hello, I have done quite a few short films(not on the internet tough, old VHS) and my first big project(40 minutes, that is) is in the pre-production.

we don't have a title yet, but it's a film noir story, inspired by max payne(a bit that is) the main character and a friend go on discovery, they get trapped and the friend gets killed, he swears revenge. a lot of plottwists etc follow.

I have begon writing the script, and will keep you in the progress of everything.

right now, I would like to get ideas for the story from you :P

You always have to follow your own ideas, not others. Maybe you can work something out with your cast. The reason why not to, is that you know exactly what you want to happen if you write it yourself, and there's a smaller chance you might change your mind about the plot when writing yourself (because when thinking up your own, you really think through if you really want such things to happen in the plot).

Gotan

i get inspired from other movies...pull a quentin tarantino, watch some old film noir movies, steal some ideas, characters, and dialogue, and you've got yourself a movie.

Most of the writing in Hollywood and television doesn't come from the writers, but from producers that tell them what to write about, or to fix a script that's already written. Asking people for ideas is a great way to brainstorm and it might lead you to think of things you might not have thought of yourself.

I don't have any ideas for you though.

"Under the Great Fall" that should be the title of your movie. I just know it.

Okay guys, thanks for the replys!

anyway, the great fall is a great title, I'll just see if it becomes it (maybe I get something myself)

Thanks for all the suggestions, I already got a few ideas from max payne, gotta go rent some film noir movies soon then. thanks all

How about if at teh end you figure out that the man really killed his own family, out of rage or something. And he's a psychopath so he doesn't know he did, and he starts trying to hunt down who did it. Then at the end he'd remember what happened. Idk thought it could be kinda cool.

I think you need to be aware of the genre conventions (what you choose to do with them is up to you though), but you'll need a femme fatale in there somewhere. And also to get the mise en scene right, lots of shadows etc. Although i guess it depends if you're shooting in B&W or not.

If you're looking to make a neo-noir a great example to look at would be LA Confidential.

Hope it goes well, the project sounds interesting

I agree with Gotan. You want to make a Film Noir, but for goodness sake make it your own film, not everybody elses. It's fine to be inspired by other people, but just be carefull, and be original. Everyone will thank you if you are.

Here are some basic tips for shooting Noir; 1) shoot black and white. Or, if not, really utilize darkness and shadow like Bmew said. Noir is great for bringing out sharp contrast between light and dark in a frame. 2) try this: get a normal filter for your camera. rub your nose or face, or fingers all over it until it is covered with grease. When you cover the camera lens with this filter, it makes a nice dirty, blend effect that you find in a lot of Noir films. I've done this before, and trust me, it works. Just don't get your camera lens greasy. :P

anyway, hope that helps.

-Kevin
www.the-moe.com