Media AS stock character research

1. Stock Film Noir Characters

2. Detective/private eye
As most common film noirs were
based around themes of crime and
murder, private eyes and detectives
were conventional characters used as
a device to explore the crime. They
were often mysterious and had their
own flaws; they weren’t afraid to fight
as they often found themselves in
dangerous confrontational situations
with parts of the mob underworld in
order to serve justice. Stereotypical
private eyes would often be
recognized by long trench coats and
fedora hats as well as the typical film
noir iconography of cigarettes and
alcohol. As heroes they often had
flaws that could jeopardise their
chances of defeating the felons.
“Out Of The Past” (1947) Jeff Baily
“Blade runner”
(1982) Rick
“Kiss me deadly”(1955) Mike

4. Femme Fatales
The femme fatale character is a stock
archetype of film noir; the femme fatale is
a glamorous seductive women who
charms her lovers into compromising and
dangerous situations with her beauty. She
is never vulnerable and is often more
dangerous than any of the male mob
characters as she can manipulate them
into almost anything when they are under
her spell. Her presence could represent
the males fears of female liberation after
world war two as finally, after the
existence of women land workers, they
were seen as stronger and more
important in life and now in film
narratives. Femme fatales are often seen
with little clothing and low necklines to
come across as sultry and gain attention
through male gaze. They stereotypically
wear heavy makeup to reinforce her
femininity but also smoke representing
“Murder my sweet” (1944) Helen Grayle“Don't Bother to
Knock” (1952) Nell
Forbes
“The Big Heat” (1953) Debby Marsh

6. Gangster and mob underworld
Where there is a detective, there are
gangsters and criminals acting against
them and the law. The heroes would
be nothing without them. They are the
stock “bad guys” that challenge the
protagonist. In film noir, the American
urban criminals came in the form of
the mob; an un law abiding society
that lived separately and had no rules.
They’d kill, steal and abuse with no
mercy and no consequence. Bosses
of the mob would often wear suits to
represent their wealth but lower
criminals would be recognized
stereotypically by leather jackets,
tattoos and often were very physically
fit.
“Pulp fiction” (1994) Marcellus
“Touch of Evil” (1958) Menzies
“Sin City” 2005 Dwight
McCarthy

8. Innocent girl (Girl next-door)
As well as the femmes fetal
there is often a sweet
innocent girl who gets
caught up in the situation.
An innocent girl with no
real involvement in the
story but is victimized and
used, often hold as a
hostage. She has no view
on being malicious and is
more worried and
vulnerable than
mischievous. Often they
wear sweet soft less
glamorous dresses and
softer makeup than the
femme fatale and they care
about the male
protagonists deeply.
“Pulp Fiction” (1994) Fabienne
“Sin city”(2005) Young Nancy Callahan

10. Flawed protagonist/antiheroes
The antihero is usually the main
protagonist. He has better morals
than most noir characters, that an
audience can follow, but is usually
also a cold hearted killer too. He is
easily swayed by other high
powers, such as the femme fatale,
to partake in criminal activities
because his isolation and personal
struggle leads to a disillusionment
of what's right and wrong; they
create their own rules and partake
in their own vigilante system for
the underworld societies. Even
though their actions are evil and
cruel as an audience we can
sympathies with them as the use
of voiceover gives us an insight on
their real emotions and
desperation behind the tough
exterior.
"Casablanca" (1942) Rick
Blaine
“Blade runner” (1982) Rick
Deckard
"Charles Foster Kane" (1941)
Citizen Kane