Film noir uses distinctive lighting, camera techniques, and set designs to create a unique aesthetic. Key features include high-contrast chiaroscuro lighting to highlight moral ambiguity, canted camera angles to make characters seem untrustworthy, and adherence to rules of composition to guide the viewer's eye. Costumes and confined settings also provide clues to characters and heighten tension. Locations are often crowded cities or isolated, creating feelings of entrapment or unease. These elements of mise-en-scène differentiate film noir from other genres through its dark, suspicious mood.