Film noir

1. Film noir Film noir is a style of film using low key lighting and corrupt themes such as characters and settings. Film noir is often used in crime films because the corrupt themes of the crime genre fits well with all the dark lighting and shadows used in film noir. Iconography that is used allot in film noir includes the use of smoke (often indoors), light filtered by blinds to give a shadow effect and dark wet streets. Scenes with bright lighting are not used in film noir because it gives a happy and more hopeful vibe that is not wanted in film noir. Oren Jury Film Noir Oren Jury

2. Lighting Film noir styled lighting is always low key, as film noir is often used in crime films the low key lighting fits well because it adds suspense and focuses a lot on shadows so you might not see the actual action taking place but have to guess it from the shadows. A lighting effect often used in film noir is having the light behind venetian blinds so the shadows will be noticeably cast upon and wall of an actors face. These two examples of film noir style lighting from “the third man” show a classic lighting style where long shadows are cast the walls of dark streets. A tilted angle is also used to add a sense of mystery. Film Noir Oren Jury

3. Characters The main character in film noir will normally be related to crime, such as a detective or a gangster. They will usually have some sort of flaw that will harm them, such as a respected detective may have had a dark past that catches up with him. The protagonist might be not as good as they seem and could be doing a good thing but breaking the rules and committing crimes as they do it. These sort of characters are called anti-heroes. The femme fatale is most often beautiful and will use dishonest methods to achieve her goal. She will be willing to do anything necessary to reach goal and will often use the protagonist as a tool to help her accomplish that goal.  The distrust that the femme fatale will often have towards the protagonist is normally what brings her down as well. Often the protagonist will not trust the femme fatale but will always falls prey to the beauty or charm of the woman. Film Noir Oren Jury

4. Props A common prop used in film noir is a cigarette or cigar, the smoke created from this also works very well with the lighting effects used in film noir. The femme fatal will often smoke. Guns will also be used quite a lot, they will often be used in conflict in the film but also as a prop to show the power of a character. They will often be used by police, detectives and criminals. Film Noir Oren Jury

5. Settings Film noir uses a lot of urban settings, the everyday theme of this type of location makes it feel more real for the viewer. When used in crime films the settings will be dark and damp in the more dodgy parts of town such as alleys. Scenes will often include rain because it makes the characters seem more hidden as it would be harder for them to be seen or heard. For indoor locations film noir will often use bars because of the general themes of smoke and alcohol used in film noir. Film Noir Oren Jury

6. Narrative General film noirs use techniques to obscure the narrative such as starting and the end and then showing how the plot gets to that stage or using flashbacks to uncover the plot. Crime tends to be the plot of most film noirs and this usually involves murder, the motives for these crimes are normally driven by revenge, jealousy and greed. Common plot elements include false suspicions, affairs, betrayals, double crosses, criminal investigations and conspiracies. Film Noir Oren Jury

7. Audience The audience for film noir is very varied because it can be used on different types of films. Film noir will often be watched by people interested in art because of the cinematography and lighting used. People who make there own films will also enjoy watching film noir because it is interesting for them to study artistic features of them and get ideas and inspiration for themselves. Also for indie film makers it is good for them to start of in a film noir style because it encourages film makers to focus more on the plot and film techniques more rather than spending a big budget on CGI and special effects that an indie film maker may not be able to afford. Also the audience will be decided by the genre of the film. Crime films will use a film noir style to put across a lot of violence and mystery so that can also affect the audience. Film Noir Oren Jury

8. Tone Film Noir tends to have a quite pessimistic tone that involve people getting involved with situations that they would not normally find themselves in and would not choose to be in. The frequent themes of corruption and murder also reflect a very negative tone and the main character will tend to be alone and by themselves. Film Noir Oren Jury

9. Cinematography Film noir is often shot in black and white and is considered an important part of film noir cinematography. Film noir is often uses many techniques to distort objects and characters by using skewed angles or shooting the main action through glass or mirrors. It is also very common to have the main action of a shot in the background. Deep Focus is a cinematography style that uses depth of field. This technique is used to give focus to both the close and distant objects or characters. This contrasts with another style of depth of field where only one part of the shot will be in focus and the rest is out of focus, this adds mystery. Film Noir Oren Jury

10. Sound Music used in film noir mainly uses orchestral instruments such as strings, and horns. Most of the music is made to feel empty and far away but this is dependant on the mood of the film. The music will normally use little or no drums because it gives it a heavy feel, if used it will normally play a soft beat using cymbals. The music will nearly always be in a minor key as this gives a sad mood as opposed to a happy mood. The music will often give out a quite sad and lonely feel. The music will generally be without vocals, this can add to the lonely feel of the music and also gives emptiness. The lead part can sometimes be done with vocals but will normally have be done with a trumpet or stringed instrument, if vocals are used then they will be soft and slow so they will not draw much focus. Voice overs are very common in film noir. They will be used a lot to help with the narrative as if someone is telling the film as a story. Voice overs also used a lot in trailers, they are important in trailers because they will summarise the plot and most trailers would not make much sense without a voice over. Film Noir Oren Jury

11. Links http://filmmakeriq.com/2010/08/ultimate-filmmakers-guide-to-film-noir/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir#Visual_style http://josie-liddle-hsfc-media-g321.blogspot.com/2010/02/list-of-actors-costumes-and-props.html http://www.slideshare.net/nathanlvsb/film-noir-6640518 Film Noir Oren Jury