First Task for own Media coursework. Film Noir Conventions

1. Conventions of Film Noir
Film Noir theme: Setting
Film Noir is often set in urban areas, and a few cities – Los Angeles, San
Francisco, New York and Chicago are classic locations.
Noir films are set in big cities as they are meant to act as a ‘maze’ or ‘labyrinth’,
as well as the locations used in the city are usually, bars, gambling dens and
other mob like places. The scenes of Noir films are always set at night with heavy
rain, this helps create the atmosphere that noir films are trying to set; Noir films
are usually dark mysterious films with a main character with obvious flaws for the
audience to see, this works best when the scene is set at night rather than a
sunny day or it would ruin the atmosphere the movie is trying to create in order to
make the viewer’s enjoy and be surprised at what will come next.
The city is often presented as a ‘labyrinth’ or ‘maze’.
Noir films are set in the huge undergrounds of cities to create a ‘maze’ or
‘labyrinth’ effect that the viewers and some characters can get ‘lost’ in. This also
helps with the plot of noir films as they are usually crime films, huge shadows and
endless alleyways, this helps set the atmosphere of the film. If the scene was set
in open ground with bright sun rays, it would ruin the effect that noir films need to
be successful and that is mysterious dark plots that keep the viewer guessing
Bars, lounges, nightclubs and gambling dens are frequently the scenes of
action.
These locations are used very specifically as they provide the correct atmosphere
for the film to be effective on the audience, these locations set the scene for
mystery and allow noir to use the typical noir setting effect with large shadows
and dark areas. We know that these specific locations are used because they are
not the normal places for an audience to go, so they create a negative
atmosphere for the audience
In noir it is always night and it always rains.
The maximize the effect of the noir the scenes are always set at night with heavy
rain, this helps create the effective atmosphere that is needed in noir films, it
creates an atmosphere of mystery, which keeps the audience wanting to find out
what is next. The rainy night effect is very effective as it suits the ‘maze’ or
‘labyrinth’ effect that the city is providing.
Film Noir theme: Ideology
Film Noir is often described as essentially pessimistic.

2. Usually the main character of the film is provided with a task to solve a murder or
take down an important figure head, the main character is very pessimistic on how to
tackle the challenge ahead of him. In lots of Noir films the main character (usually a
Detective) has very little information to start with, and has to use knowledge of their
own to solve the investigation. We see in the film ‘Se7en’ detective Somerset uses
his own knowledge of the religious views and sacrificial murders to understand the
pattern that is being used by the cereal killer John Moe. As well as in the film ‘The
Big Combo’ we see that Detective Diamond is the man who knows Mr. Brown the
best and his use of knowledge on the ‘Bad’ guy helps to finally bring Mr. Brown
down.
Often telling stories of people who are trapped in unwanted situations, striving
against random, uncaring fate, and are frequently doomed.
The Noir based films usually shows us a character that is in a very difficult situation,
either trapped and cannot escape un-aided, or the fact that the character is doomed
anyway and will meet a nasty end. The use of these types of deaths is used to
create the correct atmosphere appropriate to the film in the audience, if the makers
showed pleasant scenes with characters they would be unsuitable for the film and
ruin what the audience would expect from Noir based films. Throughout the film
Se7en we see all different kinds of murder all of which are very gruesome and
involve a character are doomed. In the film ‘The Big Combo’ we see that Mr. Brown’s
employees murder some characters.
Illustrating a world that is inherently corrupt.
Noir films are very good at expressing how the world we live in is not perfect, the
films show how locations and everyday people can change to create a huge negative
and corrupt atmosphere, we see in the film ‘ The Big Combo’ that a restaurant is
being used as the location for Mr. Brown, this shows an innocent location turned into
a criminals hide out, enhancing the fact that the world around us is filled with both
good and bad, even locations we would assume with ‘ordinary’ people such as
restaurants can be not what they seem
The classic American film noir has been associated with the sense of
heightened anxiety and alienation after WWII.
After World War 2 American noir based films could have possibly changed, due to
the knowledge and experience of the war, ordinary people at that time who may
have been oblivious to great violence witnessed it for 6 years as World War 2
occurred. After the war many people would change the aspect of noir as the violence
that has been seen by everyday people from the war, would be greater than that of
the noir based films
The tone of film noir is generally regarded as downbeat – ‘overwhelmingly
black’ according to Robert Ottoson.

3. Noir based films are famous for their overwhelmingly use of shadows throughout
the film, the location of these films are set in large cities often exploring the
underground of criminal life at night with rain. The use of shadows in this type of
scenery is very effective on the audience as it creates the mystery that film noir
hopes to achieve with a hardboiled detective hunting down a famous criminal for
the good of the city.
Noirs often have a hopeless tone but often imbued with sexual innuendo
Noir films always start with the criminal of the film being in control of the activities,
creating a helpless effect as the detective cannot find any evidence to accuse
the criminal, we see in both of the films ‘The Big Combo’ and ‘Se7en’ that when
the film begins we see that the detectives are unsure on how to bring either Mr
Brown or John Moe down, with the films always showing the criminal in control of
the events in the storyline, eventually as the films continues we see the change of
control shift to the side of the detectives.
Film Noir theme: Structure and Narrative
Unusual convoluted storylines, often involving flashbacks and flash forwards
which can obscure the narrative sequence.
Using flashbacks and flash forwards distracts the audience from the storyline and
also helps us feel like we are lost in the film like the characters are lost in the maze
like city , also to obscure the storyline it blurs the audiences vision on which is evil
and which is good within the film. We may even see or hear about past events on
how the character ended how they are, broken hearts or murders.
Often the protagonist is the voiceover narration.
The main character often does the voiceover narration so that it feels like he is the
one telling the story from a first hand experience, this makes the story feel as if it
maybe an anecdote
The narrative drive is usually provided by the protagonists search for criminal
justice.
We know that the main character who does the narrative is the detective behind the
investigation that is being done, and we can tell that the main character wants the
criminal to have his justice as he is the one who is trying to bring down the main bad
character
Latter-day noir has been in the forefront of structural experimentation in
popular cinema, as exemplified by such films as Pulp Fiction and Memento.

4. The noir films have been quiet similar for some time with similar lighting effects and
similar characteristics for characters, however in recent times directors have tried to
change some aspects of noir films in order to re invent the idea of noir to keep it
fresh and interesting to modern audiences
Film Noir theme: Visual Style
Low-key lighting for light dark contrasts and dramatic shadows.
Film Noirs are famous for there shadowed surroundings and mysterious story lines.
The low key lighting and dramatic shadows create the perfect atmosphere for the
audience to feel involved, these are extremely effective as it creates amazing
scenery and works extremely well in order to create the mystery that is needed for
noir films
Characters faces may be wholly or partly obscured by darkness.
The characters may be in the dark, to secretly say that everyone has darkness
hidden within them that contains the evil side of human psychology. The shadows
also add an element of mystery to make the audience think about how the character
is being displayed
Dutch angles, low-angled shots and wide angle lenses.
The types of angle shots used in noir films are very unique as they are used to
capture long distances of space, usually to add more shadow or dramatic darkness
to the picture, greatly benefiting and emphasizing the mysterious element of the film
that is trying to be shown to the audience
German Expressionism influences are seen in Film Noir.
In Germany during the 1920s before the First World War that reached a peak in
Berlin, during the 1920s. These developments in Germany were part of a larger
Expressionist movement in north and central European culture in fields such as
architecture, painting and cinema. This showed the importance of cutural based
ideas as well expressed in the film noir
Shots of people reflected in mirrors or through curved or frosted glass used as
devices to disorientate.
The noir films are based around mystery and using unclear shots in scene helps to
create an effective atmosphere that emphasizing the fact that the film is based
around mystery and over whelming dark nesses of the unknown, using curved or
frosted glass to show character makes the audience believe that characters are not
all they seem, creating an air of uncertainty for the audience again blurring the line
for audience between good and bad characters

5. Side light is often used to reflect character ambivalence and shots lit from
below used to express unnatural or ominous facial expressions.
The lighting effect is used extremely well in noir films and maximized to the length of
its abilities, we know that noir is based around mystery however the lighting can
create facial expressions of uncertainty among characters that fully lit rooms would
not show also creating an unusual atmosphere for the audience to think about, we
may even near elements of fear among characters which would spread to the
audience
Film Noir theme: Themes
Crime, usually murder is a key theme.
Film Noir’s themes are usually murder as it is really effective with the scenery that
the noir films use, very dark, shadows, maze like city and rainy, these create an
atmosphere of mystery keeping the audience on their toes on what will happen next,
as well as with the theme being murder we can see how the main character the film
is focused on both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ is effected on how the murder is committed and
who it is committed upon
Greed and jealousy is frequently the criminal’s motivation.
The Noir films are very good at emphasizing the fact that no-one is perfect and noir
can show this very easy. We know noir are crime films but as an audience we want
to know how it has started and it is usually through jealously for personal gain. This
gives us information on the ‘bad’ character as straight away an obvious flaw is the
jealously of the character, noir are known for showing clearly flawed characters, so
this fits in with this cater gory as well
A crime investigation by a private eye or police detective is the most prevalent
plot.
The plot is very powerful as we find out about how the police detective (‘good’
character) will tackle to investigation they have been given. We learn throughout
every noir film that every one has some flaw and that is it easy to spot weather it is
love or anger, these type of emotions bring out the best and worst in people,
however noir tend to use these to show us the bad side of a person in order to blur
the lines between good and bad
Other plots include adulterous affairs, false suspicions, betrayals and double
crosses.
Other ways to show how people are not perfect is the disloyal behavior that some
take part in the films, we see all kinds of different ways in which friends become
enemies and vice versa. Also this kind of behavior is expected from the area in
which the film is focusing on e.g. Murder, Gang Bosses. These characteristics of the

6. character that feature also help to provide the atmosphere of the film or even make
force the audience to judge the character that is performing the acts weather they be
the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ character it could blur the line between good and evil.
The psychological exploration of the darker side of humankind.
The noir films tend to show us the real dark side of human behavior weather that be
cold blooded murder or betrayals of great friends, these show us the extreme
opposite of what other films may show us, noir set out to prove that no one is perfect
and in order to do so they have to explore the extent of how evil some people may
go in order of personal gain or just because they can. This is also used to shock the
audience because it may not be the ‘bad’ character that performs the evil acts, as we
know no one is perfect.
The social exploration of the darker side of society.
Noir set out to explore the lower life of cities and how bad the standard of living is as
well as how scary it can be. We witness horrible murders and other events from just
ordinary people. The crowd that is usually used in the films noir are the criminals or
people who use the ‘black’ market or people involved in illegal organizations, noir
films clearly show these types of jobs so that the audience can see the extreme of
the investigation under way on the film, and the main character may have to get
involved to stop the person he wants to ( do a little evil to do a lot of good)
Film Noir theme: Structure and Narrative
Unusual convoluted storylines, often involving flashbacks and flash forwards
which can obscure the narrative sequence.
Using flashbacks and flash forwards distracts the audience from the storyline and
also helps us feel like we are lost in the film like the characters are lost in the maze
like city , also to obscure the storyline it blurs the audiences vision on which is evil
and which is good within the film. We may even see or hear about past events on
how the character ended how they are, broken hearts or murders.
Often the protagonist is the voiceover narration.
The main character often does the voiceover narration so that it feels like he is the
one telling the story from a first hand experience, this makes the story feel as if it
maybe an anecdote
The narrative drive is usually provided by the protagonists search for criminal
justice.
We know that the main character who does the narrative is the detective behind the
investigation that is being done, and we can tell that the main character wants the
criminal to have his justice as he is the one who is trying to bring down the main bad
character

7. Latter-day noir has been in the forefront of structural experimentation in
popular cinema, as exemplified by such films as Pulp Fiction and Memento.
The noir films have been quiet similar for some time with similar lighting effects and
similar characteristics for characters, however in recent times directors have tried to
change some aspects of noir films in order to re invent the idea of noir to keep it
fresh and interesting to modern audiences