References in ‘After Midnight’

Since my short film, After Midnight (https://vimeo.com/167215790), was a thesis and an homage to the noir genre, there are a lot of references to other movies in the film. I made a video essay with all of the major references in the film. Some of them were conscious decisions and I was fully aware of what I was referencing while making the film. There were also a few that were more subconscious and I didn’t realize their influence until after the fact. The video essay is here (https://vimeo.com/283202219) and this is a more in-depth commentary. Names: Laura - The titular character of Laura is very mysterious and the film itself contains a plot twist, so I felt it was an appropriate name for the protagonist. Rutledge - Since Vivian Rutledge from The Big Sleep is married, I probably technically should have gone with Sternwood, her maiden name but I liked the name Rutledge better. Phyllis - Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity is a classic noir femme fatale who is also a murderer, and Phyllis Rutledge is a similar character. Walter - Walter Brown in The Narrow Margin is a cop, which Walter secretly is. Walter Neff in Double Indemnity falls in love with the wrong woman, just like Walter. Steele - There wasn’t a particular reason I took the name from Dix Steele in In a Lonely Place, although both characters experience a (Spoiler alert) doomed romance, though Walter’s hardly gets started. Mr. Dixon - I sort of borrowed the name Dixon Steele from In a Lonely Place for Mr. Dixon’s name, but he’s primarily named after Mark Dixon, a cop whose demoted because of his behavior in Where the Sidewalk Ends. Sam - There isn’t much resemblance between Sam Martins and Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon. I mostly just liked the name. Martins - Once again, not much resemblance between Sam and Holly Martins from The Third Man. I just liked the name. Visual References: Elevator to the Gallows - The sequences of Jeanne Moreau wandering through downtown after thinking her lover has left her were a great inspiration for the grieving montage, particularly the brief scene filmed in downtown Gainesville. I even suggested the Destiny Arlotta, who played Laura, see the film before we shot it. The sequence is famous for the soundtrack by Miles Davis, and I saw the film in the Music in French Cinema class I took. The Narrow Margin - I originally wanted the beginning to reference the opening of The Narrow Margin, especially since that’s what initially sparked the inspiration for the film in a way, but I realized it didn’t work and ultimately decided to go for a more simplistic opening instead. The Story of Adele H. - This Truffaut film based on the true story of Victor Hugo’s daughter has several similarities to After Midnight, especially since they both feature psychotic protagonists who are obsessed over their ex-boyfriends and can’t sleep at night. This sequence from the film features Adele seeing her sister drowning. The Story of Adele H./The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Both of these films featuring the protagonists waking up screaming. I actually showed Destiny the clip from Catching Fire right before we shot that scene. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - It was almost inevitable that my favorite film series of all time would influence my work somehow, and the entire mirror scene was directly influenced by this scene from Narnia 3, even though the context is very different. I had forgotten about this influence for a while until we shot the scene, and I realized (happily) that I was directly referencing this film, especially since that scene is not in the book. Laura - The position that Laura is in with Sam in the photograph is a direct reference to the portrait of Laura in the film. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 - I think this was another subconscious reference. I had to direct Ernest to use his hands that way, though I think I had forgotten exactly why I wanted it that way when I was filming. Where the Sidewalk Ends - The motif of shots of Laura’s feet is a direct inspiration from this opening shot. Shooting Through Stairs Motif (The Narrow Margin and Arsenic and Old Lace) - When I was introduced to film noir in my History of Film II class, my professor pointed to these shots of shooting through stairs as a noir motif, using The Narrow Margin as an example. Afterward, I saw the same technique used in Arsenic and Old Lace, even though it’s not a film noir film (though it is directed by Frank Capra, and my professor argued that the alternative sequence in It’s a Wonderful Life takes influence from film noir in my class). Speaking Over Shots of Photographs Motif (Breathless) - I noticed that in a lot of French New Wave films, there are shots of photographs while people are talking. The shots from Breathless were the only ones I could find in doing my research for this video essay. Another film that uses this is A Woman is a Woman, but I couldn’t get footage that worked for this. Dialogue and Thematic References: M - The climax of this film was a big influence on After Midnight. Not only do both have lines about the victims and their families haunting the two serial killers, but also the two monologues going deep into the psychological reasons that are beyond their control. Life Insurance (Double Indemnity, The Narrow Margin) - Phyllis’s line about life insurance is a direct reference to Double Indemnity since the plot revolves about murdering that Phyllis’s husband to get the insurance money. Insurance is also mentioned in The Narrow Margin, as Mrs. is being escorted to testify about her ex-gangster husband. Thus, the line in After Midnight is a reference and a subtle clue that she killed Sam and is curious if Laura got any money out of the deal. The Flash, Episode 1x09 - The Flash is my favorite television show and I’m pretty sure I was thinking of this moment from season one when I was writing this line in the script. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - I saw this film in my Music in French Cinema class as well and remembered my professor pointing out the self-referential humor in this scene, so I wanted to do a similar thing with the beginning of the film. Besides, the dialogue for that scene is supposed to be non-consequential (not entirely though, since she mentions “working last night”) so I figured it was a good place to include a reference. The Avengers - I didn’t realize this one until recently, but because of the timing, I’m not surprised if I was subconsciously inspired by this line from The Avengers. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - More of a thematic reference, this one was also subconscious and I didn’t realize the connection until after the fact. But considering how much Narnia is in my subconscious, it doesn’t surprise me. Charade (Spoiler alert) - Also a thematic reference, the twist that Cary Grant’s character was an agent the entire time was a direct inspiration for the twist that Walter was really a cop the entire time (he originally was going to die until I saw this film). The final part of the video essay was one my dad kept mentioning as a joke. We often watch videos on the Youtube Channel CinemaSins, and at the end of their videos, they show similarities to other films in that format. It’s not a direct reference to A Christmas Story in the film, just a joke I had to include.