Film noir is a genre of film inspired by hard-boiled crime novels that became popular in France. Common conventions of film noir include being shot in black and white to emphasize shadows and moods, settings in dark city alleys and tall buildings that isolate characters, dramatic lighting using shadows and contrasts, femme fatales that lure men into danger, cynical male protagonists such as detectives, and themes of money, guns, smoking, and reflections that add elements of mystery, danger, and suspense.
2. What is film noir?
Film noir is a French term meaning ‘black
film’, or film of the night. Film noir was inspired
from a line of cheap paper backs that translated
into hard-boiled American crime authors and
found a popular audience in France.
3. Conventions of film noir
Black and white
Film noir is often filmed in black and white because It mainly is
used to emphases certain parts for example shadows. Also the
colours black and white have several connotations. For example
black often connotes death. Death is often a key theme in film
noir therefore the black and white highlights this. Also the use of
black and white represents the feelings of the main characters as
they often suffer from such things as depression.
4. Conventions of film noir
Setting
Often the movies are set in city's that contain several dark alleys
and tall buildings. The use of things like alleys help emphasise
the shadows and give a sense of mystery because you do not
know what could be hiding in the shadows, giving a sense of
danger. Also the use of tall buildings give a sense of isolation
around the main male character who often have several
flaws, The idea that he is alone in a city full of people helps to
stress his loneliness and flaws.
5. Conventions of film noir
Lighting
Chiaroscuro is often the word related to the lighting used in film
noir. It is a combination of two Italian words meaning ‘clear’ and
‘dark’. Lighting is often used to give a sense of the mood of the
scene for example the lighting will be very dark in a dramatic
scene of when someone is killed.
6. Conventions of film noir
Femme fatale
Femme fatale literally means ‘killer/deadly woman’. They often
are very promiscuous, beautiful but desperate women. They
often make the main male character fall for them and pull them
into dangerous situations.
They are often presented as being glamorous and beautiful.
Common costume conventions include long dresses, expensive
jewellery and red lipstick. The costume worn often connotes
danger.
7. Conventions of film noir
A cynical, hard hearted, disillusioned male
character.
This character is often the main character they often have
alcohol problems and are hard hearted. They are often
portrayed as detectives.
There costume is normally suits, trench coats and trilby
hats, mainly because it is the clothes a male would of worn in
1950 which helps set a time and give the film some context.
8. Conventions of film noir
Smoking
Most of the characters in film noir will this is mainly because
smoking connotes danger which suggests that no one is safe. It
also connotes a sense of mystery as smoke makes the air cloudy
and suggests that there is something the characters are hiding or
something they do not know about, therefore once again giving
a sense of not knowing and mystery.
9. Conventions of film noir
Guns
Guns carry the connotation of danger as they are used to kill
things. They also add a sense of action to film noir and help to
generate excitement. Guns used are often small hand guns that
are hidden away so when they are pulled out it shocks the
audience.
10. Conventions of film noir
Money/riches
This is often a key theme in film noir because it is used to show
status. For example the main bad guy will have a lot of money to
use against people. It is often a trouble maker for the main male
character who already has several downfalls.
11. Conventions of film noir
Mirrors/reflections
These are often used to show conversations between characters.
It often shows tension as there must be a reason that they are
not talking face to face, therefore suggesting problems.
Also they are often used to show the audience things that the
character looking in the mirror cannot see, therefore creating
suspense and excitement.
