Our media product uses and develops conventions of 1940s/50s film noir. It begins with a cross-blur editing transition and follows a femme fatale with suspenseful shots, as is conventional in film noir. It includes elements like a production company logo, film title in traditional style, high contrast chiaroscuro lighting creating silhouettes and shadows, a saxophone-played score, and costumes/settings fitting the era like a fedora, simple black suit, revealing dress, rural and urban locations with dark lighting, cobblestone roads, and a photo developing station and pistol that are not too modern. The narrative involves an obsessed anti-hero, a villain seeking status through the femme fatale,

1. In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media
products?
Courtney O’Donnell

2. Flashback beginning
with a cross-blur
editing transition

3. Femme fatale is followed
by victim presented by a
variety of tension and
suspense building shots

4. Production company
logo
Producer name

5. Our film title
Conventional
traditional film noir
film titles

6. Chiaroscuro with high
contrast between light
and dark created with
studio light. Conventional
silhouettes and shadows.

7. • Anti-hero obsessed with femme fatale
• Villain creates a false pretence of riches and
seeks femme fatale to give him status and
power
• Femme fatale sees through the villain’s act
and becomes uninterested, which obsesses
the villain

8. • Music played on saxophone

9. Conventional 1940s
camera, traditional
film noir fedora,
traditional simple
black suit with white
shirt and black tie.
Femme fatale dress:
revealing, below the
knee, seductive

10. Photo developing station
and pistol are not too
modern – therefore are
conventional for the era of
film noir.

11. Sound used:
• Dialogue
• Monologue
• Foley sound effects

12. Film noir conventional
rural setting due to
river and trees.
Dystopian with dark
lighting and shadows.
Isolated alleyway. Urban
setting due to
streetlamp and road.
Cobblestones
conventional to
1940/50s style – old
fashioned roads.

13. Traditional dramatic death of
femme fatale presented by lots
of long walking shots using
various angles, low lit and
isolated urban alleyway, and
dramatic spin before being shot.
• Sultry smoky eye make-up
• Dark wine coloured lipstick
• Strong, arched brows
• Sharp, defined cheekbones
• Seductive lace gloves with
rings for glamour
• Curled hair for glamour
• Low cut dress and heels for
seductiveness
• Empowered, confident
walk and high posture:
high status

14. Uses film noir conventional
pistol. Holds femme fatale
to overpower her. Shoots
her in the heart -
passionate death.
“I can’t rely on the cops to make
her killer pay, they don’t know her
like I do.”
Similar to L.A. Confidential with
the narrative of anti-heroes taking
the law into their own hands.
Creased shirt, unshaven, and
messy hair creates his unstable
image – presenting him as a
conventional film noir flawed
anti-hero. Unstable presentation
due to montage of femme fatale
photos – obsessive.