywood. When looking at the themes of film noir to incorporate into my film, I found that the most popular plots used are the “The Police State” or the mystery “Whodunit” scenario- both demonstrate confinement under the authority’s gaze. 

Research into tech-noir was my favourite part of the project. While the tech-noir style heavily relies on the conventions of film-noir such as chiaroscuro lighting and expressionistic camera work, the technology itself may exist as a metaphor, whether it embodies a conscious mind or subtle in the setting and space of the film, it drives the narrative. The concept of surveillance and the idea of isolation and entrapment is a theme that I attempted to portray using the technique of the mise-en-abyme. The paranoia that is created from the repetition and voyeuristic invasion of surveillance presents the cynicism and pessimism that noir thrives on. The emphasis of scan lines on the TV, while paying homage to the shadows of venetian blinds typical of film noir, presents an imprisonment. 

In the earlier days of developing SP2, a voice over was intended to be used as this is a significant convention of the film noir style. However, rather than writing an underdeveloped script, I have chosen to primarily focus on After Effects to improve my software as well as creative skills. In doing this, a large emphasis was placed on creating the depth of empathy through the ambiguity of fact versus fiction. Although I think a voice over would be a more conventional and efficient method to convey these emotions, I challenged myself by attempting to create visuals that display the same effect.

I envisioned my final piece to be more reminiscent of the classic film noir style, however this experimentation with lighting and After Effects placed a heavier emphasis on the dream. Integration between technology and the human body stands as a feature of this project to emphasise the contemplations of society and our environment, provoking the human experience to be redefined. It is through this trance and comparison between fantasy and reality that causes us to reminisce about the better times or consolidates the pessimism in fiction that looms close in reality.