HR: Conventions of film noir

The film noir period stretches from early 1940s to the late 1950s The key features of film noir are:

• Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas.
• It usually emphasises moral ambiguity and sexual motivation.
• It is often described as essentially pessimistic that are seen as depicting a world that is inherently corrupt.
• They tend to use low-key lighting schemes producing a light/dark contrast and dramatic shadow patterning, this includes Venetian blinds or banister rods - they are an iconic visual in film noir.
• Character's faces are partially or wholly in darkness to give an obscured feel to the scene.
• The camera techniques of film noir are usually tilted, low-angle shots and wide angle lenses.
• Other devices of disorientation are common such as shots of people reflected in one or more mirrors or shots through curved or frosted glass.
• Film noirs tend to have unusually convoluted story lines that involve techniques such as flashbacks and flash-forwards.
• The narrative is often focused on crime
• The characters featured are morally flawed, misunderstood characters. One of these is the femme fatale who is filmed for her sexuality and presented as empowered, but rarely survives at the end of the film. Visual motifs associated with this character include wispy trails of smoke.

Brick (Johnson, 2006)

• All the obscure angles from the opening help to make this clip teen noir as it creates a sense of mystery as half of the shots of the teenagers face is of him covering up his face so we cannot see his expression, whether he is shocked, sad or thinking as he is in a crouching position looking at the body lying by the stream
• The location is set in a sewer and there is a cave in the middle of the shot which is part of film noir as shadows into darkness make the audience wonder what is through the cave
• A flashback is used - this is a device often used in film noir to help explain the complex scenario.
• As film noir is connected with crime, clues are set throughout the opening to create enigma for the audience. For example, when the piece of paper drops from his locker to show a time and location, or when the cigarette is thrown out of the car window to show him the direction to go (cigarettes are another aspect of film noir)
• The opening titles are a white serif font on a black background. Not only does this make it look solid like a brick, it gives it a crime theme as it stands out from the screen. Black and white are commonly used colours in film noir as it ages the clip and makes it obscure due to the lack of colours.